I frowned as I stared at the map in my hands. I still couldn't read the text, even when I squinted. There was just simply too much shade being cast by the leaves above me, though that wasn't a surprise. The thick, tangled greenery of the Second Layer extended through the trees' canopies and crept along the ground, covering everything with flora.

I moved into a sparse patch of sunlight and brought the map up close to my face. Shadows of leaves lapped at the edges of the map, but I could still read it well enough, even through the green tint of my goggles. Melva had gone out of her way to get me a pair of goggles inlaid with eyeglass lenses, and they were my most treasured piece of gear besides my pickaxe.

After examining the map, I took a look at the trees around me, gingerly placing my hand on a nearby trunk. It was spotted with green amagiri sprouts, which had migrated from larger stalks. Amagiri always grew facing the north side of the Abyss, while every tree's branches reached for the precious sunlight filtering down into the center of the Abyss. Melva said that she would meet me south of where I was now.

A hiss from nearby accompanied by the scratching of bark made me instinctively jerk my hand away from the tree. Not a moment later, a furry cream and black mammal scuttled to where I just had my hand—a Sleekear. It somewhat resembled the small white and red creatures that populated the First Layer, except these ones had fur that was shaped into spines on its cheeks—and noticeably sharp teeth.

Despite not looking as threatening, along with living further away from the center of the Abyss where fauna was more hostile, Sleekears could be very vicious. They were known for mauling unsuspecting animals (and Delvers) that got too close to their home trees, ripping them apart if they had the chance to. I'd learned this the hard way, and the scars on my arms and shoulders were still visible. I was lucky that my instinct then had been to run instead of fighting them off.

Still maintaining eye-contact with the Sleekear, I slowly backed away from the tree. Once I'd gotten a suitable distance from it, it squeaked and vanished into the canopy. I breathed a small sigh of relief and hurried out of there, not wanting to run into any more. I was supposed to meet Melva soon, but I didn't want to return to her empty-handed.

I kept both my eyes and ears open as I walked, tensing as I heard the screeching of birds and other creatures from deep within the trees. As long as they were far away from me, that would be fine. Not even the screams of other Delvers could be trusted, as it could just be a bird-like Corpse Weeper impersonating someone it had killed to lure more of us in. Because of this, I always had my knife close at hand. I handled my pickaxe better though. Unfortunately, it wasn't as convenient.

By this point, I had been delving for about seven years. And in that time, I could confidently say that I'd been able to build up a sufficient amount of strength and maintain it. Once, I'd beaten Melva in an arm-wrestling match. Once. She still had me on the strength front. At least I could boast about being taller than her.

The Second Layer did a better job at concealing its Relics than the first. With there being less cliffs, things were hidden away in leaf-concealed holes or in hollows beneath a tree's roots. Even after all the research I'd done, there was still no explanation of why Relics were hidden in such strange spots. I was able to gather a couple more before meeting back up with my mentor.

"Wow, look at ya go," Melva said when she saw my haul for the day. She picked up a small Relic and examined it closely. "Y'know I was worried 'bout sendin' ya off on your own like that. 'Least it looks like it worked out."

"Thank you," I said with a relieved sigh. "Since we didn't get much yesterday, I didn't want to return with nothing more than a standard haul. You know my father is expecting something special from spending a couple of days down here." With the Second Layer being more difficult to reach, delves here tended to last longer. The trips Melva and I took were almost a week, and we did this nearly every month with my insistence.

"Your pops always wants more whenever we do this," Melva said. "Least your ma ain't as worried."

"No, she is," I refuted, my shoulders slouching. She never stopped me verbally, but the look in her eyes showed her deep-rooted concern.

"But lookit that, you're still down here anyways." She put the Relic down and grinned at me. "Still, keep this up, and you'll get your moon whistle before ya know it."

That thought made a shiver of excitement course through me. Once that happened, I'd finally be able to go down to the Third Layer. "I'm going to be twenty in a few days, and you said that's the average age where Delvers earn their moon whistles, yes?" I asked, earning a nod from Melva.

