Several Years Ago

Rin was still undecided on what to do next. The letters were unclear on the location for the meeting point nor on how long ago this meeting was organised. She could have already missed it, and the other person, Rin or Corinna, could have been long gone and given up.

With no other choice besides being alone and likely attacked by monsters, the young woman chose to remain with Nasim and Sumit for the time being. Finding out who she was before the memory loss was still, however, her top priority, though, at the moment, it seemed that she was out of clues.

Nasim and Sumit seemed nice enough that Rin did not feel unsafe staying around them. However, their constant puns and jokes almost made her want to leave and face the Abyss alone. Once, she made the mistake of smiling slightly after hearing one of these jokes, and the two did not let her live it down. From then onwards, Nasim and Sumit made it a challenge to see who could make Rin laugh first, their jokes and puns increasing. Rin did not share their particular sense of humour; she found that she was a natural at sarcasm and snark and equipped with a devastating death stare.  Despite the mild annoyance of puns, Rin became quite attached to the odd couple and was glad that they were the ones that rescued her when they did. Nasim and Sumit's positive attitude also helped Rin's reluctant acceptance of the reality of her situation, that she was a convicted murderer imprisoned in the Eternal Abyss. It made her almost believe in Sumit's words, that she was a different and new person without her memories and not the murderer.

Nasim and Sumit did not have a particular location or goal in mind and would wonder based on whim alone, whilst Sumit drew out a crude map of their explorations, but that suited Rin just fine as she felt defeated on ever finding out about her past with what little clues she possessed.

Whilst Rin enjoyed her time with Nasim and Sumit, she often felt like she was an awkward third wheel in the group. Nasim and Sumit seemed to be joined at the hip, always finishing each other's sentences or speaking in unison, laughing at one another's silly jokes, playfully nudging and shoving each other as they walked and then there were the soft looks they would steal whenever they thought no one was looking. Rin wondered if she was getting in the way sometimes; perhaps they would want more privacy. Maybe they might even have preferred that she left altogether.

One night, when the trio had set up camp, Rin finally brought up the courage to ask. Rin waited until Nasim had left to fetch some firewood before asking Sumit, "are you two... are you and Nasim a couple?"

Sumit froze for a moment before he bowed his head, his lips pursed as if withholding a smile. "No," he laughed slightly. "We're not a couple. We're just friends."

Rin frowned. She had been so confident that they were with how they both behaved, though she just passed this mistake off as her lack of memories and thus experienced in such matters. "Sorry, I just thought you two were. It seems like you like each other. Sorry once again, I don't think its my place to say-"

"I do like them." Sumit's smile faded. "I do like Nasim."

"Then why are you not together?"

Sumit laughed. "I don't think they see me like that."

Rin wasn't sure if she believed that. "You never know until you ask."

Sumit paused. He glanced down, his fingers fidgeting. "Nasim's sentence will be over soon. But mine... I've still quite a considerable amount of time before I'm free."

"How long?"

"About twelve years." Sumit winced, letting out a short laugh before returning to that forlorn expression and low voice. "By the time I leave, Nasim will have found someone else, settled into their new life; I would just ruin that."

"Have you talked to Nasim about it?"

Sumit sighed. "Oh yeah, did the whole promise thing about meeting up outside the Abyss, but what's the likelihood of that happening? I heard with regular prison, the released inmates don't meet up with other old inmates; it reminds you of that part of your life."

Rin remained quiet, wondering if perhaps she was too hopeful, too naive to understand.

"And then there's the chance of me losing all my memories as you did," Sumit continued. "I could forget Nasim in all of that time." He shook his head. "No, this is for the best. I'm not making them wait for me for all those years. They should think about their own life on the other side."

"Okay," said Rin. "I still think you're making a mistake by not telling them your feelings, though."

"No, it would be a mistake to tell." He sniffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "But, thanks, Rin." He somehow managed to laugh even after all that. "Thanks for listening."

Present

Day: 994

"I know it's been so many years since Nasim was freed and left the Abyss," said Rin. "But they could still be on the other side waiting for Sumit." She paused, swallowing. "And now Sumit's lost his memories; he won't remember his love for them, and I-" Rin clasped her hands together. "And I feel so guilty that-"

"Hey..." Kai hushed, placing a reassuring hand on Rin's shoulder. "None of us knew that Pearl and Daina would set fire to the trading post, so no one could have stopped it, and you were a stack of paper too. So you shouldn't feel guilty."

Rin shook her head. "No, I know that," she sniffed. "What I feel guilty about was... I sometimes thought that maybe I stood a chance-" Rin spluttered out more coughing tears. "I thought that since he couldn't remember Nasim, perhaps he could..."

She did not finish her sentence, but Kai understood what she meant.

