So my first official day as a Moon Whistle was spent recovering from a hangover, caused by my own naïveté. What a way to celebrate such an achievement. It wasn't like I hadn't done more foolish things before, but that had definitely been one of my... least fine moments.

   Regardless of the past two days' events, it didn't change the fact that I was indeed a Moon Whistle. Because of that, I wanted to waste no time in preparing a delve down to the Third Layer. It was only a matter of time until I would try to. Still, I knew Melva wouldn't be the most enthused by the idea, and I was ready for a possible refusal.

   "I know you agreed to keep delving with me, but you don't have to come with me this time if you don't want to," I said. "I know you don't like being in the dark."

   She nodded. "That, and I also don't like the stuff that comes up when you're down there."

   "Oh, right, the curse..." I muttered, wincing. The Third Layer's curse caused hallucinations. I'd never had to deal with anything like that before, and it was definitely concerning about what I might witness.

   Melva's expression turned grim as her thoughts seemed to wander elsewhere. "I'll tell ya, it ain't nice. Ya hear shit ya know ain't there, see people ya know are dead... I'd rather keep those things in my dreams, thanks."

   "Then I shouldn't have asked. My apologies," I said, bowing my head. "I-I'll try and track down Vio or somebody else." I'd gotten to know the man enough that I knew he was both a pleasant and capable delving companion. And if I couldn't find him... Well, I didn't really know any other Delvers, though it would merely be yet another bump in the road for my progress.

   Melva waved her hand, sighing. "Nah, nah, I'm comin' with ya. I said I'd stick with ya, and I ain't 'bout to let ya go down there by yourself, 'specially since it's your first time." While I was relieved to hear that, I was also worried.

   "Are you sure you don't mind coming?" I again asked. "Like I said, I can find somebody else to go with."

    For a second there was hesitation, but it was brief, as Melva again nodded. "I'm sure. Can't avoid some stuff forever," she said quickly. "And as much as I'd like it to be the two of us, we're gonna need more people. I'll try an' track down Vio." I tried to shake off the hesitance she displayed and started contributing my own ideas. If she was sure, then so was I.

   I already knew it would be a longer trip by how the gondolas only reached the top of the Second Layer, and even then Delvers with our amount of experience couldn't use those particular gondolas. We would have to traverse the Forest of Temptation followed by the Inverted Forest, and then there were the tunnels of the Third Layer, which I heard were difficult to navigate. To top it all off, of course nobody would want to make such a trip without it being worthwhile, with Delvers typically spending at least a week Relic-hunting. And that was considered a short trip. I'd heard that Delvers made expeditions that took months, though those were Fourth Layer delves. Still, taking into account a variety of other time-consuming factors, this delve could take three weeks or longer.

   It was then that I realized just how difficult delving would be from then on. If it wasn't that going in a larger group was more advisable, then it was spending that long in the Abyss. It was going to be difficult to tell this to my family, and I was prepared to state my rebuttal. I still tried to keep an open mind.

   "So I'll be gone for three weeks, perhaps a bit longer. It all depends on how much we find and if we encounter any trouble," I informed them. "I know this is much, much longer than my usual delves, and I've recognized that. Because of that, I'll only try to make delves like this every few months or so." I tried to gauge my family's responses. Aedia and Father shared looks with each other while Mother sighed, resting her head in her hand.

   "You know I'm not comfortable with this. Really, really not at all... But I know I can't stop you. I've trusted you all this time, and you're an adult now. Still, three weeks... So much could happen, especially down there. I don't need to tell you that, though."

   I tried to reassure her. "That's why I'm going in a larger group this time." Well, it was a larger group by my usual standards.

   "You don't need to try and comfort me. I've accepted that this is how you want to spend your life, and so far you've risen to the challenge. Besides, I have your sister to worry about." She aimed a look at Aedia. Apparently she'd messed with some of the medication Mother had been sorting to help with her medical lessons.

   "I didn't mess up that much," Aedia said with emphasis. "I only dropped one crate."

   "It still took half a day to sort through again," Mother retorted. "Your father may love his money, but I'm the one who manages everything that goes into earning it." She sighed. "I don't mean to come down on you too hard, Aedia. You know that extra stress isn't good for me."

   Aedia's mouth fell open slightly before she closed it, nodding. "You're right..." she muttered as she slumped in her chair. "Sorry."

   "You don't have to apologize," Mother comforted.

   "It's good to know you won't be doing this so regularly," Father said to me. "Every couple months is still more than I personally prefer, really. I miss seeing you around here. At least you're happy with yourself and you're making something of it." 

   And I know you won't mention the payouts aloud anymore, I thought.

