The top of the first sun began to show itself, signaling the impending doom that would fall upon them. Its beautifully haunting flames slowly began to approach. It was slow, unthreatening. Only once the next three suns revealed themselves would they increase in their rage and ability. Devouring the great purple sky that was constantly swirling above as if it was a minor inconvenience in its path. It would crackle, threatening those below.

“How much further!?” Clyde questioned Aura. His gaze remained fixed ahead of him though, he did not dare take his eyes off of the first sun.

Aura looked down to her etched map.

There was a black line at the top, marking where they were. How far they had moved from their time at the wall. Right now, they were at almost exactly the halfway point of the chasm. The amount of pockets dwindled and the suns high above them shone with more vigor in recent times.

“Only a hundred more meters,” Aura said. “Just about…”

The four of them looked straight ahead. They would make it to the pocket in front of them in time. It was close, in thirty minutes or so, the four suns would ignite the sky with their enhanced flame and torch them.

Syllis sighed with relief and looked below her at the crow, formed of bone and void. She took comfort in the ephemeral flames that wafted from the tips of its most prominent bones. The scent of dripping flesh was appealing but otherwise the crows had been godsends.

They had exhausted over half of their water supplies over the last month and a half which allowed the crows to just be able to carry them. They made bizarre sounds under the immense pressure. Still, they moved much faster than the four of them had on foot.

Syllis hopped off of the side of the ephemeral crow she was sharing with Clyde. She felt the slight sinking of the ground beneath her feet. Walking on ash was a bizarre feeling.

The area around them was inconspicuous. Nothing abnormal stood out. Even surrounded by the rest of the sky chasm which was wholly similar to each other—this place was boring.

“Aura,” Syllis said, “where is it?”

“Hold on,” Aura said. Then, small tears in space emerged. Slight maggots fell out from it and burrowed deep into the ground. “Here.” She gestured towards a small patch of ash.

Under the watchful gaze of the first sun, Syllis once again willed together a large icy-blue block up above. It fell, shattering the ground beneath. There were no taran inside to kill, but why would there be? Only one, possibly a second could fit within.

“Quickly now, everybody!” Clyde said. The next tops of the next two suns were beginning to be visible. In the next thirty minutes, the entire area would fall victim to the blazing-white flames.

The four of them looked into the abyssal pit. It was equally as dark as the rest yet it carried a unique eeriness. Korman threw his lantern into the hole. It was dim, nearly entirely useless. His lantern had been the first to fade so much. Clyde then threw his in. It was much brighter and illuminated the entire pocket.

Syllis examined the hole and swayed slightly. ‘This is bad…’ Her thoughts became slower and it was difficult to think entirely clearly. ‘Forget it.’

They cleared the rubble and moved each of the jars of water into it. They only had fifteen jars left. They were stacked into three piles against the side of the abyssal stone. There were slight indentations on the bottom of the jars that allowed this.

“L-let’s get in.” Clyde said with a slight stutter and worry evident in his tone. “Aura, you first.”

The ragged woman with pitch-black hair shook her head. She hopped into the hole, easily reaching the bottom. The familiar steps of ice were not needed. This hole was small, too small.

Clyde hopped in after her. Together they occupied a large chunk of the total space in the pit. Both Syllis and Korman looked at each other. They scrutinized one another with their eyes.

“So—”

“Go ahead, jump in,” Syllis said. Her voice did not even sound entirely like her own. She knew what was going on right now.

Since the second she had laid her eyes on the contents of the pocket, she had only thought of one scenario. It was what they faced at this moment. Nobody said anything. Everyone wanted to believe that it was ok. It was not ok.

‘It's not ok.’ Syllis thought. ‘We are not ok—one of us is not ok—one of them is not ok.’ Her thoughts shifted. This pocket did not have the room to house them—all of them. One of them would be left outside, and it would not be her.

“Come on out guys,” Syllis said with a smile. “We can talk until the suns become a real threat, right?” Her voice sounded cheerful, vibrant. The subtext? gritty and violent.

