We stood outside the exit, our feet squishing the curvy grass. The temperature was cooler than I remembered, but my long-sleeved shirt was just enough for comfort. The woman in front held the door open with her foot, smiling.

“You remember what I told you about the GPS, right? And what you are looking for?”

“Ya. Just follow the red line till I’m there. It’ll beep once I’m close, right? And we are looking for an underground path.”

And she smiled again. “Good. Now, please don’t lose that device, considering it could come in handy one day.

I smiled back, claiming I wouldn’t. The device was small enough to fit in my hand, though I couldn’t close my fist completely. It was circular, emitting dim, red lights that we had to follow. Based on appearance, it was similar to the device Tim’s friend, but it wasn’t small enough to wrap it around your wrist.

“Well then, I bless you with a safe journey to another life.” Her eyes attached to Tim as if she was only talking to him. She pulled her foot away from the door, letting it freely swing. I grabbed onto the handle before it shut, pulling it open.

“Will people be able to come here without trouble?”

“It would be ideal.” She didn’t sound so convincing.

I let go of the door, closing it again without force. This time, however, the same thing happened. Instead of it being my doing, Tim grabbed the handle and swung it open.

He smiled broadly as if nothing bad had ever happened to him. “Thank you, lady. Thank you for saving our lives.”

Her face melted with warmth. Blinking at the speed of light, she wanted to tear up but kept her composure. “Thank you for letting me save you.”

Oblivious to what she meant, the door closed without another word from any of us.

***

The sun's warmth felt reviving on my face. After an eventful day, it provided the right kind of refreshing sensation. The breeze brushed my skin and hair as it ruffled the back of my shirt. The soft, prickly grass scratched my ankles. I should've asked Roger to get me a new pair of pants when he went to the trading grounds.

Tim held up the device, waving it in the air. “The thingy says it’s here!”

“How?! There’s nothing but grass here!”

Owen was wrong. There was nothing but grass and the wall. I’d never been this close to the wall before. My fingertips could reach out and skim it.

No outsider dared to venture this close to the wall in fear of SCAR. Thus, every village and city outside the walls were far from the walls. No outsider would dare to come close and even touch the wall.

But here I was, skimming the smooth, gray wall with my fingertips.

“Maybe this is the general area? Do we have to jump the wall?” Roger asked, trying to snatch the device out of Tim’s hand.

“Hey, stop messing around with it! We’re in big trouble if it breaks! Chill out!” Tim hid the device inside his shirt.

These people were ridiculous.

“Can you guys settle down before I snatch it myself!”

I knew I should’ve kept hold of the device, but Tim insisted that he wanted to ‘lead the way.’ Why? I have no clue.

While the boys ignored my growl, I strolled around the area, searching for clues. Maybe there was something written on a tree. A rock? Couldn’t be. There were none to be found. The place was surrounded by emptiness, the distant grass on the horizon, and a big wall that would take ages to carve our way through.

“Tim, can I see what the device says?”

Tim walked over and handed me the device.

“Ok, so this blue circle is us? We follow the red line until the big green circle. We can still see the red line a bit, so I assume it’s more forward.

“Hm… ya, maybe you’re right.”

It was a guess. I had no idea if I was right.

We continued walking forward. I kept an eye on the device. Every few hundred steps, the blue circle got closer to the green, and the red line disappeared.

We were so close that I could smell Ionian air.

Soon enough, the device beeped.

“Aaugh!”

“Ah, idiot! Don’t drop it!”

“I—I didn’t! I caught it!”

Tim snatched the device out of my hand and took a look for himself. “Oh, ya, the blue is overlapping the green. That means we are here!”

Owen looked around, confused. “Where?”

“Well, it’s somewhere here. Let's look for something unusual,” I said.

“Wait, this can be tricky.”

We all looked at Roger in a funny way, assuming he would say something stupid.

Roger continued. “Ionia, or SCAR, wouldn’t leave an obvious way of getting into the city. Now, I know a lot about Ionian items and how they operate. I think, and it’s just an assumption, we are looking for something metal and sturdy.”

