Finished with our tour of the library, we took more moving walkways to the train station opposite the one we’d arrived on, passing more Agarthians along the way. We boarded a different line than we’d arrived on, but everything from the car number to the train layout was identical to the other train.
Once again, Cove and I deposited our backpacks onto the floor and gazed out the window, making silent conversation under the watchful ears and eyes of our escorts. Catching sight of the bags underneath my eyes in the window, I wondered how just how long I’d been awake. Without the real sun to guide me, it was difficult to tell. I felt we’d been wandering for more than a day.
I drifted off into a brief sleep before the jerking of the train as it slowed to a stop startled me awake. Across from me, Cove’s baffled expression told me he’d fallen asleep as well. We rubbed our yes as we stepped off, exiting the flowery train station into a place resembling a jungle. Natural looking, or as natural looking as they could be, jagged gemstones and rocks lifted from the floor to the ceiling above, providing support for the many tiers above. The gap between this plate and the next was massive, enough for mountains the size of the Ozarks to fit comfortably between, towering over the trees.
The center area was shrouded in darkness, blocked from the artificial sun by the state-sized plate above.
Luckily, Cove and I didn’t have to awk through their gardens, our guides opting to take us on a scenic train ride instead, complete with another reserved section. The gardens were stunning as we rode through them, featuring every plant, rock feature, and type of land you could think of, from waterfalls in redwood forests to deserts.
Of course, our guides wouldn’t have been Agarthian if they didn’t get a few digs at humanity during their presentation. They made sure to clarify that many of the plants were pens they’d saved from extinction by human hands, particularly due to strong efforts in the last few hundred years. While I understood their complaints, it was frustrating to have that as yet another point used against me when I’d taken no deliberate part in those events. Their disdain was humiliating and exhausting to deal with.
Our next destination was the ‘Zoo,’ contained on the floor above. The variety of environments was the same as the gardens, but the Zoo contained all the species of animals and bugs one could think of, sometimes separated by era. Once again, we received a spiel on how the Agarthians, in their great and kind wisdom, had saved these poor creatures from extinction by human hand in the world above, secreting them away down into Agartha.
Despite the unfairness of the situation, it was awe-inspiring to see the large creatures that had gone extinct in the world above.
I asked how far back the species were, and Persephoenix clarified, “Indeed, these are only the creatures we’ve saved since we moved from the world above. In the lower levels, we have scientists working on reviving the more ancient races, in hopes that we may one day have a sample of every life on earth.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
It that didn’t sound like they were recreating Jurassic Park, I didn’t know what would. In their superiority complex, perhaps the Agarthians would bite off more than they could chew. Thank goodness, I thought that there was so much between Agartha and the world above. Many of the more dangerous cities wouldn’t fit through the tunnels we’d entered through.
Although, If that was the only or even the most direct way into Agartha, I’d eat my shoes.
We boarded yet another train and passed over the tier with its coliseums and stages, and up to the tip of the wedding cake, the spiritual center of the city.
Even though we were closer to the sun than any place we had been so far, it hovered above our heads, still looking so far away. It was noticeably dimmer now, having switched from the pure white it was when we arrived to a dull, almost sunset-colored red. This, we were told, was their manufactured day-night cycle, and the sun would continue to grow dinner until it was as bright as a red moon in the night sky.
The diamond supports were equally awe-inspiring at our current location, each section of the diamond as fast and thick as our deepest and widest rivers, if not more so. They sparkled pink in the evening light, reflecting the colors of the sunset across the great underground ‘city.’
We touched down, exiting the ruby-colored building. The grounds were set up like a temple complex, with gardens and massive gemstone buildings in every color and type between. Some of the ones we could see were inspired by certain elements, including an Aquamarine building structured like a fountain, with waterfalls streaming down its sides and into a moat surrounding it.
As we walked, Ninelithe explained that the Temples were not for worshipping gods but were created as tributes to the dead, both person and culture. Most Agarthians, they told us, didn’t believe in gods any more than humans did but kept depictions and representations of all the ancient ones simply as a matter of history, showing off the grandeur and the skills of the ancient craftsmen.
In the distance, I spotted rock buildings that appeared to be recreations of Stonehenge and Gobekli Tepe. It was awe-inspiring to see the ancient buildings at the height of their grandeur.
Finally, as the sky darkened to night, we were brought down to the layer beneath, where the important political figures resided as a measure of ‘convenience, not safety,’ Persephoenix was sure to specify. As Agarthians did not have a need for hotels, with outsiders rarely being allowed entry, we were provided a set of adjoined business rooms they’d repurposed for our needs.
Cove and I thanked them profusely for all their ‘troubles,’ sincerely thanking them for allowing us to rest.
The doorway entered into a shared green ‘living room area’ complete with chairs and couches. Plants adorned the walls and floor, giving the place an outdoors-esque feel. The ceiling was a skylight, letting in the gentle evening light. The wall across from us had beautiful stained glass windows, and the two walls on either side were broken by simple doors in the center.
Without thinking or debating, Cove headed to the door on the left, and I to the one on the right. The dark silhouette of the bed hovered before me, and I tread my weary feet over, dropping unceremoniously onto it, catching a brief glimpse of the already resting Ani on a pillow next to me before sleep dragged me under.