Yet another day was coming to an end in the city of Orth, the sun slipping down past the rim of the crater containing the city. A faint, salty breeze swept in from the ocean, stirring Vio's hair as he watched the sun set from atop a lookout point. It was one of several that had been constructed around Orth, all to better see the sprawling Abyss.

Vio blinked a couple times, rubbing his eyes as they stung. He'd been told that staring at the sun was bad for his eyes, but he couldn't help it sometimes. The sky was so beautiful with all its colors, ones he saw in the paints that people bought in the city. Still, lowered his gaze a bit so he wouldn't be blinded.

A gold gleam caught his eye as he did so, and he took hold of the bell around his neck. It was the mark of him not being ready to delve, but that would change very soon. He was going to turn twelve next week, and that meant he could become a Red Whistle. For years before, he'd been learning about delving and practicing with the tools, preparing for tomorrow. It made him giddy to finally be starting on the path of a Delver.

With the sun finally vanishing behind the crater rim, Vio turned and ran down the hill, heading for the ivy-covered building in the near distance. Belchero Orphanage was the closest thing Vio and about twenty other children had to a home. The oldest were Red or even Blue Whistles while the youngest were like him, waiting for their chance.

Vio was out of breath by the time he made it back to the orphanage, his heavy breaths drowning out his footfalls on the cracked flagstone path. The weathered building loomed over him, and other children were hurrying inside as well. Vio never expected to get inside first, but he would have liked it at least one time. At least he made it on time, since being late meant he would miss out on dinner. It was a good incentive to get him to come back.

"Slow as always aren't you, runt?"

Vio gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the voice jeering him from the side, but a hand then grabbed him by the arm, moving to his shoulder as he was pushed against the wall of the building. He looked up to see two boys and a girl, around his age but having at least three inches of height on him. Vio stiffened but tried not to react otherwise.

"What, you're already gonna cry? All we wanted to do is say hi," the oldest boy, Azreth, said with a fake pout. His younger twin brother Tyril snickered at Vio, while the girl, named Mal, smirked at him.

"I'm not gonna cry!" Vio protested, his face flushing hot, the unintentional reaction earning mocking grins from the other boys. "Why don't you know how to say hi normally? You don't have to be so mean to me about it."

"Us, mean? Why would you say that?" Mal asked. Vio knew they were just trying to mess with him, but they were hardly done with him yet as Azreth arched a brow.

"I don't know, why don't ya know who your parents are?"

Vio frowned, clenching his fists. "Why does that matter so much to you? All your parents are gone too!"

"At least we know who they are, and they died protecting Srajo the Obscure. A White Whistle!" Azreth said proudly, crossing his arms. "They died heroes while I bet your parents never wanted you in the first place!"

"Silver hair, the hair of those boat merchants," Tyril said. "They just dropped ya off here after ya were born and then left! Probably knew ya were gonna be a runt." He reached out and tousled Vio's hair.

"Stop it!" Vio exclaimed, pushing Tyril's hand away. His protest only earned laughs from the boys. It wasn't Vio's fault he didn't know who his parents were. All he knew was that early in the morning, a man with silver hair and strange clothing left a newborn Vio behind on Belchero's doorstep and vanished, never to be seen on the surface or in the Abyss. His eyes began to sting with tears as the boys continued to laugh, and he resisted the urge to rub his eyes.

Tyril tousled Vio's hair again, patting him on the head quite hard as he did so. "Look, he's gonna cry!" he jeered. "Ya can't cry when you're a Delver, nobody's gonna work with a crybaby runt! How are they even letting ya become a Red Whistle if you're gonna be useless? Ya can't lift anything, ya can hardly lift the pickaxes Leader gives us to train with."

Azreth elbowed his brother. "Shh, don't mention her! She's gonna come save the runt if you—" He was cut off by the sound of the orphanage's front door opening, and all the boys looked to the door. A blonde woman with gray eyes in her thirties exited the building and approached the boys, her moon whistle gleaming as it caught a ray of the remaining sunlight. Her name was Sibil, though she was known to the children as Leader, the one who led delves from the orphanage and helped keep the children in line otherwise.

"What're you four doing out here?" she questioned, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. "Get inside, or you're not getting dinner."

The others regarded her with disappointed looks. "Yes, Leader," a couple of them muttered before heading inside, though Vio didn't follow them. Mal cast a look back at Vio, tugging down on her eyelid and sticking out her tongue at him as she did so. Vio opened his mouth but closed it right after when the woman moved into Vio's sight.

"Vio, are you okay?" she asked softly. "Were they teasing you again?" Vio stared at her for a moment, a lump in his throat and his lip quivering, before bursting into tears. She put a hand on Vio's shoulder. "Hey, don't cry. They're gone now."

"But they're just gonna come back," Vio whimpered. They do this every day, and you stop it all the time!"

Leader smiled comfortingly, squeezing Vio's shoulder. "And I'll continue to stop it because you don't deserve to be picked on like that. Now dry your tears and smile. You have a great smile, you know that, right?"

Vio did smile a little as he wiped his eyes. "I do, you always tell me that."

"Because it's true," she said. "Most people look better when they're smiling, but there's some who look better than the rest." She tapped Vio on the nose, and his smile grew into a small grin. "That's much better. Now how about you go inside so you can get dinner with the others?" While Vio was less excited about that, he agreed and hurried inside as well.

Even though he was late, Vio hurried to finish his dinner as quickly as he could. That meant he could use the shower room first and wash up before hurrying to his room. Most children at Belchero shared rooms with two or three others, but Vio had his own room. It was more of an extra-large closet situated in a corner of the building's second story, just large enough to fit a single bed and bedside table in it. Still, Vio preferred it to having to share a room with Azreth or anyone else.

While the rest of the orphanage slept that night, Vio remained awake. He was hidden under his sheets with a book and a Delver helmet he'd taken from one of the many tool demonstrations that were conducted. His lantern had been taken away the last time he was caught reading, so he had to improvise now. He never got time to read in peace like this during the day, making the night his chance to indulge in the books he got ahold of.

The book he was reading was one of a few he got by pure chance. Orth's library was doing a cleanout of their books, ridding themselves of the oldest, most damaged books in favor of newer ones. Vio managed to take a few books, but the one he had now was the one he'd read the most: an autobiography of one of Orth's original Delvers, a man given the title of Din the Mourner, the Sovereign of Death. He was a foreigner who was known for burying the bodies of Delvers who had to be left behind in the Abyss. He seemed to be lost to time since Vio had never seen any other documentations of Din, and this book was being thrown out. Vio didn't know how the existence of a White Whistle could be forgotten, but still, he was immortalized in the Abyss itself and those he laid to rest.

Vio's heart always quickened when he heard stories of the White Whistles. He wanted nothing more than to go down and explore the Abyss like them. While fame and fortune crossed Vio's mind on occasion, he didn't know whether he wanted it yet, though he knew he wanted to grow up tall and strong like the other men he'd seen. Din was apparently a man of impressive stature, though he didn't have much strength to back it up. Still, some strength was better than none.

The sound of footsteps out in the hall made Vio jolt, and he turned out the light just as his door opened. He forced himself to breathe and appear limp, knowing that being still made him more suspicious. Thankfully the door closed not long after, and he could fully relax. Leader's first patrol down his hall meant that it was past midnight, so it was for the better that he got some sleep. He hid the helmet at the foot of his bed and wriggled out from under the sheets, turning onto his back to face the high ceiling.

Shadows always liked to dance across Vio's walls, formed by the trees outside shifting in the breeze. Neither of the room's two small windows had curtains, so the moonlight was able to flood in. Vio loved how it turned everything blue and silver, just like his hair. It was apparently something unusual, like Tyril said, the color of merchants that came to sell from off-island. Vio didn't know what country they came from, but he'd never been able to find his parents among the merchants when they visited.

As he continued to stare, Vio's eyelids grew heavy as tiredness weighed down on him. There was never any noise from the other children sleeping to keep him awake by this point, so he was able to slip into sleep not long after.

—~*~—

"Now when Orth was first established as a city over three-hundred years ago, there was evidence of a civilization that existed before the founders arrived. This group of people was very faith-based, centering their beliefs around the Abyss."

A rail-thin woman stood at the front of the room, her hair as black as her clothing. She always reminded Vio of an undertaker, and the intimidating look wasn't helped by her thin face and angular features. But instead of being an undertaker, she was the orphanage's headmistress, Belchero herself, though she was known as Teacher to the orphans. Her voice was sharp like a blade, rendering her words and lessons snappy and cold.

"Those this civilization deemed 'broken,' be it physically or mentally, were tattooed on their backs with naturally-made ink. They were then 'returned' to the Abyss for their spirits to be collected and redistributed among new lives," Teacher continued. "The symbols these sacrifices were marked with were based on the Abyssal runes found in texts recovered from the Abyss, and their beliefs became the foundation for Abyssal Faith. 'All that comes from the Abyss eventually returns to the Abyss.' That is the first belief of Abyssal Faith."

Unlike most of the bored-looking children around him, Vio found history fascinating. So many layers of lives and events building upon each other, each story contributing to the greater whole. The notoriety of the Abyss was written by the White Whistles, their stories started in Orth, and Orth started because of the Abyss. It was a circle, the details of which never ceased to attract Vio's attention.

Something then struck Vio in the side of the neck, something damp. He reached his hand to his neck, shivering in disgust when his fingers touched a saliva-damped wad of paper that was sticking to his skin. He turned to his left, noticing a smirking Mal lowering a rolled-up strip of paper, the source of the wadded paper.

"Vio."

He went rigid, snapping around to face Teacher, who was glaring at him. A few other kids cast their glances in his direction.

"Is there an issue?" Teacher asked. "Do we need to speak after this lesson?"

His blood chilled, and he frantically shook his head. A "talk" with Teacher almost always resulted in a punishment, and it was one Vio had been subject to many times at this point. Any child who didn't pay attention received the punishment. Teacher maintained her glare for a moment before returning to her lesson.

"The practices of this civilization weren't documented, as they had died out decades before Orth's founders arrived here. Their knowledge came from the artifacts left behind." Her gaze swept across the children. "Now can anybody here tell me the difference between an artifact and a Relic in the sense of how the words are used in this city?"

Vio knew this, it was obvious. However, nobody else seemed to want to answer, so he might as well try to. He started to raise his hand, but then a sharp kick to his shin from his right startled him. He let out a gasp of pain, and Teacher glared at him again, her glare harsher than before.

"We are speaking after this lesson. Unless you know the answer?" she questioned curtly.

To Vio's horror, his mind had gone completely blank. He was grasping at strands of memory and words, his mouth slightly hanging open as he struggled to put a sentence together. The seconds went by, each one worse than the last as Teacher continued to spear him with her gaze. His face went hot, his stomach turning to water while he became hyper-aware of everyone else staring at him. Against his will, tears began to form in his eyes.

"No crying!" Teacher snapped, making him flinch. "You shouldn't have disrupted me if you didn't have the answer!" Vio could only let out a slight whimper of a response, his mind still completely blank.

"Teacher?" a girl around Vio's age, Jay, said from a couple rows over. The older woman looked over at Jay. "Don't Relics refer to the things found in the Abyss while artifacts are left behind by people who've died?"

Teacher's scowl loosened, though her eyes remained narrowed. "Close. More specifically, artifacts are items created by people that have a meaning in history of culture. Relics do come from the Abyss, you were correct in that way. Now can you tell me the grade classifications that are given to Relics?"

With her attention off him, Vio sank down in his seat, biting his lip as a couple tears slipped down his cheeks. He hurriedly wiped them away. While he did so, he heard the faint snickers of a couple boys around him. It wasn't like Vio could try to correct things now. He was afraid of Teacher, but he was more afraid of what awaited him next.

Vio heard other parents scolded, yelled at, or even struck their children when they were in trouble. He would've preferred any of those punishments to this. He tried to ignore the scratchy ropes digging into his arms and legs, binding his chest so tightly he could hardly breathe. Surely no parents strung their kids up six feet off the ground as punishment?

Once he'd been strung up, Vio was left alone in the small courtyard. The midday sun beat down on him, and the occasional bead of sweat dripped down his temples. There was nothing he could do besides wait it out, the whole long hour these punishments lasted.

Unfortunately, he wasn't left in silence for very long. He heard them before he saw them, and they surrounded him, staring up at him while Vio sulked.

"What're ya hanging around here for?" Tyril asked. "You're gonna miss lunch! Leader's teaching us how to make rice balls today for delves. You always seem to love those, so I don't get why you'd wanna get yourself in trouble today."

That lesson was today? Vio couldn't help but look down at the boys, his mouth opening as he feebly wanted to say something to them.

"Shh, don't say anything, runt!" Azreth said with a grin, putting a finger to his lips. "Do you know what'll happen if you tell her what we did?"

