The girl lies on a bed of stone, weeping. The girl’s name was Eva. She wept tears of joy, for her father was alive.

DINK. A noise from outside. Eva’s sobs quiet. A tingle of fear runs up the back of her neck. She looks around her room, for the source of the sound. Her room, which had been carved into solid rock. Its walls still jagged and crystalline.

KNOCK AT DOOR. The door knocks. Eva’s legs tremble as she sneaks out of bed. She creeps toward the door, which was purple and spongey; it had been carved from a sturdy form of mushroom.

She reaches the door, but hesitates. It could be one of THEM. She takes a deep breathe, and throws the door open.

A boy stands still on the other end. It’s her brother, Luka. She rushes to hug him.

“Father’s alive,” Eva cries.

“He- what?” Luka asked.

“Drugo was foraging in the Pits-”

“In the Pits?”

“I know, I’ve begged him to stop. But he swears he saw father,” she said, her voice choked with tears. “He’s not dead.”

“How? How did he survive down there.”

“I don’t know. Drugo’s going back down, right now. He’s gonna bring father up.”

Eva sits on a rocky step outside, crying.

“Let’s head inside, tell me everything,” Luka said.

Eva GROAN. “I need some air. Even if it’s a thousand feet down.”

Eva curls into a ball on the rocky step.

“He didn’t abandon us, Luka. He may have left for 10 years, but he’s finally coming back. Maybe things will be okay.”

“They will. We’ll all going to be together again.”

Luka pulls Eva into a hug. He gestures toward the door.

“You’re right,” she said.

“Come on inside.”

“Just one more-”

music change and shoving noise. Luka shoves Eva, pushing her inside. Luka closes the door behind them, and locks it.

Eva’s breath catches. A chill runs up her spine and down into her soul. She forgot to check, didn’t she.

“So. How deep was Drugo?” Luka asked.

“Uzdaj se u se,” Eva said, her voice shaky.

Luka pauses for a moment. “Is that deep?”

Eva can’t stop her breath from hyperventilating, or her eyes from blinking rapidly. He didn’t know the passphrase.

“Yeah, it’s a spot a mile or two under,” she managed to say.

Luka’s eyes bore into her. She takes a step back. Her eyes search the room for a weapon. Anything. Anything. Anything. It will kill her. It will kill her. It will-

Luka Sighs. CLANG. The girl’s head lies on the stone floor. Blood pools out from her ear. The girl thinks about her father, who she’ll never get to see again. She thinks about Luka, praying that he finds his father. And she thinks about the creature above her, cursing it to eternity in the Old One’s Hell. The creature smiles at her. It laughs. Luka chuckling. Eva screams.

Luka, the real one, leans against the rocky walls. Above him, a stone ceiling keeps him trapped. Humanity is Underground. Luka wears a dirty guard Uniform, with a primitive Rifle leaned against the wall beside him. A chaotic marketplace surrounds him. Mushrooms, handwoven spider clothe clothing, and grilled bats are all up for sale. Teenagers jostled the stands as they ran around playing.

“STOP PLAYING AROUND OR I’LL SEND YOU TO THE PITS!” Luka yelled. It was an empty threat, but Luka thought it was the type of thing he would be expected to say.

From across the street, a Bishop calls for help. “HELP! HELP!” A young teenage beggar attempts to wrestle a golden necklace away from the Bishop. Luka hesitates.

“CHANGELING DEVIL! HELP! HELP!” Okrutan yelled. Luka rushes forward. The Bishop, named Okrutan, took back the golden necklace. He holds the child beggar by the arm.

“You slothful Grunt. This Devil revealed it’s true form. Take it to the Pits to be exiled,” Okrutan commanded.

“Apologies. Anything you say, your holiness,” Luka replied. Okrutan pushes the young beggar into Luka’s possession. A crowd gathers around them, as the beggar struggles.

“I’m no Devil! I’m a lowly pickpocket.”

“The Devil spews its nonsense!” Okrutan shouted.

“CHANGELING WRETCH!” yelled a bystander.