"If I were by his side when he awoke, maybe he would fall for me," Rin laughed at her ridiculousness through her quiet sobs. "How manipulative and horrible is that? I hated myself for those thoughts I had; it was one of the reasons I decided to keep my distance because if that did happen, then I wouldn't ever forgive myself; I couldn't do that to Nasim or Sumit..."

Rin and Kai both looked over to Sumit in the distance, where he was laughing and ruffling Oscar's hair into a mess, much to Calanthe's horror.

"And it seems that Sumit has already found someone..." Rin uttered in an almost inaudible whisper. "I don't know... I wonder if I should have told him about Nasim and how close they were. I omitted it because I couldn't- it was too hurtful to think that Nasim might be waiting all this time for Sumit, and now he doesn't know them." She looked at Kai. "Do you think I should tell him about them?"

Kai winced, glancing away. "I'm not sure. If he wants to know about his past, then perhaps give him warning that it might be something he might not want to learn."

Rin nodded, a smile slowly appearing and the tears subsiding. "Yeah," she sniffed. "Him knowing about Nasim... as much as it hurts that he does not remember them, I think he might be happier being blissfully ignorant of it all."

In the distance, Sumit and Oscar sat up against a tree; their hands entwined together. They both leaned in closer; it was a simple peck on the lips, yet the two men could not stop smiling and laughing.

"What matters is that he is happy," continued Rin. "Even if Nasim and I are not a part of it."

Several Years Ago

As it drew closer to Nasim's release date, Sumit and Rin were motivated to make their last days of fun and laughter with them. So they travelled around the Eternal Abyss, surviving close calls against monsters whose minds were lost, talked to other prisoners, and almost accidentally joined a cult that wanted to sacrifice Sumit. But the days were going too quickly for Sumit, and Rin could tell he was questioning whether to confess to Nasim before their release.

And then the day came. A bright light shone out of Nasim's brand on the back of their neck, and then a voice boomed across the land, announcing that their prison sentence was finally ending.

They headed towards the nearest portal as instructed, with Sumit making even more puns and jokes than usual, making even Nasim uncomfortable. As they waited for the portal to open, Nasim turned to Sumit and Rin and said, "so... this is it!" They grinned. "Can't believe I managed to survive this long."

"I know," said Rin. "Can't believe it with those skinny little arms."

"I'm going to miss that snark of yours, Rin." Nasim placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "I'm glad to have known you even for such a short time."

"Likewise."

Nasim then glanced over to Sumit. "This is goodbye, I suppose."

"Yeah," blurted Sumit. "You have fun on the other side."

Rin bit her lip, shrinking away as she saw how much Sumit forced a smile. Stop hiding that you're sad, you idiot, she thought, hoping that he would just be honest instead of playing the joyful buffoon all the time.

However, Sumit did not break his smile and continued the jovial act. "Bet you're glad to be rid of this place finally."

"Yeah," mumbled Nasim. "Sumit, I-"

"Have fun ageing," Sumit laughed. "You're going to start getting wrinkles by the time I'm free too, whilst I shall be as devilishly handsome as always."

Nasim forced a laugh. "Yeah."

Rin so badly wanted to elbow Sumit in the ribs but then wondered if it would help the situation if she left the two of them alone to share their feelings finally.

"Nasim Abdul," boomed a voice that seemed to echo throughout the Abyss. "Congratulations..." The sky cracked open, and a light broke through, shining down like a spotlight on Nasim. "You are now free." A metal platform lowered from the portal and landed on the ground.

But Nasim did not move straight away; instead, they continued to stare back at Sumit. "I guess this is..."

"Off you go then," chuckled Sumit. "What are you waiting for? They might take your freedom away again if you procrastinate."

"Right..." Nasim turned to the platform and glanced over their shoulder. "I'll see you on the other side?"

Rin and Sumit watched silently as the platform ascended with Nasim on it, waving down at them from above. They soon vanished into the light, and the portal closed.

Hesitating, Rin turned to Sumit. "Hey, are you..."

Sumit let out a short gasp of air. The tears he had been holding back finally streamed down his face. "So stupid! Stupid!" He swore and gripped his hair, collapsing onto his knees. "What is wrong with me!"

Rin placed a comforting hand on Sumit's back.

"I really fucked that up, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Rin let slip, but Sumit didn't seem offended and instead laughed between his sobbing.

After a moment, he sucked in a long gulp of air, his cries over, and then stood up. "Well, I guess it's just us now, huh?" He grinned; this time, it was genuine, though his eyes were still red. "You're stuck with me."

Rin groaned. "Yay me."

"Come on; you know you love me."

"Nasim was my favourite."

"And now I'll be your favourite."

"Only by default."

"I still win!"

The two of them bid farewell to where Nasim had left the Abyss before leaving and starting their new journey together.

