At first the tunnel was pitch-black to the point that Myungsoo and Dongwoo failed to see each other- it was the clinking sounds of their armor along with their occasional "You're there?" that relayed their presence. But, after several hundred feet or so, the narrow halls of earth were lit up by phosphorescent red lights that trailed the sides of the tunnel in sinuous lines. The pulsing lights and the grim shadows they casted were the reminder that these beings known as Bugmen were the incarnation of the unholy and the blasphemous. These lights' origin forever eluded Myungsoo, neither did he know their purpose when he previously encountered these demons decades ago nor did he wager on discovering their secret today.  

They kept walking speedily but warily on a crude, rugged course that was soaked in a disgusting slime: no other sound being heard besides the hushed noises they produced. The red glow reflecting off their armor would have been enough to drive one to the edge of their sanity. Though not lurid as starlights, the throbbing luminaries felt as though they were sentient- a creature all its own, sent from a dark universe, an umbra of pure chaos. The two were descending further and further into an insane underworld. With every step they took, the air became thinner and their cumbersome metal garb made everything hotter. Inside their protective metallic skin, the two were shedding what felt like gallons of sweat.

Myungsoo had enough so he doffed his helm and instructed Dongwoo to the same. They stopped for a short rest to wipe away the sweat that stung their sunburnt skin. "I don't like this," Myungsoo growled.

Dongwoo narrowed his eyes at him and wondered what he meant. Before he could ask, he spotted a dim object on the ground, obscured by dark shadows. He hesitated, thinking it might be a macabre finding (a torn limb), but neared the object nonetheless. 

 "What is it?" Myungsoo asked as he walked over to him.

Holding up the medium-length object, Dongwoo fiddled with the iron end of the wooden shaft.

 "It's a pick-axe," Myungsoo said nonchalantly. He didn't question its being there because he assumed it was just another makeshift weapon a civilian had used against the Bugmen.

 "It has no blood, but it's covered in dust."

 Furling his brows in curiosity, Myungsoo stole the axe from Dongwoo's hands and began to inspect it. He was right, there was no blood, but the iron head was definitely worn from constant use, the dust alluding to the purpose of digging. He sensed something was amiss. "Did you notice those niches, those slots in the wall, when we were groping at the dark as we made our way down? Maybe torches were fitted there..."

 "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything. We should go," Dongwoo replied as he began to move ahead, further down the tunnel. He knew men were dropping like flies outside and could only guess how many might had already died inside this grim underground world. The urgency to save the queen manifested itself as an ache in the back of his head and its throbbing felt stronger than any earthquake he had experienced in Laroo.

 "Hold on!" Myungsoo commanded as he clutched Dongwoo's arm. "Listen to me. We must be very careful as we move forward because this place is not like the one I descended into."

 "What do you mean? You told me back at the palace that you fought these monsters before-"

 "Yes," he cut in with a haste, "and I find this place strange. By now we should have encountered more of them, but the only ones we found were the five I killed." He grumbled at his inability to identify the reason for the perturbing contrast between the two warrens.

 "Myungsoo! We should get moving now. Kei needs to be rescued."

With a grunt, he nodded and took the lead. Some feet ahead, the single corridor they were traveling through became forked, with two passageways that seemed identical on either side. 

 "What do we do?" Dongwoo asked with his eyes darting back and forth between the tunnels.

 "You must be crazy if you think we should separate. Choose one at random, but hurry."

 Dongwoo groaned, being forced to decide. If he chose correctly then the queen would be saved. If he chose wrong- suddenly the patter of footsteps prompted the pair to brandish their swords. There was not enough room for grand and powerful attacks, but if they were precise with their strikes, then the enemy would die a painful death. From the left a wicked figure was limned in the red glow of the lights on the walls. The fiend was the one to decide the path they would navigate through. Myungsoo ran with a forward charge and skewered the Bugman. It never stood a chance.

He ran, his sword acting as a sharp horn, and gored several more of the monsters as he noticed the passage broadened to the point he could now spread his arms wide. Leaving a gory trail of green blood and guts in their wake, the two walked side by side, asking themselves when the road would end.

 "There have been no other bodies besides the ones we have left, no dead soldiers, too. You mentioned this place should be crawling with them, no?"

 Myungsoo lifted his eyes and gazed at his companion. "You finally see what I was getting at. I don't like this. It's as if we're walking down the throat of devils."

