Chirin nodded slowly, slightly confused by the implications of her request.

Chirin: “Yes…?”

Chirin : ("… Actually, no. It doesn’t make sense at all… “Transactional Woman”? She seems to be picky about how she goes about her business, as if there’s some sort of catch to everything she does or agrees to. It’s weird…  She’s weird… But either way, I should just ask her something anyway. Like where I am…" ) 

To his relief, if Python had noticed his confusion, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, the snake-like woman happily clapped her hands together with a tiny, satisfied smile.

Python: “It’s an agreement, then! Go on. Shoot. I’ll answer all of your questions to the best of my ability…”

Chirin: “Okay… May you please tell me where I am?”

Python: “You are in the Abyss—-”

Chirin: “I'm in the Abyss?!”

Python: “ Yes, Yes you are… don’t go rapid fire with the questions now. Juuuust… listen. I’m going to tell you everything, but I won’t be repeating myself, so you better listen closely.”

Python : “The World Seed, that of which is everything we are, and everything we will ever know, is made up of 10 “stratums” , or “worlds, if that’s easier for you to understand. We have the upper layers: Nirvana, which is made up of the two utmost stratums, Terra Firma which is just one stratum, and then the lower stratums, which are referred to as The Abyss".

Python: “That is where you are right now. The Abyss makes up the rest of the seven lower stratums of the World Seed… As a whole, the Abyss is much, much larger than Terra Firma and Nirvana combined…”

Python: “ …Think seven Terra Firmas all stacked up over each other–”

At that moment, Chirin tried to imagine seven Terra Firmas stacked up on top of each other. He felt nothing but his own steadily growing dread.

Chirin : ("That’s HUGE!!") 

Python: “–Each stratum is uniquely different physically, biologically, and in temperature.”

Chirin: “Which stratum are we in?”

Python: “We are in Lamentation: the deepest stratum of the Abyss. If you want to get to Terra Firma, you’re going to need to travel upwards through the rest of the seven stratums… So from the lowest to highest we have Lamentation, Fraud, Soullen, Avaricious, Prodigal, Purgatory, and Limbo.”

Chirin: “So I just need to travel…”

Chirin looked up, squinting as he stared at the rocky sky that stretched so high up that the more he looked at it, the more disorientated he became. That sky… is that the bottom of Fraud he is staring at?

Chirin : “... Up? ”

Python: “That’s right.”

With wide eyes, Chirin observed the huge stalactites and ridiculously bright luminescent crystal-shaped structures that hung from the end of the sky. They dropped down like massive upside-down mountains, sharp as cleavers and looming with ominous threat. Chirin briefly wondered what would happen if one of them fell. The thought made him shudder.

Chirin : “ H-Hooooow…? It’s so high!”

Python chuckled at Chirin’s confusion.

Python: “Some stratums have trails that lead to upper or lower stratums. Lucky for you, this stratum -which is Lamentation- has one that leads to Fraud: the utmost stratum. That path happens to be on the tallest mountain here. Now, traveling through the Abyss itself shouldn’t be too much of an issue once you figure out your way through every stratum. It's harder in some places than it is for others. The real problem comes when you reach Null.”

Chirin: “Null…? That’s one of the seven stratums of the Abyss, right?”

Python : “Mmmm… Not quite. Null is what we call the border that separates the Abyss from Terra Firma. It's kinda like a vast, white transitional area.”

Chirin: “So to go to Terra Firma… You need to cross through Null… Which is... Uhm... Above Purgatory?”

Python: “When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound too difficult. Also, Null is above Limbo, not Purgatory. Purgatory is below Limbo."

Chirin: "Oh... What's so difficult about it?"

Python: "It's impossible to break through Null. There's some sort of barrier that keeps you in. It tears you apart from the inside if you try to force you're way through. No way in, no way out."

Chirin: “...Oh.”

Python: “Now, now. No need to look so down. If you fell from Terra Firma, you would have passed through Null… so If you came from there… what’s to say that you won’t be able to go back?”

Chirin: “...I don’t know…”

Chirin stared at his lap as he lurked on all the information he had been told. The Abyss was… huge . That much was absolutely true. How long would it take him to travel through all seven stratums? 

It would definitely take a very long time.

And then comes the matter of Null itself. 

The more he thought about it, the more anguished he felt. But he quickly shoved the thought aside, lightly tugging his own cheeks as he forcibly pushed his uncertainty away.

Chirin: ("Wait– No! I can’t be discouraged! I have to get back no matter what!") 

He heard Python giggle at his antics before clearing her throat with a loud cough. Chirin brought his gaze back to her.

