Artemis Unveiled:The Descent

Untitled Part 15: The Town of Longhorn

"Are they alive?" Aria looked around in terror.

"Not alive," Lucius said with concern. "The forest sensed us. Few people use magic here, but I had to resort to a forbidden spell just now to kill the executioner."

Deep within the Everwood, Aria and Lucius darted through, their hearts racing as they cautiously evaded the crawling vines that ensnared tree trunks. Shadows danced around them, occasionally pierced by sharp beams of light that outlined the dense mist.

Suddenly, they encountered the twisted corpses entangled in the tree trunks once more. Their eyes flickered open, releasing profound darkness. A chilling scream echoed through the forest as the vines aggressively reached out, attempting to seize Aria and Lucius.

"Evamergeinis," Lucius loudly pronounced a spell.

His palm emitted a dazzling white light, akin to a thunderbolt. The radiance enveloped them, momentarily dispersing the vines. But in that instant, a vine ensnared Aria's foot, swiftly dragging her towards a mangled corpse.

"Lucius!" Her voice trembled with fear.

Lucius turned, his eyes shimmering with white light. Concentrating all his strength, he unleashed another spell, the brilliance surrounding him like a blazing flame. He swung his palm towards the entwined trunk, a powerful shockwave of energy erupted, engulfing everything in its searing light.

The trunk emitted a piercing scream, seemingly enduring immense pain. The vines writhed violently, but before Lucius's magic, ultimately, the tree emitted a thunderous roar, flames swiftly engulfing it, along with the corpses entangled within.

Aria freed herself from the vines, standing beside Lucius, gasping for breath. Witnessing Lucius's extraordinary magic, her eyes widened in amazement. Yet, a subtle sense of unease crept over her, for in this mysterious Evergreen Forest, those corpses could awaken at any moment.

They eventually arrived at the entrance of a cave adorned with a white stone arch, carved with semi-divine script and some silver-glowing dried vines.

"This island has hundreds of caves, and I chose this one deep within the Eternal Tree Forest. Building a portal here makes it difficult to be discovered," Lucius explained.

"Did you build it to help me escape?" Aria inquired.

"I've been planning this for a long time," Lucius affirmed with a determined gaze. "There's a natural magical barrier here that prevents other demigods from sensing its presence."

Aria and Lucius descended down the white stairs, each step accompanied by faint echoes. Inside the cave, silver light flickered like scattered stars in the depths of the earth, lending an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

As they ventured deeper, the sound of dripping water gradually became clearer, echoing like an ancient melody in the cavern. Finally, they arrived at a spacious underground chamber.

At the center of the chamber, a pool of silver light quietly emanated a soft glow, illuminating the entire cave. The radiance came from the pool, its surface shimmering with a gentle luster as if adorned with countless gems.

At this moment, water droplets incessantly dripped from the ceiling, falling into the pool with crisp sounds. The area around the pool was artificially excavated, resembling a giant bowl seemingly crafted to catch the falling droplets, infusing the cavern with vitality and vigor.

"This is the sap of the Eternal Tree, and these pools are specially designed to collect it."

"Why do you collect the sap?" Aria asked.