The red lights failed to illuminate far ahead, but Myungsoo knew it was only a matter of time before it revealed another set of portals to who knows where. His impatience was more suffocating than the lack of fresh air. An ugly scowl on his face, he cursed the queen for having been stolen away. There was not much they could do but continue moving and killing whenever a Bugman appeared.

They travelled down several portals that emanated from other forked corridors, never abandoning one's side. Thick gashes they had left on the walls to indicate the way out of that forsaken maze. Tools that could be used for excavation appeared infrequently and once, Dongwoo found a container filled with a yellow liquid. When Myungsoo sniffed its fruity scent, he identified it as a juice made from the exotic Ohrez fruit.

Gooey, wet sounds were created with every lift of their heel; the slime on the floor was an unchanging sight that stalked them. The minute noises of their armor, the wet patter of their running feet combined with the dank conditions of the subterranean world taunted the two. The maze was too quiet and now after travelling what felt like hours, hope seemed bleak. A doubt, whether the two would make it back out, even with the marks they left behind, began to creep up in their minds. They were exhausting their vitality with every step and every strike of a sword. 

By now, the shinning stars and moon existed only in memory. They were both unsure whether morning had lighted, though they were certain that a war raged on above ground. Collapsing on his knees at the entrance of a coarse corridor, Dongwoo cried for Myungsoo to take a short rest. At first scorning the idea, he agreed after glimpsing at his companion's haggard face. His hair was caked with sweat and green blood, his eyes were lit with a small ember, no longer that bright sunfire. Stifling a grunt, he helped him lean against the wall and even twisted open the cap of the canister which held the nectar.

 "Drink," Myungsoo said as he extended the container. His lips were chapped and his tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth, but he knew Dongwoo needed it more. He had been trained to tolerate worst conditions, something Dongwoo lacked.

Dongwoo grasped for the container and nearly dropped it, but secured it in his hands. His head was dizzy and his vision, a blurry mess: it was instict that moved the lip of the receptacle to his mouth. Having drunk that sweet nectar, his gaunt, pallid visage receded as it glowed with a new vigor. A shadow beside him shifted with an animated movement! Something tangible lurked in the dark.

Out of that misty darkness, a Bugman ascended quietly as though with intelligence and prepared to kill. Dongwoo was a kid that failed to notice the approaching danger of a wolf. Myungsoo was the careless shepherd that instead of being vigilant over his flock paid heed to the outlying horizon, although that horizon was only a pitch-black abyss. He thought the Bugmen would appear only from in front, not from behind.

With the agility of a swift, deadly serpent, the Bugman struck at Dongwoo's chest, causing him to stagger and cry out with a yell. Myungsoo whirled and was unafraid as his eyes met with the ensorceling compound eyes of the assailant. He didn't hesitate when it pounced at him and instead hacked away at the creature with all his might. It died with his first attack.

The canister had slipped from his hands and Dongwoo was now on his knees, observing the  juice run with the slime that saturated the ground. "I'm sorry," he said as he looked up at his deliverer who walked towards him.

Suppresing the urge to curse and lash out, Myungsoo replied with a stern tone, "Your armor did its work and shielded you from death." Inside he groaned at the fact that he wouldn't be able to drink the nectar, it took much to maintain a stolid appearance. If he complained, he knew he would burden Dongwoo with unneeded pressure. He knew he felt guilty already, those eyes that seemed to flicker with a lambent flame told him that much. Even if he complained, he reasoned, it would not bring another canister of nectar for him. Still, his eyes followed that thin trail of juice that ran amid the slime of the floor.

It was at this point that he knelt and inspected that slime with a scrutiny. At first, it was a mere venture but soon enough his senses informed him of a conspicuous thing, or rather, the absence of a thing, red blood. Dongwoo hinted at the absence of dead soldiers earlier which was one thing, but for this tunnel to be without bloodstains? Was there a reason for this? Bugmen were without morals and brains, yet there reeked a mind behind all this.

 "I'm sorry. I know you must have been parched as well," Dongwoo interrupted with a low tone. An asphyxiating guilt choked his airway. It was so much so that he averted Myungsoo's eyes.

 "That's not it, it's just that there is only green blood in this slime. I don't think I've seen the blood of men splattered anywhere here also..."

