I pressed my palm against the wall in an effort to steady myself. The twins hadn't wasted any time travelling down the tunnel, the darkness swallowing their forms whole. Alexander hadn't wasted a moment thinking about the dangers the tunnel possessed, simply hurrying along without a scrap of hesitation. Valentyna on the other hand had offered up some level of resistance; a few groans of unease escaping her mouth as her twin blundered into the void.

They'd left me behind, taking blind, cumbersome steps in their direction. In any other state, I would have preferred to be the one lagging behind, assessing the dangers and able to turn back before the others. In any other state, I would've been climbing back up the stairs with little in the way of wavering. Right now, however, I was stuck relying on someone that didn't want to be relied on. My only option was to continue on in the pursuit of help, disregarding how unavailable it seemed.

I let out a shallow breath as I trailed my hand along the tunnel, inching my way along slowly. The entrance in the home had finished releasing light only ten steps into the journey, leaving darkness to swallow my form much like it had the twins. With every shoe print embedded in the dirt beneath me, a disgruntled groan would leave my mouth, pain refusing to leave for more than a second.

The dim-lit tunnel gave little away. Despite my near-perfect vision, the walls of this narrow corridor left nothing to work with, not a crack or stone to ease me in. My fingertips were making out grooves in the wall that implied brickwork and time-consuming design planning; each groove led straight into another, only being interrupted by a clump of moss every so often.

Every agonising step left me pleading for the return of the boy, despite the gaping hole between us, he was my current salvation. I had to remind myself that each time I internally screamed his name and hoped he'd return to my side and guide me further into the tunnel.

I couldn't help but feel he could hear me doing this. The shallow conclusion came to mind because of the shuffling feet that returned towards me.

It hadn't taken long for the pair to return to my side at all, despite hurrying away so quickly. Alexander had hesitantly taken a grip of my hand through the darkness without speaking a single word. When I growled and jumped back he released a disgruntled sigh in response. I could hear him physically turning but he didn't move away from me.

"This is the only time I'm going to come back for you, Nika." He muttered, allowing me time to wrap my fingers in the back of his shirt with my right hand; a shirt I now realised was still damp with blood. I had to choke back the gag; old, drying blood was the least appetising and most nauseating smell I encountered nowadays. My free hand was keeping a flat palm on the wall to my left, a substance seeping against my skin that I couldn't bring myself to think about too hard.

"Just keep a grip on my shirt. That way I'll know where to send them to collect your body," He said through an audible smirk. I wanted to let go and succumb to the poison for the sheer inconvenience of it. But the thought of dying to something as mundane as the poison was too drastically out of my comfort zone. 'A stake to the chest and nothing less' was the motto Marianna and I tended to go by.

I swallowed this thought back and tightened my grip. I had to at least see Marianna's face before I died. She would curse my grave every chance she got if I didn't give her the courtesy of slapping me in the face before I died.

"If I had the strength to hit you, I would. I'm not going to die from something like this," I say grouchily, wincing as he lets something hard go from his grasp and it whips back to hit me in the face. I didn't have the capacity to work out what, and he alluded to nothing with brooding silence.

I allowed my fingertips to scrape against the wall of the tunnel, helping me keep my balance despite the uneasiness in my limbs. The sensation of grit coming away as my fingers passed through it and the numbing of my skin was enough to keep me conscious for now. Alexander, despite his clear contempt, was moving in a way that following behind him was significantly easier than the stumbling I'd been doing alone.

With a lack of communication, I was left to focus on where I was, focusing in on every aspect almost unwillingly. The lack of scent in the environment did nothing for the dryness forming in my mouth; what I couldn't smell was being easily replaced by the taste of dirt coating all of my tastebuds.

What made it worse was the lack of sound in this claustrophobic tunnel was stifling. So much so that the light breathing and weighted steps coming from the twins seemed thunderous in comparison. The only measurable comfort were the lulling noises Alexander was murmuring in Valentyna's direction. I had to imagine her resting and keeping energy levels high were his top priorities, second only to delivering her to the witches.

