The Undercity never slept, but it knew exhaustion.
The hum of engines, the slow pulse of the veins in the walls — it all felt heavier now, like the city itself was groaning under its own weight.
Luke felt it most when the morning bell rang.
It wasn't just a sound anymore — it was a reminder that the world above kept turning, even if the one below stayed buried.
He rolled off his cot, tugging on his gloves. Elias was already up, hair damp from a quick wash, his grin lazy and familiar.
"Up before the second bell?" Luke asked.
"Reina said if I'm late again, she'll feed me to the drills," Elias replied, tying his boots. "I believed her this time."
Luke chuckled, but the sound was hollow. "You should've learned that the first time."
---
The tunnels buzzed with movement. Lines of miners shuffled through the corridors, lamps flickering against rusted walls. The air smelled like burnt metal and damp stone.
Reina stood at the checkpoint, clipboard in hand, eyes sharper than the light that haloed her from the pipes above.
"Vein Four is unstable," she said as they passed. "Avoid the lower supports and keep the scanners running. If you hear anything shift, pull back. No heroics."
Luke nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Elias smirked. "Depends who's watching."
Reina's glare could have cracked stone. "If I see either of you trying to impress anyone, I'll make sure the Nova himself hears about it."
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison, voices mocking but not disrespectful.
She sighed — that same tired sigh that meant she'd given up trying to understand them.
The lift descended slow, creaking under its own chains. The light dimmed with every level until only the blue veins illuminated the shaft.
Luke stared at the pulsing glow. "They're getting dimmer."
"Or maybe we're just getting used to the dark," Elias said.
They reached the bottom. The air was dry and full of static, the kind that prickled under your skin. The miners fanned out with tools, the sound of picks and drills echoing through the tunnels.
It was work — endless, repetitive, thankless work.
But Luke didn't hate it. Not entirely.
There was rhythm in the noise, a strange comfort in the way the metal sang back when struck.
"Think the Overseers ever wonder what we talk about down here?" Elias asked between swings.
"Probably think we don't talk at all."
"Maybe we should give them something to listen to."
Luke smirked. "Like your singing? I'd rather keep my hearing."
Elias grinned, but his swing faltered when the lights above flickered — once, twice — and went out.
For a second, the only illumination came from the faint glow of the veins in the walls. The miners froze.
Then, as if nothing happened, the lights sputtered back to life.
"Power relay's lagging again," Reina's voice echoed from the upper tunnel. "Keep working!"
But Luke couldn't shake it. For that moment of darkness, he'd felt something move beneath the floor — a low tremor, like a heartbeat.
---
Hours later, after the shift, they sat by the exhaust vent that overlooked the lower tiers. From here, they could see the old ruins — broken scaffolds and forgotten drills half-buried in stone.
Elias tossed a pebble into the depths. It clattered until the sound vanished into silence.
"You think the Nova ever comes down here?" he asked.
Luke gave him a sideways glance. "You mean physically?"
"Yeah."
"No. The Nova doesn't descend. He sends orders."
Elias smirked. "Figures. Can't have dirt on the divine robe."
Reina's voice came from behind them. "Watch your tongue."
They turned. She stood there without her coat, her uniform smeared with dust — human for once.
"I'm off-duty," Elias said. "Didn't think you'd still be supervising."
"I don't sleep much," she admitted, sitting beside them. The three of them looked out into the dark together.
Luke studied her for a moment. "You believe it, don't you? The Nova's light?"
Reina's jaw tightened. "I used to."
Silence stretched between them. The hum of the engines filled it.
"What changed?" Luke asked quietly.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked upward — toward the ceiling pipes that carried light from the world above.
"Once, I was stationed closer to the Midline," she said finally. "Saw the towers. Heard music. Thought that if I worked hard enough, I'd live up there one day." She gave a faint, humorless smile. "Turns out faith doesn't buy elevation."
Elias snorted softly. "Guess even light casts shadows."
Reina glanced at him. "Careful. Shadows listen."
She rose, brushing dust off her gloves. "Shift's over. Go rest."
Luke watched her leave, her figure fading into the dim tunnel light. For the first time, he thought she looked less like a warden — and more like someone trapped in the same cage as them.
---
The air vents carried whispers again — stories about the sealed pit.
Some said the walls bled blue light.
Others swore they heard voices chanting from the rock.
Luke lay awake on his cot, eyes fixed on the pipes above.
The glow flickered — faint, trembling.
And then, just for a heartbeat, he thought he saw something inside them: a reflection that wasn't his own.
He blinked. Gone.
Only the hum remained.
He turned onto his side, the faint pulse of the Undercity drumming through the metal floor.
Somewhere beneath it all, something ancient was stirring.
And without knowing why, Luke felt that its heartbeat was slowly syncing with his own.