Chapter 307: The World Below

The light disappeared, and for several seconds, nobody moved. The enormous pattern that had spread across the Everglades was gone, the light that had filled the sky had vanished, and even the energy linking the five regions had gone silent.

BOOOOOOOM!

The ground beneath them dropped, and Arthur’s stomach lurched. "Whoa!"

The earth fell several meters in one go, and everyone had to jump or lose their footing. Vedas caught Arthur by the arm. "Got you!"

Arthur looked down. The ground wasn’t breaking or cracking. It was sinking. An enormous section of the Everglades was descending into the earth, as if some gigantic mechanism beneath the surface had finally been released.

Trees tilted, rocks rolled down the slopes, and ancient structures began appearing between the collapsing soil.

"Everyone, move!" Athena shouted.

Mithra pulled Luna away from a falling tree, and Sun caught Kong before the little monkey could tumble down the slope. Athy shot upward, spreading her wings as she watched the ground vanish below. "What is happening?!"

"I don’t know!" Athena shouted back.

Arthur wasn’t looking at the collapsing trees. He was staring at what was rising beneath them. At first it looked like a mountain, and then a wall appeared, then a tower, then another, as the ground kept sinking and revealed structure after structure that had been buried beneath the Everglades for centuries.

His eyes slowly widened. "...No way."

The forest floor dropped another dozen meters, and the world below was revealed.

It was a city. It wasn’t a scattering of ruins in the forest, but an entire ancient civilization buried beneath the Everglades.

Massive stone roads stretched across the exposed ground, wide enough for enormous Beasts to walk side by side.

Towering temples rose from the earth, cracked near the top but still standing, and hundreds of statues lined the roads, some of humans and others of Beasts, a few so huge that their heads disappeared into the mist.

Ancient buildings crowded all the way to the horizon, some half collapsed and others almost perfectly intact beneath centuries of earth.

And beneath everything were roots, enormous roots spreading through the city like the veins of something impossibly large.

Some were thicker than buildings, and others vanished beneath the ruins and ran toward the distant horizon. But unlike the golden roots Arthur had seen in the Mirror’s vision, these were gray and lifeless, petrified and dead.

The whole group stood in silence, and even Arthur had nothing to say.

Mithra slowly lowered Dawn Sovereign. "...How long was this under us?"

Athena didn’t answer. Her eyes moved from the roads to the temples, then to the statues, and finally to the enormous roots. She took a slow breath. "This isn’t just an ancient settlement."

Luna stepped forward, looking almost as stunned as Athena. "I’ve never seen this place."

Arthur glanced at her. "Your grandfather never mentioned it?"

Luna shook her head slowly. "No. But..." She walked toward the edge of the exposed ground. "I recognize some of the architecture. He described buildings like these." She pointed at one of the distant temples. "He said the people who protected the Mirrors built their cities around them, and designed everything to survive disasters."

Sun stared at the ruins. "Your grandfather saw this?"

"No," Luna said quietly. "He never saw the city. He only had fragments."

Fragments, Arthur thought. That word described almost everything they had found in the Everglades, the Memory Crystals, the ruined roads, the ancient weapons, the Mirrors, and the records. And now a whole civilization had risen out of the earth.

He smiled faintly. "We finally found the source."

Athena looked at him. "The source of what?"

"Everything we’ve been finding." Arthur gestured across the city. "The records, the Guardians, and the World Tree."

Athena’s expression changed as she looked at the roots again. "...You’re right."

Vedas stepped closer. "So this is where they lived?"

Athena nodded slowly. "Probably. The civilization that created the barriers."

Nobody spoke. They had spent months uncovering pieces of the Everglades’ history, and now they were standing inside it.

Mithra looked at Athena. "So these people built the barriers, protected the Mirrors, and then disappeared."

"That’s what the evidence suggests," Athena said.

Sun frowned. "Then why bury the whole city?"

Athena paused. "We don’t know."

Arthur’s eyes lit up. "Then let’s find out."

Sun sighed immediately. "Of course."

Arthur started down the ancient road, and Vedas followed him, with Mithra right behind, smiling. "At this point, I don’t think anyone expected him to suggest going home."

"Neither did I," Sun muttered.

Kong gave an approving grunt and climbed onto Sun’s head.

