Chapter 374: Trespass
Coop had followed Lyriel right into an open cavern without really even thinking. The pressure applied by the frenzied mana within the Underlayer had been like a bullwhip demanding that he seek escape, and as he sought mental refuge, he had abandoned the critical mind that would have insisted on a cautious approach. However, as soon as he escaped the excoriating mana, his instincts reactivated, putting him on high alert.
On the interior, the mana in the air was completely calm, almost too comforting in its tranquility. At first, Coop breathed a massive sigh of relief after finally escaping the agitated mana that absolutely crammed into the underground tunnels. It was an astronomical quantity, far beyond even what he could detect during the Underlayer Event, and it seemed to be steadily escalating. It was like the mountain was a source that had been slowly accumulating mana ever since the start only to throw it all into turbulence for the Eradication Protocol. He wondered if the mountain was actually a giant mana-sink that was only now being released into the planet. The ley lines were absolutely bursting with power with the additional boost, and as he acclimated to the new atmosphere, he realized that the inside wasn’t that different at all.
Mana absolutely filled the air, as if the concentrations of activated energy had been completely maxed out, but it was unagitated and serene. The ambient energy wasn’t that different compared to what he was used to, just fully saturated. He envisioned that the overarching machine of mana that had been powering on while they integrated into the galactic community was now fully awake.
The calm was a wild contrast to the exterior that left Coop a bit confused as to what he had gotten himself into. It was at least similar to the Lighthouse territory in the way his home withstood the otherwise chaotic world that mana was developing, but in comparison, it had such firm control and was so alien, it made him slightly uncomfortable. It was kind of like entering a stranger’s house and realizing that everything was completely and absolutely spotless. He felt like he shouldn’t touch anything and maybe he should also find an excuse to leave since they lived like a serial killer.
Coop was a simple vibes guy, and though he couldn’t put a finger on it, something was definitely off about Lyriel’s Ark. He didn’t get a sense of hope or security, but rather something more controlling. It was more like walking into a criminal bank vault meant for holding contraband than any of the many shelters he had visited throughout his adventures around the planet. Forget about finding a speck of dust floating in the air, even the mana was perfectly regulated.
He slid the Soul Shroud up to his forehead and blinked his watery eyes as he assessed the cavern a bit more carefully. It was almost completely dark, but if Coop concentrated he could sense the edges of the room. Presence of Mind hadn’t left him, though it was more like an echo of the skill that had given him an overpowered sense of awareness. It was practically silent, the air was still, and there weren’t even any new scents.
Coop almost jumped out of his skin when a massively thick blast door slammed into the ground behind them with barely any sound. The movement that caught him by surprise was followed by a subtle hiss as an air-tight seal was established where the membrane barrier had been. He spun around, finally accepting that, while the outside of the mountain had accumulated a seemingly natural crust of crystallized mana, it was impossible to call the inside anything but artificial. He had to concede that point to Lyriel. This place was unnatural.
Rather than his curiosity taking over, driving him deeper into the unknown to expand his adventure, it was his recovering caution that prevailed. He rushed back to the door, waving his hand in front of it, then trying to manually slide the entire wall back up. Nothing he did would make it budge even the slightest amount. With all of his Strength, he couldn’t make the most marginal of impacts, though he stopped short of manifesting a weapon and trying to smash a hole in the wall with his abyssal abilities.
Stepping back, if he hadn’t just walked through the doorway, he wouldn’t have believed it could be open. It was exactly like the other walls. There were no gaps or other hints that it connected to the outside world. Coop frowned, going from worried they wouldn’t find anything to worried about escaping what they found.
“Are we stuck?” He wondered out loud, tapping at the vaguely metallic surface and finding it had a bit more give than expected.
“Mwep.” Palisteon chirped, now a triplet set of wormy things that combined to be the size of a small dog.
Lyriel was quietly laughing, sounding almost delirious, and when she spoke, it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “I can’t believe it.” She lifted Palisteon off the ground and twirled. “We’re actually inside an Ark!” She exclaimed with bubbling joy.