116. Return to the Underside

The subway train came to a screeching halt, the steady up and down motion of the car stilling into flatness before it stopped completely. Isaac’s eyes stared out the window, peering into the darkness of the tunnels as the doors slid open. The car was empty, and like that, the train was indistinguishable from the ones in Chrowall City. Finally, he stood up from the plastic seat and stepped out into the silver line station.

It was the same as he remembered. Cracked concrete pillars and worn down benches, a platform that looked like it could’ve been ripped straight from Chrowall City and, perhaps, had been.

Now that he thought about it, Isaac had never learned why Lilith had merged the realms of the Underside with subway lines in particular. The gold line express train was how he’d first entered the place, but from what he understood about the Collapse, that likely hadn’t been there before the formation of the Underside either.

Isaac stepped past a few Solonell City residents mulling around on the platform. He felt eyes turn his direction, but he ignored them, simply climbing up the stairs and exiting the station.

The moment he stepped onto the street, the vivid red sky overtook all other senses. Isaac squinted and stared up at it, wondering if it had alway been that saturated or if he just wasn’t used to it. For now, to give his eyes some time to adjust, he kept his gaze lower, trained on the mishmash of buildings and the curling streets, letting his muscle memory carry him to his destination.

More than a few people glanced his way as he walked. One or two did a double take. Others just kept staring. Isaac hunched a little, self conscious, and smiled wryly to himself. He hadn’t thought his absence would be noticed, but he supposed one of two Travelers suddenly vanishing might cause a few whispers.

Turning the corner past a gothic style church and dodging a street lamp placed in the middle of the street, Isaac continued towards Mortimer’s shop. A familiar voice, however, stopped him in his tracks.

“Isaac?”

The Traveler looked up.

Across the street, a familiar woman stood watching him, eyebrows raised a little in surprise. Her wavy brown hair fell elegantly down her shoulders, and her long dress billowed slightly in the wind. She looked the same as he remembered.

Isaac relaxed, nodding in greeting. “Rosalinde,” he said. “It’s good to see you.”

The woman laughed lightly at that. “I feel like I should be the one saying that.” She smiled, crossing the street and approaching. “Goodness, it’s been ages. I was worried something happened.”

Isaac winced. “Yeah, about that. I, uh, got into a bit of an argument with Lilith, so that’s why I left so suddenly.”

Rosalinde hummed, eyebrows furrowing a little. “Well, I’m glad you’re alright.” Isaac appreciated that she didn’t try to push or question further. He’d forgotten how easy she was to talk to.

While he wasn’t as close to Rosalinde as he was to Mortimer or even arguably to Igor, he did feel a little guilty for not telling her about his “break” as well. Especially after Rosalinde had been the one to inspect and handle the corpses.

The memory of the killings made Isaac’s shoulders tense, flashes of amorphous lumps and viscous liquid and an iron stench creeping into his mind. He clenched his fingers into a fist, waiting for the images to dissipate. They were much weaker now, compared to when he’d first returned to Chrowall, but he still had nightmares about that alleyway. He had a feeling he always would. In his pocket, the tablet rested securely, its corner digging slightly into his stomach.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“How’ve things been in the Underside?” Isaac asked, pushing the thoughts away. “After, well, after what happened.”

He didn’t need to explain what he meant. Rosalinde was silent for a few moments, thinking, before she responded.

“I don’t think you’d appreciate minced words, so I’ll be frank.” She furrowed her brow, brushing a few stray strands of hair back. “It’s been…more tense, since the trial. The System hasn’t failed again since the last error, but there’ve been quite a few more system violations than before. Still not too many,” she quickly clarified, “but more than usual. Enough to notice.”

It seemed Lilith’s fears of losing control over the Underside weren’t unfounded. Isaac frowned, remembering both what had happened to Seaton and now, most recently, those crawling markings on Fable steadily rotting away their flesh. If more people were willing to risk that despite knowing the consequences, then it spoke volumes about how much their fear of both Lilith and the System’s power had begun to lessen.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Rosalinde smiled. “I’m happy to help,” she said in that elegant way of hers. She tilted her head. “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you going? You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Isaac shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just going to meet Mortimer.”

Rosalinde went quiet, an unreadable look passing in her eyes. Isaac paused, frowning a little. He’d forgotten about the odd tension between the two Solonell City residents.

“You know,” Isaac said slowly, “I never did learn how you two knew each other. Of course, you don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to,” he hurriedly added. “It’s not really my business.”

Luckily, Rosalinde seemed to take the question in stride, looking up again and smiling in amusement.

“No worries. Honestly it probably isn’t as interesting as you think.” Her eyes shifted to the side, gazing absently out into the rest of the city. “I don’t know Mortimer very well, and I wouldn’t call it a personal issue.” She paused, humming as she considered her words. “I suppose the best way to describe it would be a conflict of backgrounds.”

Isaac couldn’t even begin to try and guess what that could mean or what sort of “background” could make people hesitant around a doctor as amiable as Rosalinde. Still, he followed her eyes, tracing the jagged lines of the buildings and eyeing the distant Solonell City residents mulling about the streets.

“…Is that the same reason I never see you with other humans?” The same reason people seem to avoid you, he didn’t say out loud.

“Ah, so you noticed.” Rosalinde’s voice remained smooth and calm. She nodded. “Yes, you could say that.” She turned to face him, smiling. “I wouldn’t worry yourself with it. It’s an issue from the past, and I’m quite used to it. I don’t blame anyone for their caution.”

Isaac considered her words. Solonell City had always felt to him like an emptier version of Chrowall, a city in design and structure but without the same bustle and constant movement. Despite its closely packed buildings and narrow alleys, there was always a pervasive sense of isolation to the place that seemed at odds with its urban layout.

As Isaac studied the woman in front of him, he vaguely wondered how lonely it would be, to be avoided in a place that could already feel as hollow as this.

“Well, I’ll stop taking up your time,” Rosalinde said lightly. “You should hurry to your meeting. Even the half-undead must grow impatient eventually,” she added with a chuckle.

“I will.” Isaac turned, readying to leave. He paused and glanced back.

“Thanks again, Rosalinde.”

“Of course. I wish you well, Isaac. And please, do be careful.”

Isaac nodded. Her words were all too reminiscent of what Fable had said, but now that he knew about the growing amount of system violations, the increased tension, he thought he was starting to understand what the other Traveler had been worried about.

With a final wave at Rosalinde, Isaac turned and hurried down the street to Mortimer’s shop.