Python: “Now… Chirin?”

Python was eagerly twirling her coin, skillfully sliding it between her fingers as if it were liquid. Her head was tilted in inquiry, a single glassy-snake eye burning a hole into Chirin, that of which the boy in question returned gingerly.

Python : “It’s my turn to ask questions. You owe me…. hmmmm … six. ”

Chirin: “Huh? Six?! Since when?”

Python: “Hahaha! Come on now. Are you surprised even after I warned you about rapid firing? Well you see– first you asked me to tell you about where you were, then you asked me which stratum we were in, and then you asked if you needed to travel up! Which, mind you, is pretty much a no-brainer—”

Chirin: ("She’s been keeping track of how many questions I’ve asked! Why?! What’s even the point?!") 

Python: “ — Now do you understand why you owe me?”

Chirin straightened up, stiff as a stick.

Chirin: “Nope, not at all! I understand absolutely nothing!”

Python: “No…?”

Chirin pouted a bit.

Chirin: “I…  don’t think I’ll ever understand this answer-for-an-answer thing. It doesn’t make sense to me at all… It’s weird. And… sorry, Ma’am, with all due respect: You’re really weird.”

Python hummed a bit to herself and crossed her arms; her lips pressed into a thin line.

Python: “ Me… weird? Now that's a first... I'm almost offended that you think that of me... I don’t expect you to understand it right away, Chirin. I mean... You're just a child. You'll understand one day.---"

Chirin: ("--Honestly, I don't think I'll ever understand it.")

Python: "-- However, you ought to know: to back out of an agreement is to violate the sacred trust exchanged between both individuals or parties… “

Her voice dropped to a mildly threatening octave.

Python: “ — and I generally don’t take to violated agreements well…”

Chirin gulped.

Chirin: “I– I won’t back out. I was a little confused because I don’t see the point in putting a price to everything… s-sorry…”

Python let out a disappointed sigh, and Chirin wished the ground would open up and swallow him at that moment because he had just remembered how much Python disliked hollow apologies.

Python: “No need to freak out about it, Chirin. I wasn’t referring to this agreement we have. I was referring to agreements as a whole. Again, you’ll understand it with time. You'll experience it once you've spent more time here. You’re fine… for now … Ahahah...”

(For some reason, Chirin had a feeling she didn’t mean that last part.) 

Pythons: “Anyways… my questions… Do you remember if there were any other Abyssians in Terra Firma?”

Chirin : “... Abyssians? ”

Python sighed, her lead lowering.

Python : “Actually… I take that back. Do you know what an Abyssian is? ”

Chirin stared at her with a blank expression.

Chirin: “No…?”

(He bit back the urge to apologize for his ignorance). 

Python sat quietly, her left foot tapping in what Chirin could only assume was impatience.

Chirin: ("Did I say something wrong again?") 

Chirin : “ Umm… May you please tell me?”

Python stilled.

Python: “... Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell you, but you’ll owe me more for it, okay? Seven questions you owe me!”

Chirin visibly drooped.

Chirin: “Okay…”

Python: “...Abyssians are the dominant species of the Abyss. They tend to adopt different physiques dependent on their birth stratums. Some prefer to take on a more humanoid form, while others prefer to show off their spiritual forms. The older an Abyssian is, the more powerful they are both spiritually and physically. I am an Abyssian, and so are you…”

Python leaned forward slightly, and Chirin had a feeling that she was squinting under her mask.

Python : "... Kinda. ”

Chirin: “Kinda?”

Python: “While we Abyssians greatly vary in terms of appearance, we all have the same heart...“

Her hand rose to rest over her heart.

Python: “...A heart that produces a unique yet diverse spiritual energy that makes us, us. Abyssians are very spiritual. When it comes to appearances, we judge only by what we percieve on the inside instead of what can be perceived on the outside. What you see of me is just a physical manifestation of the energy that my heart produces. There's a general formula that every Abyssian's energy follows–”

She suddenly went still, carefully pondering her next words.

Python: “But you, Chirin... the spiritual energy that I see from you is unlike any I have ever seen before. You are… quite literally the strangest Abyssian I have ever met. Sure, you are an Abyssian, but your spiritual makeup – while it may be incredibly weak due to your youth– is the most unique I have ever seen, and I’ve seen unique Abyssians before. There's something about yours that I can't seem to place my finger on.”

Python: “I believe that your unique make-up might have factored into how you survived your descent into the Abyss at the cost of most of your memories. I too believe that you being born in Terra Firma may have influenced the development of said make-up. Then again, there’s always the possibility of this guess of mine being false… The Abyss has never seen a Terra Firma borne Abyssian in all of its history…”

Python: "Your aura is incredibly hard to miss. Looking at it is almost mesmerizing. Fascinating. I can't understand it."