   Father continued. "But I hope this delve won't take longer than three weeks. You know what's coming up soon." My mind blanked, as did my expression. "It's my birthday!" Those words struck me alongside guilt, and Father gave me a disappointed look. "You forgot your old man's birthday? I'm heartbroken!"

   "S-sorry," I stuttered. "I've just been so caught up with my work, and—"

   "Nothing's new there," Aedia added. I winced and looked back at Father.

   "If you forgot my birthday, then maybe next time I'll 'forget' that I saw a spider crawling around the attic stairs," he said.

   "Please, no," I said, shuddering.

   Father laughed, though I couldn't tell if he fully meant it. "I'm not that upset, not enough to sic spiders on you. As long as you get back safely and maybe bring up a nice pay for your work, I won't mind it," he said, winking. That gave me some relief.

   "No, I'll try to be back before then." Still, if he was fine with it... then perhaps I wouldn't rush. But at the same time, I did want to be here to celebrate. Birthdays always did end up being the one exception to when I wouldn't delve.

   "I appreciate it," Father said with a smile. Slight guilt pricked at me as I nodded. Okay, it probably was for the best that I did try to make it back before then. I couldn't bear the thought of letting my parents down, especially when it came to something like this.

   Almost a week passed, during which preparations were finalized. Soon, it was the night before the delve, and I was up late yet again going over my supplies. Aedia was helping me because she didn't want me to be up all night, and I appreciated it.

   "That's all the delving tools, so now on to survival supplies," I mused, looking at the list I'd written up. "The bedroll is there, right?" I asked Aedia. The response I received wasn't a confirmation, but rather a comment.

   "I'm a bit worried about Dad."

   I looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Really? Why's that?"

   "He seemed more tired today, didn't you notice?" I honestly hadn't. He seemed perfectly fine to me besides the fact he was drinking coffee with dinner. "I haven't been sick for a while now, so he shouldn't be coming down with something," Aedia continued. "You know I get sick before anyone else in this house."

   I came up with a reason in seconds and reassured her. "Don't worry about it. He could merely be overworked." I confirmed the bedroll's existence myself, and looked at the next item. "You've been doing all that reading, so you're likely jumpy about things. It's like you cough once and think you have bronchitis."

   "You're probably right..." She trailed off, going quiet. "I'm asking because I'm worried about anything happening to you or Mom and Dad. I love working with them, but seeing what happens in the clinic has been getting to me, sorta."

   "Says the girl who jokes about scalpels and such," I said.

   Aedia sighed. "Well, yeah, but this is different! So many Delvers have come here, and they're either ill or dying." Her face fell. "They hope we have an antitoxin for some creature's venom, or that we can treat a far-gone infection someone got from gashing themselves open. It's scary..."

  "Well, it's okay to be scared," I said. "I'm scared when I delve sometimes, but I still do it. It's overcoming the fear that shows how much you care about that thing."

   "It's not the practice itself that scares me, it's the not knowing what could happen when you're doin' it and the possible aftermath," Aedia said, stressing her words. "Everything where you don't know the outcome, no matter who does it."

   I didn't quite know how to respond to that second part of what she said, so I again tried to comfort her about the first. "Then that shows how much you care about your patients." She shook her head, groaning. "Wh-what's wrong?" I asked, alarmed.

   "I can't keep avoiding it, I halfta just say it." I was confused about what she meant, and she spat it out a second later. "I feel like how Mom and Dad do, okay? I don't like how you're always delving so much!" she exclaimed. "You're never around, and I miss you so much! I've tried to think of you whenever I look at the Crystal Compass, but it's not you I think of, it's the Abyss. It's always the Abyss..." She hung her head, looking defeated.

   A breath escaped me instead of words as I sat back on my knees. I really didn't know what to say to that. It seemed like Aedia had been growing a tougher skin, and yet these cracks were showing themselves. Or had I just not realized they'd been there all along?

   "And now you're going on this delve... I won't see you for three weeks, and so much can happen then. Then after this one, you'll go on more, and more, and more until.... until you die or get killed. You've always told me more about your delves than Mom and Dad, and I know you've always made yourself sound stronger than you actually are."

   I smiled awkwardly, feeling called-out. "You don't think I am?"

   Aedia shrugged. "I'm not saying you're not, but I just don't want you to die. I-I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." She looked so small sitting there with her hands clenched in her lap, smaller than usual. My heart sank, and I scooted next to her to give her a hug.

   "I'm sorry that you feel that way, Addy... Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

   "Because I know how much you love the Abyss. I remember you not being as happy until we came to Orth, and it's because of that pit, it's everything you could've hoped for. You exaggerate your stories, but you do it because you see everything in the amazing light you put it in." She leaned against my shoulder, looking up at me. "I know you'll go down anyways, so there's no point in telling you since you won't care."

