The Dark Before The Light

A few minutes after they finished eating, Edwin subtly signaled a maid. "Get the food," he said, his voice carrying clearly in the large dining hall. The maid rushed out, returning moments later with a substantial bag, which she handed to Acacia.

"Quite a lot in here," Acacia commented, grabbing the bag and noting its considerable weight as she set it gently by her feet.

"It should last you for a small while," Edwin stated. "Can you survive long without food?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I can," Acacia replied casually.

'Since I can regenerate, I can't die from hunger. But it would be annoying to go for a long period without sustenance,' she mused internally.

"Since we're all done, let's go," Bella said, standing up. Edwin and Acacia rose with her, and they left the dining hall, heading towards the throne room. To Acacia's mild annoyance, they found five nobles, Lani-ka, and her grandmother already present.

"What a lovely surprise," Acacia remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"You couldn't wait a moment longer?" Edwin questioned as they approached, the group of nobles bowing in his presence.

Lani-ka's grandmother, her gaze fixed on Acacia, spoke with a dry, knowing tone. "Some of us have duties that begin with the sun, Your Majesty. We simply wished to ensure our... guest... was properly seen off." Her eyes flickered to Acacia's bag.

"Indeed," Lani-ka added, a thin smile playing on her lips. "Wouldn't want any last-minute changes of heart. Especially not after such a public declaration."

Acacia felt a prickle of irritation, but she held her tongue. She met the old woman's stare, then Lani-ka's, a silent conversation through them.

Edwin, his jaw tight, simply nodded, a silent dismissal to the nobles. He then turned to the guards and Siran. "Let's go then."

They bowed and began to walk, heading towards the main entrance of the palace. Bella stayed close to Acacia's side, her presence a quiet defiance against the watchful eyes of the nobles.

The air outside the palace was brisk, carrying the faint, earthy scent of dawn. A chill permeated the early morning light, which seemed to struggle against the lingering darkness. A small procession awaited them: Edwin, in his formal, kingly robes, flanked by Siran. Behind them, a retinue of silent royal guards stood at attention. A few nervous-looking nobles, including Lani-ka and her stern-faced grandmother, were also present, their expressions a mix of grim curiosity and thinly veiled anticipation.

Acacia adjusted the satchel on her shoulder and the second bag on her hand; the weight of Edwin's thoughtful provisions and Bella's clockwork gifts felt grounding. Her wings felt restless, sensing the momentous journey ahead.

Acacia, Bella, Edwin, and Siran boarded a much larger boat, one more suited for a royal departure. The guards took their places on a separate vessel, while the nobles, still observing with keen interest, boarded another. With a smooth push from the dock, the small flotilla began its silent departure down the river.

Edwin spoke, his voice low and firm, a mix of authority and genuine concern. "Acacia, all preparations are made for when you return." His gaze flickered to the guards on the other boat, then settled back on her. "There will be no interference. Be safe."

"I will be," Acacia replied, meeting his gaze steadily. She offered him a small, firm nod. "And thanks for the stuff."

"No problem," Edwin said, offering a soft smile.

Acacia then opened her satchel and, with a gentle tug, uncurled Behemoth from her neck before placing him inside. "Stay put," she murmured. The reptile wriggled in protest for a moment, then, with a sigh of scales, buried himself in the depths of the bag as she closed it.

Their small fleet of boats navigated through Lalan, past curious onlookers who openly ogled the unusual royal procession. They continued beyond the main community, deeper into the quieter, more rugged coastline. Finally, the boats nudged against a secluded dock, and everyone disembarked.

Lani-ka's grandmother, her face etched with hard lines, stepped forward. Her staff struck the cobblestones with a sharp thud. "Remember your promise, outsider. Sane, or not at all." Her eyes, cold and unwavering, held a challenge.

Acacia met her stare without flinching. "I remember."

"By the way, this path is different from the one we took," Bella said as she glanced at Siran.

"There are many paths to the mountains, you can get lost without proper aid," Siran explained and Bella nodded in acceptance of his explanation.

As they walked further up the path leading to the pit, Acacia felt their eyes boring into her back, Lani-ka's triumphant, fearful or merely speculative. She ignored them, focusing instead on the path ahead.

The journey to the Pit was solemn, the silence broken only by the crunch of their boots on the rough ground and the rising wind. They moved away from the city's waking hum, the landscape growing starker with every step. The air became cooler, thinner, and the vegetation more sparse.

Finally, they reached the familiar, jagged ridge. The colossal void of the Pit stretched before them, a gaping maw of darkness that seemed to swallow the nascent light of dawn. The unsettling hum rose from its depths, a low thrumming that resonated deep within the bones.

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Acacia stood at the very edge of the precipice, the wind tugging at her clothes, threatening to pull her into the abyss. She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs. There was no fear now, only an almost desperate anticipation, a thirst for answers. Her wings stirred restlessly, a primal urge to unfurl and descend.

"This is it," Siran said quietly, his voice barely audible over the wind's howl. "The entrance." He gestured to the sheer drop. "The only way is down."

"Terrifying," Edwin shuddered, his gaze fixed on the Pit.

Bella squeezed Acacia's arm, a quick, reassuring gesture. "I'll be waiting. Keep track of those days, you hear?" Her eyes, though worried, held a fierce determination.

"Wouldn't dream of taking too long," Acacia said, managing a brief, genuine smile.

"Aww, you're going to make me cry. Such pure friendship," Lani-ka cooed, her smile wide as she clapped her hands together. An orange barrier shimmered into existence before them, then shattered like glass, revealing the gaping maw of the Pit. Lani-ka bowed, a theatrical sweep of her arm. "All yours."

