Chapter 133: At the heart of the World Tree 2

Adam realized there was probably a whole story behind that statement.

But he decided not to interrupt their journey with twenty more questions.

"I see."

They continued.

Several more hours passed.

The mana grew denser and denser.

Adam could now sense it even without consciously paying attention.

Then...

The forest began to change.

Not to thin out.

To open up.

The trees seemed to gradually move away from one another.

But it wasn’t because there were fewer of them.

On the contrary.

They had simply grown so large that an enormous amount of space was needed between each trunk.

Adam looked ahead.

Then he slowed down.

"What’s that?"

Lyriana didn’t answer.

She was smiling.

Adam looked up.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Then he gave up.

Before them...

Stood a tree.

No.

Calling it a tree seemed almost ridiculous.

It was a pillar.

A wall.

A living mountain.

Its trunk rose so high that Adam couldn’t even properly make out its top.

Gigantic branches spread out in every direction.

Some were probably several kilometers thick.

Sunlight struggled to penetrate the gigantic network of vegetation.

Adam remained completely silent.

After a few seconds...

Lyriana asked:

"Well?"

Adam opened his mouth.

Closed it again.

Then replied:

"I have nothing."

Elaria raised a slight eyebrow.

"Nothing?"

"No intelligent comment."

He looked at the trunk again.

"It’s too big."

Lyriana laughed softly.

Yet they weren’t even at the base of the trunk yet.

Far from it.

Extreme roots stretched before them.

Adam had seen tree roots protruding from the ground before.

But these...

We were gigantic.

Some formed veritable hills.

Others, natural walls.

Several reached dimensions measurable in kilometers.

Adam understood immediately.

"That’s why we abandon the Steeds here."

"Yes," replied Lyriana.

The terrain in front of them was simply no longer suitable for mounts.

A small village, however, lay near the end of the road.

They approached it.

The inhabitants recognized Lyriana and Elaria almost immediately.

Several came to greet them.

Adam remained slightly apart while the two elves exchanged a few words with acquaintances.

Some seemed genuinely happy to see them again.

Others were already asking questions.

How long had they been back?

Why had Lyriana left Sylvaris for so long?

How was Valoria?

And who was the man with them?

This last question came up several times.

Lyriana usually just replied:

"Adam."

Which explained absolutely nothing.

Adam finally smiled.

"A very useful introduction."

"You wanted me to tell you your whole life story?"

"No."

"Then that’s enough."

The steeds were entrusted to the village.

This time...

They would continue on foot.

Adam thought they would climb directly onto the enormous roots.

He was wrong.

Lyriana led them to an opening beneath one of them.

Adam stopped.

"A tunnel?"

"Yes."

"Does it go through the root?"

"This one, yes."

Adam looked up.

The mass of vegetation above them was so enormous that it looked more like a mountain than a root.

"Of course."

They went inside.

The passage was immense.

The walls weren’t made of stone.

But it was living wood.

Natural, slightly luminous lines sometimes ran across the surface.

Mana.

A lot of mana.

Adam almost instinctively placed a hand against the wall.

A sensation coursed through his fingers.

Dense.

Calm.

Ancient.

He slowly withdrew his hand.

"I can almost feel the mana flowing through it."

Elaria nodded.

"Because it actually flows."

"Like blood."

She thought for a moment.

"The comparison isn’t perfect. But it’s acceptable."

The tunnel continued.

On and on.

And on.

Several kilometers on foot.

Adam could hardly believe they were simply inside a root.

Then the passage changed.

It gradually widened.

And finally...

They arrived in a vast cavern.

Adam stopped.

In the center was a staircase.

It led up to a circular platform.

Adam immediately recognized its shape.

Runes.

Circle.

Crystals.

"A teleportation platform."

Lyriana nodded.

"Yes."

Adam smiled.

"Finally, something I recognize."

They climbed the steps.

Next to the platform stood a small pillar.

Lyriana took out a card.

Not one of Shiora’s bank cards.

An elven card.

She held it up to the pillar.

A green light appeared.

Several symbols illuminated on its surface.

Then...

A series of numbers.

Adam moved closer.

"Destinations?"

"Yes."

Lyriana scrolled through several options.

Elaria explained:

"The World Tree’s internal platforms have an authorization system."

Adam looked at the card.

"So not just anyone can go anywhere."

"Exactly."

"Even if someone makes it this far?"

"The platform will deny access to destinations that don’t meet its authorization level."

Adam immediately agreed.

