Chapter 368: Grandpa

"Grandfather?"

Luna stared at the sealed stone door, afraid that even breathing too loudly might make the voice disappear.

For several seconds, nothing answered. Then came a faint scraping sound from the other side, followed by a weak cough.

"Luna... is that really you?"

Her heart lurched.

She took a step forward, then another, her eyes fixed on the branching-root symbol carved into the door. The voice had been faint, but she knew it. She had heard it in her memories, in the recordings left behind, and in the few moments she had allowed herself to imagine what she would say if she ever found him again.

"Grandfather! I’m here!"

She rushed toward the door.

"Luna, wait!" Arthur caught her by the arm before she could reach it. "We don’t know what’s on the other side yet."

"But that’s his voice!"

"I heard it too. That doesn’t mean the chamber is safe."

Luna turned toward him, panic and hope fighting across her face. "What if he can’t wait? What if something happens to him before we open it?"

"Then we need to make sure opening the door doesn’t make things worse," Vedas said firmly.

He moved beside Arthur and examined the stone frame. Thin lines of dark corruption crawled between the roots carved into its surface. They pulsed in an irregular rhythm, sometimes brightening before fading again.

Vedas placed his hand near the frame without touching the corrupted markings.

"The structure is unstable. There’s still energy circulating through it, but the flow keeps breaking apart."

"Can you tell whether it’s dangerous?" Arthur asked.

"Not precisely. I can tell that forcing it open would be a terrible idea."

Kong climbed down from Vedas’s shoulder and peered at the door. His small face scrunched up as he studied the markings.

"So, we’re standing in front of a dangerous door, and there’s probably someone hungry behind it," he said. "This place really knows how to welcome guests."

Melo gave him a sideways glance. "Must you think about food at a time like this?"

"I can think about two things at once."

"Impressive. One of them is even occasionally useful."

"Hey!"

Despite their bickering, neither of them moved away. Melo’s usual teasing expression had softened, and he kept glancing at Luna as though worried that her hope might shatter at any moment.

Athy stepped closer to the wall, studying the root patterns with narrowed eyes.

"The corruption isn’t spreading outward from the door," she observed. "It’s concentrated around the damaged connections. Whatever is inside, the chamber was designed to isolate it from the rest of the network."

Arthur nodded. "Then the seal might be protecting the person inside rather than imprisoning them."

"That’s my guess," Athy replied. "But I wouldn’t recommend testing it with someone’s face."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good. I would hate to explain that decision to everyone later."

Behind them, Eden slowly approached. She still looked tired from her earlier use of Future Manifestation, so Arthur raised a hand before she could do anything.

"Don’t push yourself. Just tell us what you can sense."

Eden closed her eyes.

For a moment, the chamber remained silent. Then the faint rhythm beneath their feet changed.

"The World Tree is responding to Luna," Eden said. "The connection recognizes her presence. It’s trying to reach the sealed chamber, but the damaged roots are preventing the energy from flowing properly."

Luna looked at her. "Can it open the door?"

"Perhaps. We need to let the connection stabilize first."

Arthur examined the branching-root symbol again. Unlike the corrupted lines surrounding it, its center remained faintly illuminated.

"Then we won’t force it," he decided. "Everyone, step back from the entrance. Vedas, watch the frame. Eden, guide the connection if you can do so safely."

Vedas nodded and moved into position. Arthur guided Luna several steps away from the door, though he did not release her arm until she stopped trying to move forward.

"I know you want to see him," he said quietly. "We’re going to open it. We just need to make sure you can actually reach him afterward."

Luna swallowed and nodded.

"I understand."

Her fingers were trembling.

Arthur pretended not to notice.

Eden placed both hands against the stone wall beside the entrance. She did not use Future Manifestation. Instead, she focused on the faint circulation that remained in the damaged roots, carefully following the path that connected the chamber to the World Tree.

A thin golden light appeared beneath her palms.

The light traveled through the carved branches, illuminating one line after another. Several markings flickered and went dark, but the central symbol remained bright.

Then the door shuddered.

Luna held her breath.

A deep grinding sound echoed through the underground chamber as ancient mechanisms began to move. Dust fell from the ceiling. The corrupted lines around the entrance tightened, their dark glow fading as the World Tree’s energy passed through the remaining connections.

"It’s working," Eden whispered. "The network is recognizing the seal’s original purpose."

The door shifted outward by a fraction.

Arthur immediately stepped between Luna and the entrance. Vedas braced himself beside the frame, ready to respond if the structure collapsed.

"Slowly," Arthur warned.

The door moved again.