"Before I go," Acacia said, her voice cutting through Lani-ka's theatrics as she turned to face the grandmother. The elderly woman stared back, her gaze hard and unyielding. "You will tell me everything I need to know, and I will collect Ramiel's book when I come back."

"Why would I do that?" the grandmother retorted, a challenge in her tone.

"If I'm going to prove myself, don't I deserve a reward?" Acacia countered, her eyes sharp. "You can't use the book anyway." The elderly woman grew quiet for a moment, her gaze unreadable.

"That's fine. I will give you what you want," she finally conceded.

'That was easy,' Acacia thought, a flicker of surprise mixed with satisfaction. She turned her attention to Edwin and Bella, her expression softening.

The trio shared one final, poignant look before Acacia reached out and pulled both Edwin and Bella into a tight embrace. A collective gasp rippled through the assembled nobles.

"Touching the King so casually!" One whispered.

"Outsiders and their ways," another muttered, disdain evident in their voice.

She ignored their hushed comments, pulling away from the hug with a reassuring nod to Edwin and Bella. She tightened the straps of her satchel, adjusted the fit of her boots, and then, without another word, she stepped off the edge. For a breathtaking moment, her wings unfurled, a magnificent silhouette against the grey sky, before she plunged into the swirling darkness of the Pit.

The wind of her descent shrieked past her, quickly growing colder, sharper. The last vestiges of natural light vanished, replaced by an eerie, impenetrable gloom as the faint glow from the surface faded into nothing. The hum intensified, a symphony of disquiet that promised not just a physical trial, but a challenge to the very core of her being.

'It's so dark. I can barely see a thing,' Acacia thought, straining her eyes into the oppressive blackness, able to perceive only the barest hint of a faint, unearthly glow far below.

The air grew heavier, thick with the scent of damp earth and something metallic, almost electric. She had been falling for what felt like an eternity, the initial rush of wind now a constant, chilling gale around her. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, and still, the distant glow remained a tiny pinprick, stubbornly refusing to grow larger. The sheer, unfathomable depth of the Pit began to assert itself, a crushing sense of geological time and endless void. She oriented herself, spreading her wings slightly, not to slow her descent, but to feel the subtle currents of the air, a familiar anchor in this alien plunge.

'How deep does this place go?' She wondered, a flicker of genuine awe, mixed with a growing sense of isolation, stirring within her. The whispers of her past trauma, though still present, were beginning to lose their sharp edges, dulled by the sheer, overwhelming scale of the descent. There was no ground, no sky, no familiar horizon just the endless plunge into the earth's silent, lightless maw.

Suddenly, the air thickened further, becoming less like air and more like a viscous, chilling gel. Her descent, which had been a relatively smooth plummet, became erratic and violent. Unseen currents, sharp as razor blades, began to tear at her. Her wings, designed for the open sky, were buffeted mercilessly, a raw, burning pain erupting along her joints and where the fabric of her tunic pulled taut. It felt like being trapped in a giant's churning stomach, tossed and slammed against invisible walls.

Then came the cold. It wasn't just a chill; it was an invasive, bone-aching cold that clawed its way under her skin, numbing her muscles and seizing her breath. Her blood felt sluggish, like ice water in her veins, and her limbs grew heavy, unresponsive. She tried to unfurl her wings more, to glide, to gain some semblance of control, but the unseen forces fought her, twisting her body, slamming her against what felt like invisible, jagged rock faces. A searing pain shot through her side as she struck something hard, a sharp, metallic tang filling her mouth.

The faint glow below flickered, momentarily revealing grotesque, jagged crystalline growths jutting from the unseen walls, some pulsing with that same sickly violet and green. These weren't merely rock; they were sharp, hungry, and alive with the Pit's malevolent energy, eager to tear and rend. Each violent lurch brought her agonizingly close to their crystalline teeth, a silent promise of being impaled.

Her muscles screamed, pushed to their limit not by exertion, but by the relentless, unnatural forces trying to pull her apart. The air became even denser, pressing in on her, threatening to crush the breath from her lungs. This was no ordinary fall; it was a descent into a living, hostile environment, where the very air, the very walls, seemed intent on breaking her body long before she ever reached the true bottom.

The crystalline growths, now closer, loomed like hungry teeth in the shifting, sickly light. She twisted, trying to avoid their piercing points, but the violent currents slammed her, again and again, against unseen obstacles. Each impact rattled her bones, a dull ache blooming into sharp, searing pain across her ribs and limbs. A sickening crack echoed through the roaring wind as something in her shoulder gave way, sending a jolt of white-hot agony through her.

The whispers intensified, no longer just a memory but a physical presence, clawing at her mind.

"You're weak. Useless. Just like they said." The cold deepened, invading her marrow, stealing her consciousness by degrees. Her wings, once her proudest asset, became flailing anchors, battered and useless against the Pit's fury. She tasted blood, warm and metallic, coating her tongue.

The faint glow below suddenly rushed upwards, no longer a distant pinpoint but an all-encompassing, blinding flare of violet and green. There was no time to brace, no time to prepare. The descent ended not with a gradual slowing, but with a bone-jarring, stomach-lurching impact that slammed her into solid ground.

Her body twisted at an unnatural angle, a sickening thud reverberating through the chasm. Her head whipped back, striking something unseen, and a sharp, blinding pain exploded behind her eyes. She felt the cold, hard rock against her cheek, the metallic tang of more blood filling her mouth. Her limbs were splayed awkwardly, a grotesque collection of pain and fractured sensation.

"Curse... this..." Acacia groaned, her voice a ragged whisper against the rough stone floor. She pushed against the excruciating pain, slowly, painstakingly flipping her body until she lay staring directly upwards. All she saw was impenetrable darkness; not a single ray of light pierced the oppressive gloom.