Tremors in the Depths
Two days had passed since my return from Prostia's Domain. From early morning, the sounds of magic beasts clashing in a tangled frenzy near the depths of the World Tree had been drifting up. The commotion that started the night before last still hadn't died down. I huddled in my nest, peering down below. It sounded faint from this distance, but in the quiet moments, it grated on my nerves.
Noisy as hell.
I decided to head down and see what was going on. From the edge of the nest, I hurled myself toward the ground below. The light dimmed and the air grew heavier the lower I went. Passing through an area where fluorescent mushrooms clung to the branches instead of moss, a damp, thick aura brushed my beak. Demonic energy. It was similar to what I'd smelled when Verat first climbed up, but much fainter—a lingering echo.
Reaching the lowest section, the space suddenly opened wide. The World Tree's roots stretched out in all directions, forming a natural cavern. It's quiet down here.
I shifted to human form as I landed. Walking between the roots, I spotted a familiar face. Verat was slowly patrolling around the World Tree roots, probing them with demonic energy. Every time the dark crimson aura extending from his fingertips swept over the root surfaces, faint lights flickered in response.
"Oh, you're back again."
Verat turned around. His probing hand paused, and his eyes lit up. He approached slowly, wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug, and rubbed his face against my head.
"So cute, as always."
This wasn't even our first rodeo, but he hugged me every single time. Well, no bad intentions seemed at play, so whatever. Verat twirled a strand of my hair around his finger and nuzzled my cheek. His breath tickled my ear.
"...You're doing it again. Why'd you come down this time?"
Verat answered without stopping.
"I went to the demon realm, but something came up, so I climbed back up."
"Something?"
"Yeah. The Demon King ordered it."
"Demon King? There's a Demon King?"
"If there are gods, there are demon kings too."
"...Fair point."
Thinking about it, yeah, that made sense. Gods and demon kings seemed like a package deal.
"So what'd the Demon King want?"
Verat released his arms and walked back toward the roots he'd been probing.
"Wanna take a look together? I've got something to show you."
I followed Verat between the roots. As he walked ahead, he pressed the demonic energy from his fingertips against the root surface, and it reacted faintly. But something felt off as we went along. The World Tree's energy transmitting through my soles was different. It used to be calm and steady, but now it was trembling ever so slightly. Like a quickened heartbeat.
"You feel this?"
Verat asked, placing his hand on the root surface.
"Yeah. It's shaking. It wasn't like this before."
"That's the issue. With three of the Four Kings gone, the World Tree's ecosystem balance is shot. We detected divine energy leaking in first, and Michael contacted me about it—"
Michael contacting Verat painted the picture for me.
"So the Demon King sent you?"
"Yeah. To figure out the cause."
Verat led us deeper along the roots. The trembling grew noticeably stronger where they thickened. It wasn't just my soles anymore—the air itself vibrated faintly.
"Look here."
Verat concentrated his demonic energy on one spot, revealing something glowing dimly beneath the surface. A pattern embedded between the root tissues, pulsing very slowly. My fingertips tingled every time it lit up. The mana I'd stored in my body trembled faintly in sync with its pulse.
What the hell? It's reacting.
"What's this?"
"It's a safety mechanism the Demon King and gods made to maintain and protect the World Tree's ecosystem. It doesn't activate under normal circumstances, but with so many territories empty now, it's kicking in."
Verat slowly traced the pattern with his fingertip. It flared brightly in response before dimming.
"If this keeps up, it'll forcibly elevate the magic beasts to divine beast level."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Verat gave a wry smile.
"We thought so at first too. But there are side effects."
He tapped the pattern with his finger.
"Force them up too fast, and their bodies can't handle it. Over time, they lose their minds and go berserk."
"...That's bad."
"Worse, it draws energy from both the divine and demon realms when it activates. And with three of the Four Kings gone, who knows how much it'll pull—the vacancies are huge."
"So that's why you and Michael are teaming up."
"Yeah. The fix is simple, though. Someone solid just needs to claim the empty territories and keep the beasts in check; it'll stop. Problem is, they need to be divine beast rank or it won't stick."
"Want me to do it? Things have been noisy up top anyway."
