A couple days passed, during which both times Llyr went out delving just after I awoke and returned only a few minutes before sunset. It worried me, but I'd worked similar times, so I couldn't blame him. It only worried me since it wasn't like him to do this, when he'd been all but clingy to me. But when I recalled the night with the stone and the hammer, it sadly made too much sense. Melva and Gwynden surely knew now as well, though I didn't know if Syele or Lissy did. I hoped to the Abyss they didn't, they didn't even know I had the stone. To find out through something like that... I honestly couldn't imagine explaining to them.

Evening approached a few days later, and both Melva and Gwynden invited themselves over for dinner. I didn't mind this, of course, they were always welcome. But it was the uncertainty beneath their gazes when they greeted me that made my stomach churn. There was something else happening here, but I just didn't know what.

"Has everything been okay?" I asked at dinner, trying to smile. Llyr stayed silent while Gwynden shrugged, but Melva responded.

"Nothin' new, just the same old. Weird as hell considerin' it's the Abyss an' all, but ya get a routine on the First Layer. I don't halfta tell ya that though, huh?"

I shook my head. "Nothing happening is better than something bad happening, right?" Melva and Gwynden nodded while Llyr picked at his food. To alleviate the silence, I let a bit of my old curiosity leak through. "Have you seen anything new? Like new creatures or plants?" At that, Melva's eyes lit up.

"Oh, yeah, I saw this thing kinda like a raccoon with two striped tails today, 'cept it had ears like a rabbit?" She made rabbit ears with her index fingers on either side of her head as she said this. "It was using those tails to sting a Hammerbeak an' then carry it away. Never seen anythin' like it!" More curiosity slipped in, my mind trying to conjure up an image of this creature scampering along the ground or swinging through the trees, and I was about to ask more when Llyr abruptly spoke up.

"D-do you want me to run you a bath, Len?"

I blinked in confusion. "After they leave, that's fine. I don't want to be rude and leave in the middle of their visit..."

"It's perfectly fine," Gwynden said. "Go ahead, Len. All we'll be doing is cleaning up, and we have something else planned for after this, so go and get comfortable."

What did he mean by that? While my damned curiosity pulled at me, I still did what they suggested and went to wash up. I still made it quick, however, trying my hair back in a loose ponytail so I'd look a tad more presentable when I came back out.

As I opened the door, I immediately noticed the silence. There weren't any clinking plates or running water, just quietness. "Is everything okay?" I called out, heading down the hall. Everyone was still sitting at the table, and they all turned to me when I came in. Before them in the table's center was the white stone.

Gwynden cast a look at the others before sighing heavily. "P-please sit down, Len," he said gently. I was confused, but I did so. The stone practically begged for me to take it, but I left it there, feeling as if I'd be sticking my hand into a pit of vipers. When I was finally seated, Gwynden again shared a look with the others.

"Look, kid, we're worried 'bout ya," Melva said.

"Is there anything else new?" I asked more dryly than I intended to. Melva gave me a hollow stare in return.

"I'd usually 'preciate the jokes, but not right now," she said. "We wanted to tell ya we're worried 'cause of that damn stone ya keep obsessin' over."

Gwynden added on. "And it really is an obsession, Len. You take it everywhere with you, always seem concerned about it, a-and the way you say you feel Aedia's presence when you touch it..."

"Because I do," I said. "I don't know how or why, but I do."

"And we wanna help ya figure that out," Melva said. "But to do that, we gotta take that thing an' get it examined."

My heart jolted, and I frantically shook my head. "Why do you trust this person to examine it?"

"Because he's my friend, Len," Gwynden replied. "I've known him for over a decade, I trust my life with him."

"That still doesn't mean I'll be trusted," I said, starting to grow defensive. "That loon I encountered at the medical supplies store said I'm known as some kind of genius or thief at the guild, that I manipulated their value system, and that was why I became a Black Whistle so quickly."

Gwynden frowned, confused. "I-I've never heard my friend mention that before. Perhaps it's just another assumption that poor fool made up?"

