Chapter 333: The Civilization Inside the Roots

The eastern branch carried Arthur’s group deeper into the World Tree, and the further they traveled, the more difficult it became to tell where the Tree ended and the world living inside it began.

What had initially looked like an enormous network of roots and branches gradually transformed into something far more complicated.

With forests growing across the wooden landscape, rivers of mana flowing beneath their feet.

And ancient structures appearing between the roots as though entire generations had lived here before the outside world ever knew this place existed.

Arthur slowed as they approached another enormous root.

Something was different about this one.

Unlike the roots they had passed earlier, this section was covered in stone structures.

At first, Arthur thought they were ruins embedded in the bark, but as they moved closer, the shape became clearer. A road extended through the root, lined with ancient buildings on both sides, while stone pillars rose from the wooden ground and disappeared into the branches overhead.

Luna stared at the structures in disbelief. "Is that a city?"

Athena had already taken out her notebook.

"It looks like one."

Sun looked from the road to the enormous root surrounding it. "A city inside the World Tree?"

Arthur stepped onto the ancient road and looked around. "Not just inside it."

He pointed toward the buildings.

"It was built here."

The five of them continued into the settlement, and the deeper they went, the more complete it became.

Unlike the ancient ruins they had encountered outside, where most structures had collapsed into rubble, this city was surprisingly well preserved.

Many of the houses still had intact walls and doors, while stone statues stood along the roads with their faces weathered but recognizable.

There were even signs that the city had once been divided into different districts.

Athena stopped beside one of the statues and carefully brushed away a layer of moss.

The figure depicted a Beast Tamer holding out one hand toward a large creature.

The Beast wasn’t attacking.

It was standing beside the human.

Athena stared at it for several seconds.

"That’s strange."

Mithra walked closer. "What is?"

"The Beast isn’t being controlled."

Arthur looked at the statue and immediately understood what she meant. There was no collar, chain, or weapon between the Beast Tamer and the creature. The two were simply standing beside one another, almost like partners.

Luna looked around the city. "Maybe that was normal here."

Athena shook her head. "Even in the ancient records, Beast Tamers were still shown commanding their partners. This is different."

Arthur smiled slightly. "Maybe they weren’t trying to command them."

Sun crossed his arms. "Then what were they doing?"

Arthur pointed toward the statue.

"Living with them."

The group continued deeper into the city.

They soon discovered that the relationship between humans and Beasts extended far beyond the statues. Several buildings had large open entrances designed for creatures much larger than humans, while others contained enormous sleeping chambers. Some houses even had separate spaces built into their foundations where Beasts could rest.

Mithra looked around in fascination. "This wasn’t a city where people simply kept Beasts as partners."

"No," Athena said, writing rapidly. "The Beasts were part of the community."

Arthur stopped in front of a large circular building.

Its entrance was enormous.

Above it was a carving depicting a human standing beside several different Beasts.

Athena approached the doorway and looked inside.

"This might have been a Beast Tamer facility."

Sun stepped beside her. "A training ground?"

"Maybe."

They entered.

Inside was a massive chamber with several circular platforms built into the floor. The walls were covered with carvings showing humans and Beasts practicing together, while another section depicted people treating injured creatures.

Arthur’s eyes moved across the room.

"This isn’t a training facility."

Athena looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

He pointed toward the back wall.

There were no weapons stored there.

Instead, there were beds, treatment tables, and shelves containing what appeared to be ancient medicine containers.

"It was a hospital."

Athena’s eyes widened.

"A hospital for Beasts."

Sun whistled softly. "These people really lived differently."

Arthur looked toward the murals.

"Not differently."

He paused.

"Better."

Mithra laughed quietly. "Careful. Athena might write that down."

Athena glanced at him. "I already did."

Arthur smiled.

They explored several more buildings, finding workshops, libraries, homes, and what appeared to be gathering halls. The city wasn’t some temporary settlement created around a powerful artifact.

It had been a real civilization.

People had been born here.

They had worked here.

They had raised families here.

They had lived alongside the World Tree for generations.

Eventually, Arthur noticed something that made him stop.

A mural covered the wall of a massive circular chamber at the center of the city.

Unlike the other carvings, this one was incredibly detailed.

At the center stood the World Tree.

Its roots stretched across the entire mural, connecting forests, rivers, mountains, and cities.

People stood beneath its branches.

Beasts gathered around them.

And above the Tree were five glowing symbols.

Athena stepped closer.

"The Mirrors."

Arthur nodded.

The five symbols were unmistakable.

Fire.

Water.

Earth.

Darkness.

