Agonizing was the only word I could use to describe our stay at the Seeker Camp. As the weeks passed, our injuries healed, and we staved off boredom with conversation, physical therapy, or exploring the camp.

I often found myself in the Relic storage rooms for hours on end, examining Fourth Grade Relics that weren't worth bringing up to the surface because they'd take up valuable pack space. It was a nice distraction, and I thought about taking one for Aedia. I didn't, but I seriously debated it more than once. She deserved something for making her worry so much.

The more my injuries healed, the more it became apparent that the worst would occur. The sight in my left eye had been damaged. The far corner of my vision had developed a permanent black splotch while the rest had a blurry film applied to it. It was like how my vision was when I didn't wear glasses, except I couldn't even see things up close.

I found myself compulsively blinking the first few days after this was revealed, and people had to stop me from rubbing my eye as well. Something in the back of my mind drove me to do these things, like there was simply dust in my eye. I was proven wrong every time. This was here to stay, along with the quartet of angry red slashes that ran from my forehead to my jawline.

To add more insult to injury, my own appearance startled me every time I'd observe my reflection. Literally half of my face had been ruined. It was like I was a different person. I'd run my fingers over the marks, feeling the lumpy scar tissue that was all-too-prominent. The stitching had to be done quickly to stop the bleeding, so there hadn't been time to make them neat to decrease the severity of the scarring. I understood why it had to be done, but that didn't mean I liked them by any stretch of the imagination, or even didn't mind them. These weren't nicks that could be dismissed or concealed; they were on display for everyone to see. I hated them.

How will Aedia feel about this? a little voice would taunt me. What about Mother and Father? How will you explain how you allowed this to happen? And then I'd force myself to stop looking in the mirror, a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I didn't want to have these thoughts. I made myself accept that this was how things would be from now on, and I should be happy I still had both of my eyes. I could still delve, and like Ozen said, this was part of the price I'd have to pay to keep doing what I loved. Still... those thoughts were there, adding to the guilt that continued to plague me. No amount of talking with Melva or Vio would rid me of the guilt. There was no excusing that ultimately, I'd done this to myself, and now I'd have to live the rest of my life this way. I'd opened myself up to be injured worse in the future, that was, if injured was all I'd be.

These times made Melva's company more appreciated than ever. "Keep your chin up," she would say. Or she'd attempt to joke with, "We have matching scars." The gash under her own eye had left a noticeable mark, though it was only one, not four. Not once did she mention Bellan or how he still delved with one eye, and I appreciated it so much. How many thanks did I owe her? Not enough, there would never be enough for all she'd done for me.

Soon, the day came that we could leave the Seeker Camp. Or rather, like Vio had predicted, I demanded that we needed to leave. Melva had already healed by then, and though my bones were still fragile, I couldn't stand waiting any longer.

I never thought I'd be so happy to leave the Abyss. Orth's streets were so comfortingly crowded, and the sadness that always settled on my shoulders was practically nonexistent. Thoughts of my family were all I had on my mind. What they would do or say, I didn't care. All that mattered was being able to see them, and apologize for being so reckless.

Melva and Vio insisted on seeing me home once we left the central district. I was sure they thought I'd somehow hurt myself because my guard was lowered, and it made me realize how long I'd allowed Melva's "klutz" moniker to linger. Normally I'd be irritated, but I couldn't care less right then. If they wanted to follow me, then so be it.

By the time we arrived at my house, it was late in the afternoon, close to sunset. Because of that, I didn't find the front door being locked as too strange. It was more annoying than anything since I'd never had a key of my own—an incentive to leave the Abyss and come home before I'd be locked out. But things did start to become a bit odd when nobody answered the door, even after a minute or so of knocking. I couldn't see any lights on in the windows, either.

"They can't be asleep already, can they?" I wondered aloud.

"Who knows. But what a way to be welcomed home, eh?" Melva said with a raised brow. "Guess it's what ya get for stayin' out so late."

"I suppose so," I said with an awkward laugh.

