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Chapter Text

They say the Lord of the Abyss is shrouded in mystery– that he was a mortal from the middle realms who fell into the underworld and seized a power meant for the gods. 

Some say he was a child.

Some say he was a handsome young man.

Others speak of a beast dressed in purple armor, a cape of galaxies pouring in from behind as the spear he carried razed the earth around him.

But all ancient texts covering the Abyssal ruler say the same thing if one should encounter him: 

Run.

—

The balance of the heavenly principles must not be disturbed. 

That was the rule upheld by the Sustainer, to keep every Celestian in check and not overstep their responsibilities with the strength they possessed. 

In addition to the power of light, Lumine was blessed with the gift of life. They called it a miraculous ability, but she thought of it as a burden. Those who returned to the earth must pass to the Abyss and await judgment, diverting their path meant causing leyline disorders that unleashed catastrophes onto the mortal realms below. Such dangerous potential meant that she always needed to be closely watched to make sure she did not upset the natural order of the world. Why was she granted these powers if they were not meant to be used?

Thus, Lumine valued times when she could leave the premises. 

Except for this moment.

Ghastly hands grappled her legs as she tried to cross the murky depths to the safety of the shore, desperately clinging onto the terrain for purchase before she could be dragged down into the waters below. She could not, would not let herself be taken. Tears of frustration pricked her eyes as she kept kicking to fend the angered spirits off. But there was no end– whenever she threw one off, two replaced it. It didn't help that the moans of the dead felt like they were right in her ear, unable to see anything in the dense fog except for the shadowy shapes reaching for her. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they pulled her down. 

How could she be this unlucky? 

She had been strolling in the forest, enjoying the warm sunshine and relaxing in an open field a little ways off her usual path. Amidst the glade laid a single mist flower. Such a sight was rare in these parts, only described to be grown along the leylines deep within the groves of Celestia. She only had the opportunity to see its picture inked in between pages of text. What was one doing here? Entranced by its beauty, she padded a little closer. From here, she could see a cold vapor surrounding the corolla like a layer of protection, if she wasn't careful then her limbs could be frozen completely until someone came to her rescue or she succumbed to the cold. Her intention was to admire it from afar, but the stem was in her hands before she knew it, frosty tips kissing her fingers when it was plucked from the ground. 

As soon as the roots left the soil, the earth beneath crumbled away into a pitch black void that consumed her and left no remnant of its existence. Her scream went unheard as she watched as the land closed above her head just as quickly as it opened, snuffing any light from the surface into  darkness. 

Twisting and turning to stretch her limbs out to feel if there was anything she could find purchase on, she only grasps air. There was no telling where the beginning and where the end was, only a steady gust of wind dancing across her skin to accompany her like a greeting. Or perhaps a goodbye. Chills begin to rack her body. 

Seconds passed. Minutes. Hours. She didn't know. It could've been days for all she knew, there were no indications as to how long she was suspended in the air– no sound, no sight, no feeling. Just the slam of her heartbeat against her chest and her labored breathing. Her throat was scratched raw from her screaming, fearing the worst. Perhaps she had broken the heavenly principles and this was her punishment bestowed upon her by the Sustainer. An eternity of solitude. Or perhaps she was already dead and this was just fragments of her consciousness. 

The landing came abruptly.

Darkness gives way to dust, which she realizes was actually a layer of fog, and before she could fully comprehend what was happening, pressure crushes her whole being as cold water rushes in from all sides. Kicking upwards to break the surface, big gulps of air are greedily swallowed while she blindly reaches out, pulling herself towards what seemed to be a branch so she wouldn't get carried away by the torrent. Eerie shrills echo somewhere in the distance. Holding onto the branch tightly, she tried to make sense of her bearings but the dense fog made it difficult to see anything past her hand. Spotting a shallower section of the river ahead, she swims towards it, teeth clattering from the icy waves against her skin. Lumine pushes on until her lungs burned and her limbs felt numb, she couldn't even tell if she was controlling her limbs anymore or if she was just stuck doing the same motions over and over until land met her strokes. Slumping against the ground once she crawls to shore, she lays there motionlessly. 