"After that, ya won't need me to drag ya 'round everywhere. You'll be free from me, so that must feel excitin'."

Yes, that's right. My gaze fell to the dirt as my heart sank. I'd be going deeper while Melva stayed up here... I could say that Melva and I had become close over the years. She was like the aunt I never had, someone else I could share my interests with and actually understood what I was talking about.

Melva took note of my downcast look and clapped her hand on my shoulder "Hey, don't look so down. Without me, ya can do whatever ya want, go down at your own pace 'stead of me limitin' ya. And ya can handle yourself decently now. Ya ain't gonna be punchin' Crimson Splitjaws anytime soon, but y'know your way 'round a pick. Better than fists or a knife if ya ask me."

Although the praise warmed my heart, it still remained in the pit of my gut, weighing like a stone. "I know, but I'll miss you. It's thanks to you that I was even able to do this."

"How many times have ya said that?" Melva asked.

"At least a hundred, I know that for a fact," I replied, and I didn't want to stop thanking her. I didn't want to become another distant relationship of hers. The only reason she knew that Vio had earned his black whistle was because his wife had told her when they happened to cross paths at the market; Melva and Vio hadn't talked in weeks. Then again, Melva was still turning down his offers to delve with him. The few times we all delved to the Second Layer were nice.

"You're still quiet, so what's up?" she said.

There was no harm in asking. "Ms. Melva, can I still delve with you, even after I become a Moon Whistle? I know you said you like staying on the upper layers, but I can't imagine not delving with you."

Melva's eyebrows darted up into her bangs for a moment before she smiled. "Aw, glad I left such an impact on ya, kid. And that's fine. I can't imagine not delvin' with ya either. Your klutziness makes life more excitin'."

"You know that I haven't tripped or anything like it for quite a while now," I retorted, frowning.

"'Cause the bigger they are, the harder they fall," she snickered. Even if I had something over her, she found a way to weaponize it against me. The joys of being around Melva. "C'mon, let's get to the gondola 'fore it leaves us behind," she said.

Although there were other Delvers in the gondola with us, Melva and I kept to ourselves, like we always did. I would've attempted to make conversation with them, if keeping my mouth shut didn't make my lunch stay down. I'd gotten better at weathering the curse, but that didn't stop the nausea from furiously bubbling in my stomach. Even Melva looked pale whenever we came up from the Second Layer.

By the time the sun was setting, we had returned to Orth and turned in our haul at the Delvers Guild. A bit of pride struck me when we found out that my Relics were worth more than Melva's, and she'd brought in her average amount for a trip like this. If I kept this up, I'd get my moon whistle before I knew it! With my pay in hand, I bid farewell to Melva and hurried home.

"Hello?" I called as I entered the clinic. By now, we were closed for the day, so nobody was up front. But that didn't last long as Aedia ran in from the back room. Her face lit up as soon as she saw me.

"Len, you're finally back!" she exclaimed. She almost threw herself at me, hugging me tightly. She always managed to look so bright, in spite of the dark circles under her eyes and slight hollowness of her face. Her weakness had really started taking a toll on her appearance when she entered adolescence, though she didn't let it stop her from bouncing around the clinic like a well-oiled spring.

I hugged her back. "Hey, Addy. I didn't think you'd be allowed out of bed yet." Before I'd left, yet again she'd come down with something and had been confined to bed. I was surprised she was up like this so soon.

"Nope, I'm not supposed to be, but I don't care since sitting in bed won't help me," she said with a shake of her head. I held in a sigh. She really didn't let her sickliness stop her... "But you're back later than you said. Mom and Dad were starting to get worried," she continued.

"That is because Ms. Melva and I had found more Relics than usual," I said.

Aedia raised a brow. "Dad'll be happy to hear that, and see it too. Apparently we almost have enough to buy new equipment. We've been needing new scalpels for a while."

"Are the current ones not working okay?" I asked, curious.

"Y'know how everything just wears down, even with sharpening," she explained. "That's why we need new ones. The better to operate with, my dear brother." She grinned wryly.

I tried to reply in a joking manner myself. "I hope you don't say these kinds of things around your patients."

