I sat at the kitchen table, orange evening sunlight mixing with the overhead lights that spilled down onto the sketchbook before. My brow was furrowed in concentration as I drew, carefully outlining the petals I had sketched beforehand. With a small sigh, I dropped the pencil, causing Aedia to look up from her notes.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Just finished," I replied. She held out her hand expectantly, and I slid my sketchbook over to her. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise and delight when she saw the Eternal Fortune bloom I'd spent the past hour or so on.
"Len, this looks great!" She brought the sketchbook closer to her face, examining the drawing closely. "Look at the flecks you put on the petals. You've been doing this for what, a little over a year? You've come so far." She began flipping through more pages, looking at my other drawings.
I rubbed the back of my neck, smiling sheepishly. "Shading still eludes me, unfortunately. But thank you." Had it already been that long? It seemed like yesterday when I first started drawing with Llyr. Then again, when hadn't it felt like time had flown by?
"Wait, you drew this too?" She was looking at a drawing of a forest clearing on the Second Layer. It wasn't anything too special, with more of my attention going to an unsuccessful attempt at dappled-looking shading with the leaves. I was proud of how I drew the tree roots though, far cries from the "dandelions" I was first producing.
"Don't say that like you haven't been busy," I said, nodding to the small pile of paper near her own sketchbook. "You'll be able to start putting together your notes for your book, right?" More of our savings than usual were used for Aedia to pay off willing participants in her research, but after my first delve to the Fourth Layer, I felt comfortable letting Aedia use some of our money like that.
She nodded. "Hopefully I can by the end of the year. Even then, I'll still want to get more information before I really set anythin' in stone, but I know I can't make a compilation of everything on the first two layers, there's just so much! Still, the samples you and Llyr bring up have really helped."
"And we'll have more for you soon," I added.
A slight frown crossed Aedia's face before it was replaced by a more noticeable smile. "Oh yeah, you guys are going to delve to the Second Layer next week. It seems like Melva and Llyr are getting along better too."
"It's more because I want to delve with Llyr but don't want to go without Melva as well, so I force them both together," I said with an awkward laugh. "But they have been getting along better. Llyr actually makes conversation with her on his own once in a while now." It felt weird to be proud of him for that, but it didn't stop me.
"He did seem a bit more upbeat when I last talked with him, so it looks like your pushing might be helping with that too," Aedia said. "It's kinda funny that you're so determined to delve with the both of them, especially Llyr. You've really been pushing him to go with you. You two have gotten close."
Was it odd that I wanted to spend so much time with Llyr? "What can I say? He's a good friend, both of them are." I frowned in confusion. "Is there something strange about that?"
Aedia shook her head. "I dunno. It just seems different than how you act around Melva, Vio, or even Gwynden when ya see him." A pause, then she briefly grinned. "Just don't make Melva jealous."
"I won't," I replied. I couldn't help but wonder about what she asked, however. I loved being around Llyr, whether we were drawing, delving, or just talking. Even if he still didn't think so, everything about him was endearing, even his flaws. It certainly was different than how I felt around Melva and the others, but I'd grown up around her and Vio, and I only saw Gwynden every so often on a guild delve or at the pharmacy when he stopped in. Different circumstances called for different brands of emotions, right? I didn't question it any further, however. Like Aedia had said, I had a delve coming up, and I needed to start preparing ahead of time.
Before I knew it, the following week rolled around, and I was bound for the Second Layer with Melva, Vio, and Llyr. We were going to attempt to make it to the top of the Inverted Forest, but it wasn't a guarantee. It would just serve as practice for us for a Fourth Layer delve coming up later in the year. It was going to be my third delve down to the Fourth Layer, and I was hoping it would finally be the delve where I could see the field of Eternal Fortunes.
Trips down to the Second Layer weren't as much of an issue as they should have been. So long as nothing happened to the gondola, it was a smooth trip down. Yet again I found myself sightseeing as we descended, though it wasn't as pleasant a view at the moment. Clouds had rolled in overnight, and they only grew heavier and darker by the hour.
"Ya think it's gonna rain?" Melva questioned aloud as she observed the sky alongside me.
