"Sin!! Is that you??" I shouted at the top of my lungs when I heard that faint voice. Hope flickered in my heart.
I followed the sound, alternating between calling out Sin's name and Knight's as I walked through the silent, depressing ruins of abandoned Sliver town. Each step was filled with caution.
Until I reached a steep cliff face, a massive crevice that marked the town's border. Cold, piercing wind swept up from below. I nervously peered down into the abyss that was so deep I couldn't see the bottom.
"Help meeee!" That voice rang out again, much clearer this time! That's definitely Sin! Very close, but where exactly?
"Sinnn!!" I kept shouting, even though I didn't know exactly where the voice was coming from. But my gut told me he was nearby. And then I heard a clear response.
"Rift! Rift! Is that you?"
"Look... look down below." Down below? Who the hell would dare look down into an abyss that deep?! But if this is what I think it is... I guess I have to try.
I held my breath and slowly crouched down to peer into that dark chasm... and there I found him! Sin! He was pressed against a narrow ledge on the cliff face. Both his legs were shaking like crazy! The moment he saw my face, he gave me a dry smile like he'd just seen God.
"Sin! What the hell are you doing down there?!" I shouted in confused relief. What kind of crazy situation is this now?!
"Long story!!" Sin's voice shouted back, sounding completely drained. "How about... you help me up first?!" At the end of his sentence, he looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, but still clung tightly to the cliff face.
Even if he said that, how was I supposed to help him? The chasm was this deep, plus I only had one arm. I really couldn't help wondering what my teacher had done to end up falling down there.
Sigh... I let out a long breath, looking left and right, trying to think of a way to help.
"Where's Knight?! Why don't you tell him to help you up!" I kept shouting while my brain processed possible rescue methods.
"I don't know... I've been waiting for over a day and he still hasn't come back to find me," Sin's voice replied hopelessly, like he was about to cry.
"Ah... haha..." I laughed dryly, remembering what Sin had said about Knight being a forgetful dog who was also blind... How is my teacher this good at getting himself into trouble?!
"Alright! I got it!" I decided to walk back to where the Soul Order people were working to ask for help. At least they should have some equipment that could help.
"Wait a sec! I'll go find people to help! Just hang in there!" I shouted to tell Sin to stay strong, then immediately ran back the way I came. Sweat started seeping out along my hairline, not just from exhaustion but from pressure too.
I ran back to where the Soul Order people were working, soaked in sweat until my clothes were drenched. I went straight to a guy who was busy tying knots in a large rope. He looked strong and like he could probably help.
"Hey! Excuse me! Can I borrow that rope?" I asked breathlessly. He looked up at me with a confused expression, looking me up and down.
"My friend... uh... my teacher," I quickly corrected myself, worried he wouldn't lend it if I said friend. "He accidentally fell into the chasm at the Stone City border." I tried to explain the situation as quickly as possible.
"Huh...? Uh..." The guy still looked confused, glancing between me and the coil of rope in his hands. But seeing my serious expression and urgent manner, he finally nodded and handed me the thick rope. "Here... hurry up and go help your friend... uh... teacher." He spoke with a tone half-believing, half-skeptical.
"What kind of crazy person falls into the border chasm?" he muttered behind me as I grabbed the rope and ran back to Sin without a care in the world. Thank heaven he agreed to lend it!
When I reached the cliff edge again, I quickly looked for a large tree that looked sturdy enough to support two people's weight. Once I found a suitable tree, I wrapped the rope around the trunk several times, testing it with a few tugs to make sure it wouldn't come loose.
"Sin!! Grab the rope! I'm throwing it down!" After shouting, I gathered all my strength and threw the other end of the rope down into the chasm. Sin, who'd been waiting hopefully, immediately grabbed the rope with perfect accuracy.
"Hold on tight! If you let go this time, you'll really end up sleeping at the bottom of the chasm!" I shouted again, feeling tension spreading everywhere.
"Don't say crazy stuff!" Sin shouted back, but I could see his hands gripping the rope so tightly his knuckles were white.
Then I slowly started pulling the rope up. This job was tough because having only one arm made it way more difficult than I'd thought. Plus Sin's weight, who despite looking thin probably wasn't light, weighed me down more. The rope in my hands started getting slippery from the sweat that kept coming out. I gritted my teeth, trying to pull steadily. The veins in my left arm bulged visibly.
"Pull better, Rift!! This rope is already cutting into my hands!" Sin shouted at me again, his voice shaking with irritation.
"I'm trying my hardest here!" I shouted back angrily, feeling the muscle pain starting in my arm, but I kept pulling. Gritting my teeth until my jaw almost cracked.
After struggling for several minutes, sweating until my clothes were soaked, Sin's figure finally appeared from the cliff edge successfully. He immediately collapsed flat on the ground the moment his feet touched solid earth, gasping heavily like someone who'd just escaped death. He looked completely worn out and disheveled.
I was almost exhausted too, collapsing to sit beside him, gasping just as hard. My left arm was so tired I could barely lift it.
I walked over to Sin, looking at my teacher's condition which really wasn't good at all. I offered him the water bottle I'd brought. Sin took it and drank thirstily before looking at my face.
"Seriously though, how did you fall down there? From this height, and you're someone with power too," I couldn't help asking, looking down into the chasm again made my spine tingle.
"Well... I came looking for you," Sin answered weakly after taking a big gulp of water. "But... couldn't find you."
I blinked rapidly, stunned by my teacher's cluelessness. I'd fought to near-death in this town just a few days ago, but Sin came looking and couldn't find me. Plus he managed to walk off a cliff at the city border... If I hadn't found him, what would have happened? I don't know what words to use to describe his absent-mindedness.
"When I kept walking and calling your name..." Sin continued explaining with a bland expression. "I... wasn't really watching where I was going. I was too busy looking around corners and stuff, so I slipped and fell into the chasm." He scratched his head sheepishly.
Sigh... I let out a long breath for the hundredth time today. Whatever, Sin was like this anyway. At least he was safe.
"Hey..." I decided to get to the important point I'd been thinking about for days. What I needed to do, and the path I needed to choose.
"Tomorrow... I'm leaving," I said with a serious tone, my eyes determined.