Tyril nodded, matching his brother's expression. "We know you took that helmet, we found it in your room. We can tell Teacher anytime that you took it! Then you'll really be in trouble!" Any chance of a rebuttal was snuffed out of Vio then as his heart dropped. "But you're reading those musty old books too? You're such a joke, ya need to be more than smart to be a Delver!"

"Where's your strength, runt?" Mal asked, and the other boys snickered. They didn't stick around much longer, as a sharp scolding from Teacher made them scurry back into the building. Finally, Vio was at some kind of peace.

It seemed to take forever until he was let down, and Leader was the one to release him. Vio all but collapsed into a limp heap when he was released, all of his limbs having been overtaken by pins and needles. Leader propped him up until he could move properly again, and he thanked her as she helped him to his feet.

"Did I miss the lesson?" he asked, wincing.

"Yes, but you still need something for lunch," Leader said. "I was about to make my own, so we can make them together."

Vio wasn't sure when or why Leader had taken such a liking to him, or at least decided to focus on him. She always gave more attention to the youngest children, and Vio was one of the few older children she looked out for. He figured it was because she felt sorry for him, but he still loved her company. Only the smallest children talked to him otherwise.

"No, Vio, don't press on it so hard in that one spot," Leader said. "Rotate in your hands, press evenly."

Vio's brow furrowed, his tongue slightly sticking out of the corner of his mouth while he concentrated. The wad of rice in his hands hardly even looked like a circle, much less like a triangle like how it was supposed to. He'd only made two misshapen blobs of rice into rice "balls" while Leader had made almost half a dozen. Vio tried to rotate the wad like Leader suggested, wincing when bits of rice stuck to his fingers.

"Did you not wet your hands enough? It's called sticky rice for a reason," Leader said jokingly. The ball then slipped from Vio's hands, bouncing on the countertop before falling to the floor. "I thought this would be an easier thing for you to make after we tried roasting fish last week."

Vio felt even worse hearing that, vividly recalling how badly he'd burned the filets he was given to roast. One of them was almost charred when it fell into the fire itself. That was the only time he felt he deserved to be strung up since he'd wasted food.

"Hey, smile," Leader said. "Not everybody's cut out for cooking, and you're still starting out. You'll definitely get better when you grow up. My friend Bellan was horrible at cooking when we were in training, but now he's one of the best cooks I know."

That name was familiar to Vio, as Leader had spoken about him several times before. Her friend was apparently a Black Whistle while Leader was still just a Moon Whistle. He must have been good since he was a veteran rank like that. "Is he good at cooking fish?" Vio asked, and Leader nodded.

"It's his speciality. Ironically, rice balls aren't his strong suit." She smiled down at Vio. "You'll get better eventually, don't worry." With that, he returned her smile. "I'll help you with the rest of your rice balls, and then we can pass some of these out to some of the younger Bells. After that, we can eat together, okay?" Vio was more than happy with that idea.

The rest of the week passed, with Vio only getting in trouble a couple more times thanks to Azreth and the others. Vio still didn't understand how they could have so much confidence, such misplaced brazenness despite all of them being in the same situation. He always wanted to try and fight back against them, but he knew he couldn't take on one of them, let alone all three of them. Still, it would be incredibly satisfying to land at least one punch on one of them.

At the end of the week, each child who would become a Red Whistle received a wrapped package from Leader. Vio knew what it was, and he hurried back to his room before Leader could finish saying whatever she was while she handed the packages out. Sure enough, it was what Vio expected and was hoping for.

He examined himself in his room's cracked mirror, marveling at his new uniform. It consisted of a short-sleeved tan jacket to wear over his blue t-shirt, a pair of well-made brown pants with snug but comfortable boots, all topped-off with a pair of gloves and a delving helmet that actually fit him. Well, mostly. Everything was slightly big on him, even though it'd been supposedly fitted for him. Vio didn't care, he finally had his uniform. All he needed was his red whistle to complete the look.

This was one of the few times Vio could smile genuinely. It was his chance now, the opportunity for him to prove himself. He could still do something, right? He had enough strength to find and bring back a few Relics. Vio moved to one of the windows, opening it and leaning out to look at the Abyss. Watch out, Abyss. Here I come! he thought. His helmet then slipped down, but he caught it before it could fall off.

The next morning as breakfast drew to a close, Teacher stood up at the head of the table. Everyone stopped and looked at her, where she made them wait in silence for a moment before speaking. "Today is the day that a new class of Red Whistles will make their first delves. All of you who are going, make sure to see me so you may receive your whistles. They will be returned to me at the end of the day, where I'll then give them to you the following day. This routine will continue for a week. If you can return your whistles for a week, you can have them until you earn your blue whistles."

Cheers sounded off from the other children, mainly the younger ones. Vio's face flushed a bit from while Azreth and Tyril exchanged prideful looks. There were going to be eight children who received red whistles this time, and they were going to accompany six other Red Whistles and five Blue Whistles, though the Blue Whistles would be given free reign for the day. But Vio didn't mind having a depth limit, he just wanted to delve.

Somehow, Vio managed to get to Teacher first. She gave him a look before handing him a whistle. "Every Red Whistle is expected to bring back at least one Relic of any grade on their first delve. You will have to provide a good reason if you don't bring anything back," she said, and Vio nodded.

"I-I'll do my best," he said. Teacher's cold look didn't shift in the slightest, and a chill swept down Vio's spine. He hurried away to where Leader was standing next to a row of pre-prepared backpacks filled with tools, some first-aid supplies, and other things. This first time was the only time the adults would help with packing; the kids would have to pack and maintain their backpacks from here on out.

Until now, all Vio had seen about the First Layer were depictions of it in books, detailed descriptions sometimes accompanied with artwork. They couldn't paled more in comparison to the real thing. Hillsides flooded with greenery, trees and mushrooms sprouting up amidst crumbling ruins, the air filled with sunlight and squawking Hammerbeaks.

Leader brought the group to a stop in a grassy clearing with an open cliff off to the side. "We've now descended thirty yards," she said loudly. "This is where we will be remaining for the day, with nobody descending past the fifty-yard line. Keep your depth meters on hand to make sure this doesn't happen. I'll pair you all off now with an older Red Whistle, though two of you will have to double up since there's eight first-timers." Vio breathed a sigh of relief when he was paired off by himself, his "mentor" being a girl of about fourteen. He knew her as Cianne, a girl who could've been Leader's daughter with her similar hair and eye color, but she wasn't.

"Didn't think I'd get you," Cianne said when she saw Vio, and he smiled nervously. Cianne shrugged before starting further down the trail, looking back at him over her shoulder. "C'mon let's get started."

Vio felt some resignation leaving Leader behind, but he couldn't protest. Besides, this meant he got to see the Abyss with a bit more freedom. The path Cianne brought him down was more winding, weaving around cliff-faces with a small forest a dozen feet below the path they were on. Amazingly, a waterfall poured over a section of the path ahead, allowing people to walk beneath it. Vio couldn't help but look up as they passed under the waterfall, the spray lightly sprinkling his face.

"I know, it's pretty cool, huh?" Cianne said, and Vio nodded. "I love coming down this way because of that. But I wanna find a waterfall even better than this one day, one that's huge and with a cave behind it or something. It's literally chasing waterfalls, but something like that has to exist down here." Vio wouldn't doubt that for a second.

To his shock, Cianne brought them right down to the fifty-yard line, though she didn't look worried about it at all. "Why're we down here?" Vio asked. "We're pretty far from the others, and won't we catch the curse if we need to get back up to them?"

"You're gonna catch it no matter what," Cianne said. "In fact, we're gonna do it right now. C'mon, let's go back up."

Vio balked at that, his jaw dropping. "Wh-what? Why?"

"It's better to get the first experience out of the way so you won't have to deal with it when you're already tired," Cianne said simply. "And if we find something interesting beneath us while we're on the forty-yard line, we can actually descend without going past the line. The depth meters we have track our descents so Leader and Teacher can make sure we're not breaking the rules." Vio wanted to protest since he didn't want to deal with the curse already, but it made sense. Cianne then spun Vio around, making him face the way they came. "Okay, you lead. You looked like you wanted to lead anyways." Vio's face flushed, but he didn't say anything.

Teacher had taught several lessons about the curse before, but of course hearing about it wasn't the same as experiencing it. Vio stumbled when the dizziness swept over him, his hands flying to his mouth to stifle the nausea twisting his insides. The feeling wasn't helped by the sound of Cianne retching behind him.

"Just let it out if you need to, it's better than keeping it in," Cianne said with a cough, which was all the permission Vio needed to empty his stomach, whether he wanted to or not. Cianne had an uncomfortable look on her face as she took a swig from her canteen. "You'll get used to it," she said. "It doesn't get me as bad as it used to, and the Blue Whistles hardly react at all when they come up here." She was right, he just needed to get used to it.

Vio was exhausted after throwing up like that, but the delve had only just begun. The pair now found themselves at the edge of a small cliffside plains area, odd-shaped spires of rock rising up from the ground at random intervals. Mushrooms and other foliage grew at their bases, looking like it could hide a small Relic or two.

"You know where to look, right?" Cianne asked, and Vio nodded. Hollows in the ground, trees, or in stone, caverns, under slabs of rock, in the larger ruined structures. He made sure to drill the knowledge from the lessons into his mind. But the bushes at the bases of the spires caught his attention first.

While Cianne began scanning the bases of the cliffs, Vio dug around in the bushes. To his disappointment, all he found were thorns and mushrooms. Thankfully his thick gloves protected his hands, though his forearms got nicked. But at least the mushrooms he was seeing were pretty-looking, and a lot of them were ones Vio didn't recognize. To think not even all of the First Layer was documented...

"Hey, don't get too close to those gray and blue mushrooms!" Cianne warned. Vio flinched and looked back at her. She was standing with her hand on her hip, the other one holding an oval-shaped Relic a bit larger than her fist. "They give off spores that make your nose and throat burn when you inhale them. If you breathe in too much, your nose will start bleeding."

Vio winced and moved away from the mushrooms. He could only imagine what would happen if somebody ate them, but he obviously wasn't going to be the one to test that out. It didn't take long for his attention to move to the Relic Cianne held. "Where'd you find that?" he asked in amazement, and she shook her head.

"I'm not telling you that," she said. "I might be helping you with this, but you gotta find your own Relics." She then jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the cliffs. "But you'll probably have better luck over there." That was all Vio needed to hear, and he ran to the cliffs, where he instantly started scanning the crumbling rock and overgrown grass. "Hey, don't go too far!" Cianne warned.

After searching the cliff for a short while, Vio noticed something dark among the grass. Parting the grass revealed a small hollow in the cliff. Excited, Vio dropped to his knees and aimed his helmet's light into the hollow. A burst of white and red filled his vision accompanied by a loud, shrill squeak. Vio screamed and jolted back, only to see the white thing darting away. It looked to be a small mammal with white fur and red patterns on its fur, a creature that was very common around here. Vio breathed a sigh of relief as he looked around, self-conscious that Cianne had heard him. Unfortunately, she was running over to him.

"Everything okay?" she asked, a tad out of breath. Vio nodded sheepishly as his face flushed a little.

"S-something jumped out at my face and ran off," he said.

Cianne gave Vio an indifferent look before shrugging. "Just don't scream unless you need to, okay?" Vio nodded, his face flushing further. Cianne then glanced at the hollow Vio was investigating. "Keep investigating, there should be something there." Right, there could've been something. He aimed his light back into the hollow, and the light catching something made his eyes widen. When he reached into the hole, his fingers scraped not one, but two objects.

"I-I found something!" he said excitedly. He reached in further, knocking one of the objects towards him before grabbing the second. Oddly enough, they both seemed to be the same kind of Relic. "What do you think these are supposed to be?" They were twice the size of his hand, oval-shaped, and had green-brown, pliable exteriors. However, the interiors were softer in a way, not like a pillow but more compact? He couldn't describe it. "This one's... really soft? But also not, it's weird."

"They look like Princess Bosoms," Cianne said. "They're always found in pairs, and I've seen a lot of guys keep them instead of handing them in."

That hardly answered anything for Vio. "But what're they for?"

Cianne scoffed. "I have no clue. If anything, guys probably do—" She stopped, frowning at Vio. "You're a boy, you'll figure that out soon." Vio was nothing but confused, but the look on Cianne's face told him he shouldn't press any further. "But I told you that you just needed to look somewhere else. Let's finish looking along this cliff, and then I guess we can look through those bushes just in case. Sometimes you just need to go all over the place, it's hard to organize."

"Oh, okay," Vio said. He put the Relics in his pack before standing back up. For now, he was just following Cianne.

