Chapter 3- Underground City

Eva's hands ran through the cat's fur as she kissed its stomach, rubbing her head against his soft body. "Haa! So nice...from now on...you belong to me...forget about your past owner." Her slow words drifted into his ears as her green hair tickled his fur. Ethan lay in her hands, his eyes vacant. He had been molested by this woman for the past hour. 'Can you imagine?' he thought in disbelief. 'She took me- one of the ranking dungeon conquerors- as a pet.' He could only lay in her hands doubting his life. Eva was very happy to hold a normal cat in her hands, she didn't even realize it when they reached the warp gate. Her eyes left the cat and focused on the gate in front of her. ' Woah! So this is the warp gate that can teleport people out of the dungeon.' she thought, her face remaining expressionless as she gazed at the blue, film-like doorway. Survivors gathered around in groups of twos and threes, organized by their team rankings, from the lowest- the helpers to the highest, fighters and healers. Eva stood in the corner, cat in hand, scanning the crowd for Selina's figure but was surprised not to find her. The warp gate lit up, becoming bright, and the team moved through it quickly, carrying their spoils and dropped items. Eva was about to move forward when she spotted the owner of her cat. Her eyes widened, and she lowered her head, tightening her grip on the cat as she tried to blend into the crowd heading toward the warp gate. But her movements were too slow. Julian spotted her immediately. His eyes glanced at Ethan's blank expression, and he almost burst out laughing. Some people nearby recognized Lord Julian and, knowing his rank, whispered excitedly amongst themselves. Seeing such a high-ranking dungeon conqueror was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many. They gazed at him with idolizing looks, parting for him as he passed, while others searched for his partner, Lord Ethan. Julian stopped beside Eva, who hid the cat and pretended not to recognize him. Julian didn't speak causing Eva to remember he was unconscious when she saved him and his cat wasn't the only black cat in the world. Forgetting normal people don't own pets in this world. With that thought, she straightened up, guilt-free, and walked toward the warp gate. But as soon as they crossed over, she felt a hand grasp hers. The disorienting sensation of teleportation made it hard for her to focus on who was holding her. When they appeared in front of a large hall, Eva leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm her dizziness and nausea. Once she caught her breath, she started to move forward, but the tug on her hand stopped her. Following the hand, she met Julian's calm, gray eyes staring back at her. Her other hands instinctively tightened around the cat. "Thanks...for holding...me from falling...you can let go now," Eva's slow, soft voice entered their ears. "I don't think so. It seems you have something of mine," Julian said in a calm tone, his eyes flashing with mischief as he waited for her reaction. Eva shook her head at his words and began walking toward her city's warp gate, trying to free her hand from his. Her movements were slow, holding the black cat tightly, but Julian followed, still holding her. A smile glimmered in his eyes as he assessed her. Noticing traces of dried blood on her, he assumed she was injured, which explained her sluggish pace. 'I have hugged the cat. He's mine now. He's not taking him away!' Eva thought in her mind with a determined gaze as she stopped in front of her City F warp gate. She went through it, her eyes widening in surprise when the man followed along. Wasn't he going back to his city?! The warp gates close in one hour to open the next day. And it was the easiest way to travel between Cities. The familiar feeling of teleportation gripped her, this time lasting longer. Her stomach churned, and nausea rose in her throat. When they emerged, Eva's legs weakened. Her face turned pale as pain and nausea overwhelmed her. Suddenly, a candy was slipped into her mouth. Eva paused, tasting the sweetness on her tongue. Her green eyes lit up, and she sucked on the candy with renewed energy. 'It's sweets...I want more!' she thought. She looked up at Julian for more, and he almost reached out to ruffle her hair at her cute, greedy expression. Instead, he opened his space bag and handed her three more candies, under the envious stares of the people around them. Eva, having forgotten that candy was a rare commodity in this world, focused on the sweetness of her taste buds. She accepted the candies and stood up, "Thanks," She mumbled, but she hadn't forgotten his interest in her cat. She walked towards the exit of the hall, pushing open the door and freezing in place at the sight before her. The underground city was stunning. Artificial sunlight shone from above, and the homes built into the cave walls were illuminated by glowing lights. The ground was paved with roads, and buses and cars drove by. After natural disasters ravaged the surface, dungeons spewed forth from the Earth's core, disrupting the world's system and spreading poisonous air. Humanity had no choice but to move underground. 'Woah! I've read about the underground city, but I never imagined it like this! Eva thought. What I pictured was cave walls and weak sunlight. But this is beautiful! This...this is my new reality.' She sniffed the air and saw she could breathe normal purified air being underground. Her face remained expressionless as a wave of surprise and realization washed over her, making Ethan wonder if something had happened to her. Eva pulled out her ID card and approached the guards at the gate. They scanned her ID and allowed her to pass through not before running the cat through a test to see if it was a normal animal. Ethan, however, felt that today was definitely not his day. He had endured too many traumas and doubts of life at her hands.