Chapter 48. Riverland

CYRUS

The further our boat glides through the darkness, the harder my heart pounds against my chest. I tighten my loins and clench my fists, ready for whatever comes next but suddenly a creaking sound echoes as another gate opens before us, bars of bright light flooding in from the scenery it reveals.

I am left grappling with awe as I behold an awesome view of a somewhat underground city encompassed by green plants with tiny white luminous seeds. The structures and buildings seem layered and engraved into refined brown rocks and enclaves having numerous pillars standing with the utmost elegance, stems and roots wrung around them.

The narrow snake-shaped waterway seems to be the most common means of transportation for the inhabitants of this locale since several canoes are parked beside the route. I see a segment where water is pumping out of a rock nearby while naked children gather around it, bathing and washing clothes, as well as filling their clay drums and cal