Vio shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "If it does, let's hope we've made it to the Forest of Temptation before we do. I was hoping we wouldn't get rained on..." I hoped we wouldn't, either. Climbing in the rain was never a good idea.
By the end of the day, we had made it to the top of the Second Layer and established a temporary camp about a hundred yards down into the Forest of Temptation. Wood was abundant, and since it thankfully still hadn't rained, the wood was dry. In no time we had a fire going. All and all, it had been an uneventful day. That should have been a good thing, and I wanted to believe it was, but I knew to never underestimate the Abyss.
As the sun set and the forest around us became filled with the calls of unknown creatures, our fire stood as a lone beacon in the darkness. Llyr had gathered some edible plants, and we'd managed to make a decently flavorful soup thanks to him. Over our dinner, we dared to disrupt nature's nocturnal symphony with conversation. It was better than just staying silent. The moment Melva finished eating, she laid back with a sigh. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"Guess so," she replied. "Just tired. Why do I feel more tired just from takin' a gondola trip than walkin' down 'ere entirely on foot?"
"Because we really haven't done much?" Vio replied. "That's what I'm assuming, at least."
Melva scoffed. "Y'know what they say 'bout assumin'."
"Except I'm not an ass," Vio said with a grin, and Melva narrowed her eyes at him. I glanced at Llyr to gauge his reaction, but he was staring up at the sky through the gaps in the trees' canopies.
"When do you think the storm's going to break?" he asked. "The clouds have only gotten denser since we set up camp, and I'm sure they're worse now."
Melva shrugged as she forced herself up to her knees, moving underneath the canopy of one of the nearby trees and leaning against its trunk. "I ain't gonna be out in the open when it happens. Makes me wish we had tents."
"You know it's better to be without them if it's a temporary camp," Vio said, emphasizing his point by looking out into the darkness past our fire. He was right. The cloth of a tent wouldn't be in the way if we needed to run. I didn't let the thought linger, however. I never did; it would just give me thoughts I didn't want before sleeping.
I flinched awake the next morning to Llyr gently shaking me. The first thing I focused on was his face before noticing just how dark the sky was. It was like the clouds were about to burst open at any minute. But once he saw I was awake, Llyr looked guilty briefly before shifting his gaze to the side. "G-good morning, Len. Sorry for waking you," he apologized. My shock faded in moments, and I returned his words. "Bad dream?" he then asked, and I nodded.
"It... wasn't too bad, thankfully," I said, sitting up. "I still would've been far worse off without your advice." That got him to smile, and I smiled back. That was what I wanted to see.
Melva and Vio were already awake, though that term could be used more loosely with Vio as he struggled to light our fire again. I was worried about him being around an open flame, so I helped him kindle it. Once I gently prompted him to get a ration bar into his stomach, he perked up more and buried his nose in a map of the Second Layer he'd scrounged up from somewhere. I'd seen him use it before, so it was likely in part one of his own making.
"Let's do some Relic-hunting, and we'll spend the rest of the day going deeper. Meet up back here around noon," he told us, holding up his depth meter. "Try to stay with a hundred to two-hundred yards, okay?"
"Sounds good," Melva affirmed. She'd already been packing up her things and shouldered her pack. "Ya comin' with, kid?" she asked.
After a moment, I shook my head regretfully. "I'm actually going to be collecting some plant samples for Aedia. I'll just end up slowing you down."
Melva grinned wryly. "Ya could've said ya wanted to go with the stick, I don't care," she chuckled. "Have fun, an' don't get rained on!" Casually, she turned on her heel and started out into the trees.
Vio glanced from Melva to me, snatching up his own bag. "I'm going with her, don't worry," he reassured me. "But like she said, don't get rained on. I definitely don't want to myself." With that, he chased after her, leaving me and Llyr in the clearing.
"I-I always feel bad for separating you two," Llyr said, breaking the silence between us.
I couldn't help but sigh. "You're fine," I said. "As long as she doesn't care, I wouldn't get too worried about it."
"She... did seem rather aloof about it all," Llyr muttered, tilting his head quizzically. "I guess on that note, we should head out ourselves? You said you wanted some samples of riverbed plants, bluecress, if I can remember correctly?"