"You can come stay the night at my home if you need to. Not to sound pushy, but it'll finally give you a chance to meet the girls," Vio offered.

I pursed my lips, nodding curtly. "That would be appreciated," I said. "I still don't understand, though..." I decided to knock once again, and instead of getting my family's attention, I got that of a passersby.

"If you're looking for a clinic, there's one in the central district. That place has been closed for two, three months?" he said.

So many thoughts hit, all of them confused. We'd been gone for possibly three months instead of the month and a half I thought? Then again, time ran away from those in the Abyss. But there was something that was far more worrying.

"Excuse me? What do you mean, 'it's closed?'" I asked. My parents had only closed the clinic for a couple days at a time when it was an emergency. My mind began to race. Did something happen to Aedia?

The man frowned. "It's exactly what I said," he stated. "There was a couple who ran a clinic out of there, but they died a couple months ago."

It was like my heart stopped for a moment, my stomach dropping to my boots. Had I heard him right? "Th-this clinic..." I struggled to choke out the words. "The couple who ran it... th-they died." Was I at the right house? I looked to the door, the same door I'd faced hundreds of times after arriving back from my delves. This was my house, so perhaps the man was mistaken?

The man looked baffled as he watched me scramble to collect my thoughts. "Is there something wrong with you?" he asked.

Wrong? There were so many things wrong that I couldn't even begin to count. "Mother, F-Father, they..." I leaned against the door as my legs started shaking. No, no, this couldn't be. My parents couldn't be dead, that made no sense.

"Steady there, Len," Vio said, worried. The passerby looked confused, then afraid when Melva seized his shirt. She began speaking furiously, though I wasn't listening.

My head swam as thought after thought bombarded me. While Mother had a weak heart, she knew how to manage it. And Father was perfectly healthy when I left. It'd been so much longer than three weeks, but still, they couldn't be dead! The horrible feeling of panic began to overwhelm me once again. Where was Aedia?

I only returned to the conversation when Melva growled, "Belchero, alright." She let go of the man's shirt as she backed off. "Sorry 'bout that," she said with forced calmness. "That couple... were my apprentice's parents."

Were my parents. That was when it finally began to sink in, and in no time tears were welling and spilling down my face. This was happening. Somehow, they were actually gone.

The man Melva had presumably interrogated looked shocked at her words, then ashamed for having snapped at me. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said quickly before hurrying off.

I stared after him, even after he vanished from view. Melva tried to get my attention, but I ignored her. I knew this would happen someday. After all, death was an inevitable part of life. But I thought it would take my parents decades from now, not when I'd barely started my adult life and Aedia was still a teenager.

When I didn't answer, there was whispering between Melva and Vio. The pair then gently led me into an alley, away from the prying eyes of the public. Melva again tried to get me to speak. What could I say, though? I wanted to be violently ill, but I was already choking on tears.

The sharp exclamation of "Len!" finally got me to react. I struggled to speak, again choking on my words. "P-please wake me up, Melva." A fresh wave of tears rolled down my face. "Please wake me up and tell me this is just a nightmare!" I collapsed into her arms, sobbing. She briefly staggered under my weight before carefully bringing us down so we were kneeling.

At first, she seemed at a loss for words. Then, solemnly, she said, "I... wish I could, but you're awake right now." My chest clenched before an anguished wail tore itself from me. Melva didn't say anything else, just hugged me tightly. Vio did his best to act as a wall between us and the public, but he could only do so much.

For minutes on end this continued, with me bawling in this alley as Melva and Vio were forced to watch. I couldn't keep my promise, and my parents had ended up dead because of it. I'd never be able to apologize to them. I cried until I had no tears left to shed, my throat was raw and sore, and my chest ached. The alley was now submerged in shadow as the sun was setting.

As I hiccuped and sniffled, Melva squeezed my hand. "Len, look at me." I did so, rubbing my eyes. "This' gonna sound screwed up, but we halfta go. That guy said Aedia's probably at Belchero Orphanage, and we need to get her. She's definitely missed ya." I wanted to cry again, even as I couldn't produce more tears. Still, I nodded.

