Chapter 19 - First Departure

The group finally arrived at the last stop. The train stop at the most northern part of the inner city. They got off the train and followed Emily.

'Is she taking us there?' Ashe was slightly cautious because he had a hunch about where they were heading

At the northern tip of the inner city, was a small abandoned neighborhood. After a large beast attack occurred and laid waste to this small part of the city, not many people wanted to move here again.

It was still slowly rebuilt by the government but the expansion of the city on the southern front, and the lack of funding slowed down most progress to a halt. A lot of buildings were empty incomplete and abandoned, serving as a haven for the homeless. And some houses were still a bunch of ruble.

The group was looking around confused as to why their friend would bring them to this place. Almost as if sensing their thoughts, Emily started talking aloud.

"Did you know that I used to live here?"

No one answered the question, making the answer visible. Unbothered, she continued.

"After the attack, we moved to the outer city. Coincidentally it's right on the other side of this wall." She pointed at the big wall separating the inner and outer city.

"It's way nicer on the outside but I always loved to walk around this mess. What I wanted to show you all is a little place I've found here. You'll love it."

They all stayed quiet after that. Maybe it's the ruined neighborhood and or Emily's reminder that it was once the same as their own, but a somber atmosphere overtook the night.

After what felt like an eternity, the silence was broken by Emily.

"We're here. But be quiet, I don't want anybody else finding out about this."

In front of them was an active big industrial building with tons of pipes and liquid tanks. While the group was distracted by the giant unique building Emily had already left towards a usual flat nearby.

When the group caught up, she led them down into the basement of the building. It was too dark to see with their eyes so they took out their phones to use as flashlights. They passed multiple locked storage rooms before stopping in front of a busted metal door.

Emily went inside and before anyone could follow her she warned them.

"Be careful and watch your step."

Ashe was the first to go through behind her but stopped right before the door. Looking through the entrance he saw that the room had a deep hole covering most of the floor.

Seeing this Emily spoke up again.

"Come on. The floor is stable and the jump is small."

'Jump?!' Upon further inspection, Emily was standing on a detached piece of floor that was attached to the right side of the room.

Sighing inwardly, Ashe jumped and easily made it to the other side. After eating at the restaurant he mostly restored his demon energy reserves.

When Dan and Harry saw this they swallowed their fear and jumped as well. The jump wasn't large but the hole was deep.

Without losing a beat Emily kept going. Using the rubble and ruined columns she had made a narrow pathway that slowly descended into the darkness of the hole.

After walking deeper in they stopped at a small level pathway. After walking further, they went through what looked like a narrow crack in a stone wall. On the other side, instead of the concrete floor, they were standing on a metal grate catwalk.

"Where are we?" Asked Harry.

They were surrounded by darkness that even their phones couldn't pierce. Harry's voice echoed around them, revealing the large size and inclosed nature of their surroundings.

"We're in an abandoned sewage system. I'm guessing it became useless after it collapsed on itself." Answered Emily.

"Why would you bring us here?" Asked Harry. But before he got Emily's answer Dan interrupted.

"Why wouldn't she? This place is cool! Do you realize we're inside an underground and Abandoned ruin? This is probably the only one in the city! It could even be the only city in the country that has one."

"There's a reason for that. these places are a hotspot for beasts! This place got abandoned during a mass beast attack as well!" Harry quickly rebuffed.

"Calm down! I've been here multiple times and there wasn't a single sign of any beasts." Emily interrupted

"We're almost there, so just be patient."

"Fine."

Without further discussion, Emily started leading the way. They turned left and continued in a straight line for a while. Eventually when they walked the sound of footsteps on a metal grate turned into the familiar sound of walking on concrete.

Shortly after, their flashlights revealed a building.

The building connected two pathways that were parallel to each other. The water that flowed between the two pathways flowed underneath the building, which acted like a dam.

However, now that this canal was abandoned, the water stopped flowing making the building look like a weird bridge.

"What is this?" Asked Ashe.

"A new potential hideout! Before you judge give it a shot, it's very comfy." Said Emily with a smirk.

Without wasting a breath she quickly opened the door that was barely holding onto its hinges and went inside. Quickly lights lit up inside and the group went inside.

The building had a floor plan of a wide rectangle. It had different panels with screens and buttons covering its wider right side and above them a one-way window looking into the darkness in the canal.

On the other side of the building was a single ladder leading to a closed hatch. the building was surprisingly clean and well-insulated. The view from the single large window gave a creepy isolating atmosphere as if it was the last place left on earth.

"It's... unique," Ashe said while staring out the window into the pure darkness.

"I thought it could be like a second home. I don't know why or where you're going but maybe this place could be of some use. That goes for all of us too." Said Emily with conviction in her voice.

"Thanks.. but you don't need to worry. I'll be back." Ashe responded. the theme of leaving brought back the somber atmosphere from earlier, which was now amplified by their eerie surrounding. With this pressure, Ashe felt like he needed to lighten the mood.

"With that said how about a sleepover? I'm too sleepy to go all the way back home."

"What?! You're kidding, right?" Said Dan.

"No, I'm serious. I kind of like the place."

"Ashe... when I said you could stay here I meant it in case of emergencies, you don't have to stay." Added Emily while trying to hold back a giggle.

laughter erupted throughout the hideout for a brief moment, but when it subsided, fatigue painted their faces. It had been a long day and it was already past midnight, the meeting was coming to an end.