Sun looked up. "You aren’t helping."

Kong simply pointed at the city, and Sun sighed. "Fine."

The group entered the ancient city. The road beneath their feet was enormous, and even after centuries underground, most of the stone was still intact. Golden lines ran through the pavement, some faded and others still giving off a weak glow.

Arthur crouched and brushed dirt away from one of them. "These aren’t decorations."

Athena knelt beside him, following the line with her eyes. "No. It’s a network."

"Connected to what?"

"I don’t know."

Arthur looked farther down the road and stood. "Let’s keep walking."

The deeper they went, the more the city revealed. Enormous stone arches were carved with images of Beasts, a massive serpent wrapped around a mountain, a Beast rising from the ocean, a creature wreathed in flames, and another beneath a sky full of stars.

Arthur slowed down. "These are species."

Vedas studied the carvings. "Ancient Beasts?"

"Probably." Arthur stepped closer to one of them, a Beast with enormous horns, six legs, and a body covered in patterns that looked like roots. He stared at it for several seconds. "I’ve never seen this species before."

Athena glanced at him. "You’re interested."

"Very."

Mithra laughed. "You sound happier about that than about the entire ancient civilization."

"It might be an extinct species."

"That’s exactly why I’m worried."

Arthur looked at her. "Why?"

"Because whenever you get curious about something, we usually end up running for our lives."

Arthur thought about it. "That’s not always true."

"Yes, it is," Sun said immediately.

Arthur looked offended. "You remember everything."

"I remember enough."

Vedas chuckled, and even Athena smiled faintly. For the first time since the city appeared, some of the tension eased.

Then Arthur stopped, and Mithra noticed immediately. "What?"

Arthur didn’t answer. He walked a few steps back, looked down one road, then another, and his expression slowly changed.

"Arthur?" Athena said.

He pointed. "Look at the roads."

The main road they had been following led toward the center of the city, but it wasn’t the only one.

Other enormous roads came in from the east, the north, the west, and the south, and every one of them converged on the same distant point.

The temples, the statues, and even the largest buildings all had their entrances facing inward, toward that same place, the center of the Secret Realm.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed as he turned slowly. "They’re all facing the same place."

Athena’s eyes widened as she understood. "The World Tree."

Arthur nodded.

Mithra looked toward the horizon. "But the World Tree isn’t there."

"Not that we can see," Athena said.

"Maybe it doesn’t have to be," Arthur said, his eyes fixed ahead.

"My grandfather said the World Tree was at the center," Luna said, looking at the roads.

When Arthur turned to her, she hesitated. "Not exactly. He said the ancient people believed the center of the Everglades belonged to something they called the Root of the World."

Athena’s expression sharpened. "That’s another name for the World Tree."

"Probably," Luna said.

Arthur looked back at the horizon. "So this whole civilization was built around it."

Athena nodded slowly. "Which means the World Tree wasn’t just something they worshipped. It was the center of their civilization."

A low vibration passed through the ground, and everyone stopped. The ancient roots beneath the city pulsed once, then went still.

Arthur stared down. "...Did you feel that?"

Vedas tightened his grip on King Maker. "Yes."

Mithra raised Dawn Sovereign. "Something moved."

"No," Athena said, her expression turning serious as she looked at the roots. "Something answered."

They followed the largest road deeper into the city, where the buildings grew larger and the statues more detailed, until they reached a massive temple built into the side of a stone mountain. Five circular symbols were carved above its entrance, fire, water, earth, darkness, and light.

"The Mirrors," Luna said, staring.

Beneath the symbols were five carved figures, each carrying a Mirror, but unlike the earlier statues, they weren’t standing apart. They were gathered around a gigantic tree whose branches stretched across the entire wall, with golden lines linking each of the five Mirrors to its trunk.

Arthur’s expression changed, and he stepped closer and slowly raised his hand.

Athena grabbed his wrist. "Wait."

Arthur looked at her. "What?"

"We don’t know what happens when you touch things here."

Arthur considered it. "...Fair."

Mithra smiled. "That might be the first time I’ve seen someone actually stop you."

"For now," Arthur said.

Athena sighed.

They went into the temple instead. Its interior was enormous, with pillars rising into darkness and ancient murals covering every wall.