"I... know the way," Vio said quietly. "It's a bit towards the city outskirts, so we'll have to hurry."

Melva regraded Vio with a frown. "Ya know ya don't halfta come with us. Just tell us, an' we can go ourselves."

Vio shook his head. "I-it's fine. I want to help, and if it means going back there, then I'll do it."

An obvious worry came to me as Melva helped me to my feet, and I expressed it. "B-but wait, the house!" The city had to have claimed it since Aedia wasn't old enough. "W-we can't—"

"You would be the heir, yes?" Vio said. I nodded, recalling a time when Father said everything would be left to me. "The guild has a policy that inheritances intended for Abyss-bound Delvers are held for a time unless stated otherwise," Vio continued. "This gives the Delver a chance to return to Orth and claim them before the city takes possession of them. If either of your balloon messages were received, I'm sure the guild would have extended your time."

"But what if they weren't found?" I asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Melva said quickly. "For now, let's just focus on gettin' your sister back." She was right. I needed to make sure Aedia was okay.

Belchero Orphanage was a place I'd heard of but never been to. It was both the largest and oldest orphanage in Orth, and it showed with how the building's worn stone exterior was overrun with ivy. It didn't look like much maintenance was being done to it either, but that was to be expected since orphanages weren't funded by the city. The Delvers Guild was more vital.

"This place brings back memories..." I heard Vio mutter. The meaning of his earlier statement finally hit me then. I knew he had been adopted, but I didn't know this was the orphanage he'd come from.

Several children were being called into the building by a Moon Whistle, who was an older woman in her mid-fifties, though one or two stopped as they noticed us. This caught the Moon Whistle's attention, and her brow furrowed when she saw us approaching.

"Can I help you?" she asked before nudging the gawking children inside. Her eye then caught Vio, and after a moment of looking confused, her brows rose. "Vio? Is that you?" Her gaze darted to Melva. "And Melva, as well?" My mentor looked puzzled while a corner of Vio's mouth lifted into a slight smile.

"Hello, Leader. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" he said. Melva's eyes widened in recognition, but she didn't say anything. "I can't believe you still recognize us, let alone me. It's been about... damn, nearly a decade now?"

"Almost to the day," the Moon Whistle said. "It took me a moment since it seems like you decided to grow your hair out. Of course, that isn't a bad thing. It suits you just as well as that black whistle does." She smiled. "I told you that you could make it as a Delver, no matter what everyone else thought."

"And I'm glad I believed you," Vio replied.

"It seems you're doing fine enough as well, Melva," the woman regarded Melva, who nodded warily. "I'd love to find out what you both have been up to during all these years, but I have a feeling you aren't here for that. In that case, what can I do for you this evening?"

"We were wondering if we could speak to Teacher about a child you may have taken in about two months ago?" Vio paused, gauging the woman's reaction. When it didn't immediately show recognition, he then clarified, "Her name is Aedia Clare Keiri."

That seemed to trigger something in the Moon Whistle. "We do have a child by that name." She looked at me. "Are you the relative she spoke of? You bear some resemblance to her."

I nodded desperately. "I am. I'm her older brother Len, if she told you my name."

"Hopefully Teacher wouldn't mind Len taking Aedia back tonight. We understand if it's too late." Vio's words were considerate, but I could see the faint grimace on his face.

The Moon Whistle contemplated Vio's words for a moment. "You know how she can be," she said with a sigh.

"Hey, at least she can't string me up now, so I'm not too worried," Vio said, chuckling nervously.

She nodded and stepped into the orphanage. "For your sake, let's hope she is in a good enough mood to hear you out." She gestured for us to follow her, and we did so.

"Ain't that Sibil?" Melva muttered to Vio. "I've almost forgotten 'bout her. Good to know she's still alive."

"Well, neither of us made an effort to maintain a connection with her after Bell died," Vio whispered back grimly. He rushed to clarify when I gave him a questioning look. "Leader, or Sibil, helps teach and watch over the children here. She was a friend of Bell's along with the reason why I was adopted at all. Without her, I probably would've been dead before my thirteenth birthday. She, Mel, and I used to meet up and honor Bell's death anniversary, but we stopped after Lissy was born and I had to help take care of her."

