It was said that only the novices actually stared into the Chasm of Lamentations. The veterans all knew what it contained and saw no reason to watch the boundary that had yet to be breached, instead spending their time sizing up the competition or making final preparations. All of them viewed the environmental challenge as secondary to the competition with their peers.

Theo wasn't technically among the novices, yet he couldn't take his eyes away. Not far from where House Blacksilver had placed its defenses, he could see the Chasm itself, after so many years. The air above the boundary wavered an ethereal blue, and beyond he could see the bleakly exotic landscape. There were no differences that he could see, and yet...

According to the official rules, all the different parties entered in a specific order determined by their standing. They began with several Strongholds representing the Ruling Cities and the Asplundat Movement, to prevent ambushes or other bloody tactics. This did nothing to calm the Blacksilver Authorities who shifted beside them.

"The first moments can often be chaotic." Dhan finally broke off his meditation to address the three of them. "The Asplundat Movement can't possibly overcome the other Strongholds quickly, but they may be pursuing a strategy of collateral damage. We'll start with a defensive shell, but after that, stealth should be your primary goal. Fiyu?"

"I have made the modifications you advised," she said, bowing to the Authorities. "I hope they will be sufficient."

"It was already hard for me to see through your technique before, so it should be enough. The most important thing is that you avoid any initial wide scale attacks."

He didn't say much more, primarily focused on discussing tactics with the other Authorities. They disagreed on more than a few details, Janne favoring speed and Karchibol a concentrated defense. Given the scale of the conflict they could potentially be walking into, Theo wasn't surprised by their discomfort. In the long run, though, the Chasm itself would threaten all of them alike.

Ahead of them, another group from the Asplundat Movement raised their Chasm Invitations and passed through the hazy barrier. It became difficult to see them on the other side, but it didn't seem like there were any immediate attacks. They waited for several minutes before House Crimson's group entered... all of them Authorities, including Tythes. The next groups were from other Ruling Cities, these including many more Rulers.

Not so many groups remained. The only sigils that Theo could identify from Norro Yorthin represented the House of Burning Leaves... were they looking in his direction? Since they had sponsored Esaire's duel, it was possible that they still held some kind of grudge against him. In any case, they only brought one Authority, a Fithan man with a scar that looked as if half his face had been torn off.

Then it was their turn. Dhan gave them all a final stern glance, they moved forward raising the white slabs of their Invitations, and they passed through the boundary. After a brief disorientation, Theo walked into the Chasm of Lamentations... and into silence.

No violence around them, the groups instead spreading out. All the Blacksilver Authorities looked surprised, and they began preparing when a group from the Asplundat Movement approached, but none of the gray-armored soulcrafters appeared to be gathering cantae.

"In the past, this has been a reckless and violent contest," one of the Asplundat Authorities said, the words rolling off her tongue as if they'd been worn smooth by repetition. "This has led to needless waste of lives and sublime materials. This time, we intend to enforce several ground rules."

"Who are you to set rules?" Karchibol demanded, but Dhan cut him off with a hand and answered himself.

"What are your terms?"

"Because the western plain falls into the Chasm before reaching the end," the Asplundat soulcrafter made a broad gesture in that direction as she spoke, "it will be a nonviolent zone. Those beneath Authority may gather materials there freely. Nothing will be enforced for the eastern plain or the chasm itself. There will also be no fighting outside the Chasm domain itself, and we have placed soulcrafters to enforce this. Anything won within is won freely."

"Then you'll have no objection to our younger soulcrafters traveling to the west," Dhan said. The other Authority immediately shook her head.

"Of course not. The Asplundat Movement welcomes all to seek the truth of their soulcrafting. We will prove the value of our ideals."

That was clearly a dismissal from their own side, so Theo headed with the others away from the starting point. Fiyu tugged at his sleeve, but he shook his head for her not to use her stealth technique. Best to keep one of their stronger trump cards hidden if they didn't need to use it here. Theo wasn't sure if this supposed truce would hold, but it didn't ultimately matter to his plan.

Ahead, he could see the eerie blue plains split in half by the raging white current. The water was just as unnaturally white as he remembered, chewing into the stone. Even from his position, he could see the vast chasm that gave the space its name, rapidly driving deep into the earth, the walls on either side glinting like knives.

"We're going right down the center?" Nauda asked, even though they'd been over the plan. "That seems obvious... surely everyone will be thinking of that."

"You'll see why not soon enough." Since the landscape looked unchanged, Theo spent more time monitoring the nearest soulcrafters. The Chasm of Lamentations was large enough for them to spread out, but until then, everyone would be too densely packed for his liking.

Though the Asplundat Movement's rules were meant to appear benevolent, it was clear they expected to gain an advantage. The rules made no mention of the vault at the far end of the river or the Scepter of Separation. They must have judged that reducing the contest to brute force would work in their favor and allow them to seize control of everything they needed. Even with his knowledge of the region, Theo had to admit that the odds were slimmer than he'd like.