My thoughts staggered for a minute as my gaze fell away, back to the stone. It could have? But then... Why did his and my thoughts about the stone in relation to Aedia still line up? "Then if I'm actually trusted by the guild, why do you have to take it? Why can't I simply come with you to have it examined?"

"Because we're trying to get it away from you!" Llyr abruptly exclaimed. My heart jolted, and we all turned to Llyr. His gaze was aimed down at the table, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "D-do you not see how unhealthy this is? Gwynden literally said it, it's an obsession! I-it's you falling into alcohol all over again, and we won't sit by and let it happen again! I won't let it happen again!" His hand flashed out to grab the stone, and in that instant, all I saw was red.

"Don't you touch her!" I screamed, my own hand swinging out. There was the painfully loud smack of flesh against flesh, Llyr crying out, and my hand closing around the stone. Aedia's soothing presence pulled me back to reality, and the first thing I saw was shock and... horror. Gwynden was holding Llyr close, who shivered as he clutched his hand to his chest. The top of his hand was bright red, rendered so by my smack. Gwynden stared at me in utter horror while Llyr refused to meet my gaze. Melva, meanwhile, was dumbstruck, her mouth slightly agape.

I stumbled back, holding the stone close as I realized what I'd truly just done. Disgust, overwhelming guilt, but also relief. Relief that my precious sister was safe, she wouldn't be taken from me. Those thoughts alone horrified me, but I had to accept them. Aedia was still here. Her spirit wasn't simply lingering around me, it was seemingly sealed inside the white stone.

"Len..." Melva slowly came out of her shock, and her hands slowly balled into tight fists. Guilt and disgust turned to panic that Aedia would be taken from me by force, and I ran. I couldn't hurt Melva, but she couldn't take Aedia.

I could have run outside, but instead I bolted into Aedia's room and locked the door behind me. Keys, I knew there was an extra set of them. They could still unlock the door... I shoved Aedia's dresser in front of the door before my shaking legs gave out, and I collapsed in front of it. Finally, she was safe. Gasping and shuddering from the rushing adrenaline, I held Aedia close, relishing in her presence.

"Safe... Y-you're safe, Addy... Nobody will take you, I won't let them!" I muttered frantically. "You're staying with me, I-I promised to not leave you!" I ran my thumb across the stone, and that melodic hum rang out. It was so achingly beautiful that tears started to come to my eyes. It was her, it couldn't be anything else. Along with the tears came a shaky laugh. Aedia... was indeed still here. That guild worker had been right this whole time.

The laugh strengthened as that thought pounded itself into my mind. Aedia was still here, she was still here! The laugh became more manic, and my tears started to fall. I let Aedia drop into my lap, and I clutched at my temples while I laughed more and more, not caring if the others were listening. Somehow, Aedia was trapped in this stone, and I had no idea how to free her!

"Y-your worth... your worth..." I snickered, shaking my head. "I have no worth, wh-why say I have worth?"

I was truly nothing, a waste of everything I needed to survive. The only reason I still existed now was for... what? For Aedia? How? She was in this damn stone, and here I was, still walking and talking despite having bled out in the Fourth Layer. I was a defiance against nature, something truly unholy that went against every faith in this world. Wait, what? I was nothing, but I was still something? Deep, drowning despair dragged at me, tried to pull me away from the dresser and to the window, to the Abyss.

"Your worth!" I cried, laughing hysterically. "Y-your worth!" Tears flowed down my face in thick streams, dampening my shirt and spattering the floor. If the others were trying to get in, I didn't hear it. I just laughed until my throat became raw and cried until I couldn't produce any more tears. It was so dark, the shadows encroaching and growing deeper with every passing minute, filling my vision with blackness. But I wasn't afraid, because Aedia was with me. I smiled against the blackness. Then it all went dark, and the night fell away into something far deeper.

I awoke aching the next morning, laying on my side on the floor of Aedia's room. I blinked, confused, and then it all came back to me. Panicked, I scrambled to find Aedia, finding her a foot or so away from me. I scooped her up, sighing in relief when her presence washed over me. I promised I'd never let her go...

