Sage and Aurora continue walking along the narrow path in the canyon. And their search brings results.

For a long time, the rest of the path is spent in oppressive silence.

Sage and Aurora are sullen and taciturn.

The realization of what has happened depresses each of them.

The pain in their wounds and the aftereffects of the poison slow them down and make them feel worse.

Sage thinks, shaking slightly from nervous tension and fear: “A diplomatic mission… We relaxed too much… We were careless… And Luna died because of it. But will we ever be able to return home? Are there many more dangers that could take our lives?”

Aurora’s thoughts are filled with self-flagellation and pessimism: “What happened… This horror… It happened because of me! It’s all my fault! I killed Luna! She was the most experienced and skilled among us – and now without her, how can we complete our mission?! How will we get back home?! Are we really doomed to die?!”

As the two rabbit-girls walk along the trail, they notice that the trail is no longer a continuous “wall” of the canyon – there are small caves in this “wall”.

When late evening comes, they make camp in one of these small caves.

A restless night’s sleep.

Each of them dreams of images of a tragic daytime battle.

Images of vile enemies.

And an image of Luna.

When Sage and Aurora wake up in the morning, they feel weak in the body and a headache. Probably, these are residual effects of poisoning.

After eating a little, they continue on their way.

After a couple of hours of walking, they see that the trail leads to a large cave.

It’s dark inside…

Sage says in fear: “Do we really have to go into this darkness?”

Aurora looks around.

The narrow path they were walking on continues further. However, starting from this cave, the path becomes even more inconvenient and narrow.

Aurora looks at Sage with irritation and says: "We should check!"

Then she goes forward.

Into the darkness of the cave.

And Sage is **** to follow her.

Aurora, trying to suppress her fear, goes deeper into the cave, trying to leave the illuminated area of ​​the cave entrance in sight.

Looking around the walls of the cave, Aurora sees stalactites, stalagmites, bones of some small animals (probably rodents).

Then her attention is drawn to some image on one of the walls of the cave.

There is poor visibility here, but she comes closer and feels the wall.

This is ...

It is something like a counter-relief. Some kind of image carved into the surface of the stone. The essence of the image is difficult to understand because of the darkness.

Aurora continues to feel this counter-relief. Her hands go down. The image spreads along the wall of the cave to the very floor.

Suddenly, Aurora notices something slightly glittering among the small stones..

She throws the stones aside and sees a metal (probably iron) handle in the floor, which is attached to a hatch.

She grabs the handle and lifts the hatch.

A ladder is visible in the darkness below.

Aurora calls out to Sage.

"Do we really need to climb up there?" - Sage asks fearfully.

"Stop being scared! We'll be careful... We have a mission to accomplish!" - Aurora replies irritably.

So, Sage and Aurora go down the ladder.

It's very dark below.

However, somewhere in the distance, a dim light source is visible.

Sage and Aurora carefully walk there, feeling the walls of the cave with each step.

As they get closer, they see that the dim light comes from a worn-out fluorescent lamp, which is mounted in some kind of structure at the top of the cave. The light from the lamp illuminates an ancient poster with a barely legible, half-decayed inscription: "Meram.. Caverns... tourist c.n.er."

Under the poster, a small door is visible, made of pieces of half-rotten wood and some rusty metal debris.

Aurora, gesturing to the inscription on the poster, says: "It looks like we found what we needed."

Sage looks and says: "You're probably right..."

Aurora takes a step forward and tries to open the door.

And she succeeds.

There are no locks on the door.

Two rabbit-girls walk forward.

What they see next is much more likely to be signs of the presence of some intelligent creatures.

In the cave behind the door, there are three fluorescent lamps at the top of the cave.

The lighting is much better.

Some patterns and images are visible on the walls of the cave.

And also: the sound of footsteps is heard.

Someone is walking along a winding tunnel.

A few seconds later, a group of five persons in gray robes appears from around the corner. They look like ordinary humans with no signs of any noticeable mutations. One of the distinguishing features is the **** pallor of the skin. This group is led by a young woman of average height. Her long, dark reddish hair flows over her shoulders, reaching the middle of her back. Her bright blue eyes look with confidence and dignity.

Aurora nervously strokes her weapon.

Sage looks at her disapprovingly and whispers: "Please do not ruin my negotiations..."

Sage takes a step forward and forces himself to smile welcomingly: "Hello! My name is Sage! My companion's name is Aurora. Would you please..."

The deep, rich timbre of the woman with dark reddish hair: "Seekers of Truth! I am pleased to welcome you to the settlement of Meram illuminated by the True Light. My name is Naomi. Follow me, Seekers of Truth..."

The other four persons in gray robes surround Sage and Aurora.

Aurora whispers: "I don't like this... They're weird..."

Sage answers quietly: "Look. They don't have any weapons in their hands! We should try to negotiate with them..."

Aurora nods.

Sage and Aurora move forward, surrounded by their new acquaintances.

A woman named Naomi leads them all forward along a winding corridor connecting several underground caves.

The darkness ahead is only slightly dissipated by the meager sources of light...