Chapter Text
Miss Pela: Agent Kulo, please report to Madam Cocolia immediately.
You stare down at your phone, releasing an exasperated sigh. Miss Pela really knows how to choose the best timing for things, doesn't she? You, an apprentice under the Intelligence and Security Officers' wings, were a crucial pawn in their chess game against Wildfire, the new protectors of the Underworld. Your skills were highly valued; disguise, logic and critical thinking skills as well as your innate ability to strategise. All in a day's work for someone gifted with the path of Erudition, you could say.
So now, at the ripe age of 25, you were a proud member of the Silvermane Guards, the defenders of the Overworld. Maybe proud was the wrong way to describe how you felt; you were simply masquerading as someone who would be proud of their work.
Your position was merely a price to pay for your mother and father's debt, a topic you preferred to keep under wraps. You were supposed to be on rest day, choosing to pay your dear grandmother a visit instead of sleeping the day away. She lived right near the Goethe Hotel, allowing you to always be within reach of Qlipoth Fort, as instructed by the Supreme Guardian.
Making your way through the high walled hallway, you gazed out the windows on the left onto the Administrative District where the people so small from this extraordinary height. As if to emphasise the sheer size of the Qlipoth Fort, the hallways were empty,the echoing of your footsteps loud in your ears. You finally reach the Supreme Guardian's office, taking a deep breath before knocking on the large door.
A moment of silence ensues before the door creaks open, a bright blue eye peeping through the crack.
"Oh! Agent Kulo! You've arrived sooner than expected. Were you nearby?" Pela greeted, ushering you past the entrance.
"Oh um... I was just visiting my grandmother again," you spoke nonchalantly, taking in the lavish chandelier hanging up above. You didn't, however, miss how Pela side eyed you. You were certain that she was curious as to why you always spent your free time with your grandmother instead of spending it alone.
Whether she heard you come in, or if she simply noticed a new presence, Madam Cocolia turned to face you, her back now facing the very city she watched over.
"Miss Kulo, early as always."
You bowed towards her while Pela gave a kurt nod. Raising your head, you tried to steady your voice,
"Good afternoon, Supreme Guardian. How can I be of assistance today?"
As if she was pleased with your response, she smiled. Taking a few steps towards her desk, she leaned onto the sturdy oak; her arms supporting her weight as she held eye contact with you
"I'm sending you on a mission to the Underworld."
You couldn't help the way your eyes visibly widened at her statement. The Underworld? The same place your-?
"T-The Underworld, Madam Cocolia?"
"Yes," a clipped response left her lips, "I require you to go undercover to investigate a certain individual by the name 'Sampo Koski'. He has been a thorn in our sides for quite some time now and we refuse to allow him to continue with his mischief."
You gulped nervously. You had only gone undercover once or twice within your 9 years of being within the Guards, all of which were merely petty criminals that needed a talking to, but Sampo Koski?
You had heard a lot about the Wildfire-hired contractor come con man. Every trap, every mission that aimed to detain him was deemed a failure, the man still running rampant in the Underworld and Overworld respectively. You felt almost honoured to have them ask you play a part in this despite the unsettling feeling that chilled your bones. Madam Cocolia ignored your unnerved demeanour, going on to explain the job in greater detail.
You would be undercover as a woman going by the name 'Auri Salo', who's family was killed by the fragmentum corrosion in the southern outskirts of Belobog. She went further into the inner walls of Belobog and snuck down into Boulder Town after her father mentioned Wildfire before he died. It all sound a bit unconvincing to say the least.
"You will need to do preparations for this role. One of which will be under supervised isolation," Madam Cocolia announced. Isolation? Was she being serious?
"M-Madam Cocolia is that really-" Miss Pela stuttered, she looked about as shocked as you felt.
"Call it unnecessary if you want, but we don't need a healthy, normal looking woman of unverified origins stumbling into the Underworld. It would only increase suspicions. Ontop of that, they will be more willing to take you in once they notice your pitiful state," Madam Cocolia hummed to herself in approval, giving a firm nod as if to affirm her thoughts. As much as you hated to say it, she was right.