The rest of the day went by better than Vio expected. Cianne kept him as far away from the Abyss' center as she could. While there were hardly any Relics around, it was still considered safer. Vio found a couple more small Relics, though they were nothing as notable as the Princess Bosoms.

"Okay, usually you would be getting your Relics appraised at the Delvers' Guild, but that isn't the case here," Leader said once everyone had gathered. "The orphanage will be taking the Relics and appraising them. The point is you can't keep any of the Relics you collect, and any discovery of this will warrant discipline." There was an uncomfortable silence among the children for a moment, and it was broken by Leader clapping her hands loudly. "But great job, everyone. Let's head back now."

Vio had only experienced the curse three times after the delve today, but he already hated it. He didn't understand how it worked at all. People would catch it and not experience it for a while even as they continued to ascend, but then they would have to face it again if they didn't ascend for a time. At least he wasn't the only one who had to experience this.

As Vio forced himself upright, he noticed he'd mostly been left behind by the others. It wasn't like he was still in the Abyss, he was on the staircase known as the gateway, so he wasn't explicitly in any danger. But out of the very few kids still around, Vio realized that Jay was standing off to the side. She seemed to not want to move, and her gaze was aimed at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Vio asked. Jay looked up at him with eyes glistening with tears, a couple others running down her face.

"I-I didn't get any Relics today even though I really tried to. Teacher's gonna be so mad at me," she whimpered, rubbing her eyes.

Vio always hated the idea of girls being strung up more than boys. It also helped that Vio thought she was cute, and he definitely didn't want to see her suffer that punishment. "You can have one of mine," he said with a bit of pride. "We just need to have one." He slung his pack off and dug around, taking out one of the Princess Bosoms and offering it to her.

Jay took the Relic, relief coming over her. "Thanks, Vio," she said. She smiled at him before running ahead. Vio sulked a bit as she left, having wanted to walk back with her, but he wasn't going to stop her for that. He began to close up his bag, bracing himself to heft it back up.

"So you're giving out Relics?" came Azreth's voice, and Vio stiffened. He turned around, just to see Mal right behind him before he was shoved to the ground. Vio hit the stairway hard on his side, crying out as the hard edges impacted him. But he was more stunned by it all than in pain at that moment.

"How kind of ya! We'll take a couple too, if ya don't mind," Tyril said. Vio tried to get up, but a hard kick to his stomach stopped him. The pain jolted through him, and he cried out again as tears sprung to his eyes, the sound coming out strangled as the wind was knocked from him. Tyril looked down at him, scoffing. "Are ya already crying? Are ya kidding me?" he asked, and the other boys laughed. Vio still felt wrung-out from the curse, so all he could do was lay there on the steps while he was robbed.

"Thanks for the Relics, see ya back home!" Mal called as she waved the second Princess Bosom in the air, and the trio ran off.

Vio laid there on the steps for a few moments, just trying to regain his composure and breath. He couldn't believe that had just happened. His whole day's work, just gone in seconds. And now he would be the one facing Teacher's punishment. With the others gone, Vio let his building tears fall, and he struggled to sit up. But he wasn't alone for much longer as a few older Delvers made their way up the stairs. They were a couple Moon Whistles and even a Black Whistle, who reached Vio first.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding out a hand for Vio to grab. He was a man in his late thirties or early forties, his skin a light brown and his hair pulled back into a braid that waved a bit in the sweeping breeze. But what caught Vio's eye first was the man's single silver eye, soft with worry. The second eye was covered by a brown leather eye-patch. When the man saw Vio's face, he looked confused. "Wait a moment, are you even twelve? You look like you are around nine or ten."

Vio's brow furrowed in frustration. Still, he took the Delver's hand, and he was pulled to his feet. "I-I'm twelve, today was my first delve."

"Oh, my apologies," the Delver said, sounding apologetic. "Where's your mentor?"

"I don't have one, I'm from Belchero Orphanage," Vio said.

The Delver's eye widened in shock before his expression fell. "I'm sorry about that..." he said solemnly. "But, um, are you hurt at all? It seems that you're starting to develop a bruise on your arm."

Confused, Vio examined his arm, noticing the slight bluish tint coloring his skin. He couldn't tell whether it was from just now or from a different day before this. "I'm used to falling and stuff, it's fine," he said, looking back at the Delver. "But thanks for asking and helping me out too. I gotta go now." He felt bad for sounding so abrupt, but he didn't want to get in more trouble than he would already be.

"Of course," the Delver said. Vio gave him a small wave before running off, dreading what was to come.

Despite him running as fast as he could, Vio was still the last to return to the orphanage. He thought he would have at least a little reprieve from the exertion before he faced Teacher, but that wouldn't be the case. The imposing headmistress stood in the doorway, waiting expectantly for his arrival.

"Have you brought back any Relics?" she asked, and Vio swallowed hard.

"I-I had some before, but I," he recalled Azreth's threat about revealing the stolen helmet and stopped, "I lost them. I'm so sorry, Teacher."

Of course, she didn't buy his explanation for a second. "What else should I have expected from you? I told you that you needed to bring back at least one Relic. Failure to do this warrants punishment. You will not be having dinner tonight, and you will be brought down once everybody else is finished." Being strung-up, he knew it. He wanted to fight but let himself be pulled into the orphanage.

The only upside to Vio's punishment was that he wasn't alone. Another boy had failed to retrieve any Relics and was strung up beside Vio. The two didn't speak to each other, just exchanged looks as they hung there. Vio dreaded Azreth or the others showing up, but they thankfully didn't. They likely didn't want to have any other witnesses.

It seemed to take an eternity until Teacher returned to let them down, made worse by hungry Vio was. His lunch hadn't stayed in him thanks to the curse, so all he had was breakfast. That still seemed so far away from now. But when he was let down, he didn't even bother trying to talk to anybody else. He just hung about in the halls until the bathrooms were empty. Only then did he feel fine washing up and going to his room.

Vio wasn't in the mood for reading at all that night. Another minute awake meant another minute of being hungry, but he couldn't help but seethe over what had happened. He'd just wanted to be nice, so why did that have to be ruined? Hopefully things would be better tomorrow, he needed it to be.

The next morning, Vio devoured his breakfast as soon as he got it. Such simple things like oatmeal and powdered milk never tasted so good, and he finished before the other children. From what Vio had seen during his time as a Bell, delves didn't happen every day. Those who could delve did so three days a week, and every other day for three days lessons would be taught to everybody. Still, Vio needed to finish first. Once he did, he hurried back to his room, where he snatched the helmet he'd taken and returned it to the storage closet.

With that, he breathed a sigh of relief. Azreth and the others couldn't hold that at least over his head now. By the time he finished doing this, the other children began to finish their food, so Vio hurried to the classroom. At least they'd be learning more history today.

The next day, Vio was solely assigned to another Red Whistle during their delve. Leader gave him a sympathetic look as she did so, affirming to him that she was deliberately doing this. He appreciated it, even though it frustrated him. He recognized the older boy he'd been assigned to, though the two had never spoken. Vio didn't even know his name. He took Vio only a little ways down before starting to search through a swath of ruins on the edge of a thin forest.

"I saw you with Cianne the other day, she's pretty good at delving," his temporary mentor said. 'She might actually be able to get her blue whistle early because of that."

"Wait, really?" Vio said in amazement. "She didn't find a lot of Relics though."

The older boy laughed. "She was dragged down by you, of course she wouldn't be able to get much! I'm not gonna get much today either, so you're giving me what you get first so I can actually have something to hand in."

Confusion hit Vio like a bolt. "Wh-what?" He then smiled nervously, sure the older boy was pulling his leg. "You're joking, right?"

The boy shook his head, looking more serious. "The first three Relics you find are mine. I almost have enough value recorded to be able to move down to the two-hundred yard group, and I'm not missing out on a day's value because I'm stuck watching you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you if I can, so that's a fair trade-off."

That did sound fair when Vio thought about it, but he still didn't think it was right. Still, was he supposed to speak out about it? That sounded like it would warrant an even worse punishment than not bringing back any Relics. "Oh, okay..." he said reluctantly.

When searching in the ruins turned up nothing, Vio and the older began searching the forest. This was a bit more successful, with a few small Relics turning up. One looked like a necklace, and another looked like some kind of bird-shaped ornament. At least he thought it was supposed to be a bird.

"That's pretty cool-looking," the older boy said when he noticed Vio holding the ornament. "Things like these apparently go for more than other useless Relics since they actually look like decorations. They're not just a pretty rock or something." Vio only got to hold it for a second longer before it was snatched from him.

"Yeah, it's really cool..." Vio said with reluctant enthusiasm. If only he could be the one to turn it in.

The upside Vio found to this venture, however, was a small pond he came across in the middle of the forest. Lily-pads topped with red flowers that weren't lotuses floated atop the water's surface. A small creature a bit larger than a frog but looked like a green-white bird sat atop one of the lily-pads. When the bird noticed him, it smoothly dove into the water and vanished into the plants at the bottom. A small smile crept onto Vio's face; he already knew he wouldn't grow tired of seeing simple sights like this.

He then noticed something glittering at the bottom of the pond. His heart leapt, and he dropped to his knees and squinted into the water. His shadow casting over the water stopped the glittering, but he was positive there was something in there. After pulling off his glove, he reached into the water. His fingers scraped something with a slightly rough texture in one spot before feeling smooth elsewhere. He then hooked his fingers around some kind of edge before pulling up.

Vio struggled to haul the thing out of the water. It looked like some kind of circular plate colored deep blue, though it was also seemingly yellow in areas. He took another minute to pull the plate out, almost falling in the water himself as he did so. Finally, the plate was out, weighing heavily in Vio's arms. It was indeed colored deep blue with gold etchings that sparkled in the sunlight, looking like Abyssal runes. Vio couldn't read them completely, only recognizing a few of the syllables carved there, but it was something.

With his heart pounding, Vio buried the Relic at the bottom of his backpack, and he was closing it back up just as he heard footsteps behind him. The older boy was stepping into the clearing, looking at Vio and frowning.

"What were you doing with your bag?" he asked.

"Refilling my canteen," Vio said, trying to keep his expression neutral. "I put that iodine stuff in it. Five drops, right?" The older boy nodded, and Vio had to keep his shoulders from relaxing as it would probably make him look suspicious. "Are we going to look around here still?" he asked, and the older boy shook his head.

"This place has been picked through. We're going a bit deeper," he said. Vio struggled back to his feet, his backpack so much heavier now. The older boy frowned at Vio. "You need to toughen up if you wanna be a good Delver," he said. Vio puffed out his cheeks in a pout but stayed quiet, following after the older boy.

Vio only found one other Relic that day, and the older boy snatched it up. Still, he had the satisfaction of finding that plate or whatever it was. He made sure to stick by Leader as he left the Abyss, forcing himself to run and catch up to her after the curse hit him.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked with concern. "You don't have to make yourself move while you're still recovering. It's only your second day, after all."

"N-no, I wanna walk with you too," he said, smiling weakly. He wasn't going to let this Relic be taken from him.

Leader looked reluctant, but she didn't say anything else, instead changing the subject. "Did you at least manage to find any Relics today?" At that, Vio nodded as his chest swelled with a bit of pride.

"This disk-shaped thing," he said. "I don't know what it says since it's in Abyssal runes, but it's still really cool. I think it's third-generation runes? The syllables that mean "ha" and "ze" have that extra line coming off the top of the letter, so I think that's right."

"I would be surprised that you remembered something like that, but I know you're more interested in history," Leader said. "You could always become a Relics Appraiser if you don't like delving. So many kids think delving is the only job they can do related to the Abyss, but there's so much more here."

Vio again started pouting, confused at what she was trying to say. "I like delving. And it's only been two days!"

Leader looked apologetic. "I know, I just wanted to give you options. I told the other Bells the other day, but I don't think they want to listen to a boring adult like me." She said this last comment with a wink, and Vio laughed.

"You're not boring! You're way more fun than Teacher," Vio said, and his helmet was pressed down as Leader patted him on the head, smiling.

"That's all I can hope for," she said.

When Vio arrived at the orphanage, he was almost immediately faced with Teacher, who gave him a scrutinizing look as he approached. Vio shrunk back from her gaze, but he didn't break eye-contact from her.

"Did you actually find anything today?" she asked coldly, and Vio nodded. He dropped his pack to the ground, wincing as he did so. His shoulders were hurting so badly from the weight of his pack, and he hadn't realized how badly it was hurting him until now. Regardless, he got his bag off and opened it, eventually hefting the Relic from it. Teacher looked at the Relic with mild interest before lifting it herself. To Vio's shock, she lifted it with only a little straining, like it was almost nothing to her. Was he actually that weak?

"B-but that's a Relic, right? It's fine?" he asked hopefully. Teacher examined the plate as he said this. More children were gathering around while she did so, waiting to hand in their own Relics. But after a moment, Teacher looked back at Vio.