Most of the soulcrafters stayed far away from the water, but Theo led their group directly alongside it. He'd already told them about searching for the kaleidoscopic flowers, so they began winding their way alongside the banks at a safe distance.

A thrum of cantae distracted him, and he looked back to see a Fithan soulcrafter flying forward on a large chariot. It streaked directly over the river, as if intending to beat everyone else to the end. Theo yelled for them to stop, but if they heard, they had no intention of listening.

Before it got far into the chasm, the chariot struck a hazy wisp floating in the air. Immediately its sublime materials shuddered and it dropped lower, scraping against one of the rocky sides. The soulcrafter driving it, a powerful Ruler, immediately flooded the chariot with cantae... and yet it continued drifting down. He and his allies began crying out in panic, then as the water lapped up to reach them they screamed, and then the white river simply wiped them from existence.

"That water is really so lethal?" Nauda asked, trying to hide how unnerved she was. "I believed what you said about chariots not working, but I didn't expect it to be so fast. Can Authorities fly here?"

"Probably some, but even they can be threatened when mists roll in from overhead. It's safer to stay on the ground the entire time, and you can't rely on some cantae effects because this place disrupts them." On that subject, he decided to test out his limits, attempting to cast a gravitational field under himself, Nauda, and various rocks.

When he had previously visited the Chasm of Lamentations, it had stripped him of almost all his abilities except his physical enhancements and the cantae flowing within him. He'd have been helpless if not for the Artifact of Elghiera. His improved blueprint could still function, but he needed to strain to lift objects. Nauda gave him a nervous glance and he shook his head.

"We won't be able to levitate as a method of transportation. I'm going to save my strength in case anyone falls in, but we shouldn't rely on it. You might be the most mobile here, if you jump with your full strength."

"But I'm guessing I should avoid those hazy sections?"

"Whenever possible. They can actually be lethal, but there's a way of slipping past them. Those are the basics I mentioned, so we need to find..." He trailed off as he saw Fiyu rising from the ground beside the river.

"Are these the flowers you meant?" she asked. Thankfully she had avoided touching them, as she had indeed found some of the kaleidoscopic flowers, their colors and petals shifting unnaturally.

Theo joined her and showed them how to harvest the flowers, scooping out the blue dirt in order to get the roots so that they wouldn't explode. That had been a trick that Khaluu taught him, many years ago. It still worked, letting them weaken the flowers just enough to draw them into their soulhomes. To be cautious, Theo took the first set, then joined them in searching for others.

A few nearby soulcrafters from unfamiliar Houses saw what they did and tried to copy the technique with flowers on the other bank. Theo didn't really care, since they didn't know what to do with them. While Fiyu hid them in a bubble of stealth, Nauda used her telescope and he demonstrated how to pull the twisting petals apart and forge them into a chain. Hung over the door of a soulhome, the flowers provided significant protection from the wavering distortions... and the likelihood of triggering retaliation from the Chasm itself.

While he searched with the others, he kept an eye on the opposite bank of the river. Most of the Ruler tier soulcrafters seemed solely interested in finding regions of sublime stone, then hammering out as much ore as they could, though it resisted cantae.

It seemed that just like before, the most obvious material was still one of the most valued: formed into bricks, stone from the Chasm was excellent for building Archcrafters up to Rulers. By his judgment, it was essentially just an easy trick for the weak, only relevant in a broader military sense. As soon as they had finished their initial preparations, they would strike out into the chasm for the more valuable prizes.

"Are these yummies for Senka?"

All of them flinched as she popped up from behind a rock. Theo had been certain that she had been left in the Blacksilver complex, especially during the weirkey transfer. How could she have made her way here independently? When Nauda shooed her away from a flower, she instead began shoving rocks in her mouth. Not even sublime stone, just blue-tinted gravel.

"How did you get here, Senka?" he asked.

"Walked," she mumbled around a mouth full of rocks.

He took a deep breath, looking back to the entrance and considering his options. It wasn't easy to pass through the boundary to return to Fithe, so he couldn't just throw her back. Without knowing how she had arrived, there was a chance she would just come back. In that case... "Senka, I hope you remember what we said about stopping. This place is very dangerous."

"Fumpet," Senka said, scooping up another fistful of rocks.

It barely alleviated her annoyance, but at least his companions finished their soulcrafting rather quickly. With all of them defended against the distortions and bearing equipment, he thought they were better prepared than almost anyone else in the Chasm. Now the only question was navigating the physical chasm without falling into the fatal water.

"Can we really navigate the sides?" Nauda asked. She stepped onto a small rise, shielding her eyes from the glowing haze to peer over the river. "They look pretty sharp to me."

"It's not advisable to climb them directly, especially since someone could easily knock you into the river. But when you get further along, the bottom opens out and there's space to walk. Our first goal is to find a safe path, then one of the deepest pits."

"Is that why people don't just race along the sides?"

"Some of them will definitely try, and if anyone wins the battle on the plain, they'll be able to jump into the chasm closer to the end. But the last portion is entirely underground, a whole space hollowed out by the river. No matter what path they take, everyone will end up there."

