Deeproot Sanctum

The underground cave network was especially vast in that area. If night existed in the subterranean world, the crystals could have easily passed for stars, and the wide-open spaces, joined by colossal stone archways, would have seemed like the outdoors.

And yet, the glow of the crystals was strong, revealing not only the roots of impossibly ancient trees, but also various underground rivers and lush green vegetation that, much like the roots, shouldn't have existed in such a place.

But it did. And perhaps because of that, one could hear the sounds of the many living beings that inhabited the region, the most numerous among them being the spirits.

They ranged from tiny flickers of light that looked like fireflies, to fairies and other small creatures, all the way to beings almost indistinguishable from humans. Like the two beautiful young women currently arguing atop one of the larger roots.

One of them wore part of her long aquamarine hair tied up in a high ponytail, while the rest fell freely down her back. She sat on the branch with her light gray eyes watching her own legs swing, wearing a tired expression.

Her companion also had her hair tied up, but in two ponytails at the sides of her head, holding back her hair the color of living flame. The rest tumbled down her back. The fiery glare in her vivid orange eyes and the way she clenched her fists made her exasperation impossible to miss.

"Coletto! Are you even listening to me? Coletto, I'm talking to you!"

"Of course I'm listening. More than I'd like, in fact. I'm just waiting for the effect of those weird mushrooms you ate to wear off."

"I didn’t eat any mushrooms... this time!"

"Merite, I get it. After centuries of eating the same things, wanting new culinary experiences makes perfect sense. I really do understand. But it’s about time you learned that putting random stuff in your mouth is dangerous."

"Oh, you’ve got some nerve. You were the one who convinced me to try them so you wouldn’t have to!" shouted the redhead, waving her arms in protest. "And forget the mushrooms. Those weren’t hallucinations, I really saw it."

"Do you seriously expect me to believe a human came up from the depths of the earth and took down a kuranos in just a few seconds? And on top of that, using primordial magic?"

"And then he ate it!"

"Merite... only the Veilkeeper or one of the greater spirits could pull something like that off. And the only remnants of primordial magic left around here are the ones stored in our Fountain of Life."

"Some still leaks out from the sacred gates..." replied the redhead quietly, eyes lowered. "And the human came from that direction."

"If you think those two things are connected, then it’s even more absurd," Coletto said with a sigh. "Those gates have been sealed since the beginning of time."

"Since the end of the Primordial Era," Merite corrected, arms crossed.

"It’s the same thing," Coletto replied, shrugging. "Even our Veilkeeper, the oldest among the elder spirits, only witnessed the end of the Ancestral Era."

"Ugh! There’s just no talking to you. But since you brought her up, I’m going to see Lady Lirilien directly."

"The Veilkeeper is in a council meeting with the greater spirits right now. We’ll have to wait," Coletto said as she stood, brushing dust off the translucent fabric of her short dress. "I’ll come with you, so you don’t embarrass yourself too much."

"I’m not going to embarrass myself... What are they even discussing?"

"Primordial magic, actually"

***

There was a place in that mysterious part of the cavern network where many underground rivers converged. They descended from varying heights, creating a scene of countless waterfalls cascading into a hidden lagoon beneath the earth.

Natural stone steps surrounded the edges of the lagoon. At the highest tier, one broader than the rest served as a seat for a beautiful woman whose hair was the color of cherry blossoms.

Her eyes, like a sky clear of clouds that couldn’t be seen this deep underground, looked serenely upon the group of spirits around her. These were all the greater spirits who resided in Deeproot Sanctum.

They ranged from elemental spirits to others whose origins were more deeply tied to the living, pulsing nature. Most of them had taken on a humanoid form, whether out of convenience or some other reason. Still, a few retained features that were slightly more "fantastical".

Though varied in form and origin, all spirits held deep reverence for the most powerful among them: Lirilien, the first-born of the elder spirits still remaining in the world.

Though varied in form and origin, all spirits held deep reverence for the most powerful among them: Lirilien, the first-born of the elder spirits still remaining in the world.

Yet despite this title, Lirilien seemed the embodiment of youth, even though every movement and gesture she made held a grace that could only have been polished by the passage of time.

One such gesture was the subtle raising of her hand to indicate who could speak.

"Veilkeeper, it has now been one hundred years since the last spirit was born from the waters of the Fountain of Life. That is why this council was convened. As you know, the primordial magic once dwelling within it is nearly depleted, and the sanctuary’s ecosystem can no longer be sustained. I beg you to make the right decision."

Lirilien lowered her gaze to the waters of the lagoon. That wasn't the only known accumulation of primordial magic referred to as a "Fountain of Life" in Ameritia, but in its time, it had been one of the most important. That was why she had been entrusted with its care so long ago.

"Who are we to tell Lady Lirilien what the right decision is?" asked a broad-shouldered spirit after being acknowledged. "To stay until the end, or to return to the Spirit Realm, whatever she chooses will be the right decision."

"But what sense is there in staying underground, when even the primordial magic seeping from the sacred gates no longer crystallizes?" asked another spirit with foxlike features who was smaller than the others, yet still exuding the presence of a being who had lived for millennia. "The pure water from the depths is running out of crystals to erode, and the fountain is slowly but surely turning into a pool of just water..."

"If it weren’t for the cursed artifact of that Demon King!" exclaimed another of the greater spirits, clenching his fist in frustration.

"The humans destroyed it, but the damage was already done. The primordial magic stopped accumulating in the sanctuary. Now it simply seeps out into the outside world, empowering along the way the remnants of the demon army the humans left to wander freely..." added a delicate spirit, nearly ethereal, with a sigh. "There are even reports that a kuranos, one of those cursed war beasts of the demons, is wandering near the sacred gates..."

"Many may have already forgotten," said a melodious voice that echoed through the vast stone chamber.

Lirilien had spoken, and all the spirits who had begun speaking out of turn immediately fell silent.

"But the reason the Primeval Spirits founded Deeproot Sanctum was never to watch over this Fountain of Life in particular, but to protect the sacred gates themselves."

The spirits remained silent for a while. It would have been disrespectful to speak immediately after the Veilkeeper. Still, everyone understood that the council was not yet over, for Lirilien had not declared it so. She had merely added something that needed to be considered.

"Excuse my rudeness, my lady," said a bent spirit leaning on a staff, whose form resembled the branch of a tired tree. However, without the magic of the Fountain of Life, the veil protecting our sanctuary weakens, and more and more demons find their way inside. There are no Primeval Spirits left; no being could ever reproach you if you decide to leave Deeproot.

"That is true," said one of the spirits who radiated their own light. "You have defended the veil protecting the sanctuary since the Legendary Era. Even against the Demon King who built his labyrinth above our heads to steal our primordial magic. My lady, no one can blame you if you decide that the time has come to return to the Land of the Spirits."

Lirilien closed her eyes as ancient memories resurfaced in her mind of the times when, as a child, she knelt before the immense gates to pray alongside the Primeval Spirits.

But despite all her pleas, they never told her what lay beyond them.