"I expect you to bring in more in the future. This is a Relic, but only one of this quality is not worth an entire day's work," she said coldly. Vio's heart sank as he nodded, and Teacher tilted her head towards the inside of the building. "Go get ready for dinner." Vio wanted to cry from relief, and he ran inside. Even though Vio had brought back the least amount of Relics that day, he was more than proud of himself. It was actually something, his true first step into becoming a Delver.

When Vio awoke the next morning, he was in pain. He stiffened as soon as he felt it, which just made it hurt worse. His arms, shoulders, and upper back felt as if they were on fire, each movement worsening it. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep them from falling. He'd never felt pain like this before. The worst he'd felt was when he mildly fractured his ankle from slipping down the stairs when he was younger, but even then he didn't have to move, making things worse.

It took a few minutes for Vio to even muster up enough will to push himself up into a sitting position. When he did, he tried to rotate his shoulders. He couldn't help but cry a bit doing so, but he was indeed able to move. In the time it would've normally taken for Vio to get up, get ready, and get to the dining hall, he only managed to pull his shirt on. He was just relieved he wouldn't have to delve today, but he was starting to question if he would be able to hold his pencil to write notes.

Leader always did a sweep of the halls before breakfast, making sure nobody had slept in. Vio was taking so long to get ready that they actually met in the hall when he finally left his room.

"Oh, there you are, Vio!" She then noticed the no-doubt pained expression on his face. "Is everything okay?" Vio debated telling her, not wanting to admit there was an issue since it was yet another issue. But when he tried to walk around her, she took hold of his shoulder to stop him. Vio couldn't help but gasp when she touched him, flinching away from her. "How did I hurt you with that?" she asked, and Vio glanced at her before looking down in shame.

"My arms and shoulders hurt. Really hurt," he admitted with a small whimper. "I was just carrying my bag yesterday, that's all! I found a really heavy Relic too, but I didn't think it would hurt me like this..."

Leader gave Vio a sympathetic look. "Remember when we talked about straining and pulling muscles? That might've happened to you here. It usually happens to older people, but it can happen to anybody. Do you want something that could make you feel better?"

"Could I?" Vio asked sheepishly. Leader nodded and began to lead Vio to the infirmary. "I-I'm sorry for this," he said. "Will I miss breakfast? Or any of the lessons today?"

"If you do miss breakfast, you can have a little something from the lunches tomorrow," Leader said. "And afterwards you can make something to replace it. It'll help you practice your cooking." Vio couldn't help but sulk at that. "As for the lesson, I'll explain to Teacher what happened. She won't punish you for being hurt, don't worry."

In the infirmary, Vio sat down on the small bed in the room while Leader looked through the locked shelves of medication. Once she located a tube of some kind of medicine, she helped Vio take his shirt off. It hurt even worse taking it off again, and Vio had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. Apparently what Leader had was a kind of muscle relaxant ointment, not the amazing solution to his problem he hoped it'd be.

"It looks like your shoulders are swollen a bit, so it seems you've pulled a muscle at the very least," Leader said.

"Will it be better by tomorrow?" Vio asked.

Leader gave him a concerned look. "Possibly, but if you're in this much pain, it's difficult to tell. But for now, let's focus on relieving the pain. I'm going to have to touch you again for this, so I'll try to be gentle." Vio gritted his teeth in nervous anticipation.

Her initially touching his shoulder wasn't too bad, and he could almost breathe a sigh of relief from that. But the moment she pressed down to rub the ointment into his skin, he screamed before clamping his hands to his mouth.

Leader appropriately flinched back, removing her hand in seconds. "Wha—Did you actually break something or tear a muscle instead?"

"I-I don't know!" Vio cried. "I've never felt like this before..!"

"You may have likely just pulled the muscles in your shoulders and arms, but everybody handles pain differently," Leader said. "Still, can you try to make it through the lesson today? You could ask somebody else for notes if you need them."

"I-I'll try," Vio said. He wanted to just not be in pain.

Leader squeezed more of the ointment into her hand, catching Vio's attention. "I'm going to try this again. I can only do this gently, so you'll just have to bear with the pain, okay?" Vio reluctantly nodded, and he braced himself again. He ended up biting into his lip as Leader massaged the ointment into his skin. "Later on, you can have a heat-pack to help the swelling if it's still there," Leader said.

"A-are there gonna be any tools training lessons today?" Vio asked, trying to focus on his words more than the pain.

At that, Leader was able to smile. "You're past that stage of training now. You're a Delver, even if you're just a Red Whistle. And don't worry, Delvers can take days off too. You won't always have to keep working if you don't feel you can."

Vio's brows lifted in curiosity. "Even if you might get in trouble with others for wanting to stay home?"

"I don't like the idea of punishing people for any disabilities they might have, temporary or permanent," Leader said. "There's no point hurting yourself further than you already might be." She then gave Vio a stern, serious look that was rarely directed at him. "Remember this, Vio. Every Delver deserves a chance, no matter what state they're in."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Vio asked, a little nervous by her stare.

"It's simply that. If a Delver is missing an eye, leg, hand, or anything else, they're more than aware of their deficiency," she continued. "If they didn't have the confidence in themselves or their skills, they wouldn't continue delving. It's only right to point it out if they're too prideful or overconfident. That's something many people are either unaware of or simply don't care about here in Orth. Does that make sense?"

Vio nodded slowly. "I guess so..."

"Just keep it in mind," Leader said. "You can meet some truly amazing people if you work with anybody regardless of their weaknesses, though of course ensuring your safety is important as well. Just know your limits along with theirs."

Vio would've pondered that more if the sharp pains in his shoulders didn't take over, and it was all he could focus on until Leader finally finished. The bitter scent of the ointment made his nose wrinkle, but a slight cooling sensation had started up on his shoulders, back, and the parts of his arms that hurt the most.

"You'll have to stay here for a couple more minutes until that dries a bit," Leader said. "But in the meantime, I'll get you something to eat. Rice balls are all you're getting, so no complaining." Vio was in no way a picky eater, especially when he was hungry like he was now. With no objections on Vio's end, Leader left the infirmary.

The times when Vio was left alone with no distractions prompted some attempts at thought, as much as somebody his age was capable of. But the idea of Delvers being judged for things they couldn't help made his heart sink. Azreth and the others were already so mean to him, so would they be just as mean to injured Delvers when they got older? If only Vio could tell them off for being so wrong, but he'd probably end up on the ground if he did so.

Vio wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it must've been over five minutes. That seemed like an eternity to Vio, and the growling in his stomach was getting louder by the second. He started wondering what was taking Leader so long.

After another minute or two, Vio couldn't stand to sit around for any longer. He slowly pulled his shirt back on, the pain slightly dampened by the ointment. It was dry by then anyways, so it would've been fine in Leader's eyes. When Vio did so, he got up and went to investigate the hallway outside. The other children must've been at the lesson by then because there was nobody else around. It was so eerie being in the halls alone, even with the sunlight coming in through the windows.

The first place Vio wanted to check was the kitchen since Leader was going there. To his mild confusion, he saw a flash of blonde hair from the open kitchen doorway, which he recognized as Leader's. Then he heard the voices, one belonging to Leader, and the other... to Teacher?

Vio was even more confused by this, wondering why Teacher was in the kitchen. But then he realized he was standing in the center of the hallway. He ducked into the entrance of the nearby doorway to the dining hall, hiding there as curiosity begged him to listen in.

"Strained or pulled muscles at his age? Children fake sick all the time," he heard Teacher say sternly. "He's going to have to toughen up if he wants to get anywhere in life, let alone as a Delver. That singular Relic after two delves is nothing but a bad omen. Having a stunted child is one thing, but one like him tends to never be able to gain much strength, no matter how much he tries to better himself or how much we provide. We cannot make special accommodations for him. Strength is what we need, not a drain on resources."

"It's only been a few days since he started delving, he needs time to settle into the routine," Leader said. "Now can we discuss this later? He needs to eat something since he missed breakfast, and I'm sure whatever work you assigned to the other children has been completed by now."

There was a slight rustling and a solitary footstep before it was cut off. "You cannot dictate what I believe is enough work or not, and you will listen," Teacher said coldly. "I know you pander to him more than the other children."

"Perhaps I wouldn't as much if he didn't need help," Leader said. "Azreth, his brother, and that girl Mal are always bullying him. A sweet boy like him should deserve to have a chance to thrive, not be put down by constant insults."

"They're children poking fun at another, they'll grow out of it eventually," Teacher said. "Though they do have a point. He's been receiving the same training as the other children. I've dealt with other children like him before you began working here, Sibil. They all follow the same path, and the signs start early."

Vio's heart sank into his gut, his face burning with embarrassment as his eyes reflexively stung with forming tears. He knew Teacher never liked him as much, but he thought it was because of his occasional shyness and how he shirked bedtime in order to read. He didn't think it was because she shared Azreth's thoughts. So he was never going to get stronger? He didn't have a chance to? His chest was hurting almost as much as his shoulders now.

"Not always. If they just are given a chance, they can develop into amazing Delvers," Leader said. "Not giving them any chance is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Vio may be stunted, but he can still do great things. You've seen how smart he is in the lessons and how he spends his free time, every delving group needs a reliable well of information along with a leader. Vio could become that easily. Even then, he can find work elsewhere as an appraiser or researcher, delving isn't everything."

"It is here. So long as a child of age is staying at my orphanage, they need to delve. I can't fund everything here on my own, every child has to play their part." A scoff could be heard from Teacher. "But of course you would believe that of those liabilities, since you're friends with that one-eyed loon at the edge of the North District. I'm still astonished he's a Black Whistle, though he's hardly utilized its privileges. But when you only speak the words of dead poets, it's no wonder you're alone. You might as well be a ghost yourself like those poets at that point."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. The only sound Vio heard was the pounding of his heart and the ragged breaths he tried to stifle.

"He still needs a chance," Leader then said in a lower, more hesitant voice. "Now please, I need to get back to him." With that, Vio ran from the dining hall back to the infirmary. He thankfully managed to hold his tears back the entire time, even as he sat himself back on the bed. He was just more in shock than anything.

A minute or two later, Leader arrived back at the infirmary. She was carrying a shallow bowl with a couple rice balls inside, and she smiled at Vio, though it was more of a strained one. He made himself look back at her, trying to make himself look confused. "Are you okay?" he asked, and Leader nodded.

"Sorry you had to wait so long. The lunches were already packed away, so I had to make these from scratch. I hope you let that ointment dry before you put your shirt back on," she said as she handed the bowl to Vio. So a lie... Vio didn't know what to think of that. Still, he took the bowl, thanking Leader before digging in.

Admittedly, the food helped lift Vio's spirits somewhat. The bits of dried fish mixed into the rice really helped things; he'd always loved fish, and it wasn't often they got extras like these mixed into the lunches... unless Leader had actually made these herself? He didn't care, he was just glad he could have them.

"Do you know how much of the lesson I've missed?" Vio asked with some caution.

"The first portion of it, but Teacher assigned a bit of work the other children are doing without her needing to be there. By the time you finish eating, the second should be starting. You'll be fine." Vio nodded, already finishing his first rice ball and starting on the second. "Like I said before, if you're still in pain later, you can get something else that might help. Just don't strain yourself."

A lump formed in Vio's throat then, and he glanced up at Leader. "You don't think I'm faking this, do you?"

He seemed to have made a mistake there, as Leader's brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course not. You never fake your tears or pain, and you can't fake that swelling in your shoulders. Why would you ask that?"

Vio wanted to shrug, but he still hurt too much to do that. "I just feel bad for making you do this for me when you have other things to do I'm sure. I feel like you're always doing things for me and nobody else."

Leader's expression softened. "I do it because I want to help you, and I care about you. Are you worried that you're getting teased more because I help you so much? I would offer to stay out of things more, but I don't want those children to hurt you."

"I-I know I'm weak, so it's better you do," Vio said with a faint smile. He hated saying he was weak, but it truly seemed that he was. Since it was so obvious, he might as well say it before somebody else did.

Leader's mouth fell open slightly before she closed it. "You're..." She trailed off, and Vio's stomach knotted. He already heard the admittance from her, but he didn't think she'd say it to his face. "While you aren't the strongest Red Whistle here, you have strengths the others don't. Like I said before, everybody needs to be given a chance to show off their other strengths and develop them."

"But what if I can't delve tomorrow?" Vio asked. "Or what if I can't find more Relics when I delve in the future? Well, good Relics at least. Teacher wasn't happy with what I found yesterday..."

Leader adopted another serious look. "Whatever you find is proof you can even delve at all. So long as you find something every day, you should be fine. I'm sorry, but I can only help you so much because otherwise I'll be the one who's in trouble with Belchero."