"Those leafy green ones with the blue streaks? Yes," I said with a nod. According to Aedia's research, it could help alleviate fevers. It was one of about ten different Second Layer plants I was hoping to find samples for. Llyr couldn't keep every plant at his home, after all. It didn't take very long to find a stream, and from there, we began our collecting.
Our search took us down about seventy-five yards, down a series of rocky, root-covered cliffs and across steep ledges that dropped down at least ten feet into more trees. Loose stones made for a more tedious trek, but eventually we made it across and collected what we needed, even finding a few Relics hidden away amongst the moss and brush covering the ground.
At first, I thought I was imagining things when it seemed like it was growing more difficult to see. My vision was working against me like it often did, or my goggles were fogging up. At the very least, droplets were forming on my goggles even though it still hadn't rained yet. But when Llyr spoke up, those thoughts were proven wrong.
"There's fog rolling in."
I got to my feet, looking around. It was easier to see the fog filling the space between the trees, like the clouds had been brought right down to us. The air hung heavy with moisture, and I wiped my goggles free of the condensation. "We should head back," I said. In a place like the Forest of Temptation, it was already difficult to discern landmarks. All one could really depend on was their compass or the amagiri sprouts on the trees. Fog made it all the more cumbersome.
For the first few minutes, things went relatively well. We fought back against the curse when it struck us, just managing to hold back our nausea so we could keep moving. We raced the encroaching fog to the root-covered ledges we'd crossed before, which seemed to stretch up and vanish into the clouds themselves.
"W-we're almost there, right?" Llyr gasped, a little out-of-breath from our brisk pace.
"I believe so," I answered with more certainty. This had been the only real natural obstacle we'd encountered on our way down here, so as long as we made it up here, we wouldn't have much else to worry about.
We stuck close to the cliff face as we crossed the ledges. For once, I was glad I could hardly see out my left eye so I wouldn't be tempted to look over the edge. Even if the view might have been interesting to behold, I was more worried about disorienting myself.
"Help me!"
I jolted as Llyr let out a quick, short cry of surprise. The remnants of the other scream echoed through the trees and faded out. We only had a few seconds to exchange looks before it came again.
"Help me!" It sounded like it was coming from closer to the center of the Abyss. "Help me!" Over and over it screamed. I stiffened against the noise as if it were a freezing wind, trying to block it out. We both did, because as much as any of us wanted to investigate, it likely wasn't an actual Delver. After all, Delvers used their whistles, not Corpse Weepers.
"I-I'll never get used to those sounds," Llyr whimpered, shuddering.
"Neither will I," I agreed grimly. But what put a knot of worry in my gut was how relatively close the screams were, and "relatively" was too close. Corpse Weepers did have better sight than people, though I didn't know if they were limited by fog. My voice dropped to a brusque mutter as I said, "Come on, we need to hurry."
We sped up our pace, but only marginally. Stones shifted and scraped beneath our feet, each movement making my insides squirm. Still, it took everything I had to not run the rest of the way across the ledge. We would surely be safe, there was no reason to be so afraid, but I couldn't help it.
"Len, watch out—!" Llyr called out, but his words registered with me a little too late.
I didn't see what was happening to my left, I only felt the rocks shift and slide when I stepped down. My heart leapt into my throat as my leg gave way, and then the rest of me as I slipped from the ledge. I hardly had time to scream before shock stifled it.
"Len!" Llyr's hand reached for mine, and on instinct I grasped it as hard as I could. The resistance lasted for but a second as my combined momentum and weight pulled him down with me. We both cried out, but it was swallowed by the clattering of the falling rocks and the mocking screams of the Corpse Weeper. For a moment, my mind was filled with images of blackness and blinding headlamps, Melva's shouts matching Llyr's. But then the back of my head struck something, and the thoughts stopped completely.
—~*~—
I awoke to something dripping on my face, cold and wet. Cautiously, I opened my eyes, only to have my vision obscured by water droplets that had splattered on my goggles' lenses. The fringes of leaves and the turbulent sky above me were distorted by the water. Before I could be confused, pain struck me. My whole body ached horribly, like I'd taken a tumble down a rock-studded hill. Then it hit me. I'd fallen from that ledge, and I'd taken Llyr with me.
