Prison of the Abyss

 is an event in SINoALICE.

Parrah:

Welcome...

Noya:

...to the hell of hypocrisy!

Parrah:

Let's jump straight into the rules.

Noya:

They're very simple. Deceptively so.

Parrah:

Defeat the nightmare to go even deeper!

Noya:

Just kill, kill, kill! You know the routine!

Parrah:

Some floors give you special keys.

Noya:

Try to make it that far, at least!

Parrah:

Happy travels!

Stage 1
The boys and girls secretly set foot in the prison.

Deep and gaping,

the  darkness  seemed to stretch for eternity.

A  void  inhabited by angels and demons alike.

There, they discovered the truth,

pushed deep within.

They were one step closer to seeing reality for ''' what it was. '''

They can never ''' go back. '''

How glorious when they'd been blissfully unaware,

stepping into the dark abyss...

Fear, the Warden:

Welcome.

I'm the warden of this prison.

I'd tell you to enjoy yourselves...

But I'm the strongest one here.

Parrah:

Huh? But he's weak!

Noya:

He's not strong at all!

Stage 2
 Attention,  prisoners on all floors.

Today, a group of intruders broke in at dawn and killed our greatest warden: Fear.

Do not be alarmed.

Supplies will be delivered momentarily to all floors.

Stay calm, and hold your positions.

End of transmission.

You must brace yourselves.

Redouble your efforts if you wish to make it a single step further.

Orc (Water):

It's no use.

They defeated Fear.

I'm no match for them.

Give me a most merciful death...

Stage 5
Beauty is evil.

My whole life I've been pestered by those who envy my beauty.

If people are going to harass me for it,

I'd much rather be ''' hideous. '''

Perhaps it was this that lead me to self-mutilation.

I inflicted injury upon injury in every way I could imagine.

A low flame of self-immolation...

It made the most scintillating smell!

I could hardly stop my mouth from watering.

My body's riddled with rot,

necrosis making homes for burrowing insects.

Hey. God. How long until

I'm ugly in your eyes?

Parrah:

Whoa. This nightmare really stinks.

Noya:

Smells like turmoil!

Parrah:

It's banged up pretty good, too.

Plant (Water):

Oh? Admiring my beauty?

Noya:

It's also stark raving mad.

Stage 11
We'll always be together.

Yeah... You don't have to remind me.

Yeah... I love you, too.

You don't have to say it. I know.

.........

I swear I've met someone this crazy before.

Looks like it's another pest.

No, not a pest--a test! From God.

However. If God's goal is to tear us apart, then I'm ready to go against God's plan.

Your throat's as good as slit!

We must overcome this trial and join together as one.

We're already bound by the mouth.

Time to bind our bodies, too.

Closer and closer, till we are one!

...He...lp...

Lizard (Water):

Our hearts and bodies are one.

Where should I connect to next?

Let's figure it out together!

Ghost (Water):

Help...me...

Stage 21
Everything in this world is comprised of atoms.

Every living thing will eventually perish,

its  atoms  scattered to the winds.

It's a  cycle  of atomic reassembly.

I am determined to discover the inner workings of life energy.

I must learn the course each life will take.

Then I'll know what we nightmares are made of, and I can prove,

once and for all,

from whence we came.

I already have a theory.

And if my research is correct...

Then we need to get out. Fast.

My research is our only  hope  for salvation.

Hound (Water):

We're all the same. No need for violence.

And we have our words, after all.

Let's negotiate a peaceful solution.

Parrah:

Oh? A normal one?

Noya:

Don't be fooled. It's just pretending!

Parrah:

Let's kill it!

Stage 31
There is paradise in this world--

A roof to keep out wind and rain,

and  three full meals  a day.

But the best part of it all? It's ''' free ! '''

Criminals can rest as long as they need,

all on the ''' kingdom's tab. '''

What a glorious system!

It's a true utopia.

Prisoners are usually people who have done terrible, awful things.

But there... that's not the case.

There are monstrous  experiments  held in that prison. They call them "ceremonies."

...I'm done with this hellhole.

Parrah:

They're so strong!

Noya:

This is no ordinary prison...

Parrah:

Is it an asylum?

Stage 51
I don't belong here. I'm normal.

he most normal person in the world.

Purely and supremely normal.

Normal. Normal, normal, normal!

Normal. Normal, normal, normal!

Normal. Normal, normal, normal!

So, so, SO normal!

Normal normal NORMAL!

NORMAL NORMAL NORMAAAL!

Golem (Fire):

I'm normal!

It's the world that's mad!

I'm normal! I'm normal!

Normal! Normal! Normal!

Parrah:

Somehow, we highly doubt that.

Stage 71
I can't even write the phrase

 "take a rest"  anymore.