Vio still sulked a bit, but he understood. He always thought adults had the authority no matter what, but it was more than clear to him now that some adults had authority over others. "That's okay, then. I'll do my best."

"And that's all you can do," Leader said. Vio finished up the third rice ball not long after that, though with some reluctance. He was a tad worried about facing the other children after already missing some of the lesson, but it was better that he just bit the bullet and did it. He'd read that phrase once in a book, and he figured it could apply here. But once he finished, he thanked Leader before leaving.

The following day, Vio awoke to more pain, much to his dismay. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before, but it was enough that it hurt to lift his arms. When Leader saw Vio struggling to lift his bag once breakfast had concluded, she took it away from him and sent him back to the infirmary. Vio protested, but Leader insisted, and Vio had to keep his gaze averted from the others as he left.

For the next couple of weeks, Vio did nothing but struggle through his delves. He only managed to bring up a few Relics each day, and nothing as large as the plate he found before. It was nothing compared to what some of the other Red Whistles were starting to bring in. The days where Vio didn't bring up anything, he was again denied dinner and strung up, though he was still punished on other occasions. These were more routine things, and Vio just tried to push through them.

It was both a blessing and a curse when it was announced that the new set of Red Whistles could now explore the First Layer alone, albeit within the first hundred yards. Vio was relieved to finally be out from under the older kids, some of whom also wanted a share of Vio's Relics. However, he didn't like the idea of being cast out by himself already. The only person he could think of asking to team up with was Jay, but she had already paired off with others and left.

"You don't wanna be alone? Why not team up with us?" Azreth asked Vio with a grin when he saw Vio by himself. Vio instantly shook his head before glancing at Leader. She looked as if she wanted to approach the kids, but Vio ended the confrontation by running off down the trail, accepting that he'd be alone for the day.

Vio didn't dare to go deeper than the fifty-yard mark, worried about what would happen if he did. It wasn't like he was in any danger where he currently was, but it was much less than what definitely awaited him below. Reluctant to start searching but determined to not come back empty-handed, Vio headed for the same site where he and Cianne had searched on his first delve. He searched higher up, landing him in an area with more caves and overhangs. Even though these caves could hold danger, they also could hold Relics.

By this point, Vio had adopted a bit of a routine of looking for Relics. Search in cracks, in hollows, leave no stone unturned. The caves sadly yielded nothing, though that was to be expected. It was clear that these caves had been searched.

Time passed as Vio searched, and during this whole process, he only found one Relic: a fist-sized pot of some kind made of fitted stone pieces to make an interesting design. Vio breathed a small sigh of relief when he found it. This would be the one Relic that would keep him from punishment that night. He just needed to keep it safe now.

Vio had discovered the Relic near the back of a decently large, plant-filled cave that had a smaller opening, so it would take him a second to find his way back to the entrance. While he did, he became aware of a sound from outside, what sounded like a pickaxe smashing into stone. Vio was struck with confusion, then concern when he noticed bits of stone starting to rain down over the cave entrance. He made a scramble towards the entrance, only to flinch back when a loud crack rang out, followed by crumbling as large rocks tumbled down from the ceiling and blocked the entrance.

As the dust settled, with Vio trying not to cough on it while his eyes started watering, disbelief hit him. All natural light had vanished from the cave, having been blocked by the fallen rocks. "Wh-what..?" Vio muttered. He moved back towards the former entrance, trying to push on the rocks to see if any were loose. When none budged, he took out his tools to try and break down the rocks himself, telling himself there was no need to panic.

"I don't think that's a good idea, runt!" a familiar voice called from outside the cave, slightly muffled but still recognizable. Azreth. Vio's heart dropped. "All these rocks are pretty unstable, so trying to break them from in there would just block you in again," Azreth continued. "You'd need help from someone out here."

"We can help ya, but we need ya to do something first," Tyril said. "Cry for us, runt."

"Cry, and give us all your Relics!" Mal added. "It's obvious you're not getting anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well just help the people who are actually gonna be good Delvers, so us."

Vio was just in shock by this point. It was obvious that the others had blocked the cave without care that oxygen could be limited or a plethora of other dangers that could result from this, which was something he never thought they would stoop to. Vio's throat tightened as a cold wave of dread swept over him. "Wh-why are you doing this?" he couldn't help but ask. "This is low, even for you guys!"

"Because we're proving that we're right," Azreth said. "You're nothing but a runt, you're never gonna be able to do anything! You need help because you're weak, and Delvers like you are gonna get others killed, if you even get older."

"I don't get how Teacher hasn't thrown you out yet! You're better off rotting in the Wharf District," Mal said, and the other two agreed.

Vio crept back from the entrance, his chest tightening along with his throat. Even if they were lying about the additional rocks, they would still be waiting for him on the other side. No matter what, Vio was trapped. So what was he supposed to do? Would they leave him in here if he didn't cry for them?

Even though he didn't want it to, his heart began to race. He could imagine the others leaving him in here, leaving him to scream for help as his light dimmed before eventually dying out, dropping him into darkness to die from starvation or dehydration. He wanted to scream in frustration when his eyes started stinging, but his fear was starting to grow.

"Nothing yet? Okay, maybe you're tougher than we thought, unless it's just an act," Azreth said, startling Vio. "But we're not letting you out until you cry. So just give and cry already! There's no point in acting tough, runt!"

Vio gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut to keep his tears at bay. He couldn't cry, he had no reason to. He was going to find a way out of this cave. Again, he started to pull out his tools, not sure of what he would do with them but sure he could think of something once he calmed down.

But as he looked into his bag, a sudden crumbling of stone behind him made him scream at the top of his lungs, his mind instantly jumping to the worst circumstances. Vio jolted back towards the nearest wall, his terror becoming confusion when he noticed one of those common white-furred mammals scampering around the cavern. He hadn't seen that creature in here when he was searching it, so how did it get in here?

Meanwhile, peals of laughter broke out from outside. "Did ya hear him scream?" Tyril asked. "He screamed like a girl!" Tyril then grunted in pain while Mal snapped "hey!" She surely had hit him or something.

"Are you scared yet, runt? Are you gonna cry now?" Azreth called out. "There's no point in screaming since only we can hear you!"

Vio held in a sob, again wiping his eyes, but his attention mostly remained on the small creature. He watched it scamper about the cavern before vanishing into a patch of ivy-like plants that covered part of the back wall. It didn't come out again, which sparked some curiosity in Vio. He made his way to the ivy patch, cautiously digging into the plants. When his hand didn't touch stone, he pushed the plants aside to reveal a hole in the wall.

It was a small hole, probably a foot tall at the most and a bit wider than that. When Vio looked into it, there was just darkness until Vio shifted positions. The hole turned out to be a tunnel that had a slight curve to it, and around this curve was a pale yellow glow. Vio's heart leapt. It was the glow of midday sunlight, or at least what he hoped was sunlight. A small shape eclipsed the light for a second before it became visible again. Was it the creature?

Vio stared into the tunnel, his lips pursed as he thought. While someone like Azreth or Cianne couldn't fit into this tunnel, Vio could. It would be a squeeze, but he could do it. Worry fractured him at the thought of him getting stuck or the tunnel collapsing, but it was either try this or face Azreth and the others. Vio swallowed back his worries and returned to his bag, pulling out a few tools and strapping them to his belt before returning to the tunnel. If he was going to end up outside, he wouldn't dare to not have anything on him.

He entered the tunnel arms-first, almost with his elbows tucked at his sides and his stomach pressed flat to the ground. It was a slow process, inching forwards with his arms before pushing the rest of the way with the tips of his toes and repeating the process. There was very little room for him to move in the tunnel otherwise, and he quickly became more than aware of the stone and moss pressing in around him. He choked back the encroaching fear again, instead forcing it to fuel his scramble.

The tunnel soon began to bend, the curve pressing uncomfortably into Vio's side. Still, he crawled onwards, and rounding the bend made the spot of light larger. As he approached, a slight breeze cooled his sweat-dampened face, and he almost cried from joy. It was a way out. This revelation gave him a new burst of energy, and he pushed himself even more. Greenery became visible in the growing light, greenery and more rocks—the outside.

Finally, Vio emerged from the tunnel. He collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving for breath and from relief. The air had never smelled more amazing, and he couldn't help but lay there for a few moments, just recovering. Reality then slapped him, urging him to get up before he was put in danger again. He lifted his head and was faced with one of the white-furred mammals. It stared at Vio curiously, but this time Vio smiled at it.

"I'm not as small as you, but I could still fit through that tunnel," he said. The creature tilted its head before running off into the underbrush, where other squeaks could be heard. Vio sighed, slowly sitting up and taking in his surroundings. He swore he could hear Azreth and the others, but he couldn't see them nearby. It seemed he had emerged into a hollow in a cliffside occupied by a single tree. He got to his feet, trying to brush off the dust but knowing there was still plenty along with dirt and bits of flora stuck to him.

Once he left the hollow, it didn't take long for Vio to see Azreth and the others. They were sitting around the cave entrance about fifty feet away, either talking with each other or absentmindedly looking around. Vio quickly ducked back into the hollow so he wouldn't be seen, already worried that they had. When nothing happened as a result, relief came over him.

But now that Vio had gotten out of the cave, a new problem had been presented to him. He only had the few tools he'd brought with him, and they would do little to help him excavate any more Relics, not that he had a bag to carry them in. Then a thought hit him. He'd left behind the one Relic he did find back in the cave! His backpack definitely couldn't fit through the tunnel, so until the others left, he couldn't retrieve his bag.

The minutes started to tick by, during which Vio searched around the hollow, trying to keep himself busy. His search yielded nothing except the entrance to another tunnel, though this one was too small, even for him. And with how many of the white-furred creatures he was seeing, this may have been a hub where they gathered. Thankfully they seemed to be harmless, not to mention cute, so Vio didn't mind that at least, though frustration stewed in him.

Every time Vio checked outside the hollow, he saw Azreth and the others still waiting outside the cave. Even when he wasn't checking, every few minutes he heard them call out some taunt. His frustration grew. He was losing out on a chance to find Relics because of those awful kids, and they weren't even worried about finding Relics themselves. Since they were working together in a group, they'd probably already found Relics. And of course Vio had to suffer for it.

When the sun had shifted a ways past the midday point, finally, something seemed to change among the other kids. Vio watched from around the lip of the hollow, brow furrowed in impatience.

"I'm bored, can we get back to delving?" Mal declared as she stood up, brushing the dirt from her shorts. She was bored? Of course she wouldn't care how Vio felt, but still! "Come on, Az. Let's just go."

"Yeah, I thought he was gonna break sooner," Tyril said, sounding almost disappointed.

Azreth looked from the cave to Mal and his brother, then back again before sighing. "Fine." He slammed his fist on one of the rocks blocking the cave. "I guess since you didn't cry, we're not letting you out! Hopefully someone else finds you!"

"Let's hope he doesn't get out. Things'll be better if he doesn't," Tyril said. With that, the others finally left. Still, he continued to wait until they were completely out of sight before leaving the hollow.

Vio hurried to the cave entrance, only for his heart to sink when he saw the layer of decently-sized rocks blocking it. A section of the cliff had given way, allowing for the rocks to come sliding down. Vio swore he could see gouges in the rock that had been made by pickaxes. It didn't seem like any more would fall from above if they were moved, but that wouldn't matter if they couldn't be moved at all. But he needed to try, even if he hurt himself again doing so. The only thing worse than not coming back with any Relics was losing an entire backpack.

He started with the smallest rocks, pushing them away and freeing up gaps for the larger rocks to be shifted. The sun beat down on Vio, causing sweat to break out on his forehead as he panted and strained against the stones, struggling to move them. The largest rock was about twice the size of his head, but it was far heavier than it looked. Bit by bit, the rock moved, until finally the entrance was freed up. Shards of stone fell away from above as the rock was shifted, some clacking off Vio's helmet. But he didn't care, it was gone. After taking a moment to heave for breath, Vio forced himself back into the cave to retrieve his items.

By the time Vio emerged from the cave with his gear, the sun was starting to sink towards the horizon. Worry seized Vio's chest, and he ran for the trail, even if he was still struggling to regain his breath after all that work. He had perhaps an hour at the most to find more Relics and return to the meeting site. If he found one more thing, that would be just fine with him. Vio threw himself further down the trail, hoping going a bit deeper would increase his chances of finding something.

Vio searched through the forest seventy yards down, sticking to the fringes in fear of encountering something deeper in or getting lost. But to no avail, no Relics presented themselves to him. Only bugs sprung up from the undergrowth, darting to his exposed flesh and trying to sting him. Vio had no choice but to leave, if not because of the time, then because he didn't want to be stung.

