The Primordial Record

Staff pulled herself from the grasp of memory. It was easy to indulge in her pain and self-hatred. The weakness that filled her body which made her unable to do anything that could affect the outcome of what was to come.

It would be easy to channel her hate toward Rowan and Primordial Demon, these two colossal entities whose actions made a mockery of everything not on their level, but she knew it was not Rowan's fault. He did the best he could with what he had, and she wondered if she were in his position, if she could perform any better.

That thought scared her. She did not want to be in that man's mind or make the decisions he had to make regularly. Such a road led to madness that could never be recovered from.

Finally, Staff said, "There is nothing wrong with the materials for the arena. We are even ahead of schedule for its completion. What is the issue you have, Malgeth?"

The leader of the Infernal Architects coughed, "Well, this arena is not just a layer in the Abyss, it is also a Cosmic Crucible. Originally, we did not have the materials to create such a thing, but I don't know how our Prime did it. However, we have had contributions from all Primordial Domains to boost the creation of this place."

Staff frowned. She had not been aware that many of these materials were not coming from the Great Abyss alone but from everywhere in Reality. It would seem that this fight had more meaning than it would appear on the surface, and this was not only a clash between Primordial Demon and Rowan but all the Primordials at the same time.

"How does that affect your work?"

Malgeth scratched his fiery hair, "I am coming to that. You see, to make all ninety-nine million pillars of the central platform, we used the bones of fallen Titans. I never knew there were so many Titans in existence that could make out that number, and the molten oceans that surround this place are made from lava infused with the screams of tormented souls. That was my personal touch."

Malgeth licked his lips in satisfaction. His work had never been displayed on such a grand stage, and if he were not wrong, all of Reality would be here in one form or another to watch this battle, which meant his Cabal would gain a notoriety that would touch all corners of existence.

He wanted to luxuriate in the feeling of this massive accomplishment, but he could feel the eyes of Staff tearing into his consciousness, and so he hurriedly continued his explanation,

"Each block here is made from Black Iron of the Void, mined from the center of dead dimensions. There are fifty trillion blocks in each quadrant, and the total number of quadrants in the arena is ninety-nine million."

Staff realized the direction that the conversation was heading, and a furious chill filled her heart, but she kept silent, wanting to hear the complete revelation before she made any move.

"To create the dome, we used the skin of an Eternal Wyrm, which is stretched across the entire arena, and it is supposed to keep the audience safe when the show begins."

"Eternal Wyrm?" Staff asked, "What is that?"

Malgeth blinked and seemed to consult his spirit before he frowned, "I don't know what it is, the only mention I can find is something called a Primordial Beast, and that is all there is to it, but I can attest to the fact that I have never seen any material like this before that can perfectly soak all form of energies without letting out any bit of it."

Staff nodded. She knew what a Primordial Beast was, but she had no intention of telling Malgeth the significance of such material being openly revealed by the Primordials.

"I know you have been patient with me, but I am listing all these materials to you because they are essential to the core of the problem we are now facing. To make the formation eye that would govern the arena, we used the Chains of the First Betrayal, the broken weapon of our Primordial Demon; it is the only material we could find that could hold all of these varied forces together. But um, it seems like there is a new consciousness arising inside these chains."

Staff closed her eyes, swallowing her anger. She was supposed to know all the precise materials being used in the construction of this project, and while the materials listed were accurately given to her, what was different was the number.

In the case of the bones of Titans, there were supposed to be eight hundred thousand, but now it was ninety-nine million, and if she used the same scale of adjustment for all the materials that were used in the arena, then a terrifying number would be revealed.

She would have been confused about the resources being placed in this fight if she had not realized that this battle was much bigger than she had expected.

"Why are you telling me this at a time when I will hardly be able to do anything about it. Surely you don't expect me to solve your problems."

"Of course not, Infernal Maiden," Malgeth beat his chest, "we already have a solution to restrain this consciousness, but we need your talents to help us suppress it long enough for the placements to take shape."

Closing her eyes to review the feasibility of the plan, Staff saw that it was possible, but it would cost her a lot, and there was a significant risk that she might lose her life.

Her gaze turned towards the depths of the Abyss, waiting for a response from Primordial Demon, but she got none. Staff knew that this problem was most likely anticipated by the Primordial, but he remained silent. Why would he care if she died? To this Demon, everything below him was useless.

Yet Staff could not stand by and watch as the arena fell into ruin because it was the only chance for her father to revive. She could not stand by and watch.

Decision made, she nodded towards the leader of the Infernal Architects,

"You can begin the process. Tell me where I am needed, and I will suppress this consciousness."

Malgeth smiled, "Good. We have Reality-Ward seals and Soulfire barriers that should dampen the ferocity of the awakening consciousness, but our main tool would be the Oculus of Annihilation. This thing was brought from the domain of Primordial Chaos, and I cannot believe we have such a tool at our disposal."

Staff swiped her hands in front of her in irritation, "Stop wasting time and begin the process. This ritual would take a fair bit of time, and the construction of this arena cannot be delayed."

Malgeth nodded in pleasure and turned around, but then he hesitated, before slowly saying, "The Oculus of annihilation is a powerful device at the Primordial level. There may be a chance that the emanation from the device could affect your soul and spirit. You might perish in this endeavor."

Staff could only smile, "I know there was always something you were hiding from me, but it does not matter. Proceed with the arrangement. Oh, Malgeth, there is something you don't know about me. My life is heavier than a mountain, and until I hear my father's voice, I shall never die."