After I had a moment to collect myself, I sat up, trying in vain to stretch away the aches consuming every part of me. Spending a year away from the Abyss had more than softened me from sleeping on the ground. I wasn't ignorant to the dresser still blocking the door, I was more than aware of it. It even looked like it had been moved a little, pushed in as if the door had been opened. I was more amazed that whoever tried to open it stopped, and then that hit me as well.

I made my way to the window, parting the curtains to reveal early morning sunlight. Morning... I'd been in here all night. A knot formed in the pit of my gut. Had Melva and Gwynden stayed the night as well? Had any of them even stayed? I clutched Aedia close to me, dread flushing me. I both hoped they had and hadn't stayed.

The knot in my stomach then loosened with a low growl, and I winced. I needed to eat something, but the thought of the others being out there, waiting to take Aedia from me, hurt even more than my lack of food. The guild worker's words kept looping over and over in my mind with even more fervor. "They'll take her and you." Whatever that meant, I couldn't let that happen. But then my stomach proved me otherwise as it cramped a moment later. I'd been softened to more frequent meals up here on the surface when conservation was everything on delves, so I knew I had to face the music.

As slowly and as quietly as I could, I pushed the dresser away from the door, enough that I could slip past it and into the hall. No sounds greeted me, and that honestly worried me the most. The door to my room was closed, and when I lightly tested the knob, I was shocked to find it locked. I had no clue what to make of that, and any thought I wanted to tease made my heart sink. But looking down the hall from the bedrooms, I couldn't see anybody at the dining table. It was clean, surprisingly clean, even with my standards.

I progressed into the kitchen and dining room themselves, only to find nobody there at all. It was almost like the house had been abandoned. Even though my gnawing hunger drew me to the pantry and icebox, I couldn't ignore that this house was as silent as the grave. I slipped Aedia into my pocket before heading downstairs.

When I was halfway down the stairs, the faint sound of snoring rose up to meet me. I paused, crouching down a bit so I could attempt to see past the bottom of the stairs. Melva was sitting slumped back in a chair by the door leading to the pharmacy, out cold. She always slept like a rock... But if she was there, then I expected Gwynden to be nearby as well. I didn't trust that at all, it was like they were waiting for someone to come downstairs and leave, for me to come downstairs and leave.

I stole back upstairs, raiding the pantry and fridge a bit before using other facilities and returning to Aedia's room. I didn't know what I was doing, really. It wasn't normal or mature in the slightest, but I couldn't face them, not when they tried to take Aedia away, not when I'd hit Llyr to make my point. I wanted to do nothing more than apologize to him, but I couldn't right now.

Instead of sitting back on the floor, I moved to Aedia's bed, the bare mattress slightly creaking as I sat down. I slowly ate a packet of crackers as the sun finished rising, filling the room with warm yellow light. Stray beams sparked off the Relics lining the windowsill. My eyes were more drawn to the blue specks bouncing off the Crystal Compass and red from the ruby bracelet. Along with the Relics, I had also placed Aedia's hair clip next to them. Even if it had no value compared to the Relics, it meant more than its weight in gold to me.

"How do I convince them to let me keep you, Addy?" I said, taking her out of my pocket. "They say I'm obsessed with you, but... Th-they don't know that you're really here still. I'm so sorry it took so long for me to realize it's you..." I rubbed my thumb across her stone exterior, and that blissful hum rang out. I couldn't help but harmonize with it, my eyes drifting closed as I listened. I missed her voice so much, it physically hurt. I brought out the note again, trying to harmonize more.

Crack!

My eyes flew open as I looked around, baffled. It almost was like a wire had just shorted, the sound of crackling sparks. My peripheries caught an orange and yellow flash, and I turned my gaze to the windowsill, just as the stones on the ruby bracelet each let off a bright spark.

I blinked and blinked again, staring at the bracelet. That did not just happen, that bracelet didn't just spark. But then dark smoke started to waft up from the bottom of the curtain, and I turned my shocked gaze to the curtain, where a flame had caught and was eating away at the deep green cloth.

