“I want to be a teacher,” Geoff told his father. His smile lit up brightly.

“Good, good. Just like your old man! It's hard not to be interested. What do you want to teach, son?” Dale asked, perched upon his chair. Sometimes his dad acted like a bird even though he didn't have wings. Geoff thought it over carefully. 

“History! Or, what do you do? Science?” he asked. His father laughed. 

“Or something. Biology,” his dad said, “particularly avian chimeras.” Geoff thought this over. He was about fourteen, and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life was no easy task. He thought about being a firefighter, working at a gas station, and suiting up to fight fire with magical blue gas. Or maybe a glassmaker! They worked deep underground near lava. That sounded cool. At the end of the day, though, he liked watching his father work. Many children took after their parents' work, but Dale never pushed Geoff to do the same. He simply watched as his dad talked to adults about serious stuff he didn't quite understand.

“Yeah, your work is hard. I'll just do history,” Geoff said, deciding. Dale nodded his head and snickered, scruffing his son's hair.

“Your grandpa will be proud. I bet he'd teach you as much as you wanted.”

“Really? You think?” Geoff pondered. His grandpa has long been retired, but he took him at his word most of the time. I bet he was a good teacher, he thought. Dale nodded again.

“Of course! He'd be happy to. Hey… weren’t you supposed to be hanging out with Elysia today?” His father asked. 

“Oh shoot!” Geoff stood up briskly and ran around his bedroom. His father laughed and stood up.

“Have fun today! Love you, I'm off to work.” 

“Okay, byedadloveyoutoo!” He said in a rush, pulling a shirt over his head. 

“I need to go,” she said. Needed to go, not wanted. He knew Elysia was unhappy in her job, but he never expected this.

“Wh-what? You're… Leaving me?” He asked. They had been together for four years. Geoff loved every second. He held a flame for her since they were children. She left her school sweetheart for him. 

“I- I don’t want to. But you have the university. Your lectures and the new library. You’re supposed to be at the grand opening!” She responded. He didn't believe it. 

“So are you!” He shouted. Her wings shrank to her sides. He sighed. He didn't mean to yell; he just wasn't expecting this. 

“I know,” she responded, “If I asked you to come with me, would you?” 

He thought about it. Hard. Elly talked about travel all the time, and Geoff always said he'd take time off work. But something always seemed to come up. A new discovery, new information. Recently, it came to light that the former councilman Linden Eldrich had been planning an elaborate underground heist to the Azalea Caverns, hoping to monopolize its resources. The only reason he was stopped was because of councilwoman Morgon Jude, who herself was a chimera! It was all ripe for a new lecture. If he left, he wouldn't be teaching anymore. He loved his job. Right now, he had to decide between it and Elysia.

“No.” He finally said. 

“I know that, too.” She said, cupping his face in her hands, and kissed him on the lips.

“The councilwoman was a lizard hybrid, in particular a zebra-tailed lizard. She hid her tail underneath her suit and scales along her torso and back. Can anyone tell me where lizard hybrids are most common?”

“North Axis,” a voice chimed in.

“Yes! North Axis. She used her connections and superior senses to smuggle people out of Axion and into North Axis. The travelers kept her secret for years, promising only to tell her stories after her passing. Before this, it was believed that Jude's stoic demeanor and hard punishment were her own choice, when, in reality, she was working against Eldrich to her own demise. Seen as once a man of the people, Eldrich's expansion projects killed hundreds of workers, with terribly unsafe work practices. It sheds new light on public perception not only of the council but also of the founding of Axion. And they knew years before anyone of her heroics…” he pointed at the screen. “The travelers did.” He trailed off.

He had a slide of some of the immigrants she helped rescue up on screen. They were smiling and posing for a photo. They created a sort of community and their own city in North Axis called Juderun. They were happy. He cleared his throat and flipped to the next slide.

It was a picture of Morgon Jude. Stoic with straight blond hair. Framing her angular face. He thought about Elysia. How beautiful her wings were. The different shades of white and red in her hair. Her smile. 

What the hell was he doing?

