⤜---⤛ 𝔽𝕀𝕊𝕊𝕌ℝ𝔼 ⤜---⤛ ▬▬ 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 ∗ 𝕛𝕛 ▬▬

⤛ 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕥 ⤜

Talia had watched in horror as Noa emerged alone from the dark pool, holding a failed flashlight. Her fingers had violently shaken as she handed Noa the flare from his rucksack, which she had lit when he left. Despite Noa's objections, Talia had dived straight into the water, using the light from the flare above to guide her. Through the cloud of silt, she had seen JJ sinking and grabbed hold of his arm, dragging them both towards the flare's light. Now, as they emerged from the water, JJ was gasping for air, coughing and sputtering, and Noa helped pull them both onto the rocks.

Kneeling over him, Talia watched as he lay on his back, his body wracked with shivers and convulsions as he expelled water from his lungs. Gasping for air herself, all she could manage to say was his name.

Finally, he lay still, his eyes wide and staring at her. "God?" His weak voice held a hint of humour.

She let out a sigh of relief, shaking her head in disbelief as his mouth twisted into a pained smile. "No, you're right," he added. "Definitely wouldn't be in Heaven."

"Jesus, Jayj. You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry," he breathed heavily. "Guess I took the scenic route, huh?" He propped himself up on his knees and raised his eyebrows at Noa, who stood over them. "What the hell was that, man?"

Noa held up the broken torch, his face a mask of concern. "It just went off. I could barely make it back myself." He scooped up the rucksack and added, "I'm glad you're okay though. We should keep moving." Talia watched him as he walked down the passageway, the golden glow of the flare moved with him.

"Those swimming lessons really came in handy, huh?" JJ exclaimed, giving Talia a grateful smile as she helped him up.

Talia placed a gentle hand on his back and asked, "Can you walk?"

Letting out a soft chuckle, JJ responded, "Yeah, no, I'm good. Just almost died," his body swayed slightly as he followed Noa down the passage. He called back to her, "Twice!"

Talia sighed, wishing she could talk to her past self and ask how the hell she ended up in this position. Regardless, she was grateful that they had all made it through the pool alive.

As they continued on their journey, the passageway gradually narrowed, becoming barely wide enough for a single person to walk through at a time. The walls were rough and jagged, as if carved out of the earth with haphazard strokes.

"Watch yourself." Noa called back to them as they brushed against the rock.

Talia's mind went back to when Noa went to get JJ through the flooded passage, and his words before he had left. She wondered what he had wanted to show her, but the incident with JJ had changed the mood drastically, and she hoped Noa didn't blame himself for the torch failing them.

As they walked further down the path, she noticed the walls beginning to change, their rough edges giving way to smoother surfaces.

"What the fuck...?" She heard JJ whisper from ahead of her. As she neared him, she too stared in awe, her jaw dropping.

Ancient underground walls rose up on either side of them, adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to depict long-forgotten tales. Talia reached out her hand to run her fingers along them, feeling the coldness of the stone.

"We're getting closer," Noa breathed, taking a moment to gaze at the carvings before beckoning them to keep moving. "Come on."

･༺༒༻･

The air had turned musty, carrying a scent of age and decay. The walls seemed to stretch on endlessly, twisting and turning as though they were alive, leading them deeper and deeper into the earth.