The Hollowing - Part One

"The Saber formed by the old Celestial King and made new by the next." Yu Lan slightly informed, pulling the crystal saber from the air and into her palms. Wrapped in the darkness, the blade itself radiated a glow of such power. I feared running my finger over the Saber's edge. "A single drop of your blood, and it's yours. All of Casia will belong to you."

"How much divinity?" I asked, touched with greed.

"You are not a part of the Celestrial House, at least not officially. That is who they are loyal to. Once you take over that divinity, I am allowed. No, I was allowed to keep ten percent of all divinity that runs through this land. I will say you may have a minor breakthrough, but that's about it. Those of this city are loyal to the Celestrial House, so they give ten percent of all divinity to me as a form of tax."

"Would this work, though? I am not a part of the Celestrial House." I uttered, shooting Yu Lan a sharp stare.

"We announced you to be my husband. You have all the rights in the world. It will work." She explained, stuffing the crystal saber into my palms.

I held on to the crystal saber and marveled over the silky touch of the feel in my palm. I always adored swords, Sabers especially. There was a coolness about this blade the longer I held it, almost like it was a perfect fit, if not a calling to me.

"Master?" Freya gently called, patting my shoulder, breaking my built-up wonder.

"Of course." I weakly replied, shooting the crystal lake a long stare, where the blade once hovered, reflecting my perfect image. My gaze fell, landing upon the Saber within my palm, pulsing a power I could not even imagine.

Passing my finger over the edge of the Saber. A thin line appeared, followed by a drop of ruby red liquid that fell, from the tip of my finger and onto the edge of the blade, releasing a sizzling sound as it trailed over the Saber's edge.

Discharging a mist of fog that blistered my skin, bobbles of flesh red like fire boiled and popped at the touch of the vapor rising from the Saber splashing blood over my face.

"Master!" Freya screamed. Taking hold of the blade within my hand. However, a powerful force tried to push her palm away to no avail. Glowing with a mysterious divinity that reminded me of Abyssal Night, her scarlet eyes glowed with an inhuman hue.

"Easy Freya." I calmly warn, taking this little bit of pain without a moment of thought. "Let's see what happens. If the blade steps out of line, then destroy it." I commanded, curious about what would happen. Yu Lan did not seem surprised, and I was interested in what was going on. Bearing the tormented pain without the slightest change in expression, Freya released the Crystal Saber.

"I will kill you if Master is heavily injured," My daring knight barked, glaring daggers into the back of Yu Lan's head.

Pooling my blood over the blade, with the help of this deadly haze, I glanced at the tranquil Yu Lan, only to notice the once-clear crystal lake beginning to be teaming with a strand of darkness. Twisting its radiant glow till nothing was left was but an abyss of Night; a smile appeared upon my lips as the entire cave began to change.

Burning away the purity that was Yu Lans radiance, only darkness was left, as a godly pulse of divine energy raced from the Crystal Blade and into the City of Casia. Darkening the skies, the sigil in my left eye began to gleam. Burning with a radiant power, I fell to my knees, trembling.

My blood began to boil like molten lava, rushing through my veins alongside my divinity. Grunting in pure anguish, I clenched my teeth till searing blood raced for my lips. Releasing the Crystal Blade, which had turned a blackish-red hue, my palms held onto my left eye that began to blaze with divinity.

"Master!" Freya cried, placing her palm on my back, ready to pass on divinity.

"Stop!" I hurriedly shouted, as deep within my chest, the Infinity Ring within me began to wail. "Yu Lan, what is happening." I barked, glancing up at her horrified expression. Knowing she had no idea, I cursed beneath my breath.

"You are a fool, Arsene Snow." The Dark Passenger announced like a fiend ready to feast.

Holding on as this pain within my left pupil began to grow, I sneered, "This is not your doing, is it."

"If you die, I die," Aegis remarked gravely. "Then again, if your soul is the first to die, I get what I want."

Receiving the sensation of blood trickling from my eye, I did the only thing I could do and chanted the Path of Abyssal Night.

"This may be due to your foolish action of adding all your souls into the Infinity Ring. There are consequences to everything we do, Arsene. You are stepping into unknown territory. However, if you die now, I would be helpless prey." He coldly informed as I felt a Soulforce that was not my own touch upon my Infinity Ring. "Use the Hollowing,"

Following the same steps, while chanting the Path of Abyssal Night, pure regret pierced my heart, radiating from both myself and Aegis; the infinity ring within my chest dissipated, leaving behind an endless mist of nodes congealing and wails. Wails of the tormented souls of various people I once used to create the infinity ring cried out.

Yet the hollowing was in full effect, as my skin turned pale like the rider of death. The pain had all but stopped, but the voice of Aegis was gone and dead. The wails of the dead souls were slowly losing their cries leaving a silence I should fear.

"Arsene," Yu Lan called, taking a step back.

Looking down at my palm, which looked ashen like death, the Mist within my chest began to congeal, revealing seven rings, each of them holding the Crest of the Seven Sins.

"Baphomet," I weakly muttered his name, just as the ring carrying the sigil of wrath lit up.