The Abyss

SPOILER WARNING! Some sections of this article contain manga-only information. Please be careful if you haven't read the manga. Proceed with caution!

“	To those who offer up their body and challenge the chasm for which there is no match... it is said that The Abyss shall grant all. Life and Death. Curses and blessings. All of it. At the end of their journey... what will they come to choose?	”
—Bondrewd

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The Abyss
Japanese	アビス
Rōmaji	Abisu
Information
Location	Orth, Southern Seas of Beoluska
Inhabitants	Seeker Camp Ido Front The Village of Iruburu Camp 5 on the Furthest Edge of the Abyss Inhabitants of the Abyss
First Appearance
Manga Debut	Chapter 1
Anime Debut	Episode 1

The Abyss (奈落 (アビス) , The Abyss, Netherworld^?) is a colossal pit discovered 1,900 years ago around the islands of the southern ocean of Beoluska. The vertical hole with an opening diameter of around 1,000 meters and speculated to be over 20,000 meters deep. It possesses a unique ecosystem, wherein lie the remnants of an ancient, yet advanced, civilization. Many have challenged the mysterious Abyss, pursuing countless hidden treasures and relics of immense value. Some are treasure hunters looking for Artifacts, while others are explorers determined to unveil the secrets The Abyss hides. To explore The Abyss, valiant cave raiders called Delvers emerged, and the town of Orth was established at the edge of The Abyss.

The Abyss still contains many sections that have never been seen, and carries many dangers. Hazardous habitats that defy common sense and otherworldly creatures adapted to the unique environment are major obstacles to explorers.

All over The Abyss, there is a mysterious Force Field which Nanachi refers to as the "very blood of The Abyss, so to speak". The Force Field acts as its main source of energy, sustaining life by carrying sunlight and nutrients down into the depths where it would otherwise be impossible for light to reach. While it is present everywhere, it seems to be more prominent the closer one gets to the center of the vertical shaft. More savage and dangerous creatures are often found in areas where the Force Field is most prevalent, and the branches of vegetation always point towards the center of the hole, their main source of energy for undergoing photosynthesis. Delvers use this fact to guide themselves when they are lost. The Force Field itself is invisible to the naked eye, but it can be detected as a vague fog that limits the vision of humans. The field is also constantly moving, following the movements of living beings to the point of breathing being enough to change its flow, and altering its flow as it responds to their consciousness. There are a few specific spots in The Abyss, usually far away from the center and in secluded areas, where the Force Field doesn't exist or is extremely weak.

The great pit also appears to have some form of time distortion. This is evidenced by Ganja having arrived at The Abyss at a point in time before the first Delvers and a native tribe still existed, yet, according to Wazukyan, only 150 years have passed since the creation of The Village of Iruburu in the 6^th Layer. The White Whistle Delver Ozen claims that the deeper one delves, the more one's sense of time breaks, with the effect becoming extreme from the 5^th Layer onwards. As an example, she noted people might intend to stay on the 5^th Layer just a few weeks, but by the time they return to the surface, several months had passed. As such, Ozen considers it a possibility a decade on the surface may be akin to a few years on the bottom of The Abyss.

Though The Abyss is riddled with countless dangers and hazards, one of the greatest challenges facing Delvers is, in fact, the ascent from it. This is due to a phenomenon called the The Curse of the Abyss. The term refers to a series of symptoms that manifest upon ascending while inside The Abyss, with its more scientific name being the "Strains of Ascension". The effects of the Curse manifest after ascending around 10 meters within The Abyss, with no way to avoid it through conventional means. The Curse affects all living things; however, their symptoms may differ from those appearing on humans depending on how close the creature resembles a human.

The Force Field

Spoiler warning: The following section contains spoilers. Read with caution.

Main Article: The Force Field

The Force Field is a scarcely understood attribute of The Abyss. It prevents observation of The Abyss from above and prevents vision of the surface from below. The Force Field carries sunlight and nutrients throughout The Abyss. Reg acknowledges that when looking up, the boundary of what he can see appears "awfully bright", perhaps moreso than on the surface. With Layer piled upon Layer, the force field blankets living beings similar to cloth warping around them. In addition to being warped by the movement of creatures, it is sensitive enough that it can also be altered by consciousness itself.

