Abyssal Awakening
Chapter 756: Gwen's Pain

Chapter 756: Gwen’s Pain

Relaxing her body on the bed, Alice let out an internal sigh.

Even now, Gwen was keeping an eye on her.

Not in depth but enough so that if Alice was to snoop around, she would definitely know.

[It’s not too late for you to back out now.] Cayla reminded but Alice shook her head.

‘The opportunity is too good to give up. Even if Apostles are involved, as long as I play my cards right, I should be able to get free training and other stuff as well.’

[And if it doesn’t?] Cayla sighed.

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Plus, you also agreed that this was too good to pass up. It’s too late to back out now no?’ Alice chuckled.

[It is definitely not too late. She’s still giving you a path out!] Cayla retorted but Alice simply waved it off.

###

Making sure that no noise would leave her office, Gwen activated the orb and waited.

Little by little, it began to disassemble itself, forming a projector of sorts and after a short period, energy began to gather.

Having come to the east, she was rather surprised by how efficient some of their technology was. Especially the creations by the inventor called Suyin.

After buying some herself and even testing it out, she had urged her dad to supply it to the different groups, allowing them to maintain communication.

“Arg! How do I use this thing?” Her dad’s voice echoed out from the hazy projection.

“You dumb oaf! Push the button on the side! Gwenny has already explained it to you last time how can you not do it now?!” Her aunt Shiera shouted out by the side, causing Gwen to laugh.

“It’s fine aunty, dad doesn’t use these things often anyways.” Gwen chuckled.

“Don’t cover for him Gwenny. This old man should be capable of doing this much. How can you block a meteor but you can’t work this gadget???” Shiera continued to lecture while Arax let out a few grunts of struggle.

“I’ve got all the time in the world dad, don’t rush it.” Gwen smiled softly.

After a hard struggle, the projection finally began to clear but it was upside down, causing Gwen to laugh.

“It’s upside down dad!”

“Ah- I thought I had broken it.” Arax coughed. He didn’t want to say anything since he thought it was a result of his handling of the device.

Adjusting the gadget for a moment, Arax stood a step back and sat on a crate of boxes. His large stature made even the biggest crate seem small while Shiera stood next to him with her arms folded.

Shiera had long pristine white hair that was braided into a side plait while fragments of a golden crown sat as ornaments on her head.

Piercing golden eyes with a hint of warmth to them and a soft smile.

Golden earrings, a gold halo behind her and even golden accessories such as a necklace and wrist bracers. Beneath the gold, she wore a casual white dress with white trousers and a pair of golden heels.

An elegant goddess, that’s what many of the followers would think of her as and Gwen couldn’t agree more.

In a sense, she aspired to have the same kind of vibe as her aunty. Someone to be looked up to and respected.

As for her dad, he still had his short blonde hair with hints of white around the base. A set of blue eyes and a wide grin that gave anyone a sense of safety.

A reassuring smile that tells you everything was okay.

He has two scars. One across the bridge of his nose and the other from his cheek all the way down to his neck. The scar split his short beard in half on the side.

A trophy of sorts. The evidence of battle against the Apostles of Enris, wounds that cannot be healed easily.

Even with their purification powers, a scar was still left behind.

Unlike her aunt Shiera, her dad didn’t wear any accessories. He kept it simple with a standard black t-shirt and black trousers along with a pair of normal boots.

If Shiera felt like a goddess, her dad was someone you could find down at the bar.

“Now then, shall we hear a report for the day?” Arax smiled as Gwen nodded, standing up straight.

“I’ve dealt with three groups of suspicious individuals trying to enter the city. Two groups had traces of fallen divinity and Eldritch energy but none were what you wanted me to find.” Pausing for a brief moment, Gwen opened her mouth.

“There were more concerning developments within the city. Three anomalies and large quantities of contraband were found in possession of each of the gangs around midday. None of the gangs seemed responsible for this and it was clearly a sabotage plan.

“As for what the culprit wanted to achieve, I’ve yet to find that out. No lives were lost and the situation was dealt with on the spot.”