"Llyr?" his name left me in a gasp as I forced myself upright. The sharpest pains flared in my arms, chest, and head. It only took a moment of probing to discover the large knot that had formed on the back of my head, and I bit my tongue to stifle a groan. But besides that, nothing immediately seemed broken. It would be a miracle if that was the case.
I sat among loose stones and bits of shredded roots, a steep slope leading some ten feet up to the cliff face not far behind me. There was forest shrouded in deep fog as far as the eye could—or rather couldn't—see. Raindrops dotted the ground, tapping off the leaves as they continued to fall. It seemed like the storm was finally breaking, and why did it have to be now? Close by me was my pack, one of its straps snapped and some of its contents spilled. And only a foot or two away from my pack was Llyr. He was sprawled out on his side facing me, still unconscious.
With my heart in my throat, I called his name again and scrambled over to him. His chest was moving, so he thankfully wasn't dead. I did a quick scan of his body before I dared to touch him. I didn't see any blood, and none of his limbs seemed twisted. Still, he looked like a rag doll that had been dropped on the floor and abandoned.
I gently shook Llyr and continued calling his name, trying to get him to respond with no success. The rain was starting to come down harder now, and thunder rumbled, threatening more than rain. I wanted to pull Llyr under a tree, but I was afraid to move him in case he truly was injured. I soon gave up on trying to rouse him and remained by his side, my knife in hand and my pickaxe close by in case something came across us.
As I sat there, I noticed that the trees down here were older than the others, evidenced by how far their roots stretched out. They tangled into a thick network, forming foot-high ridges and natural caves at the bases of their trunks. I could only imagine how many Sleekear nests could be in those trees, not to mention the other tree-dwelling creatures down here.
I was startled by a soft groan from beside me, and I looked to see Llyr finally stirring. A sigh of relief left me as he opened his eyes, which were hazy as he wasn't fully awake.
"Llyr?" I spoke his name yet again, trying to get his attention. He looked up at me, and his vision focused as his eyes widened.
"A-are you okay?" he asked. "Your arms are all scratched up."
Confusion escaped me in a baffled "what?" as I looked at my stinging arms. The rocks had carved a couple gashes into my forearms, and they were bleeding. Llyr was still staring at me, the longest he'd ever done so without breaking eye-contact. His gaze was full of worry. I felt an ache deep in my chest, fueled by both guilt for again getting someone I cared for hurt, and for how Llyr was more concerned about me than himself. He always had been, but it hurt more then. "Forget about me, I'm fine. Are you okay?" I asked, and his gaze fell to the moss-covered ground.
"My right knee is hurting me. I can't tell if it's broken or not." He tried to push himself up, only to flinch and pull his right arm to his chest. "S-seems like my wrist isn't doing too well either," he said with a grimace. I grimaced as well, vaguely able to recall how he'd grabbed me with that exact hand, only to be violently pulled down with me. He slowly rotated it, wincing, but was hardly hindered. "I can still move it, it just hurts when I do so."
"Hopefully it's just sprained," I said. That would be the lesser of evils when it came to injuries. I looked back up at the cliff, where we'd fallen down from. It was a good dozen or so feet, and I didn't recognize any of our surroundings, even more so with the still-persistent fog. I cursed under my breath, putting a hand to my scars. "I-I'm sorry, Llyr. I should have been looking where I was going."
"No, don't apologize. I-I could hardly see either, and I have perfect vision," he said, smiling sympathetically. "Don't blame yourself, okay?" I sighed, nodding. I should've been thankful that we hadn't been seriously injured. It also seemed that the screaming "Delver" had long since gone quiet, unfortunately nothing but a good sign.
Another wave of thunder rolled through the misty air, and that gave the clouds permission to finally open up. In seconds, we were being drenched by the rain, coming down in sheets. In a mild panic, I shouldered both mine and Llyr's bags, and I hauled him to his feet. He tried and failed to stifle a pained gasp when he stood, so I quickly wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled him into the canopy of a tree.
"You don't—" Llyr tried to get out, but I stopped him.
"Why do you want to walk with an injured knee?" Silence from Llyr as he stared at the ground, but I could tell his face was red. "I've carried more than this before. I could even carry you in addition to these bags if need be."
