The Abyss Never Lets Go

Chapter 1

The Abyss was always dark. Not the dark of a world that held even the stars in it's sky, for it was never truly dark in such a world. Those that complained of the dark there were weak and foolish. The darkness of the Abyss was true darkness. Without even a single star in the endless, black sky. The only light came from mutated forms of plants and from a few lanterns scattered around. These light sources were few and far in between, and the darkness seemed to be constantly trying to choke the light out of them.

Lumine loved the dark. She'd had her fill of light in the destruction of Kheanriah, from when she'd been separated from her brother. If she could destroy the last of the light in the Abyss and just enjoy the darkness She would. However, the creatures in the Abyss with her needed at least some light. She did not wish to destroy them as well as the light. They had gone through enough suffering already. She would let them have their light, however meager it was.

She was walking through the Abyss now. The twisted, tortured trees loomed around her and she could hear the shuffling of creatures hiding from her. Despite being their Princess, these creatures feared her and would do anything they could to stay out of her sight. Not that she needed sight to locate them. She knew exactly where each one of them was. Her connection to the Abyss and her creatures was strong. She always knew where they were.

Lumine wondered briefly where Skirk was. She hadn't seen her in a while now. Maybe Skirk had finally grown tired of the Abyss and had left. After all, the Ways to the World Above had closed again maybe two minutes again. Once again Lumine was trapped here with her subjects. Lumine almost hoped that Skirk had left. Almost.

Lumine stiffened suddenly as she felt the death of one of her creatures nearby. She felt it's panicked thoughts as it fell and knew that it had not been killed by anything from the Abyss. Plus she couldn't sense any other creatures near it. Not even Skirk could evade her concentration when she was focused on an area, so it couldn't be Skirk.

Lumine turned and silently began running to the site of the kill. She mentally sent out a command to all of her creatures nearby to stay away from that area as she moved. That would keep them from being killed by whatever had entered the Abyss. She dodged around the trees, dead silent as she went, and drew her sword just as silently. As she ran the trees began to open up until she could see a clearing up ahead. Lumine leapt up a nearby tree and began running through their tops. As she ran, she began to see the body of an Abyss Mage lying on the ground. It's small form was curled up on itself and looked like a discarded doll.

Lumine's face grew even colder and she raged at whoever had dared to slay one of her Abyss Mages. Hadn't the poor thing already gone through enough pain and suffering? She tightened her grip on her sword and leapt into the clearing. As she fell she finally saw the culprit and she almost lost her grip on her sword. It was a little boy.

He had bright, coppery hair and deep blue eyes. His eyes were wide and he wore what looked like Snezhnayan winter clothing. He looked to be at least 13 and he held a shortsword in his hands. The tip of the shortsword and his clothing was covered in blood. He was staring at the ground in front of him in awe. Lumine landed silently in front of him, and as his head jerked up in shock she saw what he had been staring at, a hydro vision.

"Is this vision yours?" He asked her, "did you drop it while you were flying?"

Lumine stared down into his bright blue eyes and felt her rage melt away. This boy had killed one of her Abyss Mages and had gained a vision in the depths of the Abyss. Who was he? Not even Skirk had been this strong when she'd entered the Abyss.

"No. I don't have a vision." She said coldly, "that vision is yours."

"Mine?" He said.

The boy reached out and grabbed the vision. His eyes lit up as he stared at it and Lumine suddenly realized that she would not be able to kill this boy. It didn't matter that he was a child in the Abyss or that he'd killed her Abyss Mage. He might just be the strongest person to ever wander in the Abyss. She couldn't lose something like that. Plus those eyes of his, she'd never seen anything like them.