“I- I'm sorry, class, I have to go!” And with that, Geoff gathered his papers in a clump and ran out the door.

Traveling to the tunnel was easy, but navigating the tunnel system felt impossible. He wasn't a hybrid of any sort, just a regular person stumbling in the dark. Not completely in the dark. Every time he stumbled, the bioluminescent moss on the tunnel floors lit up a bright purple, as if taunting him. 

“For fuck sake,” he mumbled to himself.

“You're in the wrong tunnel!” A voice said. He knew it; this tunnel seemed too small to be on the main migration path.

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically. The person snuck up in front of him, making a clicking noise that was freaking him out. They were a hybrid of something, but he had no idea of what. The woman had large black ears that stuck straight up from her head, and her nose was scrunched against her face as if someone pushed it in. How could he see? The noise she was making! It was lighting the moss. 

“Here,” she said, halting in her noise. The tunnel grew dark again. He felt her pass something into his hand. “Click it.” She said. 

Click it? What does that mean? He turned over the object in his hand, and it made a small click. The moss lit up. He did it again. Click, click. Whoa! It looked like a small wooden toy with hemispheres on both sides. When you shook it, they clanked together, creating a click. Do this over and over, and the tunnel stayed lit! No more tripping! How neat!

“Thank you!” He said, clicking his new toy together in fascination. He couldn't go through the forest. Without wings, he had no chance of making it across. So he had to take the tunnels like the rest of the wingless migrants traveling around Terra from its subterranean borders. 

“Where are you going?” She asked. She wasn't impolite, just a bit short with him, like she was annoyed. 

“I'm not sure. Someone pointed me to this path after I told him it was my first time taking the migration routes.” He confessed. She smirked.

“They mess with you, it is right of passage for new traveler to get lost. Come. Tunnel is not dangerous, only dark for underdeveloped humans.” She said as she walked forward along the tunnel. Geoff laughed and followed, clicking his flashlight. He'd definitely be writing about this later. 

She led him all the way to Axion Burrows, a city below approximately where Heliowood should be on the surface. Unlike the surface, it was a bustling town filled with people moving from tunnel to tunnel. It was underdeveloped, as if it were just beginning its journey.

“Thank you, what's your name?” he asked. She scoffed.

“Good luck with travel, human.” She said as she walked away briskly into the crowd. She must have places to be. 

He made his way into the crowd as well, walking in whatever direction foot traffic took him. The streets were carved from people's footsteps, and the buildings were mostly open markets, aside from what looked like housing stuck all over the cavern walls. Zigzagging staircases led up and down, and we're no less confusing than the tunnels themselves. He finally landed in front of what looked like a hostel and made his way inside. 

“You're kidding,” the woman sitting in the waiting room said. It was a large opening like a cave with dim yellow lights. It was the same woman who helped him in the tunnels!

“It's kismit!” He exclaimed. “How did you get here so fast?” He asked.

“I live here. Sometimes,” she said, crossing her legs. He took off his backpack and sat down across from her. Oh, it was the first time he'd sat down in days. He was exhausted. He let out a long sigh.

“Where else do you live?” He asked.

“Lowerreed, Underland, Grand Junction, wherever.” 

“Grand Junction!”

“Yes? I said this.”

“Are you going there?” 

“I am sitting here, does it look like I go there?”

“No, I mean soon? Are you going?” He asked. She pondered this. 

“I can be. You have something I want?” She asked. A trade. He thought about it. He took whatever jewelry and spices he had at home to trade, but that didn't feel like something she was interested in. 

“I can teach you!” He said. She scoffed. 

“Is this insult? You think I am plumebrain?” 

“No, no! I'm a teacher! I teach history. I know all about Terra and its founding, and Axion politics. I can teach you!” He said enthusiastically. She laughed. She finally laughed. It was an odd sound, like screeching. 

“You think you teach history? You learn in Axion, yes? Hm, I think you know nothing. That is fun! Yes, we travel together.” She said. He clapped his hands together. Despite the insult, he made a successful deal!

“Yes, thank you, thank you!” 

“Now I rest, I am tired. We leave tomorrow.” She rose and stretched her arms.

