Iya and Kal went through the door that was next to the map. The red door led to stairs that went down to the emergency escape route. They had no idea what to expect and the last place they should be going was underground. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Iya and Kal were shocked to what was down there. The underground emergency level was a huge metal cylinder tunnel that reached throughout the city. The main water supply was a canal, it was really long but narrow with two large ends. There were also four other small canals that were attached the main one. They looked like they led to other parts of the city. Either way all streams eventually led out to Corra’s largest ocean. Iya and Kal were shocked because the rumbling wasn’t as bad down there. They looked around and felt a little relieved they had extra time to figure out there route before diving into the water. There were boats floating in the stream but were no use to them now since the water level was rising. There really wasn’t many options but they knew there had to be a way out.

Iya wanted to get a further look and walked to the edge of the brick platform. The platform was big and spacious, easy to move around before reaching the water. There wasn’t much on the platform but stacks of wood pallets and pieces of broken boats. It looked like no one had been down there for a while. To her left, the large tunnel it was completely dark. That way led to the inner city and the opposite direction where they needed to be. Iya looked to her right and can see the light shining through the entrance but had huge rocks and boulders blocking the way out. That would have been a straight path to the ocean. They’re only options now were the four little canals. Iya wasn’t sure about them until she saw light shining on the water in the third canal. When she saw the light it made her more optimistic, “That’s what I’m talking about! Kal look! I think I found our way out.” Kal was scanning the walls when Iya called for his attention. He turned around and nodded in agreement.

“I found something too. It seems to be some kind of underwater gear. There’s an air bag it looks like, you suck the air out of this tube. The other one hanging up has a hole so it’s no good. I also found this propeller it has handles on the side, I think this helps you move through the water.”

“Perfect we’re almost ready to go.” Iya said to Kal while basically running in circles around him. Kal followed her around looking a little confused.

“What are you looking for?” Kal had to quickly move around to keep his eyes on Iya because she was moving around so quickly.

“Rope… If we can tied ourselves together we’ll both have a better chance of surviving. Now come on, help me find some good rope.”

Kal nodded but didn’t move around as fast as Iya was. All he kept thinking about was the water. He had a real fear of water ever since he was a little boy. He almost drowned and he’s had PTSD from it since. Just the thought of him having to go underwater made Kal feel scared and hopeless. Kal closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths to relax his nerves. When he opened up his eyes, he turned to look at Iya. She was untying the strings in the back of the maids dress the best she could. Iya pulled the dress down from the front and wiggled it down her hips. Iya had on a black matching bra and panties for the occasion and attire. The straps were specially made with leather and strong elastic cloth stitched to it. The whole time, not even realizing it, Kal was mesmerized looking at how beautiful she was. It distracted his nerves seeing Iya’s curvy body. She had a beautiful hour glass shape figure. A small fit waist with thick thighs and a nice round backside. Her light tan skin color reflected off the water allowing Kal to see the front of her body as well. As she stood in front of the glowing water, she took a tie that was wrapped around her wrist and tied up her brown locks into a bun. Kal quickly snapped out of his stare and shook his head. This is not the time, he thought.

Iya found rope and was waving it around in excitement. The both of them could hear the rocks and crumble hitting the metal cylinder. Iya looked up and said, “We got really lucky with this cylinder being fortified with metal like that. Otherwise this whole underground tunnel would have collapsed.” Iya’s words made Kal look up as well, but was quickly reminded that this was only the beginning. They still had to escape the tunnel.

Iya walked over to Kal and noticed he looked a little weird. “Hey… Hey…” Iya grabbed Kal by his face and stood right in front of him. She looked at him in the eyes while holding his cheeks, “We’re going to make it out of here, ok. This is NOT our ending. The third canal should take us where we need to be and the map we found down here is perfect.” Iya held up the map that was hanging on the wall down above the air bags, “The Corrans really liked maps don’t they? Any way if we follow the third canal out, there are two air pockets along the way. We’ll take the last air bag for when we get out into the open ocean. Since there’s only one working we’ll have to share it. The rope is so we stay together and the propeller will help us move a lot faster through the water than swimming. It’s all going to work out. We don’t have much time left.” Iya let go a Kal’s face after explaining the plan. It made Kal feel little better but secretly deep down didn’t feel as optimistic about surviving as Iya did.

For as long as Kal could remember he’s always had a ‘thing’ for Iya. He’s never thought about saying anything to her because well… she’s his Commander and he, her Captain. As much as he would love to tell her how much he feels about her, it’s forbidden for the Commander and Captain of the Sagen army to have an intimate relationship. Usually Kal can keep his feelings at bay but at this moment, all he could think about was the possibility of never seeing Iya again.