Hearing this, Shiera raised an eyebrow.

“Is that why I sensed you opening the Vision? Did you track down the source?”

“Unfortunately, no. I didn’t-”

“Wait, you didn’t manage to track them down? Even with Vision?” Shiera was surprised.

She knew full well how capable Gwen is. Yet she was struggling to find the culprit.

Looking down, Gwen wasn’t sure how to continue.

That’s when her dad stepped in.

“Now now, anomalies are bound to appear. Don’t worry too much about it. Instead, I want to hear more about this. . . stray cat that you brought in. Seems like you even warned Dragur about her.” Arax revealed a helpless smile.

Gwen wasn’t the only one they were receiving reports from.

It’s not that he didn’t trust his daughter but rather it was to keep things consistent. To make sure none of the information was missing.

“She’s called Kaia. No surname, grew up on the streets. A. . .” Gwen wanted to say the word friend but paused. Debating in her mind, she gave up.

“A temporary interest.” She decided to be logical at this moment.

“It’s not like you to hold a temporary interest in someone. Did something happen? Enough for you to skimp out on work?” Arax asked curiously.

Gwen scratched her cheek.

“Well. . . her attitude is interesting. I haven’t really interacted with someone like her before. An-” Before she could finish her sentence, both her dad and Shiera looked away.

“Sorry dear, I’ll have to end things a little early.” Arax revealed an apologetic smile.

“Ah no, that’s fine dad. Take care and don’t get hurt.” Gwen forced a smile.

And just like that, the projection was turned off.

Gwen stood rooted in the spot, staring at where the projection of her dad had been.

She didn’t say anything, simply stared.

Her throat felt tight. . .

It took a long time before she finally moved.

Tears welled up in her eyes, she wanted to punch something. Anything, to get rid of this frustration in her heart.

Work.

Always work.

She didn’t blame her dad but rather the position he occupied. He was someone with a boundless love and wanted to protect countless families and their happiness.

She understood that, she did!

But even so!

“AhhH!!!!!” Gwen let out a frustrated shout, repeatedly punching the air in anger.

Outside of a report, she couldn’t even tell him about her day. How she might’ve found someone who could potentially become her first friend.

She couldn’t tell him about this excitement.

She couldn’t tell him about how much she enjoyed Kaia’s reactions.

She couldn’t tell him anything outside of what’s required by the job.

She just. . .

Wanted to talk to someone.

Anyone.

Someone who she could share her joys, her sadness, her annoyances.

She didn’t want to keep everything bottled up. She couldn’t even talk to her dad!

She didn’t want him to hear about her life from someone else! Why was Dragur allowed to tell him about Kaia but she wasn’t?!?! She wanted him to hear it from her own mouth! Her own words!

Hugging her knees while sitting on the office chair, Gwen began to shed silent tears.

She missed her mother, she missed not being a Cardinal.

She loved what her dad did, she loved the feeling of being protected that he gave. But she hated everything else.

She wanted to be selfish, she wanted him to look at her.

Look at his daughter.

Is it really so much to ask for him to prioritize his own child over his work?

Gwen didn’t know.

She knew that he had to make choices.

He still tries to talk to her every so often, no matter how much work he had to be responsible for.

To pick his child or the protection of countless. . .

The choice was obvious.

Gwen felt exhausted.

She just wanted to sleep.

To lay down and forget everything, just for a moment. She didn’t want to think about this suffocating loneliness.

This. . . piercing pain in her heart. This ache.

The tears that won’t stop once they start.

She didn’t want to think about any of it.

She just wanted a day where she could be around her dad, a day where she could just talk about all the things she kept bottled up.

She thought about hunters that took the powers of stealth to keep the world at arm’s length.

But she was the opposite.

She wanted to shine radiant. She wanted to be a beacon.

She wanted people to look at her.

“I’m here. Please look at me. Don’t leave me alone.”

She thought. . . That if she was in a dark room, all she had to do was become the light that illuminates it.

But when she became the sun in that room, she found it empty.

How can people look at her or leave her alone. . . if there were no one to do so in the first place. . .