The Ashen Keeper

V6: Chapter 86

"You shall traverse alone?", asked Ying Li.

"Yes, the Abyss is not a place meant for exploration. I shall traverse those treacherous lands alone by myself."

"Will you be okay?", asked Danny. They knew they had no right to stop her and even if they did it would made no difference for, she has already decided to do it.

"When do you plan to go?", asked the sorcerer supreme.

"I will tell my decision to my companions. After that, I will descent into the Abyss. I shall then search for the grave of the Abysswalker."

"So, do you where the grave lies?", asked Wenwu.

"I do not. I intend to seek it out later but now, I shall descend into the Abyss itself. For some reason, it has been ... not as impactful as expected. I shall investigate it."

"Not as impactful ... Are you serious?", asked Strange.

"It is. Had the Abyss came in with full force, thou would not even have the time to organize. They would all come out at once and not in small groups. They were being slowed down by something."

"Slowed down by what?", asked Danny.

"That is what I shall find out." She genuinely had no idea what could even slow the Abyss down. Even Gwyn himself feared the Abyss. She would go out and find out what was slowing them down.

But first, she shall inform her decision to her disciples. So, she went over to the plain field where they were talking with the crowd. They looked especially interested in the mystical creatures that originated from Ta Lo.

She couldn't blame them either. They all looked very interesting. Another interesting fact about her was that she loved animals. She did not discover this in Lordran for there was no creature worth loving there. They all looked nightmare incarnate.

During her two years stay on Earth when she was fading away, she spent the most time not with other people but in the company of various animals. What she loved most was the various types of cats. She could never resist their aloofness.

Just then, she felt something on her leg, it was a fluffy little creature. She picked it up only to see it had no face. It had six legs and a pair of small wings. Out of all the place on this world, she decided she wish to visit Ta Lo most of all. Their two pairs of lions were among the most majestic cats she has ever seen.

How it got here, she did not know. After all, it was not like he held part in this war. Anyway, it was very cute. She loved it. She hugged it in her arms as she held it. Of course, part of the reason was because it was cute. But there was another reason.

Every single creature here were made for battle and could resist the corruption of the Abyss to some degree. This creature however held no resistance, yet it was not affected by the Abyss. Not even a little bit. It interests her to a large degree.

She shall ask Ying Li after meeting with her disciples. She raised her hands and waved at them. They all came towards her.

"Teacher, what happened?", asked her youngest and most adorable disciple. She loved her concern over her teacher.

"I shall leave for the Abyss by myself for some time."

"Alone? We can follow you.", replied Thor, clearly confused on why he isn't allowed to follow. She loved his willfulness to do anything with no fear.

"Nay, Let thy teacher finish the job that was scheduled to be done so a long time ago."

"When will you be back?" asked Loki. He was the only one to do so. She loved his hidden yet obvious consideration.

"I do not know, my dear Loki. But I assure thee that I shall be back as soon as I can. I bid all of thee farewell for now. I shall be back.", she said as flames lit up from her feet and she disappeared.

She now understood how Fury felt when he hid behind furniture waiting for the right time to show up. She teleported to a place near Ying Li.

"My dear Ying Li. I have a few questions for thee."

She looked at her without saying anything. She held out the small faceless creature right in front of her. They both looked at it.

"I have been meaning to ask what manner of creature this is."

"His name is Morris. He is my pet. He is Dijiang. He can also be called a Hun dun."

"Ah ... thy companion, Morris. A fine creature, he is. Is there a reason why he was not affected by the aura of the Abyss?"

"It is said that a Hun Dun is a creature born of chaos. I reckon that it is similar to the Abyss."

Born of Chaos? The Abyss can indeed be described as Chaos. Even if it have no other redeeming feature, a being born of Chaos is nothing to scoff at.

"May I take him alongside me into the Abyss. I guarantee thee of his suffering."

She wished to bring the creature with her. If the Abyss cannot affect Morris in any way, then there must be a connection between the Hun Dun and the Abyss.

"Sure, you can bring it along. I am just happy that I can be of help in some way."

This actually surprised her. She did not think she would get permission to bring the little creature along. She asked for a reason.

"Is there any reason thou would me to bring what is essentially thy companion into one of the most dangerous places on Earth?"

"I do not control his actions and he is free to do what he please. Also, I can tell that he wishes to follow along with you into the Abyss."

"Very well then, my dear. I shall depart for the Abyss right now."

She slowly start to walk away when she heard Ying Li calling her from behind.

"Ms. Keeper! His actions will often surprise you but trust that he is always on your side."

These were some ominous words but she made sure to keep that in her heart.

"Can thee fly, little one?", she asked the Hun Dun. It happily nodded and started flailing its wings. She quickly held onto it.

"I promise thee that thou will have a chance to fly but for now, stay within my embrace."

She hugged the Hun Dun and jumped straight into the world's deepest sinkhole. As she fell, she seems to hear the howls of a wolf.