Iya took the rope in her hands and stood close to Kal to wrap the rope around his waist twice. While she was wrapping the rope around him, Kal didn’t take his eyes off of her. He had a serious look on his face. She looked up at him meeting his gaze. She knew he was looking at her like that because he was unsure they’ll make it, despite her little pep talk. Kal opened his mouth to utter is confession, “Iya, there’s something I’ve always wanted to tell you…”

Iya looked at him matching his serious look, “NO! NO goodbyes Kal! We’re going to make it…”

“Iya please…”

“Kal? Whenever it is you can tell me on the beach, where we will be soon, waiting for Amos and Surra to find us… I know how you feel Kal and I’m scared too. I can’t do this without you…”

Kal looked at Iya in eyes then down at her lips. Every ounce of his being just wanted to grab her and kiss her before they jumped in the water. All Kal knew was he’d deeply regret not telling her the truth if something happened to either of them, at that moment the law didn’t matter. What they were attempting to do was definitely a fifty, fifty chance they would make it. Mentally, Kal felt ashamed for giving up so quickly. Water was Kal’s weakness, his Achilles’ heel, but he found his strength being with Iya.

Iya and Kal were ready to leave the tunnel. The loud clinking against the metal frame of the tunnel started to pick up and getting louder. They both looked up as the noise was getting more frequent, they knew they didn’t have much time. Iya stood on the edge of the stone platform, looking down to see how deep the canal was getting. Rocks and debris were coming through somewhere because the waves were getting high. Some of the waves started splashing on the platform, flooding the remaining areas that weren’t underwater. If Iya and Kal were going to do this it was now or never.

Iya and Kal stood on the edge of the platform together. Iya grabbed Kal’s hand and the propeller with the other. With some of the extra rope, Iya tied the propeller to her hand. Neither of them knew what to expect and there was no room for taking any chances. Holding hands, Iya and Kal looked at each other, took a big breath and jumped into the water. They swam through the rough waters over to the third canal. Before going through the smaller canal, Iya stopped at the entrance putting her hand up on the wall. She looked at Kal as he floated beside her and said, “You ready?” Kal nodded in agreement. There was no other choice but to be ready.

Iya and Kal dived underwater through the semi lit canal. The propeller helped guide them through the mucky water. The canal was narrow but wide enough to fit a boat through. Through the foggy green water, Iya could see light beaming through to one corner. That has to be the air pocket, she thought. She turned to propeller upward to the light to towards a perfect circle opening. Kal popped up after, inhaling deeply trying to catch his breath. The air pocket was a small circle, Kal and Iya were really close to each other in the pocket, their foreheads almost touched. Iya looked at Kal as he spitting out and water, “One more air pocket then open ocean…” Still inhaling deeply, Kal nodded at the plan. They began preparing again for another dive. After taking another deep breath they both plunged back into the water. Iya using the propeller in front of her, gliding through the canal seemed easy until the quakes started shaking everything around them. Small to medium size rocks started falling in the canal causing the water to become even foggier. The canal was coming apart, Iya and Kal started picking up speed to the next air pocket before it collapsed.

Iya could see only a small beam of light shining through the water to the other air pocket. The air pocket was collapsing along with the rest of the canal. She quickly kicked her feet towards the beam and stuck her hand through the small circle first. Iya was worried that rocks would be coming through the air pocket. When she put her hand through the air pocket, she could feel layers of rocks. The air pocket had collapsed but the rocks didn’t completely come through, allowing a small pocket of air to stay. Iya just poked her face of the water, just enough to get some air. She went back down to allow Kal to get some air too. They couldn’t stay long, the canal wasn’t going to stay whole much longer.

Iya and Kal were almost out of the narrow canal when Kal noticed it was collapsing behind them. Even through the foggy mucky waters he could see the large rocks sinking, making it completely dark. Iya quickly turned around to see what was going on also. Scared of being crushed, they both started swimming like there was no tomorrow. Just as the rocks caught up to them, Kal and Iya shot out of the canal just on time.

Thinking they were safe now, Iya relaxed her grip around the propeller and held it with one hand. Iya looked behind her to see if Kal was close by. The open oceans on Corra were just as foggy as the canal. Taking completely by surprised a very large whale swam by scared from the rumbling. The force of the whale swimming by so close to them, made Iya and Kal spin out of control. The rope that held them together snapped in all the commotion. Kal held on the last air bag tight for that was their only air supply until they reached the surface. Once Kal stopped spinning out of control, he tried to find Iya in the water but everything was too foggy to see. He sucked in some of the air in the airbag and made his way up to the surface. He thought Iya must have already made her way up.

When the whale passed by Iya she felt the animal’s force more than Kal. The propeller got a boost from the extra water being pushed through and pulled Iya further into the ocean. Her hand was tied around the propeller still so she couldn’t let go of it. Almost losing consciousness from not having air, Iya managed to pull her other hand to the propeller. She pulled it upward facing the surface hoping she had enough time to still make it. Iya could see the sun shining through the water as she got closer to the surface. She was trying her hardest to hold on and not give in to the eager to inhale. Her chest was burning like fire from the lack of oxygen and her eyes became heavy. Everything around her became completely dark.

When Kal awoke he was surprised and happy to be feeling the sand on his hands. There large trees bunched together towards further away. Kal ended up on one of the beaches outside the palace walls. Wild brush and sand hills surrounded the trees making it full of green life. Kal turned around to his back, looking up to the sky he was still breathing deeply. A second later, he sprung up panicking to where Iya was. He didn’t see her right away. Kal got up and started running along the beach line screaming out her name, “Iya! Iya where are you?!” He looked for a good few minutes until… he found her faced down on the beach not moving. The waves on the ocean hit against Iya’s lifeless body, making her rock back and forth. When he saw Iya faceddown, he immediately started sprinting towards her.