"Is everything okay, Vio? You're covered in dust," Leader asked. Vio numbly looked up at her, shrugging. His arms, wrapped around his churning stomach, were now itching from the few bites he did receive. He didn't understand how he could still throw something up even if he hadn't eaten lunch today. "Did you find anything today?"

Vio nodded, noticing Azreth and the others returning to the meeting site. A couple looked shocked while Azreth's face screwed up in anger. Vio couldn't help but feel a burst of satisfaction knowing he'd gotten out of there when they thought he couldn't. "S-something, yeah," he muttered to Leader, unconsciously scratching at one of his arms but failing because of his gloves. Leader took note of this and pursed her lips.

"What bit you? Describe it to me, please."

Vio tried to remember, speaking hesitantly. "Small things, about the size of my thumbnail? I don't know, but they had wings and thin bodies."

At that, Leader relaxed. "There's no pus or anything green coming out of those stings, so you should be fine. But you should take a cold shower to help with the itching." She smiled as she said this, and Vio weakly returned it. He was just worried about how Teacher would react to his finding, especially since it was so small today.

Vio hung out at the back of the line when the group returned to the orphanage, not willing to let himself be embarrassed in front of the other children. Thankfully, Azreth's group was near the front, so they couldn't pester Vio.

Of course, the inevitable came, and Vio presented the small pot to Teacher. She took it, staring at it before turning to Vio with one of the coldest looks he'd ever seen from her, which was an accomplishment.

"You were in the Abyss for an entire day, and this is all you found?" she questioned, her words steely. "I've counted now, and this is the sixth time you've done this. Do you know what pays for the food you eat and the bed you sleep in? Certainly not this, and I will not tolerate it. Even the most incompetent of other Red Whistles here still manage to bring in more Relics than you. What do you have to say for yourself about this?"

His gaze fell to the ground. "I-I was trapped in a cave during the delve today, and it took a long time to get out since I was by myself. I'm s-so sorry, Teacher," he said, but she grabbed his chin, making him look up at her again.

"Sorry isn't good enough. A capable Delver should have been able to get out of a situation like that more quickly," she said slowly before letting Vio's face go, only to grab his arm and drag him into the orphanage.

Vio didn't bother trying to fight her as she did this, just let her lead him through the hallways. A few other kids were hanging around the halls, and Vio averted his gaze from them as shame flushed his face hot. He knew they were staring, but instead he focused on the floor.

When Teacher finally came to a stop, Vio looked up, seeing that they had arrived in the kitchen. The scent of something having been baked still hung about in the air, even though the meal had already finished cooking. The savory aroma made Vio's stomach growl loudly, and he winced as Teacher narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, you're hungry?" she questioned condescendingly. "You would be getting dinner like the other children, but you clearly haven't put in enough effort to earn it." She released Vio, turning to the counter and grabbing a knife along with a loaf of bread that had already been cut into.

Vio's heart was racing now, and he had to force himself to not shake from sheer nerves. He watched nervously as Teacher cut two slices from the loaf, leaving them on the counter afterwards. When she didn't do anything else, simply stared at him, Vio slowly took the slices. Only then did she start putting things away.

"That is all you're getting from now on until you prove you can pull your weight," she said. "Doing extra chores won't change this. You're of the capable age to delve, so there's no excuse. Now, did you eat your lunch today?" When Vio hesitated, her brow furrowed. "Bring me your extras, and they'll be kept for your lunch tomorrow. It doesn't matter if they're dry by then, because they won't be wasted."

That just confused Vio, and he couldn't help but ask, "T-tomorrow? But why can't I just have them n—?"

"Do you want to be strung up?" Teacher snapped. Vio flinched back, stuffing one of the slices in his mouth to stifle his words as he frantically shook his head. "Then you will do as I say, you runt. I'm the reason why you even have shelter at all. Would you rather be living on the streets? Because I can tell you that you wouldn't survive a day in the Wharf District on your own." Vio again shook his head, and Teacher scoffed. "Finish your dinner and go wash yourself off. You've tracked dirt all the way here."

But you didn't let me wash off before! Vio thought, wanting to cry as he numbly chewed on the bread. Why would she make him do something, only to get mad at him when he did it instead of doing the more logical thing?

He quickly left the kitchen after Teacher's last order, heading for the showers without another word. He wasn't hungry at all by the time he'd been given the bread, so he had to force himself to eat it. Even then, his insides were too knotted for the bread to sit well with him, and he ended up throwing it up in the bathroom. He was thankfully alone throughout this time, and he was able to return to his room without being bothered by anyone else. Somehow, he'd been able to hold back tears the entire time.

Vio laid on his bed for a time, his mind in a haze from the day's events. Never had such ire been directed at him from Teacher, the words she said to Leader finally having been directed at him. Stunted, weak, that was what he was, even though he'd managed to escape from the cave because he was so small. He probably could have freed himself from the inside with his tools if he had been stronger, like Teacher said. Little did Vio know, the events that evening would begin a new routine that he didn't like at all.

—~*~—

Vio stared blankly down at his notebook, mind struggling to focus on the words he'd written. Whatever Teacher was saying was even more distant than those words. He was more preoccupied with how hungry he was. Even when he ate breakfast, he was hungry again less than an hour later. He now couldn't remember the last time he didn't feel the incessant, painful gnawing in his gut or his head hadn't swam with a fog that refused to lift.

He was then suddenly startled by Teacher slamming her hands down on his desk. He couldn't help but cry out, snapping his head up with other children snickered around him. The look on her face made it clear that she'd asked him something. "I, uh, y-yes, Teacher?" he stuttered out, shrinking back from her glare.

"Is this something new you're trying to do? Because it won't work," she hissed in his ear. "Either you pay attention, or you're not getting any lunch either."

"I-I'm not trying to do anything, though," Vio whimpered. "I just can't think right..."

Teacher didn't offer even an ounce of sympathy for Vio. "Then listen to the lesson and forget about taking those notes of yours if they're so hard to focus on. These lessons are your priority on days like these, you know this." Vio couldn't do anything else but nod, and Teacher finally left him alone to return to the lesson.

It didn't take long for Vio to become distracted again. It wasn't because of the haze in his head, but instead the pain elsewhere. His stomach had long since given up on protesting its constant emptiness now just ached, like a knife had been stabbed into it. Eating only rid him of the pain momentarily, and it would soon return with a vengeance each time.

Vio tried to not make his actions obvious as he wrapped his arms around his middle. Why couldn't lunch come sooner? He'd be getting a halved portion there as well, but it would at least be something. Even then, he didn't know if he could make it that long today. His gaze fell back to his notebook. Could he get away with eating paper? No, he'd probably get in trouble for doing that...

With how Vio could hardly listen to the lessons, his delving performance only worsened. He was too slow for anybody to want to team up with him, not wanting to lose out on progress for themselves. Not even Jay wanted to team up with him, and Vio didn't mind. It was obvious how weak he was, so nobody should have to put up with him. Because of this, Vio would more consistently end the day with no Relics, and his failures mounted as a whole.

Again, Vio struggled to focus on Teacher before she was at his desk again. "Is there still an issue?" she asked.

Vio choked on his words, tears starting to form from both pain and fear. There was no point in trying to stick things out, not if it was clear he couldn't do it. "Can I just go to my room? P-please?" he asked weakly. "My stomach hurts so much..!"

"Your stomach is not my issue." Teacher grabbed his arm tightly. "Ignoring my lessons only hurts you, and you need to make an effort to better your situation. But I want to make sure my words stick with you." Of course, a punishment, like always now.

The day couldn't be over quickly enough. Once Vio's punishment had ended, the lesson was over as well. Vio didn't care that it meant he missed the history portion of the lesson, he was just relieved to have some time by himself and out of the orphanage. He had a few hours left until dinner would be made, and he knew exactly where he would go.

To Vio's relief, he was nearly alone up on the lookout that afternoon. A young couple were there, but they left not long after he arrived. So nobody wanted to be around him, even if they just saw him only for a second? He sighed, leaning against the wall bordering the edge of the hill and looking out at the Abyss.

A strange feeling filled Vio as he stared at the Abyss, one he didn't know at the time was bitterness. Like almost every other child in Orth, Vio wanted nothing more than to explore the Abyss and grasp at a chance at becoming a legend. But in the couple months he'd been delving, that goal seemed to become more and more distant. Even having a single successful delve was almost impossible for him. A Relic or three wasn't enough, he needed so much more to not go to sleep feeling ashamed at night.

His chest tightened, eyes starting to sting. The other children would be moving to the deeper groups soon, and he'd hardly made a dent in the needed value to achieve that. He didn't even want to become a White Whistle, going that far didn't matter to him. He just wanted to delve, see the Abyss and learn about it, but he couldn't do it.

He sank to the ground, tears spilling from his eyes, unable to stand looking at the Abyss any longer. Things hadn't already been the best, but now they were just crashing down, and Vio didn't know how to stop them. All the talk of value, applying to both Relics and those who retrieved them. One's value was everything, and the only value Vio had was his knowledge of the Abyss and its history. What else was he good for besides fitting into small spaces? Even that didn't matter since his size was a detriment to that strength that had eluded him for so long.

Why can't I do anything? he wondered desperately. I want to delve, but I just can't! Why am I so weak? He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head in them. He was just so tired, so hungry, and so sick of it all.

"Excuse me, are you okay, young man?" a man's voice abruptly asked. "Oh, wait a moment, I've seen you before."

Vio's head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise. Somebody was standing about a yard away from him, their form slightly washed out by the light from the setting sun. The person then got down to one knee, and Vio could see them more clearly. He recognized the person as the man who had first helped Vio up at the gateway after his first delve.

Vio blinked once or twice, confused until he realized what the man had asked him. He quickly wiped his eyes, nodding. "I-it's you. I'm fine, thanks." But while he said that, he couldn't bring himself to move yet.

"I don't like to assume, but you're clearly not okay," the man said with a concerned frown. "Is there any way I could help you?"

The way this man spoke was strange, almost like how Leader talked to Vio. He was speaking like Vio was an adult, not a child like everyone else did. "It's okay, I-I'm sorry for being so rude," Vio apologized. "Thanks again for asking. I just need to go back to the orphanage."

"Of course," the man said with a nod. "But can I accompany you at least part of the way to where you're staying? It's getting late, and I don't feel right letting someone as young as you walk alone at this time."

Vio was confused by this. He looked up, only to realize that the sky was almost completely dyed purple. It was much later than he thought it was, and he winced at the thought of Leader being upset with him being out for so long. Or even worse, Teacher realizing it.

"Okay," Vio agreed. "I live at Belchero Orphanage, if you know where that is."

The man's face lit up at that. "Belchero? If you could believe me, my good friend works there as the assistant to the headmistress. Her name is Sibil, and I believe you'd know her."

"Yeah, I know Leader," Vio said. Pieces started to fall into place then. "I think I know who you could be. You're that friend she talks about? You have one eye and talk about poetry." It made sense if he was, considering Leader's speech about giving everybody chances and how this man was missing an eye.

"She's spoken of me?" the man said with some surprise before wincing a bit. "I didn't expect that but all right. But I suppose those two things sum me up pretty well. In that case, yes, she's speaking about me. My name is Bellan Faite, and I trained with Sibil when we were Red Whistles."

"Oh, okay," Vio said. He didn't mean to come off as rude, but even with all he already said about himself, he didn't want to give this man his name. "But can we get going?" He forced himself to his feet, putting a hand to his head as his vision swam for a second. He took a breath and briefly closed his eyes as nausea churned in his stomach.

Noticing his instability, Bellan reached out for Vio but stopped himself and took his hand back. "Again, are you okay?"

"I-I'm just a bit dizzy. It's fine," Vio said. His constant hunger had also brought on a dizziness that swayed him whenever he moved too quickly. This was the first time it'd affected him this badly, however. He then took note of Bellan seemingly looking Vio up and down, pursing his lips as he did so. Vio was about to ask what he was doing when Bellan quickly looked away, turning on his heel.

"My apologies. Shall we get going?" he asked. Vio silently nodded, and he followed after Bellan.

The walk back to the orphanage quickly became awkward. Bellan kept his distance from Vio, probably to make him feel less uncomfortable, but it just made things even stranger for the Red Whistle. Not wanting to stay in this silence, Vio decided to speak up. With Bellan being a Black Whistle, he genuinely had some questions for him.

"So what's it like being a Black Whistle? Have you been to the Fourth Layer?"

Bellan glanced down at Vio before looking ahead again. "I have been there, and it's as beautiful as everybody says. All the greenery and mist, and the field of Eternal Fortunes everyone talks about..." He shook his head. "But I haven't been down there in years. The last time I did delve that far, that was before I lost my eye. I'm sure this will be different for you, but life as a Black Whistle is quite lonely for me. I... don't want to place any heavy weights on you, so I'll just say that people don't appreciate that I only have one eye."