A strange woman claiming to be from the Southern outskirts of Belobog, which was recently completely overrun by the fragmentum, stumbling into the Underworld unscathed and seeming to be in peak condition. The logical and strategic part of your brain tried to reason with your rational thoughts.
"Ok... I'll do it," you uttered meekly, eyes shut tight.
"I never said that you would be given a choice. If you so wish for one, how about this for an ultimatum: you do it, or your grandmother will," Cocolia growled, a threatening aura suddenly settling over the office, the other workers shifting uncomfortably at the change of atmosphere.
"Remember, Kulo, you have debt to pay. You swore under oath to make yourself useful to us, so stick to it"
"Mummo, I won't be able to visit you for a while, okay?" you whisper, your throat starting to feel tight as you tried your best to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.
Your grandmother looked at you solemnly, cupping your cheek gently as she always did when she knew you were feeling upset.
"My dear, you have been working so tirelessly for us for so long. Please, do not apologise," your grandmother stroked your cheek in a soothing pattern, your eyelashes now wet as the tears rolled down your cheeks. You had to remember why you were doing this, who you were doing this for, and you'd be okay.
A choked sob escaped your lips as your grandmother pulled you into a warm embrace, petting your hair to calm you down as she had done all those years before.
"You are doing this because you don't want me to be burdened, yes?"
Your head shot up at her words, eyes frightened at her statement,
"Mummo, I-"
"Hush, child. You got your observation skills from somewhere, right? You are pretending to be fearless and strong but it's okay. I want you to know that I will be here when you get back. Not another word. You have to go now."
Your grandmother's own eyes glistened with tears as she gave you a final farewell squeeze. So she had known this whole time. She had known how much strain you were under despite you never talking about work to her. Suddenly the excessive praise, food and "remember to get enough sleep" seemed to make sense. She cared for you in the only way she could; she cared by being there as your grandmother and only remaining family. The guards awaited you at her front door, after having allowed you some privacy with her.
Once you left her home with teary eyes, you made your way to the lower levels of Qlipoth Fort where all the prisoners were held. You were escorted to a private cell where you were asked to seat yourself.
"Miss Kulo, with the provisioned time of two weeks, you will be under the supervision of the Silvermane Guards during the pre-mission preparation period. If you wish you leave, please bear in mind of the contractual terms and conditions you agreed to beforehand. You will be able to visit the bathroom twice a day, once every twelve hours. A bowl of rice will be provided once every 4 days and one litre of water will be provided every three days and can be rationed if necessary. You will be required to remain in isolation, no contact will be made except for the lavatory alert and water supply. If you are experiencing a serious health risk, you have the right to a doctor and to be treated if need be. If you have any further questions, please do ask now," the guard spoke monotonously, the helmet likely shielding a matching neutral and blank expression.
You stayed silent where you sat on the smooth and cold concrete floor. Perhaps you had questions, however they pertained more towards the ethical issues of the situation rather than the preparation itself. Your silence taken as an answer, the guard shut the barred gate with a loud bang, the sound echoing within the dim confines of the four walls you'd be subject to for the next two weeks.
The next couple of hours passed by reasonably well. Your source of entertainment was marking a makeshift tally of the amount of days you would spend here. You drew up a little chart with a loose rock, the scraping somehow comforting in the silence of the ward. Since it was the Overworld, the chilly weather of Belobog was not as bad as it would be in the Underworld. The lack of warmth in your cell was said to be a taste for said weather conditions down below.
You sigh for the nth time, watching as the sky turned into a warm orange and pink gradient, the temperature also seeming to dip with the setting sun. You had already gone to the bathroom once, your next allocated time in a couple of hours. When you found out about not being able to wash yourself for the next two weeks, you had objected, worried about how your health could be affected by not washing at all. The doctor that was present in the meeting nodded in agreement, mentioning that only "intimate areas" may be cleaned during the two week period as it would not raise any concerns. The thought of not washing anywhere else irked you. You were a very clean person, preferring to spend your extra money on nice-smelling products and fragrances. So to be told that you had to literally look and smell like you haven't showered in two weeks, was a bit painful for your pride.
