Day: 3102
Days Left: 2378
Lives Saved: 16
Days passed as Henry's legs healed and grew strong enough that he could walk around with the aid of Nia and a makeshift cane. Nia showed him the house that had been Corinna's, and they were given permission to look around. It was just like all of the other houses at first, apart from the majority of it being painted green, and then Henry noticed the small notches in the bricks.
Eleven tiny notches, with the words: days until Corinna finally tidies her side of the room.
There was a response underneath which read: vandalism will be punished.
And then underneath that was a drawing of a cartoon frog with its tongue sticking out rudely, etched into the brick.
Henry chuckled, tracing the etches in the brick. His second cousin wrote this, or at least a part of it. She was real. And she was only a few months away from here. He was close. Henry glanced down at his leg, and the fear of something bad happening again came into his mind, that there would be some other setback that would stop him from ever meeting her.
Nia and Henry exited the house, thanking the people who were the current inhabitants. Outside, construction of the new house was well underway. Nia had been helping due to boredom and also wanting to repay the kindness the village had extended to them.
In this time, the prisoner Klei had said had been at The Warren had finally transformed back into a human. When the man had been given time to recover, Klei introduced the man to Henry and Nia.
"Yven, this is Henry and Nia," said Klei.
"It is nice to meet you," said Henry, extending a hand in greeting.
Yven snorted at the formality and shook it roughly, his body still shaky from being a monster a few hours ago. "You all the new residents?"
"We won't be staying," said Henry.
"Really?" Yven shrugged. "Up to you, I guess, but in my opinion, this place is the best place to be if you want to survive in the Abyss."
"Not the Warren?"
Yven looked to Klei.
Klei nodded.
Yven sighed. "Ah, I see... that's why you're talking to me."
"I'll leave you to it," said Klei, walking away.
Henry sat down on the grass, his legs aching from standing still; Nia joined him.
"You kids really want to go there?" Yven scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm looking for a relative of mine," explained Henry. "Klei says she's there."
Yven nodded. "Oh, then that might be alright."
Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Look, whatever you have heard about that place, about it being a utopia..." Yven scrunched up his nose. "Well, utopias are impossible; we all know that. That place, The Warren, it is hiding some dark secret."
Henry and Nia leaned in.
"I was a guard, patrolling around and ensuring everyone was safe and following the laws," Yven continued. "And then I come across an area I hadn't seen before in the guard quarters, and I let my curiosity get the best of me, so I went through the door."
Henry and Nia leaned even closer.
"What was inside?" whispered Nia.
"Don't know." Yven shrugged. "Before I could find out, I was caught, and then I was exiled from the Warren."
There was a pause.
"That's it?" scoffed Nia.
"They exiled me for nothing! I found out not dark secrets-"
"No, I mean, Klei said you were going to warn us that The Warren is a bad place or something."
Yven grumbled, "They exiled me because I almost discovered something I shouldn't have."
"Sounds to me that they kicked you out because you were trespassing and could no longer be trusted as a guard."
"I was-"
"Was there a trespassing sign on this door?"
There was a pause, and then Yven eventually mumbled, "yes."
"So, there we have it." Nia folded her arms. "You were kicked out because of a lack of integrity. There might not have been some dark secret down there."
"Then why was it restricted access even to a guard?" Yven flung his arms up in frustration. "What could they possibly be hiding?"
"A lot of places are restricted access because it is not part of your job."
"I was a guard-"
"Were you given a trial before you were exiled?" asked Henry.
Yven nodded. "Yeah... but it was more private compared to the usual trials, not as many people attending."
"But you still got one?"
"You got to be trialled like any other crime," said Nia. "Doesn't sound like this place is all bad."
"They could have given him a second chance, though," said Henry. "Straight to exile does seem a bit too harsh of a punishment."
"Thank you!" said Yven. Clearly, he had told his story to others before and received more sympathetic responses, as well as more intrigue into this supposed dark secret he had almost uncovered.
"You will understand when you get there," said Yven, mostly addressing Nia. "Just the vibes the place gives off... something is just not right." He then looked to Henry. "But it will be difficult to get in. You'll have to wait until they have space to increase their population. Do you know if your relative is in the city or in the refugee camp?"
Henry paused, hearing the words 'refugee camp'. "She's in this city."
Yven nodded. "I suppose you can ask the guards posted outside if they can find her so you can talk. Are you planning on staying with this relative of yours or just wanting to meet them for a bit?"
"Hopefully, stay with them," said Henry, hesitantly. "If they want me to. They are family even if we lost our memories."
"It may take some time to live in this city with them. When they have more space, you have to prove your worth to the city and go through a bunch of tests that can take months."
