Daring in the Depths of the Infinite Chasm

A cataclysmic event, the forces that destroyed the world, came about in many different ways. Some say it was the Gods who brought about their wrath, or that it was a massive, rapid shift in the magnetic poles. Others believe in the old legends, and wonder if it was not a result of foolish humans trying to harness the arcane. Regardless of what brought us to this point, there is one thing that we know for sure; that only a very few survived.

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The sun beat down on her head relentlessly as she walked through the desert towards the distant oasis. As the heat rose, so did her hopes, the mirage of water carried her through her aching feet. Her skin felt stretched and thin, parched with thirst. The same could be said for her mind; she no longer knew how much time had passed since she had left home. She only knew that she needed to keep going. She needed to get home before… before it happened.

She felt arms wrap around her waist from behind unexpectedly, lifting her off the ground and out of view from anyone passing by on the road. A familiar scent filled her nose and strength returned to her body at once. “Honey?” She asked as he set her back down on earth. “What are you doing here? You know you can’t be here!” Her voice was full of joy and relief at seeing him, but quickly transitioned into anger as she realized his intentions had been anything but innocent.

He looked sheepishly at his feet as he cocked his head to the side. “I just wanted to see you one more time before I left” He replied quietly as he looked up at her with sad eyes. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get home, or even if I will make it back at all…” He trailed off when he realized he didn’t need to explain himself further; they both knew what they were facing would be dangerous and potentially lethal.

She looked up at him and smiled warmly despite herself “I don’t want you to leave either honey! You know how dangerous this area is… You shouldn’t have come here! But I do love seeing your face again before you go” She wrapped him in an embrace and held tight for just a moment longer than she should have before letting go slowly and wiping away a tear from her cheek with a gentle hand. She gazed into his eyes for another moment before turning away and rushing down toward where she had left some water for him earlier that morning.

He followed close behind as she stopped at a small rock formation near a large tree by the riverbank and uncovered several bottles of water, looking over her shoulder while she did so “You shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble just because I came by honey! You know how much trouble it will cause if anyone finds out… Not to mention how much trouble I would get in at home too! They would think I deserted them! I don’t want my family thinking I am dead!” His words sounded frantic and fearful; worried that he may never see them again either.

She turned around while he drank greedily from one of the bottles in an attempt to quell his fears “It doesn’t matter honey… We both know what needs to be done… We have gotten so close these last few years and we have only found more signs lately telling us that we are almost there! If we don’t continue now then who knows when we will find any more clues?! And besides… If something happens to me then someone else can pick up where I left off… And if something happens to you then someone else can pick up where you left off too! We can do this together afterall! We both have our own strengths! And besides… I miss you too much when you leave me alone for weeks on end like this! It drives me crazy not knowing what happens to you out there! So just drink up honey and let's go find our answers together like always!"