The next morning was a rush as I hurried to get ready. I forgot that I had to try and cook for us as well, so I struggled to throw something together, all while triple-checking over my list of gear in my head. Aedia stayed out of things at my behest, though she still grabbed plates and utensils for us. It wasn't like we had much time to enjoy things, and I was practically out of breath by the time we left the house. How could our parents have managed to do this themselves?

   "Be careful," Aedia said as I dropped her off at Vio's. She squeezed my hand, looking at me pleadingly. "Please."

   "I will," I said, hugging her before bidding both her and Syele goodbye. I didn't need to look to know Lissy had already stolen her away, and it almost made me smile.

   Melva was already at our usual meeting spot. In spite of his protests, I'd told Vio he shouldn't have to hold back his progress because of us. I could still ask for his help when I wasn't delving. While reluctant, he also looked happy knowing he could return to his usual delving habits. At least he'd be in mine and Melva's lives more. Melva didn't say anything when she saw me approaching. We both knew I was late, but she didn't say anything, and we headed for the gateway to the Abyss.

   My thoughts ran wild as we walked, and my head was spinning. This was it, I was going back. In the distance, I could see the weathered stone arch marking the gateway. A tendril of queasy nervousness squirmed in me at the sight. Either that, or my attempt at cooking wasn't sitting well with me. It was likely a mixture of both.

   What are you supposed to do? Just work? Melva's always pay-driven, and she doesn't—I mentally slapped myself. I couldn't let my worry consume me. All I could do was work, work harder than I ever had before. Soon enough, we were standing before the gateway.

   "Ready, kid?" Melva asked, and I nodded.

   For today, we decided to stay within a three hundred-yard limit. That meant a short gondola trip down but more time spent finding a good spot to search since more Delvers searched at this depth. We set our sights on a thick grove of trees overshadowed by a waterfall, the ground cracked and uneven due to erosion.

   "Slow down," Melva said, trying to keep up with me. "It's not like we're guaranteed to find anythin', and I don't see anyone else 'round." She squinted to make sure and was satisfied a moment later when she confirmed we were alone.

   "R-right, sorry," I said, trying to slow my pace. Already my eyes were searching the ground, looking for any signs of Relics. I hadn't noticed I was walking that quickly.

   Melva rolled her eyes. "'Sides, lookit this view. Usually ya see trees like this in the Second Layer."

   I looked up and around us. It was interesting that there would be such dense tree cover so high up, and it was even stranger with the varying ground elevations. It was like a forest of trenches within this already-existing forest, where root networks spilled from the ancient soil. "You're right," I agreed. "Do you think an earthquake or something caused this? It seems too cleanly-cut to be erosion."

   As my luck would seem to have it then, I failed to notice the crack in the ground to my left, exasperated by how it was nothing but a dark, blurred slash in my left eye. I could have easily twisted my ankle if Melva hadn't saved me at the last second, grabbing me and yanking me to the side.

   "Watch out, klutz," she said with a chuckle, letting go of my sleeve. Normally an instance like that wouldn't have bothered me much, but this was different. I couldn't afford to take another injury.

   No more gawking, not until it's actually appropriate, I told myself. We emerged from the trees into the clearing where the waterfall basin lay, and we decided to make this our meeting place for the day. After confirming when we would meet up next, we split up and headed back into the forest.

   Once I was in the shroud of the shadows again, I truly got to work. Forget the trees, the unique landscape, I needed to focus. It took some time for my searching to yield results. Even if they were only simple sphere-shaped Relics, probably Fourth Grade, I started to feel a bit more upbeat. I hadn't lost my touch.

   Melva and I met up back in the pond clearing around midday, where we had lunch and took stock of our Relics. Like usual, we sorted them according to what grade they likely were along with their possible worth as I took some notes about them for later reference on the side. If it weren't for the pricking worry I felt that I wasn't finding enough, it was like the past few months' events hadn't occurred. During that brief reprise, I deemed it okay to finally take in the scenery.