Was this the end? After being granted this small moment of rest, it seemed fate was cruel. 

A cold hand wraps around her ankle and tugs. Lumine barely manages to suck in some oxygen before she's submerged underwater once more. Gargled noises arises from her throat as she flailed around, cracking open her eyes. She might as well have passed to the afterlife with what she saw. It was hard to make out at first from the darkening gradient of the water and air bubbles, but skeletons upon skeletons rested at the bottom– victims of whatever lived down here. The adrenaline from her fear helped her wrench her leg free long enough to escape back to the surface. Shadows slithers across the waters to follow, eager to claim its next meal. 

"Stay back!" Lumine cries, thrusting a hand outwards to channel her power into her palms, emitting a ball of light that had it shrinking back immediately. She hadn't expected it to work, but now that she discovered this fact, she uses it to keep them away while she surveys her surroundings once more. 

So many dead spirits in one place could only mean one thing– She had fallen into the Abyss. 

What should she do? Stay put? Aether always told her that if she got lost, the best thing to do was not move and wait until someone found her. But wherever she was, it was not Celestia anymore. How was anyone supposed to find her now? She only told them that she was going on a walk and gave no further details since it was supposed to be a quick trip. It would be a while before anyone discovered she didn't come back and searched for her, could she even survive until then? Perhaps the Lord of the Abyss, Tartaglia, could send her back. Apprehension fills her. Tartaglia was known to be a fickle individual who only did what fit his interests. Even if she pleaded her case, there was no guarantee that he would be willing to do so without getting something in return. 

A faint noise catches her attention and she strains her ear to listen better. Somewhere in the distance, soft strings of a lyre play to create a calming melody. Almost like heeding a siren's call, she starts towards the sound. 

"I-Is someone there?!" Lumine wasn't sure if calling out to it was a good idea, but if it was someone who was in the same situation as her then it'd be better to stick together. 

She spied a light from what she assumed to be a lantern hanging from a boat in the distance seeming to intend to pass by her location. Squinting, she begins to wave her arms frantically while shouting. 

The music stops.

For a moment, she wonders if that was it. She was stranded here forever and nobody would ever know. 

But then she hears it–

" O' stranded wanderer, you have given me much to ponder. Your presence is lovely, but treated so roughly. It gave me a fright, what a rare sight! "

A young bard standing atop the wooden boat sings as he strums his instrument. The boat moves without any force, as if steered by the bard's will. Several people were already on board, staring blankly at her like she was abnormal. Her appearance was quite disheveled, but at least she wasn't weird like the ferryman. 

"Um. How do I get out of here?" Lumine awkwardly shuffles closer. 

A few of the passengers laugh, but the musician only hums as he observes her curiously. Someone shouts out from behind him. "You don't. This is the Abyss."

She sputters. "There must've been a mistake, I-I didn't die! There was a rift and it sucked me in–"

"Oh poor thing, doesn't even know she met with death!"

"Take it up with the Lord of the Abyss then." Another one gruffs.

The blonde looks towards the bard decked in green, hoping to get an answer from him. 

" Your previous flight, bid it goodnight! " He breaks out into rhyme once more. " If there are answers you seek, you shall find none here– for I am nothing but a lowly bard. Those who dare bypass the guard and speak to the master of the dark may find a chance to play their cards. "

"...Must you speak in rhetorics?" Lumine deflates, getting on the boat and cramming herself in. This must've been Barbatos, the ferryman responsible for bringing new inhabitants across the Dark Sea towards Tartaglia's abode to receive judgement. She had heard there was supposed to be a port where he picked them up but she landed somewhere else. Clearly, whoever threw her in didn't get the memo. 

