We finally reached our hotel, but before we even stepped inside, I noticed something incredibly eerie about this city. Something I couldn't quite wrap my head around.
It was subtle, but something was fundamentally wrong with this place. Yes, it was shockingly advanced for an island ruled by a Pirate King and a bunch of cutthroats, but there was an underlying tension to it. A weird, artificial peace that felt completely out of place. I couldn't figure out exactly what was missing, but staring blankly at the streets wasn't going to give me the answers. We headed inside and went to our respective rooms to get some rest before making our next moves.
Naturally, Arthur and Sera decided they were going to head out immediately. They needed to track down the contact who supposedly had information on the Coral Stele, and they specifically told me to just stay put in the hotel where it was safe.
Yeah, right. Like I was actually going to sit around and do nothing.
I had my own work to do and my own mysteries to figure out. First and foremost, I needed to know exactly what was happening with Greed. Was the Sin fully awakened? Was the host trapped? Dead? Only Luxuria knew the rest of that message, and I wasn't going to wait around to hear it. Furthermore, I needed to scout out this strange, smiling city for myself before we got completely blindsided.
But before I stepped back out into the streets, I needed to head into my Cenotaph. I had an idea I wanted to test out regarding my Honorary Title, and honestly, it was about time I actually explored the rest of my dark domain.
"Kallisto, let's head into the domain, shall we?" I muttered, leaning back against the locked door of my hotel room.
[Notice: Understood, Lucian. Entering the Cenotaph of Pride.]
My vision went black, and an instant later, I was sitting at the head of the massive obsidian table inside my soul.
I had a few things to test. First, I asked Kallisto if it was possible to bring physical weapons or artifacts into this mental space. When she confirmed it was, I focused my mind and conjured the heavy, metallic weight of Bad News into my right hand.
I needed to see what this thing could actually do without accidentally blowing up my hotel room.
I stood up, pointed the massive revolver toward an empty stretch of the dark hall, and channeled my royal blue Ether directly into the grip. The glowing crimson runes on the barrel flared to life, hungrily drinking in my energy. When the chamber felt fully pressurized, I pulled the trigger.
BANG.
The recoil kicked like a mule. The heavy Ether violently condensed into a pure, blinding bullet of raw energy that tore across the void, slamming into the invisible boundaries of my domain. The impact caused a subtle, rumbling earthquake that shook the stone pillars.
A second later, the dark fog of the domain swirled, effortlessly repairing the structural damage.
I grinned, spinning the heavy revolver around my finger. So, the domain can heal itself, and this gun is absolutely terrifying. Good to know. Now, I needed a plan. I had thirty thousand pounds in cash on me, which was a fortune, but advancing to Tier 3 and buying high-level artifacts was going to burn through that money fast. Plus, I actually wanted to live comfortably. The solution was simple: I would hunt pirates. It would let me explore the city, test out my new weapon, and rake in bounty money all at the same time.
But before I set any of that in motion, I had some housekeeping to do.
"Kallisto, let's fix that annoying honorary title of mine," I said, putting the gun down on the obsidian table. "I need something that actually fits me, not the Velvet Monarch."
[Notice: Acknowledged. Severing the previous link and establishing your true Honorary Title in the Nepshi registry.]
I closed my eyes and let the words resonate through the dark domain:
"The undisputed king of the Throne of Glass,"
"The absolute embodiment of Pride and unyielding will,"
"The Morningstar who eclipses the divine light."
A heavy, satisfying hum vibrated through the Cenotaph. Much better. Next, I reached out to the lingering pink Ether hovering over Lust's chair. I sent a quick mental command to Luxuria, informing her that we would discuss the "problem" regarding Greed at the next official Monday Gathering. I didn't have time to deal with a crisis half-cocked.
With business concluded, I looked around the grand meeting hall. "Kallisto, drop the table. Change the domain back to its original state."
The stone pillars and the heavy table dissolved into mist. I was back in the eerie, beautiful, boundless void of the original Cenotaph. But this time, something was different.
In the distance, I spotted some kind of portal. It was framed by swirling, dark clouds, and a pure, blinding white light was leaking through the cracks of the gate.
Curious, I took a step toward it. Instantly, a glowing red screen flashed directly in front of my face.
[Warning: You cannot enter this plane.]
I stopped in my tracks. A plane? What do you mean? What is that?
[Notice: That is a metaphysical realm known as "The Sea of Concepts." It is the plane of existence where spirits, devils, and Gods reside.]
[Notice: To enter this plane, you must either be a true God, an entity of the Devil pathway, a pure Angel, or at the very least, a Grounded Angel.]
I stared at the leaking white light, my heart beating a little faster. So what does this world represent, Kallisto?
[Notice: It is a realm where reality breaks down. There is no direction—no up, no down. It does not possess the physical concepts of time or space.]
My mind raced. Wait. If it's for Gods and Devils, can the Sins enter that domain?
[Notice: Yes, they can. In fact, the Sins were formed and born from The Sea of Concepts. Remember, the Seven Deadly Sins are primordial ideas. They were birthed from the deepest fears, desires, and corruptions of humanity. Because humanity believed in them, they took physical form within that plane.]
I stood in the silence of my own soul, staring at the gate to the realm of Gods, realizing just how deep the rabbit hole really went.