"Leader told me about that," Vio said. "She said some people think others are useless if they aren't really healthy, but you should try to give those people a chance too."

"That is something she's always said," Bellan said with a slight smile. "I feel she adopted those views because of me, though she's never told me for sure. A-and don't tell her I said that, please. I know we just met so that's an odd thing to ask, but still."

He was being awkward again. Did Bellan not know how to talk with people that well? The youngest kids were quiet but eventually grew out of it, so it seemed not everybody did. "I won't," Vio said. He now wanted to ask how Bellan had lost his eye, but that would definitely be rude to do. "Do you have any kids?"

"I do. Well, I like to consider her my daughter, though I adopted her only about four or five months ago. She's a girl a couple of years older than you, though she just started her training as a Red Whistle," Bellan said. "Why do you ask?"

Vio shrugged. "I don't know. I've just wondered how Delvers have families when what they do is so dangerous. Leader doesn't have kids, and Teacher didn't either when she delved. Also, you're out here by yourself. People with families would be at home by now, I think."

Bellan chuckled awkwardly. "You're not wrong about that. It's been more difficult than when I lived alone, though things are a tad easier since she wants to delve as well. But you're right that it's strange that I'd be out here right now this late. Really, it's a simple answer. Evening walks, even after a strenuous delve, are calming. My daughter was too tired to walk with me tonight, and I didn't want to force her to come with me. It's nice to observe the city and the Abyss from places like these. Well, observe as well as I can." He tried to smile, and Vio smiled back just to make Bellan feel better. He clearly didn't look comfortable making a joke like that, and Vio wondered why he said it at all.

"Strenuous means stressful, right? Like on the body?" Vio asked, and Bellan nodded. "Do you know how I can become stronger?"

"What do you mean?" Bellan asked with confusion.

"Well, you're way taller than me, and you look way stronger than me too," Vio said. Bellan looked like he was almost six feet tall, and that was nothing but impressive to Vio. "How did you get that way? I-I know I look weak, and it's because I am. I'm the smallest Red Whistle at the orphanage, and I can hardly bring up anything when I do delve. But I still really wanna delve. I love learning about the Abyss, and I like to think I know a lot about it. So I wanna explore it and find out more about it, but I don't know what to do to fix that, though..."

Bellan went silent, seemingly going into thought. Vio figured he was genuinely thinking about his question, and that made him happy to know Bellan was taking him seriously. "Well, the first thing you can do is make sure you're eating enough," Bellan started. "This age is vital for children like you since you'll be able to start building real muscle soon, and eating well is vital to having enough energy to maintain all that. If anything, it's the most important thing you can do first." He said this slowly, like he was carefully choosing each word. All the while, he looked at Vio, as if gauging his reaction.

Vio balked at that, gaze falling to the ground before he looked back up at Bellan. "I... I-I—Okay, I'll work on that," he muttered. No, he shouldn't say anything. He shouldn't risk getting more in trouble. The silence Bellan gave Vio after that started to make worry bubble in his chest. Had he said something wrong? But then Bellan replied.

"Also, some people just aren't meant to be tall or physically strong. If your parents weren't tall, then you likely won't be either. And some people just aren't able to gain strength no matter what, everybody's different. Of course, that isn't a bad thing by any means. Everybody has their own strengths, and if you really do know a lot about the Abyss, then that's a strength right there. Most people who dedicate their free time to building their strength sacrifice research to do so. It's a rarity that you can find somebody who can manage to do both."

Vio nodded, more just to acknowledge Bellan's words than agreeing with them. "And... I guess I can fit into small places too," he added.

"That's important as well," Bellan said. "If everyone was tall, then so many Relics in small caves and tunnels could be missed. The Third Layer is nothing but tunnels, after all. I've also seen smaller Delvers excel at climbing, since their size is less to support on steeper cliffs."

Climbing? Vio had never thought about that before. But then again, he could hardly imagine doing that the way he currently was. He'd been so much more achy recently, like how he felt when he had the flu, and he couldn't imagine forcing himself to climb. "That's pretty cool," he said simply.

"It's something to consider," Bellan said before pointing at the path ahead. "We're almost there, by the way." Vio had been so swept up in the conversation that he didn't realize they were on the path that led to Belchero.

When they got to the top of the hill, what Vio saw was confirmed to be Leader. She was looking concerned, but then relieved when she saw Vio. "There you are, Vio! Why were you gone for so long, you're missing dinner right now." She then noticed Bellan, and her brows lifted. "Bellan? What are you doing here?"

"I found Vio out by the nearby lookout," he replied. "I wanted to make sure he was okay, but I didn't think he would be from here."

Vio winced when Leader mentioned dinner, and he nodded. He turned back to Bellan. "Thanks for walking me back, Mr. Bell. It was nice meeting you."

Bellan looked a little lost for words then. "Bell..?" he said faintly, but then he smiled, though it seemed to be forced. "You're very welcome, Vio. It was a pleasure meeting you as well." Vio waved to him and started to head back into the orphanage, but then he heard Bellan speak behind him. "Wait, Sibil. May I speak with you before you go?" Confused, Vio turned around, only for Leader to shake her head.

"Go inside, Vio. It's fine," she said. This just made Vio curious, but the painful writhing in his gut urged him to go inside so he had a chance at having dinner. With one last glance at the two adults, Vio went inside.

When Vio got to the dining hall, like he hoped not to see, the tables were cleared off. There wasn't a scrap of food in sight. He clenched his jaw, balling his hands into fists. Why did he expect to get something?

"What were you expecting?"

Vio turned around, staggering back a step in surprise when he saw that Teacher was standing only a foot away from him. He swore he saw someone else running away from behind Teacher, but they were gone before he could see who they were. "Teacher, I-I—"

"You know what the rules are," she cut him off sternly. "You need to be back at sunset or else you will miss dinner."

"B-but I was just out, I-I lost track of time..." He knew his reasons would just come off as excuses to Teacher, and there was no way of convincing her to think otherwise.

"There are no exceptions, runt," Teacher stated, narrowing her eyes. Vio wanted to say so much, but he felt utterly helpless standing before Teacher. He would literally be talking to a wall by arguing this. "Now go to your room, or you won't be getting any breakfast either." Panic struck Vio then, and he frantically ran from the dining hall before she finished speaking. That panic gave Vio enough energy to run, and he did so.

He didn't know how long he spent washing off, standing under the water and letting it splatter into his eyes. The heat was like a blanket, comforting until it started to run cold. Instead of moving to another spigot to use up all its hot water, Vio decided it was for the best that he just go to bed. His head was hazy as he stumbled into the hall; sleep sounded amazing then.

He heard them before he saw them as he walked to his room, blurred voices that rang out through the hall in tones he still recognized. Vio slowly looked up, seeing Azreth and the others approaching him. They were looking at him expectedly, like they knew he would be here. A whimper escaped Vio's throat.

"Oh, there you are!" Azreth said with a malicious grin. "I can't believe you missed dinner tonight. There was actually some leftover food, and the younger kids got extra. We got some, so you probably would've too if you'd been here!"

It was surely a lie, but it didn't stop Vio from feeling like he'd been punched in the chest. He possibly could've had more tonight?

Tyril chimed in as well, like he always did. "It was so good too! We actually got meat tonight, those shell-bird things from the First Layer."

"H-Hammerbeaks," Vio couldn't help but correct. That proved to be a mistake when Tyril grabbed Vio by the front of his shirt, butting his head against Vio's while he glared down at the smaller boy.

"Ya can't tell me what's what, runt. Not when any of us could knock ya out," he hissed. He shoved Vio back, and his sluggish reflexes weren't enough to stop him from falling over onto his backside.

Azreth shook his head, looking upset. "I feel kinda bad about that, so how about I offer you something? Tyril and I will give you half our lunches tomorrow." His brother gave him a look, but Azreth continued. "But you have to get on your knees and beg us for them. And while you're doing that, tell us that you're nothing with nothing parents while ours actually did something."

Vio's throat closed up, eyes starting to sting. No, he couldn't do that. He knew he wasn't strong, but he wouldn't say it when someone was forcing him to. But at the same time, that frustration was starting to simmer in him again, growing into a boil. He'd never felt contradicting feelings like this before. Even as his eyes welled up, his chest also welled up with anger.

"What, you're not going to do it?" Azreth said, frowning. "Fine, I'll make you do it, and you'll get nothing from it." He only needed to take one step towards Vio before he had him by the hair, yanking him forwards onto his knees while Vio screamed.

Although Vio screamed out in pain, it was also a scream of anger. At first he didn't want to get in trouble, but some primal part of his mind forced an instinct into his hunger-riddled consciousness. He couldn't stand this anymore, he had to do something! While Azreth was trying to force him onto his hands and knees, Vio shoved himself up as hard as he could against Azreth's hold.

"Wha—?" Azreth started to get out, but surprise stopped it as Vio slammed himself against Azreth, actually managing to knock him over. Now Azreth was on the ground with Vio on top of him, and he was going to do all he could to maintain that position.

The first thing Vio did was drive his knee into Azreth's gut, pressing down with all his weight while trying to knee him in the groin with his other leg. The result was a clumsy mess of an attack, but it still elicited pain from Azreth. But when Azreth tried to scream, Vio brought down his fist onto the boy's nose and upper lip. A punch wouldn't do a thing, so he had to act whatever way he could. He brought down his fist again, resulting in a dull crunch and a small trickle of blood to start flowing from his nose. Azreth screamed this time, voice choked with a sob.

Vio thought he would feel happy about finally making Azreth cry for once, but no satisfaction came. All he felt was rage and his own sadness as his tears began to fall. A boy with a face screwed up in anger while he screamed and cried must've been a sight to see.

When a set of hands seized Vio, they ripped him from Azreth. His arms were pinned behind his back, and his chin was seized and forced to face Teacher's. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. A queasy shock slammed into Vio like a rockslide. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted.

"He attacked my brother!" Tyril shouted. "I-I think he broke his nose!"

That was it, he couldn't even attempt an explanation now. "That's it!" Teacher hissed before starting to pull Vio away. Pure terror flooded him then, and he kicked and screamed so he could get away.

"Stop it, Belchero!" the voice of Leader sharply exclaimed. Teacher did stop, and Leader rushed in from seemingly nowhere, pulling Vio away and holding him close to her. "You've already punished him enough. The last thing he needs is more punishment, not when he's in a state like this!"

"He clearly just attacked another child!" Teacher retorted. "This issue has escalated far too much, he needs to be dealt with appropriately!" She tried to reach for Vio, but Leader pulled him closer to her.

"We can deal with it when everyone here is okay," Leader said. "You don't see the blood on his palms and knees? He's been hurt as well! Let me take care of him, and I'll make sure he stays in his room for the rest of the night."

Teacher glared at Leader for a long moment before sighing. "Fine, just get him out of my hair. I'll attend to the others."

"Thank you," Leader said, relieved. She gently shook Vio's shoulder, trying to get him to react. He hardly could, however. Once the anger and fear had left him, the exhaustion and pain had come flooding back to take its place. Even hearing the conversation between the two adults was a struggle for him. "Vio?" Leader questioned. He couldn't do anything. He was so dizzy and tired, his limbs feeling like jelly. His legs gave out then, and Leader caught him, scooping him up in her arms. "I'll go lay you down, okay?"

The walk back to his room was a haze for Vio. Everything swam around him, and he hardly had enough strength to lift his head. He just let his head rest against Leader's chest, giving into the weakness overtaking him. He wasn't sure whether he fell asleep or passed out, but everything faded into darkness.

The scent of something hot and savory stirred Vio awake, fully waking him when something clacked down onto a hard surface. He slowly opened his eyes, struggling to focus on what was going on around him. It took him a minute or two to realize he was laying in his bed, the blankets pulled up to his chest.

"Oh, you're awake," came the voice of Leader. Vio turned his head, seeing her sitting beside his bed and smiling gently at him. "I didn't think you were that tired, but things have been stressful for you recently. Of course it'd exhaust you."

With that, the memories of what he did came back. Vio didn't feel anything then. All he felt, fittingly, was hollow. He then noticed the tray on his bedside table, a glass of water along with a steaming bowl resting atop it.

"I know you're hungry, but I want you to sit up before you eat, okay?" Leader asked. Vio couldn't bring himself to nod, instead pushing himself into a sitting position. "Good job, Vio," Leader praised before placing the tray on his lap. The bowl contained a broth of some kind, thickened with something tan to create a soupy kind of paste. Vio didn't care what it was, though. It smelled great, so that was all that mattered to him. "Eat it slowly," Leader warned. "I don't want you to get sick from eating it all too quickly."

It was a struggle to listen to Leader, but Vio made himself do so. Each bite was agonizingly good, the texture thick but satisfying to chew. The taste of a fish-based broth flooded his mouth, making things even better. Leader didn't speak at all while Vio was eating, leaving him in relieved bliss as he revitalized himself. "Th-thank you, Leader," he said.

