Lucas felt the wind flow through his hair as the ground disappeared from beneath him.

It felt like
he was flying, and for a moment, he was. He hit the ground running, the shouts fading off in the
distance. He ducked through alleys memorized by days spent amongst them. He didn't like
stealing, but food was food.

He made it to his outpost before he stopped, save a stumble, which skinned his knee. The
outpost was stationed on the abandoned balcony of the town hall, it overlooked the fading sun
as it burnt its fading crimson. He caught his breath, knowing he was safe here. Taking this
moment to overlook his haul, Lucas unbuckled his satchel, the various colors of a half dozen
fruits tumbling out. He sorted through them, taking a bite out of an especially crisp apple, juice
dribbling down his chin. It was good, fresh.

He wrapped his recently acquired goods back up and tucked them away, pulling himself up. The
sun had nearly dipped below the horizon. He vaulted over the railing, adroitly matching the
handholds he had carved out long ago. He scampered past closing stores and watchful eyes
until he faded into the shadow of an alley long forgotten. There he pulled up a storm drain grate
and slithered down into the mire below.

Lucas wasn't a tosher, but he knew the sewers well; they were a tried and true method of
getting out of a bind. He ran through the humid halls, the echoes of his footsteps only matched
by the drip of water above that occasionally made its way into his matted black hair. A breeze
blew through the tunnels, but it gave Lucas pause. It wasn't the usual gust of rancid air so
common down here. It was fresh air.

Lucas took a pause in his subterranean commute to inspect the tunnel he was in. He knew it
well enough. However, something was different. There, in the solid stone of the sewers, the
once polished grey now leveled to a mottled brown, was an opening. One that had not been
there only a day ago. This new addition to the familiar terrain worried him. Lucas did not like
when plans changed.

Even so, he needed to get back to the Pit. He pushed past the cool air in a brisk run, rounding
corners until he came to a set of stairs that placed him just underneath a manhole cover next to
the pit. He peeked through the crack, looking for anyone above, but saw and heard nothing.
Slowly he exited, blending back into the shadows along the streets. Five minutes later, Lucas
was looking over his home.

The Pit was an ancient quarry that once founded the newly developing city of Witoe. It still
helped Witoe thrive today, but it served a different purpose. Now it was the trading hub of the
city. Not the pomp sectors with their frills, but where real business was hashed out. And Lucas
grew up in the middle of it.

After his quick overview, he hopped over the edge and began to surf down the now muddy walls
of the Pit. He reached the bottom and ducked through the doorway of an unassuming building.
Inside was his sanctuary, their sanctuary. Zana, Lucas's best friend and the only one to stick
with him through thick and thin stood in the middle of the room. She had her hands on hips,
frowning at him.

"You said you'd be back before sunset. It's been an hour!"

"I'm sorry Zans, I really am. I got caught up in a chase, went the wrong way."

"Yeah, yeah. You busted up your knee, too, lemme take a look."

Lucas sighed and then winced as cheap booze graced his gash. It stung, but at least the sewer
wouldn't stay in it.

"Thanks.." He mumbled.

Zana just smiled and sat down on one of the makeshift seats made of various pieces of timber
and cloth. Lucas sat on the second one, letting out a breath.

"So, gonna tell me about your little adventure?" Zana prodded.

Lucas supposed it was the least he could do after his late arrival. So, he recounted his
escapade through the streets and the sewers, showing her his haul. Zana loved fruit.

"...When I went through the sewers, something was strange down there."

"What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head at him like a curious puppy.

Lucas sighed, "Well, there was fresh air. In the middle of the tunnels. Something doesn't add up
to me. I'm gonna check it out tomorrow."

"Then I'll come with you."

"What? No, no way, it's too dangerous."

"That's why I'm coming, you dork. You'll bleed out if I'm not there to back you up."

Zana could say something in a way that made it seem like the most obvious thing. Lucas sighed
and relented.

"Alright, alright. But we better get to bed soon."

He drifted back to the bedroom they shared, cramped and creaking. Even so, with her beside
him, Lucas slept warm.
Lucas slept restlessly that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, his mind bringing up images,
or perhaps memories he didn't know he had.

Lucas woke in a sweat, looking around. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Zana had already
gotten up; the dent where she slept every night had been vacated. He took a deep breath,
inhaling the somewhat dusty air.

"Hey, Zans, got any coffee?" He called into the doorway.

"Yeah, almost ready." Soon enough she walked in two mugs, balancing the dark liquid in the
containers, almost overflowing. Zana liked her coffee, but so did he. He took a sip, savoring the
strong taste.

"So! Ready to head down to the sewers?"

Looking at her, Lucas realized she was wearing her expendable clothes, a bag hung over her
shoulder.

He sighed, guzzling down the rest of the cup, regretfully burning himself.

"Yeah. Let's get going. It's not far from here. I'm not slowing down for you, though."

"You won't need to."

Lucas chuckled, throwing a hand through his hair. He was quick, climbing out of the Pit. He did
it every day, after all.