“Oh, do you think I could–”

“No.” She stated as she sauntered down a tunnel to her room. 

“Axis pushed against the propaganda that Little Earth pushed out about the Golden Record. They claimed that they interpreted its flight path in space. And that the information it held told the story of life on earth. Lost records and media. But more importantly, our history. It was an obvious play to gain an advantage against the people. Who would willingly hand out such information to the entire world? What was their goal? It's all heresy.”

“Heresy, what this mean?” She asked.

“It's like… Rumors that people made up.”

“Ah, so you don't believe in science?” She asked. He stopped in his tracks and began clicking his flashlight. 

“What! Of course I do, my father is a biologist!” He stated.

“You say things like ‘heresy’ about the space and the Record. It is true, all of it. You say ‘heresy’. I don't understand why.”

“What? Well, because no one has traveled to space! No one has left Terra since they landed.”

“This is also true. No one has. They intercept the Voyager, yes? They did not grab it with their hands. They sent a machine to get it. Your statement makes no sense.” She said. He thought about this. A drone! An unmanned ship! It was safe, didn't risk lives, and was easy to control. He never considered this.

“What about the record? The supposed ‘history of Earth'?” 

“Yes, also true, yes. You keep saying dumb things.” She turned and began to walk again. Geoff skipped to catch up with her.

“Explain,” he said.

“The record was on the Voyager, what is hard to understand? Human brain. Man brain.” Her ears twitched as they walked, one listening to the tunnel ahead and the other to the clicking noise. “Little Earth made greatest discoveries on Terra and shared it with Axis. Axis are stupid people, they did not want to share with public. Little Earth does so anyway, and boom, there is war.” She stated nonchalantly. As if this were common knowledge.

They were on their way to Lowerreed, having already passed through Grand Junction. What a gorgeous city. He spent months there looking for Elysia before he found a silkweaver who told him she was traveling north. He felt defeated, but didn't let his spirits darken. He was learning more than he ever did in a classroom, and every day was a new lesson. He sometimes missed his class, but nowadays he felt more like a student than a teacher. 

“Boom, then there's war.” He stated back. “So you mean to say all of it is true? All the things they said about Earth? Do you have any proof?” He asked. She scoffed.

“Proof? You want proof? All this time we travel, I never ask for proof.” 

“You never believe what I say!”

“This is true. I give you proof. We go Underland, and you see Landing. It is still Helion's year on surface so I stay below. We will part ways there.” She stated.

“Oh.”

“Oh? It makes you sad? I will be sad too, but then I move on.” She said. They had been traveling together for over a year, and she acted as if they had just met. 

“Harsh. I'll miss you!” He said. She chuckled. 

“I will miss you, too, human. It has been fun. We stop for a while in Lowerreed, it is my favorite city. We still have long travel ahead,” she said. He smiled.

“My name is Geoff.”

“I know.”

Lowerreed is the largest underground settlement on Terra by physical size, located beneath the western marshlands of ThoDue near the eastern edge of the equatorial band. Unlike the crowded industrial layers of Grand Junction or the enclosed geothermal depths of Underland, Lowerreed spreads outward through enormous humid caverns filled with underground waterfalls, shallow waterways, hanging vegetation, and naturally lit openings where marshland plant life descends through cracks in the cavern ceiling above. 

He could see why it was her favorite. Entire farming districts grow beneath shafts of filtered Helion light, where Halon reeds, Glowberries, fungi, and marsh crops flourish in the region's unique, humid geothermal conditions. Small pools were scattered along floors, which lit up in ringlets from the dripping vines. It felt cozy and warm.

“Hey there, Blair! Welcome back!” A short man with six fleshy whiskers sticking out the sides of his head said. 

“Blair? Your name's Blair?” Geoff said, astonished. It was the most fascinating thing he's learned since he left. Her name!

“Yes, I have a name, do not be so surprised,” Blair said. 

“Okay. Blair."

