"Bullshit! How can you just accuse my father like that!? I get he's kind of a weird guy, but when Restavel wakes up I'll get the truth from her! Hmph! Since you seem to just keep pushing Silo and me away!" May yelled angrily at Ephram as she pouted away from him and into the corner.

  Ephram looked solemnly down into his hands as he folded them neatly in his lap, thinking about just how manipulative Aberlain had been towards his daughter. Surely, he'd used her for his own gain and had decided to toss his own daughter aside once her usefulness faded. Pestarrem himself had even said Mays name, indicating the Rootlord had told him to kill both May and Ephram. There was no other explanation for the rat demons actions beside Aberlain somehow finding the creature and using it to do his dirty work for him.

  Ephram wasn't stupid, and he realized that the Rootlord must've been planning something big if he saw his own daughter as a threat. Perhaps he was simply afraid of his daughter, seeing as how powerful May was. One day she would replace him as the Rootlord, and Ephram thought that was reason enough for the power hungry Aberlain to get rid of his own flesh and blood.

  He looked down to where Restavel lay, watching as her breathing steadily caused her chest to rise and fall. He noticed the blood had stopped pouring from her eyes, causing the dried remnants of her blood to stick to her sockets like wet clay. His only hope was for her to quickly wake up and explain the situation to his friends; there was no telling when Aberlain would return. If he did, it would spell disaster for everyone.

  "May... I know you don't want to hear it, but I'll say it again. I only left you and Silo behind on Earth because I was afraid of what waited for us in Hell. It seemed I was right... " Ephram began as he stood from the bed and faced May, "...listen to me, okay? You two are important to me and I wouldn't lie to either of you. Aberlain really did send that rat demon from the sewers, Pestarrem, to kill us. Why would I make that up? What would I have to gain?" He asked, quite sure May would have to see reason and understand he was just trying to protect her.

  "She says she doesn't wanna talk to you." Silo squeaked from her shoulder as May turned her back towards Ephram dramatically, now facing the dingy grayish wallpaper.

  "Well... that's alright. Can you give her a message for me then? Tell her I'm sorry? You too Silo, I really am sorry." He said, and watched as the field mouse turned to whisper something in Mays ear.

  Her golden hair bobbed up and down as she listened to the mouse diligently, as if she were hanging on every word.

  "She said... uh... she said prove it." Silo said confusingly, cocking his head to the side like a confused dog. He seemed to be unsure of what May could mean by 'prove it' and was hoping Ephram knew what she meant.

  "Hm... can you ask her what she wants me to do? How can I prove to her I'm not lying?" He asked, just as confused as the mouse.

  Silo turned to face May once more, whispering in her ear quickly as if he were getting fed up with playing messenger between the two. May whispered back like speaking into a phone, taking her time with her words to set Ephram on edge with anticipation.

  "Uh... okay, so, well... she said... um..." Silo began, but trailed off incoherently as he fidgeted back and forth awkwardly.

  "What? May, what are you trying to say? Enough with the games, please just talk to me."

  As soon as Ephram finished speaking she whirled around to face him, sticking her hand out to point in his face. Silo clung on for dear life as she spun around dramatically, making him feel like he was riding a swirling tornado.

  "Stand on one foot and hop around like a bunny!" She yelled, yet nothing but silence responded.

  Ephram stared at her in shock, not sure if he had heard her correctly. The first thought that popped into his head was whether or not May had somehow fallen and hit her head, or perhaps she'd simply gone crazy.

  "May, uh, I think your hat might be on too tight. You okay?" He asked, looking up at her red sunhat.

  "Nope! I'm fine! I'm thinking as clearly as ever, and if you want forgiveness, you'll do as I ask!" She said, her irritated tone hiding behind a playful persona.

  May knew exactly what kind of person Ephram was, and she was sure he really was telling the truth. It was just so disgustingly hard to accept the truth of her father's betrayal that she had decided to escape within herself. If there was one thing May was a master of, it was hiding her true emotions. If she could just throw Ephram off from the fact she was truly saddened to hear about her father, maybe she wouldn't feel so pitied.

  Pity was the one thing she hated most. To be pitied is to be looked down upon like a weak and helpless animal, a bird with a broken wing. She was no such animal, and refused to be seen as one. The man she looked up to for so long had finally revealed his true face, her fathers hideous nature was no surprise to her in truth. She had always suspected her father of involving himself in shady activities, but had always put it to the back of her mind because of just how afraid she truly was. It wasn't fear of what her father had done or what he'd do to her, but fear of hating her own dad. He was the only one who raised her since her mother had left them so long ago, and she just couldn't bear the thought of him betraying her too. It was horribly cruel of him, and to face reality meant to face her father with hatred in her heart.

  "May... we'll talk later. For now, let me prove to you that I'm not lying." Ephram said, looking exasperatedly down to the ground in front of him as he mustered up the courage to embarrass himself.

  The thought of her father's betrayal left her mind as soon as she saw Ephram lift his leg into the air and begin hopping. As he jumped up and down like a pogo stick without a rider, she began to softly giggle under her breath along with Silo. The two of them seemed to really get a kick out of watching their friend bounce up and down like a big idiot, simply for the sake of their belief in him.