Was it just her that had fallen through? What if the same thing happened to an unfortunate soul who stumbles upon the same flowers as she did? She hoped her family was safe. Aether would probably be worried sick once he realized she was gone. He would scour the entire plains for her. Hopefully she would get out before the mortal realm was affected by their emotions lest the Sustainer visit them. 

The Sustainer would know what to do, wouldn't she? She would sense something was amiss and come collect her if Tartaglia didn't send her back. Her very presence in the Abyss broke the heavenly principles.

Sometime during the ride, the dense fog began to dissipate. With the view now clear, she could see that the Abyss was even more barren than she thought– save for some ruins jutting out of the ground with dead vegetation scattered about, there was only them and the body of water that stretched for miles. It felt melancholic. Hollow. Even if the Abyss was a place of death, surely it didn't have to be so blue. It would give the dead some comfort if it didn't feel so dreadful, like it sapped all happiness and weighed you down. Perhaps it was a reflection of Tartaglia himself. The condition of the seasons always changed based on the mood of her mother after all, it wouldn't be a farfetched idea for it to apply to him as well.

What kind of life was he living? Surely as the ruler of a domain, there was nothing he could not obtain. 

The rest of the journey was accompanied by silence except for the occasional strum of the lyre, but Lumine was fine with the lack of conversation. It allowed her to organize her thoughts and block out the numerous shadowy shapes lurking underneath the water. Barbatos had explained that she was lucky to escape unscathed. Those who fell in, almost never got out without sustaining damage. Rubbing her ankles uncomfortably, she shudders at the thought of the hands grabbing at her from before. 

Once they arrive on land, everyone disembarks eagerly. Even if they were in the afterlife, nobody wanted to find out what would happen if they died once more to the creatures below. Lumine stretches her legs in welcome relief, eyeing the giant mechanical robot that sat beside the bridge leading to the palace. Spirits gathered around the entranceway to the bridge, lining up to await the verdict of what will become of them. Either they would be reborn or stay in the Abyss for a while to atone for their wrongdoings. Those who deserved a special place in hell were banished to Khaenri'ah for all of eternity. Looking back towards Barbatos to ask him what to do now, she was surprised to see that the dock was empty. As if he had vanished in thin air, there was no trace of a boat ever being docked. Only a gentle blow of wind. Feeling unsettled, she decides to stick with the people who were with her on the boat for now. Lumine hurriedly followed after them to close the gap.

From her place in line, the machine didn't seem to be responsive to the passersby. Was it just there for intimidation purposes? It was ancient, seemingly deactivated for a long time as small branches were growing out of the cracks of the rusted gears. Still, the intricacy and details put into building it shone through. It was a shame that it's been abandoned. Lumine continued to stare until she was right in front of it, admiring the craftsmanship. She couldn't even take a second to process that the yellow orb embedded in the center of its head suddenly flared, gears whirring to life as it began to move. Startled by the sudden development, she starts to back away when it rises to its full height and towers over her. 

Lumine screams when its large hands scoop her up to eye level, kicking and attempting to escape from its grasp but barely doing any damage to the metal surface.

" Outlander detected. " It repeats like an alarm.

Without another second wasted, it closes its fingers around her body securely before it leaps across the gorge, bypassing the bridge completely and landing on the other side with a thunderous boom that shook her to her very core. She shuts her eyes tightly, stomach churning from the sharp, jagged rocks below that would cleanly spear her into two if she were to be released from this height. 

It strides through the grand double doors, ignoring the other spirits gawking at them.

Wherever its destination was, it didn't take long to reach because she was dropped onto a plush carpet of some sorts, barely managing to catch herself from disgracefully falling flat on her face. As soon as it released her, it turns around and heads back to the direction it came from, leaving her alone. Blowing hair out of her sight, she looks up and proceeds to gasp.

