Zachary walked up to the boulder where he tracked the days. He added the final mark, completing the last eight-sided compass which signified a week. He stared at the boulder which was the proof of his experiences here as well as his transformation. He had spent a total of five months with this underground realm. It was time to leave.

He walked back to the rocky beach and took stock of his belongings. He had seventeen summoning cards, seventy-six summoning orbs, and several octets of anima crystals. He had thought of capturing a random creature from the lake but Wander had been against the idea, seemingly offended at the idea.

His summoning supplies were inside the same leather bag that had accompanied him from the ship. The clothes he wore back then didn’t fare so well. He now wore a simple shirt and a pair of pants made of lizard skin. They weren’t very comfortable but provided some form of protection from bites and scratches. He also wasn’t an exhibitionist and didn’t want to walk around naked.

His other supplies were mostly food related. Smoked meats of all sorts including snake, frog, lizard, and fish made up two sizable leather sacks. It was the most he could carry while still being able to run and jump.

Across his waist was his summoner’s belt. The eight slots were all occupied. They included orbs for Onkie, Blue, Boba, Whiskers, Dream, and Sugo as well as a spare summoning card and a spare soul orb.

Everything was ready.

He looked across the calm, foggy lake, at the massive statues of ancient humans around him, and then downward at the still reflection. His hair was a little too long and fell in a shaggy mess to his shoulders. He touched his chin; he had just shaved so his face was smooth and clean.

“Yes, yes. You are very ugly.” Wander said, giving Zachary an exasperated look. “Too late to change that now so let’s go!”

“You…”

“Onk, onk.” Onkie laughed, rolling on the ground in the process.

Whiskers joined in, splashing water in his direction.

Zachary scoffed, “What do you guys know? For your information, I am pretty handsome for a human male.”

“Alright, handsome big bro, can we go?”

“Fine, fine.”

Zachary waded into the water and secured the rope harness around himself and Whiskers. He patted the catfish and they set off, swimming away from the island at a leisurely pace. As they went, he looked behind him and all around, a peculiar feeling welling up inside him. He was excited to leave but also a little sad. He would probably never come here again, this underground realm that gave him a new life, a fresh start.

The party cruised across the lake, beneath the silent gazes of massive statues, a silent goodbye. After being alone for innumerable years, Wander was finally leaving. He was the last living remnant of the Bomon Empire. Zachary and Wander, together, carried the secrets to summon the eternal and the hopes of these ancient people to survive the calamity that wiped out their civilization.

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They soon reached the other side and a cave opening that was the source of a strong current. Wander led the way. Whiskers followed with Zachary in tow. Onkie brought up the rear. They entered the underground river and were soon plunged into darkness.

They followed this river for a while then took an underwater passage into another swift-moving river. After that, they went on dry land to bypass a series of waterfalls. Zachary soon lost track of the twists and turns. If he didn’t have Wander, he would have gotten hopelessly lost.

They occasionally encountered strange Ensouled along the way but the creatures all fled at their presence. He was curious about them but there was no time. Perhaps in the future, he would find another underground realm to explore.

After an eternity in darkness, Zachary finally saw light. It started a pinprick of light which gradually illuminated the way ahead. Eventually, they reached a wide cave entrance and swam across it into a breathtaking sight.

The river they were in flowed along a wide avenue flanked by dizzyingly tall stone buildings. These were less like ordinary buildings and more like giant pillars that supported the ground above, creating a cavernous space that housed an entire city beneath the surface.

Some of the buildings had collapsed, tearing open gaps and revealing the blue sky above. In some of these gaps, water poured in, creating towering waterfalls that covered parts of the city in mist. What used to be parks became lakes and what used to be streets turned into rivers.

And the most eye-catching amidst it all was an eight-sided monolith made of gray stone.

“Wow! Katherine was right. There really was a city hiding beneath.” Zachary said.

“Wah, that cat girl?” Wander said, “Yeah, I suppose. This is the Eye of Agula, the capital of the Bomon Empire. The lake where we were at, with all the statues, that used to be the Eternal Grounds, where we held battles between summoners and their summons. Those statues were each of champion summoners of their generation.”

“Wow…”

Zachary continued to look all around, amazed at everything. Aside from the central monolith, the other towering buildings were equally impressive. Each one was the size of a city block and extended all the way to the top, a distance of had to be a hundred stories.

In the Old World, the height of buildings was often taken as a sign of a city’s power and prosperity. Even in New Calum, the second richest city in the Republic of Adorin, the highest buildings were barely forty stories tall. And yet, the Eye of Agula contained countless buildings that doubled that height. The fact that all of this was built underground was even more impressive, proof that the Bomon Empire was once a powerful existence among humankind.

“I sense something has been here.” Wander said as he sniffed the air, “It must be that cat girl you mentioned and her dirty cat.”

“Stop calling her that. And her cat isn’t dirty.”

Wander scoffed, “I don’t like cats.”

Zachary shook his head helplessly but he also looked around for her traces. The whole city seemed deserted and there were no signs of living Ensouled anywhere. He wondered if she had returned to the surface empty-handed.

She wasn’t exactly his favorite person in the world but he didn’t hate her. She had her own secrets but so did he. At the end of the day, she was someone connected to the Ice Saint and Yaoyao so he still needed her.

They slowly approached the central monolith along a wide, slow-moving river. There was a lot more light here due to the large gaps in the ceiling. This was about where he landed when he had jumped down. It was still a wonder that he managed to survive the fall.

“We’re here,” Wander said as he got out of the water.

They were right in front of the monolith which stood on a small patch of dry land.

“This is the way out; you just need to open the door,” Wander said.

Zachary paused, not believing that it was so simple. “Just open the door and go up the monolith?”

“Yup!”

“I thought we would have to cross dangerous obstacles and fight our way through powerful Ensouled.”

“Nope.”

“Wait, why couldn’t you open the door yourself and go out?”

Wander stomped his feet and said angrily, “Because, only summoners can open the door… Don’t you dare laugh!”