Callista of the Abyss

Chapter 8

it's been a hot minute i'm sorry :,(
life's been really weird lately but ill try and keep a schedule for the few people who do enjoy this book <3
——
do not
be ashamed
of the wars
your soul has fought
to save itself
——

Ajax rests his hand on his friend's shoulder. Slowly rising to his feet he makes a quick snack not far from where Callista sits with her knees pulled up to her chest staring off into nothing.

Never-ending thoughts flood the two suffocating them. No words are spoken for a few hours. Has it been hours? Maybe days. The way time works in this hell is unfathomable for them to think of in this moment.

Ajax, unsure of what will come next decides to take leadership and lifts Callista up, turning her face away from the now-still corpse of their former mentor.

Callista does not fight him now. The witty kid that once pushed away every boy she met, faded as time ticked forward towards their certain death.

Tears long forgotten, their throats coarse and gravely, the children make eye contact for the first time since the accident. A silent agreement is made on both ends, never to be spoken.

——

Far off, a fight takes place. Anger bubbles through the surface of thick dark waters, lines are drawn and brotherhood becomes long forgotten.

Hate resurfaces and harmful words cut through a mind colder than any blade. What's that quote?

"A blade of a friend cuts deepest."

Was that it?

Through the dark of night, a light reaches their eyes and from it emerges a crystal blue sphere.

Far off, a bond is severed. A heart is shattered and the adhesive has lost all motivation to continue on surviving.

——

Finally rising to their feet, these kids leave their heavy hearts behind. The need for continuing on never having left the back of their minds.

Taking a last glance, Callista grips onto Skirk's blade, knuckles turning white. She tears away her eyes and continues through the exit.

Ajax observes the final floor. 36 levels of 12 floors. He's aware of his slipping sanity. He's felt the surge of euphoria during battle.

Two children thrown into hell pinned against monsters they were never meant to see with such young eyes.

Finally turning and walking through the exit, he expects to see Callista on the other side, waiting for him at the very least.

Who? There's a name deep in a void in the back of his head whispering a name. A silent begging for him to remember.

Remembering what he had just gone through why would he be thinking of someone so minuscule?

He just powered his way through the Abyss with nobody but a mentor who ended up dead. He should feel proud, not like a piece of him is missing.

Brushing it off, he treks on his way home, to his siblings. His family. The only thing in the Abyss that had ever kept him going.

——

"The Gods hate me."

"This wasn't the work of 'Gods' child," A voice snickers back.

"Ever heard of Khaenri'ah?"