"Shouldn't be too difficult to get in," said Nia, shrugging.
Yven frowned, seeing the look Henry and Nia shared. "Who is this relative of yours?"
"Her name's Corinna," said Nia before Henry could stop her. "Corinna Warren."
There was a pause.
Yven's eyes widened, and then he glanced away. "I see..." He smirked. "Then I guess it would be easy for you to get in if you're the queen's relative."
"The queen?" Henry said slowly.
"Queen, Mayor, Chieftain, Leader, President..." Yven waved a hand dismissively. "People call her all sorts, though her technical title is Mayor. Mayor Warren of The Warren." He snorted. "Pretty narcissistic, if you ask me." He then paused. "You going to tell her about me when you see her?"
"What? About the dark secret you didn't discover?" said Nia flatly.
Yven glared at her before returning to focus on Henry.
"I promise I won't say anything about you," said Henry.
"Maybe you could find out what is behind the door," said Yven. "It would give me a good deal of peace to find out that there was a decent reason why I was exiled and not given, as you said, a second chance."
Henry considered it for a moment, but Nia shook her head at him.
After this, Yven was not in the mood to talk more, wanting to rest after his long transformation back to a human, so Henry and Nia left him to recover.
"That was disappointing," Nia sighed. "I wanted to know whether there is a dark secret to The Warren, but I think the guy is just bitter or trying to make his exile sound less lame."
"Well, it would be a good thing if there was no dark secret," said Henry. "It certainly doesn't sound like Corinna... from what I wrote about her before my memory loss."
"It could be nothing." Nia shrugged. But somewhere, deep down, she had secretly hoped that there was a dark secret or Yven had said something to discourage Henry from going to The Warren. Nia didn't know why; it wouldn't change the fact that she would be leaving soon, but perhaps it would give her a reason to stay with Henry longer if something bad happened again, and that selfish thought weighed on her for the rest of the day.
Day: 3106
Henry had finally made a full recovery; his legs healed enough that he was confident enough to go on the long journey to The Warren. Before they left, Nia had scavenged through the Land of the Lost nearby and retrieved any new supplies they would require, and Klei and Wendy gave them a few portions of food as a parting gift.
"Good luck!" Wendy gave both Henry and Nia a squeezing hug, then patted Terry the cockatrice on the head. "Hope you get there safely."
"Thank you for your hospitality," said Henry.
"Thank you for helping build the new house whilst you were here," said Klei. "It got completed sooner than we thought."
"If Corinna built all this, I can't imagine what she's done with the Warren."
Klei's smile stiffened a moment. "Can I ask you both a favour for when you get there?"
"Of course," said Henry.
"If you meet Kai and Dex, tell them they're always welcome back here if they want. I regret the way things ended between us." He paused, then added quietly, "it would be nice to see them again, even just for a moment. Actually, you can extend that invitation to anyone who was originally from our group." Klei shook his head. "No, everyone can come here."
Henry nodded. "You got it. I'll try and find them."
"We may not have everything The Warren has, but we accept everyone here." Klei looked to his side at Wendy, smiling softly at her.
"We welcome anyone and everyone," said Wendy, hugging Klei's arm. "From those who are injured, to water nymphs, to those who are stuck as monsters... everyone deserves a home."
Nia looked down at Terry, who she was holding in her arms. Then she glanced to Henry.
"You knew him," said Henry softly.
"Only for a couple of weeks before he..." Nia's voice trailed off, and then she swallowed. "You really help people who can't transform back? You can fix them?"
"We do our best," said Klei honestly. "Sometimes it takes a lot of patience, sometimes it seems like they will be stuck forever, but at the very least we can offer protection."
"If it's difficult to get into the Warren," Nia said to Henry. "They might not allow both you and Terry in, especially if he is stuck like this. You won't be able to look after him if you want to stay with your cousin." Nia omitted the part that she herself would not be there either, as she would have left the Abyss, not wanting to accept that reality yet. "Would you... would you be able to look after Terry?" Nia asked Klei and Wendy.
They both smiled, nodding.
"Of course," said Wendy. "We'll take good care of him."
"Make sure not to take that blindfold off, or you'll turn to stone," warned Henry. "Though this guy has saved our lives multiple times because of it."
"You're in good hands, Terry," Nia whispered to the cockatrice. "I hope one day you'll be human again. Thank you for protecting us." She then handed the cockatrice over to Wendy, who cradled him in her arms like you would a baby.
Terry squawked. Nia didn't know if he was saying goodbye or because he was a dumb chicken-snake creature, but tears still formed in her eyes. She wiped them away, smiling.
"Thank you both again," said Nia.
"Say hi to Kai and Dex for us!" said Wendy. "Oh, and Calanthe too!"