"You shouldn't thank me for providing you with a basic need," Leader said with a small smile before it fell away. "I'm... truly sorry for my own neglect, Vio. I should have tried to sneak you food before, but I didn't want to risk getting in trouble with Belchero myself. I ended up just bringing food from my own home. What you had there was a mixture of crushed crackers and a ration bar, a simple meal for a Delver who wants to regain their strength quickly."

"A ration bar? It was really great though." Vio thought ration bars were known for their flavorlesness. But then again, the broth was likely there to flavor it.

"The power of experimentation," Leader said. "How are you feeling now, though?"

Vio turned his focus inwards for a moment, really thinking about that. "I'm still really tired, but my head and stomach hurt a little less now... C-could I maybe have some more soup? I'm still hungry," he asked hopefully.

"You can have more in a little bit," Leader said. "I want to make sure what you already had settles well with you." Vio couldn't help but pout at that, but he wasn't about to complain. After that thought was dashed, another, more worrying thought came to mind.

"What happened to Azreth and the others?" he asked. Silence, then, "Wh-what's going to happen to me?"

Leader was silent herself, "They're fine. You fractured Azreth's nose, but he'll recover. And... to be frank, I don't know what's going to happen to you. I don't want to sugarcoat this for you, Vio, but it's possible you may be sent away from Belchero."

Vio was at a complete loss for words, disbelief and fear again striking him. The Wharf District, that was where he knew he'd be sent. All the unwanted people and children lived there, and many of them died there as well. Seeing the fear clear on Vio's face, Leader hugged him tightly.

"I won't let that happen," she reassured. "If I can't make sure you stay here, I'll make sure you'll go someplace else where you'll be safe."

"D-do you promise?" Vio whimpered, looking up at Leader. Without a second thought, she nodded.

"I promise you will be safe." She released him and stood up, taking the tray. "Tomorrow, you're staying here. No delving. I told Belchero you had fallen sick, and I'll be responsible for caring for you. She has no reason to come into your room because of that. The oldest Blue Whistle agreed to take my place as Leader tomorrow, so there's no worries."

"Thank you," Vio said, wiping his eyes. With that, Leader left to get Vio more soup. When she was gone, he slouched back on his bed.

Silently, he stared up at his ceiling. He was still terrified of what could happen to him, but he trusted Leader to keep her promise. He just wondered where he'd be going, however. Would Leader take him in? If not, who would? It just made him grow more worried, but he told himself to calm down. She promised him, and he would cling to that promise.

The next morning, Vio awoke to knocking on his door, accompanied by Leader calling his name. He had a bit more energy to spare, to his surprise, and he was easily able to sit up as Leader entered his room. She was carrying another tray with a bowl, but there was also another, more shallow bowl accompanying it. Oatmeal and eggs, and full portions of them as well. Vio couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten this much for breakfast.

"How're you feeling this morning?" Leader asked while Vio ate, savoring every bite, and he shrugged.

"I'm still tired, but I didn't wake up that hungry for once..."

Leader still didn't seem too happy with this response, but she still smiled for a moment. "That's a relief. If you want more after this, I brought something else from home as well. You've been starved for too long, and you need to start regaining your strength."

"What strength?" Vio asked as he picked at the scraps of his eggs. "I already had nothing to begin with."

"Well, you sure had enough to knock Azreth over yesterday," Leader said, arching a brow. "I wouldn't call that 'not having any strength.'" A small smile quirked the corner of Vio's mouth, the slightest spark of pride and self-satisfaction warming his chest for the first time. "There's that smile," Leader said. "It's been missing for far too long."

"So what's going to happen today? I don't know how long I can get away with being 'sick.'"

"Do you remember Bellan from yesterday?" Leader asked. Vio nodded, and she continued. "What did you think of him?"

Vio thought for a moment. "He was nice," he said truthfully. "He kinda, uh... it was hard to talk to him, but he was still nice and made sure I was okay."

Leader smiled, looking embarrassed. "You can say he's a bit awkward. He knows he isn't the best at talking to others, but he still tries to do it. I was asking because he's been looking to adopt another child. Yesterday, he started asking about you after you went inside. To put things simply, he was interested in adopting you."

While Vio would've been overjoyed to hear this any other time, he was just nothing but confused here. It just seemed so sudden. "Why? He hardly knows me."

"I'm not sure myself," Leader said. "But he wanted to talk to you himself before any decisions were made since he's concerned about how you feel about this. You don't even have to talk to him in the first place if you don't want to."

Vio pursed his lips, thinking. "I feel like you want me to agree to this..." At that, Leader frowned a little.

"Well, I've known Bellan for over twenty-five years. I regard him as my brother, not just a friend. He's been taking care of another child for months now, and she's doing much better than how she first came to him. That makes me trust him even more." Then her expression grew more somber. "I personally believe it's for the best that you just talk to him at the very least because... I'm afraid for you, Vio. I want to, but I can't take you in myself. I don't get paid much by working here, but I want to because I want to help children like you."

And that worry came crashing back down on him again. It sounded like he had nothing but limited options here, but besides that, his only option would be to be sent out to the streets to fend for himself. "O-okay, I'll talk to him," he decided, and Leader smiled.

"He'll be happy to know that," she said.

As the day passed, Vio was able to busy himself with some reading. He finally could focus again, and he was overjoyed to read the books he loved so much, even if he already read them before. Eventually, Leader came by with lunch along with some additional news: Bellan would be arriving at the orphanage soon.

For some reason, a nervous knot formed in Vio's gut at the thought of seeing Bellan again. Was it the new context? It had to be. He chalked it up to just standard anxiety since he was admittedly excited at the thought that adoption seemed to be a real possibility for him. Other children were adopted, but he thought he wouldn't be one of them.

After Vio finished eating, Leader got out a set of Vio's best clothes, urging him to get out of bed and get dressed. He was relieved to find he could stand without any dizziness, and his legs didn't feel as wobbly either. With his stability ensured, he dressed and met Leader out in the hall, where she was waiting with Bellan. However, he wasn't alone.

Standing beside him was a young woman who looked about sixteen with skin that was darker than Bellan's but with fiery red hair and eyes to offset it. When hers and Vio's gazes met, the slight glare she wore froze him in his tracks before it softened. She arched a brow and smiled a bit. It was a look that someone would give someone they cared about deeply, and that confused Vio.

"This' 'im? Yeah, guess he looks like what ya said, Bellan," the young woman said, glancing up at Bellan before looking back at Vio. Her accent was bizarre, nothing Vio had ever heard before and coupled with choppy speech that made her sound blunt, even with the warmth in her voice.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought Melva with me," Bellan said to Leader. "I feel it's best that she meet Vio as well in case he agrees to this."

Leader nodded. "Of course. But Vio, this is Bellan's daughter Melva."

"Hey," Melva said with a simple wave. "Vio? That's a pretty cool name. If it means anythin', I dunno it. Still tryin' to learn more of the language 'ere an' how to read it an' such."

"It's derived from an Abyssal word meaning 'life,' I think?" Vio said. "That's at least what I've read."

"Ah, okay. My name means nothin', it's just some sounds my parents smashed together,'' Melva said. She winced slightly when she mentioned her parents, but again she chased the expression away moments later. "But you're delvin' too, huh? I got a late start bein' fourteen an' all, but apparently I'm doin' good already an' can catch up to the others my age soon."

She was fourteen? That surprised Vio, since he'd only seen people who looked younger than they were supposed to be. While he was taking in this information, Bellan agreed with Melva's statement. "You have been progressing quickly, and that's certainly a relief to see on my end."

"An' I don't halfta learn to fish to do it!" Melva said proudly, smirking up at Bellan.

"I-it's a suggestion, not a requirement!" Bellan said with an awkward smile. "Though learning to fish can only help you if you're struggling to hunt and you need food. Or would you rather risk yourself with finding edible plants?"

Melva's smirk faded, and she grimaced. "Yeah, I just suck at it though..."

"That's the point of learning," Bellan said before looking back at Vio. "I like to focus more on teaching survival and navigation techniques while delving rather than Relic-finding methods. Survival matters more than value in the long-run, in my opinion."

"We've been learning more about Relic-finding than survival, though I'm... really not good at cooking," Vio chimed in sheepishly.

Melva jabbed a thumb at herself. "Hey, that makes two of us. I'm horrible at that kinda stuff." She then grinned. "But I can tell ya Bellan 'ere makes a mean roasted Demonfish. I don't like fish that much, but even that's amazin'."

Vio's eyes widened as excitement was chased into his system. "Really? Fish is my favorite, and Demonfish is so much better than anything from the ocean!"

"I can agree with that wholeheartedly," Bellan said with a chuckle.

Time quickly became lost to Vio as he got deeper into the conversation with Bellan and Melva. Leader didn't say a thing the entire time, just watching the trio talk with an amused smile.

For a while, Vio forgot this was meant to be about a possible adoption, he was just happy to talk to new people like this and they actually wanted to talk back to him. Bellan and Melva ended up being more than enjoyable to be around to Vio in spite of Melva's initial harsh exterior and Bellan's general awkwardness. It was no wonder that Leader was so close with Bellan.

Vio would've happily continued to talk even more with Bellan and Melva, but the mood was spoiled when his stomach let out a loud growl. His face flushed as he clamped a hand to his middle, a stammered apology leaving him while Melva snickered.

"I didn't realize how late it is now," Bellan said as he looked out the window at a sky that was starting to turn yellow with the setting sun. "I didn't intend to keep you both this long, so my apologies, Sibil."

Leader waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head. "It's perfectly fine, I'm glad you three were able to get along like this with hardly any prompting from me on both ends." She grinned at Bellan, and Vio swore he saw Bellan's face redden from embarrassment before he cleared his throat.

"Regardless of how much time has been spent, I believe I have a more prominent question to ask," he said.

With that, Vio's heart sank. "Yeah, like why you wanna adopt me in the first place. Leader told me, and I don't get why you'd wanna adopt me over all the other kids. I'm not strong, and I'm really too small to be a good Delver. I'd do nothing but slow you down."

"In a way, it's because of that why I want to adopt you," Bellan said. "You're a child with dreams, but you're not being allowed to realize them. Not only that, you're being punished for things you can't control, at least not right now. I can't stand to see children with goals who are being limited because of disabilities or unfavorable circumstances they're stuck in, and I want to give them a way out to make something of themselves if they want to."

Vio took this in, trying to make as much sense of it as he could. So Bellan did see him as weak, but he also didn't? A chance at doing what he wanted, even if it was in spite of what was holding him back...

"Bellan made this same offer to me," Melva spoke up then. "I was like ya before, but I was strugglin' with poverty an' all the shi—stuff my family was doin' to me. I wanted to do somethin' with myself, but I was stuck. I couldn't do anythin', an' I thought I would spend the rest o' my life like that. But Bellan offered to give me a chance to do somethin' with myself, an' I took it. He's taken care of me ever since, an' I appreciate it to no end. An' I'll tell ya right now that I hate the idea of bein' taken care of, so that means somethin'."

"I like to think I can make some kind of difference, even if it's as small as giving a child or two a new beginning with what resources I can offer," Bellan said. "I can take you in if you want, Vio."

Vio winced. "Even if I beat up another kid yesterday?"

While Bellan looked surprised at that, Melva laughed. "I love ya already! Damn, that's good! If ya can knock someone down lookin' how ya do now, imagine what ya could do if ya had the chance to get stronger."

"And even if it's not physical strength, developing your mental strength is more than encouraged," Bellan said. "Do you need another day or two to decide?"

With that, Vio shook his head. "No, I wanna come with you," he said firmly. "As soon as I'm not 'sick' anymore, I'm gonna be in huge trouble. I don't wanna wait around for that, and... I really like you two already. You're fun to talk with, and I haven't had this much fun in a while." He then tilted his head. "If I don't like it though, I can leave, right?"

"Of course," Bellan said instantly. "Yet again, I'm letting you make this choice."

Vio nodded to himself. He liked having that option, even though he felt he wouldn't need to take it. He just wanted to be assured that Bellan really was like Leader. "Then yeah, I wanna do it, please. A-and thank you, Mr. Bell. Thank you so much."

"You don't need to be formal," Bellan said. "After all, you're family now. And thank you for accepting my offer. I'll do all I can to make sure you become the Delver you want to be, I promise."

It was like a weight was lifting from Vio's shoulders then, making him feel lightheaded and giddy. An actual chance of escape, a chance at a new beginning! While he was sad to be leaving those he did like here at Belchero, what awaited him had to be better than the fate Teacher or Azerth had planned. With that, Vio grinned, his first genuine one in ages. "I can't wait for that!"