"Oh, I save these comments just for you. You know I always have."

"That's a relief to know." I was glad she'd seemingly been developing this new outgoing streak, but I didn't like how it was affecting her teasing capabilities.

She got in one last jab. "For them, at least. Anyways, Mom and Dad are waiting since they didn't wanna start eating without you. And you'd better tell me about everything that happened down there."

"You know I will," I reassured her.

—~*~—

Days passed, during which I finally turned twenty. The clinic was closed that day, and I begrudgingly stayed home to celebrate with my family. Melva said she'd work twice as hard for the both of us, though I was just more upset that I wasn't in the Abyss in general. But a celebration was a celebration, and I at least owed my parents one day out of the other few-hundred I spent in the Abyss per year. Also, I couldn't pass up one of Father's amazing cakes. He knew what I liked: anything, as long as it was sweet.

As another upside to this, my gift from my parents was the news that I could still live at home, albeit in the attic since Aedia needed the bedroom more. I didn't disagree with this notion and moved all my things up to the attic that same day. Orth seemed to be getting more crowded by the day, with more people hoping to earn their fortunes.

Quickly, my attic room began to resemble a storehouse. Most of the money I earned that I didn't give to my parents went to buying new delving equipment or books, whether it be information about the Abyss or anything that could help further my skills. I couldn't remember the last time I bought a general fiction book. In fact, I'd given all those books to Aedia, since I needed as much shelf space as possible.

The only downside to moving to the attic besides the ceiling being a foot shorter than I was were the lack of windows. The view of the Abyss I so coveted was gone. That was just more of an incentive for me to spend my time reading in Aedia's presence. While I still told her about my delves, educating herself with our parents' medical journals became more important to her.

There was nothing more peaceful than the both of us quietly reading while the window was open, the chatter from the streets below providing the perfect amount of background noise. The sunlight would bounce off Aedia's stone collection lining the windowsill, throwing colored specks across the room. Her Crystal Compass was the most eye-catching, like the sunlight was trapped inside the crystal sphere and could only escape in the form of blue luminescence. It was one of the few sights I adored that wasn't provided by the Abyss.

Almost another month passed by. Aedia's sixteenth birthday came and went, and soon it would be Father's. The three of us were born on almost the same day a month apart from each other, and we always found that humorous. It was unfortunate Mother broke that pattern by being two months apart from Father.

During that time, I approached my delves with a new fervor. That whistle was going to be mine. It was during another Second Layer delve that I amassed my largest Relic haul yet, outdoing Melva twice over. It was a combination of my persistence and me stumbling across a cache of Relics in a cliffside cave that gave me this result, and I couldn't have been more proud of myself.

"Do you think this could be it? What gets me my moon whistle?" I asked as Melva and I did our routine Relic sort. "I've never gotten this much before."

"I dunno. Y'know Relic quality's just as important as quantity, an' these all look like Fourth Grade Relics. But I really wanna say 'yeah' 'cause I wanna see ya get that whistle."

I appreciated her optimism. "Then I'll suppose we'll see when we head back up."

Fortunately, Melva turned out to be right. Following an examination of my retrieved Relics by a guild Relic Appraiser, a guild official told me what I'd been waiting to hear since I got my blue whistle.

"Your progress as of late has been commendable, Mr. Keiri. Because of that, I'm to inform you that you are eligible to receive a moon whistle. We will have it ready for you tomorrow, so don't forget to come pick it up."

Melva was more outwardly excited than I was, whooping joyfully as she slung her arm around my shoulders. "Hey, lookit that! Ya did it! The klutz managed to stumble his way up to bein' a Moon Whistle!"

My joy was internal as I stood there numbly, staring slack-jawed at the official. I swore I could hear the blood rushing in my ears as the thought wormed its way through my mind. I'd done it, I'd actually done it! Fortunately, Melva dragged me out of there before my blank look resulted in any questioning stares.

"We're gonna halfta celebrate!" she decided. "Forget delvin' tomorrow. You're gonna get your whistle, and we're gonna have ourselves a night on the town. Ya gotta show off that ya made it this far!"

