Chapter 158: • Sixth Calamity: Void Rifts

"You know, standing right here and looking at it, I've realized how much time has passed. It's crazy." Nero said.

"So much has happened since then. I didn't even think we would be alive by now."

With muscles aching from the relentless journey, the party stood in front of the first cave that had housed them when they first stepped foot into The Abyss. The memories of the first night flashed through their minds, Spheris's especially.

He remembered not being given forage — not that it mattered seeing the team lost theirs the next day. He remembered unlocking his first Influence, and he remembered having that talk with Akemi.

He glanced at her, and then looked at the cliff to check if her piled rocks were still standing. They weren't.

"We must keep going," Thorin said, looking away from the cave, a hint of relief and concentration in his voice. "We're almost at the mountains."