Chapter Four - To the Abyss

Once Sirius calmed down from the excitement of beating Luna one-on-one, practice resumed as usual.

I won’t let this small win get into my head. I must continue to work hard, so that I can beat her every time, not just once.

One day turned into three weeks. Three days before their first Abyss Dive, Luna achieved Stage One.

She clenched her fists in contained excitement as she looked at Sirius with challenging eyes.

I won’t fall behind!

One day before their first Abyss Dive, Sirius meditated, in the brink of reaching Stage One. He felt as the starcore in his heart, which had always been motionless, started to spin. It gained momentum with each rotation, the power which had laid dormant in his core surged like a broken dam. This power transferred into every fiber of his body, but he felt it. Instinctively, he could tell the stardust running around his body couldn’t be used to enhance his own, but to amplify other objects, or people.

Sirius jumped and kicked all around, the euphoria he felt simply couldn't be described with simple words. Tears streamed down his eyes as a realization dawned on him.

Had it taken me one more day, my chances of surviving the Abyss would've been close to zero...

He shivered at the thought.

“Congratulations,” Rich said, clapping. “You barely made it in time.”

Sirius made a peace sign and grinned.

“You won’t have time to master your stardust control type, but you should be able to instinctively use the basics of your type. That’s the whole point of reaching Stage One after all,” Rich added.

Edward had entered the room at some point. Approaching Luna, he said, “Miss, the equipment has been arranged as you wished,” with his charming smile.

“Thank you, Edward,” Luna said as Edward handed over two white rectangular boxes.

Luna approached Sirius and handed over one of the boxes to him. “This is my present for your hard work,” she said.

I’ve never heard her say so many words! Also, what’s in here? It’s heavy.

Sirius had never received a gift from someone other than his mother before. The idea of getting one from someone he deemed unapproachable such as Luna made his heart flutter in excitement. He felt that no matter what lay inside the box, he would be thankful.

“Can I open it?” he said, his voice giddy.

Luna nodded.

When Sirius placed the box on the floor and opened it, his eyes glimmered with amazement.

Wooow, what the fuck? This is so cool.

Inside laid a black hooded jacket, a pair of black leather boots, and matching pants and shirts. What completely stole Sirius’s attention, however, was the black bow laying in the next compartment. It was a lightweight bow filled with engravings that he couldn’t read.

“Luna!” he said as he ran to her with his arms open.

Luna swiftly dodged out of the way, prompting Sirius to fall face-first on the grass.

“Just when will you grow up...” Maria said, looking at her son with a grimace on her face, unable to hide her embarrassment.

Luna herself opened her box only to reveal white and silver equipment. The refined armor she pulled from the box was the perfect match for her. The sword she pulled from within gleamed with white ores and silver engravings, giving her the appearance of a Valkyrie.

“Alright, go to sleep. Tomorrow morning you will begin your first dive,” Rich said, slight worry seeping through his voice.

Sirius spent most of the night unable to sleep a wink.

To be fair, I trust Luna, but what will I do if we get separated for whatever reason? Rich said no one can survive alone down there...

The morning dawned, and Sirius and Luna stood by the entrance of the building where the Abyss gate is kept, right in the center of the ginormous city.

“This is as far as we can go,” Rich said.

Luna and Sirius nodded.

“Luna, take care of my son as much as you can, would you?” Maria said.

Luna nodded with determination in her eyes.

Why isn’t mom telling me to take care of her?! Why am I the baby?!

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Sirius tried to keep his thoughts lighthearted, but the beating of his heart betrayed his real emotions. Cold sweat ran down his spine as he felt the soft chattering of his teeth.

It’s okay, I trained a lot. Most of these people don’t have the luxury of training under someone like Master. Yeah, it’s all fine. Besides, I have Luna, right?

Despite his best attempts, his heart couldn’t be so easily fooled. Whatever dangers lay below the gate of the Abyss wouldn’t be so weak as to allow a pair of newbies to easily escape their grasp.

“Off you go then, and remember, stick together. Strength in numbers. Even if you don’t fully trust those who you go down with, you must form some sort of cohort. Nobody survives the Abyss on their own,” Rich said with the stern voice of a worrying father.

Sirius and Luna nodded more emphatically than ever before.

As they turned to walk into the huge building, right before the wall behind them reconstructed, Sirius turned back to gaze at his mother.

I will make it back alive, mom. That, I promise.

Sirius and Luna walked down the corridor built in a similar fashion to the one he saw one year ago at the arena. A pitch-black passage brimming with rectangular neon lights that seemed to indicate where to go.

What awaited them at their destination was a grand hall built like a coliseum. Except the rows of seats were filled with Divers instead of normal spectators. They were cheering.

Why are they here? It’s my first time seeing so many.

Next to Sirius and Luna, what Sirius could only estimate to be at least two hundred people were lined up around a giant forty-meter pitch-black sphere emanating purple and azure mist. The sphere pulsed. Each time it did, Sirius felt the inevitable urge to jump in. The sphere had stars shining on it, making Sirius feel as if he was looking at space. A security perimeter was built around it, with invisible walls preventing people from approaching it any further.

