Abyss Entrance

"Scaramouche, this is Niwa Allen" Pantalone said putting emphasis over Niwa.

"I know that he is Tomoki's kid, he told me about it" Scaramouch spitted, knowing Pantalone's thinking.

"He talked to you about me? What was your relationship with master?" Allen asked quite curious as he really doubted Tomoki had talked about him to other Harbingers without a meaning behind.

"It's none of your bussine-" "They were quite the close friends" Pantalone interrupted Scaramouche "Both were the black sheeps of the Harbingers, one ignoring the others while the other went against them. I suppose that was what joined them" Pantalone turned to Scaramouche with a smile that told he actually knew more about it "No, Scaramouche?"

"Tch!" Scaramouche clicked his tongue and avoided him "Whatever!"

"How strange of an answer, you would usually threaten me" Pantalone said laughing.

"I don't make useless threats, Pantalone" Scaramouche answered "I know you are already prepared and you will stop being a Harbinger shortly. I won't waste my time with you, quicken the inevitable." Scaramouche turned around "Saying that, I won't take him to the abyss, you can find another babysitter." He said leaving the room.

"Pierro is the one that asked for you" Pantalone stated, Scaramouche stopping still.

"Pierro?"

"Yes, he was the one who decided to bring Allen to the abyss with you are the guide." Pantalone answered "Would you accept it?" Pantalone asked completely knowing the answer.

"Tch!" Scaramouche clicked again and turned over Allen "Follow me"

"Yes" Allen nodded, both leaving the room.

"For all his unruliness, Scaramouche always follows Pierro's advance."

Every Harbinger had their own reasons to have become one, for strength, for salvation, for revenge... and while some of them were devoted to the Tsaritsa, others lacked that feeling. For Scaramouche, it was for strength and while he didn't respect the Tsaritsa, he followed Pierro, the one that recruited him and guide him.

"Good that I made it out of being his idea" Pantalone lifted his hand, seeing the wrinkles from it "I'm really becoming weak. Better use this remaining time as Pantalone correctly as I don't have anything to lose."

"I'm curious how will it go between those two" Pantalone grinned and looked.

...

"As I was forced to it, I will bring you to the Abyss with me, but you should follow my rules, if not I'll abandon you to your own death." Scaramouche stated while they walked over the city.

"What are the rules?" Allen asked.

"First of all, don't ask any questions" Scaramouche cut him angrily "Even better, don't talk unless asked."

Allen nodded while rolling his eyes.

"Second, I'm nobody's babysitter so take care of yourself."

"I'll tell you the other once we arrive there."

...

After leaving the city and riding a carriage for two hours, Allen and Scaramouche could see their destination. Breaking completely the surrounding snowy forest, in front of them was a complete frozen wasteland with kilometers and kilometers of nothing.

"We'll continue walking" Scaramouche stated and seeing the attitude of the horses that refused to move forward, there was not much of a choice.

Allen followed Scaramouche, finally reaching their objective, the mouth of a cave 30 meters wide. The entrance had a black veil over it, completely hiding its contents that seemed to enter inside the ground.

Allen's eyes were fixed on the cave, being unable to avoid being in trance about it.

"Aren't you afraid?" Scaramouche mocked "If you are like this now, better leave while you can."

"No, I'll enter" Allen put his hand over his heart, feeling it faster beats. He couldn't tell what it was, but there was a strange sensation coming from inside the cave.

"Apart from the other rules that are still up, here's the others" Scaramouche stated "I have my own rhythm if you are unable to follow you will be discarded."

"And lastly" Scaramouche turned over Allen "Don't go away from me. Stay near me, follow each of my steps and maybe, only maybe, you are able to return alive." He said entering the veil.

Allen breathed strongly before following him inside.

"Ah" Allen's body struggled, losing his equilibrium and almost falling to the ground. He couldn't avoid being shocked by his surroundings. Darkness. A pure world of darkness without any matter of form. Allen wasn't even sure how was he walking over it, no ground being recognized.

"This is the Abyss. A chaotic world ruled by darkness" Scaramouche said solemnly "Up, down, left, right, yesterday or tomorrow, they don't matter, everything is twisted and swallowed by it. And if you let the opportunity, you will be the next one."

Allen turned serious listening to him. Moreover, he could make better that strange feeling inside him, however, it didn't make it less strange as it was a call. A call to go forward but at the same it was an instinct to run away from where he entered. Allen couldn't understand it, but he knew that the best would be to follow Scaramouche as he really didn't have the certainty of even being able to leave this space alone.

"Follow me" Scaramouche walked forward, but his body was going down, entering further into the darkness. "The monsters here are quite different for what you can be used to, so focus on defense. There's no need to try to kill them, I'll take care of them, but never let yourself be hit by them."

Allen nodded and stepped forward.

"One more thing, you are an allogen, but you shouldn't trust your V-." While Scaramouche warned him, Allen felt his foot sinking, the darkness around it dispersing over it as his body started to fall.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Scarmouche shouted shocked, he turned over Allen but it was too late, as if there's no ground, Allen fell into the infinite darkness, quickly disappearing inside it.

"How can it be possible? There was no path there." Scaramouche wondered as he stepped where Allen had stepped before. "But it seems that it really doesn't matter" He looked under him "He must have reached the inner area. He won't survive there. He is dead."

...

Allen could feel his body sinking further, similar to the water and unable to resist or going up.

*Paf* After what it seemed to be an eternity of slow falling, Allen finally reached what could be felt as the ground, stopping his fall and finally being able to stand again.

Looking at his surroundings, he couldn't tell that anything had changed, the same darkness was still there, but that feeling of call and danger becoming stronger.

'What should I do now?' Allen really didn't know what to do. First of all, he didn't know how he had started the fall as he was following Scaramouche and it was impossible to know how to return. 'I doubt that Scaramouche is looking for me, so I'll need to find the exit on my own.'

"HAAAAAAAA!" Just as Allen was about to start walking, he heard a shout. Turning towards it, he could see a person falling through the darkness, very similar to his case, finally stopping at his height.

Allen didn't doubt and ran towards him as it could be some track and found a boy laying on the ground while holding his head in pain. He seemed to be of Allen's age, with short ginger hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hello" Allen tried to approach him.

"WHA!" The boy jumped scared "W-who are you?!" He unskillfully took out an iron sword, pointing at Allen with it while having a trembling pulse. "W-where I am?"

'So he is also unaware. This boy is unfamiliar with the sword' That fright, that posture, that grip, the state of his hands... it was clear that the boy wasn't not only a swordsman but neither a fighter. 'He didn't seem too useful, but maybe could be.'

"Calm down. I mean no harm" Allen lifted his hands "I'm Allen and about this place, I'm not really sure where are we. When I woke up I was already here."

"I don't like this place, sniff" The boy cried a little "I'm afraid. I want to return with my family."

"If we cooperate, we'll be able to leave" Allen tried to cheer him "First of all, what's your name?"

The boy seemed still quite afraid, but seeing that Allen was similar in age, he lowered his alertness with him, lowering his sword and calming himself a little "I-I'm Ajax."