Val stared at him, his eyes wide, speechless for a while. "You do this so naturally", he said.

"I -- I do?", Adrien gasped, wide-eyed. "...I guess I do", he answered himself. He breathed out and stared at Val, aware of the buzz in his own ears. Leaning with his back against a wall, he took in a deep breath, his eyes fixating on nothing in particular. His abyss was a sanctuary within his chaos; it was a place to which he could fall, from which he could rise. He knew that he had longed for its peace. Was this longing called darkness? Had it always been within him, waiting for a name?

"But why?", he gasped, "What does this mean?".