What Lies Beneath

Two squids are seen talking in a shadowy alleyway near a worn-down staircase. The dim moonlight struggles to reach them, casting silhouettes on the damp walls, the air thick with the scent of salt, and something unplaceable-something rotten.

"If you do this, there ain't no coming back," one says, his voice low, almost drowned out by the distant hum of the city. His tentacles twitch slightly, a nervous habit he never managed to shake.

"You've never wondered what's going on down there?" The other squid responds, his tone distant, detached. He barely spares a glance at his friend, his gaze locked onto the stairway.

"Come on, man, you know it's not worth it," the first insists, trying to anchor his friend to reason, to reality. "Whatever's down there-it's better off staying there."

"I keep hearing about this metr-"

"Forget that," his friend cuts him off, his voice sharp. "Do you even realize what would happen if someone saw us here right now? We're already pushing it just standing in this alley."

"I heard about these strange experiments..." Yn mutters, barely above a whisper, his voice carrying a weight that makes the other squid's stomach twist. His eyes remain fixed on the staircase, pupils wide, lost in a trance-like daze.

"Cod damn it, (Y/N)..." The other one swallows hard, a lump forming in his throat. He can feel the desperation clawing its way up his chest. "Please... don't do this." His voice wavers, and before he even realizes it, tears begin to form at the corners of his eyes.

A silence drapes over them, thick and suffocating. Then, finally-

"-If we never see each other again," Yn murmurs, exhaling a shaky breath, "just remember... I really enjoyed our time together."

His friend doesn't respond right away. What could he say? He wants to scream, grab (Y/N), and drag him away, to force him to see reason. But he knows it's useless. His decision has already been made.

"Fuck."