"I didn't help keep the meetings goin' much either," Melva added. "I don't even like that anniversary shit. Just another night at the bar for me, maybe another tankard or two for the dead if I can handle it..."

"But who's Teacher?" I asked.

"She's the headmistress here, " Vio replied. "Old instincts won out when I first mentioned her name." He grimaced, as if he was remembering something he didn't want to. I was more concerned about what he meant by being "strung up," and it put another knot of worry for Aedia in my gut.

Soft lamplight colored the wooden interior of the building in warm hues, and the floors creaked under the weight of our boots. The children we'd seen had vanished, but there were others. They peered out at us curiously from doorways, each either bearing a red whistle or a golden bell depending on their age. None looked older than fourteen. It made my heart sink even more, knowing all these children didn't have any relatives. My gaze met some of theirs, and most flinched or shrunk away when they saw my full face. Others continued staring, their eyes wide with grim curiosity. It made my skin crawl and my face flush with shame, and I ended up holding a hand to my face for the rest of the walk, covering my scars.

We soon entered an office with a large window taking up one of the walls. A desk was placed before this window, and at the desk sat a rail-thin woman in all black. She reminded me of Ozen with her black hair and pale skin, but unlike Ozen, she did emote. She frowned as soon as she saw us.

"Who are you?" she asked coldly.

"My name is Len Renald Keiri, ma'am, and my sister Aedia Clare Keiri was brought here recently. I was on a delve down to the Third Layer when our parents passed, and I only just got back this afternoon." I said, still in complete shock that this was even happening. The entire time I spoke, the headmistress' gaze swept me up and down, scrutinizing me from head to toe. A need to be professional and respectful overcame my self-consciousness, and I continued. "I'm twenty, ma'am, so I can assure you that I'm eligible to—"

"I don't doubt you are," she said, cutting me off. "If only you had arrived here sooner. That girl has no delving capabilities despite her age and is nothing but a liability. It's already enough that we have so many Bells to deal with, we need every Red and Blue Whistle we can to help fund this place. We can't afford to keep sickly or stunted children, but as you weren't officially pronounced dead yet, we had to keep her."

Anger stung me at her audacity to insult my sister, but I said nothing. I was too exhausted to argue, and I didn't want to impede my chances of getting Aedia back. Melva and Vio seemed to be holding back anger as well, with Melva giving Vio a more sympathetic look as his shoulders trembled. "I-I understand, and I apologize for not returning sooner," I said.

The headmistress glared at me a moment longer before looking at Sibil. "Go get the girl," she said, and Sibil left. "Because of your absence, Mr. Keiri, you will be expected to pay for the resources we had to use on your sister, including the medicine used when she picked up some bug from another child." The amount was a bit hard to take, about a month's worth of pay. And that wasn't taking into account the taxes I'd have to start paying on the house, if I got it back.

I didn't even think about that until now. My parents had been able to support us despite Father's worries, and even when things were tight, the money from my delves helped us. Now we would only have my delves, and pay wasn't always consistent. What if I found nothing—or nothing good—for days or weeks? Aedia would be alone on top of that. How could I delve knowing that she'd be alone? I began to feel overwhelmed yet again, and Melva gently shook my shoulder.

"It's okay, kid," she said, smiling. "You're gettin' Aedia back, and we'll work everythin' out after that." It was only thanks to her tone that I reigned my fear in.

I turned to the door the moment I heard it open again. First, Sibil entered, and then my sister. It seemed I wasn't the only one who had changed over these months. Her hair was more tangled than it usually was, hanging a little past her shoulders rather than grazing them. She'd grown thinner, her cheeks noticeably more hollow. And most heart-wrenching of all, her eyes had dulled. The brightest thing on her was the bell hanging around her neck. However, her eyes regained the smallest spark when they met mine.

