He wore black clothing.

  The color that signified a criminal.

  The most conspicuous color in the City of Light.

  Thin plastic handcuffs bound his wrists, and at his feet lay a lantern and a vial of pills.

  A magnesium alloy-based battery.

  Readily available, yet heat-resistant and stable.

  Cheap energy suitable for the underground environment.

  He looked back at the city one last time.

  Cubic buildings arranged neatly within hexagonal grids.

  Each corner smoothly finished, the outer walls white as snow.

  Not a single flaw anywhere.

  Every structure had light-reflecting elements attached, and walls were inscribed with phrases like "Light is Order."

  Citizens wore white uniforms and moved in lines.

  Their steps were measured, their voices absent.

  They traced only predetermined orbits, like light revolving around the Prism. Order. Efficiency. Expressionless.

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  Elion pressed his lips together.

  It was bitter.

  And, he was afraid.

  The city outskirts, the boundary of light. There, the illumination wavered.

  The light sources weakened,

  and the shadows of buildings stretched long across the walls. The Religious Police went no further.

  They did not follow him beyond. He was placed in an unmanned escort drone.

  The interior was narrow and cold.

  His back and arms touched the metal frame,

  and no sound existed around him. The drone departed. Light gradually diminished.

  The ceiling's reflective panels disappeared, the floor's guiding light beams severed.

  Now only a small lamp at the front of the drone illuminated the space.

  Elion opened his eyes, but his eyes no longer provided information. Darkness.

  What he had longed for daily, the freedom he wanted to believe in.

  But now, it was an immense silence,

  like a formless monster devouring his vision.

  Hiss.

  The drone stopped.

  Before a massive iron door. The door opened.

  No mechanical sound.

  From inside came a rush of odors.

  Mold, damp, the stale air of rotting metal and mud.

  He took a step. The ground beneath was hard and slippery.

  Cold moisture. Damp stone.

  The drone turned back as soon as it released him.

  The iron door slowly closed.

  Grrrk—

  The final light filtered through the gap in the iron door.

  And then, even that vanished.

  Now he had no light, no people, no path.

  For the first time,

  he was alone in genuine darkness.