The abyss.
It resides at the very bottom of the world. Where the lowest rank of species resides. Gradually increasing the rank the more you go upwards. Yet, the lower the levels of the abyss, the more interesting its history beholds.
History was made. Events inside the abyss dealt a significant impact to the upper world, and most importantly, the abyss is the starting point of life. Our curiosity led to exploration, slowly but surely, we reached a new height, which was the upper world.
This saying will be true for these kids, Zion and Talia, as well.
Zion and Talia are curious kids that belong in the Rishiki family. They live inside a concrete house, inside a moderate town enveloped with gigantic walls with the height of 50 meters. Located inside the 100th level of the abyss, the very bottom of the depths.
This town was named Mikage-shigai.
The 100th level didn't stand out, nor it had dealt impact on upper levels. But, the only fact that made the 100th level special, was the fact that it is inhabited by humans.
The lowest level of species usually range around lizardmen, frogmen, goblins, orcs, and more of the like.
Humans on the other hand, live inside the upper levels, such as the 10th level and above.
Which this was the reason, why it happened.
-- y. 2113 S.U --
A huge wall was covering the town whole, which inside was concrete houses filled to the brim with decorative items, with unfamiliar glowing rocks used as a light source, some houses even used it for decoration!
The rocks that were used as decoration in the plentiful amount of houses began to lit up a brilliant white color. These rocks were called syntheticite, a rock that glows a vivid color depending on weather conditions, which the townspeople depended on these rocks since it could sign a warning if any unnatural weather comes in.
Gold means sunny, blue means rainy, red means extremely hot, white means snowy, and black means stormy.
Among the hustling crowd, two kids, a boy and a girl around the age of 8 can be seen trying to scale the ginormous wall covering the town, led by their curiosity.
The boy had jet-black hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes. On the other hand, the girl had golden blonde hair, accompanied with pink eyes.
The kids were none other than Zion and Talia, which when they were on a part of the wall that everyone could see, ultimately, it led to them getting caught trying to scale the wall by a guard, one that had a fine body, wearing metallic armor, silver hair, and a longsword made of syntheticite on his back.
The guard immediately knew who the kids were, since they kept trying to consistently scale the wall without getting caught, and they have been doing this for a few weeks now. Which ended in the same result, getting caught.
"Hey Zion! Talia! I told you kids can't go outside the town!" The guard shouts.
Zion and Talia both flinched. As they once again, hear the voice of a familiar man.
Haah... How do we keep getting caught by Uncle Kenzou? Zion thinks.
"Alright, We're coming down Kenzou-ojisan!" Talia shouts at Kenzou, since the walls were so high to the point where screaming can be barely heard.
A few moments later, Zion and Talia both scale down the wall, which they were then met by Uncle Kenzou, the guard.
Zion places their climbing equipment on top of a log bench.
"Why do you keep trying to scale the wall, Zion, Talia?" Kenzou asks.
"Uhh.. It's nothing. Anyways, Kenzou-ojisan, is there any latest news today?" Zion responds, trying to change the topic.
"No. No news for today Zion." Kenzou responds.
"What really is outside the wall, Uncle?" Talia asks, as her curiosity is still present.
Kenzou's eyes widened a little bit, surprised to hear this question. He quickly gains back his composure and responds calmly.
"Talia, if I could explain it in one word, it's hell." Kenzou responds.
"Woah.. Scary.. Now can we go outside? I wanna know what this "hell" is. I don't want to spend my life living inside this wall, without knowing what the outside word olds!" Zion responds.
"Did you even hear anything I just said?" Kenzou replies.
"You kids, really shouldn't go outside. My wife Filian, got killed by upper specimen, in a way you could never imagine."
As Kenzou was saying this, he notices the two children's eyes sparkle with curiosity.
Huh? Are these kids crazy? Why do they want to go outside that much? I'll just bring them back home..
"Not now. Come on, I'll bring you kids back to your house."
No!! We're going to get scolded again!! Zion and Talia both think at the same time.
 The three were walking around the town, with the scenery of syntheticite covering the houses as decoration, the street lamps, and LED made with syntheticite as well.
They finally reached their destination after a few walks, which is a concrete house that look extremely normal and inconspicuous.
Kenzou, uses his right hand covered with calluses to clutch on the metal doorknob, swung the door open while his left hand covering Zion and Talia. As he stepped on the wooden creaky floors, a warm welcome by a woman greeted him as he traverses inside the house. From a middle-aged woman named Hannah with the same facial features as Zion.
Her smile instantly faded away like a withering rose once she saw the two kids on his hand.
"Kenzou, what did my children do again?" Hannah asks, with a menacing smile.
As she says this, a sudden cold wind shivered through Zion and Talia's spines. Thinking that this was the end.
"The usual, Hannah, they once again tried to traverse the land outside, and scaled the walls. Luckily, I spotted them before they could get into any unwanted trouble."
Hannah slowly turned her head towards Zion and Talia, which made the kids sweat profusely. Zion was the first person to say a word in this menacing silence.
"But, we wanted to know-"
Zion was suddenly interrupted by Hannah, with a worried tone.
"Ah... You know Zion, Talia, you could do anything you want as long as you know what you're doing, and what you're getting yourselves into."
"But do you know what you are doing? You are putting your lives on the line at a very young age. Your father now resides in the 8th floor, which when he escaped outside, he almost died, and lost one of his eyes."
Just then, the silence came back.
"Please. Don't go outside, its for your own safety. Don't let your cat get killed, alright?"
Hannah walks up to Zion and Talia, which she pats their shoulders.
"Alright Mom..." They both respond.
Zion and Talia both walk back to their individual room, Zion looking at his window at the scenery of the abyssal moon and the town houses.
Really... What's really the point of these walls? Sorry Mom... But my curiosity can't get enough, I want to know!
And I never thought of this, but I never met my real father in my life. I don't even know him....
At the very same time, somewhere far away in the 100th level, stood a man wearing a black hoodie.
It was an upper species that managed to raid the 100th level.
"Hooh~"
The man stood there, his vertical pupils widened as he scanned the ginormous walls from afar with awe.
"I think I struck gold. To think highest species were inhabiting a lower level, not lower, but the lowest."
The corners of his mouth curved slightly upward as his eyes were glowing white, with a menacing look, and a ferocious wind blowing his hoodie all around.
"They would definitely sell for a lot."
The man in the hoodie slightly chuckled.
Just then, Zion suddenly woke up at the middle of the hours of darkness, his eyes wide open, and full of sweat.
He sits upright on his bed, with an uneasy feeling on his mind. He then looked outside the window, with no hope but to only see the town covered in an eerie darkness.
"What? I'm getting a really uneasy feeling that tomorrow will be bad... Why did I wake up? I thought I didn't have insomnia?"
"Well, let's not think about it. I'm getting a feeling tomorrow is going to not go well."
The moment ends in soaring winds, a shining moon, and a dark sky filled with cumulonimbus clouds...
... And a snoring Zion.
1. S.U means "Modern Era" in abyssal language.
2. When Hannah said "Don't let your cat get killed", it referenced a popular saying from Ben Jonson, "Curiosity kills the cat".