"I should probably get going.' Said Harry, who was closely followed up by Dan.

"Me too."

"Then I'll go too. Ashe, are you going too?"

"No, I'll stay here. Could you text my mom that I'm at your place?" Ashe asked Harry.

"Sure but will you be okay here?"

"I'll be fine, thanks."

After receiving a few odd stares and some advice from Emily, the others left leaving Ashe alone in the dark and quiet canal. Ashe wasn't joking when he said he was too tired to go back home, He just wanted to go back to sleep.

'Emily said there could be a sleeping bag up the ladder.'

Ashe climbed the ladder and pushed open the hatch in the ceiling. On the other side was a small space filled with different survival gear. different rationed food, batteries, flashlights, and most importantly sleeping bags. He took one, laid it down on the floor, then turned off the lights and got ready to finally go back to the library.

_______

"You're late." said a monotone deep raspy voice.

"You're always late, give me a break," Said Ashe before even opening his eyes. when he opened them he found himself in the entrance hall.

"why are we here?"

"Because we're leaving." As Sap said those words it quickly moved outside.

"I suggest you keep up."

Ashe stood there, still stunned by the sudden course of action. He slowly started processing the information and headed outside.

"Hey! Where are we going?"

"A place that's more fit for your growth. you can't just sit in that library, and there isn't much you can do in this forest." Sap said, before turning around and walking away.

"Follow me."

Ashe followed along, he was still very flustered because he just arrived in Hevell and he was already on the move. The silent walk helped Ashe calm down as he started looking around, he hadn't been outside in a while.

The two of them were walking down the mountain and slowly approaching the dark and foggy forest. The night sky was as enchanting as ever, the number of stars in the sky could easily surpass tens of thousands and the large red nebula covering the sky was simply breathtaking.

'I wonder if Earth is somewhere there?'

Ashe looked over at Sap and right before he was going to ask his question he noticed something strange.

"Why... are you wearing a basket?" He asked, completely forgetting about his homeworld.

Sap was indeed wearing a strange basket, which it wore on its back like a backpack. the basket was large compared to Ashe, It could even be mistaken for a tent, but on Sap's back, it looked like an average backpack.

"It's for you, more accurately it's for when you go unconscious. With where we're going, I'm going to need it."

"Where are we going?" Ashe asked out of habit, his attention had shifted to the dark forest they were about to enter.

The forest wasn't beautiful, far from it, but Ashe found something entrancing about its eerie atmosphere. a low fog was covering the forest floor, and even without leaves, the treetops managed to block any light that would have flowed in from the starry sky. It felt artificial as if it was created just for the purpose of creating fear.

Through his cluttered mind, he managed to hear Sap. Who had created a light of demon energy.

"We're going through the tunnels. With the amount of demon energy there you'll probably pass out a lot."

"Why are we going through the tunnels and not around them? With this basket, you could even fly with me."

"Trust me when I say that this is the only safe way. Besides, your body will get used to more energy which is a plus for you."

"I guess,"

The pair went silent as they walked through the forest. They continued walking for quite some time before finally arriving at a small opening in the ground. Ashe would have missed it but he could feel the energy flowing out of it and slightly irritating his skin.

"Is this it?" Ashe asked.

"Yes,"

Ashe glanced at Sap and then at the crack in the ground. The crevice was barely enough for Ashe to get through, and it would definitely be too small for the giant owl demon.

Sensing the stare Sap urged Ashe to go first. As he squeezed down the hole the irritation on his skin got worse and he felt like he had a mild fever. A couple of meters down the hole the crevice expanded into quite a large opening with the size of an average room.

"I made it!" He screamed out. But he got no response. he sat down on the floor of the cave and started to burn through his execs demon energy while waiting for Sap.

'How is he going to fit through that hole anyway?'

As Ashe closed his eyes to concentrate on burning demon energy, the sound of flowing water filled the cavern. When he opened his eyes he could see demon energy slowly creating Sap's shape. It was still very cramped for the demon as it had to lie down to fit in.

"How did you do that?! Can I learn that?" Ashe blurted out in admiration.

"Firstly you should start walking." Sap said while moving its body to create an opening.

"It's going to be a long journey so I might as well teach you on the way."

Ashe walked past Sap while holding a small fire in his hand. The constant use of demon energy was making his body sore, but not using it would cause even more strain on his body.

As he walked through the tunnel the flame got bigger and so did the strain on his body. Sap hasn't even moved yet and Ashe already needed a rest. He stopped walking.

"Hey… I think I need a…"

Before Ashe could finish his sentence a large breeze came from deep within the tunnels. The fire in his hand immediately burst, doubling in size. With it, a sharp pain also spread throughout his body making Ashe fall to his knees.

He looked up at Sap who was watching with an expressionless face. He gritted his teeth and tried getting up.

One leg at a time Ashe slowly got up, all the pain and unimportant thoughts were fueling the fire in his hand.

For a brief second Ashe had done it, he got back up. Sadly he quickly lost balance and fell forwards, luckily Sap had placed its feathery wing to soften the fall.

Sap blew out the flame like a candle and gently put Ashe's unconscious body in the basket.

'This might take a bit longer than expected.'