Lifeless cerulean coldly gazes upon her through the slits of his red mask, hand on cheek, leg dangling off one side of the throne while he leans against the armrest. His ginger hair is disheveled, like he didn't bother to brush it and only ran a hand through it. At the sight of her, he stands, descending the steps slowly to approach a prey. His attire made a quiet clicking sound with every movement from all the accessories decorated on him, jet black fur on his coat draped over his shoulders like a cape. Almost like there was a call of the grim reaper looming on the horizon. 

Instinctively, she shudders. 

His presence filled the air with a heaviness that had her struggling to keep her gaze on him directly– almost like it demanded her to surrender to him. 

Run.

Her entire being screamed for her to run. Run, run, run– run away before the danger caught up and devoured her whole. 

"You–" He speaks, low velvet laced with a hint of danger circles her ear. "–Should not be here."

"I am well aware, my Lord." She bows her head once, but only once. Despite her fear of him, she was a goddess in her own right, this was just a show of respect to him as the ruler of the Abyss since she was technically a trespasser. "But the ground suddenly opened up beneath me and deposited me in the Dark Sea. Was that not your doing?"

Narrowing his eyes, he stops before her. "That's impossible."

"...It is the truth. You may check with Sir Barbatos if you do not believe me." She carefully recounts everything that happened, each sentence making her more nervous from the darkening look on his face. She had half a mind to chastise the rough treatment received from the machine, but decided to keep her mouth shut because the last thing she wanted to do was anger him in his domain. "Please send me back to where I belong. That is all I ask of you." 

"Someone who can manipulate the space between realms without my knowledge? Interesting…" He mumbles to himself, brows furrowed as he racks his brain for potential suspects. Cupping his chin, he regards her curiously. "What can you do for me in return if I do?" 

"What can I give that you do not already have? I am afraid that anything I have in my possession would be inadequate for someone of your position." She gulps, hesitant on outright naming anything lest he get offended by her choice. Gods were fickle like that.

"Hoh? How considerate of you." Tartaglia drawls, circling around her like he was appraising her. His tone remained light, but the look in his eyes was chilling. Dead. "However, do you think such hollow words would pass by me?"

Lumine becomes flustered at being caught side-stepping his question, breaking eye contact to stare at the floor. Clearing her throat, she tries to save face. "There's no need to dance around the subject then, my Lord. What is it that you want?" 

Chuckling, he answers with a pleased undertone, almost as if he was waiting for her to ask that. "When I call upon it, you will do one thing that I ask of you."

Lumine frowns. She was always weary to accept those kinds of deals because of the uncertainty it created. Stories of how gods were tricked and lost everything with a single command, controlled to do acts against their will. 

"...Something like this should be easy for you as the Lord of the Abyss, should it not? It is quite unfair of you to ask me to exchange something that potentially has a big value such as selling my soul to you." 

He laughs, amused by her boldness in questioning him. Even those who have wreaked havoc before their death would not dare argue against him, he was the one who would decide their fate after all. "Surely you are thinking too highly of yourself?"

A blush blooms on her face once more at his dig. 

"I don't think you're in a position to decide what's fair or not with me when you're the one needing something from me, especially in the Abyss." 

"T-That's…" Gnawing at her lips, she tries to think of another excuse to say but comes up blank. Seeing her fall silent, he decides to be a little merciful for once.

"Lucky for you– you won't have to be in my debt." He pauses, folding his arms. "Because I can't send you back to the surface."

Lumine blinks. Did she hear wrong? "...What do you mean?" 

Tartaglia shrugs and casually tells her, "Well girlie, it's just as I said. Seeing as you aren't a resident of the Abyss, I have no reign over you until you die."

" No. " She rasps, taking a shaky step forward. "But that's–! You have to help me!" 

She had to go back to Celestia– it was her home . Aether, her parents, her friends… they would be worried sick about her disappearance, not knowing if she was hurt or safe. 

Already, she could tell he was done with the conversation, body half-turned and disinterested gaze down at her. 

