My Last Dive [Made in Abyss Fanfiction]

02| The Woman with Fiery Red Hair

Why not? "They're being led by older Delvers. They could be learning from them." My mind began to race. "I wonder if there's a school for delving or something? How else would they learn?"

Mother gave me a look that was both puzzled and worry-ladden. "Why are you so interested in all of this?"

   I couldn't tell her about the feeling I got when I was looking at the Abyss. She'd likely just say it was another one of my fantasies. "I told you, it's the last unexplored place in the world, who knows what's down there?"

"And that's what concerns me about it," Mother said. "Doctors are in high demand here, and yet they see fit that children can be sent down there?" She pursed her lips before sighing. "Don't worry, we can still go a little closer." That was enough for me, for now.

I had to stop myself from running ahead of my mother to the end of the street, a bit difficult considering the street sloped downwards here. Ahead, there was a wall that bordered the far side of the road with seemingly nothing but the Abyss beyond it.

Finally, I reached it. There was only the wall now separating me from the Abyss. My curiosity had peaked now, and the need to know what was down there was painful. I jumped as high as I could, trying to look over it since it was only a few inches taller than I was. Father could likely see over it just fine since he was so tall himself.

Maybe I could... I tried to climb the wall, just so I could look over it. With more than enough handholds in the stone created by time, I was easily able to haul myself up to the top. And for a moment, I got a glimpse. At my eye-level were cliffs and lush treetops, all obscured by a morning mist that the sun seemed to bounce off of. To my slight disappointment, further down I could only see the endlessly-swirling clouds. The mist was obscuring the rest, though I could faintly make out more large shapes beneath them. They weren't moving, so what were they?

"Len, get off of there!" Mother scolded, gently tugging on my sleeve. Reluctantly, I started to climb down, but this didn't stop me from taking one last look before I did. I thought I saw something moving among the clouds, something I could barely make out. I squinted, and then my eyes widened in shock as the thing broke the misty layer. It was a bird, brightly colored in red and yellow plumage with a shell of some kind covering its forehead. Mother pulled me back down to the street, but the bird flew high enough that I could still see it over the wall.

I gasped as the bird skimmed the rim of stone, occasionally dipping back out of view before rising again. It was unlike any bird I'd ever seen, real or sketched, so colorful, so wild...

My feet were moving before I realized they were, and I raced down the street along the wall, trying to keep pace with the bird. Just what was it? I was deaf to the noise around me, utterly lost in my thoughts. That was, until the piercing shout of Mother broke through the shroud I cast over myself.

"Len, watch out!"

The next thing I knew, I was running headfirst into someone. They hardly budged when I hit them, so I bounced off them and fell to the ground. The impact jarred me and knocked my glasses askew. Hitting the cobblestones didn't hurt, rather, it was my pride that was injured.

"The hell was that?" the person muttered before turning around. Staring down at me was a woman in her mid-twenties wearing Delver gear, a shiny purple whistle hanging from her neck. A brown and white feather was stuck in the brim of her helmet, giving her a flair that was unique to the other Delvers I'd seen so far. She must have been almost six feet tall with dark skin, short red hair that flared out at her shoulders, and narrow red eyes that looked at me with confusion and slight irritation.

My face flushed warm. "S-sorry!" I gasped.

Her eyes quickly took in my appearance. "Watch where you're goin', kid," she huffed before offering me her hand. Her well-toned muscles tensed as she hauled me to my feet, and I marveled at her strength. She'd pulled me up like it was nothing.