“Whose form did the Devil take, your Holiness?” Luka asked.

Crowley stares daggers at Luka. “I did not see it change to another form. But I see the DEVIL in his eyes. I AM CERTAIN OF IT!”

“NOOOO!” the beggar cried.

Luka stops himself from rolling his eyes. Changelings made a perfect physical copy. Everyone knew that. Nonetheless. “I will have it exiled at once, your Holiness.” Luka drags the child away. He has no choice.

Luka drags the child through a cave, nearing the Pits. “I’m not a monster sir, I promise! I was just… hungry.” Luka squirms. He knew the child was telling the truth. But it wasn’t his decision. Nothing was.

“They’ll kill me. Please.” No matter how much he cried, the child couldn’t change this. Neither could Luka.

“Orders. I’m sorry.”

Luka sighs. Luka picks up the beggar, carrying him over to the crack. All of a sudden, a boy marches out from the tunnels. The boy’s name was Sirov.

“Luka. Jabuka ne pada.”

“Sirov. Daleko od stabla.”

Sirov sigh. “How you doing? What’s up with the uh homeless child in your arms?”

“It’s a Changeling.”

The child kicks in Luka’s grasp. “NO IM NOT!”

“Who saw it change?” Sirov asked.

“Well… nobody. Councilor Okrutan ordered it exiled after it attempted to steal his necklace.”

“Okrutan? Seriously Lukey?” sirov laughs. “You were gonna exile this kid for Okrutan? That’s so funny.” Sirov continues to laugh.

Luka’s looks down with shame.

“You’d do anything they say huh? Eva next on your hitlist?” sirov chuckles.

Luka looks down at the crack, and the seemingly infinite horrors below it. Luka sighs.

“Well don’t just stand there. Come on, I got a real job for you,” Sirov said.

“But… the kid?”

“Let the kidnapped child go Luka. Follow me.”

Sirov strolls down the passage. Luka thinks. He wanted to let the child go, but he could never defy a Councilor. But maybe he could just do what Sirov said after all.

“THANK YOU SIR!” the beggar cried. The child runs away before Luka has time to reconsider.

“I’ve got a last minute client. I’m sure you don’t mind,” Sirov said.

“I thought your… business was being put on hold. You just got into the UIA.”

“Yeah, well… I still have one more day in the Pits. Why turn away a paying customer? It’s not like the agency will pay me the fat stacks I need!!”

“Still, it sounds… important. Congrats again. I wish I had applied.”

Sirov shakes his head. “You say that every year man. The Military is no place for entrepreneurs like us.”

As they turn a corner, they seem to have arrived where they were headed. An exit from the Pits, guarded by two soldiers.

“Hey! Marko. Lieutenant wants you to do a patrol, we’ll man the post.” Sirov said.

“Hey Sirov. Are you su–”

“Potez potez. Regu Regu. There’s our passphrases. Move it already,” Sirov interrupted.

“Okay, okay,” Marko relented.

Luka follows the guards a short distance, and stops at the corner. He’s the lookout. Now, they’re open for business. Soon enough, a boy sneaks into view from the tunnel ahead. The boy’s name was Drugo.

“Bez muke,” said Drugo.

“Nema Nauke,” Sirov replied.

Drugo slings a bag of coins to Sirov, who begins to count. Luka continues to watch the tunnels, but he sneaks a glance at Drugo. He looks more on edge than usual.

“You doing well today Drugo?” Sirov asked.

“Shut up.”

“Just trying to-”

“Luka! When you get off your shift, talk to Eva.” Drugo glances at Sirov, annoyed. “Just talk to your sister. It’s about your father.”

“Shhhhh you’re paid up. Come on,” Sirov said.

Luka nods at Drugo. He wonders what all the fuss is about. Sirov leads Drugo to a crack in the Pits.

“We’ll be back here in 12 hours. You miss your time, that’s it,” said Sirov.

“Yeah, yeah.” Drugo sighs. Drugo gathers himself, then nods. He enters the Pits.

Luka wearily enters his lodging. It was little more than a cavern with decoration.