At exactly 12am, a new guard approached the iron gates. You were unable to sleep due to the unusual feeling of hunger that you felt. Despite your lack of a healthy routine, you still made sure to get in your snacks and three meals a day. You suddenly felt extremely grateful for not knowing how it felt to not know when your next meal would be.
"Lavatory time. There is a small bowl of water and a wash cloth for your intimate areas as stipulated by the doctor," the guard notified you. You couldn't help but flush at the straightforwardness. Here you are, a fully fledged adult, being told that you had permission to wash yourself. You try to ignore your severely wounded pride as you made your way to the appointed area.
You were told that you would be inspected to make sure you didn't wash anywhere else. You make a noise of disapproval but it's interjected by the guard.
"Don't worry. It's just a face, arm and leg inspection; only the areas we can see the most need to be checked."
You breathe out a sigh of relief, closing the door behind you as you do your thing, making sure not to wash your entire body as you agreed to. You were prescribed 10 minutes each time, which was descent if you were being honest. Once you were checked, the guard escorted you back to your little cell.
The guard then hesitated after locking the gate.
"My name is Otto by the way. I can imagine that this won't a pleasant experience, so I'll try not make it any worse for you."
You felt yourself smile with a wave of relief washing over you. He seemed nicer, less stoic, unlike the morning shift guard. Just when you then got to thinking about whether or not they alternate shifts as a whole group or if it would just be the two of them, he bowed his head slightly before turning to leave.
"Goodnight, Miss Kulo."
The first two days were probably the worst. When you woke up on after the first 48 hours of isolation, your mouth was bone dry, your saliva the only thing keeping it slightly moist every now and again. You needed water. Desperately. However, water delivery was hours away which meant you had to stick out the next 30 hours or so until the night guard, Otto, dropped off your litre of water. You were smart enough to realise that the doctor simply made you hold out for three days of no water, because after that, organ failure can ensue, and Silvermane needed you alive for the job. On top of being parched, you couldn't sleep due to the knawing hunger in your stomach. The rule went from two weeks no food to a small meal once every 4 days, which you were thankful for. Both were enough to keep you alive but enough to make you look worn out for your first appearance to the Underworld respectively.
The hunger had kept you wake the whole of last night, your body shivering as the cell was particularly cold. You had huddled yourself into a corner below the left of the window where the wind wasn't as bad, the thin blanket providing a pitiful amount of warmth against the harsh chill. You had dipped in and out of consciousness, only to be awoken by the morning shift guard, who's name you learnt was Ruslan. You had heard it from Otto, who was apparently his junior.
"Lavatory time. Let's go," short, gruff and devoid of much emotion besides maybe impatience. You got up silently and carried out your temporary routine. He escorted you to and fro without so much as a whisper. When you settled back down in your cell, your tiredness won as darkness took over your vision.
When you woke up a few hours later, the sun was already set. Otto was leaning against the wall opposite your cell, humming to himself quietly. Shifting yourself into a seated position, you noticed how he perked up and came over when he saw that you were now awake, however gasping when he got closer, noting how pale you looked.
"Miss Kulo are you okay?" he hurriedly whispered, slightly lifting his helmet as if it helped him see better. He had a boyish look about him, pale grey eyes and dark brown hair, which you always saw peeping out from under his helmet. He looked too young to be within the guards, but let's not let the pot call the kettle black shall we?
You blinked slowly. His worried expression suddenly became amusing to you, causing you to burst out into uncontrollable laughter.
"M-Miss Kulo please ans-"
"I'm okay, Otto. Just really fucking thirsty," you croaked out with a slight smirk, your tongue flicking out to moisten your unusually chapped lips. Perhaps you shouldn't have been so honest because Otto looked absolutely deflated.
"Water day is tomorrow , I know. Don't worry too much."
Otto shifted uncomfortably, his helmet still not put on again. You take this opportunity to ask him a question that was fluttering around in your head.
"How old are you, Otto? You seem pretty young."
Poor Otto seemed to be taken off guard by the question, quickly pushing his helmet back into its proper position.
