Deborah's POV
When Matthew saw the woman slip something into my hand, he smiled, surprisingly at ease.
"She seems to like you," he said.
I frowned. "I don't think so."
"What did she give you?" he asked, curious.
"We should probably leave here first," I suggested, feeling increasingly uneasy by the second.
We quickly left Tirnanog and found a desolate, abandoned corner of the underground city.
The air was thick and heavy, and the surrounding walls were cracked and peeling. It was a forgotten space, but at least we wouldn't be disturbed here.
We sat down on the cold ground, and I pulled the small pouch the woman had given me from my pocket.
It was small, no bigger than my fist, wrapped in a piece of old animal hide and tied with what looked like a wolf's tooth necklace.
Inside, there were a few strange items: a rough stone pendant, a scrap of paper covered in strange symbols, and what seemed like a crude map drawn on the animal's skin.
These items were strange—definitely not something she had given me by accident. It was deliberate.
Matthew looked at the objects, then teased, "I've heard some families give tokens like necklaces to their future brides."
I met his eyes, and for a moment, our gazes locked.
[You're the one for me. You will be my wife someday,] his thoughts echoed in my mind.
I quickly looked away, my thoughts spinning.
I could feel Matthew's quiet confidence, though I had no idea where it came from.
His eyes were filled with too much affection, and it caught me off guard. I'd never seen that in Chad's eyes before.
I admit I couldn't quite control the growing attraction I felt for him.
It was as if an undeniable chemistry was sparking between us, something I couldn't ignore.
But looking at Matthew—who looked so much like Chad—it felt like betrayal.
I turned my focus back to the map, flipping it over in my hands, studying it from every angle, but nothing made sense.
Matthew leaned in to look at it, tilting his head. "It looks like a treasure map of some kind, But it's not anywhere in Murias. This place looks more like somewhere on the surface."
"The surface?" I echoed the words, a strange thrill running through me.
In both my lives, I have never seen the surface.
People said it was a barren wasteland, ravaged by Enigma radiation.
No human could survive there. Others said it was filled with mutated creatures, dangerous and unpredictable.
Matthew continued, "I've never been to the surface. Werewolves aren't allowed up there. But I've heard the Fian Defense Bureau controls the exits to the surface. No one who goes up to transport Falshi ever comes back alive. It's a bad job, only taken by those desperate for money."
His words stirred something inside me.
A strange thought crept into my mind—what if the surface radiation, or the dangers people spoke of, only affected humans?
What if werewolves were immune to it?
Could that be the real reason they were forbidden from going to the surface?
I needed answers.
I had to figure out what the true cost of the Necrobind spell was—what those two unfulfilled wishes were.
I suddenly remembered that jerk Ryan from the bar.
He worked for the Fian Defense Bureau. Maybe I could get some information out of him.
Matthew interrupted my thoughts. "Or maybe it's an island? I've only read about the sea. I've never seen it. They say it's vast and beautiful. But I can't even imagine that much water in one place. We barely have enough in Murias as it is."
"An island?" I mused. I'd never seen one, but I'd heard that the floating cities in the sky were like islands, except surrounded by clouds instead of water.
"Why not? Anything is possible," I said firmly.
The desire for something beyond the underground was growing stronger inside me.
We talked a little more before heading back home.
That night, I lay in bed, still holding the mysterious necklace and stone in my hands.
I didn't know if this was something Maeve had intentionally sent to me, but I knew these objects were connected to her and Deborah.
I needed to find answers.
Maybe the city's library could help, or I could speak to some of the elderly who knew about the world before the underground cities were built.
Exhaustion from the day's events washed over me.
This body was still weak from years of inactivity, and I had been pushing it too hard.
I held the wolf tooth and stone necklace, turning them over in my hands, but soon enough, I fell asleep.
I was standing in the underground city, and magma began to seep from the ground, rising faster and faster, devouring everything in its path.
"Mom! Run!" I screamed.
"Deb, I can't! You need to take everyone and get out of here!" Maeve's voice was desperate but calm.
"Mom! No!"
I watched helplessly as people were consumed by the magma, their bodies swallowed by the boiling molten rock.
Around me, thick black smoke billowed up, choking the air.
Men and women screamed, running in every direction, but no matter where they went, there was no escape.
This underground city was a death trap.
I kept running.
My only thought was to get to the surface.
I had to survive.
Maeve stood not far from me, her face calm as if she had accepted her fate.
She looked at me, her eyes full of sorrow and love.
"Get out of here, Deb! Lead them to safety! Don't worry about me!" she shouted.
But I couldn't leave her behind.
I screamed her name, over and over, but it was no use.
The magma surged forward, swallowing her whole.
And then it came to me.