Midnight and I proceeded to walk for several minutes before finally seeing something distinct from the rocky and metallic walls the surrounded the two of us. It was a small door, one that we could only fit into if we were to crouch deeply. My legs and knees groaned and began to shake as Midnight forced open the door which, from the immense amount of dust that poured out from the other side, caused the two of us to cough and rub our eyes. I figured that it hadn't been opened in a very long time as Midnight spoke: "I'll lead you in. Make sure the dust doesn't get to your eyes. Do not let it enter your mouth, either." With that, Midnight looked at the door. He hesitated before entering, though, instead deciding to sit down into a familiar position.
While my principal was busy concentrating, I peered through the now open door. What I saw was another corridor of unknown length which quickly became devoid of any light. I couldn't discern any additional information before Midnight finished, standing again into a slumped position. He gestured for me to follow him as I felt my eyes becoming irritated. "There," he said, being careful not to accidentally inhale the copious amounts of dust. "Now our progress is solidified."
Now finally deciding to push forward, Midnight began walking through the thick coat of dust that had settled inside of the metal corridor. We both had to brush through mounds of dust while also covering our mouths and noses. I also began to shut my eyes as they wouldn't provide much help anyways.
After a while of awkwardly wading through dust, I heard a thud a few feet in front of me. "Stop, stop," my principal urgently hushed, his voice breaking the silence that was only filled with the echoing sound of our feet on the floor. "I found something." I felt the faint urge to uncover my mouth to respond, but I instead let Midnight keep talking. "I got my boot stuck in this grate. It leads to a... bedroom of sorts."
Noticing that most of the dust had disappeared around here, I began to slowly open my eyes and investigate my surroundings for myself. Indeed, there was a bedroom. Looking down through the small grate was a thin, minimalistic bed and what looked like a simple picture contained inside a frame. The walls are also constructed out of the same material as the palace's outsides.
Midnight began to bend down further and investigate the grate, trying to see if it could either be busted open or lifted off using some kind of tool. It took a lengthy amount of time to do this, though, due to the lingering dust in the air and the lack of light that was seeping up from the room. I jumped backward when Midnight, now frustrated, began to force the grate open using numerous punches in specific spots, to no avail. He slowly brought himself up to a crouching position again, covering his now bloody knuckles. While rubbing his injuries, Midnight glared at the grate. Following an alternative plan, Midnight closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A few seconds later, I heard the groan of the bars as the grate began to bend and contort, the metal slowly being pushing downward. My principal audibly hyperventilated as the bars vibrated and finally snapped in a sound that once again startled me.
Shaking my head to recover from the violent blast of sound, I peered over at Midnight once more, who had resumed tending to his still bleeding injuries. He looked up at me after feeling that his knuckles were fine for the time being. "You can drop down into the room if you desire," Midnight offered.
However, I had doubts; looking over the grate and at the metal floor below, I estimated that the drop was approximately one and a half times my height. "I... Don't think I can," I declined. "My legs would probably hurt if I were to drop from here."
Midnight cast a doubtful look my way. "Isn't pain negated here, though?" Nevertheless, Midnight nodded and began readying himself to descend into the room. My principal sat down on the vent, sliding down until he was able to grab onto the ceiling, cautiously dropping down onto the hard floor beneath him, Midnight's knees bending to absorb the sudden impact.