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. As you can see, I'm quite busy and there's a line of people waiting for me–"

In a desperate attempt, she grabs his robes to stop him and feels him tense under her touch. Such an action was like a death sentence, but what did she have to lose? If she was going to be stuck in the Abyss with no way out for all of eternity, she'd rather perish. 

" Don't touch me. " He snarls as he swings his arm outwards, throwing her across the room with a spark of electro. Her back slams against a pillar, stone cracking behind her from the force of the blow and rendering her unconscious. 

Tartaglia clutched the arm that she grabbed earlier with heaving breaths. Stupid girl must've had a death wish. "Ekaterina!" He barks. 

"Yes, my Lord." His loyal servant appears by his side immediately, ready to execute his orders. "Shall I dispose of her?"

"...Bring her to Zapolyarny Palace for now while I think about what to do with her. I need to investigate this matter further and find out who's messing with my territory." 

If she was surprised, she made no indication. Ekaterina salutes once and heads straight for the girl, picking her up with no difficulty and disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

The Lord of the Abyss settles back in his throne, the temperature in the room a few degrees colder now that his mood is spoiled. Drumming his fingers on the armrest, he begins to think. 

Looks like trouble is stirring in the Abyss.

Chapter Text

Crack!

Lumine wakes with a gasp, soft linen clutched tightly between her fingers instinctively as if to find something to protect herself. 

For a moment, relief floods her– there was no evil tyrant, no spirits, and no monsters. Any moment now, she would hear the sweet ring of her mother's voice calling for her and Aether to wake up. She would shield her eyes from the impending light of the curtains being thrown open and complain about the early morning before getting ready for the day.

But she didn't hear the familiar chirping of birds outside her window, nor feel the sunlight shine upon her. All she saw was darkness. It hadn't been a nightmare, she really did fall into the Abyss. 

No longer was she in the throne room; she had been transported elsewhere and neatly tucked into bed, head bandaged. Patting herself down quickly, she found no strange objects nor any binds around her limbs. 

The hearth at the other end of the room bathes the walls with orange, fighting against the blues of the night. Shadows parade around, morphing in and out of existence while they seemed to depict scenes that only fed into her fears of the desolate land. The Abyss was not kind to its dwellers. As an outlander, she would not be spared, the blow Tartaglia dealt to her before she collapsed had told her as much. She was sure she was done for the moment she felt the hit land, but knowing that she was alive brought no joy. Would Tartaglia keep her here for all of eternity? Would she become a pet, something exotic to pass the time and forced into servitude? Or perhaps he would throw her to the creatures of the depths, where her flesh would be sampled and bones picked apart to be added to a collection like spoils to the victor. If that was the case, death would've been a better ending.

Curling in on herself, she squeezes her eyes shut and takes several deep breaths to shake the horrid thoughts away.

"Focus, Lumine. Focus."

Despite the glow of the embers, the layout of the room was hard to make out, lines hazy and blurry despite how much she strained to focus on it. Her head throbbed, sharp and dull at the same time. She swung a leg over the side of the bed regardless, quietly padding over to the door using the walls as her guide.

Locked.

The doorknob didn't even budge. A humourless chuckle escapes her; so that was why she was unbound, Tartaglia was not worried about his prisoner running freely amok, not when he had magicked the room to entrap her here until he returned. That is, if it was even him who had brought her here in the first place. 

Lumine tests her powers, though she didn't dare try to use her natural gift, her secondary blessing came to her easily. Specks of light flickered to life on her palms before she snuffs it out. Comforted by the fact that she could still use her magic, some of the tension eases from her shoulders. At least if anything went awry, she could defend herself somewhat– she heard dwellers of the Abyss were weak to light, having been exposed to nothing but darkness for so long. The artificial light of the welkin moon was dull, unchanging, and painted the underworld in muted colours unlike the vibrant sights Celestia offered. 