"Len!" she exclaimed, running to me. I dropped to one knee so I could embrace her. She felt so fragile, like I would snap her spine if I hugged her too tightly.

"Hi, Addy." I smiled weakly as I released her. "I-I'm finally back."

Aedia examined my face, her eyes widening. She cautiously ran a hand across my scars. "I got your letter. I didn't think it'd be..." She trailed off.

"Don't get any ideas with the scalpels or syringes. Hopefully you think I've gone through enough." The corners of my mouth twitched as I struggled to maintain my smile for her.

She attempted to laugh, but it came out as a sob. "Out of everythin' you could say—" She hugged me again as she began crying. "You said it'd be a month, b-but it's almost been three! Why did you have to be gone for so long? I-I was so scared, Len."

Guilt came crashing down on me like a lead weight. If I wasn't already kneeling, I would've collapsed. "I-I know, and I'm sorry! I said I'd be back in time, but I couldn't keep that promise. I'm so sorry, I-I'm so, so sorry!" That was all I could say, over and over as I was again able to produce tears.

"That's enough, now," the headmistress said. "Just sign these papers, and she'll be out of my hair." Anger flared again, more fiercely this time. Before Melva or Vio could say anything, I glared at the headmistress, tears still running down my face.

"Give us a damn minute!" I yelled. The woman looked taken aback by my outburst. I turned back to an equally-startled Aedia, tucking her hair behind her ears. "W-we can keep talking in a second, Addy," I said in as soft a voice as I could manage. "I need to sign some things, and we can go." She nodded, and I reluctantly let go of her and stood. Leader and Melva took Aedia out of the room while I remained behind with Vio. I hardly read the papers before signing them; Vio was the only reason I understood what they said. I just wanted to get out of there.

As we worked through the papers, the headmistress spoke up again, her gaze fixed on Vio. "I remember you now." I felt the man tense beside me, but he didn't acknowledge her. "You're that little runt I almost threw out all those years ago. Ironic that you've found yourself mixed up with another weakling." She grinned snidely. "But I suppose that crazy recluse of a Black Whistle did something right in raising you if you became a Black Whistle as well." Vio gritted his teeth and continued to ignore her words. I would've felt more sorry for him if my head wasn't utterly spinning, adding more to the guilt weighing down on me. Eventually, we finished and made no secret of our hurried exit of the headmistresses' office.

I found Aedia by the entrance to the orphanage, saying goodbye to a couple younger orphans. I hoped they were some friends she had made. Aedia didn't have anything besides the clothes on her back, so we could just leave right then. I felt even worse knowing that she hadn't even been able to bring her Crystal Compass with her. She'd truly had nothing while she was here.

"Thanks for everything, Leader," Aedia said as she handed her bell over to Sibil. She smiled down at Aedia, tousling her hair.

"You're very welcome. I'm glad you're going to be able to go home now." As Aedia returned to my side, Sibil looked to Vio and Melva. "Take care, you two. Hopefully we can meet again at a better time."

"I'll try to come here the next time I'm free," Vio said while Melva again said nothing, and we left.

The world outside had grown dusky while we were inside, the sky turning purple as the sun was almost gone. I carried Aedia on my back, not wanting her to have to walk.

"You can come stay at my place since I don't think Vio's can handle two extra people," Melva said as we made our way back to the city proper. "It'll be a bit cramped, but I wanna do everythin' I can to help ya both. Don't think you're gonna be alone in thi—"

"Thank you," I said.

She nodded and turned to Vio. "Ya should probably go home. I have a feelin' Syele's gonna have some words for ya. An'... she's better at that emotional stuff than I am."

"Th-that's quite a way to phrase it, but you acknowledged it," Vio said with a somber frown. "I still don't want to leave just the two of you to deal with this, though." He looked from me to Aedia and sighed. "Meet at my home tomorrow morning so we can see if we can get your house back. Try to get some sleep tonight, you two," he said to us. We thanked him and parted ways.

The walk to Melva's home was horribly quiet. I wanted so badly to ask Aedia what had happened while I was gone, but I didn't want to hear it out here. I could feel her trembling against me as I walked, and I felt ill thinking of what she would end up saying.

