Chapter 29 - Sharing love

"Tanya, my dear, let me ask you a question. Think carefully and let the deepest currents of your heart move your tongue, for only the truth may offer solace."

Neither of them changed their tempo as they continued to jog around the walls of Ido Front. Their daily exercises had become a family ritual of sorts and although running in multiple layers of wool and leather was not very comfortable, Tanya had long since gotten used to it. To survive in the Abyss, one needed to push their limits.

"Yes, father. What is it?" she asked, panting slightly underneath her mask. Despite her constant endurance training, her body was still that of a child and tired far easier than that of her father. She couldn't wait until she finally grew up!

"How great a sacrifice would overcoming the First Barrier be worth to you?"

Oh... That was an interesting philosophical question.

Bondrewd called the curse of the sixth layer the first barrier, because it was the first true insurmountable obstacle in the Abyss. All the dangers above could be either avoided or neutralized, but the curse of assured death was not one of those. Nobody knew with absolute certainty what lay beyond this point of no return and so her father assumed that there could be many more, possibly even stranger and more horrifying barriers on the way down.

Wherever that path may lead, humanity would never learn if no solution was found. Artefacts of untold potential and power would be locked away forever, stifling the technological progress of society and robbing mankind as a whole of unfathomable treasures. Furthermore, the mystery of the unexplored depth was feeding superstition to such an extent that many fools worldwide were worshiping the Abyss like a god. A pitiful delusion, for she knew that there was no god after all. If left to rot then this stain on the global consciousness could devolve into a cult, feverishly venerating the unknown bottom of a hole.

On the other hand, was it really necessary to discover the deeper layers of the Abyss? If a relic with the capability to change the entire world fell into the wrong hands the results were going to be apocalyptic. Too much power gained over a short amount of time was bound to ensure international conflict on a scale similar to the world wars from her homeworld.

Naturally, human ingenuity and the competitiveness of the free market were going to ensure that society advanced anyway to a point where they would not need relics to do that anymore. The nuclear bombs that had devastated her original fatherland would certainly be developed within the next century or so. Other, more esoteric abilities of Abyss artefacts, like stopping time or producing an unlimited supply of water could also be replicated... Somehow. Capitalism would find a way. It may take several hundred or even thousand years, but Tanya was sure that it would happen eventually.

But all of that was irrelevant, because Bondrewd had addressed the question to her. Tanya's own subjective opinion was what interested him here, not the larger geo-political implications. Did she want to know what was down there?

The answer was definitely 'yes'.

"I think it depends. If you mean money... Returning from the sixth layer would be well worth at least a couple billion Orth or even a few trillion if the haul is profitable."

Carefully she looked over to gauge his reaction. Seeing the violet slit of his visor point straight ahead, she continued, because that was apparently not the answer he was looking for.

"If you mean something more personal and irreplaceable... Everything I possess I owe to your kindness. As long as you're fine with it... I would give it all up. As dear as they are to me, they are still just objects."

Another glance at his running form showed no sign he was even listening. Tanya knew for a fact that he was paying attention though. Gulping she went over to the last possible interpretation she could think of at the moment.

"And if that is still not enough... A toe or a kidney would be the maximum of what I would be willing to give. Their loss would be manageable without degrading my overall performance. If I could push the toll on someone or something else though? A price collected from others is always easier to stomach than one we have to pay ourselves."

That finally got him to turn his head and for a moment she wished he didn't. There was none of his usual warmth in his voice as he asked: "Oh? What do you imagine that would look like?"

"Ehm... I am no expert in field functions like you, father, but... I may or may not have peeked at the contents of Journal 87b once? Or twice? You said the stuff on the upper shelves was too advanced for me, so I wanted to check... I am deeply sorry, father. I will accept any punishment you deem-"

"Hahaha! No. Everything is alright, my dear. I am not upset that you display the appropriate curiosity for researchers of the unknown like us! Go on, tell me what you saw."

Her breathing grew increasingly laboured as she fought her way through more sandy terrain. Fortunately, that gave her the time to formulate a response.

"You proposed that the force field of the Abyss can be influenced by emotions and similar brain activity in living organisms... Life reverberating stones are made from people who the user has a personal attachment to after all."

"Indeed. And to what conclusion did that lead you?"

"Well... you could use strong feelings to manipulate the flow of energy temporarily, theoretically thinning or even bending it around an object for long enough to pass through the field."

"Marvellous..."

The unspoken order to elaborate further forced her tongue.

"You called it a sacrifice, so I assume it has to be unpleasant... Fear is the strongest emotion and pain the most potent feeling... That is simply the way evolution has shaped us to stay from danger as far as possible... Which leads me to believe that in order to manipulate the strong forces of the First Barrier a large amount of suffering and misery is required."

The end of their jogging route came into view and Tanya unconsciously licked her lips in anticipation for a cold glass of water waiting on the other side of that gate.

"Pain and frightening hallucinations are already symptoms of the curse on the upper layers... Experiencing them yourself doesn't do anything... Ergo pushing this burden onto others is the solution... Ahh, my legs... Likely torturing sentient animals should do the trick... Or... Alternatively, using disposable members of society would also be acceptable... For example convicted criminals with no wish to change their ways are the kind of social parasite that nobody would miss... Hypothetically of course... On principle I would argue that every human being can be put to some use under the right conditions..."