It just makes me think about

resting in eternal slumber.

I quit my job to really

think about it...to figure out if the

phrase is actually a secret message

to spread death and destruction.

But being unemployed isn't how I'd

imaged.

At all.

I know it was my choice, but people

don't have to treat me like garbage!

It's even worse than

when I was paid by

 commission, 

or ''' minimum wage. '''

Ghost (Wind):

I was kidnapped while wandering around.

I was the country's machine.

And because of that, I...

I know what happens here.

I might get punished, but it'll be amusing...

Stage 91
There had never been a kinder king.

His benevolence wasn't only for the

commoners.

Nobles, retainers, his family...

Everyone loved ''' him ! '''

But a lack of focus was his undoing.

He devoted himself to preserving the

balance between wealth and poverty.

Where most commoners would as for

help,

the king never stopped to rest.

He attempted to efficiently use

what time he had,

but when that wasn't enough,

he simply slept less.

I was terrified by his

unwavering  devotion  to his

work.

I'd seen this happen before. It was only

a matter of time before it all fell apart...

Golem (Wind):

A perfectionist king couldn't accept his daughter's death.

The only was he could cope...

...was by reviving her.

It was a goal that couldn't be achieved by ordinary means.

So he searched for a miracle, some power beyond our realm.

I couldn't stop him.

Stage 111
I was always  watching  her. As

my unspoken love burned inside,

I decided to put energy into new hobbies

to  get closer  to her.

It all started when I witnessed her

passionately kiss a man who'd

been murdered for a ''' ceremony. '''

Seeing that was all it took.

I couldn't temper the furious

beating of my heart.

I began trailing

 close behind  her━

to keep her safe, of course.

If someone ever found out what she'd

done,

I wanted to be there to protect her.

Hound (Fire):

I thought it would be okay.

She was satisfied. It was wonderful.

Buy why? Why is she here?

How can she walk so freely through this prison?

Parrah:

You understand now, don't you?

This prison? It already belongs to them.

Noya:

Her heart belongs to them, too!

Stage 131
I used to think tricking people out

of their money was a bad thing.

But that's because I was always

''' the sucker. '''

It happened so often that

I actually started to feel as though

I was a pro at getting hustled.

In the process, I began to learn

the ins and outs of thievery.

I just had to look for people like me

and ply them with all the words I'd been

fed

that once made me whip out my wallet

without hesitation.

These days?

It's my entire life.

I met Fear on the day

I got  robbed  after

about a dozen of my own shake downs.

Lizard (Wind):

Fear was worried about me...

He was kind enough to listen to my woes.

I lied with little to no regret.

I told him I lost ten times what I had!

Parrah:

How refreshingly awful.

Stage 180
Attention, all floors...

Today's intruders are slightly

quicker than expected.

In addition,

this month's  feast  will be held

a little earlier than usual.

Please standby for

further details, and do your best

to eliminate the intruders.

Stage 219
The king's governance led

the nation to great  prosperity .

But then--around the time

the princess fell ill, was it?

People started  disappearing 

on dark,  misty  days.

My own son was among them.

They say the king was

performing some sort of ritual

to resurrect the princess.

Once I've made my preparations,

I'll head for the prison, too.

It's my  duty  to

figure out what exactly

is going on out there.

Stage 239
The kind king was the pride of the

kingdom.

Witnessing him chat with the queen and

the

 princess  brought smiles to the

faces of all who saw them.

The queen had long-suffered from a

serious illness,

but the feisty princess never allowed her

parents a single moment to give into

despair.

Three winters later,

tragedy struct at last.

The queen succumbed to

her  illness  and died.

The king cried that day,

but his tears dried

at the princess' playful jests.

He could smile, so long as he still had her.

But if she were to die, who would be left

to warm the  king's  heart

and quiet his doubts?

The kingdom's darkest fears

soon came to  pass .

One day without warning,

the princess succumbed to

the same  illness 

as her mother, and died.

The king wept relentlessly.

It was then that he realized--

He had no  family 

left to ease him.

No family left to smile at him.

Stage 259
A Religious Researcher's Notes

Most religions developed alongside

some form of  authority .

The object of my study--this prison's

pagan religion--is an  exception ,

but for the most part this

rule still holds true to this day.

Despite this knowledge, I'd tracked down

a certain  dark rumor .

The religion had gotten out

of hand, sacrificing countless

 human lives  in a ... ceremony.

I came here to discover the truth,

but after a few mistakes along the way,

I carelessly got myself captured.

Stage 279
This  heathen  religion was

originally based on respected, sacred

teachings.

But its followers were persecuted,

and repeated exile and dispersal

slowly shifted something pure

into a tool of wickedness and spite.