“That’s right!” Clyde said. He climbed up out of the pocket with Syllis’ help. “We can talk for a while.”

‘He’s pretty happy about this turn of events. All of them have noticed. That sorrowful look on Aura and Korman’s faces…’

Syllis turned to Clyde. ‘He knows that the one left will not be him. It can’t be. Clyde is too important. If he does not escape, then I might as well rot right here…’ She was not exactly fond of being imprisoned for life or even executed.

“Right,” Aura said through gritted teeth, “we can talk, for a while.” She looked back to Korman who had a worried expression.

The both of them climbed out of the pocket and joined Clyde and Syllis. Together, the four of them sat in a circle as the four suns continued to rise.

“What do you guys want to talk about?” Syllis asked eagerly.

‘Self preservation over all else… Self preservation over all else…Self preservation over all else…’

“Uh—I know!” Aura blurted out. “It was weird that there was no taran in that pocket, right? Usually there would be a taran or a couple in that pocket!”

“That’s right!” Korman said. “That pocket should really have a couple taran, it’s certainly large enough…”

Syllis clicked her teeth together and looked at both Aura and Korman beside each other. “Is it though? Really?”

The secare nymph stood up and rounded the side of the abyssal pocket. She sighed, jumped in, and climbed back outside of it.

“I don’t know about that,” Syllis retorted, sitting back down beside Clyde. “I think that this pocket could not even hold a single taran, it’s too small! What about you Clyde, what do you think?” She turned to face the man.

Clyde fiddled with his fingers, curling them around one another. He let out a slight laugh and stood. He took another look into the pit and turned to his companions. “I don’t know… It’d be a tight fit but it could fit a taran—probably.”

“Right!” Aura yelled. “It could definitely fit a taran! And the elmannise… I bet it could fit a couple elmannise!”

“What are you joking, Aura?” Syllis said. Her tone drastically changed, as though another person was speaking. It was cold and distant. “Their heads would be on fire. This pocket is not nearly deep enough for them to stay in. They would be burned alive, just like… Hlorndt.”

The atmosphere shifted. Aura could only muster a weak smile. The corners of her lips quivered in fear. Korman wanted to turn and comfort her but felt unable to under the watchful gaze of the brightening sky above. Contrary to this sky, they felt as if they were being dragged further into the abyss than they had ever seen before.

“That was… an unfortunate event.” Aura said, somber. She clutched at the cloth that hid her skin. She clawed at it slightly, to distract herself.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

‘Self preservation over all else… Self preservation over all else… Self preservation over all else…’

‘It's ironic. Right now, when I’m entirely sane. When I have not used my bond outside of gaining entry to this pocket. When I should have complete control over myself and how I feel. This is when I feel most lost. This is when I feel most helpless and this is when I feel most insane.’

Wry, a wry smile grew on Syllis face. It was modest, unassuming. It extended beyond the mere uncomfortable nature of their conversation. It was bitter, villainous. This act was more heinous than anything ever performed on the outer ring—at least anything that Syllis herself knew.

“Congratulations Aura,” Syllis said, “you get to live a little longer. You get to walk across this hell… for a while longer.” She began to clap with great enthusiasm.

Clyde and Korman joined in. Each of them clapped for Aura.

Aura looked at her three companions with horror. “What are you talking about? Why should I live over any of you three!?” She tugged at her black hair. She looked at Clyde and at Korman. Then to Syllis, and back to Korman again.

All of them were quiet, none spoke. This was the first time any of them had admitted out loud that one of them would die.

Clyde sighed. “It’s simple Aura, you’re the smallest. Leaving you to die would not allow the space for me, Syllis and Korman to live. It would accomplish nothing.”

Aura looked like she wanted to speak. Her supple lips shook more as she felt unable to talk. The newfound pressure of each of their acknowledgements of the situation was too much to bear. She dropped her head down before looking back up.