It was ten minutes later. Lucas was covered in sewer water, out of breath, and trudging up to
Zana.

"I thought you were supposed to be the quick one."

"Shut it."

Zana laughed this time. Lucas shook his head like a wet dog, and she jumped away from the
spray.

"Alright, speedy. It's just down the next tunnel. Can you hear it?"

They went quiet for a moment and the wind whistled down the path. Lucas was glad he hadn't
just imagined it. They gave each other a knowing look and started their march into the dark. The
further they went, the colder the air became. It had been only a few minutes and Zana was
shivering. Lucas was lucky enough to have a coat, though it was soaked.
A pale green light danced upon the walls of the tunnel ahead. It was like a ballet dancer,
spinning along a stone stage. The glow was coming from a small lantern placed on the ground.
Beyond it, the tunnel ended. Flat bricks staring impassively back at the two of them.

Zana tilted her head “So then, where was the wind coming from? There haven't been any
openings.”

“I.. don’t know, Zans. We better get out of here, though, my skin’s crawling.”

She smirked. “Scared?”

Lucas huffed, “No way, just cold.”

Embarrassed, he went and grabbed the lantern. As his hand wrapped around the cool wrought
iron, he felt a shock travel up it. He shuddered again, wondering who would have left this all the
way down here.

He turned around and blinked. Zana wasn’t there. Had she really ditched him? What a jerk,
probably teasing him for being nervous.

“Hah hah, Zans. Come out, you got me there, for a second.”

“....”

Silence met him.

He shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like this. Zana might pull a prank, but it was dangerous for
someone who wasn’t very experienced in the layout of the sewers to go off alone. He started
down the tunnel, lantern casting dancing lights on the walls as he splashed his way through the
puddles.

As he continued down the tunnels, the intersection didn’t come. What felt like minutes turned to
an hour. Fear crept into his system. He looked at the walls, the light dancing on the walls
morphing into wicked smiles in his mind.

What was going on? Something was very wrong, Zana, the tunnel, the faces. He began to
panic. Come on, Lucas, get a hold of yourself. Deep breaths.

“HELP!”

He couldn’t stop his instincts, crying out for help. Echoes rebounded around the tunnel yelling
back at him. Then, he heard a laugh, cutting through it all, cold and biting. He spun around and
saw a pair of white-yellow eyes, then the body of the black cat to which they belonged.
It spoke to him in a crooning call.

“Hello, little one. You’ve found yourself in something bigger than you can imagine.”

Lucas stepped back. “Y-you’re the little one. I don’t… how are you talking?”

A chuckle. “Thanks to the power of my master. I think you would be interested in meeting him.”

“Does he know how to get out of here?”

Another laugh. “He knows many things. Look at your lantern.”

Lucas obliged, glancing down at the odd flame. It had changed colors, now red.

“Touch it.” The cat purred.

“What?” He turned to the cat.

“Touch the flame.”

“I’m not dumb enough to play with fire.”

“Just touch it.”

Lucas didn’t know how to get out, and he figured a cold flame wasn’t any less likely than a
talking cat. He plunged his hand into the glow, and darkness overtook him. All he could see was
that red glow.

But he could hear. And he heard deep, wretched breathing.

“Lucas. That is your name, yes, boy?” A voice as powerful as ocean waves washed over
him.

“Y-yes. Who are you? What do you want?”

A breath exhaled. A putrid scent. “I am the one in the dark. The hidden presence, the
unease. I am the Underking. I can sense those looking to rise. You, my boy, are a
beacon.”

Lucas wasn’t a fool, but this thing seemed to see through him. “What will it cost?”

“Hah. Wise question. It is not quite like that. I simply want you to rise. I will help you
there. If that is accomplished, our deal is met.”
Lucas grimaced at the breath. This was it. He needed a way to rise and this was it.

“I want to rule this damnable city, those in charge need to see what living is truly like, they’ve
spent too long in ivory towers.” He stuck out his pale hand, trembling slightly as he looked into
the red, firm. A cold and slimy appendage wrapped around his hand. The red glowed brighter.

“A deal.”

Things went black. Lucas felt something cool and damp against him. Things were dark. He
ached, it felt as if his entire body had been frozen solid and then defrosted. He let out a groan,
shifting. He felt like utter garbage. He jolted up. The sewers, the tunnels, the light, and the
voice? Zana.

His eyes burst open and relief washed over him. Zana was in front of him, looking at him with
worried eyes.

“Finally… I thought you weren’t going to make it… you had me worried, Lucas..”

He managed to cough out a response, “What happened? We were in the sewers…”

“That was 3 days ago, Lucas. You just fell down on the stone and stopped moving. You had this
clutched in your hands, though. You had a death grip on it.”

She pulled out a reflective shard of metal, tossing it to him. He clumsily caught it.

“Recognize it?”

He looked down at it. His eyes widened as he saw a black cat staring back at him through it.
The cat grinned. Lucas looked up at her.

“Zana, things are going to start changing. Fast.”