Dongwoo sighed with relief. He felt small when he shifted his head to look in his friend's direction. He wouldn't have blamed Myungsoo if he held it against him, but was glad he didn't. Myungsoo didn't burst out with a curse or a threat, and this made Dongwoo feel a sort of comfort. Comfort would be the closest thing this sentiment could be called.

 "Did you hear me?" Myungsoo said with a grunt. He disliked the thought of being ignored.

 "Yeah- I heard you, but I don't understand."

 "I'm not sure either. It's just that it feels strange to me, as if these damned burrows were immaculately cleaned by the Bugmen. Hold on-" Myungsoo leaned far to the side and crept up to get a close look at the dead fiend he had felled.

Dongwoo neared him with a curious look on his face, but in his mind he felt that haste to rescue Kei hounding at him. He saw Myungsoo run his hand through the corpse and felt anxious to know why he was searching its remains. Then the head was twisted off and the silver band about its neck was held between Myungsoo's thumb and forefinger.

 "What is it?" Dongwoo asked.

 His companion leered at the plated ring and answered with the tone of one derided and mocked by all who crossed his path. "I don't know. It was never on any of the Bugmen I killed those 50 or so years ago. This inconspicuous thing- I never paid it any heed to it until now."

 Not only befuddled by the introduction of an enigmatic object but by Myungsoo's statement of living over half a century despite his mien resembling a young man's, Dongwoo swayed his head in astonishment and went, "What?!"

He gave no answer but motioned for Dongwoo to follow him down the path they were already traveling down. Soon after more running, the pair noticed that there was a glow at the far end of the subterranean hall. This glow did not advance nor did it recede, but its appearance grew as the two got closer. When they reached the end, from where the glow emanated, they were stunned to discover a door.

It was made out of a strange black metal and appeared to be a simple slab, but there was more to it than that. At the lintel, in the middle of it, proceeded the graven head of a bird with its beak open, its tongue poised as though shrieking, and it was from the fierce eyes that peered solemnly that the light shone from. It was the metallic head of an eagle. It was no mere effigy, but a symbol, the royal mark of the Adamah.

Myungsoo gazed at the fowl's head with his eyes distended in shock and doubt. Although he had forgotten many names, many things, there lurked those vivid memories that would never vanish. He rose his hand to touch the door and with a hissing noise, it rose up, opening.

 "What is this?"

 "Quiet!" Myungsoo scolded, entranced by the room that had been revealed.

It was he that stepped in first, Dongwoo following close by. Ahead was a thick dark expanse that seemed to swallow them both. Then, lights flickered and a mechanical humming along with the grinding of gears filtered their hearing. The pair crouched and prepared for battle, half expecting an enemy to charge forward. As the flickering stopped and became steady, the dusky chamber became fully disclosed.

Adjusting his eyes to the bright lights, Myungsoo swiveled his head here and there, in every direction to attain a better grasp of the place. It was a large room, easily able to house over several hundred people. The floor and the wall were a glossy white, as though it were made out of a highly polished ivory. Ornate designs resembling fascinating creatures, those beasts that derived from ancient historical lore, along with historical events were intricately carven into the walls. The ceiling was high, vaulted and decked in the royal colors of gold and scarlet, accented with violet scrawling etched in relief. These characters were no vain embellishments but were the signs of an oath, a treaty made with their chief deity, Nesher.

 At the far end ascended a spiral staircase, its steps a dazzling color of heavenly blue. This staircase led to a single portal, a cyclopean entrance obscured by thick shadows within. At either side there stood smaller doors, entrances that were the average height of common, mundane locales.

 One thing was clear. This area was the citadel of a king, and Myungsoo instantly knew which one. It was the fortress belonging to the ruler that preceded his father Avlot. Why this castle still existed as the lofty memento of a glorious, past age, he did not know. He took several steps forward and everything clicked in his mind: all those magical relics, all those treasures that are safeguarded in Kei's palace came from here. 

Dongwoo too, was taken aback by the prodigious discovery of the castle, but unlike Myungsoo, he quickly snapped out of the trance this enthralling scenery issued. He presumed that it was somewhere behind that colossal portal that Kei was being held in. He grit his teeth and ran ahead, eyes set on the twisting flight of stairs.

 "Where are you going?" Myungsoo asked, still somewhat lost in wonder.

 "The queen has to be up there! We have to hurry!"