The woman rose, slowly. She was like a corpse being reanimated. With a few thuds of her brown boots against the ashen ground, she rounded the back of Korman and sat beside Clyde.

“So…” Syllis began, “it’s one of us.” She moved, taking a seat next to Korman. They only had around twenty minutes left before the suns’ flames would devour them.

Syllis looked at Korman who had anything but a stable expression. His foot tapped against the ashen ground, he refused to look the nymph in the eyes. She would be the death of him. They would all be the death of him unless… unless they were the death of her.

The secare nymph smiled. She knew that this was what he was thinking. It was what anyone would think. It was what she herself had thought only ten minutes ago. Anyone would not think about it, everyone would.

Korman manifested various bestial parts of his bond as the three other nomads looked at him. His nails grew sharp and his skin rougher. His nose is sharper and his legs larger. He dug his nails into his skin. Unable to handle the pressure upon him.

“Korman!” Aura called out. She pushed herself forward. On her knees and one arm, she reached for Korman. When nobody else wanted to—could—move, she had.

Syllis' mouth contorted into a sort of half smile. ‘So that was it, huh?’ She understood them. They had grown closer than close. They were together.

‘Foolish, how foolish.’ The secare nymph criticized both of them. ‘In the middle of a fable, really? And right before the most dangerous part of it… truly foolish.’ But why was she not scolding them, why were these thoughts. This was empathy, this was pity.

Syllis was not going to die. She was never going to die here. If she had no regard for herself or anyone around her, then each of them would be dismantled. Aura might be able to escape, but she would not. She would stay by the side of Korman and Clyde and try to help.

‘That’s it.’ Syllis snapped within. ‘There’s no use in providing false hope.’ She gripped at the side of her—slightly charred—black jacket as she stood.

The secare nymph looked at Korman with her pair of pitying and sorrowful seafoam eyes. They were once exuberant, bright. They shone at the most minute of things. Now, they were dull.

Korman almost shuddered under her gaze.

Syllis flicked to Aura and then right back. She did not want to hurt either of them, but what choice did she have? ‘Why does it have to be so hard? What, am I to sacrifice myself?’

As Syllis was about to begin speaking, Korman had instead.

“It's alright, Aura.” Korman said. There was a large smile on his face. He was content, it was entirely genuine.

“What’s alright?” Aura asked as she stood. “What about any of this is alright!? They’re going to kill you, Korman!” she cried out.

Aura looked up at Syllis. “She’s looking at you like an animal, to be butchered! I don’t want them to kill you, Korman...”

Syllis did not provide any refutations. She was going to kill him. They were going to kill him.

“And—and him!” Aura said, pointing to Clyde. “He thinks he’s so much more valuable than you. He isn’t—he isn’t! Tell him, Korman. Tell them they can’t kill you.

“No—you don’t have to, I will. You can’t kill him! He has just as large a role to play as both of you, or me!”

Clyde looked away in pure guilt. The glow of the lanterns almost seemed to criticize him as well.

“You! One of you, speak!” Aura bellowed. Streams of tears still fell from her eyes. They formed streaks down from her tan face and soaked into her ragged clothes further down.

Syllis did not respond again. She only looked down at Aura with the same pity. She herself was nearly about to cry. Just as Aura was and Clyde presumably was. Weirdly enough, Korman had yet to shed a tear.

“Monsters… you two are monsters!” Aura yelled. Yet, she did not dare try to bring Korman into the pocket. She tore open a large rift behind her and screams emanated from within.

“Enough!” Korman shouted. “Aura you have to stop. Stop it right now! They are not killing me. I am killing myself.” He kept his smile despite the horrific sentence.

“Th—they’re forcing you!” Aura said, continuing to will her spacial rend. Tears continued to fall from her eyes. She tried to push them away but more came, time after time.

“No, they aren’t,” Korman said. “Now, the burning sky will reach us in no less than ten minutes. Clyde, take Aura into the pocket.”