  Deep down Ephram knew that with every hop, what he was doing was much more than just a simple gesture of fun. May had clearly been upset after learning about her father, and must've been too afraid to be seen as weak. He didn't see her that way at all, but exactly the opposite. She was strong willed and powerful, as strong as they come, but he knew that even the strong feel sadness. Once in a while it's good to have a moment to yourself, smiling joyfully as you forget the problems the world thrusts upon you. Every moment of their time together had been spent on the run from something, it was about time for them to just relax and take it easy.

  As both May and Silo burst with laughter, Ephram began chuckling as well. He was happy his friend hadn't decided to abandon him completely after what he pulled on Earth. It was a miracle they'd stuck around this long, it was a wonderful feeling knowing someone had your back. He knew he could rely on them, and began to scold himself for leaving them in the graveyard. Maybe it was just the shock of his human memories returning, but he promised himself not to leave them out anymore. If they wanted to truly help him and be there for him, he wouldn't push them away.

  Remembering their time in the sewers, he recalled the moment they had come to save him. He had seen Silo first amongst the pipes in the ceiling, and soon after spotted May down the tunnels near the bodies on the wall. If they were willing to go to such lengths to help him, surely they'd stick by his side for as long as they could.

  Ephram stopped hopping suddenly as he brought his other leg back down to the floor, staring down at the two of them with admiration. He hadn't realized it before, but he knew now. There was no way in Hell he'd ever take them for granted again. These two meant everything to him, and along with Silvia, he felt completed by them. May, Silo, and Silvia were all he needed to live a happy life. As long as they stuck by his side, he felt absolutely unstoppable.

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  "Where... are we?" A sudden voice croaked tiredly from behind, and he spun around quickly to see who'd spoken.

  Restavel had sat up in bed, bringing her hands to her face as she slowly regained consciousness. She slowly began to remember what had happened as she felt the space where her eyes should've been, the dried blood felt hard and cold to the touch, like a biological bandaid to stop her from bleeding any further.

  "Sorry... I can't see anything, are you still there Ephram? Are we still in the guest quarters?"

  "Yes, I'm here. May and Silo are here as well, how are you feeling?"

  "It still hurts... but I can manage. Please give me a moment to collect myself so I can see again, alright?" She said as confusion followed her.

  Ephram, May, and Silo all gave each other puzzled looks as the maid held a finger to where her lips should be, indicating for them to be silent. She seemed to be concentrating hard on something as if it were taking all her willpower to focus on a single unknown task, bewildering the three others in the room with her. It was only when the door creaked open did they understand what the maid meant by collecting herself.

  A short gray-haired maid nearly identical to Restavel limped into the room and shut the door softly behind her, looking up at the others. Bowing slightly to show respect, the short maid began to explain the situation they found themselves in.

  "May, I owe you an apology. I've worked for your father for quite some time yet never had the courage to break free from his grasp. I know exactly what he's capable of, and what he truly thinks of you. For me to not say anything until now weighs heavily upon my heart. If I still possess such utilities, that is. I thought I'd abandoned my own heart long ago." The short maid spoke, addressing the three others in the room as it ignored Restavel upon the bed.

  "I've heard stories about your kind, but... I never thought it was true. You really are a hivemind aren't you, Restavel?" May said, looking down at the short maid standing before her.

  "Yes, it's true. I'm sure you've had your suspicions seeing as how each branch of myself looks strikingly similar. I am indeed a hivemind, one of the last survivors of my kind. The rest of us are within the Abyss, doomed to wander for eternity through eternal nothingness." She said, lifting her head to look towards Ephram who had backed himself up against the wall near an ugly brown wooden nightstand.

  He looked down at the short maid and back to the maid upon the bed confusingly, not sure what to make of the situation. He'd suspected something was up when the other maids all screamed out in pain earlier from the plucking of her eyes, but a hivemind was the last thing he'd expected. It had never occurred to him why each maid looked somewhat identical, and had assumed it was simply just the uniform and gray hair they all seemed to share.

  "Fascinating... truly fascinating. I have so many questions for you, but for now, I just one to ask you about one thing in particular." He said as he walked away from the wall and towards the short maid, looking down at her.

  "Yes? If I can be of any use to you, it would be my honor. You saved me from the cruel enslaved future awaiting me for what potentially would've lasted forever... I owe you everything, Ephram."

  "I'd do it again, Restavel. No matter what I will not allow anyone to harm my friends, I'd save all of you a thousand times over if I had to... now then, my question. I was wondering if you could tell me more about this Abyss? The... eternal nothingness?" He asked, noticing the maid upon the bed fidget awkwardly at the mention of her being saved. He couldn't tell whether or not it was a good sign, but decided to put it out of mind for now.

  "Of course, I'd be happy to." Restavel said in unison with herself, gasping quietly at the mistake she'd made. It had always made others uncomfortable when she spoke as one being rather than separate, and internally began to scold herself for being so careless.

  "My apologies, being in the same room as a copy of myself tends to confuse the mind. If it's not any trouble, do you mind my speaking in this manner? I could send the copy back outside... but then I would no longer be able to see you all." She asked glumly, disappointment filling her tone.