It didn't take much for the tunnel to receive light; even from far away the dots of lanterns hanging on the walls evoked a warmth. When they were in touching distance I came to realise the tunnel was slowly becoming more earthy; every so often a tree branch formed through the ground and rooted in the ceiling. With every branch a golden lantern was tied with a silver coil, rocking gently as we passed by.

They were hung with such care and precision, and not a single speck of dirt or dust lay atop the beacon of light; even the cobwebs that were strewn across the ceiling and segments of tree branches seemed to have been swept away meticulously. I didn't care to meet whoever's job that was.

The further we wandered in the tunnel the brighter it had become; lanterns being more frequently hung as tree bark sprung from the wall every few metres; the roots of these trees spawning out of nowhere, the greenery they possessed an impossible figment of nature without a trace of moisture or natural sunlight. They climbed up the wall and snuck into cracks and crevices with ease, reclaiming the territory that had been stolen from the earth by the creation of the wall in the first place.

I wasn't given time to consider the impossibility of this phenomenon, the end of the tunnel becoming clear, even through the broad shoulders of the twin ushering me along. By the time we'd cleared the entrance, my forehead was pressed firmly against his back with sweat drenching my frame despite my body being unable to produce it.

Whatever that poison was seemed to bring out more human in me before allowing me to succumb to a painful death. But that was a thought I couldn't entertain, choosing instead to focus on a wonder that gave me plenty to think about; a glorious display of forest, plant and flower intertwined together and creating a masterpiece of beauty.

At first, I thought I was imagining it; like a water source when you're trapped in a desert - my very own mirage to immerse me. Whatever it seemed to be it certainly took hold of my attention; the bright colours and strange feats doing that wonderfully.

A rhododendron-like bush blooming in the centre of an impossibly green and lush forest. Something that any mundane creature would find suspicious this far below ground. Its funnel-shaped purple and pink-hued petals were flush against the evergreen leaves that strategically littered the floor and lay high in the treetops.

Standing directly in front of this beast of a plant gave me access to an abundant smell of sweetness that filled its surroundings with effortless ease. Its intoxicating aroma was all I could think about, a warm haziness filling my mind when I attempted to look anywhere but at the plant. The blush petals were layering the ground that sheltered beneath, each one adding to the candy-like scent that only manages to hit you when you breach the room.

As I thought back, the tunnel was clear of this scent, no signs of it being known to me until my foot had cleared the first branch. When my head had tilted up to look at the ceiling, in an attempt to find the blue strokes of the sky, I found myself unable to focus; abrupt dizziness caused my head to dip to the floor unconsciously.

The twins seemed relatively at ease, Alexander walking along a stoned path that weaved between trees and around the bush. Each stone seemed to be placed with precision and care, fitting between tree branches and roots without issue and adorning the leaf-covered dirt with purpose. He walked pointedly, as though he knew exactly where to go, despite this being his first visit to the witches. I couldn't help but wonder if this knowledge had been ingrained in him and his sister before his mother passed; she could've forced them both to forget it if she was powerful enough.

The oak trees surrounding the bush weren't necessarily the tallest trees I'd ever seen but they possessed an oddly overpowering sensation to them that left me feeling almost belittled. The branches they possessed were covered in a light green, delicate moss and stretched outward, twisting into each other and forming handshakes of twig and root.

I was forced to drop my contact from the male twin, frantically clawing at the wooden bases of the trees that were littered in front of me. A lesser fool would believe they expanded for miles, but even barely conscious I could tell this was an expertly created projection. This level of craftsmanship required a generously talented pair of hands and a bountiful amount of hard-earned knowledge.

Alexander casts an endearing look down towards his sister in the brief moment he'd given himself to catch a solitary breath. As the pair entered the centre of the room, the flurry of scent and petals that had descended into the room seemed to vanish, a clearer view opening up before my eyes.

The haziness had disappeared. It was as though the forest sensed a foreign entity and had set up its own protection for outsiders, but the twins were not outsiders it seemed.