After more thanks and farewells, Henry and Nia left, holding hands and following a compass in the direction of The Warren, where Corinna Warren was.
Unknown Date
"Of course, like all things, it best to start at the beginning," said Salim, motioning for the woman to flip to the first page of the book away from the section about a man called Henry.
The woman did so, then frowned as she saw it titled Number 5: Sky. "Why does it begin here, then? Where are the first four chapters?"
"Sky was the name you had when I first met you," explained Salim. "You had already escaped four times before then."
"Do you know why I'm down here?" The woman's hands reached to her nape, where her skin was scratched, where a brand would be detailing her crime. "What did I do to deserve to be down here?"
"That I do not know, I am afraid," Salim sighed. "But when I met you, your neck was bare."
"I had no brand?" the woman said slowly.
Salim shook his head. "But nor do I." He turned, revealing his bare neck. "We were imprisoned before brands were introduced. That scratching on your neck, I believe, was you scared that you had no brand."
The woman let out a long sigh of relief. "I thought that it was perhaps because I did something terrible." Then added quietly, "though I suppose I still could have done... especially if what you're saying is true and I've been down here so long."
"You have been imprisoned in the Eternal Abyss for a long time because you were entertaining, not because of your crime," said Salim. "We both have."
"Entertaining?"
"Because of how many times you-" Salim cleared his throat. "Because of how many times we tried to escape from here."
Roughly 174 Years Ago
The woman looked up at the sky. Just a week ago, she had dropped down from there, where a portal had opened up. If she had gotten here through that portal, perhaps she could escape through and get back too.
"I wouldn't bother," said a voice.
Startled, the woman turned, reaching for a short kitchen knife, her only weapon to defend herself. She saw an elderly man behind her, wearing all-red from his headwrap down to his robes that seemed noble in manner, with gold embellishments, even the shoes with their slightly curved tips seemed more expensive than anyone could afford in their lifetime. In his silvery white beard, which was groomed neatly, was a gold tie.
"Who are you!" the woman barked.
The stranger lifted his hands slightly to show he meant no harm but seemed unfazed even when the woman threatened his throat with the kitchen knife. "My name is Salim," answered the man. He then motioned up to the sky. "And I would advise not escaping, at least not now."
"When then?" the woman asked, her eyes narrowing in caution, but she retreated a step back, retracting her knife.
"Do you really hope to escape with nothing but a kitchen knife?" the man chuckled. "Do you know how many mages there will be on the other side? Even if you somehow manage to escape through a portal, they will stop you from going any further and drop you back here."
"So, are you suggesting that I wait until I get my mask?"
Salim smiled. "Not just that. You need to be at your full strength if you have any hope of succeeding." He kept his head held high. "And you need help. You cannot escape alone."
The woman eyed the elderly man, trying to contain her laughter. "I think you are the one who needs the help, old man. What are you going to do without a mask?" She then looked at his wealthy attire. "You look like you've never worked a day in your life, never lifted a finger."
"Perhaps I do now," Salim chuckled. "But I did work my way to my position."
"You are still a maskless and frail old man," spat the woman. "You would only hold me back."
Despite this insult, the man remained ever amused. "I may have only been down here for as long as you have and yet to have a mask, but I know much more about this place than any other prisoner." He motioned to his attire. "The wealthy and nobility are given the luxury of watching the Eternal Abyss, seeing the prisoners fight and struggle. I know where the best places to find food, shelter, and equipment are."
The woman paused, considering the offer.
"Not only that, but I am a mage," continued Salim. "I come from a powerful bloodline. Of course, I cannot use my magic down here in the Abyss, but when we get to the other side, those mages will be of little consequence. We will succeed and escape and truly be free. Now..." Salim moved his hands to the side. "Do I sound like I will hold you back, child?"
The woman stared at him for a long moment, then gazed up at the sky. "Fine," she said flatly. "We work together to get out of this cursed place."
"Splendid!" Salim clapped his hands together. "Well, if we are to be working together, what should I call you?"
The woman paused, still looking up at the closed portal where she entered the Eternal Abyss. "Uh... Sky," she blurted out, her cheeks flushed, hoping that the name wasn't weird. In truth, she did not know her name and just blurted out the first thing that came to her, the thing that had occupied her mind ever since she knew. But now she was saddled with that name. Sky... that was a pretty name, she supposed, though the sky in the Eternal Abyss was far from pretty, just a dull grey.
"Well, Ms Sky," said Salim. "I suggest we find equipment and shelter so that we are prepared for the next food drop-off. Without masks, we need all of the help we can if we are to gain a single packet. Come, child."
"Okay, 'grandad,'" Sky mocked.