It suddenly clicked to Chirin why she had stated how his survival had been a “disturbing” thing. He was just as much an anomaly to Python as he was to the Abyss– and no less curious about figuring the other out. For what reason she wanted to study him, Chirin did not know. Nonetheless, the mutual feeling of cautious curiosity brought a slight sense of relief.

Chirin: ("Every Abyssian has a unique aura to them... And they can inherently sense it too... Is this something they can see? Or could it be something that they feel? Like an aura? I wonder what it looks like...")

Chirin stared at Python, looking for any signs of this spiritual energy that all Abyssians could see and sense, but all he could see was just her, and nothing else. 

But he didn't give up. He didn't want to.

He strained harder, his eyes narrowing as he tried to percieve this elusive energy that apparently existed, but he felt nothing but an odd emptiness. His eyes flashed with dissapointment and confusion.

Python: "...You seem a bit confused about something. What's wrong?"

Chirin: "Abyssians can see and sense each other's auras but... Ma'am, I don't see anything coming out of you at all... Is that... normal?"

Python: "That's... strange. No, it's not normal--"

Chirin: "O-Oh no... Istheresomethingwrongwithme?!"

Python: "Woah now, calm down. There's nothing wrong with you, Chirin."

Chirin: "But, like- Y-Your aura... I can't see it. Shouldn't Abyssians be able to see it...? Isn't that a bad thing?"

Python: "It's not necessariy a bad thing. Tell me this: when you were focusing as hard as you were earlier... Did you at least see a little bit of yellow?"

At the mention of the color, a forelorn look crossed Chirin's face, and he started at Python blankly.

Python: "Chirin...?"

Chirin: "Uhm--"

Chirin: "I can't-"

Python: "-Wait, I don't think I specified this: Spiritual energy comes in many different colors. Mine just happens to be yellow. That's on me for confusing you."

Chirin: "N-No! It's not that, you're okay! It's just... I can't see colors."

Python: "...What?"

Chirin: "Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples: They all look the same to me, just the same thing but in different shades. I'm sorry ma'am, I should've told you earlier."

Python: "..."

Python: "......"

Chirin snuck a glance at Python, taking note of her deathly silence. He was starting to think he might have made a mistake in admitting his colorblindness to her, but what she said next came as a surprise to him.

Python: "Huh..."

Python: "You can't see colors? Like as in, you see everything in shades of black and white? That sounds horrible..."

Chirin: "It's not that bad, Ma'am! I've never seen the world any other way, so it's not like I'm missing out on anything! Bright colors are a bit distracting to me, though... Really dark ones too, and, uh... I don't think I'm the best at picking good outfits, or figuring out if what I'm going to eat is good or not, so I smell my food alot. I'm bad at drawing too-- "

Python: "Alright, alright. I get it! You're life is minorly inconvenient, big deal!"

Python: "Sheesh. It's just one fascinating thing after another with you. Colorblindness... The inability to comprehend colors... Never heard of that on someone before."

Chirin: "Wait, really? You've never heard of it before?"

Python: "Nnnnope!"

Chirin: "Oh... and I can't even see spiritual energy either... Gosh... There really is something wrong with me... If I can't do BASIC Abyssian things, do I even count as an Abyssian?!"

Python: "Oh, hush you. You are an Abyssian. That much is apparent just by looking at you. I'm sure there's a reason for you being so... different... out there somewhere. You were born in Terra Firma. I'm sure that it must because of where you were born... Yeah, where you were born..."

She hummed a bit at seeing Chirin's pained expression.

Python: "There's nothing wrong with you, Chirin."

Chirin sighed.

Chirin: "...Okay."

Chirin: ("I'll admit... I'm really dissapointed... I wanted to see what her aura looked like, and all I got for my effort was a huge reveal on how NOT normal I am compared to other Abyssians...")

Python: "Now, moving on... I want to learn as much about you as I can, Chirin, which brings me back to my first question–”

Python: “Do you remember if there were any Abyssians who lived with you in Terra Firma?"

Chirin: “I don't know... I don’t remember anything.”

Python: “Hmm…”

Python’s head tilted downwards. She looked like she was staring at the ground.

Python: “…I’m sure you’ll remember with time. I’d ask you more, but this memory thing complicates stuff…”

She looked up.

Python: “For now… do tell me if you remember anything, okay?”

Chirin: “Okay.”

Python: “Now… last question. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Just answer me honestly.”

Chirin: “Yes?”

Python: “... Do you trust me? ”

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