"Th-that won't be needed!" Llyr burst out. "But I suppose it's best that we wait this out?"
I nodded. The rain was even leaking through the leaves, heavily splattering us every few seconds. If we could find some shelter here among the roots, that would be our best bet. "Let's find someplace where we can actually sit down first."
I only had to haul Llyr and our supplies a few more yards into the trees until we came across exactly what I was looking for: a root hollow at the base of a tree that formed a natural alcove. The moss coating everything there was dry, so I set Llyr down along with our bags. I sighed heavily as I rotated my shoulders. Everything still hurt, and carrying those bags hadn't helped. I shuddered as my wet clothes clung to me; I couldn't believe how quickly we'd been soaked. Llyr was in the same position, beginning to shiver as he wrung out his hair.
"I'm hoping you brought some extra clothes, because you're absolutely drenched," I said as I pulled out my spare change of clothes. They were thankfully dry, having been packed near the bottom of my bag. My bedroll and blanket weren't as fortunate, however, and I slung them both over one of the root "walls" to try and air-dry them. We could use the moss here to start a fire if we needed it...
"I did bring extra," Llyr answered. "A-and I can change by myself, my wrist doesn't hurt that much." I heard cloth rustling behind me as he dug through his pack, and I kept my back turned to him. When the noise quieted down, I heard, "Wait, don't you want to dress your wounds before you change?" I was already taking off my shirt as he said this, and the sharp stings from the cloth scraping the gashes made me remember I had them at all. I'd been too focused on other things to think about them.
"I really should..." I agreed. Wincing, I cleaned the blood from my arms with my wet shirt, not caring about the blood staining the dark cloth. But the agitation made them start bleeding again. "Dammit," I cursed quietly. Of course I had some bandages on me, and I fished them from my bag. "More scars to add to the rest, huh?" I said with a laugh. Silence, though I could tell Llyr was looking at me. Surely he'd seen me shirtless before? When I looked over at him, he looked away and began twisting a damp lock around his fingers.
"L-let me tie those for you," he said. "It's always difficult to tie off bandages with one hand." I could've done it myself, but I let Llyr do it since he offered. I tried my best to ignore the stinging as he pulled the dry, scratchy cloth taught around my gashes. He seemed to be examining my arm as he bandaged it, silent until he said, "I never realized just how many scars you have. I... might now understand why Melva calls you a klutz."
An exasperated breath escaped through my clenched teeth in a hiss. "It's not from that! Most of these were from when I was much younger," I said, tracing a few of my smaller scars with my index finger. "Melva pushed me quite hard so I could build up my strength, and I did that training down here in the Abyss. I asked her to push me though, so she wasn't forcing me to."
"Well, I can tell you it's paid off," Llyr said as he moved to my other arm.
I knew that was true, but it was nice hearing it from somebody else. "Thank you. If I can't offer my knowledge, at least I can offer my strength."
"You have that as well, in spades, really," Llyr said. "That's why I once said you could be a White Whistle. You have the capabilities to do so."
I smiled grimly, my heart sinking. Rekindling my desire to become a White Whistle had crossed my mind once or twice since I made my first delve to the Fourth Layer, but I couldn't bring myself to pursue it again. "Even if I'm more willing to delve deeper now, I still don't believe I could become a White Whistle. I don't want to take that risk."
"You've already made the risk by making this delve," Llyr said. He was right about that, but I unfortunately stood by my words. A moment later, he tied off the second set of bandages. "There you go. We'll have to change them later, or at least clean the wounds again so they don't get infected."
"Thank you," I said, and he nodded.
With nothing else to do now, we watched the rain fall. I took the liberty of starting a fire, and soon a few small but strong flames were licking the air. I sat back next to Llyr, who had wrapped himself up in his blanket.
"I noticed your blanket got wet. Um, you can share mine if you're cold," he said, holding out a corner of the blanket to the side. I didn't want to impose, but I was still chilly, so I accepted. The blanket was just large enough to drape over both our shoulders, though we were nearly pressed up against each other. I didn't mind this, and though Llyr was tense, he didn't object. "How long do you think we were unconscious for?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.
