Just as Dawn was about to conclude that the group's constant walking would never cease, Rowan caught his attention and waved him over to the entrance of an alleyway. The alleyway was dimly lit, but the Pippops in it provided enough light to see. The alley ended with a solid wall, and was empty except for a little mound of garbage in one corner.
Rowan: "Watch closely, Dawn, this will be important to you as long as you are a member of The Underground." She spoke as she placed her palm on a certain section of the wall that lined the alleyway's left side. "The Underground has many private entrances placed throughout the city, but this one is my favorite." As she spoke, the wall turned into a liquid-like substance. "Once you retrieve your insignia, you will be able to open this entrance just as I did." Rowan then took a step into the wall, disappearing behind it.
Yakumo: "Don't just stand there, it won't stay open forever." She then followed after Rowan, Nunto floating in with her.
Dawn looked to the street, then back to the entrance, before following Yakumo. He had a lot of ideas racing through his head, but one that kept coming back to him was that he was truly at a point of no return.
Once Dawn was fully inside of the wall, he was finally able to see what was waiting for him behind it. It was a single room, a plain white room, with only a single person standing inside. The individual was female and of human origin. She had long, wavy, brown hair. Dawn saw that she was wearing an all-black button-up shirt, all-black leggings, and black boots, while her eyes were hidden behind an all-black blindfold.
???: "Welcome back, Miss Rowan and Miss Yakumo, also to you as well, Nunto." The woman spoke in a low, monotone voice.
Dawn: How did she know it was Rowan and Yakumo through the blindfold… Is all Dawn could think after he heard the woman's words.
Rowan: "Thank you, Miss Georgina. We are happy to be back." Rowan spoke in a courteous tone, the most Dawn had heard her be in the entire time he had been with her.
Yakumo merely remained silent, Nunto twirling around next to her head.
Georgina: "I see you have an unfamiliar presence with you, Miss Rowan. Who might this young man be?" Her monotone voice was unwavering.
Dawn: How in the world could she know that I am here, and that I am a man.. This is fishy…
Rowan: "Ah, yes. This is my new recruit Dawn Carter from Somniet. I wish to take him to the council chamber and bring him before the committee so that he may have a chance at taking the test." Her hands began to fidget at her sides, and when Dawn realized this, his hands also began to fidget.
Georgina: "Is that so?" Her body was rigid, with her hands resting on the sides of her body and her stance not shifting in the least. She stood like a statue. "I see no malicious intent in this boy, but I do detect a great deal of mental anguish. Do you believe he will be able to succeed if given the green light?" Her voice was monotone, but cold as ice.
Rowan: "I believe he has it in him!" She said in a positive manner.
Georgina: "Your cheerful nature never fails to brighten my mood." She said with the same monotone voice, and a straight face. "You may proceed. I shall see you in the council chamber."
Rowan: "Before we leave, I must know one thing. When will my payment for my mission be transferred to me?"
As Georgina began to speak to Rowan, Dawn couldn't help but notice Yakumo, who appeared to be uncomfortable in Georgina's presence, no, since they arrived in Tsukimi. Yakumo hadn't said much since they landed, which was an abrupt opposite to her continual butting-in on Ofrhöggr. Dawn interpreted this as a message to keep his guard up around Georgina and The Underground in general. The idea that it was a criminal organization was already unnerving enough for him.
Rowan: "Okay okay, thank you very much!" She spoke in a delighted tone.
Georgina: "I will now activate the platform. Make sure to keep your movements to a minimum while the platform is in motion, otherwise the consequences may not be favorable." She said just before sweeping her left palm over her torso, causing the floor under the group to shift slowly downward.
Dawn watched Georgina and the rest of the plain white room remain still in the air above the now-moving platform. When Dawn glanced away from the previous chamber, he realized that the platform was floating in the air and moving towards the ground below. The view that surrounded the platform was out of the ordinary, at least for Dawn. The surrounding region seemed like an unending spiral leading to a pit of nothingness below, with hundreds of gray structures lining its innards and lights twinkling in every direction. The lower down the spiral went, the closer the buildings seemed to each other, appearing to converge at the bottom, yet the bottom was so far down that Dawn couldn't see it.
Rowan had her arms out again as the platform sank slowly into the air, as if she was enjoying herself.
Rowan: "Here we are, Dawn. Take it all in, this is The Underground!" She exclaimed.
Dawn spotted a gigantic head with a simple look on one side of the spiral. The head was bare and formed out of a stone-like material. Several more questions began to fill his mind, like who was this face resembling, or was this some sort of godlike figure? He was uncertain of pretty much everything at this point.
After taking in the surroundings, Dawn looked across to Yakumo, who still appeared uneasy. Although he did not say anything to her at the time, he intended to inquire about it later. In some ways, he knew how she felt, even if he couldn't feel the same way she did because their life experiences were different, and Yakumo's were a mystery to Dawn.
Rowan: "Alright you two, once the platform reaches the bottom I will take Dawn straight to the council chamber. Yakumo, you may go do whatever you please, but I might require your assistance in the near future so don't get too comfortable." She teased.
Yakumo: "Don't worry, I won't." She stated blatantly.
Rowan: "Come on Yakumo, lighten up. We won't be here for too long." She said with a reassuring smile, and gave Yakumo a soft nudge on the arm.
Dawn sensed that something about The Underground made both Yakumo and Rowan uncomfortable. He reflected on Rowan's abrupt shift in tone and her fidgeting in the company of Georgina, and wondered if they even wanted to be here.
Dawn could see the ground as the platform approached the surface. Dozens of individuals were moving about, mostly along the spiral. To allow for simple travel, stairs and walkways looped around the circulating terrain's walls. The Underground was an entirely separate city than Tsukimi, although being a part of it, and it had the same advanced design and atmosphere as the city above. Dawn had no idea how long he'd be here, but he was ready to make the most of it. This was his first step in finding his sister, and he did not intend to mess it up.