Clutching the carbide lamp, Lumian climbed the stone steps.
Soon, light appeared ahead, accompanied by a cacophony of noise. Emerging from the silent underground, it felt as if the entire world had sprung to life.
Lumian quickened his pace, twisting the valve on the carbide lamp with his right hand, stopping the water droplets from dripping into the carbide pile below. As the acetylene gas burned out, the flames in the metal mouth gradually faded.
Just then, he caught a glimpse of the scene outside.
Tall and low buildings appeared to have solidified at the moment of collapse, either tilted or on the verge of tumbling down, but standing stubbornly.
Pedestrians wore old or tattered clothing, and arguments and curses filled the air, the noise never subsiding.
At the underground exit, Lumian spotted a five-story building called the Auberge du Coq Doré.