It was like my brain went into autopilot as I threw myself at the curtain. With my bare hand, I grabbed the curtain and smothered the flame with my palm. There was an abrupt heat before it was gone, and only a dull pain stung my palm. I pulled back my hand, and there was a small, angry red mark in the center of my palm, hardly anything worth worrying about. And I didn't worry as I looked back up at the bracelet sitting innocently on the windowsill. That thing had another function all along, and I hadn't figured it out? I snatched it from the windowsill, thinking the exposure to sunlight had done something to trigger it, though I was confused why it hadn't done that before. Did it have to store up sunlight?

I was pulled from my thoughts by sudden stomping on the stairs coming up, and my heart dropped. I didn't realize just how much noise I'd made when trying to put the fire out, so I must've woken the others up in my panic. I made sure the dresser was firmly in front of the door before cautiously backing up, hesitant. The footsteps came closer, soon stopping in front of the door to Aedia's room. I stood there, holding my breath slightly as I clutched Aedia tightly. Then came a gentle knock at the door.

"Len, please wake up if you haven't and come out. W-we need to talk," Gwynden's voice called. I didn't say anything, not sure how to handle this. "Len? Please come out!" There was a slight scuffle, like someone being moved aside, before there was a loud bang on the door. I flinched back, startled by the force of it.

"Don't make me kick this damn door down, kid!" Melva yelled a few moments after, but not rudely. "You were the one who did the real talkin', not me, ya always had the better head on your shoulders. So c'mon, lemme actually talk to ya!" Gwynden vehemently shushed her.

"Do you think that'll get him to come out?" he sharply hissed, and there was silence. I couldn't interpret it as whether Melva was shocked or mad that Gwynden had rebuked her like that.

There was another moment of silence, during which all I could hear was my own shuddering breaths. But then the uncertain voice of Llyr spoke up, and my heart ached as he talked. "Len... P-please come out."

I took a deep, shuddering breath as I approached the door again. This was so immature of me to not speak, but how to even start this? "I-I can't," I said hesitantly.

There was yet more silence, and Llyr spoke again. "Why not? I-If it's about last night, I know I was rash with what I did, I admit it—"

"No, I shouldn't have hit you, and I sincerely apologize for it," I interrupted, shaking my head. He didn't have to apologize for that in the slightest! "But... I was scared you were going to take her away. I can't let you do that, th-the guild might do horrible things to her if they get their hands on her!"

"Len, the guild won't do anything to the stone," Gwynden said in a strained voice. "My friend is an appraiser, but he'll be doing this off-duty. He won't gain anything by taking it."

I shook my head, even though they couldn't see it. "And if he does? What then? I'll truly have lost Addy forever."

"Why do ya keep sayin' she's in the stone, kid?" Melva asked more quietly than before. "I just don't get it."

Frustration welled up in me, and my words came out clipped and sharp. "None of you understand what I mean! I can feel her presence when I touch this stone, I can hear her voice when I run my fingers across it, i-it radiates heat. There is something here, and it's Addy. She's still here!"

There was yet more silence following that, and my frustration grew. What were they thinking about? Talking about without me? They surely thought I was crazy, they had to do something because I was talking like a complete loon and Aedia was the cause of it. But why couldn't they just understand me?

After I started to think the silence would go on forever, Gwynden spoke again, albeit in a shakier voice. "You can't stay in there forever, Len. You need to come out eventually, and we need to solve this."

"And it involves taking her?" I nearly spat. No response, and a begrudging resignation settled in. Of course, because they thought I was crazy, and Aedia needed to be taken away from me because she was so bad. I returned to the bed and sat down, ignoring the others when they tried to talk to me again. I simply didn't know what to do.

Me sitting on the bed turned into me laying back down on it, blankly staring at the ceiling while my thoughts became nothing but nonsense. I didn't even know what I was thinking, I simply let the thoughts flow in a slurry that I refused to make sense of. Nothing made sense anymore, and the only comprehensive thing I thought was that I wished I could go back to when things made sense, when I actually knew who I was and what I wanted to do.

The daylight eventually faded into dusk, then night. When all the sounds in the house seemed to still, that was when I finally got up and left the room. Nobody was around again, and I breathed a sigh of relief. They had either left or gone to sleep.

When I raided the ice-box for something to eat besides crackers, I was surprised to find a sandwich on a plate sitting on the top shelf, right in plain view. Beside it was a note, having been written by Llyr.