Blushing, she noticed that she had strayed rather far from the initial topic of the discussion. It wasn't her fault that he had formulated his test so vaguely!

Bondrewd chuckled good-naturedly: "Pragmatic as ever I see. Your mind is a treasure trove of wonders the likes of which do not exist anywhere else. Utilizing pure agony to solve unsolvable puzzles... How peculiar..."

When he put it like that, he made it sound like she was some kind of psychopath! Scrambling for an appeasing explanation before he could get the wrong impression of her she spluttered: "I-it's not like I would enjoy that! Huff... It was merely a logical deduction based on the information presented! Huff... I would not-"

"Be at peace, my child. I was not judging you. Let us discuss this topic more after you showered."

How could he be so calm? Bondrewd appeared to not even be winded by the multi-kilometre run! Had he even broken a sweat? Tanya was suddenly feeling quite inadequate compared to her senior. She would likely need decades more to measure up to his physique.

∞•۞˂ ˃۞•∞

"The conclusion you formed was indeed a rational one. Though it is sadly incorrect."

That was a shame. Well, mistakes were not- Hold on! What?

"Wait... Do you... Have you already done it?" Tanya asked in amazement.

"Indeed. I have found the solution to this riddle of the Abyss not too many years ago."

The business opportunities that this was going to bring! They were sitting on a literal goldmine- nay, even better than that! With the ideal location of their main base and tons of trained personnel at their disposal they could impose a monopoly on all goods harvested from the sixth layer! Her father's organization, despite being powerful, was going to become possibly the most influential company in the world! A large, yet alluringly lucrative responsibility...

"Then what is it? Is the process too costly or complicated at the moment? Don't worry, we will find a way to streamline it come what may! I will double my study efforts if I can be on the team! Please, father!"

If her name was listed on the patent then the royalties were going to fund an early retirement!

"Your enthusiasm is most adorable, my sweet daughter." He said while rubbing her head like he did so often when he was pleased. The sensation of receiving his affectionate headpats made her only the slightest bit self-conscious about her lacking height anymore. After years under his care Tanya would even go as far as to call it soothingly enjoyable.

"You assumed negative feelings were the key to breaking the curse, but I stumbled upon a different method involving the opposite emotion. Only the truest adoration can overpower death itself to spare a loved one from their otherwise certain demise. The victim has to feel enough love to willingly take on the curse of another."

Oh no.

Had he lost someone? Of course he had! Tanya had always wondered why a strong, respected, wealthy individual like her boss was not being overrun with suitors! No sensible female in the right age would refuse someone like that! Bondrewd must have lost his romantic partner and discovered this phenomenon by accident! Of course his personal history would condemn this practice and paint it in an even worse light than it naturally appeared. Selling it to anybody as 'ethical' would be impossible, especially to her poor, traumatized father!

Now Tanya knew why Bondrewd had not told her sooner.

"I am sorry. That cannot have been easy to experience."

"It was not. Seeing children suffer is never pleasant."

She stood up and hugged him tightly. Adopting her and Prushka was obviously a coping mechanism to deal with the death of his biological child. Determined to fill that hole in his heart she tried to provide comfort to his wounded soul, keeping him company and not leaving his lap for the rest of the evening. Rubbing his back with her tiny hands Tanya slipped into a mournful dream.

∞•۞˂Bondrewd´s point of view˃۞•∞

Tanya had not taken his first revelation well. Perhaps he should have waited two or three more years until he shared the details of this particular secret with her. She had sounded so distressed about losing a loved one, despite her earlier calmness at the prospect of torturing criminals. That showed that her heart was still soft and clingy, just as it should be for a healthy child at her age. To be honest he occasionally forgot that he was dealing with a pre-teen as opposed to a very small adult.

In contrast his second daughter was much more normal. She laughed and fooled around as expected from a lively seven-year old. Her growth was even more impressive if one considered the sorry state she had been in when he adopted her. Bondrewd was very proud of her progress.

An hour ago his little Prushka had been playing tag with a few of his Hands in the corridors and was now happily painting a picture on the floor of her room. Whatever it was supposed to represent appeared to have many limbs.

Tuning the senses of his secondary bodies out, he picked up the sleeping Tanya and carefully carried her over to Prushka's room. Those two needed to spend more time together.

"Hi, papa!" she beamed and held up her artwork. "Look what I made!"

"Very interesting, my dear. My eyes seem to get worse. Can you tell me what it is?"

"It is you, Papa!"

"Oh? Last time I checked I only had two arms and two legs."

"Ehm... yeah. I got carried away... hehe... Don't you think having seven arms would be cool? You could like... eat seven slices of cake simul- ah... si-mul-tan-ly!"

"The word is 'simultaneously', darling."

"Yeah! What I said!"

"Would you mind if I let Tanya sleep in your bed today? I bet you would enjoy cuddling with her and there is enough space for both of you."

"I don't mind. Big Sister can be weird sometimes, but I like her."

"Excellent. I will be leaving her in your care then. Just don't be too loud and wake her up."

"Yes, Papa! Aww… I wanna play with her hair! It's so soft and fluffy!"

Chuckling he left his girls to their bonding time. Soon they would be inseparable, he was sure of it.