Hashur led us out of the suffocating forest, his sandals crunching against the uneven soil. The group followed— emerging onto a hilltop where the view opened wide, and there it was.
A colossal wall stretched across the land, its surface heavy and ancient, swallowing the horizon. The sheer scale of it dwarfed everything, a barrier so thick and immense it seemed less built than born from the earth itself.
Hashur raised his arm, pointing toward the western base of the wall. "There." He said with a low voice. "There's a crack. Those slaves dug it up, slit the stone, and gave us a way through."
The descent was steep, and when we reached the bottom, the wall loomed above us like a mountain. Standing face to face with it, they felt small, fragile—mere shadows against its immensity. Hashur stepped forward, bracing himself, and with a grunt dragged a massive stone aside. Dust and grit spilled into the air, revealing a narrow hole carved beneath the wall.
— Inside. Quickly.
One by one, we edged into the opening, everyone was nervous. The steps were square, uneven, cut crudely into the earth. Each footfall sent little clouds of dust drifting down into the hollowness. The air grew colder, heavier, as we descended.
At the rear, Hashur lit up a torch. The sudden light flaring against the stone floor. Shadows leapt across the walls, stretching long and jagged.
— Keep walking straight.
Swallowed by the tunnel, we pressed on, the torchlight flickering behind us.
Andrew stayed by Hashur's side and couldn't help but try to dig up as much information as he could in order to calm himself down.
— Hey, uh so how long have you been crossing passengers?
— I don't remember the exact number but it's all written on my journey book, why?
"How long will this tunnel be? It doesn't seem like we're advancing." Andrew asked, keeping his eyes on the uneven stones.
Hashur let out a small chuckle, his sandals scraping against the stone as he moved with pace. "The wall is about 130-200 ft thick. Some archaeologists say the wall's age seems to be around 2518 years old." He tapped the wall with his knuckles. Victor on the other hand seems to be interested in their conversation, he can't help but to indulge, "A wall that stood for over two and a half millennia?"
Hashur nodded, torchlight glinting off his sunglasses. "Shame to know our kind has been discriminated for two millennia. Maybe one day, the wall will fall."
[ 2518 years old, that's around when the first 'catastrophe' happened. It was the consequences of the 1st that made the Lords built this wall and throw the filth to this side. ]
I held Anny's hand as we both carefully ducked under a low beam. She coughed as dust rained down.
From behind Romie's voice was flat, "Anny, didn't you run away, how did you not get caught?"
"Huh?" She turned her head, looking at Romie. "It's…easy to escape from Victoria to come here." Romie, not buying it, gave a shrug. "Well, if you really did manage to sneak away, it's—impressive I'll give it to you."
Romie jogged a few steps forward, closing the gap until she was beside Anny. Anny slowed, turning her head from the left with a startled glance, as if she was caught off guard by the sudden approach.
— So…What was it like in Victoria? Is it like how the books describe it?
"B-Book? What book?.." she scratched her cheek. "Oh yeah, At school, when we learned history, they described and showed pictures of what it was like on the other side. They said it never rained and that it was always sunny, the people all lived in a house next to each other. The streets were clean—" Anny brushed her hair.
— it's nothing like that, seriously…no rain? It rains there too. Snow too. Although…I personally never visited the town or the cities but from what I've seen while I was running away was…that It didn't feel alive like how it is here.
— huh…is that so.
Romie walked ahead, her small steps careless in the dim glow. With the torch behind them, the path was hard to read, sand and rock blending into uneven ground.
Suddenly, her foot slipped. The stone gave way beneath her, sand spilling down into a hidden gap.
"Romie!" Anny cried, lunging forward. She caught Romie's hand, but the momentum dragged them both down. Dust swirled as they slid—until a strong grip seized Anny's wrist. Steady at the rear, I pull them up with careful force, setting them back on solid ground.
"Are you two alright?" I asked, my voice low but firm. I glanced ahead.
— Hashur, there's a gap.
Hashur stepped forward, torch raised, weaving past Andrew and Victor. He studied the break in the path, then turned his gaze to me. "We can jump to pass."
Andrew moved up quickly. "No need. I'll use my skill." He was already stepping forward when I pressed my hand against his chest, stopping him. I shook my head.
"What?" Andrew whispered, frowning.
"Did you forget what I told you?" My tone was sharp, quiet. Andrew's brow furrowed, taken aback.
I turned to Hashur. "We'll jump. You go first—you've got the torch."
Hashur nodded once. He backed up, then leapt. His sandals scraped stone as he barely caught the other side, rolling to absorb the impact, torch held high to keep the frame alive.
The group watched. Victor, steady at the edge, scooped Anny into his arms and jumped across. Romie followed, her skill sparking— she shot a string upward, anchoring it into the ceiling, she swung gracefully to the far side.
Andrew lingered, eyes fixed on me. I met his gaze, silent but resolute. Together, we jumped, landing hard but safe.
The torchlight flickering across our face. Sweat drips down slowly as the heat grows.
— It's getting hot.
— yeah, we're almost there. The final path.
This time, Hashur took the lead. "From now on, there will be mines planted. You guys will follow my orders alright?" We nodded. Victor let Anny down, as she eyed Romie from her left.