Although Atlantis’ beauty peaked during the sunrise, the golden sunset rays reflecting off its buildings and towers came to a close second in beauty. A breathtaking sight, really, it seemed as if time slowed down in the city just as the last hours of sunlight lay before them.

Kida and Milo were perched upon a hill on the outskirts of Atlantis. From where they sat, the two could perfectly see the entire city. Kida had recommended that the two have a private meeting to discuss some matters. The more she asked Milo about the outside world, the more questions grew in her mind. She convinced herself that it was nothing more than a professional meeting, purely informational and not personal. What kind of future leader would she be if she let herself get so easily distracted? The warrior princess needed to understand this information purely for her diplomatic relationships.

Kida was standing on the hill, her arms wrapped around herself to keep warm in the chilly evening. She wasn’t going to lie to herself, though, she did enjoy the time she spent with Milo. He made her laugh and feel secure while simultaneously making her emotions bubble up within her. Physically shaking her head as if it would make her thoughts disappear, Kida returned to the small blanket on which Milo sat. “Who’s turn is it to ask the next question?” She asked him, a smile on her face.

It was no secret anymore, even the citizens were aware of the imminent downfall of their city. If the Gods could see how far we have fallen...

The princess, in her many wanderings around the crumbling city, had come upon ancient texts inscribed on the insides of a few caves. She had not the skills to read, though, and so she could only base her assumptions off the drawings next to the scripts. Kida had urged her father as much as she could, she had argued and broken as many rules as she could, but no one would listen to her. I know there’s more to this city than what we have now. The Gods wouldn’t have banished us without giving us some hope for survival. From what Kida could tell, there were two parts to Atlantis, one above the water and one below it. The were currently situated in the former; and the princess believed that if they could find the underground tunnels, maybe something from their past could save them.

She knew of a single underwater passage, in the King’s chamber. It won’t be difficult to sneak in but finding a cave under all that water is another problem. As excellent of a swimmer that Kida is, she can’t hold her breath forever. Drowning is a risk, yes, but if it means unlocking more secrets about Atlantis, Kida knew it was worth it.

The Atlantian waited until the city slept, she needed to reach the water without anyone seeing her leave; surely no one would approve of her going out on her own to explore the depth of unknown parts of their home. With the moon high in the sky, Kida plunged into the icy water of the night. Her crystal necklace lit up the water around her, a blue glow emanating all around her. So began her mission of diving as deep as her body would allow, please, Gods, let there be something down here.

The deeper she swam, the darker her surroundings seemed to become. Her necklace’s soft blue light seemed to get brighter, though, does that mean something? Am I getting closer? She knew that their crystals were the life of her people, if it was getting brighter, was it growing stronger?

With her curiosity peaked and her hopes rising, Kida pushed herself to go deeper into the depths. The Atlantian felt herself being overexerted and her muscles beginning to grow weary--it was getting difficult for her to hold her breath. Almost instantly, she realized that her loss of breath was too much. A panic began to spread through the girl’s body as she instinctively turned around and began to swim upwards. Kida cursed her stupidity in every language she knew; I get so close, so close, and then you go and drown yourself. No one would know what she did, and Atlantis would continue to go down its dark path with her gone. Her panic state of mind did not help her struggle to reach the surface: the increased heart rate made her tire even quicker.