Its structure is likened to that of inverted thorns, allowing one to pass through in descent, but harmful when trying to ascend. The Curse of the Abyss results from piercing the force field of The Abyss while ascending, although this fact is not generally known, as Delvers generally lack the ability to observe the forcefield directly.

Nanachi refers to the Force Field as "the very blood of The Abyss itself."

According to the White Whistle Delver, Srajo, what is commonly referred to as the "soul" does not exist outside of The Abyss. The "soul" permeates into any and all that come into contact with the Force Field.

Rare Phenomenon

Birthday Death Disease

Main Article: Birthday-Death Disease

Abyssal Hair Twirls

Main Article: Abyssal Hair Twirls

The Blessing of the Abyss

An exceedingly rare and top secret phenomenon occasionally takes place within The Abyss under very specific circumstances. It was first discovered by the White Whistle Delver Bondrewd when he was experimenting with the Curse of the 6^th Layer. Much like with the Curse of the Abyss, the event occurs during the ascent, but two people are needed to trigger the phenomenon. If one person bears the entire burden of the Curse for both people (through the use of an Artifact or another similar instrument), the other is spared the effects of the curse.

Bondrewd modified several Artifacts to create an elevator to observe the Blessing phenomenon. This two-chambered elevator carries two people but forces the entire weight of the Curse onto a single person. If the person receiving the Curse doesn't die midway through, the other is spared the Curse's effects. Bondrewd discovered deep love between the two people results in the event he called a "Blessing" for the one who does not receive the burden of the Curse. While the Blessing was experimentally demonstrated, Bondrewd cannot explain the reasons behind it.

The appearance of the blessed changes. They grow fur all over their body and some of their traits, like the eyes or fingers, become mutated. The Blessing is not merely in looks: The one gifted gains the ability to observe The Force Field of The Abyss, something that only the predators of the deep are able to see, and is an incredibly useful ability for delving in the pit. It also appears to increase their physical fortitude to some extent. Another side-effect of the blessing appears to be the fulfillment of a desire, as shown by Nanachi obtaining a body that smells particularly nice.

Abyss Faith

A religion that was formed around The Abyss itself, it appears to be a very common belief among those that delve into The Abyss. Instead of believing in a God, those that turn to this religion deify The Abyss itself. Because the bottom is unknown, it replaces a deity and grants them hope for an after-life. It is based on the belief that if one loses one's life within The Abyss, one's soul will return to the bottom of the netherworld, change shapes and depart on a journey to someone who has wished for life. The unreachable depths of the pit makes people believe that it transcends life itself.

Layout

1^st Layer: Edge of the Abyss

• Depth: 0~1,350 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Light dizziness and nausea.

• Description: The 1^st Layer is the most shallow section of The Abyss, right below the town of Orth. The environment is consistent and sunny, full of hollows in the grassy rock faces and petrified trees. The wildlife consists of fantastical and mostly harmless animals. Scattered and hidden all across the 1^st layer are Praying Skeletons.

2^nd Layer: Forest of Temptation

• Depth: 1,350~2,600 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Intense nausea, headaches, and numbness of limbs.

• Description: The Forest of Temptation is the first truly dangerous section of The Abyss. The fauna and environment suddenly change, shifting into a forest with large vegetation. The creatures that inhabit this layer are much more dangerous. Deeper in, there is an area known as the "Inverted Forest", where the trees grow upside-down and the updraft wind blows hard, with even water flows upward. An outpost known as Seeker Camp has been established here to serve as a resting point for Delvers.

3^rd Layer: Great Fault

• Depth: 2,600~7,000 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: In addition to aforementioned effects, vertigo combined with visual and auditory hallucinations.

• Description: The 3^rd Layer consists of a 4,000 meter vertical cliff, making it a highly challenging area to ascend, save for the large cave network surrounding the main shaft. Countless methods have been implemented in attempt of descending, to varying effects. Aerial predators are common, including Crimson Splitjaws.

4^th Layer: The Goblets of Giants

• Depth: 7,000~12,000 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Intense pain throughout the body and bleeding from every orifice.

