As I headed to the first floor, where Leaf was supposed to be resting on the furniture, I came across a scene that brought a smile to my face.
Instead of seeing her lying down, asleep as usual after our battles, the little fairy was completely awake, with her wings vibrating with excitement and her eyes fixed on a letter she was reading with such concentration that she seemed not to notice my presence.
—Hey, hey, hey… —she said without even looking at me, her voice trembling with surprise—. You don't know what it says here!
I crossed my arms, intrigued.
—What does it say or what? Because you look way too surprised, Leaf.
She looked up, her eyes shining with a mixture of fear and excitement.
—Like I said… do you remember those stairs we found in the back of that house? Well, below that place is the only way to reach the Lost Empire.
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
—Wait… seriously, Leaf?
—Yes, that's right. I'm telling the whole truth. It's written here, with a map that marks the paths. But… —she lowered her voice— first we have to go through the Forbidden Borough and then through Ivern Fort. So there's no time. Our adventure is too close to the climax to stop. We have to go immediately!
She said that with such passion that I couldn't help but smile. She handed me the map and started flying in circles, laughing, bouncing up and down, leaving a trail of luminous dust in her wake. But her joy didn't last long. A few seconds later, she stopped dead, hovering in the air, with a grimace of terror.
—Wait, no, no, no! —she groaned—. I don't want to go into the sewers! That place smells way too bad, I don't want to get an infection, or a disease, or… ugh, no way!
I let out a tired laugh as I looked at the map.
—Leaf, there's no other way. All the other paths are destroyed. It's the only entrance to the Borough.
She frowned, crossed her arms, and started hiding behind me.
—Nooo, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to~.
—Listen, Leaf —I said in a more serious voice—. If you don't come, I'll wait for you on the other side, if I find a bonfire. But if there isn't… —I paused, letting the weight of the words hang between us— it will mean our adventure together has come to an end.
The silence grew heavy. She stopped hiding, lowered her head, her wings moved slowly.
—What are you saying? I… I'll be in that place —she murmured, with a defiant voice—. And I'll be much stronger than you! You'll see, you'll be the first to vomit, not me.
I smiled sideways. That was my Leaf, the one who never backed down when it came to pride. Without waiting any longer, she flew out toward the open door, leaving a flash behind her.
When we reached the underground access, the air changed completely. The smell was so penetrating that even my armor seemed to rust instantly.
—Oh, by all the gods… —I murmured.
Leaf, floating beside me, looked at me with an expression that mixed nausea and terror.
—I told you! It stinks! I can't breathe here, I can't…
—Hold on —I replied, descending the stone stairs that creaked with every step—. If you want to reach the Lost Empire, this is the price.
The walls were covered in green mold, and black water ran along the edges forming streams that joined further ahead, creating a deeper current. A dark waterfall fell somewhere below, its sound rumbling like a distant roar.
—Ugh… —Leaf coughed—. This place looks like the stomach of the world.
—And we are its dinner —I replied half-jokingly.
We walked for a good while. Several times we had to cross through the murky water, since the tunnel doors were closed, and for some reason, the master keys didn't work. The smell, the silence, the humidity… everything conspired to break sanity.
At one of the curves, we saw something moving. First shadows, then shapes.
—Careful —whispered Leaf, lowering a bit—. There's something there.
From the water emerged deformed creatures: huge rats, covered in mud and scars, their red eyes glowing like embers. Among them dragged viscous gray masses, almost transparent.
—Slimes —said Leaf, trembling—. They're little sticky things that can drown a person. If they catch you, they dissolve you from the inside.
—Great —I murmured, unsheathing my sword—. Just what we needed.
The rats attacked first, lunging with high-pitched squeals. My sword cut one in half, but the blow only seemed to enrage the rest. Meanwhile, the slimes slid slowly across the floor, seeking to wrap around my legs. Leaf shot flashes of light, killing several, but others got too close.
The fight turned into a dance between disgust and survival. Every misstep could mean getting trapped in that mixture of mud and death.
After a while, we managed to clear the path. My breathing was heavy, sweat mixing with the stench of the place.
—Hey… —said Leaf as she floated exhausted—. When we get back to the Sacred Forest, we need to take a good shower. I don't want to keep smelling like this.
—Yeah, yeah, okay —I replied smiling—. When we get back, I'll bathe.
We continued advancing until we reached a dead end. However, in the center of the floor was an extinguished bonfire. I knelt and lit it. The blue flame grew slowly, illuminating the walls full of ancient marks and symbols carved by unknown hands.
—See? —I said with relief—. Even here, fire is still our refuge.
Leaf perched on my shoulder.
—Yes, but this place is still horrible.
I smiled.
—I know. But sometimes the worst places hold the most valuable secrets.
We kept exploring for what felt like hours. We encountered more deformed creatures, even a kind of monstrous fish that Leaf called a "man-eater." Its teeth were like blades, and its body writhed in the black waters, lurking beneath the surface.
Each battle left us more tired, but also more determined. The map Leaf had shown me indicated that, after the sewers, there was a room that would have some stairs: toward the Forbidden Borough.
Finally, we reached a narrow hallway. At the end, there was a human figure.
He was almost one meter eighty, his body covered with a black cloak soaked in moisture.
In one of his hands he held a dark wooden flute. And in the air floated a soft, melancholic melody that seemed to resonate with the rotten waters of the place.
—Who… is he? —whispered Leaf, hiding behind my neck.
—I don't know —I replied, watching closely.
The sound of the flute stopped. The figure slowly raised his head.
And then, the silence became absolute.