"I'll tell you in an hour when it's lavatory time. Go back to sleep if you'd like and I'll wake you up then,"he spoke softly, seeming to be slightly more shy than unwilling to answer. Letting out a sigh, you lay back down, closing your eyes as you decide to empty your mind for the next hour.
The hour passes by reasonably fast, Otto doing his routine wakeup for lavatory time, ushering you down the hall. It was only quiet for a few seconds before he suddenly spoke up,
"19."
You turn your head to quickly look at him, silently waiting for him to continue.
"You asked me how old I am earlier. I'm 19. Only recently finished my training. Joined because it's been a long tradition in my family."
You would be lying if you said that you weren't impressed by his to-the-point statements; not too much to go on but enough to not be stuck with total stranger for two weeks. His demeanour did somewhat match a freshly come of age adult, still being able to catch a whiff of naïveté coming off of him.
You hummed in acknowledgment. You weren't going to say anything until his own question broke the silence.
"And you? How old are you?"
You decide to poke a bit of fun at him,
"Did you family never teach you not to ask a woman her age?"
The expression hidden behind the helmet could easily be identified as one of embarrassment, stuttered apologies leaving the mouth behind the metal. Otto let you enter the lavatory to do your nightly routine and once you had finished up, you allowed him to quietly do his check.
"I'm 25."
Otto briefly tensed at your abrupt statement before seeming to visibly relax, his shoulders slightly lowering. The rest of the walk back peaceful, Otto quickly giving you a rundown of the shift times. Ruslan: 2AM to 2PM. Otto: 2PM to 2AM.
"Giving all the hard work to the newbee, huh?" you softly elbowed Otto, causing him to stumble on his words in an attempt to defend his superiors. When you got back into your cell, Otto locked the gate and turned to return to his post for the next two hours.
"Goodnight, Miss Kulo. Sleep well."
You relished in Otto's little 'goodnights' as it allowed you to believe that maybe one day, it would be true.
The third day rolled round by a loud banging on the bars.
"Wake up, Kulo. Lavatory time."
Ruslan's gruff voice make you wake up almost instantly, not leaving any time to ponder on the aches in your body as he did the first walk of the day. Only when you closed the bathroom door, did you realise how the 3 days had started to affect you. In the streaky mirror, you saw your reflection. Your undereye area was slightly darker than usual and your skin paler than normal. Other than that and the major case of bed hair, you looked okay. Sniffing under your arms, you were relieved to find that you did not smell as bad as you had expected. You decided that you would quickly wipe your underarms later on, just so that poor Otto didn't have to bear the brunt of any consequential stench from you.
Coming out from the lavatory, Ruslan once again took you back to your cell and proceeded to pretend like you didn't exist for another two hours. Otto's shift thankfully started just after, meaning you'd have some form of company for the next 12 hours.
When Otto next came to the gate, he held a piece of heaven in his gloved hands. Water. You couldn't help but laugh. You suddenly felt so excited about seeing water that you felt a bit silly. Otto, noticing your change of attitude, smiled to himself. He couldn't begin to imagine how it would feel to be in your position.
"I unfortunately can't get you a cu- Miss Kulo?!" Otto watched in horror as he watched you guzzle half a litre of water in under a minute, some of the liquid dribbling past your lips and down your neck. You smacked your lips, audibly sighing in deep satisfaction. You never thought you'd feel so rejuvenated after such little water.
"Thank you, Otto. I'll be keeping this half for the next three days," you inform Otto with a hum. You worked out that if you replenished yourself now, you could drink one third of the remaining water everyday until the next litre arrived. Rationing at its finest. Otto went back to his post after informing you that lavatory time would be in roughly 10 hours. You huff, taking a seat on your futon, deciding to have a nap to pass the time. You look up at the ceiling, trying your best to shake your memories.
"Mummo! Mummo! Can we play solitaire today? Pretty please?" nine year old you pleaded with your grandmother, showing off the best puppy dog eyes that you could muster. Your grandmother was fortunately a sucker for your cuteness, gesturing for you to sit infront of her as she got the cards out of the drawer.