• Description: A strange, humid jungle of strong vines and giant concave discs, which capture water from the air, earned the 4^th Layer its name, "Goblets of Giants." At a depth of 9,000 meters, the famous Garden of the Flowers of Resilience can be found. A massive field of Eternal Fortunes, the trademark flower of The Abyss. A truly beautiful sight; though, the danger from the beasts that dwell here is high.

5^th Layer: Sea of Corpses

• Depth: 12,000~13,000 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Complete sensory deprivation, confusion and self-harming behavior.

• Description: The shortest layer of The Abyss, vertically, being only 1,000 meters deep, but also the widest one, horizontally. According to Riko, it is tens of times wider than the town of Orth. It consists mostly of a large, monster-filled sea with some crystallized sections, held up by a layer of thick slimy water. This is the last layer of The Abyss where it is possible to bear the Curse and return alive and intact. An ancient ritual site turned outpost by Bondrewd and his followers, Umbra Hands, Ido Front acts as a gateway into the 6^th Layer, the point of no return.

6^th Layer: The Capital of the Unreturned

• Depth: 13,000~15,500 meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Loss of humanity or death, or under specific conditions, the Blessing.

• Description: A White Whistle's last dive. A human who tries to ascend from the 6^th Layer either succumbs to death, or is deformed beyond recognition, hence the name, "The Capital of the Unreturned." In Orth, there is a rumor about a Golden City at the bottom of The Abyss, which originated from the 6^th Layer, where the ruins of a majestic city sleep undisturbed. The buildings spread in every direction and are covered in crystal. It is not uncommon to come across creatures of an irrational danger level here and there even occur geo-thermal explosions that emit poisonous gas and iron rain. Avian species in this layer are unaffected by the bird repellent used on the Mail Balloons that delvers send back up to the surface. In a secluded area of the 6^th Layer, an entire village inhabited by Narehate called Iruburu was formed.

7th Layer: The Final Maelstrom

• Depth: 15,500~????? meters.

• Strains of Ascent: Certain death (alleged).

• Description: The final known layer of The Abyss. Not much is known about it, but there are many rumors about it transmitted from the Last Dives of generations of White Whistle Delvers, which are only passed down via word of mouth to none but themselves. These include the claim that there exists in it something shaped like a ring, Ring of the Essence, which only a few White Whistle Delvers have seen, as well as the rumor that along the path to the bottom of The Abyss live mysterious beings called "Gatekeepers". At the entrance of this layer that Lyza documented the Human-looking silhouette, an unknown entity resembling Reg. Outside of the reports transmitted by White Whistles, the only other account of this layer were documented in a sealed letter found in the 1^st Layer.

The Deepest Point

• Depth: 20,000+ meters.

• Strains of Ascent: ???

• Description: It is unknown whether the deepest point has ever been reached. It is theorized that it is beyond 20,000 meters deep. It is rumored that the only way to reach the bottom of The Abyss and still live is to possess the knowledge coded within the Song of Hariyomari.

Trivia

• The Abyss is sometimes referred to as "the netherworld".
• The Abyss was inspired by buddhism, as it also has a similar concept of a downward-spiralling hell made of different levels in which one is drawn to the bottom.
• The idea for Made in Abyss was originally planned for Dōjinshi and The Abyss was far smaller initially in concept with a few tens of meters in width.
• One of the biggest inspirations for The Abyss was the role-playing game, Xenoblade Chronicles.
• All throughout The Abyss, Delvers report findings of human remnants from civilizations past. All of the skeletons have their hands clasped in prayer, earning them the name, "Praying Skeletons." Little is known about their origin.
• The island of The Abyss is based off Aogashima with a caldera and color scheme for the sea was based on a Southern island for the anime with the city itself trying to evoke a European feeling to it.
• Some of the minerals harvested in The Abyss differ depending on the depth of the layer they were mined in. Depth Gauges make use of these minerals. Barometers cannot be used in The Abyss because of the Force Field. Within the device, the minerals change slightly to gas or back to solid. Of course, it can also be used to measure the depth in places other than The Abyss. The gauge used by Riko and Reg, which can measure quite deep, is a rare version of this. It's usually used by Black Whistles.
• The difference in the layers' depth between the old map and the new map is due to the advancements in technology making it possible to get better information.