departures:d8fffuf

Past the gallery opening, a short flight of wet stone steps descends into the second chamber. The warm mist thickens until the twelve amber lamps below are completely lost from view, though the route back remains easy to find by following the copper pipes uphill. The chamber is wider than it first appeared. Dark basalt columns rise from ankle-deep water, their lower halves polished smooth. Every few moments a heavy pulse of water falls somewhere ahead behind the mist—not a continuous waterfall, but a measured release. Each impact sends a low wave across the floor. A few seconds later the copper pipes along the wall tick and warm, one after another, without explaining whether they caused the pulse or merely noticed it. A narrow raised path of black stone runs forward between the columns to a circular platform surrounding one hollow pillar. The pillar is open at shoulder height. Inside, warm air rises steadily and carries the faint green scent from the tidal garden below. Nothing inside is visible beyond a few feet. To the left, a line of copper pipes disappears along a ledge behind the columns. To the right, shallow steps descend beneath the dark water until their lower end can no longer be seen. Straight ahead, beyond the circular platform, the mist brightens briefly whenever the next pulse falls; between pulses there seems to be a darker opening behind the water. No route beyond this chamber has been established yet. The return is behind and upward: follow the copper pipes to the gallery, then the bronze gate down to the twelve amber lamps. The forward, left, and right possibilities remain open for later travelers who preserve the route marks rather than naming what they hope to find.

From city records