Kal quickly grabbed Iya out of the water and turned her around. Her face was covered in sand and mud. Kal tried to wipe her face with his hand the best he could to see. Iya’s lips were turning blue and purple and little blue under her eyes. Kal knew she was drowning. In a panic, Kal put his ear to her chest and could hear nothing. He started shaking her and screaming her name, “Iya! Get up! Shit come on, this can’t be happening. What do I do?” Kal remembered seeing a medic one time perform a breathing technique that brought someone back from drowning. Kal had to try, he told himself I could do this… He shifted Iya’s body to lay flat straight on her back. He tilted her chin upward making her face straight, afterwards he took two big deep breaths and breathed into Iya’s mouth. Kal sat up and put both of his hands together in a crisscross than placed them between her breasts on her chest. Just like he saw the medic do, Kal pushed down a few times trying to pump the water out of her chest. He did this process a few times but with no reaction. Kal kept trying and trying until he got tired and weak from the breathing and pumping on her chest.

Kal looked down at Iya’s lifeless body and began to sob because he couldn’t revive her. He started screaming a loud in frustration because he didn’t know what to do. He put his head down on Iya’s stomach. He didn’t know whether to keep trying to revive her or face the fact that she could be dead. Death was not an option for Kalvanius, he knew Iya was in there somewhere. He sat up straight and made his decision, “NO Iya! This is not our ending remember?! Get up! You can’t be dead… this is not happening. As selfish as it sounds you can’t die on me. I need you more than you think… I’m… I’m in love with you Iya.” Kal raised his hand above his head, “SO GET UP! This is not our ENDING!” Kal balled his fist and slammed it down hard like a hammer on Iya’s chest, square in the middle between her breasts. The force of the punch was enough to push the water out. Iya sprung up quickly with her eyes wide open and began throwing up the water that was trapped inside her.

Kal was just as shocked to see Iya spring up as Iya was to be alive. She leaned back gasping for air. Before she hit the sand, Kal caught her in his arms. He cupped his forearm under her neck for support and wrapped his other arm around her. Iya was so happy to be looking at Kal after all they had just went through. She looked over to Kal and gave him a slight smile, “We made it… not our ending” Iya said in a soft voice. Kal looked at Iya a little surprised. Did she hear everything I said, he thought. He returned the smile and gave her a hug in relief. Kal held Iya tight and snug for a few seconds. When he loosened his grip, he kissed Iya twice on the cheek. Iya turned and look at Kal. He slowly turned his head meeting her gaze, his lips was inches away from hers. Kal slowly moved in closer touching Iya’s nose with his nose. He tilted his head and slowly kissed Iya on her lips.

This was Iya’s first kiss ever, it was soft and gentle. Iya leaned more into the kiss putting her hand on Kal’s face. Feeling her touch, Kal squeezed her body in his arms more snug and tight. The kiss was passionate. They enjoyed every second as they got comfortable lip-locked. The pace started to get faster, harder and more intense. They wanted one another so bad. This was the moment both Kal and Iya was waiting for.

Iya let go from the kiss first. Breathing deeply she took her fingers and placed them on her lips. She smiled and bit her lower lip as she laid her forehead onto his. Kal was getting too excited anyway, he definitely needed to slow down. It was becoming noticeable, so to speak. They both sat up and stayed close to each other. Living in the moment, they knew what just happened wasn’t allowed. It would be their secret.

Moments later, they saw the Sagen carrier flying above their heads and they were relieved to be rescued. Surra came running around the brush towards them. Kal and Iya took their last few moments alone together and stood up briefly holding hands. Once they let go, it was back to the norm of Sage rules and law. Kal looked over at Iya and Iya did the same. They gave each other a look like they didn’t want that moment to end. A relationship between them was forbidden. At that moment, none of that mattered to them. They were happy to be alive and there together. However, acting like that moment didn’t happen was going to be the tricky part.

Once they returned to Sage, there was a huge celebration for Iya and Sagen Army success. Thousands of Sagens from each continent came to see the initiation of the new Commander. Iya will receive her full crown. Her crown is made of two pieces that connect together to make her infamous golden crown only the Commander wore. Iya’s story made history, for no other Commander before her ever done what she has achieved on her first mission.

King Jaron stood on the balcony in front of the gardens in the palace. Artemis who was especially happy for his son gave Kalvanius his Captain’s badge. His badge would symbolize he was the next highest ranking member of the army. It was round and silver, the badge attached to Kal’s custom made armor. The different patterns on the armors symbolized the ranks and their position. As the king made his way to the end of the balcony where the podium stood, he approached Iya and placed his hand on her shoulder. He knelt down to whisper in his daughter's ear, "Your mother would be so proud of you. Know that she is with us no matter where she is. I'm proud of you too, baby girl." King Jaron gave Iya a big smile before walking up to the podium.

The Sagen people had no idea that this new Commander would bring about change to the whole Sagen way of life forever. This was just the beginning...