He found himself in the abyss. But for the first time, no one was on sight.
He was alone. Or so he thought.
The moment Vastarael materialized in the abyss, a heavy silence greeted him. It was unsettling. Normally, the Amorphous Souls wasted no time in ambushing him with their cacophony of overlapping voices, bizarre banter and endless questions about the oddities of mortal life. But now? Nothing.
"Am I actually… alone?"
Part of him had started to enjoy their absurd antics, but another part of him appreciated the rare silence.
He floated aimlessly in the void for what felt like an eternity, his eyes scanning the horizon, or what passed for one in a realm of eternal chaos. And then, out of nowhere, a shimmer of golden light caught his attention.
Before he could react, the shimmering glow coalesced into a form; a strikingly human form, which was shocking enough in itself.
When the figure fully emerged, Vastarael's jaw almost hit the metaphysical floor. Standing before him was an astoundingly beautiful woman, radiating an energy that was at once familiar and disarming.
She was statuesque, towering at an imposing 250 centimeters, her dark skin glowing faintly with an ethereal light. Her long, flowing brunette hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, and her figure… well, let's just say the cosmic horrors had apparently perfected the art of voluptuousness.
Her smile was radiant, wide and infectious, exuding an enthusiasm that Vastarael recognized instantly.
"Voice Two…" he muttered under his breath, staring at her with wide eyes.
He guessed but he knew that he was right.
She clapped her hands together, her golden bracelets jingling with the motion.
"That's me! Oh, you guessed right! I was hoping you'd recognize me!"
Her voice was exactly as he remembered; bright, cheerful, and full of uncontainable energy.
Vastarael blinked a few times, trying to reconcile the vision in front of him with the horrific, amorphous monstrosity she usually was.
In her cosmic form, Voice Two had been a twisting mass of golden tendrils and glowing eyes, an incomprehensible shape that shifted constantly. Now? She looked like the kind of person who'd spend her days decorating cupcakes and hugging kittens.
And somehow, Vastarael wasn't even surprised.
"So, uh… this is what you look like?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck. "Not what I was expecting."
"What? You don't like it? I thought this form would be less scary for you! Besides, you mortals love symmetry and all that, right?"
She twirled in place, her golden robes flowing around her like liquid light.
"No, no, it's not that," Vastarael quickly corrected. "It's just… I didn't think cosmic horrors went for 'cheerful goddess' vibes, you know? I pegged you as more of a 'chaotic tornado' type."
She burst out laughing again, her hands on her hips as she threw her head back.
"A chaotic glitter tornado? That's amazing! You're hilarious, Veneri. Can I call you Veneri? It feels more personal. I've heard your Omniscient call you that since you came to the Halo Islands."
"Sure," Vastarael replied with a shrug, already feeling the strange warmth of her personality disarming his usual cynicism. "And since we're on the topic of names, I think I'll call you Deux. It means 'number two' in an old mortal language."
Her eyes widened, sparkling with excitement. She clapped her hands again, her bracelets jingling melodically.
"Deux? Oh, I love it! It's so cute and simple!" Yes, yes, call me Deux from now on. It sounds like something shiny and fun!"
Vastarael wished he could tell her that he called her by a French name, one that didn't even sound feminine at all.
They floated there for a moment, her boundless energy practically lighting up the abyss around them. Vastarael found himself relaxing more than he expected. For someone who'd once been part of a terrifying eldritch choir, Deux was surprisingly easy to talk to.
"So, how's our little Shimmer doing? I know you haven't seen her in ages—oh, wait, no, it's only been a few days for you since you met her! Time gets so weird out here..."
Vastarael smiled faintly at the mention of Shimmer, the memories of his adopted daughter surfacing in his mind.
"She's doing well. Still a handful, though. For the days I've been with her, she's been... fun. She's a fast learner."
Deux's expression softened, a mixture of pride and affection shining in her eyes.
"That's my baby sister. She's always been so strong in her own way. Even when she was tiny and weak, she never gave up. That's why we love her so much."
"She definitely has that never-give-up attitude," Vastarael agreed with a chuckle. "But, uh, she also has a habit of blowing things up when she's upset. Took me a while to teach her not to obliterate everything in sight. Her shockwaves are... stronger than I expected. If only she knew she is related to an Amorphous Soul."
"Oh, I can only imagine! She's always been a little… explosive. But she's lucky to have you, Veneri. You've done more for her than any of us could have."
For a moment, Vastarael felt a pang of guilt.
"She's still frozen, though. That Winter Labor's no joke. I'm doing everything I can to get to him. You guys are imprisoned in this abyss so you can't help her."
Deux reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Her touch was warm, comforting, and surprisingly human.
"You're doing amazing. We all know how hard that curse is to break, but you've already done so much for her. She's safe because of you. And you've given her a home, something none of us could do.'
Vastarael looked at her, his usual guarded expression softening.
"Thanks, Deux. That… actually means a lot coming from you. Especially from a Forgotten Rank Krepsuna like you."