This time, it opened far enough to reveal a narrow gap. Cold air drifted out, carrying the smell of old stone, dried leaves, and something faintly medicinal.

There was no sudden burst of corruption. No hostile energy rushed toward them.

Instead, a weak voice came from the darkness.

"Luna?"

She stopped breathing.

Arthur glanced at Vedas. After a brief inspection, Vedas gave him a small nod.

"The entrance is stable for now."

Arthur turned toward Luna. "Stay close. We don’t know how much strength he has left."

She nodded quickly and moved through the opening.

The chamber beyond was larger than they had expected. Its walls were covered in old records, diagrams, and faded markings that described the village’s root network. At the center stood a circular platform connected to several thick roots descending through the floor.

A faint golden barrier surrounded the platform.

And inside it stood an old man.

His clothes were worn and stained, while his gray hair had grown long enough to fall across his shoulders. One hand rested against a wooden staff, and the other was pressed against the platform to support his weight. Dark veins traced parts of his forearm, but the corruption had faded around his chest and neck.

He looked exhausted.

He also looked unmistakably familiar.

Luna’s legs suddenly felt weak.

The old man lifted his head. His eyes moved across the group before settling on her face.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

Then his lips parted.

"Luna?"

She couldn’t answer.

She had imagined finding an empty house. She had imagined discovering another record, another explanation, another clue that would send her farther away. She had even prepared herself to accept that the voice might have been an echo left behind by the damaged network.

She had never prepared herself for this.

Her grandfather was standing in front of her.

Alive.

His expression changed as he looked at her more carefully. Confusion gave way to disbelief, and then his eyes widened.

"Little Luna?"

That was enough.

"Grandfather!"

She rushed across the chamber.

Arthur started to reach for her, but stopped when he saw that the platform remained stable. Luna crossed the last few steps and threw her arms around the old man, nearly knocking the staff from his hand.

Her grandfather staggered.

He caught her anyway.

For one terrible instant, Luna was afraid that he might collapse beneath her weight. Then his arms tightened around her shoulders, and he held her as though letting go would mean losing her all over again.

"Luna," he whispered.

She buried her face against his chest.

"You’re alive. You’re really alive."

Her voice broke.

"I thought... I thought I would never see you again."

Her grandfather closed his eyes. His hand trembled as he stroked the back of her head.

"I’m sorry."

He tried to say more, but the words caught in his throat.

"I’m so sorry, little one."

Luna shook her head, clinging to him more tightly.

"I looked everywhere. I followed your records, and I came here, but the village was destroyed. Everyone was covered in corruption, and I didn’t know if anyone had survived."

"I know."

"You left so many records, but you never said where you were. I thought I had arrived too late."

"I know," he repeated, his voice thick with regret. "I wanted to leave. I wanted to come back for you more than anything."

He drew a shaky breath.

"But the root network was collapsing. The corruption had already reached the village, and the protective field was the only thing keeping the villagers’ life energy from being consumed completely. If I abandoned the chamber, the field would have failed."

"So you stayed?"

"I stayed."

He lowered his head until his forehead rested against hers.

"I thought I could stabilize the connection and return once the danger had passed. But the damage spread faster than I expected. Every time I tried to leave, the field weakened. I couldn’t abandon them, Luna. I couldn’t watch everyone disappear when there was still a chance to save them."

His arms tightened around her.

"I thought I had failed you. I couldn’t protect our home, and I couldn’t return to the only family I had left."

Luna’s tears soaked into his old clothes.

"You didn’t fail me."

She pulled back just enough to look at him.

"You didn’t fail me, Grandpa."

For the first time since they had entered the chamber, her grandfather’s expression crumpled. He drew her close again, holding her while she cried against him.

The others remained silent.

Even Sun, who had spent the journey making grand declarations about their strength and heroic purpose, stood quietly near the entrance. His usual theatrical confidence had faded, leaving him watching the reunion with an expression that was almost solemn.

Mithra lowered her gaze, giving Luna the privacy she needed. Vedas stepped away from the platform to check the surrounding roots, deliberately turning his attention elsewhere.

Athy quietly examined the records on the walls, though she made no attempt to interrupt.

Kong shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

He opened his mouth.

Melo immediately covered it with one hand.

"Don’t," she whispered.

Kong blinked at her. "I haven’t said anything."

"You were about to ask whether her grandfather knows where the village keeps its food."

Kong’s ears lowered. "I was going to ask if the village still has any food."

"That is not better."

"I’m hungry!"

"I know. Try being hungry quietly."

Kong glanced toward Luna and her grandfather. After a moment, he sighed and nodded.

"Fine. I’ll wait."

Melo removed her hand and gave his head a gentle pat. "Look at that. You can learn."