   We honestly couldn't have picked a better place to search. The waterfall basin was more like a small lake, filled with Demonfish and other aquatic creatures that swam in its silver-blue waters. The falls itself tumbled down from a river far above, and a fine spray from the churning water filled the air with mist, sparkling in the sunlight. The sight vividly reminded me of a book I'd once read when I was younger, where a group of explorers had discovered a hidden cave behind a waterfall much like this one.

   That really got my thoughts going. Could something like that exist here? Far more fantastical things already existed in the Abyss, so a cave behind a waterfall wouldn't be far-fetched at all. And if it did, there had to be some truly great Relics hidden away there. If one could make it behind the falls without being swept away and crushed by the water, that was.

   "Hey, kid. Ya spacin' out again?"

   I snapped back to reality, only to see that Melva had already finished eating. Or had I been lost in thought for longer than I thought?

   "Somethin' with the falls catch your interest?" She smirked. "Or ya just starin'?"

   "Yes, I was. You know me," I said awkwardly. I never realized just how zoned-out I got whenever I was gawking about something. I scolded myself and shoved the rest of my food down my throat, wanting to make up for the lost time. Melva seemed surprised at my haste, but I didn't care. I couldn't afford to get lost like this again. "Sorry about that," I said. "Let's keep going."

   The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur as I threw myself back into my work. I had to think of it like when I was working to get my moon whistle, achieve that same level of success. Never mind that I was doing it for a different reason, the end goal was still the same. I ended my first day back in the Abyss with... my average haul. Disappointing, but I had to accept it. I'd simply have to do better tomorrow.

   It was close to sunset when I picked Aedia up. She greeted me with a smile, and following some gentle prompting from me, she talked about everything she'd done that day.

   "I spent more of the day showing Lissy all of the stuff in Mom and Dad's journals than actually readin' them for myself," she said, hugging the books she carried closer to her chest.

   I held back an urge to wince. "Hopefully Syele didn't mind that. Unlike us, most other kids don't know what an amputation is by the time they're twelve."

   Aedia shook her head, frowning. "I know, and that's why I only brought the virus journals today. I... also wanted to see if there was something there that could have been the reason why Dad died." Her shoulders slouched. "When I was at the orphanage, Leader told me the doctors said it was a heart attack like Mom, but I don't believe that." She went silent for a moment, and I couldn't help but become morbidly curious about what she could have found.

  "Did you find anything?" I asked.

   She shook her head again. "Everything I read involved symptoms showing up over the course of a few days, and it couldn't have been somethin' like a heart attack or a stroke since those don't involve a fever. It was like a sudden, severe flu." Her expression hardened. "I'll keep researching. It could even be something that hasn't been written down yet."

   I smiled hesitantly. "There you go. I can discover new things in the Abyss, and you can discover something that might help save other people's lives in the future."

   "Yeah, I can try. It might have even been something that came from the Abyss since you're always down there. And there are such things as asymptomatic carriers." My heart sank, and she winced as her gaze returned to me. "I'm not blaming you, Len. It's just a fact of medicine, it could've happened." I suppose she was right about that, and I made myself nod, not wanting the mood to be spoiled. "And don't worry, Ms. Syele seemed fine with me showing Lissy the journals," Aedia said, thankfully shifting the subject. "Lissy told me she wants to be a doctor when she grows up too, so we have more in common than I thought."

   Relief hit me when she seemed to bounce back with that, and I joked, "I hope this doesn't mean you like her more than me."

   "Nope! You're still my brother dearest, so you're stuck with me." Her smile returned, more sly now. "But I would appreciate it if ya brought me more shiny Relics. My Crystal Compass is kinda lonely by itself on my desk."

   I chuckled at that. "I'll see what I can do," I agreed. Lissy's cheeriness seemed to be bringing back Aedia's, and it was wonderful to see her with her usual spark in her eyes again.

   At home, I made my first attempt at making dinner for us. Unlike breakfast, dinner actually required effort to prepare, which made things exponentially more difficult. In the end, I threw together some stock Syele had bought along with chopped vegetables and called it soup.

   "This looks... interesting," Aedia said after I handed her a bowl. It didn't stop her from taking a spoonful seconds later, only for her face to screw up in surprise. "Um, y'know the potatoes aren't supposed to be crunchy, right?" she said, giving me a concerned look.