The man tiptoeing in front of me seemed much bigger than he had before, looking far more at home in front of the shimmers of pink and red around him, his blood-tinted shirt flowed in an artificial breeze that subtly flowed around the room. He was taking a second to analyse the space before him, one of his arms reaching out to feel the air as the other grasped his sister tighter.

I was forced to drop my contact from the male twin, frantically clawing at the wooden bases of the trees that were littered in front of me. A lesser fool would believe they expanded for miles, but even barely conscious I could tell this was an expertly created projection. This level of craftsmanship required a generously talented pair of hands and a bountiful amount of hard-earned knowledge.

"It's so beautiful," Valentyna had muttered softly as she gazed up at the impossibly tall canopy of trees, an illusion of the night's sky expanding across what had to be the ceiling of the cave.

"Close your eyes. You're meant to be resting," Alexander grumbles in reply, taking long strides that insisted they knew where they were going. She didn't say another word, a small smile visible on her lips.

"Start looking for an entrance, Nika. Feel around every branch until you find something useful," I had opted to listen to the twin, beginning to drag my fingertips along the wood of every tree I could get my hands on; but that action is cut off by Valentyna clearing her throat loudly.

"You don't need to. It's there. I can feel it." She whispered a hand outstretched to the smallest oak tree in our vicinity. It stood alone as the least connected tree in the room but made the same impact. As the twins stepped forward she added, "Can't you hear that odd sound? Almost like a chime?"

While Alexander had hummed in agreement I couldn't bring myself to do the same. I was stuck listening to the sounds of Alexander's feet hitting the stone slabs, the lanterns lightly tapping against their trees and the distant sound of a steady stream that sounded just out of view no matter where you stood.

The twins had managed to get the tree open by the time I'd stumbled in their direction; every bone in my body aching and every limb exhausted. By the time I'd gotten to the doorway they'd opened and had pressed my palms against the frame the twins were halfway through the impasse between this luscious forest and the darkness in front of us.

I could only assume it was darkness; because my vision was blurring far more than before but the look of wonder on their faces as they turned seemed to invalidate me. I soon realise I'm unable to move any further, a single step past the frame of the newly formed doorway all I'm allowed. I press my palms against the empty space in front of me only to feel a distinct pressure pushing back towards me.

As I do this I watch Alexander's eyes dart between my hands and eyes, analysing the situation before him. He takes a breath and reaches two fingers out to me, wrapping them around my thumb and pulling hard. Then I hear it; the faint sound she'd described earlier, a lopsided sound that fits into my right ear better than my left - a mixture of bells and hums.

Upon hearing such a noise I took the step that finally allowed me access into the small entrance. I found myself fastening my pace forward, hurrying behind the twins as we breached the large space before us.

"God... I take it back. This is beautiful," Valentyna had said under her breath, barely audible through the weakness in her voice. I'd have missed it if I wasn't tuned in on human speech. I had to agree with her, it was a witches paradise if I ever had seen one.

And I had, many times before. Though, I had to admit - it was nothing like this. It was clear to me that down here, left to their own devices, the witches had taken their creativity to new heights.

Previously, the witches were above ground, transforming old buildings into whimsical structures of fantasy... now they'd just decided to make their extraordinary creations under the ground and away from the prying eyes of the blood-thirsty. This felt like a pity to me; the beauty they created on the surface had been purposely disposed of by Central; a pointed attempt to keep people from asking about the witches at all.

When I'd watched the pieces of architectural magic torn down, I couldn't help but wonder how the witches who'd perfected them felt. The magic used to create them would've been immense, leaving those witches bed-ridden for at least a day afterwards; changing structures entirely often did that.

I had to wonder what effect the magic used to create this underground masterpiece would've had on the witches - would creating something entirely new have been worse than just changing human made projections?

What struck me first was the crevice in front of us, a deep dark pit that seemed to be endlessly reaching for the centre of the earth. The only barrier to that unknown void was a solitary fence formed of intertwined woods in various tones; birch, redwood, oak, spruce - all of which were decorated with varieties of cream flowers and firefly lanterns.

I had to admit if this cavern was the last thing I saw I could die in streaks of agony and bliss. A fitting illusion for my peril.