The Curse of the Abyss

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“	That's the true nature of the Curse of the Abyss. There's nowhere to escape from it.	”
—Nanachi

The Curse of the Abyss
Japanese	アビスの呪い
Rōmaji	Abisu no noroi
Information
Habitat	1st Layer 2nd Layer 3rd Layer 4th Layer 5th Layer 6th Layer 7th Layer
First Appearance
Manga Debut	Chapter 1
Anime Debut	Episode 1

The Curse of the Abyss (アビスの呪 (のろ) い, Abisu no Noroi) or Strains of Ascension (上 (じょう) 昇 (しょう) 負荷 (ふか) , Jōshō Fuka) refer to a series of afflictions experienced by Delvers when ascending within The Abyss. Conditions range from mild dizziness up to severe body deformation and death. Barring extreme circumstances, the Curse is unavoidable. Among all of its famed perils, the Curse represents The Abyss's greatest hazard. The Curse is a product of The Force Field that fills every corner of The Abyss.

Description

The effects of the Curse manifest after an individual's vital organs ascend more than 10 meters within The Abyss, with no way to avoid it through conventional means. However, there are areas where the Force Field that causes the Curse is weaker and less severe, such as Nanachi's Hideout, and The Village of Iruburu, where the Force Field is entirely absent. 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 effects of the Curse are stronger, the further one ascends.

Common Effects

These effects are experienced near-universally. While it is possible for Delvers to acclimate to some of the effects or navigate areas with less severe consequences, they cannot be avoided altogether.

1^st Layer

• Mild dizziness
• Nausea

Nat was shown to have thrown up from nausea, when returning to Orth, and also acknowledged a pain in his head.

2^nd Layer

• Intense nausea
• Headaches
• Numbness of the extremities

When Riko had been caught by a Corpse-Weeper in the Forest of Temptation, she threw up and passed out as a result of suffering the strains of the 2^nd Layer.

3^rd Layer

• All effects of the previous layers
• Vertigo
• Visual and auditory hallucinations
• Problems with sense of balance

When ascending in the Great Fault, Riko was shown to have suffered headaches, severe nausea, dizziness, problems with her sense of balance, and thrown up. She also experienced visual and auditory hallucinations of Marulk, Ozen, Shiggy, Nat, Kiyui, Hablog, and a particularly vivid hallucination about returning to Orth with her mother, Lyza.

4^th Layer

• Intense pain throughout the body
• Bleeding from every orifice

After Reg had gathered Riko for a retreat from the Orb Piercer, Riko was struck with elements of the Curse from both the 3^rd and 4^th Layers. She was shown to be in a delirious state, in intense pain, hallucinating, and also bleeding from her every orifice.

5^th Layer

• Loss of all senses
• Confusion
• Self-harm

Nanachi was shown to have left a trail of excreted blood, while leaving the Ido Front with Mitty. Nanachi later acknowledges that they had acclimated to the strains of the 5^th Layer and are able to maintain consciousness while suffering the strains of ascension.

Prushka was shown to have suffered major mental, physical, and psychological damage as a result of suffering the strains of the 5^th Layer. Many of her injuries have since healed, but as she was not known to recall her previous life, it's unclear how much damage to her remained permanent. Using the scent of Meinya, she was able to learn to navigate the Curse.

While under the sway of the 5^th Layer's curse, Riko suffered a total loss of her senses. Unable to hear her own voice, total loss of spatial awareness, and unable to recognize her own physical being. This resulted in a number of minor injuries to her teeth, cheek, and her right hand. During the episode, she had no sense of pain, only experiencing it after having recovered.

6^th Layer

• Loss of humanity
• Death (only in some cases)

Former child subjects of Bondrewd's experiments were shown to have been inhabiting the Miniature Garden Of Dawn. Their deformed bodies are the result of having suffered the curse of the 6^th Layer. In addition to physical changes, Nanachi describes "loss of humanity" as losing one's personality and intellect.

Vueko was shown to have suffered from the Curse of the 6^th Layer, while attempting to ascend in The Village of Iruburu, after the barrier protecting the village from the Force Field had been breached. She acknowledged the great pain of the transformation and was shown to have lost her ability to speak. Although she only partially suffered from loss of humanity, the effects still proved fatal.

7^th Layer

• Certain death (alleged)

The prevailing dogma among Delvers says that the Curse of the 7^th Layer is “certain death”. However, only one recorded instance of the 7^th Layer's curse has ever reached the City of Orth. The document containing this scarce knowledge was lost before it could be fully investigated. And thus the true nature of the 7^th Layer's Curse remains unknown.

Curse of the 1^st Layer

Curse of the 2^nd Layer

Curse of the 3^rd Layer

Curse of the 4^th Layer

Curse of the 5^th Layer

Curse of the 6^th Layer

Rare Effects

Under certain circumstances, The Abyss may impart unusual, lasting physical changes on the recipients of its curses. While they are not clearly understood, they are capable of being replicated.

The Blessing

The Blessing of The Abyss (アビスの祝福, Abisu no Shukufuku) is one of the most enigmatic phenomena of The Abyss and, thus far, has only been achieved through the extreme undertaking of suffering the 6^th Layer's Curse.

For the Blessing to be successful, one participant must bear the strain of the 6^th Layer for both themselves and another individual which they hold dear and love. It is only through this great sacrifice that both individuals undergo this unique transformation. The individual shielding the Curse will suffer the Curse's regular effects (loss of humanity and/or death), while the individual being shielded (the blessed) loses their human form but retains their human faculties.

The full consequences of the Blessing ritual have not yet been fully explored, but in the case of Nanachi and Mitty, the pair were shown to have picked up peculiar attributes: Nanachi gaining a pleasant smell and an ability to see the Force Field and Mitty gaining immortality.

Bondrewd, having also achieved the Blessing for himself, gained a body of great strength and the ability to also see the Force Field. However, because of the short-lived nature of his form and Prushka's humanity having effectively already been stripped away, it is unknown what other changes the two may have otherwise undergone.

Mitty and Nanachi Blessing ritual

Bondrewd undergoing the Blessing

Netherworld Locks

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

The Abyssal hair twirls are a phenomenon that seemingly only affect delvers that experience the Curse in deeper layers of The Abyss. The affected delver's hair gains noticeable curls of varying intensity. The exact reasons for its effect are unknown.

Prushka gained her curly hair after experiencing the Curse of the 5^th Layer for the second time, and expressed confusion that Riko hadn't developed similar hair after having also suffered the 5^th Layer Curse.

Tepaste was acknowledged to have the Abyssal twirls by Yelme, at the Tumble Tavern. The exact circumstances of her twirls are currently unknown.

Prushka inspects her hair

Tepaste's signature curls

Persistent Headaches

Riko, while having otherwise healthy eyesight, requires lenses constructed from crystals found in The Abyss. Without these special lenses, she is prone to headaches. This particular ailment is assumed to have been brought upon by suffering the Curse at such an early age and is something that Lyza had lamented she was unable to spare her daughter from.

Jiruo explains the crystal lenses

Birthday-Death Disease

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

While not a curse in the traditional sense, the White Whistle Delver, Srajo, refers to the mass extinction event which occurs every 2,000 year cycle, the "Breath," as a "hidden curse which reaps lives." This "Breath" is more commonly known as "Birthday-Death Disease," an affliction which causes the affected to perish on their birthday, be it from illness or accident. While the full implications of this event are unknown, it is theorized to be directly related to the soul which The Abyss confers upon those who come into contact with The Force Field.

Trivia

• Irumyuui in her language refers to the Curse as "ZOOMU," Belaf first interprets it as "being eaten."