Abyssal Awakening

The first question lets Alice know what Nyer's plans are and to what extent he was willing to burn the world for it.

His ambitions.

Meanwhile, the second question lets her figure out what kind of plan he has for her.

Regardless of what's answered, a huge gap in knowledge will be filled. And from that, she'll be able to make more guesses towards what Nyer is doing and what she should be doing in the meantime.

Scratching his chin, Caelan smiled.

"First. Nyer plans on resurrecting the fallen God through sacrifice and a ritualistic approach. The countless deaths that's accumulated through the ages, his pact with the Outer Gods, agreements with Gods and Apostles alike are all part of the process. He will watch the world burn if it means Velouria returns.

"As for question two. . . Through countless years of experimentation, soul research, catalyst research and even dabbling in reincarnation/incarnation, Nyer has implanted a seed that can germinate into 'Velouria'. A second life for her while the mind that you are now is erased to make space for her. As for what he wishes for you to become. . . Nothing. He has no plans or expectations for you, he simply wants to observe what you become without his interference."

Alice was silent. Both sound plausible yet at the same time, incorrect to some degree. So what was true and what was false?

"Even if an answer contains truth, if it contains a speck of false information, it will be classified as a lie. Interesting isn't it?" He stood up with a smile. He could see that Alice didn't want to continue this game so there was no reason to keep this realm intact.

"In this game, truth can be disguised into lies but lies can't be disguised as truth. The information that can be shared this way essentially doubles, provided the listener is one that can figure out the clues."

Waving his hand, the boundaries of this realm started to crumble apart.

"You're a strange one aren't you. One moment you're thinking of killing me permanently and the next you're giving me information on what Nyer is planning. What exactly is your end goal? Someone of your strength doing all of this seems. . ." Alice narrowed her gaze.

"Unlikely?" Caelan turned to her, finishing her sentence.

"Something like that."

"Are you aware of the impact that immortality can do to a person? When death is never and option even if you seek it out?" Caelan smiled a sad smile. There was a sense of helplessness in his expression as Alice felt her heart tighten for a moment.

Immortality when death isn't even an option. . .

She was all too familiar.

Her fingers subconsciously traced her neck for a moment.

During those painful 10 years, she couldn't end it even if she wanted to. No sign of hope, only more experiments and torture to look forward too.

The cold emptiness that polluted her heart and the collar that bound her to the cursed room.

Having felt he warmth of freedom, the coldness of that desolation felt all the more scary for Alice.

She didn't want to lose it all and go back to a time like that.

"I've watched kingdoms come and go, eras shift and powerful hunters crumble to ash with my very own eyes. I've seen, heard and even experienced what you call history. My body is an archive of experience and knowledge that has persisted over the ages and yet death is forever out of my reach." Caelan held his hands behind his back.

"I sought out the Lord of Death, asked for the grim reapers scythe yet here I stand, alive. The reaper of the forgotten era dead by my feet. Not because I sought to kill him but because my immortality could not be severed." He clenched his fist. "And to summon the reaper's scythe, a price had to be paid. If I could not be killed, he had to give up his life."

Turning around to face Alice, he smiled.

"So when you ask me why I'm doing the things I'm doing, a whim would be rather accurate. I do this so that perhaps my family member, who is still bound by the coils of mortality, can enjoy herself until it is time to depart this mortal realm.

"I may have suffered the curse of longevity but that does not mean I wish for life to end prematurely."

Without waiting for Alice's response, Caelan stepped into his own shadow and disappeared, leaving her all alone to contemplate the answers he's given her.

After a long, long silence, Alice let out a sigh.

"F*ck. . ."

That was all she could say. Immortality is never a boon only a curse. The mind cannot comprehend the passage of infinite time. Life is the way it is because an end is in the distance. But if there is no end, life will gradually slow down to a near halt.

It hasn't stopped yet it barely progresses. The death of one's mind while the body persists.