Finally, we arrived at Melva's home. I'd been here before, and it wasn't anything special. Just a simple three-room home furnished with the bare necessities, all that was needed for a full-time Delver. She pushed us to sit at her small dining table while she busied herself in the adjacent kitchen, trying to throw our remaining food rations together into some kind of meal.

After a bit, Melva brought a duo of bowls to the table. "Uh, I tried makin' soup," she said. "Hope it ain't too bad." She placed the bowls down before grabbing a third for herself.

"It looks better than what I was given at the orphanage," Aedia said. "Thanks, Ms. Melva." I was glad the two of them could eat when I couldn't bring myself to. I felt utterly sick to my stomach, and the odd smell and look of Melva's soup wasn't helping things.

"C'mon, kid. Don't let that go to waste," Melva said when she noticed I wasn't eating.

"Then you or Aedia can have it. I-I just can't." The silence was now unbearable, like transmitter static. I ran a hand through my hair, clenching my teeth. I couldn't take it. "I'm sorry, Addy, but I can't wait any longer," I apologized. "P-please tell me what happened."

Aedia hesitated, dropping her spoon into her bowl before speaking. "Things were okay for a week or so," she began slowly. "Nothing too crazy happened, except I knew for a fact that Dad seemed more tired than usual. It was like he was losing energy by the day." Her brow was furrowed as she said this, and we both knew that her previous observation had been correct.

"Was he sick after all?" I asked, and Aedia nodded.

"We didn't know until the day of his birthday. Overnight, he'd developed this fever that didn't have any cause Mom or I could figure out. At first Mom thought we could handle it, and I believed her. But as the day continued, he got worse and worse. No matter what we did, nothing seemed to help. His temperature just kept increasing.

"Things really went wrong when it started getting dark. By then, Dad was drifting in and out of consciousness, and his heart rate was slowing. He couldn't even speak, he was so out of it. I was getting really scared, and so was Mom. She kept asking why you weren't here and wishing you could help us. I-it was so stressful for her."

I could almost hear her saying the words Aedia repeated to me and imagine the scene. Mother rushing around, her face flushed and fear in her eyes. She surely had been worried about me and if I was okay, and she had Father to worry about as well...

"At one point, she started wheezing and feeling lightheaded, a-and then she collapsed," Aedia's breath hitched as she said that, tears pooling in her eyes. "I-I'm sure it was her heart, since she'd been so stressed all day. She told me to go get help before she passed out, and I did. But when I got back, she wasn't breathing, and neither was Dad. We couldn't bring either of them back."

I sat there, unable to think of anything to say. It was so short, so blunt. Just like that, in one fell swoop, they had both died. Mother sometimes joked that her heart would be the death of her, but that was all it had been, a joke. Now, all of this seemed like an even crueler joke.

"I still can't believe they're gone," Aedia sobbed.

"M-me neither," I said numbly. "Why did this have to happen?"

Aedia looked at me. "I don't know..." For a moment, there was anger in her eyes before it dissolved into sadness. "Why weren't you here, Len?" she asked.

What kind of question was that? She already knew the answer, unless she was trying to say something else. "I was... delving, Addy," I answered quietly, unsure.

"I know that! You're always delving!" she cried. I flinched back, clenching my fists. I'd never heard her sound so forceful before. "But if you'd stayed here instead of going down there, you wouldn't have gotten hurt," she continued. "Mom and Dad might still be alive!"

While Aedia's words shocked me to the core, I should have expected them. She had every right to be upset with me. I'd essentially abandoned them, and for what? I ran my fingers down my scars. Would our parents still be alive if I'd been there? I pressed down, starting to dig into my skin. I recalled all the times I wanted to leave my family behind and delve, even finding celebrations a chore. I thought I was justified since delving was my passion, and instead I received a slap in the face. Why did it feel so wrong that I wanted to delve? My nails slowly carved red welts into my face as I dragged my fingers down my cheek. Why did I have to be so selfish?