"Umm..." Fiyu stepped up beside them, head shifting nervously. "My senses are still adjusting to this place... can either of you locate the child?"

Theo swung his head around to find Senka, afraid that she'd antagonize another group of soulcrafters... only to find her standing atop a cluster of rocks just beside the river. Before he could do more than raise a hand in her direction, she plunged over the edge directly into the water.

He ran, even though he knew that the most he could do was catch a glimpse of her body dissolving. And yet when he reached the side... "Swimmies, swimmies!" Despite her words, Senka appeared completely incapable of swimming, instead thrashing aimlessly. It looked almost as if she would drown even if she was immune to the water, so Theo cast a gravitational field to pull her out.

It was more difficult than he'd hoped, but he was able to make her fall from the water, then redirect to the shore. He placed her some distance away from them, which was fortunate because Senka promptly shook herself like a dog, water scattering in all directions and eating into the ground. Instead of shrieking anything at him, she just scowled.

"Why would she be immune?" Nauda closed her eyes, briefly stepping into her soulhome to use her telescope, and then shook her head. "Her soulhome is still a solid mass of broken materials. It feels like the water actually got inside, because it's messier than before."

"Huh." Theo looked between them and the river, resisting the urge to sound too confident. "I didn't think the water was a sublime material at all, closer to the opposite the way it destroys souls. But since she seems to eat anything... maybe her twisted soulhome absorbed the water instead of being consumed, somehow? That's my best guess."

"Well, I think we'd better keep her out of the river, just in case she can only resist temporarily."

Perhaps it had some effect after all, because Senka plopped down on the ground and showed no signs of throwing herself into danger again. When Fiyu gently nudged her, she followed along obediently enough as they walked alongside the river.

As it plunged into the earth, the sides became increasingly jagged, in places forming large spikes that arced away from the river. They needed to find a good entrance point, and the Chasm of Lamentations wasn't so unchanged that Theo could follow his memories exactly. Still, he knew that the craggy sides of the chasm would eventually give way to a smoother section, which would be what they needed.

Since the others knew what to look for, he spared a moment to look toward the plain when he felt cantae surging there. Several Authorities skimmed just above the earth, striking at one another. They were obviously still adjusting to the suppressive field, many slamming into the ground unexpectedly. He spotted the House Crimson group violently fighting back Asplundat soulcrafters, aiming to push their way toward the end of the river.

Then a Stronghold entered the battlefield. The gray-clad figure struck the ground, and the stone that had resisted previous cantae began to tear apart. A line erupted in either direction, like an earthquake perfectly controlled, sending rocks and soulcrafters tumbling in both directions.

Immediately a Stronghold from another one of the Ruling Cities entered the fight. The two powerful soulcrafters struck at one another, their cantae resounding like buildings slamming together as they clashed. It seemed clear that, on such an open plain, it would be easy for battles to turn into stalemates. So early in the event, neither side seemed eager to risk everything they had, especially when it could damage the sublime materials found on the plain.

When Theo noticed the sky darkening, he froze for a moment, afraid that the Chasm had new dangers he'd never seen before. Yet as he saw the darkness grow from the far east, he realized that it was a cantae effect and tracked down the source.

A well-defended group of cloaked soulcrafters were engaged in a complex technique that warped the space around them, spreading shadows across the battlefield. That was strange enough, but what truly seized his attention was the fact that he didn't think any of them were Fithan. Not any other species he recognized, either, something alien to the Nine Worlds that intentionally obscured themselves.

Before the shadows hid them entirely, Theo realized that he did recognize one thing: their cloaks carried the symbol of the House of the Lost.

The encroaching darkness began to falter as it drew close to the river, though it still dimmed the light from the floating wisps. It was certainly more than sufficient to stop the battle on the plain, as soulcrafters on all sides retreated to analyze what was being done and prepare countermeasures. Theo hadn't been eager to get closer to the river, but given his knowledge, it might be safer than being anywhere near the battlefield.

"What about this?" Fiyu asked. Nauda had been distracted by the battle as well, but Fiyu now pointed over the side of the chasm.

Though obscured by the spikes, there was a space in the chasm wall that was large enough to walk. It stretched along the side as if some force had made a jagged cut directly through the stone. He could feel that it extended some distance to the north, perhaps far enough for them to find another path. Given the escalating battle, he was willing to risk it.

They made their way over the side carefully, Theo alert to retrieve someone with a gravitational field. But his companions were careful and Senka didn't cause any problems, so they managed to crawl past the spikes until they had firm footing along the side of the chasm.

As they descended from ground level, the roar of the river grew again... and this time, it was joined by a hollow moan. Theo had expected it, but he saw Nauda stiffen and Fiyu desperately search for a source. The sound curled all around them, emanating from the stone itself as the water of oblivion tore through it. Even as they listened, the moan shifted from miserable sobbing to an inhuman wail.

"Is that... a natural sound?" Nauda asked. Theo nodded and began walking down the path.

"Welcome to the Chasm of Lamentations."