"Knowing you, you're probably famished by this point. Please, let's talk about this tomorrow. Melva and Gwynden agreed to go out delving for the day, so it can be you and me, and we can figure this out. I don't want to see you hurt again, Len. I love you. So please, let's talk."

My throat closed up as I read the note, and I took a shaky breath. I knew why they were doing this, they didn't want to scare me by all of them talking with me again. But... I wanted to. I still trusted Llyr, he always understood me. If I was going to get through to anybody about this, it would be him. Also, I wanted to apologize properly for what I'd done.

With that thought lingering in my mind, I took both the note and sandwich back to Aedia's room. I didn't want it to seem like I was dismissing the note by not taking it. Even though it had been sitting for a few hours, the sandwich was still plenty good. Llyr knew what I liked, and it hurt that he was still trying to be so kind to me. That thought still lingered as I fell asleep that night, this time holding Aedia close.

The following morning, I awoke to sounds out in the kitchen and dining room. I recognized Melva's voice among the noise, and I tensed on the bed as I waited for the sounds to stop. Talking, clinking plates, water running in the sink. It seemed to take forever for it all to end, and only when the noises finally ceased, I cautiously opened the door and looked out into the dining room.

I both did and didn't expect Llyr to be there, but there he was, sitting at the table clasping a mug of something steaming. His hair hung in his face so I couldn't tell what exactly he was thinking, but the way his hands were bone-white from how tightly he held the mug. I swallowed hard, wetting my dry throat before stepping out into the hall and closing the door loudly enough that it made a noticeable sound. Llyr's head snapped up, eyes wide before he seemed to relax when he saw me.

"Len," he said faintly, smiling a little. Even from here, I could see the bags under Llyr's eyes, evidence of missed or uneasy sleep. My hands clenched before I made them relax, and I returned his smile as I made my way down the hall.

"Good morning," I said, taking a seat across the table from him. He got up as I did so, and I watched him cross the room into the kitchen and return with a bowl of fruit-filled oatmeal. "Baracocha? Where did you get this?"

Llyr seemed to think for a moment before replying. "Gwynden found some on the edge of the First Layer the other day and brought it up. That's the last of it before it starts to go mushy." I nodded and started to eat. "Did you sleep okay?" Llyr then asked, and I nodded. "I haven't been sleeping well myself... I miss having you there."

"I miss you as well," I said solemnly. It was indeed the truth.

Llyr's cheeks flushed as he wound a strand of hair around his finger. "M-maybe it's a sign that this relationship is going further than I thought?" He gave me a nervous smile.

"Do you mean truly moving in together?" I asked, and his blush deepened.

"If you want to. I-I want to make sure you're cared for until you get better, since you're not in a state to work right now. I don't want you to lose this house since it means so much to you. You've worked too hard to lose it to something like this."

While that was nothing but sweet for him to say, it utterly confused me as well. "Cared for," "get better," it was like he thought I was sick. "What do you mean? Llyr, I-I'm not sick or anything, I'm confused about all of this."

Llyr winced, his face paling as the mood shifted in an instant. "But confused or not, you need help. We want to help you, I want to, but it has to start by getting rid of that stone. Ever since you got it, it's been hurting you, and we need to solve it before it hurts you even more!"

This... we were already starting with this. It was only a matter of time, but it was already happening. I shook my head, taking Aedia out of my pocket but didn't let Llyr get anywhere near her. "No, you're not taking her. Look, Llyr, I'm telling you again that Aedia is here still. I don't know why or how, it's not just her spirit lingering because of the ashes, she's here."

Llyr's face fell in hopelessness, eyes filling with the same fear I saw in Vio's moments before he'd been killed. I desperately tried to salvage this, rubbing Aedia's exterior to make that heat spring to the surface. The hum of her voice came with it, but Llyr didn't seem to acknowledge it... like he couldn't hear it.

Still, I didn't give up. I clutched Aedia tighter, taking in the heat emanating from the depths of her stone exterior. "See, she's here, Llyr." I held Aedia out to Llyr, still holding her but wanting Llyr to touch her. "She's still here."

