Together, Rufus, I, and the rest of our team made it back to our second checkpoint, where we would meet up with my grandpa and the rest of the Crater team, then everyone else.
As we arrived, I saw my grandpa and the team; they had a forlorn look in their eyes; it must have been bad. I quickly sprinted over to be by his side, who was covered in blood.
"Grandpa, are you okay? Are you bleeding anywhere? Let me check."
"It's not his blood kid," an old man with coffee coloured hair called Bruno said.
That's when I realised what had happened as I counted their group, one was missing, they were probably attacked, and my grandpa fought them off.
"It was shadow fangs, they were too fast and escaped deeper towards the lake of Ladin. We decided we had to retreat."
That was all he had to say, and we all understood. Despite our sadness, we knew the reality of our mission; we knew that death lurked behind all corners within the depths. Death was something we knew, and it was a fact of our reality; it may have been hard to accept, but we must accept it. The reality was that, apparently, before the fall of Earth, humans lived to an average of 80 years old. Among the divers, our average lifespan was 35 years. The man who was slaughtered and dragged into the deep was only 25 years old. We honoured the deaths the only way we knew how; we would celebrate their life in song, dance and drink, and send their souls to become at peace in the depths of the mines.
Soon, as it always did, the atmosphere shifted to lighter topics, from how our drilling had gone to jokes about whose catheter we would break.
Eventually, we made it out of the depths and back to the entrance. I saw Cora standing safely, and my heart felt at ease. I knew she could handle herself, and I never really said it to her face, at least while sober, but I always worried about whether she would be okay.
"So, are you ready to see the quotas and who got the most?" She said, with oozing confidence in every move and a sly smile on her face.
"Aye, and I can't wait to see your face when you find out a novice beat you with ease!" I smirked back.
I knew I had done a good job, so I would at least be competitive with her, but she was also a tough opponent; we both pushed each other to be the best versions of ourselves.
Our names began getting called out one by one in order, and Cora's and my excitement and eagerness were spreading like wildfire. One person from each of the Four Corners was called up at a time to make their deposits. Cora and I were called up at the same time. We both poured our ores into the container and waited.
Eventually, a chorus of gasps came from the crowd. I quickly swivelled around and ran out to see the totals. They were the exact same. What the actual fuck.
"You lucky bastard," I heard Cora mutter. Despite her apparent annoyance, her eyes were smiling at me.
"If anything, you're the lucky one, you're lucky you're a year older than me, or you wouldn't be half the diver I am!" I exclaimed in response.
Suddenly, I heard someone in the crowd shout, "Lovers' quarrel," and they all erupted in laughter. Cora and my faces turned as red as the very ground beneath our feet before going back to our positions in the crowd. Suddenly, the Light Emitting Visuals Screen hummed to life, and a beautiful dark-skinned woman appeared. Her elegance knew no bounds, yet her face held the wrath that could rival our own fury down here in the caves, and her eyes held an inquisitive nature befitting a scientist. She was the only person, other than my grandfather and Caro, who seemed to have her own gravity, although hers was that of a leader, not as a person. Her presence seemed to elicit a mixed response from all of us, as it had always done. "Hello, this is your Paramount, Damaris II, speaking." Her regalness was so overwhelming it almost felt as if I should naturally bow my head and kneel; of course, I didn't, though.
"Once again, you have proven yourselves pioneers of humanity, for you are the primary contributors, the last bastion, and the future of humanity itself. The Legionary Sovereignty owes you all a debt for your noble sacrifices…" The Legionary Sovereignty was the current name for our empire of humanity, although empire might be too kind a term for what we are.
"You are the colonisers of New Theia, and once the surface is made safe, you will all have the rights to both lands and riches." New Theia was the name of this planet made up of an amalgamation of asteroids and debris following the fall of Earth. It was said to be slightly larger than Mars. The promise of both land and coin had mixed opinions on the crowd as well.
The fall of Earth was supposedly caused by a civil war between humanity, in which the Legionary Sovereignty, with its scientific knowledge, defeated the more martial compact. On the brink of failure, humanity's enemies, known as the Conqueror's Compact, decided to unleash their entire arsenal on the planet. Fortunately, my ancestors and many other humans managed to escape. Now, to rebuild humanity, we were forced to do our duty. That was a long time ago now. As they were scientific, the Legionary Sovereignty began a program in which people with traits suited to the caves began to marry and have children of their own. The result was us, a race of humans specially designed for this task, with better vision in the dark, better agility, and most importantly, very adaptable. My grandpa also said they must have had good instincts instilled in us, though that sounded very vague and not hereditary, at least in my mind.
After she congratulated us on reaching our goal, the screen turned off again to save power. Many felt that her quotas were too high for us and that she should send more people to help us; however, others thought we simply weren't working hard enough. After all, this was for the betterment of humanity. After her announcement, we made it back to our homes, which were small huts carved and mined into the cave wall. My grandpa and I liked to train together, mind and body, to better ourselves for the trials of the Four Corners. After our physical training using boulders and rocks to improve our physique, he would tell me stories of old that he somehow knew, and test me in all paths of learning, like maths and survival tactics. In other words, he taught me how to live in this harsh world, and now he was teaching me how to thrive in it. After that, we made our way to the pools to wash off.
"So, since it's the Meridian tomorrow, are you going to finally make your move on that girl?" my grandfather asked inquisitively.
"Shut up, you old man," I replied in embarrassment.
In all honesty, I did like Caro, maybe even love her. Whenever I looked into her beautiful eyes, they hypnotised me. In those eyes, I saw something beyond this cave, beyond this world; I saw true freedom. I couldn't help but always be drawn to her, and not just because she's the best looking lass I'd ever seen, but my love for her was something deeper, almost as if it was in my very DNA and my purpose was to be with her.
Wanting to change the subject, I asked him an important question. "Hey, what if Priscilla gives birth tomorrow? Do you think the prophecy will be fulfilled by him, that the child born on Meridian will bring about salvation for humanity, and be the catalyst of change?" I asked, curiosity overwhelming me.
He thought deeply for a second as the alert signalled the change in the day.
"Words are just that, words. They are weak and can't create change in this world alone, but maybe, it is the hope it gives you that spurs you on to do greatness, or perhaps they sow the seeds of doubt that cause you to avoid it." It was a quote from a book my grandfather had written while down here, before I was born, called "The Path of the Old Breath of the Depths". Whenever I had read it, it was hard to believe my grandfather had written it and not one of the people from his stories of old Earth.
After that, we both went back home, but on the way back, Cora ran into us, panting and out of breath. Is something wrong? Is she in trouble? My eyes widened in fear.
"Are you okay, Caro? What's wrong…"
"Shut up!" She shouted while smiling up at me.
"Priscilla, she's given birth, and it's a girl!"