We who lacked a home

let that man into our hearts.

Forever in search of a place

that we could call our own,

we felt no sense of ''' belonging. '''

Since we never knew when

the elites would strip away

our possessions on the pretext of

some new law, we felt less

attached to our belongings.

Amidst this repeated persecution,

knowledge came to be

more valuable than

easily stolen possessions.

Diligent  study  quickly

became a  cornerstone 

and tenant of our religion.

We learned to recite our precious tomes by

heart in case they should

ever be stolen from us.

Starting with the memorization of

 scripture  in our youth, we never

stop learning from birth to death.

It's as natural as can be.

Stage 300
We are all extremely diligent.

This  diligence  is why we entered

the money-lending business.

We knew that money would

soon rule the world.

So, in order to create our own nation,

we made sure that the most powerful

and influential people were indebted to

us.

We  planned  to rule the country

--After all, it was our ultimate

 desire .

We sought to create the  happiest 

country on earth and gather

all our followers there. However...

Stage 325
The aim of the evil cult

was the  resurrection of 

 their founder .

To conduct such experiments,

they decided to resurrect the king's

daughter.

In this special story,

countless nightmares became

ingredients in the experiment.

Many sacrifices were made,

and the experiment looked like it would

succeed....

However, it ended in failure.

The constituent would change forms

to the point that no one could tell

if it was human or a nightmare.

The body was like a shell,

in which no soul would reside.

In the end, we had made a terrible

mistake.

Greater Ghost (Water):

Failures, all of them.

Failures belong in the scrap heap.

Stage 350
The cult steadily proceeded with its

experiments.

Meanwhile, there was one

who objected to the group's ethics.

His name was  Fear .

He was the commander of the royal

knights and a man of integrity.

He shared the information he received

only with trusted subordinates and

friends

and created two opposition forces.

One would infiltrate the religious

organization

with the goal of bringing it down from

the inside.

The other would use a prison riot

as justification to attack the prison from

the outside.

The chaos created by the invaders

would be the soldiers' cue

to make their all-out attack.

That was the plan.

Clock Rabbit:

Captain Fear...

Soon, I shall be at your side.

Stage 375
The strategy worked frighteningly well.

Fear earned a seat

as the strongest of the

 Four Heavenly Kings 

because of the successful infiltration.

From there he watched

many citizens die

until the long-awaited day finally

arrived.

Fear, who would be the last piece,

finally stepped into the prison,

aiming to join the highest ranks

by bringing them in as comrades.

By the time he noticed that events

were not going according to his plans,

it was already too late.

Stage 400
Fear and I were always together.

The small  farming village 

was far from the capital.

That small world was our home.

We ran in the fields together, polished

our fighting skills,

and studied late into the night.

We were proud of our growth and

I believed that one day, the two of us

would  help  that small village.

But while lying atop a tall hill,

gazing at the  stars  and sharing our

dreams for the future,

I became aware of the huge

 difference  between Fear and

myself.

Fear listened intently, without ever

laughing,

at my dream of making the village a

better place.

But upon hearing his dream,

I couldn't but feel exposed

as someone who lacked a greater vision.

"I want to eliminate all the poverty

gripping this country.

That will also bring prosperity to this

village," he said.

Listening to Fear's  dream ,

I felt ashamed that even in this small

place

I was not aiming to be the best I could be.

But there was nothing I could do about

that.

As long as he stood in my way,

I would never be number one.

At that  moment , I came to a great

realization.

He always walked in front of me.

There were always people

gathered around him.

I didn't want tot be left behind.

I was desperate to  close the 

 gap .

Everyone liked him.

Teachers, seniors, the girls,

and even myself ...

But chasing after him,

things had gotten complicated.

I had grown  tired  of him...

When I met him again

after spending a long time apart,

he surprisingly asked me a favor.

It made me a somewhat happy to know

that

he still thought of me.

He told me an awful story.

I could not turn down the request

of my  best  friend, the man who

desired a peaceful world just like I did.

The land was being gripped by

 despair .

I swore to help him,

if only to protect the people.

"If anything should happen to me,

I leave everything in your hands."

Those were the  last 

words he said to me.

Einz, the Prison Warden:

I am now the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings.

I am the most terrible, fearsome demon of all!

Parrah:

He looks familiar, but I cant figure out why.

Noya:

I just want to punch him in the face.

Parrah:

Do it! Do it!

I ended up betraying him.

I succumbed to the

temptation that had welled up in my

mind.

I sold his plan for protecting

the people to the cult.

I pleaded with the cult

to save my own pathetic life.

But in doing so,

I finally stood above him.

It was my first victory, earned by

lowering myself to the lowest depths

possible.

A hollow victory...