Welp.
To be honest, I have no heck of an idea what made me do this.
The plotbunny just wanted to draw itself in here.
It's just a small one shot for the moment, hope you like it.
The city of Hamburg, Professor Lidenbrock's home, a year later after the Saknussemm expedition.
It was a cloudy day in the old Hamburg, and Axel couldn't shake his mind off the expedition he and his uncle went through.
There was no doubt about it, the benefits of this expedition were quite a lot - his uncle published a monograph about the journey, making sure nothing important was revealed, while he was allowed to marry Grauben, his love interest and adopted niece of professor Lidenbrock. Old maid Martha couldn't be more proud of the event, while his uncle was content to just mumble his blessings for the newly wed couple - but still pleaded to the young man that he would be helping around the cabinet, after all, his collection of various minerals and rocks needed some additions!
Axel did nothing but sigh and grumble at the thought of still acting assistant around his uncle, but nevertheless, old man Lidenbrock showed that under the cold demeanor laid a great heart, full of compassion - proven enough during their feat in the center of the Earth, a thing which he was grateful for - he often wondered if his uncle would actually put aside that cold mask forever.
"Axel, my dear boy!" the old professor's voice rang through the room as he was studying another old parchment, making the former gulp a little in anticipation.
"Why did you ask for me, uncle? Your letter made it sound extremely urgent." the somewhat tall, young man said as he sat down on the chair opposite of Lidenbrock's large bureau.
"You see, dear boy, after we came back from Italy, I took great precaution to search for any clues about Saknussemm." professor Lidenbrock began in his lecturing voice, as he adjusted his glasses. "Apparently, there was a map of his itinerary towards the center of the Earth."
"And, let me guess...he destroyed it, right?" Axel said as a sigh escaped his lips. "I thought we were done with this Icelandic fellow." he added, but he was interrupted by the professor's lifted right hand.
"I've came across something interesting while searching that, for Saknussemm mentioned something about a civilization, deep buried into the underworld. And he also left a small clue, " Lidenbrock said as he carefully pulled out an old manuscript from yet another old book, and waited for Axel's reaction.
"It's quite peculiar, he didn't seem like he wanted to hide this. Nec sine nobilitas," Axel read out loud. "Nothing without nobility...Curious, what could it mean."
"It could mean that you, my boy, will be going in your first adventure. Alone." the old professor said as his eyes shined with glee.
"Aren't you coming too, uncle? Your knowledge is precious and far better than mine." his nephew said, an audible gulp rising his throat.
"I am going to accompany you only to Sneffels. We will be going at the same date we did the last expedition, and you'll be going with Hans." Lidenbrock said as a thin line formed on his lips. "I do not deny it would be dangerous, but the marks we did must've resisted well in time. May them guide you and Hans well."
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