I shrugged, unsure. "A decent amount of time. We were already pushing the timeframe when we were heading back, so we've surely gone over it by now." Hunger was beginning to jab at me, so we must have been out for a while. It couldn't have been for a significant amount of time, however, as we wouldn't have been left alone like that by any sensible creature of the Abyss. "They're definitely wondering where we are." I could only imagine how worried Melva might be.
"Do you think..." Llyr trailed off, then shook his head. "Never mind, they wouldn't leave us behind."
I smiled. "Look at you, thinking positively."
"I learned from the best," he replied. "I've never been caught in a rainstorm like this in the Abyss. It's calming in a way, though. I'd like it more if we weren't stuck here like this. N-not that being here with you is a bad thing."
"I know what you're trying to say," I said, waving my hand dismissively, and Llyr relaxed. "Have you ever thought of becoming a White Whistle yourself?"
He mulled over my words for a moment. "Occasionally. After all, Wakuna came from my family's home country, so it's not like foreigners can't become White Whistles."
That was interesting to hear. "Really? I knew the Lord of Guidance wasn't from Orth, but not that he came from your country."
Llyr nodded. "The shape of his whistle is supposedly a whale, and the white orca is the symbol of our country. Of course, it's only rumors, and it's unlikely we'll ever see his whistle at this rate. My family talks about Wakuna a lot with other immigrants, and apparently there's been rumors he made his Last Dive recently."
That term piqued my interest. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't pin its meaning down. "'Last Dive?'" I echoed. Llyr looked surprised.
"With how interested you seemed in delving, I thought you'd know about them," he said. Well, I was just starting to really get back into delving as a passion again, and the one book on White Whistles I'd bought when I was younger didn't say anything about Last Dives. Or perhaps it did, and that was where I'd seen it before... "But, according to my parents, Last Dives seem to be a kind of ritual among White Whistles," Llyr continued. "For whatever reason the White Whistle has, they make the choice to descend to the Sixth Layer. That is a Last Dive, their final delve."
There couldn't have been a better term for an event like that. But the fact it even had a term somehow made it more somber to me. It had a name, it truly was an event, one that sounded like it was anticipated. "And people are thinking Wakuna made his Last Dive?" I asked, and Llyr nodded.
"If it's ever confirmed, the city will hold a festival of some kind honoring him. I think they will, at least. Either that, or if his death's confirmed, though I guess it would be hard to tell if he did make his Last Dive." Llyr's brow furrowed. "The last White Whistle believed to make their Last Dive was Merith the Wanderer, and that was long before we were born."
Thinking about it more just made my chest feel tight. "Even if I did become a White Whistle, I know I wouldn't be able to make a Last Dive. I have too many people up here I'd be leaving behind." I didn't want to keep talking about such a grim topic, so I tried to shift the conversation. I looked at Llyr, smiling slightly. "If you ever did become a White Whistle, what do you think your title would be?"
Llyr thought for a moment. "I know I'd never achieve it, but I'd like to be known as Llyr the Muse, the Sovereign of Integrity," he said in an unexpectedly grandiose voice. "I-I know, it's far too grand for someone like me, but it's only because of my art. I'm terrible at coming up with names, and 'Llyr the Artist, Sovereign of Botany' doesn't sound nearly as exciting. I also like to think I'm honest... too honest, sometimes."
"It fits you perfectly," I said. "And while honesty can hurt sometimes, it's often the best thing to say."
"I suppose so." He glanced at me. "What about you?"
I smiled awkwardly as I recalled the title I'd once thought of. "Len the Seeker." I couldn't help but remember that night out with Melva whenever I thought of this, a stain on a title I really did like. "I never got around to thinking whether I would be a Lord or Sovereign, or even what I would be known for. I just knew I wanted to discover things."
"I'd like to think you would be the Lord of Knowledge," Llyr said. "You're already intelligent, and you'd learn so much more than you know now through your discoveries, more than I ever could."
If only I could bring myself to do that. My smile became more bitter, but I didn't last long as I didn't want to dampen my spirits. "What's stopping you from becoming a White Whistle, though? If you believe I can, then surely you can as well."
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I wouldn't want to become a White Whistle if you didn't, I don't want to leave you behind."