I'd made it this far. How many Delvers had been able to become a Moon Whistle? Lack of will or death (more likely) surely prevented many from getting this far. Part of me did want to show off my new whistle. At the same time, however... "I'd rather save the festivities for when I become a White Whistle." Melva wasn't having it.

"Nope! We're goin' out, and you're gonna share a drink with me. Ya didn't have one when ya turned eighteen, so you're drinkin' now!" That sounded like an even worse idea, but I could already see the gears turning in my mentor's head. She had always appreciated her alcohol.

When I told my family about my achievement that night, of course I got mixed responses. Aedia and Father were happy for me while Mother was expectedly more reluctant to share in my happiness. She still was able to put on a smile for me, and that alone was better than if she'd given me blind praise.

"As long as you stay safe and don't use it as an excuse to stay down there for too long, I'll accept it," she said, and I gave her a relieved smile. She deserved just as many thanks as Melva did.

The following afternoon, I found myself leaving the guild headquarters with a new whistle in hand. It almost felt like a dream, holding my own moon whistle. I admired the rich purple coloring, along with the gold band around its center. It looked oddly elegant, even with the slight chips it had, evidence it had passed through many hands before mine.

"What're ya waitin' for? Put it on!" Melva said. I didn't hesitate a second longer and did so. Something like a chill passed through me when I felt the whistle resting against my chest, and I grasped it tightly in one hand. Seven years amounted to this... A smile spread across my face, growing into a giddy grin as the reality of what this meant truly set in.

"I can't believe it, it actually happened! Thank you again, Ms. Melva. Really, thank you so much." I didn't care that I sounded like a broken record; I didn't know what else I could say.

"You're welcome, kid," Melva said. "And ya don't gotta worry 'bout callin' me Ms. anymore. You're not only an adult now, but we're comrades, not to mention friends. There's no need for all that formal shit."

If she really didn't mind, then I'd heed her request. "If you insist... Melva," I tried. That was definitely going to take some getting used to. "Still, I can finally go to the Third Layer. The Great Fault..." My mind began to rush with recollections of what I'd read. "I heard it's impossible to see the Fourth Layer from the top, it's so deep. And there's supposed to be a network of tunnels and caves that go throughout the entire layer. It sounds so amazing," I said wistfully.

"Not like I haven't been there myself. There's definitely all that, I can tell ya," Melva affirmed. "But we got more pressin' matters at hand. We have bars to visit!"

My muscles tensed as my smile faded. "Okay, but I'm not drinking," I said firmly.

"Yeah, right," Melva said with a smirk.

"I'm serious. You can drink all you want, but my parents always told me that drinking isn't good for you."

"In moderation it ain't!" Melva exclaimed. "And I thought Aedia was the one scared of the stuff she didn't know 'bout."

Feeling somewhat insulted, I protested. "I'm not 'scared' of drinking!"

This back and forth continued right up until the point we were seated at a table at a nearby bar. Orth's bars were always rowdy no matter the time of day, saturated with the dim yellow hues of worn lights. The scent of alcohol hung in the air like a miasma, thick and pungent.

Of course, Melva ordered for the both of us. It didn't take long for the drinks to arrive, being tankards filled with dark ale. Melva immediately started downing hers while I pretended that mine didn't exist, opting to make conversation instead.

"Stop stallin' and drink up," she said. "I'm buyin'."

I sighed, tired of this. "What's so great about it? It doesn't look or smell good, and it doesn't seem like it would taste good either." The look of it made me think of some of the tonics my parents stocked in the pharmacy.

"It's not 'bout looks or smell, or even taste a lotta times. It's how it makes ya feel, like y'have no worries at all. Ya think readin' is nice, then you've definitely never drank."

I didn't expect that. It wasn't like I knew since my parents didn't drink. "Is it really?" I frowned. Was I really letting myself be swayed like this? "I'm still not—"

"One drink won't kill ya. Guys your size are built to drink!" She pushed the tankard closer. "C'mon, it's a special occasion." She wouldn't listen, would she? The worst part was that I was actually getting curious about it. So like usual, I gave in to my curiosity and took a sip. It was both dry and bitter, and yet it had a sweet edge to it that dulled the disgust I would have felt otherwise. "Well, whaddya think?" Melva asked.