"Len, stop that!" Melva pulled my hand away from my face. "You're gonna hurt yourself again."

Again? Again! "I don't care! If I hadn't done this in the first place, I would've been back sooner!" I cried, trying to pull away from her. "I don't deserve to have my left eye! We almost died, and two other people did die because of me and my damned curiosity! Why should I keep both my eyes when my parents are dead?" My arm was wrenched as Melva harshly slammed it to the table, and I shrunk back when she got in my face.

"Do ya realize how idiotic that sounds?" she scolded, her forceful tone as sharp as glass shards. "The hell's havin' only one eye gonna do for ya when ya gotta worry 'bout your sister?" She grabbed hold of my hair, turning my head to make me face Aedia. She was sitting with her hands covering her mouth, and my heart ached at how pitiful she looked. "She needs ya, and ya can't keep actin' like this! Yeah, ya screwed up, but there's also shit ya couldn't've prevented," Melva said, releasing me. "I'm sorry for doin' that, kid, but I dunno how else to get through to ya. Ya can't blame yourself for things that can't be helped." But how couldn't I when my own sister felt like this?

My eyes began to well up for the umpteenth time that day. "I'm sorry, Addy," I whimpered. The apologies felt so empty. "P-please forgive me."

Aedia's hands dropped to her lap, and she looked at me with remorse. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I've had over two months to deal with Mom and Dad being gone along with considering what I said, b-but I still wanted to blame someone. You found out today. I should've waited or not told you at all..."

I never knew my sister could say something like that. Still, she shouldn't have to apologize. "I knew how worried you all were, but still..." I shook my head. As much as I wanted to crumble completely, Melva was right. I had to step up and be an adult so I could take care of Aedia. "It's better that you told me so it wouldn't become an issue later on," I said. "I-it's just us now, so we shouldn't have anything that could drive a wedge between us."

"R-right," Aedia said, sniffling. She hugged me again. "I'm glad you're back..."

"And I'm glad you're okay," I said. "I'll do everything I can to make sure your quality of life isn't any different from when Mother and Father were alive."

Aedia's face fell. "That means going back into the Abyss..."

My gaze fell to the table. That was what it meant. I had to make money, and delving was the only way I knew how to. I'd have to put in so much more work now for us.

That was when something else hit me. How could I become a White Whistle if I had to take care of Aedia? I couldn't afford to leave her for weeks while I went on Third and Fourth Layer delves, I'd have to stay in the upper layers with the lower-grade Relics. It felt like something else in me withered then. Everything I'd done, everything I'd hoped to do...

"Len?" my sister spoke my name, trying to get my attention. I gritted my teeth, cursing to myself. How could I even think about becoming a White Whistle when Aedia needed me? I knew how, because it meant giving up on a dream for the foreseeable future.

I almost wanted to laugh at all of this. Surely Ozen would be laughing if she knew. I was so sure in my statement in paying the price to achieve my dream, and now it seemed like I'd be paying just so Aedia and I could live. As much as I wanted to protest and be upset, there were more important things to be upset about. The situation wasn't changing, no matter how horrible it was. I then faced Aedia, giving her a reassuring look.

"Yes, I'll be delving again, but I'll do things differently from now on," I said. "I'll come home earlier, and I won't let something like this happen again."

"You don't know that," Aedia said, and she was right. "But that hasn't stopped you before, so why should it now? After all, the Abyss is your life," she added quickly, but her statement had already sunk in.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a window that had a mostly-clear view of the Abyss. For once, I looked away from it. I was simply exhausted from everything that had transpired. Both my mind and body had been utterly wrung out and left in a crumpled heap. But of course, there remained that incessant need to descend, and I still would. I'd keep paying... for Aedia.

———————————~*~———————————
Hopefully as a bit of a pick-me-up from the chapter's event, here's some more fanart. This time it's from AaronThePr1me, one of my readers over on Amino, and it's of Len with his iconic goggles. Thank you so much again for drawing this, Aaron, I appreciate it so much! (And yes, Len has a bun there, and that'll become relevant in a later chapter)