   "They are?" I asked, trying it myself and regretting it. It was impossible to not wince then. It was painfully obvious that all the vegetables were undercooked, there needed to be some kind of salt or pepper added, and there really needed to be more ingredients in general to actually make it meal-worthy. It was more broth than vegetables, a horrid twist on Father's soups where the opposite had been the issue.

   "You look like you just ate a lemon," Aedia commented with a small laugh. That was nice to know. At least lemon could have provided more flavor.

   I had to take a moment to recover from that initial taste. "It's... unique. And what's wrong with unique?" I said. Still, I made the unanimous decision to cut us some bread to go with the "soup" and hopefully distract from it. I really had to learn to cook... somehow. I'd have to figure out a time.

   "So how did the delve go?" Aedia asked while we ate, concerned but hopeful.

   "It went fine. I didn't pull in as many Relics as I wanted to, unfortunately," I said. "We did see this waterfall, however. I wish you had been there, it reminded me of—" I stopped myself, noticing that Aedia had already emptied her bowl except for the vegetables. I was surprised, but the bowl was empty nonetheless. "Do you want more broth? There's still some left over. I might've used more stock than I should have."

   Aedia nodded but pulled her bowl closer so it was harder for me to reach. "I'll get it myself. Tell me more about that waterfall."

   "In a minute, I don't want you to have to wait." I could still easily grab her bowl, and I went to refill it along with mine. As I did this, I realized just how much soup I had made. Could I try and save the rest of this? I didn't remember Father ever keeping soups or stews into the next day, or were those only the ones with meat in them? I frowned. Was it even worth it to save this soup?

   "Then I guess the waterfall isn't as important," Aedia said. "Did ya see anythin' else?"

   I shook my head. "Not exactly. I was more focused on finding Relics."

   Aedia's face fell slack. "Oh." I empathized with her pain. Skimping out on my usual stories felt horrible to do. But it was yet another price I had to pay so I could focus more. Surely she understood... hopefully.

   For the remainder of that night, I filled the time with studying the few cookbooks Father had kept around. Trying to understand what was being said was like learning medicine all over again. Still, I stuck with it. I wanted to know how to prepare at least a couple meals for now. Perhaps I could have picked up on some things from Father... if I hadn't spent all my time delving.

   The next day after I finished my delve, instead of picking Aedia up, I made my way to the market side of the central district. All day I'd had a list of items stashed away in a pocket where I couldn't lose it, detailing a simple list of foodstuffs that were noted in a recipe I'd found last night. It was for another soup, but right now I wouldn't dare waste something as expensive as meat on my own ineptitude.

   I felt so odd wandering the marketplace by myself. So many people were around me, all with their own business to attend to, yet I felt so alone. I was so used to going with Mother that, well, I felt more than a little lost. I should have asked Vio or Syele about where they shopped...

   When looking at the produce I needed, I hadn't the slightest clue of what was considered the best. Mother always seemed to have a natural knack for it whenever I saw her shop. Fortunately, one of the sellers was willing to help me, and I soon had almost everything I needed. All that was left was a couple of spices.

   After more asking around, I was directed to a small shop located by one of Orth's many streams. It was slightly hidden in the shadow of a taller building, but even with the shade, I could read the sign hanging over the door: Morgan's Spices.

   The moment I entered the shop, I was hit with a blast of pungent air. It was obviously the scents of countless spices churned together into a haze that made my eyes water slightly, with black pepper and cinnamon sticking out to me the most. At least it wasn't like Silkfang venom.

   Inside, the store floor was open, with shelves of spices lining the walls. Above the shelves were several posters featuring different plants along with spice containers, obviously what plants had been made into said spices. Each was clearly hand-drawn, and drawn with great care as well. Whoever had done the work had an eye for detail. Near the back of the store, dried bunches of herbs hung above the front counter, which had nobody standing behind it. I was the only person in the front room, it seemed.

   "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out. The quiet babble of the stream outside leaking in through an open window answered my call, so I figured the owner was out. Hopefully they were back by the time I found what I needed.

