Volume 4, Chapter 8 – Fissure, Abyss

“I don’t know… It’s a very unsettling feeling. Even breathing has become difficult.”

“Are you just too nervous?”

The words had barely left Liti’s mouth when a strange cracking sound echoed across the entire plain.

Even the roars and rumbles of the Beast Tide could not cover this bizarre noise. The earth emitted a terrifying sound, like an ice cap shattering, followed by an unending series of cracks.

For Fia, who was flying in the air, the change in the land was extremely obvious.

The ground’s surface was like blocks of ice floating on water, rising and falling, separating with a slow yet unstoppable force. The cracking sounds were the earth itself breaking apart. Black lines, representing fissures, raced forward in front of the Beast Tide, their width increasing at a visible rate. Chunks of land collided and squeezed against each other, as if the ground were a sea of undulating waves.

The monsters running on the surface were like insects on duckweed, constantly being tossed up and then dropped. In the face of such immense inertia, no animal could stop its momentum. They became countless balls of flesh, their bodies tumbling uncontrollably in droves towards the fissures after they fell.

Monsters of all sizes crashed into each other. Roars and wails merged into one as a massive cloud of dust and splattering flesh and blood mixed together. The chaotic, apocalyptic scene felt surreal, as if this were an inescapable nightmare where one could only watch helplessly as monster after monster fell into the abyss torn open by the earth.

And the disaster did not end there.

As if it had a will of its own, after tearing a horizontal rift between the Beast Tide and the carriage, the fissure then turned and chased after the carriage vertically. The winding, twisting black line was like the claw of a demon. Countless explosions, many times louder than before, rolled in again, as if these were not cracks crawling on the ground, but lightning tearing across the sky!

An earthquake.

That was Fia’s first reaction.

The uneasiness Milu had felt, and the Beast Tide before them, were all caused by this earthquake. But the problem was, this didn’t feel like an ordinary earthquake at all.

Crack!

Just as the thought crossed Fia’s mind, a boom louder than any before echoed in her ears. She immediately looked down at the plain. The fissure that had been only a few meters wide a moment ago had suddenly ripped open to a width of a hundred meters, like a beast devouring its prey, swallowing all the monsters on the ground.

But it wasn’t over. Immediately after, with another thunderous crack, a second fissure appeared in the blink of an eye in the center of the Beast Tide. The land between the two fissures was like an island sinking into the sea; it abruptly collapsed downwards. The monsters standing on it instantly lost their footing, pulled mercilessly by gravity into the endless abyss.

No matter how they struggled, how they dug their claws into the cliff faces, they could not prevent their fate. Only the birds, who had been in the air from the beginning, managed to escape.

At least a kilometer’s worth of monsters fell into the fissure. The world echoed with desperate cries, and the rising dust obscured everything.

Looking at the pitch-black sinkhole that gaped at the sky like an open mouth, an indescribable emotion suddenly rose in Fia’s heart.

I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before.

The intense sense of familiarity made Fia frown. Then, in less than a second, she realized where it came from.

The Abyss.

She had seen this kind of bottomless abyss on the border between the Oro territory and the Milcandis Holy Kingdom.

“Abyss” here was not a description, but a proper noun on the World Tree Continent. It was something born on this continent that connected it to the primordial continent below. Even the Witch of Hope had described the Abyss with the words, “The living shall not enter; the dead shall not return.” No one knew what lay at the bottom, because no one who had seen it had ever come back.

This wasn’t an ordinary earthquake. A piece of the World Tree Continent had broken off. Like a landmass losing its support and sliding into an ocean trench, this piece of land could never return, becoming a permanently forbidden place.

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This is bad.

I have to get Liti and the others out of here immediately.

Her body had already moved before the thought fully formed. By the time she realized it, Fia was already standing on the roof of the speeding carriage. She shouted at Anastasia, whose face was deathly pale as she desperately urged the horses on.

“Fly up with Liti! I’ll take care of Milu! Renee, get up here too, quickly!”

“What about the carriage? Your spoils of war are still inside!”

“Leave them!”

“I—”

Anastasia had just uttered a single syllable when the trembling of the earth suddenly stopped.

There was no gradual tapering off. It was as if someone had slammed on the brakes; the sound ceased abruptly.

Along with it, the fissure that had been spreading towards the carriage also stopped.

Everything, including the wind, instantly went from motion to stillness. The only exception was the carriage, which was still hurtling forward. The sound of its wheels crushing stones became the only sound in the world.

Anastasia and Renee noticed this at almost the same time. Subconsciously, they slowed the horses to a gradual halt. Their faces, which had been so grave just moments ago, were now filled with bewilderment. They looked up at Fia on the roof of the carriage, seeking an answer, their eyes filled with visible dread.