“Eva?? You up?”

“Of course!” Eva comes rushing out of her bedroom as Luka sets his rifle by the door. She closes the door behind her.

“Uzdaj se u se,” Eva said.

“I u svoje kljuse,” Luka replied.

“You’re back early.” Eva smiles wide, a toothy, nervous smile. In her room, the real Eva screams against a gag in her mouth, but no sound comes out. She’s covered in black blood.

“Yeah, sorry. Ran into Drugo. He told me to talk to you about something with father. It seemed important.”

“Oh, weird. Sorry. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Really? He seemed pretty sure.”

“Sorry? I don’t know.”

“That’s weird. Are you feeling okay?”

Eva’s stolen heart beats rapidly. The ritual wasn’t yet finished. “Yeah, just a long day.” The real Eva struggles against her bonds. With every thrash, she loosens them just an inch. If she can just warn him…

Luka hugs Eva tight. “You been thinking about father?”

Eva’s alien mind races. Then, she finds her angle. “I miss him. Wish he was here. Even just knowing he was alive would make everything better. I was crying to Drugo about it this morning.”

Luka nods, he knows how it feels. “Yeah. I miss him.” Luka hesitates. Then, maybe for the first time in years, he goes a little deeper. “I also hate him. He abandoned us. All for his stupid delusions of finding the surface world. Like there’s anything up there. When we are right here.” Luka sighs. “But I miss him too. I’m sorry if you feel alone.”

Eva struggles with all her might. Her bonds loosen ever so slightly. She’s so close. “I don’t. We have each other, and that’s all we need.”

Luka smiles. Eva smirks.

“I think I need just a moment. Could you go out, grab some food?” Eva asked.

“Yeah, anything.”

BANG. “What’s that?” Luka asked. Eva slams her head against the rock wall with all her might. Again and again and again.

“Nothing, I’m sure!” Eva replied.

BANG. “What? I should check that out.”

“No you shouldn’t, you should leave.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Leave. Now.”

BANG. muffled wail. In an instant, he knows. BANG. Luka runs to the door, where he left his Rifle. Eva runs into her room, and slams the door shut. Luka holds the Rifle out, scanning the room. beat. He slowly approaches Eva’s room.

“Eva? Tell me that’s you.” It’s silent. He reaches the door. He takes a breath. And enters. His vision swims. He crawls to Eva. Blood pours from her neck. Too much blood. He squeezes her hand. With the slightest touch, her hand squeezes back. Then it stops. Luka’s vision swims again. With red.

What did it change into? He holds his Rifle at the crowd surrounding him. It could be any one of them. His head hurts. A woman sees the blood on his hands. She says something. Then she tries to walk into his house, where she laid. He pushes her back. Nobody was defiling her any further. The woman screamed at him. Until he finally made out what she was shouting. “I’M A DOCTOR!” Oh. He let the doctor in. His ears rang. He looks down at his hands, so, so bloody. He got it! He looks back up, and sees it. Specks of blood color its face. It’s face, which looks exactly like the child he released earlier today. The Changeling turns and runs down the street. Luka follows suit.

A girl sits on a pew, impatiently tapping her foot. The girl’s name was Istina. A boy rises to the front of the cathedral, speaking over a large podium. The boy’s name was Sila.

“All rise. Glory to the eternal truth of the Old One,” Sila announced. The congregation rises. Istina wistfully glances ahead, at the group of Initiates praying. “Thank you. You may be seated. You select few have been chosen to take part in the Initiation. A few days from now, the most worthy among you shall be accepted to take on the cloth of the Church.”

Istina pays the speech no mind. She mumbles under her breath, practicing a speech of her own.

Sila continued, “More than sixty years ago, humanity descended into the bowels of the Earth. The Old One guided us here, as God guided Noah aboard the Ark. Changeling devils overrun the surface world. We are all that is left, thanks to the grace of the Old One.”

Istina points to herself emphatically, still lost in thought.

