1.18 The Underworld

        Numb from the life-altering Graduation Ceremony, the graduated students said their goodbyes with little emotion before parting ways. Those destined for Fina U and the Lochia Farming Community returned to the harbor to board their assigned vessels, each one of their hearts filled with big dreams of returning to Atlan some day as a valuable Cog in this Great Machine.

         The Panthers gathered by the gates as instructed before being led to their final destination as future Astronomers, Astrologers, Scribes, Philosophers and Historians; the chambers beneath the Temple of Medel. The up and coming authority figures, executives and business owners representing each department of the Great Machine gathered by the base of the royal stage; they would be led to the Merchant U; no one knew where that was, exactly. 

         Nolan glanced into the storefront windows as they walked up Main St, noticing how much wealth was on display in the big city, it was amazing to think he could purchase these things some day. Storefronts were a new experience for students of Culloom, they had only seen pictures in textbooks, it was amazing to see them in real life, dressed and lit in such attractive ways. There were window dressings like he had never seen before, mannequins dressed in glittery robes, shelves of ornaments and exotic art, mysterious jewelled bottles with fantastic looking labels, everything in Atlan was rich, massive and beautiful, gold was everywhere, it was almost overwhelming, the shock of it all was quite pleasant. Atlan was unlike anything he had imagined, so much so he didn't even notice his reflection in the glass.

         The street opened up into a square in front of the headquarters building, the biggest building in the Atlan Empire. In the heart of the square stood a majestic fountain with a statue of Atalon, slaying an evil mermaid-like reptile from the seat of a powerful horse, water cascading down her bronzed scaled skin to the rocks below. The students paused in awe, impressed to see the text book famous fountain, animated in real life, to feel the power of the cascading water, appreciating the cool mist refreshing their faces.

        

         The three oak doors had guarded the entrance to the Atlan Headquarters building since the dawning of the empire. Nolan followed his group through the left hand door into an enormous lobby, it was even more marvellous inside. Richly colored, gilded frames presented portraits of the gods, hanging in a row along the marble wall. As Nolan studied their faces he pondered their strange ways. The Original Anunnaki gods looked very different than the Origians or Gens... How had they produced such beautiful examples? How had they built such a vast empire? Where did they come from? Why weren't there more of them? And why did they so rarely die? 

         The prefect led the students to the Registration Desk, where they lined up to sign in. Atlan's registry had registered every living being that had ever lived here, reminding every living being how relatively insignificant they were in the vast scheme of Time.

         Once they had registered, the students gathered in the lobby and waited until a new prefect introduced himself. He led them down the hall into a passage that eventually led into a stairwell, down several flights of stairs and through a door, emerging into a massive underground transportation and business center.

         "This is the Hub." He held the door open and ushered them through.

         For Nolan the discovery of the Underworld was like a wet dream. There were storefront-lined tunnels radiating out from the Hub networked with train tracks running in every direction, unbelievable establishments had been built into the sandstone walls below the city and who knew? There had been hushed Panther rumors about this too but no one could believe these rumors to be true. For Nolan, it was all very believable now. These were once the ancient Aquillan tunnels the Origian Panthers had spoken of, he always believed they really did exist!

         The prefect led the group into the unassuming university entrance, through the reception area and down another long hallway to the Residential Wing.

         Residential Wing? Nolan scanned the sign with alarm, according to the textbooks, Aquillan tunnels were dogon territory...  He didn't understand. Were they not in significant danger down here? He scanned his fellow classmates for clues, but they all appeared simply amazed, shoulders shrugged, no one knew anything.

         The prefect led the group through the Residency Lobby into a massive dining hall. Rows of tables were set with the finest dishes and silverware Nolan had ever seen. 

         "Welcome to Merchant U" the Prefect gestured to the tables. "Take your seat, your host will be with you shortly."

         The sun had gone down by the time the ship set sail for the island of Finias. Zara walked toward the rear of the deck as it sailed out of the harbor to watch the glowing pyre, still smoldering in the distance, fade away. Still numb from the emotional ceremony, still unsure of how she felt, she followed the sparks as they rose up into the air, deep in thought. She had malfunctioned several times already since leaving Culloom. Hedena had warned her about this... It meant she was weak... Would she survive the Real World?

         She breathed in a heavy sigh, trying to shrug the sadness that had consumed her for no apparent reason. She closed her eyes in search of an affirmation but when she closed her eyes, Zoran’s final expression haunted her as if he was still alive, reaching out to her… Why did he have to die?

         She leaned over the railing to watch the water rushing past the ship below, the sea looked as dark as the sinful text book storied told. The sea was dangerous, the home of evil, evil that had cursed their lives with suffering and illness, it was because of this evil that Sacrifices had to be made, it was this evil that was making her feel this way... Yet somehow looking at the sea made her feel better…

        Zara pulled back, stiffening, these were terrifying thoughts. She turned away and walked forward towards a better view of Fina... "Fina..."  The lights twinkling brightly in the distance promised of very real hopes and dreams, an exciting new life that really did await her.