Oh, that's a surprisingly helpful statement.

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

“Wait a minute, how will we find something metal in this grass area? The lady at the house says it’s an underground passage.”

Owen had a fair point as well.

“It’s an assumption. From what I’ve collected and seen at markets, Ionia relies on a lot of metal. Since it’s an underground passage, I can assume what we are looking for is also metal, yet camouflage within its surroundings to make it seem not metal.”

Another fair point by Roger. Why couldn’t he always be like this?

Tim chimed in. “So we just stomp around until we find something metal–ly?”

“It’s in this general area, so we can split up,” I said.

And we did just that. We split up and scanned and stomped on the ground, trying to look for something abnormal.

If we could find something that wasn’t natural but artificial, that could be it.

My eyes never left the ground. I ripped through a few patches, dug up dirt like a dog, stomped endlessly on the dirt, and roamed in the same circle for what felt like hours.

I started to lose hope and collapsed on my rear. The landing stung a little more than usual. I lifted myself and noticed something strange. It was a perfectly spiky patch of grass that was more colorful than the rest. It was a little too perfect.

I knelt and rubbed my hands all over the spiky grass. I attempted to dig but couldn’t. Something was hard underneath, almost like metal.

I examined it more and noticed holes big enough for anyone's finger to go through. They were perfect holes that had to be man–made.

I hastily inserted my fingers and pulled with everything I had, yelling at the top of my lungs. It wouldn’t budge. I frantically looked around and yelled their names. I gave the seal one last tug.

Nothing.

They all came running towards me.

“What is it?!” Owen asked, sounding a bit out of breath.

I jumped onto my feet. “L-L-Look! This is it!” I pointed at the seal with my bouncing feet. “Roger, Roger, lift the seal! Hurry! Lift it!”’

“Woah, relax, Jill. Don’t get all up in my chest.” He shoved me away and crouched down. “What seal?”

“This seal! Look!” I showed them the metal seal underneath the too–good–to–be–true patch of grass.

“Jill! This is it!” Roger appeared almost as happy as I was, probably because it was an Ionian item.

Owen and Tim jumped up and down and exchanged quick hugs.

“Yes, yes! Lift it! Come on, use those arms for something useful for once!” I crouched down beside him. Our shoulders rubbed against each other. I couldn’t keep myself under control.

“Do you mind calming that head of yours!” His palm shoved my face away from him.

On my rear, I saw him put his fingers into the slots. His veins popped out from his arms. A bone emerged through his neck. Yelling, Roger strained his entire body until the seal popped out. He flipped it over, revealing the hidden hole.

“Hey, don’t tell me we have to climb down there. No, thank you. You see how dark it is.”

“Shut the hell up. We are going.”

“Hey, Jill, no need for that scary voice,” Tim said, throwing his hands up.

The hole was big enough for a SCAR agent to squeeze through, so we shouldn’t be a problem. A ladder was conveniently attached to the walls. We couldn’t see the end of the darkness, so it kept its deepness suspenseful.

“Jill,” Tim said, looking up at me, “You wanted this the most, so it’s only right if you go first.”

“I was going to go first regardless.”

While Tim muttered to himself how I should’ve appreciated the offer, I carefully positioned myself on the ladder, cautiously going down. The sunlight faded the further I went down. At one point, it was pitch black. One slip, and I could’ve been a dead woman.

When my feet touched the ground, white lights shone from above, revealing a pathway to paradise. They were the magical bulbs, similar to the ones the women had at the house. But instead of being a dim yellow, these lights forced me to squint my eyes, especially climbing through the dark for some time.

I waited for the others to get down. Roger and Owen yelled at Tim for holding them up. They eventually made it in one piece.

“Woah, what the hell! Hey, look, my voice is echoing.”

“Tim, shut up! What if someone heard you!”

“Owen, you’re yelling as loud as I was!”

Ignoring them, I walked ahead on my own. Water dripped from above. I fanned my body with my shirt. I didn’t expect it to be this stuffy.