"Makes sense." "

Elaria continued:

"Some areas are public."

"Others reserved for the residents?"

"Yes."

"And some only for the priestesses, the guardians, or the ruling family?"

Lyriana selected a destination.

"Exactly."

Adam looked at his map.

"And yours?"

Lyriana smiled.

"It grants access to almost everything."

"Princess."

She sighed.

"Are you really going to keep going with this?"

"Probably for several days."

Elaria suppressed a smile.

Adam looked at the selected number.

"Where are we going?"

Lyriana replied simply:

"Home."

Adam stopped.

"Your home?"

"My house."

Then she looked at Elaria.

"Well... our house."

Elaria nodded.

Adam looked at the number again.

"Where exactly is it?"

Lyriana pointed upwards.

"In the trunk."

"I understood that."

"About eight kilometers above the surface."

Silence.

Adam looked at her.

"Eight kilometers."

"Yes."

"And you call that halfway?"

Lyriana smiled.

"Approximately."

Adam looked up.

He obviously couldn’t see any ceiling that matched the height of the trunk.

"I take it back. I still don’t understand the size of this tree."

The three of them climbed onto the platform.

Lyriana confirmed the destination.

The circle lit up.

Mana.

An enormous amount.

But unlike the platforms Adam had used at the Tower of the Magi...

There was almost no instability.

Light enveloped them.

The world vanished.

Then it returned.

Adam blinked.

One second.

Two.

He looked around.

Then he immediately declared:

"It’s much more stable."

Elaria stepped down from the platform.

"You noticed."

"In the Tower of Mages, there’s always a sort of slight disturbance."

He made a vague gesture with his hand.

"As if space hesitates for a fraction of a second. Here, almost nothing."

Elaria nodded.

"The difference comes mainly from the power source."

Adam looked at the circle.

"The World Tree?"

"Yes."

She placed a hand on the edge of the platform.

"The energy used here is drawn directly from the World Tree’s internal flows."

"So extremely stable."

"And consistent."

Adam looked at the runes again.

"Vespera wants to take all this apart."

Lyriana replied immediately:

"She’s already tried to study it."

Adam turned his head.

"Obviously."

Elaria added:

"She took a lot of notes."

"Even more obviously."

Then Adam finally looked up.

And stopped.

The platform was in a huge room.

No.

A house.

But the word almost seemed inadequate.

The space was extremely vast.

The ceiling was high.

The walls seemed to have been formed directly from the living wood of the World Tree.

Large openings let in soft light.

Plants grew naturally in several places.

Bookshelves occupied part of the walls.

Elegant furniture was arranged in the spacious living room.

And near a vast opening leading outside...

There was a hanging chair.

Someone was sitting in it.

A woman.

She was reading.

Adam instinctively slowed down.

Long silver hair.

Dark skin.

Fine features.

Elven ears.

And violet eyes that immediately reminded him of someone.

Lyriana.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

But this woman seemed more mature.

Not just physically.

Her very presence was different.

Calm.

Ancient.

Stable.

As if she belonged to this place as much as the World Tree itself.

Astraea Noctis Sylvermoon.

She slowly turned a page.

Then the sound of teleportation finally seemed to catch his attention.

Her eyes left the book.

She looked first at Elaria.

Then at Lyriana.

Her expression changed immediately.

A warm smile appeared on her face.

She closed her book.

Then she stood up from her hanging chair.

"You’re finally back."

Lyriana remained motionless for a fraction of a second.

Then a smile completely different from the ones Adam knew appeared on her face.

Softer.

Almost younger.

"Mother."

Astraea descended the few steps separating the living room from the platform.

Then her gaze finally fell on Adam.

She studied him calmly.

Not with hostility.

Not even with suspicion.

But with obvious curiosity.

Adam immediately sensed that she was observing him with much more attention than an ordinary person.

He suddenly felt as if he were back in front of Vespera during their first encounter.

Someone had just started analyzing him again.

Astraea stopped in front of them.

Her smile widened slightly.

"And I imagine you’re Adam."

Adam blinked.

Then he looked at Lyriana.

"Did you tell her about me?"

Lyriana looked away slightly.

Astraea chuckled.

"A lot."

Adam looked back at Lyriana.

"A lot?"

"Mother."

"What?"

Astraea seemed perfectly innocent.

Elaria, on the other hand, had already started to smile.

Adam understood immediately.

He had barely arrived.

And he already had the feeling that this visit was going to be much more complicated than he had anticipated.