Myungsoo wanted more time to look around. This chance to visit a place that up until now only existed in cobweb-ridden, dusty memories, did not come often. He wanted to reminisce of times before Oscuridaon. He wanted to walk in a place that was yet unviolated by the touch of a devil. His breaths were slow and paced to that of a sleeper. He was awake and yet asleep, lolling about in the realm between reality and dreams. It was Dongwoo who rescued him from his trance.

 "What is it?!" he demanded, wanting to stand and admire the fascinating art on the walls.

 "We have to go! I think I heard footsteps from above, coming from the big room!"

 Myungsoo whirled and glared at him with squinted eyes, as if to search for lies. The dark room at the end of the grand staircase became filled with an intense light, and the two backed slowly against a wall; although the hall they were in was bright, they sought to conceal their presence if possible. Their presence was already known, however. A half-hunched figure was outlined just outside the entrance, and as the pair looked on, they discovered it was an old man robed in a fanciful ermine garb.

A plated staff, with ornate etchings and lining was firmly held in his hoary hand. He was aged and marked with the gloom of a sage encumbered with a myriad, myriad unanswered riddles. His head was bald and a royal circlet of copper was affixed at his front. His patriarchal beard was gray and streaked with white. His dull, blue eyes were poignant, devoid of much light.

 "Who is there?" he asked with his voice of melancholy. "More of you who wish to separate me from my daughter?"

 Myungsoo stepped into the middle of the hall and extended his arms, "It is only me and another." He gestured for Dongwoo to join him. "This is the only one besides me that is present."

 The ancient king narrowed his eyes at him, vaguely recalling a tiny boy that was once introduced to him. His eyes nearly bulged out their sockets as he choked before straining a raspy voice out, "Myungsoo? Avlot's son, is that you?"

 "Aye! My lord," Myungsoo replied with a bow, dunking Dongwoo's head with him.

 "Who is this guy?" Dongwoo asked in a whisper. "Does he have Kei?"

 "I am much too old with aches in my knees to come down these giant steps! Come up, and I," the old monarch coughed and continued with a labored breath, "You have much to share, I am sure, about how this world has changed since I last walked amidst its grounds."

Up the great stairs and beyond the portal into a fascinating scene of regal decor and technology beyond the ken of this era, entered the pair led by the aged king. At the far end of the most western wall was a dais with a silver throne fretted with golden etchings upon it. The throne was the mark of former kings and was covered in gems that gleamed with a strange scintillation. Beside it was a tall glass cylindrical container filled with a clear, light blue liquid.

It was in this capsule of sorts that Kei was trapped in, floating in the liquid with a tranquil aspect to her face, as if in perpetual sleep. Dongwoo, against all rationale, shoved Myungsoo aside and pressed his face against the glass. 

 "I don't blame him; my daughter is beautiful. But don't let your friend damage the glass," the king said as he moved to sit in his throne.

 Myungsoo grunted and with a haste pulled Dongwoo away from the sleeping queen, whispering, "Calm down and follow my lead. Trust me."

 Dongwoo struggled with the thought for a second, halting the urge to break the glass, and acquiesced. The look which Myungsoo exchanged was one of determination and he saw no hidden intent in them. For now he decided to wait and listen to his friend.

The king, now sitting on his throne, struck the floor three times with his staff and a divan, furnished with lavender colored pillows as soft as cotton balls, materialized behind the two armored men. 

 "Magic!" Dongwoo exclaimed.

 "Quiet," Myungsoo replied. Having been well over a hundred years since he last witnessed this type of technological wonder, he too was startled and at first shared Dongwoo's remark before he nodded approvingly of it.

 "Take of your archaic armor," the king said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "relax and sit: we have much to discuss about the state of this world."

 "My lordship," quoth Myungsoo with a bow, "I plead forgiveness, but there are meandering demons around here. It is well with us to stay armored up."

Seeing his partner act so obediently was unsettling to Dongwoo. He was still clueless and mystified by the ancient man, let alone the whole eerie and claustrophobic ambience of the castle, existing in an underground world. They were miles underneath the surface, and that fact alone inspired a type of dread which he had pushed beyond to rescue Queen Kei.

She was floating in that strange liquid and her face, it was pleasantly marked by sleep albeit one she was forced into. He glanced at her every now and then, somewhat expecting her to awake and bang at the glass with a miserable look.

 "You mean those insectoids? Fear not, I have them all under my control."