Chapter 113 ‒ The Shadow Beneath the Roots
Chapter 113 ‒ The Shadow Beneath the Roots
Tyler stepped into the dimly lit ward, the scent of herbs and faintly charred bark lingering in the air. Frank hovered between cots, his hands flitting like startled birds from patient to patient. Every so often, he paused to check a pulse, adjust a bandage, or offer a reassuring word.
Tyler waited quietly near the doorway, his presence a silent pillar in the room. When Frank finally looked up, his tired face brightened into a small, proud smile.
“Ah, [Player]… You’re here,” Frank said, his voice raw from long nights without rest. “I was just checking on everyone. They’re… recovering faster than I hoped. Their breathing is smoother, their pulses steady. It’s a miracle.”
Tyler stepped closer, glancing over the cots, his gaze lingering on each resting face. “It’s all because of your cure, Doctor Frank. You did well.”
Frank shook his head fiercely, his hair falling in dishevelled wisps around his forehead. “No… no, it wouldn’t have been possible without you bringing in so much of the divine flower. We had nearly lost hope before that. What do you call it again?”
Tyler hesitated, lips forming the word as if tasting something bitter and bright all at once. “It’s… Chryso—” He stopped, exhaling lightly. “Never mind. Just call it the divine flower. Easier that way.”
Frank chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. “Divine flower it is, then. You always make things sound simpler than they are.”
Tyler’s eyes drifted to the far end of the room, where an empty vial gleamed under a lantern’s glow. His voice turned sharp, cutting through the warmth. “Doctor Frank… that black vial you used on the World Tree’s roots… what exactly was it?”
Frank’s face darkened instantly, as if a cloud had swept over his mind. “That… It was a strange black liquid, thick and murky, with a stench that turned my stomach. It seemed alive, like it moved even when still.”
Tyler frowned. “Where did Jumo Racoon get it from? Did he say anything?”
Frank pressed his lips together, his fingers trembling faintly as he wrung the edge of a blanket. “Jumo… he vanished after that day. He only mentioned that it came from a powerful wizard. That’s all I know. After he delivered the vial, we never saw him again.”
Tyler felt a cold weight settle on his shoulders. A powerful wizard… there were many across the world, but true masters, true forces of magic — they could be counted on one hand.
Yandeon immediately flickered through his thoughts: the towering wizard who had stood against Shindeon, sacrificing everything to seal away that destructive force.
No… Tyler shook his head inwardly. Yandeon was pure, selfless. The idea of him spreading corruption is unthinkable. In fact, Yandeon might not have even known Ashborough or the World Tree existed.
Still… It might be worth asking him. If anyone could identify the source of that twisted magic, it would be Yandeon.
Tyler turned back to Frank, his voice low and careful. “If the corrupted World Tree is producing the Blightspawns, then none of this will end until we stop it. All these efforts… they’ll become meaningless once we run out of ingredients for the cure. The true threat needs to be eliminated.”
Frank’s eyes widened, his mouth opening in a silent plea before words burst forth. “Wait! Please… The World Tree is our sanctuary’s guardian! It has sheltered us for generations, protected us from storms and beasts alike. It is our pride… must we really destroy it?”
Tyler’s gaze hardened, his shadow flickering in the lamplight. “Doctor Frank… you’re only ignoring the truth. You can’t just fence off danger and pray it sleeps forever. Unlike your people, the World Tree cannot be cured. It is corrupted to its core. The only way to protect everyone is to end it — permanently.”
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
A sudden voice cut through the tension.
“I agree with him.”
Anne stepped forward from behind a row of beds, her arms crossed, eyes fierce and unwavering. “That tree… it killed my mother and countless others. If it means saving lives, then we can’t hesitate. We have to do what needs to be done, no matter how painful.”
Tyler turned, surprise flashing across his face at her support. Anne stood her ground, chin lifted defiantly.
Frank let out a soft, almost hollow laugh, his shoulders sagging as though years had been added in an instant. “My my… When did my daughter become so grown that she starts arguing back? Hah… Well… I can’t say you’re wrong.”
