Although we could see the lights in the distance, it still took another hour before we had finally drawn close enough that I could see the Abyss itself. Lying on the northern edge of Dioshin and Jespain, and cutting off Shei Gescar from the southern part of the world, the Abyss appeared to be exactly as Lord Duran described it. It was a massive crack in the earth. It was about a mile wide, and it was filled with blackness.

You couldn’t truly see down into the canyon, as the blackness absorbed all light, giving it the feeling of a crack leading down for eternity with no end. I tried to send out my mana sense to see if the black stuff was miasma, but as soon as the mana touched the crack, it disappeared. I felt a sucking sensation which reminded me of the Absorb skill. I immediately cut off my mana sense. This thing had devoured it.

“According to Lord Duran, nothing that falls into the Abyss comes back out,” I repeated. “Light, mana, people… no wonder it’s called the Abyss.”

After seeing it and looking down into that chasm, I instantly understood why they had chosen that name. It was extremely apt. It was nothing but an abyss. He had also said that nothing could pass over it. The forest had suddenly died away, and even grass didn’t grow around the edges of the Abyss. The airship stopped somewhere around the edge of the forest, then turned horizontal to the Abyss, and started moving again. The airship would sail alongside the Abyss, but the closer it got to it, the more likely it would be sucked in.

“This is the path that they want to allow us to travel across Dioshin?” Pait asked, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

The Esmere had come out onto the deck after feeling the ship changing course to investigate the situation, and Pait was the first to comment.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“It makes sense.” The smooth-talking dignitary responded. “Where else would every tribe allow people to pass than a no man’s land like this? They fulfill their promise, while not giving us anything.”

“The trade path is being given to me and Chalm.” I corrected him, dropping down the barrier that had been protecting my girls. “I don’t recall the esmere being involved.”

By that point, they had all dressed again and we were all excitedly looking at the lights. These lights supposedly came every six months, and they were shown over the abyss like some colorful light show. Yet, I couldn’t even get a read on what they were. Was it Gaia? Mana? Miasma? Any attempt to probe it with mana immediately fell into the Abyss. If everything fell into the Abyss, why was this light being released from it? There were more questions than answers.

“Hmph.” The dignitary only responded with a grunt, but Pait shot me an appreciative look.

Even though my words weren’t in esmere interest, it seemed like our mutual dislike of the smooth-talking esmere outweighed any issues we had.

“Master… there is something strange about this Abyss.” Miki declared.

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious,” I responded, staring into the dark pit one more time with a shudder.

“No.” She shook her head. “You misunderstand. I mean, that rainbow being released, I feel like…”

“It’s familiar, but not.” Shao finished.

The door thudded open, and the massive golem Terra came out from her hiding. She stared out at the lights as well.

“Terra?”

“It’s… like Gaia.” She responded.

Miki nodded. “I was going to say so too. It feels like spirit fire.”

“And my miasma.” Shao nodded.

“Fairy dust,” Celeste added.

“What are you guys saying?”

“Master… we’re saying that whatever that is… is another mana source.” Miki declared.