   Hearing that came as a mild shock to me. That was how she felt? I hugged her tighter. "I-I do care, but yes, I value my career as well. All I can tell you is that I'll be careful." Delving was all I wanted to do. Was... it wrong that I wanted to?

   She nodded, burying her face in my chest. "I know, and I believe you, just like Mom and Dad do," she mumbled. "You'd better be back for Dad's birthday, or else. We also got some new syringes, and they need to be tested."

   "I will, I will," I said with a nervous laugh. That was the Aedia I'd come to know and love, and I was glad that brief bout of sadness was gone.

   I was up at dawn the next morning like usual, though my family was already up to see me off. I made sure to give Father a once-over as he wished me goodbye, trying to see what Aedia had. He seemed fine, so she really must've been overreacting.

   "I'll be back before your birthday, I promise," I told him confidently. "And I'll keep myself safe too," I glanced at Mother as I said this.

   "As safe as you can be," she said, sighing. "Hopefully this is the point when you can start naming creatures and plants, because I would like to see that." Even through her dour tone, the slightest of smiles tugged at her lips.

   "I'll definitely try with that! You know that's one of the things I want the most," I said with a laugh. If not on this delve, then a future one. And with one last wave to my family, I set off for the central district.

   Melva was waiting for me at our usual meeting spot, looking like she had been waiting for hours. She had a backpack bogged down with supplies in tow along with somebody else.

   "Good morning, Vio," I greeted the Black Whistle. I was surprised Melva had managed to track him down within such a short amount of time, and gratitude filled me in an instant.

   "Morning to you too," he said with a grin. "But look at that, you really did get the whistle. Congratulations!"

   "Thank you," I said. "And also thank you in advance for coming with us. I appreciate it."

   His grin widened. "Thank me when we come back with more Relics than we can carry," he replied. "I know the tunnels on the east side of the fault like the back of my hand! Well, mostly. Like a fourth of them. It's still better than knowing none though, right?"

   "Show-off," Melva huffed with a roll of her eyes, and Vio laughed, only for seriousness to overtake him.

   "I... still think we should have a bigger group. It's better the tunnels be crowded than desolate. You know what's down there."

   Melva sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Ya know I don't play nice with people. It's why I used to delve solo until this klutz came along." She jabbed a thumb at me.

   "But Bell isn't here anymore, you don't have to worry about that stigma," Vio said. "Also, you know I'm only good for so much. If you or Len get injured, our strength is halved."

   "An' I thought ya were long over that by now,"  Melva said.

   Vio winced. "Yes, though it doesn't dismiss the fact that it's true."

   "Wasn't it just you, me, and Bellan that went down there when we made our first delve to the Third Layer?" Brief silence. "Yeah, it was, an' we both have gotten stronger since then, even if ya don't think so. Now let's make Bellan proud by doin' this, an' get movin'. We're already burnin' daylight." She hiked her pack further up her shoulders and started down the road.

   Vio adjusted the brim of his helmet so it hid his eyes, but it didn't hide his frown. It looked strange on him. "If you insist, Mel," he muttered under his breath.

—~*~—

Cold, harsh winds whipped at me, tearing at my hair and clothes. I clung to the spindly tree trunk with one hand while the other clasped my helmet to my head. I yet again thanked Melva for getting me my goggles, because my glasses surely would've been swept away by now.

   "You can jump now, Mel!" Vio called from a tree across a deathly gap, the gales trying to drown out his voice. Melva tensed next to me before making a running jump, clearing the gap and landing in the upside-down canopy Vio stood in. It shuddered and bounced with the new weight added to it, but it still stood strong. Now it was my turn... I couldn't help but look down yet again. There was nothing but open air beneath me, and beneath that was the Great Fault.

   I'd only ever been to the Inverted Forest at the bottom of the Second Layer a couple times. Navigation was extremely difficult due to the presence of powerful wind currents, and there was a lack of solid ground to stand on. The forest was literally inverted, with the trees' canopies growing like upside-down umbrellas from the overhangs above. One wrong move could send a person plummeting down. Everything was dark here. The trees had thick, almost navy-colored leaves, and a pink-purple hue dyed the air around us the color of dusk.

   For how dark the Inverted Forest was, the Great Fault was bright. Pale yellow light shone up from the fault, bouncing off the mist that flowed around the trees above like a river. I could already hear the wild screeches of creatures echoing up from the fault. If I squinted, I could make out large, dark shapes swooping about in the air. My stomach squirmed with both excitement and dread at what awaited me down there.