   Stepping up to the nearest shelf, I pulled out my list. I was looking for a chili pepper powder, something to give the soup more of a kick than just salt and pepper. But as my eyes scanned the shelves of spices, I frankly became disoriented. I had no idea there were this many spices in the world, and this was only what we could get in Orth.

   "S-sorry for the wait! Do you need any help?"

   A tad startled, I looked over my shoulder to where I heard the voice come from. Emerging from the store's back room was a young man, or at least I thought he was. His more delicate facial structure and curvier build around the hips admittedly made me question things for a moment. He was around my age but over half a foot shorter than me, still taller than Vio, however. His teal hair barely scraped his shoulders, and his amber eyes were wide like Aedia's. For how neat his hair was, his clothes were slightly too big for him and wrinkled, with them mostly hiding the shape of his body. A strap of the suspenders he wore was almost sliding off his shoulder from being too loose.

   "Um, yes, some help would be appreciated," I said, fully turning around. The man's eyes widened even more when I did this, his gaze sweeping across me and then lingering on my face. In seconds, I could tell what he was staring at. I was about to say something when he seemed to figure out the situation himself.

   "I-I'm sorry," he said, almost having to force his gaze to the side. "It's just... we don't get many Delvers in here." Either he was embarrassed or being respectful, and I felt a bit bad if it was the former. Enough people had already stared at my scars without considering my feelings, at least he was considerate.

   "As for the help," I continued, "I'm looking for... chili powder?"

   The man's shoulders relaxed, though his gaze remained elsewhere. "Okay, chili powder. What kind?"

   I stiffened momentarily, realizing that I'd only written "chili powder." There had likely been a specification in the book, but me in all my exhausted glory hadn't thought to write it down. "Whatever would go best in potato soup," I muttered, mentally slapping myself.

   The man arched a brow. "That's an unusual choice. Well, I'm one to talk with that. Everybody has their own recipes." He stepped up to a shelf a foot or so away from me. "There's several kinds of chili powders, ranging in levels of spiciness. How much can you handle?"

   "Hardly any," I replied. My spice tolerance was embarrassingly low, and Aedia's wasn't much better. With that response, the man nodded and began searching the shelf, starting from the bottom and working his way up. "Your store is pretty nice. Who made those posters, by the way?" No answer, he just continued searching. "They're quite well-drawn," I added. Still no response. Was he ignoring me? Either that, or he was just very focused on his task.

   "Here we are!" he then said triumphantly, standing up with a small container in hand. His relief lasted a second before his shoulders stiffened, and he spared me a brief glance. "Oh, were you saying something? I-I'm sorry, I... wasn't listening." He held the container out to me, and I took it. "That is made with extra sweet paprika and black pepper instead of cayenne pepper to reduce the heat," he said quickly.

   I brought the container close to my face, trying to read the label. There was a name written above the words "sweet chili powder," reading "Morgan," the name on the shop sign. "Just curious, but who's Morgan?" I said aloud, puzzled. "I saw it on the sign outside."

   The man smiled. "It's my family name. My parents make most of the spices we sell here, actually."

   "Oh, really? That's nice," I said, deciding that this was what I'd be getting. Since the man still wasn't looking at me, I cleared my throat and said, "This is all I need, thank you." He got the hint and hurried behind the counter.

   "I'm guessing you just came back from a delve, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked, and I nodded. I then noticed just how messy the space behind the counter was. A fallen stack of paper sat beside a box messily filled with rolled-up posters and more paper, and even more papers scattered the floor like fallen leaves. It was nothing like the rest of the store. However, the man acted like nothing was different as he calculated the total and told me. At least he was fine with the state of things?

   While my attention was on the mess behind the counter, I noticed the man kept sneaking glances at me. Feeling a tad self-conscious myself, I looked away again.

   "I noticed your moon whistle," the man then said. "What's it like down on the Third Layer? I've only been as far as the Forest of Temptation."

   I deliberately ignored his question, instead being mildly surprised by his comment about the Forest of Temptation. "You're a Delver as well?"

