The Primordial Record

Chapter 1236: Whispers Of The Ents

The two Ascendant Suns could clearly feel the power of the bones surrounding the hundred massive seventh-dimensional Ascendant trees, and they could sense that these sets of bones belonged to similarly powerful entities, and this was the reason, unlike the rest, they had not collapsed into bone dust.

Ascendant Sun Trelmol was shaken, “What is all this? How long have these trees stood over the bodies of their enemies.”

Dilos still touching the bone dust muttered, “By my speculations, at least for a billion years or more, to get a clearer image of this would require we check out the more completed bone pieces ahead.”

About to move forward, Trelmol stopped Dilos, “If the rest of the trees behind us are dormant, then there is a high chance that the ones ahead would be too, but we cannot take chances and don’t forget the other reason we are here.”

“I know,” Dilos frowned, “I can sense it more clearly ahead, and so we would need to move. Don’t worry if we fall into danger, I shall place you in my domain, it should buy you enough time to escape out of this time period.”

Trelmol looked at his partner with a deep gaze, “You do not have to do that. I can face any incoming battle equally with you, and we can still leave without trying to poke our noses into the secrets of the past.”

Dilos shook his head, “No, one of us must survive what is to come, we are here for answers and we cannot leave without it.” he sighed, “If there were anyone among both of us who should survive you should be the one, because you have the gift to nurture, while I am better for battle.”

Trelmol shook his head sadly, “I am afraid that the world we are going to would require that talent for battle and not fostering.”

“That is precisely the reason you are more important,” Dilos argued, “there must be someone left to rebuild. Enough we have spent too much time dithering, stand back while I check ahead.”

The Ascendant Dilos carefully made his way towards the center of the massive trees for they were arranged in a circle, and the biggest mass of bones was in the middle of that circle, going as slowly as he did, it took him months to reach the edge of that circle, and he hesitated for a bit before he slowly entered the shades cast by the massive trees.

The whispers began.

At first, they were not loud, like the buzzing of a bee at a distance but then it continued to grow as he went deeper and got closer to the center until could hardly ignore them and he nearly stumbled when those whispers became fragments of words, but they were spoken in a language that he could not understand.

Yet the intent behind those words was as clear as day. Dilos could hear the pain and the sense of betrayal in those whispers, and he found himself walking towards one of the trees, he could resist the compulsion if he wanted but he did not try to do so, because he could sense something that drew him to it, he could sense the heart of a fighter, and like him, the tree that drew him had known battle like no other.

As he grew closer to the tree, the whisper transformed into a scream, and if not for his ability to modify and acclimate to any harmful conditions, the voices might have driven him partly insane.

Ascendant Dilos came before the massive tree and he touched it and a rumble went off in his head that made him grimace in pain, and then there was silence as if he had gotten deaf, but this silence was profound and came with understanding.

A shake on his shoulder drew him away from the silence and he turned to see Trelmol behind him and he became furious,

“I told you to wait for my news, why did you enter this place when…”

Dilos slowly fell into silence when he realized something important. He touched the air in front of him and noticed that his feet had sunk into the ground almost to his knees and he mumbled in confusion, “How long have I been standing here?”

Trelmol replied slowly, “You have been touching this tree for ten thousand years Dilos, I could not wait any longer and I had to see if you were lost before I left this place for good.” Dilos suddenly seized Trelmol by the wrist, “I know it, I know the secrets of our past!” Trelmol quietly muttered, “I have found the familiar energy traces, and it is of Calamity.” Dilos’s excitement was palpable at first and he was about to begin telling Trelmol all that he had learned from communing with the tree but his mouth fell open and he said,

“What did you just say?”

“I said I found traces of Calamity, see, at the center of the bone pile, Calamity is brewing.” “What… no, this cannot be,” Dilos shook his head in denial, “This cannot be the reward after so much suffering.”

Trelmol noticing the state of his fellow Ascendant Sun, brought him out of the trees a way back, because he was feeling the compulsion to touch the trees and he was afraid that if he did, perhaps Dilos would join him and they would remain here forever.

It took a short while for Dilos to regain back the full measures of his wit, and then without prompting he began working with a dull tone,

“We fought Calamities, while they fought Ravagers, and for thirty billion years this war burned hot. Ah Trelmol, you should have seen them at their height, our civilization pales in comparison to what they had achieved… these Ilium Ents.”

Trelmol shook, “Were those their names?”

Nodding, Dilos continued, “Yes, and they were not always like this. Every tree here used to stand even higher, their branches could spread wider, and their roots could become great legs. They won against the Ravagers, frightful beasts that fed on life against all odds, and for their victory, the reward the realm gave them was to silence them all.”

The light in the eyes of Dilos had taken a frightening hue, “They have been kept in this state for a billion years, and I think I know the reason, the realm had been creating something new from the remains of the Ravagers. It has been creating Calamity, and I believe that when the creation of Calamity is complete, they shall arise and feed on every Ent here.”

As if his words were the final sentencing to herald the end of this age, a massive black tentacle burst out of the center of the field, and the familiar shriek of a Calamity god resounded in the

clearing.

The two Ascendant Suns arose from their position, the instinct to battle Calamity gods ingrained in their veins, but then another louder crack resounded and this time it was coming from above.

Looking upwards, something was descending from the sky, trailing blue flames, and with the sight of an Ascendant, they quickly determined what was falling from the heavens and their gaze was colored with confusion.

It was a massive meteorite that resembled a stone egg. Their confusion came about because they recognized that a similar stone egg had descended into the realm in the future.

The earth shuddered as the stone egg impacted the ground a few thousand miles away. “Why was this intruder also here in the past?”