Elise set down her spoon gently and dabbed at the corner of her lips with a cloth napkin, her expression turning more thoughtful than usual. The flickering candlelight danced softly across her face, casting shadows beneath her lashes.
"All right," she said after a mont. "Let's start with the Abyss."
Inigo leaned in slightly, resting his elbows on the table. This wasn't just curiosity anymore—this was research. A place called the Abyss didn't sound like sowhere you could ignore.
"The Abyss is... complicated," Elise began. "To put it simply, it's a separate plane of existence. A completely different world, layered beneath our own. Not underground—deeper than that. Dinsional."
"Like another realm," Inigo said, recalling certain ga chanics from his old world.
"Exactly. But it's not stable. The Abyss shifts, changes. It's like an ocean of floating landmasses, broken architecture, and dark skies that never brighten. Magic is wild there. Gravity, ti, even space—it bends differently."
Inigo frowned. "So it's not just another continent. It's truly another world."
Elise nodded. "That's why when the Demon Race first erged from the Abyss... we weren't ready."
"Wait. So the demons ca from there?"
"Yes. Over five hundred years ago, sothing happened in the boundary between our world and theirs. A massive rift opened—so wide that it swallowed part of the kingdom of Vareth whole. From it, the demons poured out—beings shaped by the Abyss, cruel and intelligent, wielding magic unlike anything seen in Eldrath."
Inigo's brows furrowed. "What kind of magic?"
"Corruption. Warping. Transformation. Not just fireballs and lightning bolts. They could infect living beings—twist them into monsters. Cause fields to rot overnight. Entire towns fell in days."
"So... how did they get pushed back?"
Elise exhaled slowly. "It wasn't easy. The Kingdoms united—sothing that had never happened before. The demons were forced back, and the largest rift was closed. But not all of them were destroyed."
"And the Abyss?"
"It never closed," she said quietly. "Just... sealed. But not permanently. Every months or few, a rift opens again. Smaller, unstable—portals, we call them now. Sotis they appear in forests, abandoned ruins, even mountain passes. Temporary gateways that connect this world to pieces of the Abyss."
Inigo nodded slowly, digesting that.
"So, like dungeons?"
"In function, yes," Elise said. "We call them Rifts or Abyss Gates. They're highly dangerous, sotis unstable. The Guild is notified imdiately if one appears, and a team of mages will asure the arcane output."
He recalled the quest board earlier. "I didn't see any rift-related jobs listed."
"That's because none have opened lately," she explained. "But when one is discovered, the Guild posts it imdiately—complete with a threat level, magic fluctuation report, and advisory notes. Sotis they're small. A lone demon beast. Other tis... entire warbands."
"Lovely," Inigo muttered. "So, do adventurers just charge in?"
"Not alone," she said firmly. "Abyss Rifts are handled in teams. The Guild will organize parties of properly ranked adventurers. You need a Rift Certification and a physical to even be allowed to sign up."
"Figures."
She picked up her goblet, swirling the water slowly before taking another sip. "So of the rarest magical items co from rifts, though. Abyssal fragnts, dinsional cores, warp-forged steel—things you can't find anywhere else in our world. And then there are records of ancient ruins... broken castles suspended midair. Lost kingdoms swallowed by the Abyss."
Inigo rubbed the back of his neck. "Sounds like endga content."
Elise blinked. "What?"
"Sorry—uh, just sothing from where I'm from."
She tilted her head, amused but didn't press further.
"So," he continued, tapping a finger on the table. "Are the Demon Lords from the Abyss too?"
"Yes. Demon Lords aren't like human monarchs. They're more like apex entities—spawned or shaped by the Abyss itself. Only a few ever erge, and when they do, they command legions. Each one is tied to a concept. Corrosion. Madness. Hunger. Fear."
"Sounds... eldritch."
"You could say that," Elise agreed. "Most of the ti, the Guild, the Council, and even the military all work together to track the mana signatures of these Rifts. The Royal Mages keep several detection obelisks active around major cities. But the Abyss... it's patient. It waits."
Inigo let out a low breath, eyes narrowing. "How often do the rifts appear?"
"Sotis, three or four in a single month. No pattern. No warning. Just... a shimr in the air. Then a tear in the sky."
"And if soone just stumbled into one?"
"They'd never return," she said, her voice quiet.
A short silence settled between them, broken only by the distant clatter of dishes from the kitchen.
Inigo glanced out the window at the soft night outside, then back to her. "You know a lot."
"I'm a guild receptionist. And I grew up in a city with a portal scare when I was twelve. I've seen what happens when people underestimate the Abyss."
He studied her for a second. She didn't wear armor. She didn't carry a weapon. But she spoke with the weight of soone who had been around danger before. Lived through it.
He liked that.
Grounded. Real.
"Thank you," he said.
She blinked again. "For what?"
"For the info dump. And the dinner. And the company."
Elise gave a soft smile. "You're welco. But don't get used to the free lessons. Next ti I'm charging."
He grinned. "Fair enough."
They finished their al quietly, the last few bites filling, warm, and comforting. Eventually, the waiter returned, and Inigo paid the bill without blinking—forty-two silver coins total, and he tipped generously.
As they stepped back out onto the cobbled streets, the city had grown quieter. The lanterns glowed brighter now against the darker skies. Elise pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders as a soft breeze brushed past.
"I should get ho," she said. "I open the guild desk again tomorrow morning."
Inigo nodded. "Right. I'll walk you back."
She gave him a sidelong glance, amused. "You don't even know where I live."
"I'll follow you. Quietly. Like a gentleman."
She rolled her eyes but didn't protest.
And so they walked, side by side through the sleeping streets of Elandra, the sounds of their boots the only thing accompanying them now.
Reviews
All reviews (0)