chapter 67 : The well

They arrived at their destination , the underground facility below the amphitheater.

In the depths of the amphitheater, where sunlight dares not tread, lies an enigmatic realm known only to the people of Hentesa as , The Well. It is a clandestine labyrinth of hidden corridors, shrouded in perpetual darkness. Cold, damp air whispers through the ancient stone walls, carrying an air of secrecy and intrigue.

Within these subterranean depths, purposeful machinery hums, its rhythmic echoes reverberating through the vast chambers. Dimly lit passageways stretch into the unknown, branching off like a complex web of secrets waiting to be unraveled. The scent of metal and earth mingle, creating a distinct atmosphere that permeates every nook and cranny.

The architecture, stark and utilitarian, is a testament to its functional nature. Iron girders and reinforced concrete form the skeleton, while candle lights and torches on the wall blink with inscrutable purpose. The facility's true purpose, known only to a select few, drives the ceaseless activity that unfolds in this clandestine realm.

As one delves deeper, layers of security unfold. Heavy doors guard forbidden chambers, their entrances guarded by heavily armored guards granting access to those with the correct authorization. Shadows dance in the flickering glow of the candlelights, adding an eerie allure to this hidden world.

Yet amidst the aura of secrecy, there is an undercurrent of anticipation and discovery. The underground facility becomes a stage where experiments are conducted, breakthroughs are pursued, and mysteries about the deep are unraveled. It is a place where innovation and knowledge intertwine, their pursuit shrouded in the depths of the well, away from prying eyes.

In this subterranean sanctuary, a fragile balance is struck between knowledge and secrecy, darkness and illumination. The underground facility stands as a testament to human ingenuity, beckoning those brave enough to venture into its depths, to witness the enigmatic wonders that lie hidden beneath the surface. But access into the deeper chambers was only granted to a selective few. But in the main hall of the well was a huge population of Konquerors all doing their designated work , the noise that was in the main hall made it seem as if this was the market place of a district above them

Timothy walked behind everyone . He walked through the well , alert and watchful. The well was similar to a hive, full of workers rushing about their business. Everyone in this place seemed to be working on something. The halls were full of the sound of footsteps, the clatter of hooves, the rumble of wheels. The air was full of the smells of horses, and smoke, and cooking food. Everything around him amazed him , how could there be horses down here ? This was the question plaguing his mind. But he was in luck because Lenard decided to explain some few things to them. His voice ever rich and enchanting as always

"Welcome to the well , down here is the place where the warriors of hentesa are trained and prepared to face the deep. It is also the kingdom's number one research institute because of the amount of information the warriors or as the kingdom calls them 'divers' bring back from the deep. And most of that information helped Hentesa strive in all fieds , that is why it is crowded with many different people here . The horses and Carts you see making their way through this heavily packed placed are the ones transporting new knowledge and information from the deep to piho. This place will be your new home for a while and you will not be seeing the sun for a long long time" Lenard spoke . Everyone seemed touched by Lenard's words but in different ways.

Komoni walked behind finn. She walked through the well , with her head held high. She was a girl on a mission, and she was not going to let anything stand in her way. She was supposed to grow stronger in order to be able to fully serve the kingdom without hiccups along the way. The crowds parted as they walked, and she could feel the eyes of the people on her group , but she did not let it faze her. She had a purpose, and she was going to see it through to the end with no obstructions.

Jake seemed lost in thought .He followed the others with slow steps , his feet pounding the concrete floor .He was lost in thought, his mind racing with all the strange things that has been happening especially around Timothy . The well was alive around him, the sounds of people's noise a constant presence. But he was oblivious to it all, his mind fixed on the thought of Timothy suffering alone . He quickly stole a glance back at Timothy who did not even notice him , Jake shook his head and smiled a little.

Elaine walked besides Finn with a blank expression on her face .She walked through the well her eyes taking in the sights and sounds around her. The main hall of the well to her was like a vibrant, pulsing organism, full of energy and life. She could feel the energy coursing through her veins, but there was something plaguing her mind . She kept stealing glances at Finn as they walked , murmuring something inaudible. Finn looked at her with a raised eyebrow and he asked " Are you okay ?"

Elaine replied " I am fine my Lord ...are you okay my Lord?" She asked after replying . Finn nodded quietly and they continued trailing behind Lenard .

Lenard brought them to heavily reinforced doors with two guards on each side , these guards wore light armor and they were all equped with tridents. The moment the guards saw Lenard they rushed to open the door , this door was different from the all the doors Timothy had seen ever since they came to Hentesa . This door had two palm prints on each side where the guards were supposed to place their hands and channel breath into the palm prints thus unlocking the door but it was not as easy as it seems . There was a certain quantity of breath one was supposed to channel into the palm prints and for each palm print the quantity was different . The large doors opened.

"By the gods.." ver murmured her eyes fixed on the room behind the door it was very spacious and empty , the only things inside the room was the statue of a man holding a trident and 6 angelic beings kneeling behind him . with a huge desk with an old lady full of grey hair sitted on it with a quill in hand writing something on a scroll and an inkstone on the side where she dipped the quill in . Her writing was very slow it seemed as if she would take a few weeks just to inscribed a sentence onto the scroll. Behind the old lady was am escritoire which is made of a base of wide drawers topped by a desk with a hinged desktop surface, which is in turn topped by a bookcase closed with a pair of doors, made of wood.