  "It's no trouble at all, honestly. The only thing I'm worried about is the Abyss, so explain it in whatever method you feel most comfortable." Ephram said as he tried to put the maid at ease, seeing right through the insecurity she had for herself.

  He thought of how hard it must be to constantly have to split your mind up into different bodies, and the amount of strain it'd put upon the psyche. The mental fortitude one must possess to do such a thing must be unbreakable, so for the maid to apologize for her own lapse of strictness meant it must've been quite a while since she'd spoken as one being.

  "Thank you... as for the Abyss, it's essentially... nothing? I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, but nothingness sums it up quite well. It's the space surrounding all of Yggdrasil, essentially the opposite of existence itself. Even the roots of Hell don't stretch far enough down to reach the floor of the Abyss, nothing gets out of there once you're there..." She explained, but had trailed off as she remembered something else quite important, "... well, except there are a few exceptions. Like me, for example."

  At the mention of this, Silo looked up at May for an answer, but she had none. Ephram himself even looked back at the two of them, expecting them to know something. The three of them were at a loss and were only able to listen contently to the two Restavels as she explained what she meant.

  "Several millennia ago, I was... well, killed by an angel and thrown into the Abyss upon my death. I wandered for what felt like an eternity and had nearly lost my sanity until I saw those gleaming yellow eyes. I couldn't see anything but those eyes, and upon reaching them, my memories of any events after that are seemingly gone. The last thing I remember afterwards was waking up here in the Palace with the name of Restavel, given to me by the Rootlord. I've tried bringing it up to him as to how he did what he did... but I was always met with silence. It's always bothered me how he brought me here... and how he was within the Abyss to begin with." She said, and the room filled with a silent confusion.

  Nobody knew what to believe anymore. If Aberlain was truly as powerful as he seemed to be, then what were they really up against? He has immense power within the politics of Hell, influence over humanity via Stellarh Inc., and a seemingly vast array of strength residing within his own soul.

  Ephram thought to himself just how afraid he should be when faced with an enemy of this magnitude. A commander of forces he couldn't even begin to fathom had sought him out as an opponent, hellbent on killing both May and himself. Silo surely wasn't safe either, and the only reason Aberlain hadn't ordered the death of the field mouse was simply because he was too weak to even be seen as a threat. In this situation, the only thing one could do was run away.

  "An angel you say... that's interesting... could you tell me what it looked like?" He asked, and both maids nodded simultaneously.

  "It was a man in a blinding white suit, and his face was covered in a solid white mask. I remember his hair being long and blonde as well, along with large feathery wings sprouting from his back. He was one of the spearheads of Heavens army, known only as the angel of the spear. Why do you ask?"

  "Hypothetically, Restavel, if an angel were to be thrown into the Abyss, what would the requirements of that have to be?"

  "Well... for one thing they'd have to break the rules of Heaven. Not many angels do so, however, knowing that they'd get their wings clipped and cast down into nothingness. I guess if an angel left a church or holy place without permission that'd be grounds for being cast down." She said as she watched Ephram sit back down upon the edge of the bed, taking off his hat slowly and holding it within his lap.

  "May... Silo... Restavel? I have a favor to ask of you. You have to promise me that this time, you won't come with me. I can't do anything to stop you... but I thought I'd at least ask." He said suddenly, catching the others off guard with an odd request.

  "What do you mean? I thought we were past your little abandonment issues?" Silo asked playfully from Mays shoulder, trying to lighten the mood.

  "I can't bring you all with me where I'm going. If there's a chance my wife's been thrown into the Abyss... I have to find her, no matter what. With my abilities I think I can manage to travel with one other person, but no more than that. I'm sorry." Ephram said, looking at each one of them individually as he gauged their reactions.

  He knew that he'd promised not to push them away anymore, but this was different. He needed to find Silvia even if it cost him his life, and he refused to sacrifice the lives of his friends for such a task. If he searched the Abyss with them and did happen upon Silvia, he'd be forced to choose who to leave behind, and that was a choice he simply couldn't bear to make.

  "Ephram... I understand what you're saying, but you can't! You don't know how dangerous it is! What if your ability doesn't work in the Abyss? What if you don't find her and still can't come back? What then?" May yelled, clenching her fists to her side in frustration at the stupidity she was forced to endure.

  Restavel and Silo both nodded in agreement, looking at Ephram with pity in their hearts. They both realized how hard it must be to give up on someone, but in the face of eternal nothingness, giving up on Silvia seemed to be the better option. There was no point in losing himself as well, even if Silvia really was within the Abyss.

  "I have to try... please. I'm begging you all, if you still think of me as a friend, then please help me to find my wife. I don't wish for you all to throw yourselves into nothingness with me, but I'm asking you as your friend... do not try to stop me." He said as conviction filled his voice, telling the others that nothing will change his mind. He will find Silvia no matter the cost, whether it truly kills him or not. In the face of the Abyss, her warm smile outshone the darkness awaiting him. There was no way in Hell he'd just let her rot within that nightmare plane of existence.