I didn't reply, mentally taking in what I'd just physically consumed. While the taste was bizarre, it wasn't hateable. It was bizarre in a good way. It made me want more, to my surprise. I took a few more sips, getting used to the flavor, before downing the rest. Melva was shocked.

"Damn! I didn't think you'd do that already," she said with a whistle.

I didn't think so either, but I couldn't help myself. "I suppose you were—" I was unable to stifle a belch, though the noise was thankfully swallowed by the buzz of the other customers. "I-I suppose you were right," I finished, smiling sheepishly as mild embarrassment flushed my cheeks. "Um, perhaps one more wouldn't hurt?"

Melva barked out a laugh. "Now you're talkin'!" She stood, looking at the counter. "Ey, another round over here!" she called.

I'm sorry, Mother and Father, I apologized internally. But really, was there harm in experimenting? My parents also liked to say what Melva had about moderation. "Everything in moderation."

The drinks came, and Melva held hers high. "To a new Moon Whistle! Watch out, Third Layer, 'cause Len's comin' for your ass!" Wood clacked as we toasted, and we drank. The ale tasted even better now, and it glided down my throat with ease. As I drank, a pleasantly warm feeling began to spread through my gut and chest. Melva arched an eyebrow at me after I finished. "Ya think ya can handle another?"

"Yes, please," I replied. Was this the feeling she was talking about? Because if it was, it actually was better than reading. I couldn't believe I hadn't drank until now, and I duly apologized to her for turning down her previous offers. She responded to my apology with another round. I hoped this still counted as moderation.

Soon, time became nothing as we talked and drank to our hearts' content. We reminisced about old delves and imagined what we'd be doing in the future, our words becoming looser the more we drank. Melva even said she wanted to see the Fourth Layer once because of how beautiful it was down there. At least... I thought she said that.

During this time, I felt like I could climb up from the bottom of the Abyss, curse be damned. I would become the greatest White Whistle in Orth, and tales of my discoveries would be known all around the world. Of course, I needed an appropriate title, and my increasingly hazy thoughts somehow managed to come together to form a cohesive possibility.

"I... I know the public picks the name, but I like th'name 'Len the Seeker,'" I said. "It's got a good ring, and it's perfect for me. I mean, it's what I wanna do! I wanna find stuff!" I let out a sigh. "And 'Len the Finder' doesn't sound nearly as good, y'know?"

Melva shrugged. "I dunno, kid. Ya gotta 'seek' a lotta shit if ya want the people t'call ya that."

A sliver of surprise worked its way through my mind. "An' I thought you were gonna say I-I should be called 'Len the Klutz,' but that's no title for a White Whistle, it's gotta be somethin' great." She wouldn't do that to me, she knew how much thought I put into it.

Melva's eyes lit up with realization. "Never mind, that's the perfect title for ya. Can't believe I didn't think of that sooner! 'Len the Klutz,' the best damn Delver in Orth!" She broke down laughing, so much so that a couple people glanced at us.

I squinted, frowning at her. "Melva... I-I think you're drunk."

She reigned in her laughter, only to tilt her head in confusion. "What makes ya think that?"

"I dunno." I looked down at my drink. What was this, my fifth drink? I couldn't remember. "Wonder if I'm drunk..?"

Melva shook her head. "Nah, you're good, kid." That was a relief to hear. It was a shame the fun only lasted about that long. Everything started becoming really hazy after that drink, and as for the one after that, I couldn't remember a thing.

—~*~—

I almost never had trouble waking up in the mornings. Usually I was the first one up and raring to go within minutes. But the morning after my celebration with Melva, I cursed myself for ever thinking waking up was easy.

I could feel my head pounding before I even fully woke up. Sharp spikes dug into my temples with each beat of my heart, making me grimace. Could I open my eyes? Slowly, yes, but not by much. To my surprise, I wasn't in my own bed. A glance around showed that this was... Aedia's room? Why was I here?

