Infinity in the Void – Freedom in the Abyss

The birds watched every corner of the street, the rats investigated the sewer of the city, and cats and dogs patrolled the alleyways. They all have a purpose, as they share a single will.

They are searching, looking for a very specific person. At the same time, they are being hunted by others.

A swarm of astral flies devoured the rats in the sewer system. An astral hawk attacks the birds, killing them off one by one at a speed faster than the eyes can track. An astral demon in the form of a homeless man putting the cats and dogs into cages.

The wolves that were watching the City of Sin growled.

"Chaos is not our friend."

"The Sentinel of the West Coast obstructed our progress."

"Akasha."

"Our Eternal Enemy."

"Where are you, Akasha?"

"Hide behind your protector like a coward."

"Human. Coward. All the same abomination of nature."

"Disgusting."

=0=0=

Her eyes subconsciously wandered to the desert surrounding Las Vegas. Charlotte felt something odd and familiar...

What was that, Reverie?

Something you cannot face, not now.

Charlotte frowned, it was the first time Reverie was serious.

What is it?

The Records of Beast, the Pannic Records.

"The thing he wanted me to defeat...", she sighed, but her smile and fierce azure eyes told a different story.

Pan is a tricky bunch~ they are basically the animal kingdom. The previous Pan was a chimeric monster who could shake the world to its very core. It took the combined effort of Remus, the previous Akasha, and Shar, the Records of Nature, to defeat it.

Charlotte remembered Romulus mentioning something along that line, even the name of the monster. Typhon, the Spawn of Tartarus and Gaia, of the Abyss and the World. Would she have to face something of that caliber?

"Reverie, do the Records appear differently every time they reincarnated?"

The previous Akasha was the brother of Romulus, the man who founded the greatest empire in human history, and the Champion of Man, who felled countless pantheons. The current Akasha is you, my dearest owner, a girl with a few screws loose.

"I don't have any screw loose...", Charlotte tapped the steel railing, "Okay... maybe I do..."

"So what should I do now?", she tapped the railing more. Charlotte really wanted to meet and fight the Records of Beast, but her instinct told her it would be a very bad idea.

She cannot face something she has no knowledge of. So in the end, Charlotte decided to not pursue the Records of Beast.

For now, Charlotte was bored, very bored. She could just escape from the penthouse, though there were astral demons flying around keeping watch of her. Silla really up the security this time.

The only thing she would like to do now... is gambling, she wanted to try it after she discovered her love of winning, even if everything was rigged in her favor.

So she put on a fancy dress from her yellow suitcase, more of a skirt actually as it only covered halfway down her thighs, this skirt is heavier than most because of the decorations - silver chains. She wore white leggings and comfortable sports shoes.

As the most human of all humans, she does not believe in brand names. So whenever she buys clothes, she specifically chooses clothes without brand names, or if she does, Charlotte just removes the brand names using Reverie, words are worthless to her, she only either wants patterns or nothing at all.

That said, Charlotte looks like a princess, as in she has an untouchable aura. An azure gaze that would make people bow down to her, and she has the power to back it up. Mainly, nepotism.

After finishing, she headed to the elevator. Closing the doors and went down.

But she forgot one thing dear to her, something that was attached to her past. Her fedora.

While in the elevator, she checked on something she kept in the back of her mind. The man named Andrad Koios Silvi, searching the internet for his face is easy.

Charlotte blushed for a brief moment, she unconsciously smiled at the face of the man who was most likely her father. The picture of the man looks exactly like Survive's face, the opposite gender of Charlotte, but more mature and stoic, with short silver-colored hair in the style of a certain motivated blue man.

"Father...", she muttered, she rubbed her eyes... and she found them wet.

I am... crying?

She was. Charlotte tried to stop the tears, but they just kept coming... what am I feeling? She felt like there was an empty hole in her heart, uncomfortable and full of sadness.

She was longing for her father, someone she never even met, and she was sure he did not know she even existed... it's not fair...

It's not fair at all. Why was she feeling these emotions? Why must she longed for someone dead and had no connection to her?

"Emotions... are annoying.", she let out a low growl.

Despite her watery eyes, Charlotte still read articles about her father. But nothing was interesting, it was mainly just about how heroic Andras was, saving people and facing people with god-like powers, with only his fists and lots, lots of guns. 

There was also the mention of a bow, the Bow of Heracles, one of the legendary artifacts of the Hero Heracles. A bow that can never miss a shot and has the power to generate impacts that could rival mortar shells, for the price of the user's lifeforce. It was the very same weapon that Andras used to take down the A-rank Gem Holder, called the Abyssal Witch, which ended his life.

The Greco-Civil War ended a month after the death of the Abyssal Witch, the leader of the radical group in the country. Andras was hailed as a hero and a statue of him was built to remember him. Maybe one day... I can visit... father...

Ding!

Looks like she hit the ground floor, Charlotte closed the tabs on her phone, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked out.

The first thing she saw was people frozen in place, stopped to get a look at Charlotte. Her eyes are intense on the people around her, the atmosphere gets heavy under her scrutiny.

Without saying anything, Charlotte walked over to the counter. The receptionist, is still the same green hair woman. Her eyes met with Charlotte's, keeping her professional smile up.

"What is it that you seek, young lady?", Mozam asked.

"Silla said I can go to the casino.", Charlotte replied.

The receptionist tilted her head, "Are you old enough?"

"Does that matter?"

"No, not at all.", she shook her head, still smiling, "Just go to the right, the hotel is directly connected to the casino, and you can't miss the door."

Charlotte nodded, "Thanks.", and headed in the instructed direction.

And just like Mozam said, there was a gate decorated with pure gold. She walked through the gate, entering the arena of luck and deceit.

"Wow...", the view amazed her. 

Tables with different games neatly placed in rows, from the more luck-based game to the more tactical-based game. That means from harder to cheat to easier to cheat.

"What are you doing here?", someone called her out. Charlotte turned around to see who it was, a man in a fancy business suit, likely a bouncer.

"To have fun.", Charlotte gave the man a smile, "Can't I do that?"

"A kid as young as you shouldn't be here.", he stood in front of Charlotte, towering over her with his hulking body.

I want to be as tall as him...

"Go back.", he commanded, giving her an intense glare.

Her smile widened, but her eyes lost their light, "What can you do?", she raised her right hand, straightening her fingers.

With a single thrust, her hand went all the way through his stomach, ending up on the other side.

"Is this how you talk to your customer?", Charlotte's voice went cold, "Do you think I won't punish you?", she pulled her hand out, "I Hope you learn from this lesson. Because the power you think you have is just a Delusion."

Another similarly large frame man ran over, checking his body. There was no wound to be found, his body was perfectly normal, even his clothes. Charlotte's hand was normal, not covered with blood.

"What did you do to him.", the other bouncer asked with a cautious tone.

"Teach him a lesson.", she said with conviction, "When you try to touch the sun... it will burn you."

"...", he frowned upon looking down at the girl, "You... don't look to be old enough."

"It doesn't matter in this city now does it?", she sent a sly remark.

"I'm sorry for my co-worker's actions, I apologize on his behalf.", he bowed to Charlotte.

"Good, now where do I begin gambling?"