"Don’t make me regret being considerate."

"Wouldn’t dream of it."

Star, perched on Arthur’s head, had remained unusually still throughout the reunion. Now it slid down onto his shoulder and gave a small, gentle wiggle, as if even it understood that this was not the moment for mischief.

Arthur watched Luna and her grandfather without interrupting them.

He had seen Luna carry her uncertainty through the ruined village. He had watched her recognize familiar places that no longer resembled home. He had heard her struggle to accept that the people she remembered might never return.

Now, at least, one part of that long search had an answer.

After several minutes, Luna finally loosened her grip. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, embarrassed by how much she had cried.

Her grandfather looked at her with a faint smile.

"You’ve grown so much."

Luna let out a shaky laugh. "It’s been a long time."

"Too long." His gaze moved over her face, taking in the changes that time had brought. "The last time I saw you, you could barely reach the table without climbing onto a chair."

"Grandpa!"

"And you used to insist that you could climb the old observation tower faster than I could."

"I could!"

"Of course you could."

He smiled, but the expression soon softened. His eyes lingered on her tired face, the dirt on her clothes, and the exhaustion she had tried so hard to hide.

"What happened to you out there?"

Luna hesitated.

"There were a lot of things. We helped the World Tree recover. We fought to protect it, and we restored the five Mirrors."

Her grandfather went still.

"The five Mirrors?"

She nodded. "They were damaged, but we managed to restore them. The Tree is recovering now."

For a moment, the old man seemed to forget his exhaustion.

"You helped restore the World Tree?"

"We all did," Luna replied, glancing toward Arthur and the others. "I couldn’t have done it alone."

Her grandfather looked at the group standing behind her. His eyes paused on Arthur, then on Eden, whose tired expression made it clear that she had paid a price for her own contribution.

"You brought friends with you," he said.

"Good friends," Luna answered.

Arthur stepped forward slightly and offered a polite nod. "We wanted to help Luna find you. We’re glad we did."

Her grandfather studied him for a moment before returning his attention to Luna.

"You’ve done something extraordinary."

"I just did what I could."

"No." His voice was gentle but firm. "Don’t diminish what you’ve done just because you had help. Restoring the five Mirrors is no small achievement. Neither is coming all this way when you had every reason to believe you would find nothing."

Luna looked down.

"I was scared."

"Of course you were."

"I didn’t know if I was making the right decision. Sometimes, I thought I was only chasing something that no longer existed."

Her grandfather reached for her hand.

"And you came anyway."

She nodded.

He held her hand between both of his.

"I’m proud of you, Luna. More than I can explain."

Her eyes filled again, though this time she managed a small smile.

Her grandfather’s expression turned sorrowful.

"But I’m sorry you had to endure so much to reach me."

Luna squeezed his hand.

"We can talk about everything later. Right now, I just want to make sure you’re safe."

A faint rumble interrupted them.

The platform beneath their feet shuddered.

Arthur immediately turned toward the roots running through the chamber floor. The golden lines that had illuminated the door were flickering again, and the dark corruption surrounding them had begun to pulse with renewed strength.

"Everyone, move away from the platform!" Vedas called.

Arthur guided Luna and her grandfather toward the chamber’s outer wall while Mithra and Sun took positions near the entrance. Athy hurried away from the records, and Kong scrambled behind Melo as a crack spread across one of the stone tiles.

Eden’s expression changed.

She placed a hand against the wall and listened to the unstable rhythm passing through the roots.

"The local connection is failing again," she said. "The chamber’s seal is holding, but it can’t maintain the protective field forever."

Luna looked toward her grandfather.

"Does that mean the villagers—?"

"They’re still connected to the network," her grandfather answered, his face tightening. "But if the circulation stops completely, I don’t know how much longer their life energy can be preserved."

Eden closed her eyes, concentrating on the faint pulses beneath the corruption.

Then she opened them, and a new determination appeared in her expression.

"Wait. The network isn’t completely dead."

Arthur turned toward her. "What do you mean?"

"The damaged roots are still carrying energy. It’s weak and unstable, but the original connection is responding to the World Tree. If we can restore the circulation here, we may be able to reverse the corruption spreading through the village."

Luna stared at her.

"You mean we can save them?"

"We have a chance," Eden replied. "But we need to repair the root network before the protective field collapses."

Behind them, the corrupted roots pulsed again, sending a tremor through the chamber.

Her grandfather tightened his grip on his staff.

"Then we don’t have much time."

Arthur looked from the damaged platform to the branching roots beneath their feet.

They had found Luna’s grandfather.

Now they had to save the rest of her home.