“What was that…”

“The monsters…?”

“They fell into the Abyss.”

Fia’s voice was heavy as she gazed at the gray smoke rising from the collapsed earth. From her vantage point, she could still see sand and clumps of dirt continuously sliding off the edge of the Abyss.

Through the thick smoke, Fia could also see the monsters on the other side of the cliff—those that had been at the back of the horde and had escaped the disaster. They had stopped at the edge of the chasm and were slowly backing away, the panicked red glow in their eyes gone, replaced only by a terror that made their legs weak.

This scene lasted for about five seconds before a low rumble sounded again. This time, however, it was not the sound of the earth cracking, but of those retreating monsters turning around in fear and fleeing in unison.

Soon, the world was deathly quiet. The moon, nearing its new phase, illuminated the land. The Lantern Stems in the wilderness swayed gently in the evening breeze. But now, the scene was no longer ethereal. The air, mixed with dust and the faint smell of blood, cast a shadow over everyone’s heart.

The moonlight revealed the scene after the disaster.

The perfectly flat earth came to an abrupt end at the edge of the Abyss. The chasm, over a kilometer wide and stretching across the plain, was like a breeding ground for fear. Dread and unease, like twisted, contorted specters in the darkness, reached out for them from the shadows.

“Apocalypse…”

Abruptly, Renee, who had been staring blankly at the Abyss, uttered the word.

Anastasia also came to her senses, her expression exceptionally complex.

“Hasn’t the Abyss been on the World Tree Continent since the beginning of its creation…?”

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“Sister…”

Her expression tense, Liti jumped down from the carriage and gripped Fia’s wrist tightly.

In contrast, Milu’s expression was very relaxed. As if she had just survived a catastrophe, she placed her right hand over her chest, let out a long sigh, and announced in a voice devoid of emotional inflection:

“It’s over. The feeling of danger is gone.”

But even with Milu’s reassurance, it was hard for anyone to act as if nothing had happened. If they had been any slower in their escape, the carriage would have already fallen into the fissure behind them. Their only option would have been to use flight magic to leave the ground.

Fia’s gaze pulled back from the pitch-black Abyss. In a majestic and steady tone, she commanded:

“We just happened to encounter an earthquake. It’s no big deal. The World Tree Continent rests on the primordial continent, so it’s not strange for the ground to collapse after a tremor. We’ll travel through the night to leave this plain as soon as possible. Then we’ll report what happened here to the nearest city and have the lord notify travelers to be careful.”

“Yes.”

Anastasia reacted quickly. Staying calm at a critical moment was also a part of one’s ability.

After bowing to Fia, Anastasia jumped off her horse and began to inspect the carriage for any damage from the frantic gallop. Renee, still in the driver’s seat, indicated her acknowledgment with a lowered gaze.

“Hah.”

With everything back on track, Fia let out a soft breath and looked down at the anxious Liti and, a little further away, Milu.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be on our way soon. I’m here. There won’t be any danger.”

“I… I want to sleep with Sister tonight… Can I?”

Liti looked up, her pale face and pleading expression prompting Fia to stroke her head.

“Mhm, I promise. Milu?”

Although Fia suspected Milu wasn’t afraid because her [Danger Sense] had told her there was no threat, the complete lack of fear in her was unbefitting a twelve-year-old girl. She should have been at least a little scared.

“I’m here. Is Master afraid?”

Milu, who had been looking back towards the carriage, turned to Fia. As if to comfort her, she offered a smile like that of an elder and reached out to pat Fia’s head.

No, no, I’m not asking you to comfort a child like an older sister. I’m asking if you’re scared.

Fia couldn’t help but retort internally.

“I was asking if you were scared, Milu.”

“I’m not scared when I’m with Master.”

That answer was too straightforward.

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If it had been a girl like Estelle, Fia might have taken it as the kind of thing a doting couple would say.

Fia sighed lightly.

“Hah, alright. Liti and Milu go back to the carriage first. I’m going to take a look at the Abyss.”

“No!” Liti threw her arms around Fia’s, her pretty face full of pleading and urgency. “It’s dangerous there! What if there’s another earthquake?”

“I have flight magic, so I don’t have to worry about earthquakes. All those flying monsters were unaffected. I’m not weaker than a flying monster. Don’t worry, I’m not a helpless child.”

“Mmm…”

“Someone is coming.”

“Hm?”

Milu’s words made Fia, with Liti in tow, walk to the side of the carriage. On the road they had come from, a carriage was speeding towards them. The carriage itself was unremarkable, but the magic lamp hanging from it made it stand out like a star in the night, clearly visible even from a great distance.

