• Horrors Of The Abyss

The silence that came after was resounding, brimming with tension and Spheris had a feeling that the Avatars were thinking the same thing that he was. There was no way Meister Grengo, the man who was supposed to motivate them and help them survive The Abyss, just told them that they were going to fail.

Grengo himself seemed to be relishing the confused and worried faces of the young Avatars. He slowly walked to and fro at the front of the tutorium, watching them come to terms with his statement.

"The Abyss has existed for hundreds of years, hundreds!... of years." Grengo emphasized. "Others have tried... countless others. And I mean countless because this realm has existed before your great grandparents were even born. So what makes you think—what is that factor that you possess that makes you believe that you can survive The Abyss?"

No one had a clear answer, they barely even had an answer at all. Spheris on the other hand, was scared out of proportion because he never even wanted this in the first place. What the hell has he gotten himself into?

"To go deeper into understanding The Abyss, we have to start by understanding what a Bearer is." Grengo continued to pace in a very deliberate and contemplative manner. "A Bearer is a host who can tap into Essence, and manipulate it.

"Some of you know that, some of you don't. But you five are all Bearers. You have tapped into Essence, what is left is for you to manipulate it. There are two types of Bearers. Avatars... and Incarnates."

Spheris's eyes glinted at the sound of the word.

"Now I don't think I need to explain what an Avatar is to you. You are all Avatars, embodiments of a Celestial's Essence. Incarnates on the other hand are descendants of the First People, the early men who roamed the land and were granted powers by the Old Gods. After the Old Gods were killed by the Celestials, giving powers to the people on the land was no longer done and the First People eventually died. Their descendants, however, began to develop different kinds of powers and they were called Incarnates.

"Incarnates are now spread in different towns all over the Continent and just like with Avatars, the only time when they can begin to tap into Essence is at the ages of seventeen to nineteen, when the body is in major evolvement and this allows the Essence to be part of that evolvement. Making it easier to connect with the Bearer's core."

Spheris found this interesting. So Nephta was a descendant of the First People and that's how she got her Spellbreaking powers. And now he was a Bearer as well, only an Avatar rather than an Incarnate.

"In ways, Avatars and Incarnates are almost similar. You both have and use Essence, they only difference is that Avatars' Essence are gotten from the Celestials, while Incarnates' are passed down from their ascendants."

Grengo paused for any questions, when there was none, he continued. "Now you're probably wondering why I had to explain this to you because I'm sure some of you might already know this. But my aim is to give you a clear understanding of what Essence is. It is purely just a Bearer's core, the very source of their power, be it Avatar or Incarnate. Every single power is always stemmed from the Essence."

The entire class was quiet and completely fixated at what the Summoner Mage was saying. It was almost like he had hexed them with a Concentration Spell.

"When a Bearer manipulates Essence, whatever he does with that Essence is called an Influence. For example... " Grengo stood in front of the audience and suddenly conjured a green flame in his hand.

"Woah!" Snow-Hair exclaimed. Spheris too was naturally surprised by this. It wasn't everyday he got to see magic on display.

"Let's say I am a Bearer, and my Essence grants me the power to control fire. When I create a fireball..."

Swoosh! The green flame turned to a flaming ball.

"Or when I create tiny meteors of raining fire..." The green flame imploded and started falling from the ceiling like magic fiery rain.

"Anything that I am able to conjure, any ability that I am able to create with my power is called an Influence. And as a Bearer, the stronger your Essence, the more effective and powerful Influences you can conjure." He gave them all knowing glances before he continued. "Your Essence are still very young. You are all still NVC's so I assume you only have basic Influences such as, well... creating a fireball."

The Royal Avatars shared a laugh and Spheris saw Snow-Hair nudge Eyeglasses teasingly on the shoulder. Then once again he caught Blondie's glance. 'What is her problem?' he thought to himself.

"All this I have basically told you is just to arrive at this particular information," Grengo continued. "The strongest Influence a Bearer can conjure, and that is the Expanded Realms."

The Royal Avatars suddenly all fell silent and surrendered their focus to the Mage. Spheris understood that whatever these Expanded Realms were, they were a pretty big deal.

"Bearers in their highest level, can create a rift in the atmosphere and formulate a completely new realm. A small kingdom, a territory with creatures of their own imagination, where their powers are at its max. These are called Expanded Realms, and it is the dream of every Bearer to own and Regulate one."

Spheris wasn't sure he believed what he had just heard. Was that a power that someone could have? To create a brand new kingdom based on their design?

"In the Mystiqarium, The Abyss is termed as a P.E.R which means Paradoxical Expanded Realm. Paradoxical, because well... the realm is not meant to exist. Expanded Realms can only exist if it was created by a Bearer and that Bearer should be alive to Regulate it and should always close it when they're done. But The Abyss was not made by a Bearer, as we know. It tore into the atmosphere after the Celestial War, when the Celestials defeated the Old Gods. Some say the Old Gods placed it as a curse for the Celestials and for us, but who knows?

"The Abyss is the most dangerous Expanded Realm to be documented. There has only ever been a few more in history but none as hellish and dangerous as The Abyss. The creatures that emerged from that place were gruesome, abominable beasts called Hellbenders and they are ranked in three levels of monstrosity." Grengo paused once again, allowing the tension to settle. "Level One Hellbenders are known as Grimms. They're wolf-like beasts with eyes of fire and they hunt in packs."

Spheris had his experiences with Grimms back in the Heaths. They hunted the Heathians because they were usually slower and weaker, making an easier catch compared to the Gentlefolks.

"Level Two Hellbenders are known as Gorgoliths. These are like giant fat lizards with spikes on their back and a very powerful tail. They hunt in pairs and can create balls of hot lava from their throat. You should deem yourself lucky if you ever survive an attack from one."

The four Avatars all glanced at Spheris one by one while he just sat there, arms folded, waiting for them looking away.

"And finally, Level Three Hellbenders are known as Gehennaracs." The Mage chuckled slightly at the mention of the name. "If you meet a Gehennarac, you are already dead. They are impossible to escape from, and impossible to fight. They stand at over fifty feet tall, with five heads that stretch as long as it wants to. If you cut off one head, two more grow in its place. They breathe fire and its roar creates sound rifts that can tear the skin right out of your bones.

"Luckily for you, they hunt alone and are usually hostile towards each other in defense of their territory. Out of all the Bearers who have been sent into The Abyss, forty percent have been killed by a Gehennarac alone."

Silent whispers and hushed murmurs passed amongst the Avatars, Spheris on the other hand wasn't even able to hide his fear anymore. His eyes were wide open.

"I've only spoken of the Hellbenders, there are other creatures as well which have evolved from Hellbenders, roaming that dreadful place. And if somehow, these creatures don't kill you, the cold will, and then the heat will come and you will pray for the cold. There will be water everywhere and you will wish for land, then the drought will come and you will pray for the water."

Meister Grengo then stood in attention, his glare focused, meaningful and grave. "The Abyss is an unforgiving hell that tortures not only the body, but the mind as well until you give up and die. So I ask you one more time!

"What is that attribute that you possess that makes you believe that you can survive The Abyss?"

Spheris felt panic as his mind jumbled for an answer. 'None,' he thought when nothing came to mind. 'I'm going to die in that damned place!'