Alice already felt insane after 10 years of this kind of suffering. Yet Caelan has experienced centuries.

The fact that he hasn't gone completely batsh*t insane is impressive in itself. Or perhaps he's already a madman and she couldn't tell the difference.

'What do you think was the truth regarding his final two answers?' Alice asked as Cayla furrowed her brows.

[It's complicated. One side should hold nothing but the absolute truth yet based on my knowledge and information that I can access, neither seems plausible. First, resurrecting a fallen god.

[While yes, the method mentioned could technically work with centuries of effort but I doubt that is the resurrection that Nyer desires. A pact with Outer Gods should, in theory, be one that helps him inject life into a subject. Twisted while it may be, Eldritch energy is frighteningly tenacious when it comes to clinging onto life.

[But his second answer doesn't sound like the entire truth either. First, without his interference. That's already incorrect since he has interfered indirectly in various scenarios. Second, a seed to germinate into Velouria. That's already been proven to be incorrect thanks to Velouria disappearing from your sea of consciousness. What little remains of her is gone. This Seed is at most the foundations for a vessel rather than Velouria herself.] Cayla shook her head.

'So the second is absolutely a lie?'

[I think both are lies. Or at least partially.] She furrowed her brows.

'Oh?'

[He mentioned that truth can be disguised as a lie by injecting falsehood into the statement. Yet he says lies can't be turned into truth. But here's the funny thing about truth. It is subjective and opinionated based on the topic. 'Truth' is manipulated by the access of information.

[Let's say I know that you are not the original Alice but you don't know that. Your truth will be that you're the original while my truth is that you're not the original. Objectively, I'm correct but through perception, you are also correct.

[After all. . . Caelan never said it checked Truth through objective means did he? I theorise that the truth he speaks is based solely on perception. Even if he has some hints that it may not be the case or that things may have changed over time.

[Without verification, outdated knowledge is technically still truth. Just at a different time.] Cayla proposed as Alice folded her arm.

Even if that was the case, part of what he said was still 'truth' at a certain point. Meaning that was indeed what Nyer was planning.

Instead of taking his words at face value, it's now simply her job to figure out what was real and what was false outdated information.

"What a pain in the ass. . ." Alice muttered, scratching her hair.

Caelan was like a river surface. One droplet and the ripples reveal something beneath the surface.

One moment he can be peaceful and helpful and the next filled with the desire to murder.

###

Seeing Alice piece together the hints he sprinkled throughout their little game, Caelan chuckled while drinking some wine.

Even if he's being roundabout with his answers, his restrictions still don't allow him to speak so freely. He needed to manipulate Alice's perception of the situation and other factors before his 'sealed information' can be passed on.

And even then, it's in the forms of hints and nudges. What ifs, maybes and perhaps.

They are also less likely to 'believe' these things if it comes from an enemy.

Caelan lied as naturally as he breathed. All the information he gave Alice, around 40% was outdated, 30% was false/incorrect, 10% was made up and the last 20% was truth.

What he did was essentially nudge her towards the starting line while she walked the rest of the way there.

He was dancing a little too close to what is allowed and what isn't but this kind of danger also helps breath a bit of vitality into his life.

"What are you doing? Snooping around and keeping an eye on dear Alice and me?" Caelan opened his mouth with a soft chuckle.

"Tch, sensitive b*stard. I didn't even hear anything." Rosalyn pouted, stepping out.

She felt something was off and came to look but by the time she arrived, everything has finished already.

Knowing what her brother was like, he was definitely pulling at a few strings in the dark.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not looking to harm her. I only gave her a few what if scenarios since she looked like she needed something to occupy her mind." Caelan chuckled, patting Rosalyn's hair before departing from the area.

Furrowing her brows, Rosalyn sighed with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

They were family yet he refused to tell her anything until she dug it out herself.

He was also the one who introduced her to the man made Outer God that handles Eldritch corruption in the main realm.

'What are you planning Cael. . .'