Present

Day: 994

In the green lounge of the Warren-Earl-Best Estate, Rhea Earl rifled through the receipts from the previous donations of food packets and then compared them to the contributions she had received this month. She didn't know why she always wanted to compare, especially when she already knew the answer.

With every month that passed, food donations were decreasing ever so slightly. Of course, that was to be expected since no one could financially keep it up for that long. This month, however, was a drastic decrease in donations, but one Rhea understood and accepted. Corinna was currently in an Eternal Abyss sector where a group of prisoners and monsters working together controlled the drop-off. Thus, Corinna would receive no food donations if they had sent any, so everyone in the family spared their money until Corinna was in a sector of the Abyss where she stood a chance of receiving any food.

Rhea shuddered at the idea that some criminals would even partner up with a monster to gain food. She hoped that Corinna nor Henry would ever have to resort to such measures. Monsters could never be trusted.

Henry...

Rhea winced as she glanced at the number of food donations the family had sent to Henry. No, it wasn't fair, but Rhea understood the reasoning behind the contrast of donations. Whilst both Corinna and Henry were convicted criminals, Corinna was imprisoned for treason against the crown for a peaceful protest, sacrificing herself to the Eternal Abyss so that the other relatives involved in the scandal would be spared and not executed. Even though many had abhorred the treacherous act, in time, they warmed and admired Corinna's sacrifice, donating her food packets, but Henry...

After half a year, Rhea struggled to come to terms with the reality that Henry was a murderer. No, not sweet lovely Henry, always kind, gentle, and level-headed. No, Rhea's great-nephew would never murder someone. It must have been an accident. However, no one had been allowed to talk to Henry before he was imprisoned in the Abyss to get his side of the story. They could only watch the broadcasts and hope to see him on them. At least with Corinna, they knew that she was still alive because of the deal she had made with the queen; if Corinna died or escaped the Eternal Abyss, then the relatives involved in the protests would be executed. Henry, however, could die at any moment, and they would be none the wiser, only noticing if he was absent in the broadcasts for too long.

Albert Best slumped into the seat opposite Rhea, clutching papers in his trembling hands.

Rhea hesitated, then asked, "any luck?"

Her brother shook his head, his hands crunching up his hair. "No," he mumbled. "This is all I got!" He slammed the paper on the table so Rhea could see the short list of names. "Sorry," he sighed. "I just-"

"I know," said Rhea. "I had hoped we would have received more donations for Henry too."

Albert shook his head, blowing air out of his nostrils. "I don't believe it. Henry would never kill someone. All that talk about lashing out was all lies. Yes, Henry was upset when he was demoted, but he isn't capable of murder. He just isn't! It must have been someone else that killed that Huxtable man, his replacement! Or it was an accident or-" Albert lowered his head in defeat, sniffing away his tears. "I know, I've said all of this a thousand times before, and I'll keep on saying it..."

Rhea reached out and held her brother's hand. "No, I understand. I don't see how everyone can believe it. "

"They all know Henry. How could they abandon him and leave him to starve?"

Rhea winced but continued to smile softly in comfort for her brother.

"I must sound like such a hypocrite." Albert forced a chuckle through his tears. "After I refused to send food to Corinna, I'm angry at everyone for doing the same to Henry." He swallowed. "How I treated Corinna all those years ago was unfair. Yet, I still thought that what you and the others did, protesting against the queen, was wrong and ruined our family's reputation. So many of us lost our jobs temporarily as a consequence."

"No, you are right," said Rhea. "I did not think about how it would affect the rest of the family. I should have-"

"You were doing what you thought was right, Rhea, fighting for it."

Rhea shook her head. "But Corinna would still be here if I hadn't dragged her into it, dragged anyone into it. She's in the Abyss because of me." Rhea mumbled out the lost words, her throat sore, eyes watering. "If I could change placed with Corinna, I would..." She sniffed. "Though I perhaps wouldn't last as long as she has in the Abyss." She chuckled slightly, and then her smile faded. "I would have likely died in the first few minutes, and everyone involved would have been executed." The last word was barely a whisper, more the word silent on Rhea's lips. She swallowed. "Corinna has been in the Abyss for two and a half years. Just twelve and half years left to fo."

Albert paused, then let go of his sister's hand and wrote something down on the piece of paper, adding more food donations for Henry.

"Albert..."

"Corinna and Henry will be in the Eternal Abyss for a long time, Rhea. They need all the help they can get if we're to..." He trailed off, hesitating, then continued," I think you know that you and I might not still be around when Corinna and Henry finish their sentences. At the age we are..." He shook his head, sucking in a quick breath. "Well, let's just try and make sure that we hold in for as long as we can and keep sending them both food packets and hopefully..." Albert paused, his throat closing up. "And hopefully, we will get to them both when they are free."