I frankly didn't know what to say to that. While I was incredibly flattered, I couldn't help but feel solemn at the same time. Why for me, of all people? But whatever I could have said then was rudely cut off by my stomach as it let out a loud growl. I reflexively clutched a hand to my midsection, my face heating as Llyr's eyes went wide.
"Was that you? I-I thought that was more thunder!" Though I didn't want to admit it despite it being obvious, I nodded, and Llyr laughed. I would've been more embarrassed if Llyr didn't look so cute when he laughed like that. "I'm hungry as well, so we might as well eat," he said.
The rain continued to relentlessly fall, and I was shocked that it had hardly let up. While the fog had since dissipated, it still wasn't any easier to see. I lifted my goggles, trying to see if I was seeing things. No, it was getting darker, like night was falling. "Is it just me, or is it getting darker?" I asked.
"No, it is," Llyr muttered, a worried note creeping into his voice. "Don't tell me we're going to be stuck here for the night." He tested his leg, wincing as he did. "I-I wouldn't mind you carrying me if it means we can get back to Vio and Melva."
"I would, but the rain hasn't let up at all. If it was already dangerous to cross those ledges, it would have gotten even worse after so much rain." Although I was growing concerned as well, I gave him a reassuring look. "I believe we'll be fine. We're pretty well-hidden, and I'll stay up all night if I need to."
Llyr shook his head. "If anything, I'll be the one staying up. You've always needed the sleep more."
Of course he would say that. "You know me too well," I said. "But it still isn't night yet, so I'll still stay up with you."
Llyr tugged the blanket a little tighter around himself, smiling up at me. "I'd like nothing more."
—~*~—
The chirping of birds roused me from my sleep, and I opened my eyes to a sunlit forest. It was morning. I lifted my head, wincing at a slight ache in my neck; I'd been sleeping with my head tilted to the side. Rainwater dripped from the leaves, resulting in a chorus of taps on the ground, and the air stirred with a crisp breeze.
Soft breathing disrupted the air close by, and I became aware of the warmth pressing against me, provided by something other than the blanket. I turned my head to see Llyr leaning against me, his head resting on my shoulder as he slept. He was supposed to be on the last watch... I was briefly worried about how he had fallen asleep, but nothing had happened, so what did it matter now?
Llyr shifted then, but he didn't wake. I couldn't help but gaze at him, taking in every detail of his visage. How long his eyelashes were, his near-flawless skin, the delicate contours his cheekbones made to his face. I reached out a hand and gently pulled a few loose strands of hair from the corner of his mouth. Why couldn't I take my eyes off him? I felt a compulsion to pull the blanket tighter around us, bask in the warmth. And for a couple of minutes, that was what I did. This brief moment of tranquility and peace, I... didn't want it to end. I just wanted to be here with him.
Unfortunately, I knew this couldn't last forever. Sighing, I nudged Llyr, trying to wake him without startling him. It didn't long for him to wake up. The moment he did, he jolted away from me, apologizing profusely.
"I-I'm sorry, Len! Both for falling asleep, and for th-that!"
"Don't apologize, I didn't mind. It was..." I trailed off, suddenly finding it difficult to admit how I felt about it. "I-it was nice, even," I finally got out, only to quickly follow it up with, "And nothing happened to us, so that's all that matters."
He froze, his eyes widening a little. "Oh, r-really?" I nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "But it's morning. We need to go find Vio and Melva."
"How are you feeling, though?" I asked, concerned.
Llyr tugged up his sleeve, revealing splotchy bruises on his wrist that distinctly resembled fingerprints. Even if it hadn't been my fault, I still felt guilty for causing those bruises. Llyr rotated his wrist again, this time not wincing. "It's still sore, but it's easy to see why," he said. He shrugged off the blanket, not paying any mind as it fell to the ground. Using the nearby roots, he pulled himself up, hesitantly testing his leg. "Not as bad as yesterday, but... I believe I can walk."
"Are you sure? I'll help you if you need it," I insisted. Llyr shook his head, but he didn't look embarrassed as he did. "I don't want you hurting yourself more when we have that delve coming up," I joked, and he laughed.
"I'll be sure to let you know," he said.