Behind me was Tim, talking about the first dish he would eat as if he knew what Ionia had to offer. Roger went on babbling about collecting every Ionian item and selling them for profit. He had the potential to become a merchant, but his initiating stature lessened the chance. Owen went on about going to every social gathering just so he could—well, meet other people…

After about ten minutes of walking straight, the endless tunnel ended. Another ladder was in front of us. This was the ladder to my dream. I touched its cold handle. Above us was all darkness.

“There must be another seal,” I said.

“Step aside, Jill.” Roger grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the ladder. I’m going to have to open it.” Apparently, I said my words out loud. His voice sounded deeper than usual. Was it his intention to be dramatic?

He was right, but there was no need to push me aside. A simple request would’ve worked. We all followed Roger’s lead up the ladder. The lights turned off behind us.

My heart punched my chest. Just like me, it was about to break free. My sweaty fingers didn’t allow me to have a proper grip. With each step up, I felt like I would fall off. My brain was out of control. Everything was out of control. I couldn’t think properly. This was it. This was it.

This was it.

Roger reached the end of the ladder. He used his body weight, trying to break through. He sounded out of breath.

“Can you hurry up?! My arms are getting tired!” We all knew who yelled that.

“How about you try and do it!” Yelled Roger. His spit flew into my face. I was too nervous to wipe it off, thinking I would fall.

“You can’t even lift up a seal? Are you that weak?”

The more I thought about it, the more I realized they were yelling at each other in the darkness. It made me crack a giggle.

Roger yelled back at Tim. “Fine! I’ll show you what I can do!” A thunderous roar escaped from his mouth. He used his shoulder, putting in all his weight to open it. He roared louder than a blizzard. He pushed as if he were lifting a mountain.

Sunlight peeked through the crevice. We’re here. We’re actually here!

He exhaled one last roar and flicked the seal up and over. The sun shone on our faces. Roger hurried out, giving us a helping hand. Once we were all out, we set the seal back into its original spot.

It was an empty alleyway with a few open trash bins on the side. The alleyway was big enough for a group of people to walk side-by-side, so I wouldn’t classify it as one. Turning away from the dead-end, a few people were walking in the distance. I jogged out from the surrounding walls.

“Hey Jill—Wait!”

Their footsteps tailed me. It didn’t matter where I went. They’ll follow me regardless. Once I took my first step onto the city’s streets, my body was hit with an imaginary wave, dropping me onto my knees.

The City of Ionia was a man-made, modernized marvel. Technology thrived in Ionia, which was crucial to its name. Gigantic skyscrapers were everywhere! They towered over everything and seemed to be continuously evolving, with new additions even now.

The streets were packed with this big technology box on wheels. It was much faster than horses! I wanted to ride that so bad!

People on the sidewalks dressed in clothes I’d never seen. Men wore puff black, blue, gray, or even brown coats with different-colored shirts inside. Between the coat and shirt, various colored long strips matched their torsos. And their pants were mainly the same color as their coats! Did people here care about matching outfits that much?

“Woah, look, everyone, food!”

“Food carts and restaurants at every angle? Is this heaven?” Tim’s mouth was drooling, probably imagining the potential savoring flavor.

“Forget the food! Look at the pair of beautiful women walking towards us! Tim, Roger, this is my chance.”

“Not happening.”

Ignoring them, I giddily excitedly, squeezing my fist close to my face. “Ahhhhhh… Everything was so vibrant—exactly how I imagined it!”

The boys continued pointing, laughing, amazed by everything they said.

Emotions overran me. My uncontrollable tears streamed down my cheek. I covered my face, trying not to make noise, but my wailing got the best of me.

The future was unknown, filled with unlimited possibilities. That’s what made it exhilarating. This was the beginning of a new world. This was it. I couldn’t see ahead. Everything was still blind. But I wasn’t afraid. I knew what I had to do. This future wasn’t going to be handed down to me. It was something I had to reach and snatch for myself.