In a modest little alley on the outskirts of Heavenfield, a small grill shop sat quietly. It was as deserted as ever, without a single customer in sight, seemingly isolated from the glitz and glamour of the city center. In the middle of the shop, an elderly man sat leisurely on a worn wooden chair, his legs swaying back and forth to an invisible rhythm.
From the end of the alley, the figure of an older woman approached slowly. Stepping into the shop, she called out:
"Hello, Vuri. Anything happening lately?"
The old man, Vuri—who had yet to fully recover from his severe injuries—offered a faint smile, his voice tinged with reflection:
"Well, I don't really know... I'm just wondering how that little dine-and-dasher is doing."
The woman, Maya, stepped further into the shop. She went straight to the money jar on the counter and exclaimed in shock:
"Good heavens! You've been open all these days and this jar only has a few measly coins?"
The large, weathered glass jar held only a few scattered bits of change. Vuri merely chuckled, looking entirely unbothered.
"It doesn't matter; I've gotten lazy lately. I have a gut feeling Shinji is about to return. Go ahead and prepare some good meat; I'll head into the kitchen myself to make him a proper meal."
Meanwhile, in Deepgreen, Shinji's group had finally conquered the summit of the Great Tree Perga. After navigating through giant branches that stretched out like guardian arms, a vast expanse of forest opened up before them.
"It looks just like a giant balcony,"
Omelet remarked as he flew ahead, leading the way. The rest of the group followed, still stunned by the grandeur of nature.
At the very heart of the summit stood a towering wooden structure, and in its center was embedded an ancient wooden door, its bark rough and covered in years of moss. Even though they had reached the top, the tree was so massive it took them several more minutes of trekking just to reach that door.
Omelet was the first to touch the cold wooden surface. He hesitated for a moment, his wings fluttering with nerves. Behind him, Lumber and Gumber urged him on with impatient words. Encouraged by Shinji and Lio, Omelet summoned his courage, pushed aside his anxiety, and shoved the door open.
The rusted hinges shrieked, and the heavy door swung wide, letting outside light flood into the hollow interior of the giant tree, dispelling the gloomy darkness. Before them lay an ancient library, thick with the smell of old paper and mold. Towering bookshelves had collapsed, broken tables and chairs were scattered everywhere, and tens of thousands of yellowed pages lay strewn across the floor like the ashes of knowledge.
Omelet stepped inside slowly, each footfall sinking into a thick layer of dust, causing the old floorboards to creak eerily.
"Alright, let's split up and search. The manuscript must be around here somewhere."
The group immediately set to work amidst the chaos. Lumber strained to lift heavy bookshelves so Gumber could crawl underneath to look, but his hand slipped, and the shelf came crashing down on both of them. Meanwhile, Shinji and Lio meticulously flipped through the books scattered on the ground.
"There are so many kinds of books..."
Shinji muttered. He picked up a volume containing vast knowledge of the world, but there wasn't a single word mentioned about the Demon King.
After scouring the entire room until it was spotless, they still hadn't found any sign of the manuscript. They didn't even know what it looked like. Just as hopelessness began to set in, a rustling sound followed by the noise of rapid footsteps echoed from deep within the tree.
"Is it a demon?"
Lumber stood up abruptly, spear in hand.
"Could they have caught up this fast?"
Gumber backed up against his brother, both on high alert. The rest of the group huddled in a corner, ready for a fight to the death.
The footsteps grew closer, frantic and pressing, as if a monster was about to pounce. Just as Lumber was about to strike, a tiny head popped out from a hole in the wall. It wasn't a demon, but Zoe. The little Musheria girl, wearing her signature mushroom cap, stood watching them with wide eyes.
"Zoe!"
everyone cheered in relief.
Zoe jumped out from the wall, brushing the dust off her clothes.
"Hey, you guys are looking for the manuscript about the Demon King, right?" Hearing exactly what they were looking for, they looked at each other and cheered.
"That's right! Do you know where it is?"
Zoe nodded and trotted over to a nearby wall. Carved into the surface was the pattern of a radiant circular crystal surrounded by countless chains.
"You, the one with your eyes closed."
Zoe pointed at Shinji, signaling him to approach.
She pointed to a depression in the center of the crystal pattern. Shinji slowly reached out and pressed down. Immediately, billows of mystical white smoke poured out from crevices in the wall. The wall shook violently as the sphere-shaped carving split in two, revealing a secret door that radiated a blinding golden light.
As the light faded, a magnificent hidden chamber appeared. Mountains of gold, silver, and sparkling jewels lined both sides of the path, but no one in the group paid them any mind. Their sole target lay at the end of the hall: resting on a grand stone pedestal was an ancient piece of paper, exuding an aura of antiquity. Its yellow-brown hue bore the weight of time and the darkest secrets.
"This is it, the manuscript you need. I must go now,"
Zoe said, before quietly disappearing into a crack in the wall.
Shinji walked slowly toward the pedestal. He passed through the forest of gold and silver, his eyes never wavering, fixed solely on the paper—the only key to understanding the existence of the Demon King