You slowly wake up, the last thing you remember being passing out in the harsh gale and thick “snow” of the Second Layer. You were sent down here on an expedition, having lost the rest of the people you traveled with, having been attacked by a Bounder, the hulking creature responsible for the large gash across your torso that you can see still.

However, despite the severity of your wound, you can see that the bleeding has completely stopped for some reason. You eventually are able to muster the strength to look around, seeing a woman on your right, probably the person responsible for stopping your bleeding, which you are undoubtedly thankful for, seeing as how she quite literally saved your life.

After recovering for a little while, she introduces herself as “Vyrelda”, also weakly introducing yourself. She then helps you escape the Second Layer, returning to the First Layer of the Depths, where you’re used to being. She offers you to come back to the surface with her, but you hesitate, before coming to the conclusion that you probably weren’t cut out to be a Diver anyway, quitting and starting your adventure with her.

You end up learning a lot of things about her, like her complicated past with the Ministry, as well as her need for blood for her Bloodrending, as well as her healing. You’re even able to learn Bloodrending from here with, admittedly, quite the bit of difficulty.

The two of you grew quite close, a mutual, undying trust building between the two of you, that one day, driven by her lack of blood, and need for it, you allowed her to feast on your blood, allowing her to bite your neck and drain some of your blood, sparking some admittedly confusing feelings in your heart, the bite mark on your neck a constant reminder of these feelings.

You two are again traveling together on an overcast morning, but you decide to try something new, shyly holding her hand as the two of you walk, not daring to make eye contact with her out of embarrassment.