Garden Of The Abyss

As he looked down at the head of azure hair that rested against him, he held his somber smile to himself, running his hand over the woman's silky locks.

The tranquil train ride soon took a more rousing route as the enclosed tunnels opened up into a vast network. Sailing across the rails, there were no walls to stand at either side of the moving train as it curved over the tracks.

"Woah—what the?!" He looked over the side.

Peering over alongside him, Iris watched with him as there were dozens of tracks, some carrying other trains as well as the vast space was filled with lifting steam.

Below them, it seemed to be an endless descent, mixed with the network of rails that led into many tunnels.

By this point, it felt more like a rollercoaster ride, traversing the steampunk-esque environment with a giddiness to his smile.

"Starting to get it now? The Hollow Foundation is truly something, isn't it?" Sirius asked.

"No kidding…" he let out.

Coming to an eventual slow after passing through a multitude of tunnels, halting against the rune-augmented tracks, the Bastion of Connection came to a stop.

"Looks like we're here," Sirius said with a smile, glancing back at the door that sat at the left-side of the stop.

"Already?" Iris asked groggily, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Damn cute, he thought.

Although he felt the same way; he had grown comfortable on the warm, leather seats. It wasn't quite just that, though–the nostalgia of it, reawakening the memories of his world etched into his mind, resounded a certain comfort within him.

Disembarking from the train, the two begrudgingly left the comfort of the leather seats as they followed Sirius, who casually strolled without a worry, towards the peculiar doors.

Unlike the rest of the mostly metallic architecture of the foundation, the doors before them were of fine, furnished wood, plated with silver.

"I'm just now realizing…should I have prepared a resume?" He asked, somewhat playfully, but somewhat nervously.

Sirius laughed, "No, just leave the qualifications to me."

"...Alright," he nodded.

He looked at Iris for a moment before they watched as the suave man pushed the wooden doors open.

Beyond the door, a lavish chamber that stood out from the rest of the structure: the floor was of tiled marble, patterned between sable and umber, with the smell of pine and mint filling the spotless room.

To his surprise, it was noticeably empty, besides the few people speaking to one of the women at the desk.

The professional atmosphere stifled his confidence as he immediately felt out of the loop, but by the ever-present smile on Sirius' face, he followed through.

Sirius gave the two behind him an O-K sign and a smile as if telling them "leave this part to me" before walking towards the rightmost receptionist desk.

While the cherry-haired receptionist was busy stamping papers, adding them to a pile before stamping a new one, Sirius approached the desk, leaning his elbow against it.

"How can I help–oh, Mr. Federov!" The receptionist looked up in surprise at the man, holding a slight pink to her cheeks.

"Didn't I tell you before? Just Sirius, Ayline" he told her with a smile.

Ayline fiddled with her cherry braid, seeming to have trouble maintaining eye contact with his magenta irises, "W-what can I help you with then, S…Sirius?"

Sirius pointed back towards Ren, "My brother here is looking to form his own guild."

The receptionist looked back towards the white-haired man, who gave a small wave. Bringing her attention back to Sirius, she grabbed a paper from one of the drawers, beginning to fill it in.

"I see," Ayline said, "and you're going to be a trustee? With your name on the contract, it'll expedite the process."

"Oh, no," Sirius swept her notion away, "I'm joining his guild."

"Huh?" Ayline looked at him with a surprised, blank expression.

"Yup! I'll let him take over from here, is that good? He's got all the deets', anyway," Sirius told her, reaching behind her desk and grabbing a paper, "I'll be taking this~. This is my release form from the Outlanders, right? Thanks!"

Before she could get a word off, he already began walking away with his hands tucked in his pockets.

"...Oh…okay," Ayline muttered, still processing what she just heard.

Taking the reins, the snowy-haired man greeted the receptionist, placing his hands on the desk as he looked at the contract placed in front of him.

"You're already registered with the Hollow Foundation, right?" Ayline asked him.

He nodded, retrieving the ruby insignia from beneath his collar, "Yeah, transferred from the Journey Foundation to the Hollow last week!"

"Good," the receptionist smiled, "then you'll need to list your own personal information on this contract, as well as the name of the guild you wish to create, and the starting members. Fortunately, since you already have three founding members, you'll be able to begin your guild functions as soon as you're approved."

"How long will it take to be approved?" He asked, tapping the pen against the wooden desk.

"Approximately two-to-five days, but since you have a stygian-ranked adventurer in your guild, your form will take priority," Ayline informed him.

Convenient, he thought.

As he began to inscribe his information onto the contract, having to take his time as the symbols of the universal language of Gaia were still somewhat slow for him to process, he finalized his decision on the name of the guild.

Finishing the form, he inscribed onto the blank slot asking for the desired name of the guild–"Gladiolus".

Finishing up and giving the contract to the receptionist, he was prompted to pay the fee for forming the guild.

"One-hundred crowns, please," Ayline asked.

"Oh, alright, one second," he raised a finger, "Ars: Void Cabinet."

A simple incantation; with it, he manifested a small, abyssal portal above the palm of his hand before a bag filled with coins dropped onto his glove. Fetching the coins, he paid the fee to the receptionist before she ventured to the back of the administration office, seemingly to begin the process of approving his form.

Before he could turn to reunite with his two companions, he was stopped by the sudden presence of someone standing beside him.

"Woah, a ruby-rank, huh? You must be pretty strong," the stranger asked, peering at the insignia that hung from his necklace.

Taken aback by the presence of this person, he glanced back at Sirius and Iris, who were indulging in the pastries set out by the staff.

He looked directly at the man talking to him–who stood a head shorter than himself, with fluffy, salt-and-pepper locks. Despite his youthful appearance, seeming younger than himself by a few years, he was dressed maturely in a baggy, dark coat reminiscent of something seen in a noir film.

"My bad, I have a problem with sneaking up on people like that," the youthful, black-eyed man smiled, extending his black-gloved hand, "I'm Akshay, by the way, a silver-ranked adventurer."