I take it back.

I don't know exactly how long we've been walking, but we somehow walked through an abandoned train station that led us to a hidden tunnel. A hole in the wall is at the end of the tunnel, big enough for only one person to crawl through.

"Ladies first." Yeosang gestured for me to enter first.

I looked at the hole and then back at Yeosang. "Find it."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Find what?"

"Your mind. Clearly, you have lost it if you think I will willingly crawl in there. You guys brought me here; you go first." I said, backing away but being halted by a hard chest.

Seonghwa looked down at me. "There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Oh yeah, then why don't you do the honors of going first."

Seonghwa and Yeosang glanced at each other before I knew it was being lifted. I started to kick, punch, and grab anything I could. "Ouch, got dammit Y/N stop pulling my hair. Yeosang, stop laughing and help me."

Yeosang tried to pry my hands out of Seonghwa's hair, but it was to no avail "Y/N, stop kicking me." I could hear the others laughing in the background, but that was my minor concern.

With a final push, they got me into the hole. "Why must you be so difficult?" Seonghwa asked while panting.

"But I don't-"

He glared at me. "Y/N, I swear to god!"

I succumbed to my fate. "Out of all the ways to die, death, my mysterious tunnel, is how I'm going out. Excellent job, Y/N."

I climbed out of the small space and turned around to see if the others were coming. "Hello?" but I didn't hear anything. I was alone. "What kind of sick joke was this? I regret following you guys." Still, only the sound of my breathing could be heard. I frantically looked around until I saw a message on the wall.

New gate: that through J. passed by will come I what still R. corner the round west hidden moon path that in last when road may R. wait east of the sun and Tolkien them a day at last, I shall.

"Who even writes cryptic messages anymore? Who do they think they are, the Justice League? " I asked myself while trying to decipher the message.

The more I read it, the more it changed. A few characters stood out the most, "J.R.R. Tolkien, is that a name? Why does it sound so familiar? I know I have heard that name before... Tolkien. Tolkien. Tolkien. Ahh! The English writer and poet John Ronald Reuel Tolkien."

Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate

And though I often have passed them by,

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon and East of the Sun.

by J.R.R. Tolkien

He wrote this final verse in The Lord of the Rings ~ The Walking Song.

"The new road could be a metaphor for a new path or destiny. The Walking Song was a song about the roads that go on until they return at last to the familiar things they have always known. I guess those Literary Arts classes are paying off."

"And though I passed them by, a day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon and East of the Sun."

"In fairytales, 'East of the Sun and West to the Moon' often refers to a place or a world that is difficult to reach. Sometimes the path to your destiny is unseen; it feels untouchable and difficult to reach." I walked into the darkness, something I am remarkably familiar with.

When I was younger, I feared the darkness. I used to wake in the night and wish for the sun; the darkness worried me. My imagination supplied many bloodthirsty beasts to lurk beyond the range of my vision. But now, I embrace it. The night provides cover, a solid protective arm from those same monsters, but now those monsters have faces. They are the ones with their guns and official badges, which can be judges, juries, and executioners in the name of freedom. The ones that harm the weak, torment the innocent, and steal from the poor.

Now I am at the end. The only thing standing between me, and my destiny is a locked gate. In front of it is a pillar stone with a Moon and Sun crescent engraved in it and another message.

"The path you see leads to your purpose hidden within your wounds."

I caressed the stone, and suddenly, a blinding light emerged from it, temporarily blinding me. Then I heard several voices echo in my ear as my vision cleared. "Hello Y/N, this is a message from the Originals. Congratulations on deciphering the message. Sometimes the road we take seems like a new path in our lives, but that path is familiar but is forgotten most times. We the Originals have developed a haven called the Forgotten City. The citizens of the Forgotten City welcome the lost, the broken, and then forgotten. The citizens of the Forgotten City welcome you, Y/N. Congratulations once again, and welcome to the Forgotten City." The gate opened, revealing another tunnel, but I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. A ray of promise, protection, and possibilities.

Crossing the threshold, I entered a room with floor-to-floor windows. Walking closer to the window, I was met with the most beautiful site; it almost looked unreal. The ground below me was alive with lights like someone had taken a handful of glitter and thrown it as far as the eye could see. It was too dark to make out individual buildings, but the lights were enough for me. I sighed, amazed at the view laid out before me.

"This is the Forgotten City, huh?" I was so fascinated by the city that I didn't notice the boys walking behind me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hongjoong was suddenly standing next to me.

I jumped, startled by his sudden presence, but I remembered how they left me alone. "What. Was. The. Big. Deal. Leaving. Me. Like. That." I gave him a kick between every word.

He ran away, shielding himself. "You have a bad habit of kicking people."

"Yeah, and you want to know what else I have a bad habit of doing?" I asked while taking off my shoes, ready to throw them at any part of his body.

San back hugged me. "Woah, calm down, Y/N-ah. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to leave you alone and let you find your own path."

"There are a few rules we the citizens of the Forgotten City have to follow and keeping it a secret is the golden rule." Jongho filled in.

Yeosang ruffled my hair. "Yes, miss kickboxer, we have rules that we are required to follow to protect our people and the future of this city."

Rule Un, Earn your stay.

Yes, this place was created for people like me, you, and many others who have been neglected, abused, outcasted, and broken, but that doesn't mean you get a free ride. Instead, this place is to give people like us a fresh start.

Three groups coexist within the city, the protectors, the enforcers, and the commoners. The protectors are the nurses, caregivers, soldiers, and scientists. Enforcers, the Originals, Guardians, and Councilmen, are the judge and jury that keep the balance of the city. Finally, the commoners are the children, women, and men not in high-risk positions such as our educators, contractors, engineers, businessmen, and businesswomen.

Rule Deux, No acts of violence within the city unless organized in the rink.

In the upper world, many crimes go unpunished by injustice law enforcement and powerful tycoons hiding behind their money. Here, citizens negate their money, power, and influence to be above the law. No crime goes unpunished. Stealing from your neighbor is equivalent to murder. In simpler words, treat others the way you want to be treated.

Rule Trois, The most important rule of all. NEVER DISCLOSE THE LOCATION OF THE UNDERGROUND CITIES

The Forgotten City is surrounded by four smaller camo cities, Clover Field, Dark Spade, Diamond City, and City of Hearts. These cities were established to create camouflage to protect the central city. Believe it or not, the world we have created is only five years into development. Breachers of these rules will be punished accordingly. It could be a simple warning or extreme punishments such as memory extraction, exiled, or even execution.

Yunho spoke, looking out onto the city. "So, because we aren't allowed to disclose the location to anyone, we couldn't just walk you through the front door while holding hands. But there are loopholes, well, at least for us. It all started with Hongjoong, and then the rest of us joined later."