“It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” 

- Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

The more you walked, the stronger the scent became. The walls seemed to enclose on themselves the lower you went, and noises that you wouldn't have taken any notice of suddenly became distinct and booming. Even your own pants sounded like a raised voice. The steps were getting steeper and steeper; they seemed to go on forever. That is, until your feet were greeted by a strangely rugged surface, which you assumed was the floor of the chamber.

When you arrived at the bottom, you entered the chamber. It was lit up by torches but was still pretty dim. The chamber was shaped like a half circle. The stairs were located on the straight side of the room's interior. You surveyed the room and found the door that the hooded men took slaves in and out of to enter the pit. That door and the stairs were the only accesses to entering and exiting the chamber.

"We have a variety of slaves, currently only fifteen since the season is almost over. We'll have to restock soon," the chamber keeper said in his cold, grainy voice. You felt anger burn inside you. He's talking about humans like they're items! Things you just restock when you don't have anymore! That's not right! What the heck!?! Suho must have sense your anger because as you thought of the many things you wanted to do to everyone in the Underground, he grabbed hold of your wrist and gave it a tight squeeze, gaining your attention.

"If you want to get them out, you need to keep cool," the scribe quietly reminded you, giving you his calming smile before releasing your wrist. You sighed softly and nodded your head in agreement. "Do you see any you would like to bet on?" the chamber keeper asked your group. "Hm... Since you've been here for a while, which ones would you recommend?" Kris questioned, smiling as he scratched the back of his neck. You tried to stop the urge to grin because Kris remembered being told that the grandson was one of the best in the Underground.

The chamber man looked at Kris with a raised eyebrow, as if he had never been asked his opinion on the issue. But soon a small smile, which kind of scared you to be honest, appeared on his face. "Well, if you would like to know based on my judgment, anyone in cell 7 is a professional. They've been in here for longer than anyone. Take a look at them, and make a selection. And don't tell anyone I told you this," the man said quickly in a hushed voice before walking back towards the stairs. "If you need me, I'll be waiting at the top."

With that said, the chamber keeper bowed his head before walking up the stairs, disappearing into the chaos of noises above. "Number seven it is then," Luhan said as he led the group over towards the cells. You quietly made your way to the cell marked with a stone plate with seven stripes. As you got closer, you could hear quiet voices hush down, creating silence in the cell. You tried to look closer into the darkness that consumed half of the cell and thought you saw the outline of bodies, but you were unsure.

"Hello?" Kai called as he walked closer to the cell gate. No answer. You followed his lead and walked forward to the bars of the cell until you were standing next to him. "Hello?" you repeated. No answer. You moved closer to the cell, standing in front of Kai with your face almost touching the cold metal of the bars. You thought you heard someone whisper something from inside. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

​BANG!!! You felt something large, solid, and cold smash the bars and hit you square on the face. "AH!" you cried out in pain as you fell backwards. Luckily, Kai was right behind you and caught you before you could hit the stone floor. "KORA! ARE YOU OKAY?!?!" Kai exclaimed as he and Kris helped you regain your balance. "My head! My nose! My face! Ahh! It hurts!" you whimpered as you leaned against Kris' shoulder, your hands cradling your throbbing face. You heard snickering from inside the cell.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?" Luhan growled loudly at the cell residents, his face fuming with anger. "If you're looking for hell, then you found the right place," a deep male voice chuckled from inside. Your vision was getting clearer, but it kept getting blurred by the tears. "Why did you do that?!?" Suho exclaimed, questioning the motive behind the person's, or persons', action. "Why? Because we wanted to, and you're all stupid rich hags!" another voice, a female voice, barked in response. Suho furrowed his brows. "We're not like those other people up there! We're here to help you-"

"SHUT UP! WE DON'T NEED ANYONE ELSE'S 'HELP' OR FAKE PROMISES! GET OUT OF HERE!" the deep voice roared at Suho. "You should get out of here. They might be targeting you," a monotone voice murmured. "T-Tao? You-you're... t-talking!" the female voice gasped silently. You heard the sound of metal chains scraping across the stone floor, and soon, you saw a figure emerge from the shadows of the cell. A skinny, frail, black-haired boy stepped into the light of the chamber, stumbling as he made his way forward to the bars that enclosed him from the rest of the world. His hands, feet, and neck were chained to something in the darkness behind him.

He glanced at each of the guys before his eyes landed upon you. Your eyes locked, and his held many things in them, the same as the brown-haired girl who fought in the pit earlier. There was anger, pain, suffering, anguish, and mostly, fear. "Hello, Tao. Your grandmother loves and misses you," you whispered under your breath. He was the only one that heard you. His cold eyes blinked and widened a bit. And for a moment, you thought you saw something else in his eyes when he looked at you. You saw hope.

However, the glint of peace in his eyes died almost immediately. "Who are you?" he questioned, but his voice made it seem as if he was stating a fact. "My name is Kora. I've been looking for you," you answered the boy, who was still looking at you with his steel, cold glare. "Why?" he asked. "I met your grandmother and told her I'd get you and everyone else out of here," you whispered to him. To the others, it looked as if you two were only staring at each other; both of you were talking extremely quietly. "I don't need your charity," he said, scoffing at you, or you took it as scoffing. His voice was still monotone.

"It's not charity. It's what's right," you told him. He breathed out deeply, closing his eyes for a bit, almost as if he was m