The next chapter in the seemingly overcomplicated document illustrated how to use the energy stripped from the summoned souls, which could be combined with others, to create even more powerful rituals.

The researcher also hinted at the possibility of, after enough iterations, being able to summon a god-class entity, one that could be bound to the summoners will and manipulated like any other.

Nyx's felt as if she had been dunked in a frozen river, knowing that if this theory was ever put into practice, the security and peace that the abyss offered was nothing more than a thing of the past.

Instead, it was safer to say that returning to the abyss was like becoming a grazing cow that was awaiting its slaughter.

Nyx added the new set of documents to the pile she would take with her, her mind distracted by the ramifications of the discovery, before picking up the next.

Nyx didn't care about the other souls of the abyss nor the mortals of this world, never having had any meaningful relationships beyond a twisted master and servant.

But with the knowledge that she could suffer this new, terrifying fate, Nyx was already considering what she could do to eliminate the threat that this theory possessed.

Nyx skimmed over the next document, noting that it briefly outlined the varying energy levels of souls depending on how they were summoned. Those randomly summoned seemed to contain the lowest energy, while those that had been bound to an artefact were hundreds if not thousands of times better quality.

This made sense to Nyx, she had been continuously summoned after her soul essence was bound to the crystal, undergoing many tribulations and gaining substantially more energy than the souls that seemed to rely on luck.

Subconsciously putting the paper into the maybe pile, Nyx picked up the next document, where after just a few words, she froze on the spot.

A list of noble houses, sorted by country and origin, along with the number of soul crystals they were suspected of owning, covered several double-sided pieces of paper.

The feeling of dread continued to grow in Nyx's stomach as she quickly scanned the people's names that were in the last column of the list, noting that the houses that had a red cross through them seemed to have the soul crystal count altered as well.

Then, on the last page near the bottom, Nyx found a name that she was, thanks to the fat man, familiar. Princess Camilla of the Welshmar Republic.

The soul crystal count seemed to have been altered many times, seemingly as if in some sort of negotiation was taking place, however, there wasn't a red line through her name indicating that her 'case' was still not resolved.

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Putting the paper down, Nyx frowned before raising her head and stared at the ceiling.

While many of the documents were missing or had some parts that were unreadable due to, at least in Nyx's mind, the blood of the fat man who grabbed whatever he could carry, what was left was enough for Nyx to put together a theory of her own.

One that as she thought about it, made more and more sense.

Standing up quickly, Nyx moved towards the pile of trash documents and shuffled through them, quickly finding what she was looking for.

Initially, she had thrown the paper away, the information on it seemingly meaningless, but now she had read some others and had a better understanding, everything started to click into place.

If Nyx had interpreted the information she had gained correctly, then it was evident that someone not only believed in the theory of summoning a god-like entity but was actively trying to accomplish it.

Nyx's eyes flicked across the numbers once again, realising that this was far too big to be the work of a single man or even a small group. No, to achieve their goals, they targeted royalty, seemingly using whatever means necessary to acquire more soul crystals.

This was the work of an organisation that was powerful enough to feel like they could take on a country. Potentially more than one if what they were doing was found out.

Nyx couldn't help but return to her chair, her shoulders slumped as if they now carried the weight of the world.

Even if she managed to destroy her soul crystal, Nyx knew it wouldn't be safe to return to the void.

It had turned from her safe haven, into a place where her soul could be used for materials without the possibility of putting up a fight.

A thought that was so depressing that Nyx immediately banished it from her mind.

Leaning back into the chair's leather upholstery, Nyx could only stare at the ceiling, not knowing how to feel or what she should do.

To kill a few men and destroy her crystal was within the bounds of her reason. To stop the spread of a theory, or at worst, the organisation that was trying to make it fact, was something entirely different.

Exhaustion, both mental and physical, washed over Nyx as she felt like she had aged ten years in a mere moment.

The feeling was all too familiar. The loss of control and certainty, being at the whims of another.

"Why isn't anything ever easy?" Nyx couldn't help but sigh once again, resting her eyes for a moment as she thought.

Nyx wasn't a hero, far from it. The life she lived before had caused her to withdraw from the world, distancing herself from everyone and everything that could hurt her.

It was a lonely life, one she secretly hoped would end when she met the right people and could open up, but over time it had caused her to harden her heart to all others.

However, the fact that she had survived, not losing her sanity or sense of self in the abyss, or from what she was forced to do, spoke volumes about her drive to survive.

Even if the world or the other souls of the abyss weren't in danger, she would still have to act.

While indirectly, her existence was being threatened and that was something Nyx couldn't allow. But even so, she couldn't think of anything that she could do.

She was just a single person. One that could no longer afford to die or else risk becoming nothing more than material for the next summoning ritual.

With these troubled thoughts, before she realised it, Nyx fell into a deep sleep.

Her captivating face illuminated in the moonlight while her peaceful demeanour belied the raging torrent of emotions that were battling in deep within her soul.