To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

We shall move the child.

No sooner had those words finished than an inexplicable wind began blowing within Abgrund.

“Eh, what? What is this?”

“This is called ‘wind’. It seems the gods are exerting their power to release you into the outside world, Miss Liv.”

Experiencing the flow of air for the first time in her life, Liv was initially flustered before bursting into giggles, seeming to enjoy the wind brushing her face and ruffling her hair.

“So I’m going outside too.”

“Yes, you will be able to find freedom, Miss Liv.”

“What should I do once I’m out there?”

Liv’s question gave Emmett pause. Should he tell her to wait until the Hamelsvoort family found her?

However, the answer came quickly. Emmett still trusted in the gods’ love for Liv. The gods would guide her to where she needed to be.

“Simply observe your surroundings and enjoy the outside world. Everything will unfold naturally.”

“Naturally?”

“Yes, if you follow the gods’ words and wait, you will soon meet me as well.”

“Okay, I’ll wait…”

Rumble, boom!

At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from outside Abgrund, as if the world itself were crumbling. Startled, Liv clung close to Emmett.

“What was that sound?”

“Thunder. A sign of the gods exerting their power.”

Emmett remembered hearing that exact thunderous sound when the world had crumbled upon Liv’s death.

The sky visible through the hole had already darkened. The deafening thunder continued unabated, and the wind within Abgrund grew fiercer. Watching Liv’s white hair whipping in the gale, Emmett realized the time had come to send her off.

“Miss Liv.”

“Yes.”

“You must take care of yourself out there.”

“But you said we would meet again?”

“Still, we may be apart for a while.”

As if declaring her time in this space had ended, Liv’s body began turning translucent. Glancing down at herself, Liv exclaimed in awe:

“Wow, I guess I’m going outside now.”

Emmett’s form had also become nearly transparent, the gods seemingly using all their power to maintain Liv’s manifestation instead of his own.

Before Liv vanished completely, Emmett reached out towards her. But his translucent hand simply passed through hers, unable to feel any human warmth. Yes, witnessing that sight stirred an uprising within him – a vile compulsion to beg for Liv’s love.

‘No, I must not.’

Yet he loved Liv so deeply. Though he tried to resist, an overwhelming desire for her love surged forth.

In the end, Emmett uttered the words he should never have said to Liv, despite knowing it would hurt her – words driven by his own selfishness:

“Miss Liv.”

“Yes?”

“If you meet me again outside.”

“Yes.”

“Please, love me.”

Gazing directly into Liv’s eyes, he spoke with more ardent yearning than ever before. His gaze held a pitiful, agonizing pleading. But undoubtedly, he simultaneously regretted giving voice to those words.

“No matter what happens, please love me to the very end…”

It was the greatest wrong he had committed against Liv.

* * *

When she opened and closed her eyes, Liv found herself in an unfamiliar environment.

“Ah…!”

The dazzling brightness stung her eyes, causing Liv to scream as she shielded them with her arms. Her vision blurred, the stinging sensation like her eyes were being gouged by something sharp. Objects swam before her, as if she had lost her sight entirely.

At that moment, the gods’ voices reached her, and the pain in her eyes dissipated:

Poor child.

Now, you should be able to see properly. Open your eyes.

Since you are outside, we can exert at least this much power.

“Did it work…?”

Baffled, Liv lowered the hands covering her eyes. An unbelievable, never-before-seen color filled her vision.

“Aah…!”

A chill seemed to pierce her to the depths of her chest, as if something cold and solid were drilling into her mind. The color was as chilly and damp as the rainwater that had once trickled through the hole. Yet simultaneously, it was as intense and piercing as the sunlight on a clear day. As Liv could only gape dumbfounded, the gods explained its identity:

That is the color called ‘blue’, child.

What you see is called the ‘sky’, and those are ‘clouds’.

“Am I really seeing the sky…?”

While Liv had glimpsed the sky through the hole in her cell’s ceiling, it had only been a tiny fraction. She had never witnessed such a vast expanse of blue. The ‘sky’ was an overwhelming presence she could scarcely believe existed in this world. No matter where she looked, the sky stretched endlessly, enveloping everything beneath it. Even if Liv ran, she felt she could never reach its farthest bounds.

After marveling at the sky for a long while, Liv then lowered her gaze to the ground.

“What color is this?”

That is called ‘brown’.

This new hue invoked a sense of grounding calm. It brought to mind the sweltering heat of summer, as well as the soothing voice of the man who had accompanied her in Abgrund.

Liv cautiously patted the ground, feeling not the cool stone of the underground but warm, sun-baked soil instead. She silently studied the dirt clinging to her hands – that dense, cozy sensation felt so strange.

“This is… the outside world…”

Now Liv sprang up, whirling about to take in her surroundings. What filled her vision was a refreshing yet comforting, novel shade. Unlike the drab gray of Abgrund that had bred boredom and tedium, she felt this color would never grow stale no matter how long she gazed upon it.

That color is called ‘green’.

“Ah, it’s so, so beautiful!”

Those are called ‘trees’.

Liv dashed over and embraced a nearby tree trunk, marveling at the rough tactile sensation.

Unlike the musty air underground, the outside air was incredibly crisp, with a gentle breeze caressing her cheeks. From the tree wafted an invigorating scent that cleared her mind.

“Oh, what is that over there?”

That is called a ‘butterfly’.

Liv clapped her hands over her mouth, watching the yellow butterfly flit by on delicate wings, freely roaming this vast world. Having only heard tales, beholding an actual butterfly in the flesh rendered it breathtakingly beautiful. And…

The feeling you experience is called ‘liking’.

“Yes, I like it! I regret not seeing yellow sooner. It makes my heart feel warm!”

Having emerged into the outside world, Liv felt she could never return to the dank underground vistas she had known.

With each step she took, new sights unfolded before her. Though her bare feet bled after stepping on a sharp rock, Liv didn’t register any pain – she only drank in the visions, afraid to miss a single detail.

“Aah…!”

A tightness gripped her chest, and Liv sank to the ground, clutching her bosom.

“Why did I not know of this sooner? It feels like a dream! No, I’ve never dreamed of anything like this, because I couldn’t even imagine…”

You shall never again return to that cursed land, beloved child.

This world now belongs to you.

Unable to contain her swelling emotions, Liv curled up on the ground, hugging her knees. Then, noticing something strange, she asked the gods:

“What is… this?”

Those are called ‘flowers’.

Pink flowers, the same deep shade as your eyes.

A few flower blossoms swayed gently by the roadside, as if greeting the cool breeze.

“So this is my eye color…”

Liv crawled closer, bringing her face level with the flowers. These first flowers she had ever seen were breathtakingly beautiful.

-Once you go outside, you will surely come to love them immediately.

“You were right…”

Recalling the man’s words, Liv murmured in a dazed voice:

“They’re so, so lovely. How could I not love them…”

Hot liquid trickled from her eyes, dropping onto the flower petals. Liv suddenly realized she was crying.

Don’t cry, child.

What has saddened our child so?

“No, it’s not… I’m just overwhelmed by how beautiful the world is.”

She felt profound regret at having remained ignorant of this world for so long. She wished the man could be by her side in this moment.

For some reason, her emotions simply felt… strange.

It was like finally regaining something that had been taken from her – even though she had never truly possessed it from the start. Ah, if only she had lived experiencing these wonders all along, she could not even fathom what her life might have been like. Compared to them, everything she had known until now felt so utterly insignificant that it was overwhelming.