He turned his weary gaze to Tyler, a bittersweet glimmer in his eyes. “But still… please, [Player]. I beg of you… if possible, don’t destroy our World Tree.”
Tyler felt a pang strike his chest. The sorrow in Frank’s face reminded him of Miho’s expression when he had sent her home that night — the night he had shattered everything with his own hands.
It’s always the same… To protect them, I have to become the monster they fear.
He clenched his fists at his side, drawing in a shaky breath. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, his heavy steps echoing down the hallway like final chimes before a funeral.
---
The open square of Ashborough glowed faintly beneath a muted sky, grey clouds brushing against a shy moon. Tyler stopped at the centre, his eyes lifting to the towering figure before him.
The World Tree rose impossibly high, its trunk twisting like a monument carved from ancient storms. From afar, it might have appeared majestic — a living pillar holding up the heavens. But up close, the truth writhed in every crack and crevice.
Prehensile branches coiled like serpents, their tips ending in vicious barbs. Roots jutted outward, clawing at the earth in twisted hunger. Every leaf was ashen, brittle as burnt paper, dripping with a foul black secretion that stung the air with rot.
Tyler felt the stench coat his tongue, his fingers twitching around the hilts of his twin swords.
This is it.
A surge of power crackled beneath his skin. Red lightning licked along the dark steel as he finally drew the twin swords from his back, the sound sharp and electric. They gleamed under the moonlight, alive with pent-up wrath.
Before he could move, a familiar screech split the air behind him.
Dozens of Blightspawns poured forth, twisted bodies shuffling and lurching, teeth clicking hungrily as they lunged toward him.
Tyler’s lips curled into a dark, amused smile.
“You think you can stop me now?”
He lunged forward, his blades flashing, cutting down the first wave like reeds before a fire.
CRASH!
A thick cloud of pink mist exploded beside him, curling into the night air like a dancing spirit. Tyler turned sharply, his eyes catching flickers of movement.
Anne stood at the edge of the square, clutching a fresh set of purification bombs. Behind her, dozens of townspeople emerged, each gripping crude weapons and stretchers, their eyes burning with grim determination.
“Charge forward! We’ll hold them off!” Anne yelled, her voice slicing through the chaos like a bell at dawn.
Tyler paused, his red lightning crackling along his swords. A fleeting warmth brushed against the hollowness in his chest.
“I’m counting on you,” he called back, his voice low but certain.
Anne’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing faintly. She spun to face her ragtag army.
“Everyone ready?!” she roared.
“YES MA’AM!” they answered in unison, voices trembling but strong.
Anne raised her shovel high, her grip tight. “Then — CHARGE!”
The villagers surged forward, tossing purification bombs in arcs that painted the night sky pink and silver. The bombs burst against clustered Blightspawns, cleansing their twisted shells and freeing hidden human forms beneath.
Anne swung her shovel expertly, her feet planting firmly as she herded Blightspawns into tight groups. She spun, slammed, and kicked, her movements honed by sheer necessity rather than training.
“Don’t waste the purification bombs! Gather them first, then strike!” she shouted, her voice sharp and clear over the din.
Tyler watched for a brief heartbeat, then turned, his focus snapping back to the monolithic horror in front of him.
He dashed forward, dodging grasping roots that whipped at him like spiked chains. His breath burned in his lungs, his muscles coiled and released in rhythmic waves.
At last, he skidded to a stop before the massive, gnarled trunk. Up close, the World Tree loomed even larger, its corrupted bark shimmering with a sickly, shifting sheen.
A system window blinked open before his eyes, glowing with grim finality.
[Enemy Identified: Verdant Blight, the Corrupted World Tree]
[Level: 200] [HP: 5000/5000]
Tyler tightened his grip, lightning crawling across his arms and echoing in his bones.
Milo… watch me now. I will make things right.
He raised his twin swords. Red lightning arced upward, a thunderous roar rolling across the broken square.
Then, without hesitation, he lunged at the Corrupted World Tree, a lone flame against the vast, corrupted dark.