“Some doubt the Old One. Blame him when the Changeling’s dig into our home.” Boos and Jeers erupted from the crowd. “It is our job to express gratitude. To pray for our future protection.” CHEERS. “Good luck on your Initiation. May the Old One be with you.”

Sila leaves the podium. The congregation mingles. But not Istina. Her singular focus fixes onto Sila. Sila walks toward the Purification Chamber, a bath-house where bishops are permitted to bathe in purifying waters, often turning their hair stark white. Istina intercepted Sila right at the door to the Chamber.

“Councilor Sila. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I must insist my disagreement with your decision to reject my placement into the initiation program.”

“Istina…”

“I have taken a Vow of Verity, and am unable to lie. I know the scriptures like the back of my hand. I am devoted to the Old One, let me prove it to you.”

“We both know–”

Istina emphatically points at herself. “I am not my mother. I hate her more than anyone else. Please, do not let her define me.”

Sila smiles weakly, and places his hands on Istina’s shoulders. “Istina… Your mother was the most diligent and shrewd councilor I’ve ever met. In that way, you are alike. But she is a traitor, destined to rot for eternity in the Old One’s Hell. And you’re her daughter, simply put.”

Istina deflates. Her mother ruined every part of her life, and now she takes this too? Sila walks into the Purification Chamber. All of a sudden, a child barges into the Cathedral. It runs through the assembly, passing Okrutan, who gasps in horror. This was the child he had ordered exiled! The child runs past the assembly, and barges into the Purification Chamber. Cries of shock ripple through the congregation. Luka jolts open the doors, and barges inside. He holds the crowd of Bishops and Initiates at Rifle-point.

“WHERE DID IT GO???” Luka yelled.

“You let it live? You fool,” Okrutan sneered. Luka points his rifle at Okrutan, glaring at him.

“Luka!” Istina called. She waves through the crowd. Luka sprints to her, pushing through the crowd. When he finally emerges, he’s face to face with her.

“Tko istinu gudi,” Luka said.

“Dobije gudalom po prstima. He’s in there. What’s happening?” Istina replied.

Luka’s eyes for vengeance dissolved for just a moment. “Eva. It’s Eva.”

Istina’s eyes harden. She takes his hand, and leads him into the Chamber.

Two Sila’s fight in the Bath. Both are bloody and bruised. Luka holds out his Rifle. “Stop.” The Sila’s separate.

“He’s a Changeling. He came in here as a child and took my form!” Sila 1 exclaimed.

“The monster! It’s attempting to deceive you! Praise be to the Old One,” said Sila 2.

“Shut up,” Luka said. “Istina, you have a Pass-Code with him?”

“No.” She peers closely at the Sila’s, looking for any difference. They’re completely identical. “I know what to do. Shoot her.” Istina points at the left Sila. Luka’s rifle points with her.

“IT’S NOT ME!” Sila 1 yelled.

“Istina, are you sure?” Luka asked.

“Shoot him,” Istina repeated.

“Yes, shoot him!” said Sila 2.

“I said, shoot him!”

Luka’s Rifle wavers. He looks between the Sila’s. Istina couldn’t lie. But “Shoot him” isn’t a lie or a truth. It’s just an order. Does she mean for him to follow it?

“Okay Istina, I’m about to shoot him.”

“No! Why?” cried Sila 1.

“Yes! Do it!” cried Sila 2.

Luka’s Rifle extends further and further. Istina continues to examine them until- “IT’S THE OTHER ONE!”

Luka’s Rifle swings around and BLAM. The Rifle broke apart in Luka’s hands, it was only capable of the one shot. The smoke clears. There’s no one. It vanished. Luka and Istina frantically search the floor.

“GOT IT!” Luka shouted. Wiggling towards the drain is a tiny White Worm. The natural form of the Changeling. It furiously wiggles its way to the drain. Luka stamps his foot. BLAM. Nothing. The worm escaped in time.

“DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT!” Luka screamed. Silence washes over them. Luka’s failure boils in him. He can’t pacify it, hard as he tries. And… Eva? The weight of her loss hits him like a runaway boulder. He’s all alone. Istina’s stomach knots. Her gamble paid off. Luka had waited to fire, picking up on her double speak. If the Sila she had ordered dead was a Changeling, he would have tried to escape. Probably, at least. Now, having saved Sila’s life, did she have enough leverage to join the Initiation? Sila attempts to get his body under control. Yes, yes she did. That damned heathen-spawn.

The boy with the large rock quickens his pace down the tunnel. Today was the day. The boy’s name was Vani. His heartbeat flaps as fast as bat wings. If they were suspicious for just a moment, it was all over. Even if it worked, he didn’t know if he could live with himself. Vani’s ruby necklace swayed back and forth with his effort. His son gave him the necklace weeks ago. It pinged rhythmically against the rock he held, every sound reminding him of his guilt. Finally, he saw movement ahead. Waving.

“Hey Vani!” a guard called.

“Oh hey Marko!” Vani replied. He put down the rock, with great struggle. His back uttered cries of relief. But he was here. The red lights of the Pits could be seen just ahead. The guards laugh.

“What’s up with the Rock Vani?” Marko asked.

“What, you think that’s all I got?” Vani smiled and dramatically reaches behind his back. He pulls out lunch! Steamed mushrooms and bat jerky. The same lunch he’s brought them for the past week.

“Thank you! But seriously what is up with that Rock? How far did you carry that?” Marko said.

“Oh, a couple hundred meters.” It had been much more than that. The guards burst out laughing again.

“You must have looked like an idiot hauling that all the way up here,” the second guard chimed in.

“Well maybe. But listen. You know, ever since we were kids, we always had one dream, right?” Vani asked.

“No!” Marko exclaimed.

“You can’t think?” the other guard added. They doubled over with laughter, more intense than ever before.

“What’s the harm! We’re talking about a childhood dream here!”

Moments later, the rock hung precariously over the ledge. Beneath, laid the jagged reddish Pits. Hundreds of meters deep. The group all giggled one last time. Vani’s heart beat faster than ever. This was it, one last hurdle. Vani squatted down next to the rock, and PUSHED! KERPLAT.

“That was awesome!” Marko cheered.

“Better than I’d ever dreamed of!” the other guard added.

Vani peers down below, and breaths a giant sigh of relief. The rock was still intact. He’d done it. All at once, it’s as if a gust of wind sweeps away his problems. Blows away the guards in front of him, and whatever else they said. He was free. It was time to leave the Underground. To reach for the Sun. It was all he had ever wanted. And yet, he would leave Luka and Eva alone. He had struggled over this for years. The guilt engulfed him on a daily basis. He had tried to resist this urge, this compulsion. But he couldn’t take life in the Underground. He needed to see the Sun. He just hoped they could take care of each other.

Luka and Istina stand over the body of Eva. The Doctor speaks, but nothing makes it through to Luka. Istina swallows down tears, and holds Eva’s head in her palms. She looks up to Luka. He grab’s Eva’s feet. He follows Istina’s lead out the door. His feels like the exhausted hands of a rock climber, unable to grasp anything. Thoughts flow in and out without gaining any purchase.

Hours later, Luka comes to. He’s shoveling one last load of loose gravel over Eva’s body. They’re admist a massive graveyard of victims, all owing their fates to the Changelings. Istina stands next to him, shovel in hand. She’s helped him this whole time.

“Thanks Istina.”

“She was practically my sister too.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Could I…?” Istina asked.

“Yeah.”

“Praise be to the Old One. Eva was a kind, pious, and honest soul. Now that she is gone, the Changelings may no longer sustain her form. In death, she has been freed. Amen.” Istina gestures to Luka, it’s his turn to speak.

“Um. I don’t know.” His thoughts swim around and around and around. His guilt. His love. His regret. His disbelief. And once more he can’t find one to grasp. “I’m sorry. I’m just… yeah.”

RUMBLE. The ground shakes. The Earth quakes. Istina smiles at him.

“The Old One has acknowledged your Prayer,” she said.

Luka shrugs. “Thanks Old One.”