While my mind told me to get up, my body resisted. I felt sluggish, my head seemed to weigh a ton, and my stomach was churning horribly. It was worse than my worst case of seasickness, by a far margin. All I could do was lay there and hope the headache and nausea would go away. No such luck. My misery was eventually interrupted when Aedia came into the room.

"You awake, Len?" she asked, carefully pushing aside the curtains. I never thought sunlight could be so painful, and I recoiled with a weak protest. It was like I'd spent a week in a cave with no light whatsoever.

"Aedia, be careful!" Father warned from the kitchen. Thankfully, the room went dark a second later. "Remember what we told you last night."

Aedia stepped away from the window. "Yeah, I forgot..." she muttered. "Are you okay, Len?"

"Q-quite frankly, no," I replied through gritted teeth, putting a hand to my head. I could feel my pulse through my temples. "But why am I in your room?" Father appeared then, coming to stand beside Aedia. "Morning," I said weakly.

"It's more like 'good afternoon,' but we can say that," he said. "Melva brought you back here late last night. She was practically carrying you, you were so intoxicated. That was the first time I heard her apologize for anything, as well..." He fixed me with a concerned look. "Just how much did you drink?"

It was painful to even think then. "Um... five tankards? Perhaps more? I can't remember much," I admitted. "We were celebrating, and she convinced me to try some ale she'd ordered us..."

"I know, she told us," Father said. "I didn't think you'd ever try alcohol, but I suppose nothing should be completely dismissed." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you'll ever try it again?"

"No," I replied firmly. How could that amazing feeling be worth something like this? It wasn't like weathering the curse, since I got more out of exploring the Abyss. My response prompted Father to snicker while Aedia held in a laugh, and I was glad they found this so funny. "But d-did I say or do anything when Melva brought me back?" I asked, hoping it would jog my memory.

Aedia answered before Father could. "You said you had some readin' to do when we told you to go to bed, and then you threw up on the stairs. Ms. Melva helped bring ya up to my room because Mom and Dad wanted to keep a closer eye on you." My entire face burned hot as I felt utterly mortified, but it explained why there was such a vile taste in my mouth as well.

"Okay, I think we've tortured him enough," Father said. "Aedia, keep an eye on him. You know your mother's sorting in the back today, so call her if you need help." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "I hope you feel better soon, son. There's not much that can be done to help a hangover besides letting you rest. It'll hopefully clear up by tomorrow." Tomorrow? How was I going to last that long?

After Father left, Aedia was by my side. "Do you need anything?"

"Water," I replied, my voice unintentionally cracking for emphasis. My mouth was so dry it was almost painful. At least I was able to prop myself up to drink, and the water soothed my aching throat. "I can't believe I did that..." I said with a groan. "Hopefully Mother didn't have to clean it up, she shouldn't have to deal with that so late at night."

"Nope. I cleaned it, so you're welcome," Aedia said. I finished the glass and laid back down, trying to ignore the feeling of water sloshing in my stomach. I kept the further comparisons to seasickness in the back of my mind, otherwise Aedia was going to have another mess to clean. "Doesn't the Curse of the Abyss make you feel sick like this?" Aedia asked.

It did, but... "Th-this somehow feels worse than that," I said. "On the Second Layer, at least." My eyes widened at the implications. The Third Layer was obviously going to be worse, and Aedia knew that as well from what I'd told her.

"I bet you'll have a fun time on the Third Layer," she said.

"It's a necessary pain." I buried my face in the pillow. Those were the plights of a Delver. I'd have to put up with this and worse if I was going to progress any further.

"Then I guess I'll leave you to sleep off this pain. Sleep's the only thing that can help you." She patted me on the shoulder before leaving the room. I did my best to make myself comfortable, settling with the blankets pulled over my head so I'd be in complete darkness. Sleep did sound great, so that was what I did.

———————————~*~———————————
The second arc of this story has begun, so here's Len and Aedia more grown up now! And if you're wondering just how tall Len is now, he's 6'3, so that's fun.