Underneath

"Don't you ever want to go to the underground?" Norman asked Meria as he walked over to the kitchen, taking out ingredients for their upcoming supper.
Meria sat down at the worn-down wooden table of her home, it's rigged edges hooking on her dress's end. She tried to process the question that was just asked, and she groaned to herself. She sighed and looked up onto the ceiling, which was aligned with some sort of wooden bars to keep the house stable after it's many failings. Her chair was also small and not very sturdy, and every time she sat on it, it sounded like it would fall apart under her.
"Why would I? Do you have a death wish, Norman?" She said, and Norman laughed at the statement. He picked up a news article on the table behind him, stared at it for about a few seconds, and set it on the table right in front of Meria. "Read it. It's be of the most famous articles ever written."

Meria breathed in and out, and read aloud the text.

"The Underground.

We all know it's said terror. Demons, monsters, and utter hell. It's a living nightmare – no logical person would ever go there. At least, no one used to.
Jurmo, 26, ventured down into the underground's terror and came back alive, with many bringings that he said they treasured dearly and were willing to give to a traveler who happened to come down into their "hell", which is described as not a hell at all. There were jewels – rare ones at that, statues of monster-like figures, and even more.
This discovery changed everything for the world. We hope to go down once again, maybe in the near future.

-AURA News, 1106."

"It's short, but it completely changed the mindset of everyone living in that era. Soon, they all lived in harmony like families. It was beautiful, really. Wish you were there, Meria."
Meria couldn't understand what he just said at that moment. She stuttered in her words, but then made out two sentences. "Norman, you're younger than me. How could you be there before me, let alone hundreds of years ago?"
Norman stood up, coming over to Meria's side of the table, and smiled. "I can't have you telling anyone of the past alliance of monsters and humans, Meria," Norman grabbed her by the neck, throwing his leg over her body so she was completely immobilized. He whispered softly in her ear, "Monsters and humans must never be allies," before knocking her out with a thud.