Silence takes hold of them. An almost comfortable silence. Luka’s hand reaches out towards hers. For a moment, they touch. Until Istina pulls her hand back.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Istina said.

Luka nods. “Thank you. Good luck on your Initiation.”

Luka hobbles into his lodging with trepidation. His eyes dart to the bloodstains strewn in Eva’s room. He tries to look away, but he can’t. He’s sucked into the pool of blood as if it was a whirlpool. He could see nothing else. Nothing of what made him love her. He can’t he can’t he ca-

Luka vacantly patrols the thousands of jagged tunnels that make up The Pits. He stares at his feet, stomping one after the other, all on their own.

“Hey, Luka, you alright?” Sirov places a hand on Luka’s shoulder. Luka jumps back.

“Jabuka ne pada,” Luka said.

“Sorry- uh- daleko od stabla,” Sirov replied. Luka relaxes, just a bit.

“We all heard. I’m so sorry. What are you doing here?” Sirov asked.

“I couldn’t… be there, you know?”

Sirov nods. He grows cold, recalling his memories. “When they killed my mom, it took me a week to start cleaning. Smelled like all… When my brother, you know… what happened to him… I requested new lodging.”

Luka glanced up, for the first time in hours. He never talked about his brother, not in the two years Luka had known him. Sirov smiles as if breaking out of a trance.

“But life moves on! You’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, just fine.”

“Drugo is coming up soon. You up to play lookout? You can skip if you need.”

“It’s okay. They were close. I have to tell him anyways.”

Ricky escorts Luka through a series of winding maze-like passages, before they arrive at the mouth of the Pits. He’s supposed to play lookout, but he can’t stop himself from staring into the reddish abyss beneath him. A morbid curiosity clouds his mind. What was it like… Down there? Nobody knew. Drugo scavenged for strange mushrooms with mystical properties, so he knew more than anyone. But even he had never been more than 100 meters deep. People whispered about a path to the surface. His father believed those whispers. That if you went deep enough, there was a path back up. How deep? Miles? Tens of miles? Nobody knew. Everyone that tried died. It was so foolish. And yet, he felt the pull. The yearning to escape from his bloodied lodging. The yearning to see what was down there… and what was up there. And so he stared into the Pits. He stared and stared and stared. Eventually, the Pits stared back. His eyes stared back.

“Father?” Luka asked. Devon’s father smiled.

Istina stood amongst a dozen another initiates, proudly donning the transparent white veil which marked her as an Initiate. On the far side of the Cathedral sit the council members.

“Alright. Guska, you’re late on Doubtful, I need you earlier. And everyone, just give it more passion, alright! From the top,” the instructor said.

Istina internally cringed. She could not see how her singing ability related to her responsibilities of stewarding the public towards the ways of the Old One. And yet, those who sang poorly were eliminated from the Initiation. And so, she sang wonderfully.

The choir sang: “Long Live the Council, Without We’d be Doubtful, Numbered A Dozen. The Council our Cousins, Praise be the Founder, Duty Never Flounders.”

GROWLLLLL. The Old One growls, deep and vicious. The Choir stops singing. The Church shakes.

“Old One forgive us,” Istina prayed. The Council murmurs with anxiety. Valkina clears her throat. The murmurs stop. She nods at the Instructor. The growling hasn’t stopped, if anything it has gotten louder. Istina stomach turns. Did they do something wrong?

“FROM THE TOP AGAIN!” the instructor commanded. Istina wouldn’t dare disrespect the Old One so blatantly by continuing to sing. Who does Valkina think she is? Even the Head Councillor must respect the Old One. Istina looks around, but her fellow Initiates are cowed into submission. They begins to open their mouths, and Istina mouths along.

The choir began again: “Long Live the Council, Without We’d be Doubtful–”

Sirov whips out his rifle, pointing it at Luka’s father, Vani. Vani jumps back in fear, hiding behind another figure. It’s Drugo.

“Bez muke,” Drugo said.

“What is that,” Sirov’s voice was filled with tension barely contained.

