Pearson couldn't see anything in the pitch black.
He was on his hands and knees. The ground felt like it was made from cold steel.
"What just happened?" Pearson asked his voice going in to the infinite darkness.
Suddenly, a light appeared next to him. It wasn't too bright, but in contrast with the void of blackness, it stung his eyes.
Ivy glowed with energy, behind her, Kaly soon activated hers too. "Whatever it is, we broke it."
"So now, instead of being stuck in a desert, we're in a pitch black box." Pearson said. "Great!"
Just as he said that, several yards away, a third light appeared. This one flooded the area.
"Oh! That's gotta be a doorway!" Kaly said, running toward it.
Pearson, overwhelmed, collapsed to his knees on the cool marshy grass, a grin spreading across his face as the breeze ruffled his hair. "I feel like kissing the ground!" he muttered, barely able to contain his relief.
Ivy, full of excitement, jumped high. "We did it!" she cheered. Behind them, the Great Wall now appeared a faded orange on this side, with the faces carved into it distinctly female. Flames seemed to sprout from their hair, contrasting with the dark green hues on the other side.
"Less ominous than the first side," Kaly commented, glancing back.
Still catching his breath, Pearson muttered, "I'm gonna need to go back to the group. How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't bother. They'll figure it out," Kaly replied nonchalantly.
"I mean, it was my job to report back...well, our job," Pearson said, sounding slightly defeated.
"How many days do we have left?" Ivy asked.
"I dunno…" Kaly stared directly at the sun, her gaze steady.
Pearson squinted, confused. "How do you do that? Staring into the sun like that?"
"It doesn't hurt to do. I was taught it a long time ago. When gazing into the sun, there's a lot of benefits. I can go longer without eating and stuff like that. But it's also meditative, and I get awareness of things and information I might not have noticed or been aware of."
Pearson had a dumbfounded look on his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at Ivy to see her reaction, but she seemed almost enamored. As if Kaly was her messiah giving a sermon on the meaning of life. 'They're actually retarded. She's gonna convince her to burn her eyes out of her head! Whatever… not my problem,' he thought.
"We were definitely in that wall a lot longer than we thought. Ivy, we gotta fast-track to one of those artifacts that Scathach needs."
"I really thought there'd be one in there," Ivy said, stepping back to touch the Great Wall, disappointed.
Kaly looked toward the horizon. "We should assume we have about a day left."
"Yeah, we need to take this more seriously," Ivy agreed, her eyes drifting toward a dense forest about a mile away.
In the distance, the forest beckoned. Tall trees stood like sentinels, their canopy so thick it seemed impenetrable. High in the trees, faint glowing lights—resembling fireflies—dotted the landscape, illuminating wooden bridges and small structures woven into the branches. The civilization lived among the trees, lights dancing in the breeze, casting a warm, golden glow.
"Yeah," Kaly nodded, following Ivy's gaze. "That's the place."
Both of them took off running toward the forest, but Ivy stopped turning back to Pearson, asking, "Are you coming?"
"I…I don't know. I need to get back to the group."
"It's like Kaly said, we don't know how long we've been in there for. By the time you cross the wall again, they could be already going over here, and you miss the boat."
Pearson looked back at the wall. "I really don't wanna have to go back in there."
"Then come on."
Kaly led the way, her feet quick on the path as they approached the towering forest. The treetop homes, with their moss-covered roofs and suspended rope bridges, created a magical yet hidden world. The soft hum of distant voices and the rustle of leaves were the only sounds, as the glowing lights continued to flicker, guiding them deeper into the unknown.
Finding a dangling rope, they climbed up about twenty feet, ending up on a massive branch.
"Okay, this is kinda cool," Pearson said, admiring the surroundings.
Homes were built into the trees themselves, carved into the trunks or nestled in the crooks of branches. Wooden beams and woven vines formed walls and railings. Moss grew on rooftops and the sounds of rustling leaves and distant wildlife echoed softly throughout the settlement.
"Hey, Ivy…" Kaly said.
"Yeah, I sense it too," Ivy smiled.
"Sense what?" Pearson looked back.
"That's gotta be an artifact, right?" Kaly asked, talking over Pearson.
"Yeah…
"Guys?!"
"What!" They both said.
"What if they don't want us to have their artifact?"
Kaly and Ivy both exchanged glances, hoping the other would have an answer.
"I could do what I always do," Kaly said, trying not to smile, but failing.
Pearson's face scrunched at hearing her suspicious tone, "What does that mean?" He looked at Ivy to see if she knew what Kaly was talking about, but she went silent and had coincidentally found a sudden interest in something on the ground.
"It doesn't matter," Ivy said quickly. "I don't even see anyone, anyways."
"Oh yeah," Kaly said, sounding a bit disappointed.
Ivy leaped from the branch, landing silently on one of the wooden walkways. She crouched by a window, peeking in. Shadows danced against the walls, figures moving quietly inside. Turning back, "There are people in there," she said a bit too loudly.
Pearson quickly brought a finger to his lips, his voice a sharp hiss. "Shh! We don't want to be seen!"
Kaly raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"In every mission I've done outside Crater, places like this don't take kindly to strangers just strolling in unannounced," Pearson explained, his voice low. "Trust me, they're suspicious. Could be dangerous."
Kaly nodded. "Fair enough."
Ivy jumped back beside them, shrugging. "The last village I visited, the people were friendly." She smiled, but the weight of Pearson's warning lingered.
"I don't know about you, Ivy, but I can't sense exactly where this artifact is. I just know it's up here somewhere. If we have to be sneaky, how are we gonna find it?"
"You guys can tell it's not in any of these homes directly next to us, right?"
"Yeah, it's not here."
"I guess we just have to search for it the hard way. We probably shouldn't even be activating our energy, either."
"All of this for just a single artifact," Kaly sighed.