   "Part-time, since I work here as well, though I would love to do it full-time." His expression grew sheepish. "I'm almost twenty-two but only got my moon whistle last week. I prefer bringing up plants to study and cultivate—and to possibly make into spices—than search for Relics."

   He was probably the first Delver I'd ever spoken to who wasn't doing it for the Relics. "I'm more of a sightseer myself. There's just so much beauty down there, I don't know how people can ignore it all," I blurted out before biting my tongue.

   A small, bright spark seemed to catch in the man's eye then, and he purposefully met my gaze. "There definitely is, especially with the plant life." A note of enthusiasm sang in his voice. "The Eternal Fortunes have to be my favorite. Our salt blend featuring them sells well, even if I'd rather grow them just to admire them. I've never seen such a beautiful, perfect white on a flower. And they're surprisingly durable despite looking so..." He trailed off, wincing as he pushed a few coins across the counter towards me. "S-sorry about that. Here's your change."

   "It's fine. I tend to ramble myself if given the chance," I said. I honestly would have liked to hear more if I didn't have to get Aedia. "Thank you for your help, uh—"

   "Llyr," he answered. The pronunciation threw me off, and it must have showed since his face flushed redder than before. "It's not spelled how you think it'd be. I wouldn't choose that word that means a harsh facial expression as my name." He let out a small, awkward laugh. "It means 'the sea' where my family comes from."

   I tried to smile, confused about what he meant by choosing his name but not pressing him about it. "My apologies. At least it's unique, and that's something to admire," I said. "I'm Len. It doesn't have any meaning, but it was my grandfather's name."

   "Short and to the point. It's better than mine, even if you don't think that's the case." Llyr yet again averted his gaze, nervously twirling a strand of hair around his index finger. "But I won't hold you up any longer."

   "I do have somewhere to be, but I didn't mind the wait," I said. "It was nice talking with you, Llyr."

   A look of relief washed across Llyr's face. I could practically hear him sigh as he nodded. "It was nice talking with you too, Len," he said, then mustered up a smile. "I-I always hate telling customers this, but I hope you come back again. I'd personally like to know how your soup turns out. It couldn't be any worse than my cooking."

   "Perhaps I will," I said without thinking. I offered him a wave, then I left.

   I was now in a bit of a rush to pick up Aedia, since my errand had taken much longer than I thought. But I didn't think it had been a waste of time. Besides being a little awkward, it really had been nice talking with Llyr. I certainly hadn't met any botanist Delvers before, but they were obviously around. When I had some money to spare, I might end up coming back for more spices.

   But now... I actually had to put the spice to use and cook. I held in a sigh. Hopefully things would turn out better tonight.

—~*~—

Over the next few weeks, I settled into a tedious routine. Most nights I would sacrifice attempts at sleep so I could pore over books, both mine and my parents', to take in everything I possibly could. When late-night tiredness crept up, I'd do whatever I could to wake myself back up. It was either do that, or worry about facing another nightmare.

   I tried replicating my mother's sleep remedies a few times, but my attempts either didn't work or left me feeling sick. I already had to deal with that enough when I was in the Abyss, so two or three hours a night it was. Then once morning would come, I would try my best to keep myself and Aedia going throughout the day.

   She did some cleaning when she insisted on it, but upkeep was a job I felt belonged to me as well. Aedia should have to worry about enjoying the rest of her childhood, not cleaning or cooking when that was my job as the adult of the house. Vio's and Melva's offers of help were accepted few and far-between because of that, as well.

   For the most part, I thought I was adapting. Sure, I swore I was starting to get more headaches than usual, and I was constantly exhausted. But things would surely get better someday, I merely had to put up with it for now. That was what I told myself, and Aedia's slowly-returning smiles reaffirmed it. I just wanted her to be happy again.

   One morning, after getting some spotty sleep the previous night, I forced myself awake at the usual time. A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes, making me wince. I took a moment to try and compose myself. When I could tolerate the pain, I got up and started to get ready for the day. Faint lightheadedness threatened to stagger me as well, but I pushed past it. I'd feel better after drinking some water.

   Surprisingly, Aedia was already awake. She was in the kitchen, trying to put something together for breakfast. She looked unhappy the instant she saw me, surely because of what I was going to say next.