"There’s something here," Arthur said.

"I see it," Athena said.

They moved deeper, until Luna suddenly stopped. "Wait. That."

A mural stretched across the entire chamber, and unlike the carvings outside, much of its original color had survived. The first scene showed the World Tree, beautiful and golden, its branches reaching across a bright sky while golden light flowed through its roots. Beasts gathered beneath it, humans stood beside them, and the five Mirrors surrounded the tree.

"It’s the same tree from the Fire Mirror’s vision," Athena said.

Luna stepped closer. "My grandfather described this. He said the ancient people believed the World Tree was the source of all life in the Everglades." She held her hand just above the mural without touching it. "The Beasts evolved around it, the land was nourished by it, and mana flowed through its roots."

Athena studied the image. "That would explain why the whole ecosystem is connected to the center."

Luna nodded, and then her expression changed. "Wait." She pointed farther along the mural.

The next scene was different. The World Tree had turned black, its branches twisted, and purple-black Miasma poured from its roots as Beasts ran and humans fled beneath a sky full of darkness.

Mithra’s expression hardened. "...That’s Miasma."

"Coming from the tree," Sun said, staring.

Nobody answered.

Arthur stepped closer.

The next image showed people fighting, some protecting the Mirrors and others trying to escape. The Beasts were no longer gathered peacefully around the tree. They were attacking everything, while the roots tore through buildings and Miasma covered the ground.

In the next scene, the five Mirrors were being carried away by five separate groups, each heading in a different direction, farther and farther from the tree. The final image showed the five Mirrors apart, each in its own region, with Light alone at the center.

Arthur stared at it, and he remembered the ancient Memory Crystal, the fleeing people, and the voice screaming, Separate the Mirrors!

Then something clicked, and his expression changed. "They weren’t hiding the Mirrors from each other." He pointed at the final scene. "They were separating them from the tree."

Athena’s eyes went wide, and Luna went completely still.

Mithra looked from the mural to Arthur. "You mean..."

Arthur didn’t answer. He looked at the black tree, the Miasma, the fleeing people, and the five Mirrors being carried away, and the realization settled over him. The ancient civilization hadn’t separated the Mirrors because they were afraid someone would gather them. They had separated them because something had gone wrong with the World Tree.

Athena moved closer to the mural, her voice barely above a whisper. "If the Mirrors were connected to the World Tree, then separating them would have weakened that connection."

Luna had gone pale. "My grandfather always said the barriers were protecting the Everglades."

"Maybe they were," Athena said.

"But protecting it from what?" Arthur asked.

No one answered.

A low vibration passed through the temple, and this time, everyone felt the roots beneath the floor move.

THUM.

The mural trembled, and dust drifted down from the ceiling.

THUM.

The five Mirror symbols on the wall began to glow, and Luna took a step back. "Arthur..."

The mural changed. Nothing moved physically, but the colors began to shift, and the black tree in the final scene slowly turned, its enormous branches parting. For a single instant, Arthur saw something behind it, two enormous golden eyes.

He froze, and then the image was gone, and the mural looked exactly as it had before.

Everyone stared at it, until Sun finally broke the silence. "...Did anyone else see that?"

Athena shook her head. "No."

Mithra looked at Arthur. "But you saw something."

Arthur didn’t answer right away. He was remembering the enormous Beast with golden eyes from the Fire Mirror’s vision, the one that had looked straight at him through an ancient memory. And now those same eyes had appeared behind the World Tree.

He slowly clenched his hand. "...I don’t think the story ended when they separated the Mirrors."

"No," Athena said, her expression grim as she looked at the five glowing symbols. "I think they were buying time."

The ground shook again.

Far beneath them, something enormous moved, and the whole ancient city trembled as a crack split across the temple floor and purple light leaked through it.

Luna’s compass began spinning wildly, Athena raised her weapon, and Mithra drew Dawn Sovereign as Vedas stepped in front of Arthur.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then something beneath the city made a sound. It wasn’t a roar or a growl. It sounded almost like a heartbeat.

THUM.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

THUM.

Across the Everglades, the five Mirrors answered.

THUM.

Somewhere far beyond the ancient city, something enormous was waking up, and Arthur slowly turned toward the center of the Secret Realm.

"...The World Tree."