Light.

But something about the mural was different from the memories they had already seen.

There were no people carrying the Mirrors away.

Instead, the five symbols were connected directly to the World Tree through streams of light.

Luna stared at the image. "So the Mirrors were originally connected to the Tree."

Athena’s eyes widened as she began comparing the mural to everything they had already discovered.

"That means the barriers weren’t their original purpose."

Arthur looked at her.

"They were added later."

Athena nodded slowly. "Exactly."

She pointed toward the five symbols.

"Look at the energy flowing between them. They’re regulating the Tree’s connection to the land."

Arthur looked closer.

The five streams didn’t look like chains.

They looked like circulation channels.

"They weren’t imprisoning it," he said.

"No," Athena replied. "They were stabilizing it."

That confirmed what they had gradually learned throughout the Everglades.

The ancient people hadn’t feared the World Tree.

They had understood it.

They had built their civilization around it because they knew the Tree was connected to everything else.

Luna stared at the mural for a long time before quietly saying, "Then what happened?"

Arthur looked toward her.

The question had been sitting beneath everything they had discovered.

If the World Tree had supported an entire civilization, why had the people disappeared?

Why had the Mirrors been separated?

Why had the barriers been created?

Athena moved to the next section of the mural.

"This might tell us."

The scene changed.

The World Tree was still golden, but purple clouds had appeared around its roots.

Several people stood beneath the branches, looking toward something spreading through the land.

Miasma.

Arthur’s expression hardened.

The next section showed the people attempting to contain it.

Some were carrying the Mirrors.

Others were standing beside enormous roots.

The final portion was partially damaged.

Athena carefully examined the remaining symbols.

"Something happened here."

Arthur looked at the broken section. "Can you tell what?"

"Not yet."

They searched the surrounding walls.

Then Luna noticed something.

"Wait."

She pointed toward the far side of the chamber.

There was another mural there.

Unlike the others, it depicted people walking toward the roots of the World Tree.

Not running.

Not fighting.

Walking calmly.

Some carried children.

Others carried books, tools, and strange objects.

Behind them, the city was being consumed by purple mist.

Sun’s expression changed.

"They’re going inside."

Arthur walked closer.

The next image showed those same people disappearing into the enormous roots.

But the final scene was completely different.

The people were no longer shown as ordinary humans.

They appeared within the Tree itself.

Some stood beside roots.

Others were shown surrounded by glowing mana.

Several were depicted alongside Beasts that seemed to have become part of the ecosystem.

Arthur stared at the mural.

"They chose this."

Athena slowly nodded.

"It looks like they entered the World Tree willingly."

Luna’s expression became complicated. "Why would they do that?"

Arthur looked at the final image.

The people weren’t shown dying.

They were shown continuing to live.

Some were tending plants.

Others were caring for Beasts.

Some appeared to be maintaining the roots and mana rivers.

It was almost as if they had become part of the Tree’s internal civilization.

"Maybe they weren’t trying to escape," Arthur said.

Athena looked at him.

"Maybe they were trying to preserve themselves."

The words settled over the group.

The ancient civilization hadn’t simply vanished.

Some of them had deliberately entered the World Tree, taking their knowledge, their people, and perhaps even their Beasts with them.

And the world they had built was still here.

Mithra looked toward the city outside the chamber. "Then the creatures we’ve been seeing..."

"Could be descendants," Athena said.

Sun’s eyes widened. "You mean some of these Beasts might have been living here for thousands of years?"

Arthur looked toward the glowing river flowing through the city.

"Maybe."

He smiled slightly.

"And if that’s true, there might still be someone here who remembers what happened."

Everyone became silent.

Luna looked at him. "You think they’re still alive?"

Arthur shrugged.

"I don’t know."

He looked deeper into the World Tree, toward the enormous roots disappearing into the darkness above.

"But if these people really preserved themselves inside the Tree..."

His smile returned.

"...then I want to meet them."

A distant tremor suddenly shook the city.

Dust fell from the ancient buildings.

The mana river surged.

Arthur’s expression changed as he looked upward.

Far above them, something enormous moved through the roots.

Ronin was still climbing.

But this time, the World Tree reacted.

A deep pulse traveled through the entire city, causing the ancient symbols on the walls to glow one after another.

Athena stared at them.

"The Tree knows he’s here."

Arthur tightened his grip on Dusk.

"Then we should probably hurry."

The five of them left the ancient chamber and stepped back onto the old city road.

Behind them, the murals continued glowing softly in the darkness, preserving the final traces of a civilization that had chosen to live within the World Tree rather than abandon it.