You giggled with excitement, plonking yourself down on the little cushion that was alongside the coffee table. Your grandmother set up the cards after shuffling them, smiling softly to herself as she saw your eyes sparkle with delight, already scanning over the cards in view. She noted with pride that you had a clear path set for you. Erudition. Represented by the Aeon, Nous. You were incredibly intelligent for your age. You had a knack for chess, sudoku and card games, being able to strategise and use logic and reason to plan carefully. Your vocabulary was also in the range of those much older than you.
"Mummo! I'm going to be the greatest strategist in the entirety of Belobog!" you informed, a confident grin gracing your features. And you were right. Your skills only improved through the years, that was until -
"-lo. Miss Kulo? It's lavatory time," Otto called out to you, unlocking the gate to escort you to do your nightly routine. You blinked rapidly. The memory was much more vivid than you expected, causing your heart to ache a little bit more than you would have liked. You heave yourself up, shuffling towards the door and put yourself beside Otto, who was looking at you. Behind his helmet there hid a look of curiosity.
"Are you alright, Miss Kulo?" he probed, watching as your distracted eyes made their way towards him. You looked distant, so far away that he almost wouldn't believe you were here if it weren't for your physical presence.
"I'm... fine," you muttered, mostly to yourself it seemed. Otto just nodded, taking the hint that whatever you were feeling was not something you wanted to speak about. He decided not to probe you for answers as he walked you to the bathroom, leaving you alone with your thoughts while you did your thing. 10 minutes pass and you still felt yourself wishing to be back in that memory, the past nostalgic and too pure for your heart and mind. You only broke out of it when you heard a faint, "goodnight, Miss Kulo," from beyond your barred gate.
Day four was just the same as all the previous days, however, infront of you now sat a steaming bowl of rice. You felt as if you were hallucinating, only coming back to reality once the starchy and bland food hit your tongue. You shovelled it down your throat, unable to hold back now that you had it in your grasp. You felt feral; you felt out of control of your actions, relying on your survival instincts instead of your reasoning skills.
You failed to notice how Otto's body screamed "what the hell am I witnessing here?" and you wouldn't blame him one bit if you had. You had to deal with the next 10 days with the same main routine.
Day 5: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, lavatory, sleep
Day 6: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, lavatory, sleep
Day 7: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, water, lavatory, sleep
Day 8: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, eat, lavatory, sleep
Day 9: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, lavatory, sleep
Day 10: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, lavatory, sleep
Day 11: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, water, lavatory, sleep
Day 12: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, eat, lavatory, sleep
Day 13: wake up, lavatory, sleep, wakeup, lavatory, sleep
However, when the final day rolled around, you barely registered it. You were mentally and physically drained, the scratched tally marks on the wall provided minimal relief to the boredom and tediousness of the last two weeks. Ruslan and Otto both greeted you in the early hours of the morning, not a peep coming from them as you stared at the moving shadows behind them. The Security Officer and his crew stood at the entrance, making their way over to the gate which was unlocked shorter before their arrival. The whole crew, including Rusland and Otto, had escorted you to the top of the tram line to Boulder Town, where you would await your next orders.
You prayed to Nous that this had not all been in vain and that you could successfully carry out your duty. Officer Dunn stood infront of you, Rusland and Otto at his side as you read off a piece of parchment.
"Miss Kulo. You are hereby relieved from your two week isolation period. From here at the top of the tram line, you will make your way down to Boulder Town. May it be duly noted that you will no longer be allowed to directly contact us. If you need assistance, and only if you need assistance, visit the man on 4th street, Andrei, and tell him the code "Kulo" and we will retrieve you immediately. If you have any questions, please ask them now."
Your mouth could barely form words at how your jaw was chattering. Whether it was from the cold or from fear, you would never know.
"How l-long will I be down there?" you ask quietly, gazing around to gauge the reactions of the other men.
"For as long as you need to."
And with that, the barrier was crossed, officially pushing you into the Underworld boundaries. Glancing behind you for a final time, you watched as the guards remained at the barricade, as if to make sure you stay down in the Underworld.
Despite the situation at hand, all you could think about was Sampo Koski. Sampo Koski and your new identity, Auri Salo.
The Underworld was Sampo Koski's domain
and you had now become an unknowing trespasser.