   "Let me do that, Addy. Go sit down," I urged her. Reluctantly, she did so.

   "Can I at least do somethin'?" she asked.

   Actually, she could. "You could get me some water," I said. "I think I'm dehydrated or something."

   Aedia gave me a worried look. "Another headache? You've been having a lot of those lately. Are ya somehow gettin' sick before me?"

   I didn't see how I could. "I haven't been in contact with anybody sick recently. Give it a few minutes, it'll go away." Aedia still leered at me as she got me my water, though she didn't say anything else.

   The day was uneventful for the most part. Melva and I were working deeper again, meaning a higher chance at finding Relics. Thankfully my headache remained as something non-intrusive, and the dizziness was gone altogether, so I could delve fine.

   It turned out that my work had been starting to pay off as of late, and that was giving me more energy than usual. What I'd been making this week was the most I'd made since I got back. I'd have to total what I'd been making tonight to make sure. If only the glaring sun wasn't utterly roasting me, then I'd feel even better. Of course Melva didn't seem bothered by it, so I kept my complaints internal.

   I was relieved when the sun began setting. Another delve, another day, come to an end. Now it was time to go home. Melva and I caught a gondola, and from there we hiked our way back up to the gateway.

   "Oh, I'm goin' out with Vio for drinks if ya wanna come," she said. "He's bringin' along a couple of his other delvin' friends. I've met 'em before, always part of his Third an' Fourth Layer groups, so this'll be interestin'." She then cracked a smile. "Ya can make sure we don't drink too much, an' also keep me company since I never know what the hell to say to those guys."

   "You know I can't," I said. "I want to try making something new for dinner. I read up on it last night, and hopefully Addy will like it. I hate that I'm not nearly as good a cook as my father was."

   Melva sighed. "Ya said that the last two times I've offered! If you're gonna skip out, at least do somethin' else with your time. Ya can't expect to have the same routine forever," she said. I didn't reply, now feeling more guilty.

   The conversation shifted after that, and Melva began talking about her new morning exercise routine or something. Strangely, I was finding it difficult to concentrate on what she was saying. I was starting to feel lightheaded again. I drained the remainder of my canteen, hoping the water would help.

   "Have ya been sleepin' okay?" Melva then asked. "You've seemed more tired recently."

   "Yes, I have," I lied. No, the water wasn't doing anything. Why was I feeling so dizzy? It was like nothing I'd felt from the curse here before. I slowed until I came to a stop, worried about losing my balance. "W-wait a second, Melva," I said, putting a hand to my head. She stopped and turned back to me.

   "What's wrong?" She raised a brow. "We've already caught the curse, so why's it botherin' ya now? Hell, why's it botherin' ya at all?"

   It wasn't like I could answer her, I didn't know why either. "I don't know." I tried to take a step, only to stop as my legs almost gave out. It was difficult to see straight now, I felt so faint.

   "Hey, c'mon now." Melva was now at my side. "Maybe sit down for a sec? Take a breather an' pull yourself together." That sounded like an amazing idea. She grabbed my arm to keep me steady as I sat down in the grass beside the path. Her touch was uncomfortable, horribly hot. I didn't realize how warm I was until then, only thinking that it was because of the sunlight. But that also didn't make sense with how the sun was setting.

   "Th-thank you," I breathed, holding my head in my hands. It was like a weight was pressing down on me. Melva crouched down beside me, visibly concerned.

   "You're pretty flushed," she noted, looking at my face. Before I could protest, she pulled off one of her gloves and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "Why're ya so damn warm? It's like ya have a fever or somethin'."

   A fever? But I wasn't sick. Now the grass was starting to fade in and out before me. I blinked rapidly, trying to dispel it. It wouldn't stop.

   "Kid, answer me," Melva said.

   I looked at her, the world spinning. "I-it—" That was all I could get out before I slumped to the ground. I would have been afraid about what was happening to me if I wasn't starting to waver in and out of consciousness. It was like a tidal wave of exhaustion had come crashing down onto me.

