Shara’s misgivings about the length of the day aside, Mid did have a certain sense for business ethics. This meeting was a family situation, but it also represented something of a contract. She had agreed to do a thing, for the tenuous reward of potential increased sibling affection. Whether or not that would also turn out to be a, ‘good trade,’ remained to be seen.

At the moment, it did not matter. She had a job to do. Mid, left the curious world of her youngest sister’s browser cache and began her search for the missing Scott in earnest.

It did not take long before Mid released a curious moue. “How very strange.”

“What’s strange?” asked Shara, slightly concerned about the coming response. She could not be certain that Mid was not set on teasing her further.

Mid hummed to herself and ignored Shara. It did not take long before she stopped humming, however, and then tilted her head. “Curious…”

“Mid… please,” said Shara.

“Hmm? Oh, yes… sorry.” She looked over to Shara. “Is there a reason why your boytoy would have twelfth-level non-entity specified file encryption protecting his information?”

“A what?” asked Shara, her eyes widening. “How is that even possible?”

“It’s possible, but usually it only happens when someone pokes too deeply into Logos Remnant’s primary operations protocols and the system quarantines a file or parameter that would cause significant harm if misused,” said Mid.

“I know what it is, I’m asking how his basic data would be considered something the system would deem to dangerous for others to be concerned with…” said Shara. “I mean, if that’s the case even a grand arbiter wouldn’t have a high-enough administrative level to review his files. Only the most venerable farmers could possibly manage it.”

“Indeed. That is why I made all of those little noises which signaled my curiosity,” agreed Mid lightly.

“Right… So, you can’t find him?” asked Shara, a sigh slipping past her lips.

“Dear, Childe…. I never said that,” admitted Mid. She quirked an eyebrow and waggled her finger at the other girl. “Your older sister is not without her methods…”

Shara offered her sister a flat and serious expression, but Mid laughed at her anyway. Shara being serious was always an interesting sight to behold.

“His file cannot be read, but non-intrusive inquiries can still tell the viewer which part of the system in which he is currently active,” said Mid. “Your man candy is currently somewhere in the abyss and flagged as a living actor. That’s all I can discern, however.”

Shara stared at her sister, hard. “He’s in the abyss… The abyss, abyss? Not like… the player graveyard?”

“Correct, and quite alive it seems,” said Mid.

“Is he trapped there?” asked Shara.

“I honestly do not know,” said Mid. “I can lead you to the file protection, and you can look for yourself, but otherwise I can’t do much else for you.”

Shara did not know what to think. Of all the possibilities that had come to mind in the last few weeks, this was not one of them. How had he even entered the abyss? He did have a skill that called upon its features, but that was a one-way event with a specific target.

“This… makes no sense,” she said at last.

“Well, no. I don’t suppose that it would,” said Mid. “It’s certainly a rare situation.”

“No, not the situation. The timing…” Shara looked up from the floor then frowned thoughtfully at Mid. “I was certain that we had tracked him yesterday. He was absolutely on Earth, and not in the abyss.”

“Now that is curious,” said Mid. “What could have happened that would have sent the poor boy into such a place?”

“I have no idea.” Shara closed her eyes then released a breath that she did not know that she had taken. “There have to be traces of the reason, though. I should look into that.”

Mid nodded to her then struck a pose. “If you need any further help, I’ll be around.”

“Thanks, Mid,” said Shara in a somber manner. She had hoped to find an answer but all she had now was more questions.

“You might want to discuss the situation with Silence. Our brother has the strongest connection to the abyss in the family. He might even be able to seek out your wayward dragon,” said Mid.

“That should be within his power, but even he would have trouble tracking someone through the abyss. That place is a chaotic mess. Only those who live there naturally can really get around without ending up lost,” said Shara.

“If it helps, he’s only on the surface level,” said Mid. “The one that barely counts.”

“True, the top layer isn’t even really the abyss proper,” agreed Shara. “More like the holding area that barely keeps souls from falling into the real main event below.”

“The souls who actually warrant time there, usually bypass that level altogether…” said Mid. “Meaning that your little lost dragon is probably just that. Lost.”

The abyss had many uses, but the topmost section was noted mainly for being a place of rest akin to many versions of the afterlife in various mythologies. In truth, it was something of a thin skin atop a tumultuous soup pot of chaotic possibilities. Those who died without any real markers for where their souls should shuffle off to on their next adventure would sometimes skirt close to the abyss.

The uppermost layer, over time, became a place to try and keep those souls from accidentally falling into the abyss proper. As such, the closest thing to a true afterlife, often existed there. In that quasi-real place where life, death, and chaotic potential met there were infinite possibilities. Valhalla could sit next to Mount Olympus. A tree of life from the Hebrew faiths might be studied by bored Shinto spirits. Any number of things could happen, though there was no real way to know what was real and what was illusion. In many ways, it was all seen to be illusion when compared to real life. The abyss, and the realm that sat just above it where not places conducive to proper explanations for their existence.

“At any rate, speak with Silence. I’m sure he can help,” said Mid with a smile.

“Thank you. I’ll do that,” agreed Shara absent-mindedly. Her Scott was one step away from the closest thing to a real hell that existed. It was hard to think about anything else to be honest, least of all attentiveness toward her sister.