"No..." Llyr shook his head slowly, tears starting to bead in his eyes. "Len, y-you were doing so well..! I know Aedia died, but I can't stand seeing you regress like this so quickly. Not even that, you've gone back even more! I can't even try to catch you now, none of us can!"

I paused, confused as I processed what he said. Then it hit me, and it felt like my heart had broken. This couldn't be happening, I thought I could actually do something this time! "You're thinking I'm crazy... Y-you really, truly think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Llyr seized up, a few tears dripping down his face. "I-I—" Clear hesitation.

Along with my heart, the world broke around me as well. Llyr, the one person who always tried to be there for me besides Aedia, the one who I admitted my damn feelings to and bore even more than my feelings... He was doing this? How could he?

Seeing the look of disbelief on my face, Llyr panicked. "Len, I-I'm sorry! It just slipped out, b-but it's not because I think you're crazy! Y-you just need some better help! We can do it, I know we can..."

And then it was like something else snapped in me. "What 'help' I need is for you to believe me with this! Addy is still right here, I've told you she is, and you don't believe me! None of you believe me! Why can't any of you see that?"

"No, she isn't here, Len!" Llyr exclaimed desperately. "A-Aedia's gone. She's gone like your parents and Vio, and you thinking otherwise won't change that!"

"I know she's gone, but she's also here as well. Why don't you understand what I'm saying, it's like her spirit is trapped in this stone! She needs to be helped, not me," I tried to explain, anger rising with every second Llyr kept shaking his head. Why couldn't he just believe me, he was the one person I thought who would!

"St-stop it, Len!" Llyr cried, on the verge of sobbing. "You're not making sense, th-that's why I said you sounded crazy! You aren't crazy, really, but please, y-you're scaring me!"

Scaring? I was... scaring Llyr? My chest clenched painfully, my throat closing up. I couldn't take this any longer. "Get out..."

Llyr stiffened. "Huh?"

"J-just get out, please..." I muttered, clutching Aedia to my chest. When he didn't move, I scowled at him, and his eyes widened in fear. "Leave, Llyr! You're going to try and take Addy from me again, so just leave me alone!" I reached out a hand to grab Llyr's shoulder, but he flinched away and ran for the door, slamming it behind him. I could hear him rushing downstairs and through the pharmacy, followed by the slam of another door, and only then did the noise cease.

I sat in silence at the table for a few minutes, trying to process what the hell had just happened. He... had actually run. But he was gone, Aedia was safe. That was all that mattered, she was finally safe, and only I could protect her.

I slowly got to my feet, unsteadily making my way to the stairs and then down them, partially feeling like I was stumbling through a dream. The downstairs was as silent as the grave, the dust motes dancing in the weak sunlight streaming through the opened curtains. The front door was unlocked. Robotically, I locked the front door before heading back upstairs.

Finding myself standing alone in the kitchen, the weight of what I'd done hit me all at once. I'd absolutely terrified Llyr, he'd run because he thought I was going to attack him. A choked cry left me, wavering until it escalated into a complete scream. What the absolute hell had I done? I not only terrified my boyfriend, but I had actively made him fear for his life. I couldn't stop thinking about that, over and over. I'd terrified him, he'd run because he was afraid of me!

But along with the horror that strangled me came complete and utter rage. I was enraged with the injustice of everything, how and why we had even ended up in this situation in the first place. The root of it all traced back so far, but it had all started with me. I was the one who wanted to delve in the first place, I had asked Melva to mentor me, I had begged my parents to let me keep delving, I was the one who wanted to go to the Third Layer. It all came slamming down on me, thought after thought, blow after blow. It drove me to my knees, made me scream even more and claw at my face, digging my nails deep into my skin.

"Why the hell does everything keep falling down around me?" I screamed this to nobody, just wanting to get it out. As my voice died out in the empty corner of the house, a sob broke out as well. Llyr didn't deserve this, nobody I knew did. But I did. I wasn't even an awful person, I didn't have the right to be called anything. And as I sobbed there on the floor in the wavering sunlight, I'd never felt more alone, even with Aedia by my side. I was nothing, and I deserved all of this.