Verat froze.
"...Huh?"
For the first time, real shock flickered in his eyes as he looked down at me. His mouth half-open, he stared for a moment before pulling a communication orb from his bosom. He infused it with demonic energy, connecting the line, and Michael's weary, familiar tone flowed out.
"Nox just said something hilarious."
Verat relayed the situation. Nox would personally claim all three empty territories to stabilize them.
Michael fell silent for a long while before muttering lowly.
Verat smirked.
"You were busy too."
Michael's tone shifted.
"Sure. But it's not a big deal, right? Just go down, wander around, quiet the noisy ones?"
"Got it. But I'm hungry now, so food first."
A sigh-like sound leaked from the orb.
The connection cut off quietly. Verat looked at me and grinned.
"I really wanna take you with me. I'll make it worth it—come on."
Instead of answering, I pulled some Ignar meat from my subspace. Coming all the way to the depths had worked up an appetite. I set it on a broad flat stone at the cavern floor and lit a flame at my fingertip to start grilling. Soon, a savory aroma filled the space between the roots. Sizzle—juices spread across the stone, fat crackling away.
One bite, and the crisp exterior crunched, bursting with thick juices inside. I handed a piece to Verat; he took it and bit in. His chewing paused, then resumed.
"This is good. What meat is it?"
"Ignar."
Verat's chewing stopped again. He glanced at the meat on the stone, then burst out laughing.
"Never thought I'd grill divine beast meat. Lived thousands of years in the demon realm and never once considered eating one."
He grabbed another piece and continued.
"The more I see, the more fun you are."
His chewing slowed compared to before. Whether from the taste or sheer enjoyment, I couldn't tell—but watching someone savor a meal wasn't half bad. We sat side by side, leaning against a World Tree root, tearing into the meat. The depths were nearly lightless, but the roots emitted a soft glow, warding off total darkness. The grilling flames warmed Verat's face.
After a good while, belly full, I brushed off my hands.
"I'm heading up."
"Already?"
"Stuffed."
I stood and stretched. Verat looked up from his seat, back against the root.
"I'll stick around a bit. Gotta check that pattern more and report to the Demon King."
"Cool. Hit me up if you come up top. I'll grill some meat."
"That's a promise?"
"Eh, not a promise—just that I'll grill if you show."
Verat chuckled and patted my shoulder lightly before standing. He hugged me tight one last time, then released me and slowly vanished into the shadows between the roots.
I stowed the leftover meat in my subspace and released the polymorph. My six wings unfurled, and I soared upward. The air lightened as I ascended, easing the heaviness that had weighed on me in the dark. Back at the nest, I settled among the gem-encrusted branches and cast polymorph again. Lying on the Turaka-hide blanket, familiar warmth rose against my back.
But flat on my back, I felt it—a faint tremor, just like in the depths, transmitting here too.
Huh. It's here too.
Now that I'd noticed, it kept bugging me. I stretched long and rolled around the nest.
Territory declaration, huh... Starting tomorrow.
The same moment, in the World Tree depths.
After Nox left, Verat leaned against a World Tree root and pulled out his communication orb. Infusing it with demonic energy connected the line, and the Demon King's slow, low voice emerged.
"Found the cause. Ecosystem imbalance, as expected. Safety mechanism prepping to activate since three of the Four Kings are gone."
"The kid here said he'd fill the vacancies himself. The one who ate three Four Kings. Even got a formal request from the divine angel chief."
A brief silence.
"Thing is, I wanna stay a bit longer."
"Feels like the angel chief's hiding something. About that kid."
The silence from the Demon King shifted.
Verat gazed at the spot where Nox had sat. Faint scorch marks from the grilling lingered there.
"That kid's weird. Massive imbalance between mind and body."
He touched the flame mark on the stone with a fingertip.
"I've seen strong bodies with weak minds before, but nothing this off-kilter. Like a newborn child."
"I'm curious. Wanna watch a bit more."
A long silence, then the low voice returned.
Verat smirked.
"Thanks."
The connection ended. The spot where Nox's body heat had lingered was already cold.
"Fun kid."
Those words, rolled on his tongue, quietly seeped into the depths' darkness.