   "Kid? Hey, Len, get up." I couldn't answer, helpless to the blackness that called to me. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to go to it until then. The last thing I heard Melva say was "Oh, shit—" before it all faded away.

—~*~—

Darkness surrounded me, thick and almost viscous. It was like it was pressing in on me. No, that was the cold stone of the tunnel I was in. Somewhere behind me, I could hear the grinding of stone along with growling, slowly creeping closer. Fear overtook me in an instant, sending my heart into my throat. Holding in a whimper, I tried to move forwards as fast as I could, needing to escape. The grinding only grew louder, threatening to overwhelm me completely.

   The tunnel then flooded with warm yellow light, and I looked up to see my parents standing ahead of me. They were smiling, holding out their hands.

  "Still, three weeks... So much could happen..."  my mother said, and Father nodded in agreement. I knew as well, but I didn't care. They were right there! Desperate, I launched myself forwards, trying to reach them. But then the ground crumbled away beneath me, and I found myself plummeting back into blackness.

   I jolted awake, a strangled cry escaping me. It felt as if my head was stuffed with cotton, a feeling I'd fought against before. Because of that, it didn't take long for me to force my eyes open. Through my hazy vision, I saw familiar walls and decor—my room. I tried and failed to process what was going on, feeling totally exhausted. All I could grasp was that I was at home.

   With a relieved sigh, I shifted, trying to adjust to a better position. In spite of how only a sheet was covering me, I was still uncomfortably warm. The heat flooding me was barely countered by the coolness of the damp cloth draped across my forehead. Did I actually have a fever, like Melva had said? I still didn't understand how I could.

   I didn't know how long I was laying there until somebody entered the room: Vio. Wait, Vio? He smiled when he saw I was looking at him.

   "Look who's awake," he said. "Are you feeling okay?"

   I frankly wasn't, but that was obvious to Vio. He seemed to only be asking out of obligation, anyways. "Wh-what happened?" I asked, my voice weak.

   "According to Mel, you passed out while you two were trying to return to the surface. She and a few Delvers she managed to get the attention of brought you back here. You've been asleep for a little over a day," Vio explained. "I offered to come over and help keep an eye on both you and Aedia. Mel's out getting some things, and she'll be by soon as well."

   "Thank you," I sighed, truly appreciative of his generosity. Even if he'd only made his offer a short time ago, he was wholehearted in fulfilling it. I wanted to close my eyes again so badly, slip back into sleep, but I didn't want to. I was startled from falling back asleep again anyways when Vio called out, "Aedia, Len's awake!" Aedia darted into the room a second later.

   "Len!" she gasped. A relieved smile spread across her face, and she swiftly moved to my side, careful not to spill the bowl of water she held in her hands. "I was honestly hoping you wouldn't wake up yet, but it's good to see you're actually okay." She placed the back of her hand to my temple, her perpetually-chilly touch feeling amazing on my flushed skin.

   "How is he?" Vio asked.

   "Still has a fever..." Aedia muttered, and Vio frowned.

   "Is there anything else we can do?"

   Aedia sighed, shaking her head. "For this, besides letting him rest, there isn't. I remember our parents talking about stress fevers before, and this is one of them." She glanced back at Vio, seeming hesitant. "Can we have a moment, Mr. Vio?"

   He nodded, stepping back towards the doorway. "You don't need to ask. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He smiled at me faintly. "I hope you feel better soon, Len." He closed the door behind him, and I was alone with Aedia.

   "This all seems familiar, doesn't it?" she asked, turning back to me. She removed the cloth from my forehead and began soaking it in the bowl. "'Least you didn't throw up on the stairs again." Did she have to bring up that night? Unlike her, I wasn't as amused. She reapplied the cloth, and a sigh of pleasure left me as the coolness returned. "You're awake, but you still don't look good at all. Go back to sleep."

   For how much I wanted to, sleeping was the last thing I wanted to do then. "I-I can't, I've slept enough. I missed an entire day." My pathetic attempt to sit up was countered by Aedia, who pushed me back down onto the bed. I really must have been in a bad way if she could do that so easily.