Spinning around, Lumine backtracks. She explores every nook and cranny of the room to get a better sense of what she had available to her. She needed something, anything that she could use as a weapon of sorts. Though she could summon her sword, stabbing strangers to death wouldn't help her, she needed answers. What if Tartaglia found out about her power of life? She couldn't stay here. Staying here patiently was like offering herself to be a sitting duck. Even if it was futile, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She would escape, and then… and then she would hide somewhere. Find the tallest place in the Abyss and climb back up if she needed to. 

She weighed her options. The room was bare save for the necessities, stripped of anything sharp as if anticipating her to attack. So, she settles for the easiest object. Gripping a pillow in her hands, she holds it against her like a shield while standing in front of the door to ambush the first person to open it. 

It doesn't take long– the door abruptly opens, startling both parties at the sight of each other. 

Lumine's body reacts before she could even register just who it was in front of her. White feathers explode once she swings it across Tartaglia's face, a shriek escaping her when a gloved hand pierces through the cloud of plumes and grips her throat. She could barely see past the feathers, stepping back in a struggle to get away. But his fingers tighten around her neck in warning, unphased by the earlier blow. 

"What do you think you're doing?" He growls, unamused by her pathetic attempt at kicking him. His other hand secured his mask back into place.

"Let me go!" Lumine gasps, clawing at his hand. "How dare you kidnap me!"

"Kidnap?" Azure eyes flash, then the constricting weight against her throat is released. "You think too highly of yourself, as if you have such value for me to go to such lengths."

Lumine doesn't even register the insult, coughing and taking in large gulps of oxygen as she collapses on the floor. Her form trembles– from fear, or from anger, she doesn't know. 

I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive.

Gingerly touching her neck to assess the damage, she winced at the soreness that greeted her once the pads of her fingers touched the muscles. "Y-You have held me here against my will, Celestia will not pardon this."

He snorts, dusting stray feathers off of himself disinterestedly. "Celestia has abandoned you."

Lumine opens her mouth to retort, but he continues on. 

"Besides, what can they do to me? Nothing."

Tartaglia crouches down to her level, gripping her chin so she had no choice but to look at him. She couldn't see his face under the mask, but she could tell that he was smirking. "They won't do anything to me, not unless they want to volunteer to take over my role. It's been a while since someone challenged my position, but if they so dare then I'll be eagerly waiting for their judgement, girlie. Until then, you're stuck here."

She glares up at him for making fun of her, refusing to tear her gaze away from his smug expression through the slits of his mask. This man was too arrogant. "They will come for me." 

He hums, clearly just entertaining her thoughts. It didn't matter to her though, she didn't need him to believe her. 

"Well, I can't have you walking around willy-nilly around my lands. Creatures of the Abyss will be drawn to your soul in hopes of stealing it for themselves. For that, I need you to stay put, not cause headaches for me." Sighing, he stands once more. "Be grateful I welcomed you to my abode, not many get the privilege to see it, much less step foot into it." 

"I did not ask to be put here, my Lord." Lumine grits her teeth, despite knowing she should shut the hell up and not upset him, she couldn't just let him walk all over her. He was making it seem like he saved her. There was no way he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart like he was implying. 

His response was only a half-hearted shrug. Almost like he was saying "suit yourself". 

She pushes herself up so that she joins him, undeterred by his towering height from this angle in her bout of anger. He must've been thinking of using her in hopes of luring out whoever was behind all this. They would've been prepared to come pick her up eventually, Tartaglia bringing her here must've foiled their plan. "I am grateful for your kindness in hosting an outlander like me, do not mistake that. But don't think I will stand back and wait for results. I will find the truth myself."

If she left it to his devices, who knows when she would get an answer? He was a busy man, he had other duties to take care of. Her situation was unusual, but not urgent for a man like him. It could be weeks, months, before they got a lead, time she didn't have to spare. 