   For now, our destination was the Seeker Camp, a base built into the largest tree trunks closer to the edges of the Abyss. A small group of Moon and Black Whistles ran the place, letting Delvers rest and helping them down to the rocky rim of the Great Fault's top. According to Melva, it was also where the White Whistle Ozen dwelled when she wasn't delving or on the surface. We spent a night there, and of course Melva leapt at the chance to meet her hero. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

   "Sorry, but she's not here," one of the Moon Whistles said with regret. "If she wasn't already one to not meet fans, then she's training her apprentice further down."

   Melva's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? She has an apprentice?" It looked like her heart had shattered. "If only I could turn back the damn clock..."

   "Bell wouldn't be happy to hear you say that," Vio said as Melva sulked. It was almost humorous to see her like that. I tried my best to comfort her, but she wasn't having it.

   "Kid's a real prodigy too," a Black Whistle added. "I heard Ozen pulled some strings with the guild, and the kid became a Red Whistle before she was twelve. Now she's only fifteen and has her moon whistle." I was utterly flabbergasted by that. What kind of skill did she have if she progressed that quickly? I could only imagine what kind of physique she must have before briefly lamenting how long it took me to build my own. What kind of rocks did Ozen have this girl lift?

   "'Cause Ozen's teachin' her, that's why," Melva said firmly. "But if the kid's a Moon Whistle..." She looked to the window, where the faint glow emitting from the Great Fault's rim could just be seen.

   Vio quickly interjected. "I know you'd love to see her, but I'm sure you'd want to see a nice haul of Relics instead, wouldn't you?" he asked in a lighthearted tone.

   Melva responded with a scoff and narrowed eyes. "How 'bout ya let a woman dream?"

   It was still mostly dark when we left the Seeker Camp the next morning. The pink-purple sky was dimmed to a rich indigo, and headlamps were all but required to see more than a few feet in front of us. But could I even say that we were in the forest anymore? The trees were hanging far above us, only growing smaller the closer we got to the Great Fault.

One of the stationed Black Whistles led us to a hole in the ground. It was marked by a sharp, stalagmite-like rock with numerous knotted ropes tied around it. These ropes hung down into the hole, quickly vanishing into inky darkness. I preemptively turned on my headlamp, having a sneaking suspicion that there wouldn't be many opportunities to see natural light from now on.

   "There are other shafts like this around here, but this is the one that most Delvers use since it's the biggest," the Black Whistle informed us. "There are a couple points where the tunnels are marked so you know what's already been tread, and explore any offshoots at your own risk."

   "We understand that, thank you," Vio said. We bid farewell to the Black Whistle, and waited for him to ascend back up to the forest before Melva spoke up. She pulled a pocket watch-like device from her pocket—a depth meter.  

   "When it comes to the Third Layer, there's no real way to adhere to a depth limit. Look at the gauge all ya want, but ya can't control where the tunnels go. I know, it's a big step."

   I gave Melva a confident smile. "I can do it, no need to worry."

   Melva frowned. "I'm not gonna say I have doubts, but don't get cocky. You've had an easy time on the Second Layer 'cause I had ya stayin' away from the center of the Abyss. To be like Mr. Concerned here," she glanced at Vio, "just 'cause we ain't gonna be in the main shaft don't mean there's nothin' in these tunnels. Things 'sides water made 'em."

   The confidence died quickly. "I-I know, I'm just trying to stay optimistic." I nervously adjusted my goggles.

   "And there's nothing wrong with that," Vio said. "So I think I should go down first. That's up to you, Mel." He didn't even give me a chance to lead, though it made sense. As nervous as I was, I still felt the excitement that always coursed through me whenever I was descending to depths unknown.

   Melva jabbed a thumb towards the hole. "Get down there, shrimp. Ya have the best chance since ya won't be the one gettin' stuck. If somethin's down there, scream bloody murder."

   "I'm glad to know you're so concerned for my safety," Vio said with a grin. He took hold of one of the ropes in one hand while flicking on his headlamp, and he vanished into the darkness within moments.

   Melva stared down into the hole after Vio, standing silently. Wasn't she going to go next? I then noted her stony expression, and worry began to rise in me. More hesitance, just like before.

   A moment later Melva noticed my staring and looked at me, her visage unchanging. "I'm fine, kid," she said plainly before trying to smile. "Can't turn back anyways." Without another word, she dove into the hole, vanishing as quickly as Vio had.

   Her disdain was so poorly masked this time... Holding in a sigh, I followed her. The howling winds were silenced as I was enclosed by stone, and the world became dark as I descended into the Great Fault.