It took a little while to find a way to ascend back up to where we'd fallen from. We'd only fallen about twelve or so feet, perhaps a bit higher since we'd tumbled down a slope to the bottom. Progress was slower than it should've been due to Llyr's injury, but he didn't complain. Despite the persistent worry panging me, I trusted Llyr to tell me if he needed my assistance.
The ledges were in far worse shape than they were yesterday. Rockslides made space finite and traversal tedious. I almost slipped again, leading me to shuffling with my back pressed up against the cliff-face. I was more relieved that I should have been when we made it back to the top.
Like usual, I found myself wandering in my thoughts. I didn't understand why I didn't want to admit to Llyr how I'd felt before. I'd been so open with him ever since I'd told him how I was scarred, yet I'd closed myself up here. And he didn't seem to think it was strange when I told him. What was wrong with me?
"Is everything okay?"
I was pulled back to reality and stopped in my tracks, almost bumping into Llyr who had stopped ahead of me. It seemed I'd fallen behind a bit... He was looking back at me with concern, so I quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, don't worry." He smiled, nodded, and continued walking. There it was, that look on his face. His smiles brought me as much joy as Aedia's. Even more, I realized, which shook me to my core. I never thought that would be possible.
I recalled what Aedia had said before. Yes, how I felt around him was completely different than how I felt around the others, so vastly different. My thoughts continued to wander, and I came to a conclusion that baffled me. No, it couldn't have been. Was it... love? I glanced at him now walking beside me, though he didn't seem to notice. Did I love him?
The more I thought about it, the crazier it sounded. I'd read above love so many times in books, and it was nothing like what I was feeling. It didn't feel like there were butterflies in my stomach, my heart never skipped a beat when he looked at me, and I never found myself constantly tongue-tied. I just wanted to be near him, share my thoughts and feelings with him, be there for him to pick him up whenever he was feeling down. The things I read about were unanimous across everything I'd read, so it must have been the standard. Whatever I was feeling about Llyr just had to be the result of a close friendship.
Soon, the scenery around us began to look a bit more familiar. We'd come across a trail Melva and I had used many times in the past, and it was by this trail that we had established our first campsite. We pushed our way through the undergrowth, straining our eyes and ears for some sign of our misplaced friends. All we could see was the greenery and the occasional small, scuttling creature, and all we could hear was birdsong.
"Do you..." Llyr started before stopping. "No, what am I thinking? Don't mind me."
"You're fine, I'm sure we'll get a sign of them soon," I said. I didn't dare let myself think otherwise, if just for Llyr's sake.
After another minute or two of trudging, I swore I heard something different from the usual forest chatter. I stopped Llyr so I could hear better, and it definitely was something different. Human voices, and we were too far from any cliffs for it to be any Corpse Weepers.
"Do you think that's them?" Llyr asked. I was about to respond when we heard an especially loud "No shit they're probably in trouble, what the hell else ya think happened to 'em!" It was enough to send a few birds scattering.
"That's Melva," I said plainly, and I sped up my pace. Through the trees, I could glimpse a flash of bright red, and I burst out into the clearing where we'd set up camp. There were Melva and Vio, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. Vio was already facing our direction, so he saw us first.
"Len, Llyr, you're okay!" he exclaimed with a relieved smile, and Melva whirled to face us.
"You two!" She bolted over to us, grabbing my shoulders while staring Llyr right in the eye before he could look away. "What the hell happened to ya two?"
Llyr nervously spoke up, twisting his hair around a finger. "W-we got caught in the fog... then the rain." Melva still looked confused, so I filled both her and Vio in as he joined us.
"We were caught in the rain as well. I would have been more surprised if something like this hadn't happened. Even if it had stayed clear, we wouldn't have left without you," Vio said. "But you both are still injured?" he then asked, looking pointedly at my bandaged arms.
I tried to wave him off. "This is nothing! If anything, Llyr's more hurt than I am." It didn't stop both him and Melva from fussing over us, making sure we were okay. I was relieved that we hadn't been left alone in the Abyss, but Llyr had been right, they wouldn't have left. He gave me another glance, smiling as he did so. I couldn't help but question things again, even if it wasn't what I thought it was. I resisted the urge to sigh. So much for being the "Lord of Knowledge."