Tartaglia leans against the doorway, calculating something in his head. "...Feel free to ask Ekaterina for anything if you're famished. The palette in the Abyss may be quite different from Celestia, I'm afraid, but the chefs can try to make it to your liking if you request it." 

Lumine scoffs, turning her back to him. "Everybody knows you're not supposed to eat or drink anything in the Abyss, not unless you want to be stuck here for all of eternity." 

His presence looms closely behind; she doesn't dare look over her shoulders to check. 

As if exchanging secrets with her, he lowers his voice. "Exactly. Don't you find it strange? Inhabitants of the Abyss can do so since they're already bound to this land the moment they pass, yet that saying exists. But how do they know that? Unless there's more people like you; People who fell but got back up to the surface to tell the tale." 

He pauses to let his words sink in. If not even Celestians could escape it, this was a danger to all of Teyvat. The heavenly principles have been broken, and yet this phenomenon continues to this day…

She moves away from him like she was burned, wrapping her arms around herself. "What are you trying to say?"

Tartaglia only chuckles cryptically. "I wonder..." 

—

He was poison to her mind.

Having been granted access to leave her room, she spends time roaming the castle out of boredom in hopes of learning more about the strange land. She avoids him whenever she could to protect her sanity, so he wouldn't spout the nonsense he did last time and plant seeds of doubt within her. 

The castle was big, but held no occupants. It didn't make any sense, she could tell that the place was well maintained which meant someone came to clean on a regular basis. Lumine had no idea how she was supposed to find this 'Ekaterina' if she didn't even see a single soul! Once, she purposely spilled something on the floor, keeping tabs on it periodically the whole day until it mysteriously disappeared during one of the small slivers of time that she left it alone. The next day, she didn't move one bit from the spot, keeping her ears and eyes peeled for footsteps or any sign of someone coming. The stain disappeared right in front of her, and she jumped up yelling. She even tried calling out a greeting, but there was no response. 

So, she came to the conclusion it was a haunted castle. 

Tartaglia barely made an appearance, she spotted him once in the halls in the middle of the night, staring out the window lost in thought. She almost stumbled when she saw his figure just standing there motionlessly. If it wasn't for his familiar mask, she would've thought it was a ghost here to haunt her for disturbing it. 

Come to think of it, he always wore the mask over his face. Excluding the little window showing off part of his stomach, he was fairly covered up unlike what people wore back home. Perhaps he was a germaphobe, or he was ashamed of his appearance– sporting an ugly scar after claiming the throne. After all, he had overthrown the previous ruler of the Abyss, the price to pay must've been high. 

On top of the throne, he was commanding and lethal, but looking at him like this made her remember that he was originally a human. She briefly wonders what drove him to such actions in the first place. 

That night, she swiftly turned back and took the long route to her room. 

Lumine learns that she feels no hunger in the Abyss despite knowing that a few days have passed. She was grateful for that, but it scared her a bit. What if her body just wasn't registering the signs to eat? She would unknowingly starve to death. But the alternative was to eat food, and she was not about to put anything that came from the Abyss in her mouth. Not a single drop or crumb. 

She hopes her family was doing well, that they were taking care of themselves. Stubbornness ran in the family, she knew they would not stop searching for her until they've turned every surface upside down. If only she could send some sort of signal that she was okay, something to ease their worries. 

Sighing, she looks out the window. The very same window Tartaglia had been looking at, she realized. From here she could see a good view of the Abyss, of the land stretching for miles until fog obscured the rest. The Dark Sea that she had landed in was far in the distance, shuddering at the memory. Directing her focus to something else, she notes there were a lot of marshes, deep trenches, and jagged terrain that would end abruptly, giving way to a pit of fading black. 

Pulling out parchment and ink that she found in one of the rooms, she begins to draw a map of landmarks with places to be careful of. How useful it would be during her journey was still to be determined, but it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. 

The faster she got out, the better.