Led by Clamo, the group descended the iron ladder: Amethyst carrying Letty on her back, followed by Phoebe, Laili, and Terumi.

  ?"Everyone made it down safely, I see."

  ?The tunnel was just wide enough for a single car to pass.

  ?"It’s eerily bright in here too," someone remarked.

  ?"That would be thanks to the fiber-optic cables piercing through the ceiling," Clamo explained. "They filter out UV rays, allowing flora and fauna to thrive down here."

  ?Phoebe froze the moment she saw it. It felt like the work of her future self—strikingly similar to the giant vegetable seedling nursery she had installed back at the Laboratory Café.

  ?But that wasn't the most shocking part.

  ?"Look! Arne... Saknussemm? I see murals of fire and what looks like alchemical sigils."

  ?"Arne Saknussemm," Clamo noted. "The legendary alchemist who successfully charted the center of the earth. He must have passed through here, marking the site of a past volcanic eruption."

  ?"The center of the earth? Are we about to embark on a journey that grueling?"

  ?"Don't be silly," Clamo chuckled. "We don't need to go to the other side of the globe. Look—our destination is right before our eyes."

  ?They descended a gentle slope at a twenty-degree incline. While the fiber-optic tethers lining the path illuminated their steps, the ground was strewn with limestone and mica. Curiously, there was very little gravel.

  ?"Phoebe, do you remember the 59th element?"

  ?"No... I know I learned it somewhere, but...!"

  ?"It sits right next to Neodymium, number 60, yet it’s hardly ever recognized."

  ?"Ask me about Neodymium and I think 'strongest magnet' immediately," Phoebe groaned. "But Praseodymium? My mind is a total blank."

  ?"And to think, they differ by only a single proton," Terumi added dryly. "It’s far less efficient in lightbulbs, though it serves as a coloring agent for synthetic gems and didymium glass for blowtorch goggles. They used to be treated as a single element—'Didymium'—like a comedy duo. Then they split up, and the partner went on to have the more successful solo career."

  ?"Nice one, Terumi!"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  ?"Oh, feel free to heckle, Clamo."

  ?"As for us," Clamo continued, "we haven't disintegrated. We’re holding it together. In the century to come, society will change drastically, and much will happen. But please, never forget one another as you walk your paths."

  ?"We won't," Phoebe promised, engraving the adult Clamo’s prophecy into her heart.

  ?"The 'much will happen' part bugs me," the father grumbled, "but I get it. There’s a reason we need technology to survive a hundred years into the future. Fine."

  ?"I appreciate your understanding."

  ?Ten minutes passed. They felt themselves winding along a gentle right-hand curve, but the scenery remained unchanged. Leti slept soundly on Amethyst’s back without so much as a snore. The temperature hovered at a stable 20°C. The only thing preventing the sensation of being deep underground was the midday sun channeled through the tethered cables.

  ?Everyone—save for Clamo—assumed this peaceful excursion would continue.

  ?Then, it happened.

  ?A dull, roaring sound erupted from the abyss. Amethyst was the first to bolt to a halt.

  ?"It's a dead end. And I hear something... like a subterranean waterfall."

  ?Terumi noticed it too. "What is that?"

  ?"Right on schedule," Clamo said calmly.

  ?"What do you mean by that!?"

  ?"Everyone, huddle close to Terumi! Don't get separated! I know it's a dead end, but move back—ten meters, now! Hurry!"

  ?They scrambled back as ordered.

  ?"Is it magma? In a place like this?" Laili whispered.

  ?"Sharp as always, sister."

  ?"It’s just a guess. Based on that alchemist’s name earlier."

  ?"So those fire pillars and circles were omens of what happens at this dead end?"

  ?"It's coming! Cover your ears and stay low!"

  ?It felt as though a dragon, forged from the muck of the deep sea, was howling toward them. It was surging toward the ceiling with enough force to grind them into dust. Amethyst broke into a cold sweat, bracing for the impact.

  ?The temperature skyrocketed to nearly 40°C.

  ?In that instant, a pillar of crimson shrouded in black smoke shot vertically into the air. Thicker than a redwood log, a massive surge of magma erupted exactly where Clamo had predicted. It showed no signs of stopping. Leti, awakened by the commotion, stared into the overflowing fireworks with eyes full of wonder rather than fear.

  ?"That's massive! It’s not letting up!" the father shouted over the roar. "If we hadn't moved back, we'd be charred husks!"

  ?"How much longer do we have to wait?" he barked at Clamo.

  ?"I was told it would subside in thirty minutes."

  ?"That’s fast for an eruption. Who told you that?"

  ?"That," Clamo replied with his signature secrecy, "is a secret."

  ?1:45 PM.

  ?As if by magic, the world went silent. The wall that had blocked their path was gone, replaced by a new opening—though "path" was a generous term. The magma had receded, acting like a cooling mechanism that cleared the obstruction without raining sparks from above. Bathed in sunlight from a jagged rift in the ceiling, they began to walk through a parched, shallow fjord.

  ?"To think an artificial sea could dry up so quickly," Phoebe mused. "But that eruption cleared the way and cooled down just enough for us to walk. Thank heaven for the sun."

  ?As Phoebe walked, Amethyst spotted something in the dirt: a jade tablet the size of a playing card, meticulously stitched together with soft, wire-like threads.

  ?"A... a doll?"

  ?It had been lying right at Phoebe's feet. Once the dust was brushed away, it revealed itself to be a doll made of 100% pure, unadulterated gemstone—roughly the size of a soccer ball. Its form was uncanny, almost haunting in its craftsmanship.

  ?"Allow me to peer inside," Laili said, closing her eyes.

  ?"Opening that thing looks like a nightmare," Amethyst muttered, holding the jade figure steady. "All yours, Ms. Psychic."