Is that the Abyss gate? It sure is creepy. I didn’t expect it to look like this... Are we supposed to jump?

“Luna, why are there so many divers here?” whispered Sirius, though between all the noise around it was hard to hear.

“Most divers come to witness the rookies’ first dive every year. After we go in, they go in too. Except we get transported to a random location because we are first timers, they get transported to AvantGarde, the human citadel,” she said.

Is the key to her speaking a lot asking questions about the Abyss?!

“Are they doing it to make sure we arrive safe?” Sirius asked, pushing those thoughts aside.

“Some do, but most are just curious, while others...,” she said, cutting off the end of her speech.

Others? That’s ominous...

The atmosphere around the Divers in the seat rows was that of excitement, as if looking at beasts going to war.

However, down here, it’s like the atmosphere is so sharp it can cut... No one says a thing, and everyone is just looking at each other in doubt.

“Oh, it’s finally starting!” said a loud voice from the crowd of Divers as the invisible walls vanished, people now able to jump towards the sphere.

More and more people started jumping, some chanted prayers while others did it without much remorse.

Family members! Just like Luna... I don’t know if I can do—No. Calm down Sirius, you trained a whole year and you even managed to beat Luna one-on-one, even if it was just one of hundreds...

Before Sirius could notice, it was their time to jump.

“Let’s go,” Luna said, her voice carrying subtle determination. When he looked into her eyes, he felt the unspoken weight of the journey they would soon embark on.

Sirius felt his blood boil as the excitement intertwined with dread deep within his heart. They ran, picking up pace. The distance between them and the sphere shrunk as Sirius’ anticipation increased.

Twenty meters, ten meters, five meters, two meters.

One!

The moment Sirius and Luna jumped, Sirius felt a gentle tug on his hand. Everything became black and every single sense in Sirius’ body vanished. He couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything, besides the soft hand intertwined with his.

Luna.

Soon, twinkling lights started to appear all around them. One, two, four, eight, sixteen, fifty, thousands. So many stars he couldn’t count them shone with dazzling brightness, propping Sirius to close his eyes.

The next thing he felt was a pull on his legs, as if he were falling towards something.

I AM falling!

He opened his eyes and saw Luna next to him, her hand intertwined with his as she looked down. They were falling from a five-meter height.

Sirius and Luna landed swiftly on the ground.

Sirius looked around to notice that about ten people had landed with them. He looked around him. They seemed to be in a dense forest, the gnarled branches that twisted like skeletal fingers, blotting out sections of the sky above. When his gaze turned upwards, he saw a myriad of stars, the faint purple hue in the sky giving them an eerie glow, as though they were watching from a distance. Leaves and moss shimmered faintly under the purple tint, as if coated in a silvery, otherworldly film.

Sirius unconsciously held Luna’s hand stronger; however, she didn’t seem to be bothered by it as she held his back as well. A distant rustling, like dry leaves being dragged and snapping twigs echoed around the forest, their source uncertain.

Sirius and Luna became more alert, the ground beneath their feet soft and uneven, mixed with damp leaves and spongy moss. The air felt damp and sticky as the group moved in uneasy silence, each step pressing them deeper into the forest’s grip, the weight of unseen eyes bearing down on them.

That’s when Sirius remembered the words Rich had told them both once.

Down there, everything is alive.

They kept walking for about thirty minutes until they reached a clearing bathed in moonlight. The majestic blue light almost whispered at them to come closer. Sirius resisted this urge. However, once Luna pointed out the six statues and the big boulder with an inscription on it, the group decided to reluctantly approach the clearing.

We need to know where we are first. Then, we can head east towards AvantGarde.

Approaching one of the giant statues, Sirius felt puzzled looking at them. He felt an almost irresistible urge to come closer, the statues breathing an impossible sense of familiarity into him.

Why do I feel like I know them? This isn’t good... but I can’t keep myself from coming closer.

He didn’t seem to be the only one, as everyone approached different statues in a trance.

The statue that Sirius stood in front of was that of a horseman holding unto a bow.

Luna stood in front of an elegant ram that seemed to shine in golden hue. The six statues stood around a giant boulder with something written on it. Or so Sirius guessed; he couldn’t read these words. However, the unreadable letters suddenly became readable, spelling a cryptic message.

“So far east we are westbound, so high you may only see us when it’s low. The boundary of the hallow, we alone bestow.”

Everyone flinched. The message was said out loud; however, no one from the group opened their mouths.

It was as if the boulder read our minds...

While everyone was shocked by the sudden talking-stone, a shadow moved in the distance. A faint clicking sound could be heard. However, suddenly, there was nothing.

The group froze. Sirius’ bow tensed and Luna’s sword gleamed in the moonlight.

A piercing screech shattered the silence.

A dweller!