Chapter 35

The blade of Gakuto’s dagger had roared to life, surrounded by a vortex of flames that spiraled forward with his thrust, searing the thick, multi-layered vines to ash in a single stroke. Gakuto’s eyes widened as the entrance to the hidden cave appeared as the flames dissipated, before staring down at the magical dagger, awestruck by the power it kept hidden.

Gakuto spun the handle around in his hand, before sheathing the blade, bringing up his other hand revealing the glass piece within.

“‘A little something extra, to help me expand my views,’ hm? You might’ve been a shady merchant, but you’ve been more help than you know…” Gakuto carefully dropped the glass piece back into its pouch and tied it around his neck, as he gazed at the newly unveiled cave.

“Let’s see where this goes, shall we?”

Gakuto grabbed a fallen branch, breaking pieces off of it before lighting it on fire as a makeshift torch. He crouched down, glancing at the ground and walls by torchlight, before cautiously stepping inside.

The walls of the cave were blanketed by a thick layer of moss, untouched by human hands for countless years. Gakuto held the torch above his head, trying to get a better view of the cave. There was a steep incline down about fifty feet from the entrance, the cave floor had its own layer of moss, though the coating wasn’t as thick as the cave walls.

Gakuto cautiously stepped across the deep green overgrowth, the thud of his boots muffled as he descended slowly to the incline. The cave air was damp and there was a faint echo of wind from deeper in the cave as Gakuto peered over the incline to find a set of carved stone steps that sloped further down. He glanced up at the ceiling of the cave and before looking back over the edge.

“The cave looks natural enough, but those are definitely man-made…” He muttered to himself before leaning down, holding the torch aloft to illuminate the darkened depths. The stairs continued forward for quite some ways before spiraling off to the left. There was little to no moss along the surface of the carved rock.

Gakuto glanced back at the entrance of the cave, as dusk was steadily falling on the forest before steeling himself to venture downward. The carved stairs were quite a steep drop from the edge, almost as if they were a project that was never fully completed. He carefully dropped the lit torch onto the second step, to help light the drop, then he turned around and carefully slid off the edge down to the first step.

Gakuto planted both of his feet firmly on the step, releasing his grip from the precipice above, before picking up the discarded torch. He held it up to the edge above, unsure if it would be possible to clamber back up to the cave, especially in his hobbled state. He sighed, before cautiously shuffling around and slowly starting his descent.

The stairs were all roughly carved and sheer, requiring long strides to reach the next one. They were not made to a uniform length or width, with the tips of Gakuto’s boots hanging off the edge of the steps more often than not. The lack of any sort of rail or rope to grab onto made for a particularly precarious descent, especially with him holding the torch overhead to veil his surroundings in as much light as possible.

Gakuto had lost sense of time as he reached the first bend, the stairs continuing to spiral even further downward. The stone corridor overhead was much closer to the stairs, and had less moss, the tunnel seeming to have been dug out by whoever made the staircase. The air got much cooler the further down he went and the wind’s echo encircled him, indicating that there was some sort of exit at the end of these innumerable steps.

“Carving all of this out must’ve taken a long time.” Gakuto thought aloud as he reached another turn. The stairs had progressively gotten more uniform as he continued his descent, noticeably more smoother and level. The possibility of this having been over several years, with different workers crossed his mind as he reached yet another bend.

Like the stairs' craftsmanship seeming to improve the further downward Gakuto went, the turns had become more deliberate and consistent. Instead of the rough spiral, almost as if the people making the stairs were getting more desperate the further the stairs ascended, the turns were far more symmetrical, making tight, structured bends.

After a few such precision landings, Gakuto crouched down and noticed that closed stringers had been added to the edge of the stairs on either side. This addition didn’t include any sort of safeguard, but with the increasing skill showcased by the craftsman as he descended further, the need for safety mechanisms had lessened.

Gakuto’s continued descent revealed even more intricately detailed portions of the corridor, with an elaborate carving chiseled into the walls showcasing the Divine Serpent. The carving was worn down from neglect, but the details of the snake were still present in places as he reached yet another landing.

The faint sound of dripping water echoed along with the howling wind, louder now than it had been during Gakuto’s trek downward. The illuminated area from his torch had dimmed significantly as the wood had burned down, but the faint outline of the stairs’ end appeared. He reached the bottom of the steps onto a path leading to the left and right sides.

Gakuto shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew in from the left side of the corridor. On the right side, there was a faint illumination that caught his eye and his curiosity won out as he turned to investigate the source. He held the dimming torch aloft as he cautiously stepped along the damp cave floor.

The corridor curved around to the right as the mysterious illuminate got brighter and Gakuto gasped as his eyes fell upon a small shrine, completed with a torii; some shide hanging across the gate’s opening; a small, pagoda-style shrine with an offering box; and a dais, covered with a simple white cloth and more shide hanging on the front. There was a small wooden display on top.

Upon it, rested a small, green patina metal mirror with no reflective glass.