“It must be a traveler on this road. But this is a remote shortcut that’s been abandoned for a long time. I only knew about it because my Father took me this way once when I was a child…”

Her voice laced with confusion, Anastasia pulled her gaze back from the distance. She reported formally, “Your Highness, the carriage is fine. We can depart at any time.”

“Alright. You all go ahead a little. I’ll go back and check on the Abyss, then catch up. It gives me an ominous feeling.”

“I will accompany you.”

Since the fissure wasn’t too far from the carriage, Fia didn’t refuse Anastasia’s request.

The two of them, ready to use [Flight] at a moment’s notice, slowly approached the edge of the Abyss and peered down from a distance.

“Except for the newness of its outline, it’s exactly the same as the Abyss in other places…” Anastasia marveled softly, her expression grave.

“Other places? You mean the border between the Milcandis Holy Kingdom and the Bart Duchy?”

“No,” a nostalgic look appeared in Anastasia’s lively blue eyes, and she smiled gently. “It’s the same as the Abyss in the Land of Exile. The Land of Exile is in the southeastern corner of Silvar. To its south is the Netherworld, and to its east is the end of the world. The people who live there see the Abyss every day.”

“Is that so… I’ll have to go there and see it if I get the chance.”

“That is a place where criminals are exiled. The people who live there are either madmen or death row inmates with heinous crimes to their names and nowhere to hide. It is no place for Your Highness. It’s best not to go there.”

Anastasia’s words made Fia smile, but she didn’t answer. She took two steps forward to the very edge of the cliff. The nearby soil immediately trickled down under the sudden pressure, but Fia didn’t panic. The emotion of fear rarely appeared in her.

The Abyss here was slightly different from the one she had seen on the border of Bart Duchy and the Milcandis Holy Kingdom. Because this one had just formed, there was no mist to obstruct the view yet. When Fia looked down, her field of vision was incredibly open.

That being said, all she could see was pitch blackness.

The moonlight seemed to be swallowed by a black hole here, with no reflection at all. The cold wind that brushed against her skin at the cliff’s edge made her feel as if she had walked into a drafty, dilapidated house in the middle of the night. It felt as if something terrifying could leap out from a corner at any moment, sending a chill down her spine.

She couldn’t help but recall the man who had thrown a corpse into the Abyss.

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“Anastasia, do you think there could be a whole new world down there? A place where the people live much better lives than the people up here.”

“That is merely the empty wish of the common folk. Just like the believers in the Holy Kingdom who think that if they suffer enough in this life, they will go to heaven after death. They only think this way because it makes their current lives more bearable and gives them a reason to accept their situation. At least, this subordinate has never heard of any wealthy person jumping down there.”

Anastasia’s words were filled with disdain.

Fia shrugged.

“That’s true. If there were people down there, our two continents would have already established contact. And I should be able to see the light of fires below, but the reality is neither is true.”

“If Your Highness had been to the end of the world and seen the boundless sea of clouds in the distance, you would better understand how foolish those who think life is better below are. The world outside the World Tree Continent is all mist and clouds. Even if the mist is blown away by the wind, all you can see is darkness. The entire land is ruined—What is Your Highness doing?”

“Trying to see if I can see anything down there. I mean, I’m hoping for some kind of reaction.”

While Anastasia was tilting her head, Fia had already aimed a [Light Beam] into the Abyss. This high-energy beam, like a laser, could travel a considerable distance. Although its area of illumination was small, and she likely wouldn’t be able to see anything even if it hit something, Fia couldn’t resist trying.

Anastasia couldn’t help but chuckle.

“If there really was something down there, we should be turning and running.”

“…As I thought, no reaction at all. I thought those monsters that fell would at least scream a little. Oh well, I’ll try [Illuminate].”

After all, the range of [Light Beam] was too small.

With that thought, Fia dispelled the [Light Beam], switched to [Illuminate], and looked down into the Abyss.

And then.

A human face with no pupils appeared before her eyes.

[Strength Boost III].

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fia’s fist, shining with a golden glow, smashed heavily into the mask-like thing that was only a face.

Bang.

The moment her fist made contact with the “black mask,” it caved in with a breathtaking arc. Unable to withstand a force that could crush scarlet gold, it shattered like glass.

Trying to scare me? Too naive.

Fia clicked her tongue.

Although a face suddenly appearing in front of you sounded terrifying, one had to remember that the [Illuminate] in her hand was like a flare, a small sun that could light up the surrounding several kilometers.

And with Fia’s action, the scene within the Abyss was fully revealed to both her and Anastasia.

—Sheer, steep cliffs and spider-like black monsters crawling up along the rock face.