   "You can't. You've pushed yourself too hard, and that's why you fainted," she said, giving me a stern look. "It's because of all the stuff you've been doin', and on top of that, I know you haven't been sleeping. Don't lie to me, 'cause I'm right."

   I was frankly taken aback by how forward she was being. It almost left me speechless. Still, I managed to give her a response. "I won't lie. B-but it's for a good reason, I promise."

   "Nope, I won't let ya give me a reason, 'cause I'm not gonna let this happen again. From now on, I'm doing some things around here, whether you like it or not." She paused for only a moment, continuing as I opened my mouth to object. "With that, do you want anything before you go back to sleep?"

   Why was she doing this? The haziness was still fogging my mind, complicating things. I didn't understand why Aedia wanted responsibilities put on her. "Wh-what I want is for you to not worry about me. Just let me take care of you," I protested. "You shouldn't have to worry about me more than you already are."

   Aedia's eyes narrowed into slits. "I'm sorry, but that's just stupid! We need to take care of each other, not have you do everything. I'm fine enough to do some things, I-I'm not a useless child!" It was easy to see the frustration fighting with desperation in her eyes.

   A sick knot sat in the pit of my stomach as I stared at Aedia, in shock at what she had said. Had I actually been devaluing her by acting like this? It made me feel even worse. Still, I tried to reason with her. "But you were the one who was abandoned. I had Melva and Vio, but you were alone at that orphanage for three months not knowing if I was dead or not."

   "The orphanage wasn't that bad," Aedia said. "I wasn't given food sometimes because I didn't contribute to the orphanage, but Leader would always bring me some, and I was never strung up like the other kids..." Her anger faded into sadness. "It was more of my thoughts that were getting to me. I just felt so alone, even if I had the other kids to talk to."

   "That's exactly my point," I said. "You've been hurt more than I have, and I want you to feel better. So that's why I'm doing all this for you."

   "But I've been feeling better," Aedia reassured me. "Just you being back with me makes me so happy. And having Lissy to talk to has been nice, helps me focus on other things instead of me being alone with my thoughts all the time. A-as scared as I am, I need to work through some things, or else I'll always be scared." She looked at me pleadingly. "I'm happy you're so worried about me, but I'm worried about you too. Your happiness matters just as much as mine, even if you're older than me. Let me take care of you, Len. Please."

   I laid back, feeling completely defeated. What a way to corner me. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell Aedia to let me handle everything. Still, I was frankly in awe of what she'd said. She sounded so... grown-up. It actually made me tear up a little, but I hoped Aedia didn't see it. "Okay... you can," I sighed. The weight had moved from my shoulders to my chest, and I let out a groan. "I-I'm just so sorry for everything. I need to make up for it in some way."

   Aedia shook her head. "It doesn't change that it's only you and me now. I already know you're doin' everything you can."

   "Thank you," I muttered. "And fine, I'll rest, but I won't sleep." I expected her stern glare, and I reluctantly explained. "Even if I wanted to, I can't. I've been... having nightmares almost every night, ever since I went on that delve to the Third Layer. I can only sleep for a couple of hours at the most." I grimaced. "I've tried to fix it myself, but I've definitely fallen out of touch with what Mother and Father taught me. I've just ended up wasting money."

   "So that's why I've been seeing those herbs and stuff in the trash," Aedia mused. "But that's not really somethin' you can fix easily. I don't know what kinda doctor can stop nightmares. Still, I can try to prepare those remedies for you. Maybe they'll help if they're prepared by someone who knows better?" She looked embarrassed as she said that, even if I couldn't care less. She should be feeling some pride.

   "I trust you know what you're doing," I reassured her, and she smiled.

   "Then I'll let you go back to sleep."

   My heart jolted; I didn't want her to leave. "W-wait, Addy." I felt my face redden. "Could you stay here with me? I... actually slept well the last time you were here. A-and I'm just so tired." I didn't think she would refuse, but it was still a relief to see her nod.

   "Of course I will." She took my hand in hers as she sat on the bed beside me, squeezing it gently. "Remember, we're in this together. You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

   I laughed weakly, closing my eyes. As long as she thought we could do this together, then I would think so as well. "I wouldn't want it any other way," I said. And I truly didn't.