“No!” Aura yelled. Clyde tried to grab her from behind. “No—no!” Her willed rift suddenly collapsed.

“What happened? Don’t—stop it. Where did my…” Aura realized. She had wasted so much sanity through the constant draw from the ephemeral crows. She did not even have enough sanity to spawn maggots behind her eyes to see more clearly.

“Korman! Tell him to stop!” Aura clawed at Clyde as he pulled her back. Like a demon, pulling its victim into the depths. She was being dragged into the abyss.

Clyde did not relent though. He hopped into the abyss, pulling Aura along with him.

Syllis stood still, motionless. She looked at Korman as Aura continued to cry out. She was louder than a leviathan—titanic creatures that had been mostly exterminated around Asanoch and the other deep-sea city-states.

‘A banshee…’

“Do you want me to kill you now?” Syllis asked. “I mean, without the sky. Would it be better for you? It’s really the least I can do.”

Korman stood still for a man. He laid down on his back. “No, I think I want the embrace of the sky. You might not find it so but… I think it will be comforting.

“Syllis you and—Clyde! Make sure that Aura stays safe until both of you are dead!”

“Korman! Stop talking like this!” Aura yelled out from the pocket. She could not move. Under the force of Clyde—who had expended next to no sanity recently—she was helpless. “You will live. We can make room. Clyde! We can make room can’t we?”

Clyde stayed silent with a pained expression.

“Answer me clyde!” Aura shook violently. Still, it did nothing underneath her ‘captor.’ She remained, pinned to the wall of the pocket.

“Alright, Korman.” Syllis said after a minute of contemplation. “I’ll be going now.” She picked up Korman's dim lantern and looked at it with a moment of contemplation. Then, she sat it back down beside him. “I hope you have light in whatever is next.”

The two lanterns that she held were significantly brighter than Korman’s by many fold. She wanted to honor him but the bright lanterns were too valuable.

Syllis hopped into the abyssal pocket after carefully throwing the couple lanterns inside. It was cramped, very cramped. Her back was pressed against Clyde and her face was nearly entirely pressed into the hard rock wall. Clyde was squished in between the both of them. His front pinned Aura to the wall, even as she tried to shift and claw erratically. She had neither the sanity or space to escape though. Her Forehead and chest were pinned against the wall.

As Aura continued to yell with the same fervor she had earlier, Korman’s voice cut through.

“Aura,” Korman said, solemnly.

Despite her rage, she listened.

“I’m going to die. I’m dying for you. I always wanted to give you whatever I could. You deserve it, you deserved it. I can’t give my all to you anymore, I’m sorry for that.

“At Anahita’s ascension. I thought it was closer to your ascension. You looked beautiful, perfect. My only regret will be not acting sooner and I’m sure it will stay that way for the last couple minutes of my life. Actually, there’s another. I regret… that you will regret this moment. Instead, I wish you could cherish it.

“Please don’t let this regret be as large as my own. Move on, experience the world. Shape it around you. Use it as you see fit. I hope you become what you’ve always sought to be.”

“Korman, please…”

“I love you,” Korman said, “Aura.”

The sky above them caught flame. Instantly, it enveloped the entire area around them. They saw the flames dance at the edge of the abyss, just over their heads. Korman did not scream or cry as the flames assaulted him. If they had not experienced the horrific scenario beforehand, they would have assumed no one was laying just outside the pocket.

Aura continued to cry, wailing. Her violence withdrew though. It was impossible to save him now. The sky had thoroughly mangled him at the least. He was dead or soon to be.

Still, she kept crying, and crying.

The three of them stayed, stuck together all the way until the burning skies subsided hours upon hours later. Their mouths were dry and their patience had run thin.

Syllis’ hope in fate, gone. Clyde’s promise to bring them all back, gone. Aura’s trust in her companions, gone. All of their faith in the world…

Gone.

When the four of them went up, after the flames had gone. They looked for a corpse.

The lantern, gone.

Korman, gone.