Oktofinitum

Prologue

115th Empyrean Sun of the Reign of Emperor Elio

The six friends stared exhaustedly at the supposed 'guide' to their travel.

"Where in the heck are we? Aren't we supposed to be in a city? Uh... where in the middle of this searing desert is supposed to be a city?"

"Aren't you supposed to love the desert? Given that you are a pyro wielder?" Yada sarcastically replied, "Why not chill your mouth and use your feet instead?" All of them are tired after barely escaping from their encounter with the Fire Kingdom bandits, their only hope is to finally arrive at their original destination without having any more detours.

"Chilling is easy when we are not stuck in a stupid desert for goddess knows how long under the scorching heat of the sun without water or food–" Riezl lost her words upon finally seeing a huge figure in the horizon.

"There!"

"We're almost there, hurry!" The exhausted group finally saw an oasis, and slowly began regaining hope in their otherwise despondent journey. They willed their body and used their last remaining energy to run towards it but was stopped midway when Jorgette almost fell off a deep rift.

"Holy heavens!" Thankfully she was quick enough to stop in her tracks and a bunch of sand grains fell on her behalf. It was a crevice so deep on Earth that if you look down, you won't be able to see the bottom which borders the Land of Earth from the Desert of the Land of Fire, because at the other end of the rift is a huge mountain range, the one that Riezl probably saw earlier. As the others arrived, they began to survey the area.

"How are we going to cross?" Jenny Mae asked in a voice laced with obvious despair.

"Even if we do get to cross, are we supposed to climb over this stupid mountain range to go over the other side?" Wendell replied sardonically.

"If only Rexel was here, he could've flown us over instead." Jennifer commented with a sigh.

"No, this is a crevice created by the Divergence which separated the mountain range of the Earth Kingdom and the arid deserts of the Land of Fire, according to legends it was created by the protector of Tierra from the men who wanted to invade our land back then. There is no way you can climb over the tallest mountain range in this empire." Yada explained as she finished surveying the area.

"Are we here for a history and geography lecture? No, so tell us already how exactly we are going to cross towards your land?" Wendell said.

"We are not going to cross, silly. The Earth City is called Impenetrable for a reason, so the only way in is to the Earth?" Everyone looked at Yada in confusion as she points towards what seems like a slide made up of hardened soil on the far-left corner of the rift, it was not easily distinguishable from the crevice of the rift, but if you look close enough it looks like a circular crevice that extends from the surface where they are standing and onto the depths of the Earth, "And earth is downwards."

All of them stared exasperatedly, it was her homeland, so they had no choice but to listen. They made their way towards the hole and one by one slid their way down. It was one heck of a ride, as they literally glided their way towards the depths of the earth, "When I say, jump... jump!" Yada shouted at them but no one understood what her words meant as they were busy trying to keep their souls from leaving their mortal bodies, "Now!" Five of them landed unceremoniously on a bricked floor, while Yada perfectly timed her jump and landed like a pro.

"You people are Tierran Wielders? You couldn't have made stairs instead of a stupid slide"" Wendell said who never fails to have a snide comment on anything and everything.

"Oh, quit acting like a baby, besides that is a secret passage that was created as a one-way entrance by some unwelcome and unpermitted visitors." Yada said while the rest of them are still busy emptying their stomach. As they got up, they were in awe of the scene before their eyes, a bustling city underneath the earth with various stores, buildings, and inns, all carved from the earth.

"Welcome to my homeland," Yada smiled in nostalgia as she walked along the familiar streets of her home. It was still moist and cold, probably from the damp above the surface because the sky had been crying since daybreak as if it was mourning for something just as a dark dome of earth hovers up above the great civilization, bustling despite the murky waters of cobbled roads. Although the heavy downpour had already stopped a few hours ago, trickling rain droplets continued to patter on the mountainous terrains of the Earth Kingdom. The six of them shivered in the cold after being under the heat of the sun, their bodies suddenly thrusted to the cold and damp environment underneath the earth.

"This is why Tierrans are pale-looking..." Jenny Mae commented, "I've always thought that you are called the Earth dwellers because you wield the element, never thought that it is a literal choice of living."

"I told you, our land is called Impenetrable for a reason. The only way in and out is that lift," Yada pointed towards a tall tower-like structure where people are lifted from the bottom towards the surface of the Earth. It was packed with people and the entrance was guarded by a huge man who ask people to show their stamp before boarding.

"And we couldn't have accessed that instead of the stupid slide?" Wendell asked.

"We'll need an official letter of permission to show the guards there and gain entrance, so we couldn't. Now, get off your asses, let's find that freaking map, and save our friends."