“You didn’t respond to the passphra-”

“WHAT IS THAT,” Sirov demanded.

Drugo nods at Luka. “Can you tell him?”

“TELL ME WHAT.”

“It’s my father,” Luka said. “I don’t know how but… Drugo, what’s happening?” Luka’s head hurt. A stinging pain deep in his forehead. As if Eva’s death eroded away his wall and nothing was left to protect him.

“Well, Eva should have told you. But on my last trip, I saw Vani here. This trip was to bring him home.”

“It’s a Changeling.” Sirov’s hands rattle with the weight of his Rifle.

Vani peaks out from behind Drugo, and catches Luka’s eye. Vani smiles, just a bit, before hiding back behind Drugo.

“Can I talk to him?” Luka asked.

“You can try, but… That’s the thing. He doesn’t exactly speak.”

“Oh.” The pain in Luka’s forehead intensifies.

“So it’s a Changeling,” Sirov repeated.

“What are you– Changelings speak all the time man. Maybe his tongue got ripped out, or he saw some things. Look, it was alone with me for hours, and I’m still here right? I mean, look at him.” Vani cowers behind Drugo, completely curled in a ball.

Luka drops down. Tears spring from his eyes.

“Please stop Luka, it’s a Changeling,” Sirov pleaded.

“They can’t take the form of the Dead. So… my father.”

“Yeah, He’s alive. And I think this is him,” Drugo confirmed. The pain grows to a screaming pitch. He holds his head, and yells out.

“Luka, are you alright? Eva should have told you everything,” Drugo said.

Tears roll down Luka’s face. “She’s dead.”

“Huh?”

“She died.”

Drugo looks as if his soul was plucked from his body. Vani follows suit. “Oh.”

Luka closed his eyes. The pain was too much to bare. Eva would never get to see him. If this was him. The sounds of the world grew fuzzy. The pain grew and grew and grew. Until finally, it broke. He opened his eyes, and his father was standing over him. A view he’d dreamt of every night for a decade. And around his father’s neck, was a ruby necklace. A ruby necklace Luka had given to him years and years ago. Luka arose from the ground. Sirov’s voice slowly faded back in.

“-WILL KILL US MOVE AWAY NOW!”

“Sirov. Give me the rifle.” Luka snatched the Rifle from him before he could argue.

“Luka-” POW. THUD. Sirov hugs the floor, unconscious.

Luka breathes a sigh of relief. A fraction of his anger vented, the pressure in his head lessens. He smiles. “Welcome back father.”

Door Close. That was the last time Vani would see his son. The thought pinged around his head as he left his lodging. How do you tell a child his father was abandoning him? He hadn’t. He’d been a coward. He’d told him the basics. How much he loved him. Told him to follow his heart. One last PEARL of wisdom from the suicidal idiot. The entire time, Luka just wanted to go back to playing with Istina. Eva would take care of him. Istina would be a good friend. She took after her mother, who had been so helpful in planning the escape. It was too late now, anyhow. He would try to see the sun, even if it killed him. He was here. The One Church.

He ran inside. “DOWN WITH THE CHURCH!” He shoved and punched anyone that got in his way. “THE FOUNDER LIED!” Yelps of surprise and astonishment ripple through the bishops gathered inside. Crowley, a lowly Bishop at this time, takes offense.

“SEIZE HIM!” Crowley shouted.

Vani pushes and pushes and pushes. But the crowd of Bishops push back. Guards are on their way. He pushes so hard, imagining the entire government falling to his strength. Everything he had fought against so hard in his life. The Changelings. The Council. The UIA, the people that took his wife. But, one man does not make a revolution. His pushes fly against a wall of bishops, hundreds strong. This is it for him. SLAM. He’s taken in chains. Labeled a traitor. Marched to the Pits. Thrown in the deepest hole they could find. Yet he survives. Battered, and bruised, he inches to hope. A fallen rock. Cracked, but not broken. He breaks it open. Inside - food, water, guns, tools. And a map. A blank map. Everything he needed to survive, and to find the surface. He’d find it, even if it cost him his life.