Lessons of the Abyss

Ellie's question hung in the air, met with only silence from Azrael. His eyes continued to reveal nothing as he gazed at the destruction he had wrought. Suddenly, his attention shifted to Ellie, breaking the silence. "Let's go," he said, and Ellie followed him.

As she walked, her mind raced with unanswered questions. It wasn't that Ellie was in shock from witnessing Azrael's display of power - she belonged to the Blueborne family, one of the great families, and was used to being among terrifyingly strong people. Her brother was a genius mage, after all. No, what bothered Ellie was the remorseless ease with which Azrael ruthlessly killed his opponents.

From the start, it was clear that Azrael carried a darkness within him, but Ellie paid it no mind; after all, he was an assassin. However, the aura she felt was something entirely different. It was darkness and death beyond comprehension, so demonic that it made even a mage such as her hesitate in fear.

Despite her own power as a mage and her position within the Blueborne family, Ellie found herself feeling hopeless in the presence of that aura. Underestimating her would be nothing short of foolish, but even someone as capable as her found herself feeling almost powerless in its presence.

"Let's make camp here for the night and move in the morning," Azrael announced, coming to a halt. He walked over to a nearby tree, unsheathed his sword, and sliced it into several pieces. Gathering the wood, Azrael neatly arranged it before creating a spark with a flick of his finger to ignite a fire.

The two of them settled down on the logs, still warm from the freshly cut wood. The silence was only interrupted by the soothing sounds of the night creatures and the fire crackling.

"How do I use this?" Azrael spoke softly, barely audible over the sound of the fire.

Ellie's gaze lifted from the heart of the flames to Azrael as she inquired, "Huh?"

Azrael gestured towards his finger where he had placed the space ring, "The space ring, how do I retrieve items from it?"

Ellie responded, "It operates on magic. Simply imagine the item you want and it should be transported here."

Azrael continued to fiddle with the ring, "How does that work?"

"By using mind reading and transportation spells powered by the stone on the ring," Ellie explained.

Suddenly, Azrael conjured up food that they had stored in the ring. It was the same food Ellie had used to demonstrate the ring's ability to Azrael at the auction tower.

Azrael sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames of the fire, while Ellie struggled to eat, her appetite lost in the weight of her thoughts.

"Have you always been like this?" Ellie finally asked, prompting Azrael to lift his gaze to meet hers.

"Like how?" he replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Cold. Ruthless," Ellie answered.

Azrael let her question hang in the air for some time, as if considering whether to answer it or not. After several moments of silence, he finally replied, "No," his gaze still fixed on the crackling flames.

Ellie continued, "You know, I've been escorted by Assassins a couple of times in the past, and I've seen people get killed many times more. But even when someone commits murder, their eyes give it away. Whether it's hesitation, fear, pity, or any emotion that shows just a speck of humanity within them."

"But not you," Ellie said, looking directly at Azrael. "It was like watching a terrible monster act out its whims of utter destruction and chaos."

Azrael remained silent, still staring into the fire. Ellie's next words hit him hard. "When did people's lives mean nothing? Do you ever ask yourself that?"

This question always rang in Azrael's head, one he suppressed every time. To him, the question brought nothing but the realization that he had lost himself. Not too long ago, the mere thought of killing a person couldn't even be present in his mind.

When he finally witnessed people die, it sickened him and left him with an eerie feeling that he never wanted to feel again. But now, the death of others was nothing but a means to strengthen himself and a chance to escape his curse.

Although this question had an answer, one that Azrael knew all too well. He had become the way he was because of the Abyss, which had taught him the dark and dreadful truth of life.

"Everything dies," Azrael began, and Ellie turned to him, listening intently. "Good people die, bad people die, demons die, and even gods die. The cold embrace of death does not discriminate. After witnessing it countless times, I have come to grasp its relentless and unforgiving concept and have come to terms with its inevitability. Death is a ruthless mistress, and by my blade, many shall meet her. But those who are willing to accept it will find peace in her embrace," he finished, his dark voice piercing through the night's silence.

"What use is peace to a dying man?" Ellie asked, her gaze piercing the side of Azrael's face. As he turned around, their eyes met, and she didn't see it, but a small smile cracked the edge of Azrael's lips.

"Go to sleep. I'll take watch. We will find the Black Axe's base tomorrow," Azrael said, leaving Ellie's question unanswered.

"If we are not too far from the base, then maybe I could get its location," Ellie said.

"How?" Azrael asked, his interest piqued.

Ellie closed her eyes, and a golden light began to engulf her. A gold eye appeared on her forehead, and suddenly, gold streams of light shot everywhere, lighting up the night.

"Six klicks north, many of them, some kind of valley," Ellie said before the golden light dissipated.

"Do we go now?" Ellie asked Azrael, heaving heavily from exhaustion from what she had just done.

"No. Let them live a night longer," Azrael responded.