Geoff and Blair stayed in Lowerreed for a while, enjoying the food and atmosphere. It was nice to relax after feeling so pressed for time. Like a reminder that he wasn't actually in a rush, he was just in a rush to find Elysia. But he was enjoying his journey! His travel companion has been great company. He's explored more of Terra than he ever thought he would. He also didn't plan on stopping! He hoped with everything that Elly would take him back and agree to travel the world with him. He imagined summer breaks where they could go anywhere, and when he was home, he could teach about what he'd learned!

She could always say no. And he would understand if she said no. She did leave after all, and he let her. He didn't even know where she was. He thought for sure she'd be in Grand Junction, but he traveled much more slowly than she did. Last he heard, she'd be in Lowreed, but no luck, above or below the surface. He'd finally decided to keep going north, to Little Earth, where Blair said he would find the proof he wanted. 

Underland is the deepest permanent city on Terra, built directly beneath Lake Halon within a vast geothermal cavern system connected to Little Earth’s lower transit corridors. The city developed originally as a migration refuge and geothermal settlement before expanding into a major underground population center beneath the lake itself. Because of its location below Halon’s dense atmospheric basin, the air within Underland is unusually humid, heavy, and faintly mineral-sweet-smelling compared to the surface above.

“This is it,” Geoff said.

“Yes, this is it,” Blair repeated.

“You sure I can't interest you in a visit to the surface?”

“No, I hate Helion. I follow the moons.”

“Kriism.”

“Whatever you say.”

There was a pause.

“I will miss you, friend,” Blair said, extending her hand. Geoff began to tear up and sniffled. He ignored her hand and hugged her. She was stiff at first, but eventually hugged him back.

“I'll miss you too, friend.” Geoff sniffled back.

The Echo Agora was a massive museum. Designed more like a living city center than a traditional museum, the Agora contains markets, food stalls, public performance spaces, libraries, gardens, and exhibits surrounding the history of Earth and Terra. The music on the Golden Record is played regularly in public spaces. The fifty-five greetings recorded on the record are played when you enter the Agora from any side.

He walked toward the room that held the Golden Record and the Voyager 1 space probe. The Agora might as well have been proof as is; he's never seen architecture like it anywhere else. Large pillars of reflective stone, hidden speakers, and large dioramas. It felt like he was in the future. 

The room had a few people standing around, marveling at the Golden Discs and the information they held. A woman with large, red wings sat alone in front of a plaque. Scarlet Macaw wings. Her hair was long with different hues of red and white. 

“Elysia?” He whispered. She turned to face him.

“Geoff?”

“As you can see, the people of Junerun are living perfectly happy, loving lives that most of us would've considered unruly. After today, I hope I've changed some minds. I have a short video from my fiancé who documented the town.” Geoff said to the class, clicking on the projector and popping in a disc. The class murmured to themselves. It whirled to life as an image of Elysia popped up on screen. 

“Hi, class!”

“Hello, Ms. Salvador.”“Hello, Ms. Valient,” rang the class. It wasn't a live video, but Geoff made sure they said hello back. Rather than saying her full last name, she let the class decide which one they'd rather use. 

“Today we're looking at the booming city of Juderun, named, of course, after Councilwoman Morgon Jude, a legend to these people. She helped those who would otherwise be discriminated against in Axion. Mutations other than avian, same sex relationships, inter-hybrid relationships, and lost travelers all sought refuge right here. I'll be staying here for a couple of months to get the full scoop on this town. Let's talk to a local,” Ellys moved the camera shakily with her hand as she traveled to a person that looked to be a lizard-hybrid. Geoff could be seen in the video waving behind her. 

“Oh, and quick announcement!” She said. She held up her feathered hand and showed off her engagement ring. His father gave him the ring before he left for his trip. Dale was more than happy to give it to him, as it belonged to his father. It was a family heirloom of sorts. The ring glowed bright on her finger. It was made of helionite with a band of moonstone running around the center. A semi-translucent mineral formed around geothermal fissures deep underground. It appears dark gray until exposed to warmth, such as the heat of your hand, where glowing orange-red ‘veins’ emerge inside the stone.

The class whooped and cheered upon hearing the announcement. Geoff gestured for them to settle down. 

“Alright, alright, relax. We have things to learn!” She said to the camera.