They all followed Lenard inside the room the sound of their footsteps echoing in the room , the old lady did not even bother looking up as if she already knew who it was that was approaching.

"Greetings Lenard , what brings you here?" The old lady spoke but her focus was on the contents she was inscribing on the scroll. Lenard approached the old lady's desk with a smile .

" Lady Euphrosyne , I have come to bother you again " Lenard had a bright smile plastered on his face as he spoke. Finn's eyes widened in surprise after he heard Lenard calling the old lady's name , this old lady was the same old lady that sold them wine a few weeks ago . But why was she so different from the time they met in the market , currently all her pearly white teeth were present , the wrinkles on her face were still present but they were not too much , and she no longer looked like the frail old lady they met in the market . Currently her posture was firm but her writing was so slow it made Finn doubt what he was seeing .

" Greetings Lady Euphrosyne , it's a pleasure to meet you again " Finn slightly bowed his head followed by the rest of his group . The old lady suddenly stopped writing and lifted her head up in order to take a good look at the Group.

Lady Euphrosyne broke into a charming smile her eyes turning into slits. " Finn my boy how are you doing today ? Oh I see you brought Zoe with you Lenard ... it's been a while since I have seen three of the best divers the kingdom had produced all together. I'm happy to see you alive and well Finn , back then we were all heartbroken after learning about your death but now that i have learned that you are the king of Zebha I get why you had to leave the kingdom the way you did . I am pretty sure you do not remember me because of my current appearance , maybe this will help jog your memory ." The old lady's appearance began changing right on the spot , her grey hair turned ebony black flowing down her shoulders , the wrinkles on her face disappeared at a fast rate leaving a beautiful face of a middle aged woman with slightly pale skin and a rose glow on her cheeks . He rosy red thin lips still held a smile but because of the change in appearance this smile seemed to light up the whole room .

" Team leader Roxanne? You are a protean? But those are myths." Finn was shocked beyond all reasoning. Roxanne was one of the greatest divers of hentesa and a fearsome warrior . She was the one that groomed them when they were young , and for him to find out that she's a protean rumored creatures of legend that were said to be born from the same material as the ever changing universe was an unexpected blow for him . Because even though he was well educated in all the creatures of their world , some creatures were labeled myths because there has been no sight of them in thousands of years . And these mythical creatures called proteans were rumored to be able to foretell the future, but will change their appearance to avoid doing so and answering only to those who are capable of capturing them

Lady Euphrosyne did not rush to change back into her old lady appearance. Zoe , Finn and the rest of the group were still shocked by this revelation except for Lenard who had a lazy smile on his face his eyes resting on lady Euphrosyne. Lady Euphrosyne spoke " yes I am a protean and the last of my kind . I know you have a lot of questions but today is not the day for that , let us get these children registered .", After speaking she got up and went to her escritoire and took out a huge scroll , bigger than the one she was currently inscribing on.

"I believe you have already explained everything to the children?" Lady Euphrosyne asked sitting down .

Lenard gave a quick nod and gestured for Timothy's group to move forward. Komoni was the one Infront followed by the two princesses and ver , with the boys in the back and Timothy being the one last in line.

They all gave lady Euphrosyne their details including their ages and when it was Timothy's turn she placed her quill down and looked at him straight in the eyes and a long sigh escaped her lips " Those grey eyes of yours reminds me of someone I had a duel with a year ago ,she was a beautiful slender brown skinned woman with hair tied in knots and big beautiful gray eyes , wearing her tight mercenary gear . She was one of the few people that managed to fight me to a stalemate even though we both held back from revealing our real power. When I complimented her on her eyes she said to me it is a family trait and that her nephew's eyes were even more beautiful than hers . Sadly I did not get her name but she mentioned something about having to go back home to mountains outside of Nâçiteñe'v city and when i did my research I found out that Nâçiteñe'v city is located in Zebha and right now a boy from Zebha with a striking resemblance to the woman I had a duel with is standing before me . This cannot be just a coincidence now can it?" Lady Euphrosyne asked with a smile on her face . Timothy had long guessed that the woman lady Euphrosyne had a duel with is his aunt , Carol. And he knew he had to offer an explanation so he explained everything to lady Euphrosyne with the others all listening to his explanation. After he was done lady Euphrosyne had a look of understanding on her face she murmured"I see."

Then proceeded to ask for Timothy's details , to which she quickly wrote down and went to her escritoire returning with eight tokens with a Trident insignia inscribed on them and handed them to group of teenagers.

"All of you are now level 0 divers , your training will start after the royal wedding ceremony so you may come back after the ceremony to start your training.....oh and Zoe dear it is always nice for me to see you , please visit more often this fragile lady can get very lonely at times ." Lady Euphrosyne spoke with a smile before waving them good bye

They left the well and returned to Lenard's shadowy library hidden in the far corner of the district and on their way back they saw the woman surrounded by guards again , but this time she did not steal a glance at them but instead it seemed as if she was totally avoiding them . The group passed her and her guards all with different questions in their mind but only one of them voiced it out "strange, is it not?" Lenard asked Finn

Finn whose eyes were following the woman turned to look at Lenard and nodded , agreeing with him. This was indeed a very strange case but there was no time to look into it , because they had their own fair share of troubles. The group continued to Lenard's library but the Atmosphere around them had changed , each and everyone of them had different thoughts plaguing their minds but they also had a similar thought .

"Something bad is going to happen"