She grinned, her radiant smile banishing any lingering doubts.
"Of course! We're family now, aren't we? You've taken care of our little sister, so that makes you one of us. But... I'm not a Forgotten Rank. Number one and I are actually Overlords."
"So... Primordial Gods in our rank?"
"Yup. My other siblings are of the highest level of the Forgotten Rank. What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything—"
"The Frozen God... he's the one who killed your mother, isn't he?"
Deux froze.
"You said that a Supreme Entity killed them but I know that's a lie. Krepsunas started to appear to Spheraphase when the First Generation Deities were born and matured. There's no way the Supreme Entities killed your mother."
"...."
"Supreme Entities are beyond Nexus Rank and your mother Erna is a Nexus, a Phantasm in your world. Why would they need to bother with someone weaker than them? It doesn't make sense. Which means that someone killed your mother and it wasn't them and sealed you siblings away. It was the Frozen God, wasn't it?"
The lively and radiant demeanor of Deux vanished. Vastarael felt the weight of a truth he had just unearthed without even realizing the full magnitude of it.
For the first time since meeting her, Deux didn't respond immediately. She stood still, suddenly rigid. Her dark eyes shimmered, not with joy but with a mix of anguish and fury. Vastarael watched her carefully, wondering if he had crossed a line too soon. Then, she finally exhaled.
"You... really are as sharp as I thought, Shiny Prince. I guess there's no point in hiding it from you anymore. You're right... but not entirely."
Vastarael's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?"
Deux hesitated for a moment, her eyes clouded with a conflict he couldn't quite decipher. Finally, she spoke.
"The Frozen God didn't just kill our mother. He... is our foster father."
The words hit Vastarael like a thunderclap. He blinked, struggling to process the revelation.
"Your... father? The Frozen God is your father?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Our mother, Erna, and the Frozen God were... bonded once. In ways that even we, her children, could never truly understand. But whatever love they shared... it turned to hatred long before her death. When she came to Spheraphase, the two of them were already outcasted by other Phantasms and injured. She was fleeing from him, trying to escape his grasp... but she didn't make it. She died the moment she arrived."
Vastarael felt a chill run down his spine. "So her death wasn't because of a battle against the Supreme Entities..."
"No," Deux interrupted, her voice laced with venom. "It wasn't. That was a lie. The Supreme Entities had nothing to do with it. Our father was the one who slaughtered her. He's the one who shattered her body and left her broken in this world. And when she died... he captured her soul."
"He... captured her soul?" Vastarael echoed, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Why? What could he possibly gain from that?"
"Control. Power. Maybe even guilt. I don't know. But he didn't just stop there. He sealed us, his adopted children, away too. He locked us in this Spire, claiming it was for the 'good' of Spheraphase. But the truth is, he was afraid of us. Afraid of what we might do to him if we ever escaped."
The abyss around them seemed to tremble as Deux spoke. Vastarael struggled to find his words, his mind racing to piece together this new information.
"But the Supreme Entities... if they weren't involved, why did you say they killed her?"
Deux's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"Because we hate them," she said simply. "Not because they interfered, but because they didn't. They knew what our father had done. They knew he had murdered our mother and locked us away. But they didn't care. They saw us as a threat and chose to let him keep us imprisoned, all in the name of maintaining their so-called balance."
Vastarael clenched his fists, anger bubbling in his chest.
"So they let all of this happen just to avoid dealing with you?"
"Exactly," Deux replied, her voice dripping with bitterness. "They didn't want to get their hands dirty. To them, we were nothing more than anomalies, cosmic mistakes that needed to be contained. And our father... he played the role of the dutiful enforcer, ensuring we stayed out of their way."
Vastarael exhaled sharply, his mind reeling.
"So your father betrayed your mother, killed her, and then turned on his own children. And the Supreme Entities just... stood by and let it happen."
"Yes. That's the truth of it. Our family was destroyed because of his greed and madness. And we've been trapped here ever since, unable to do anything but watch as the world moved on without us."
Vastarael's heart ached at the raw pain in her voice.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you."
Deux managed a faint smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Don't pity us, Shiny Prince. We don't need pity. We need justice. And maybe... just maybe... you're the one who can help us get it."
Before Vastarael could respond, the abyss around them began to shift, the familiar pull of the Spire drawing him back to his trial.
"It seems your time here is up. But don't worry, Vastarael. We'll meet again. And when we do... I'll tell you everything else you need to know. You still don't know how the Spire was built, right?"
Vastarael nodded slowly, his mind still reeling from the revelation. "I'll hold you to that. And... thanks, Erna."
And with that, he was gone, leaving Deux alone in the abyss. She stood there for a long time, staring into the void, her thoughts a chaotic whirlwind of rage, sorrow, and hope. For the first time in centuries, she allowed herself to dream of a future where her family's suffering might finally come to an end.
"Don't worry, father. I'm sure that he'll kill you eventually. We'll avenge you, mother."