I Can See Evolution Paths

The ancient stone door finished opening. For several seconds nobody moved. The darkness beyond the doorway was enormous.

Then a wave of heat rolled through the passage.

Eden immediately flew backward. "Hot!"

Arthur raised an arm in front of his face. "That’s definitely warmer than outside."

Vedas gripped his spear. "This doesn’t feel like ordinary heat."

Athena stepped closer to the entrance. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the mana. "It isn’t."

Arthur looked at her. "Mana?"

Athena nodded. "Extremely concentrated mana."

Athy looked toward the chamber. "How concentrated?"

Athena pointed downward. "Enough that I wouldn’t recommend falling into it."

Kong looked over the edge. Sun immediately grabbed him. "Don’t."

Kong looked confused. "I wasn’t going to."

Sun stared. "You were leaning over the edge."

Kong thought about it. "...I was curious."

Arthur laughed. "That’s understandable."

Sun looked at Arthur. "Don’t encourage him."

Arthur smiled. "Curiosity is important."

Sun sighed. "Of course you’d say that."

They stepped inside. The chamber was enormous, much larger than the cavern outside. The ceiling disappeared into darkness. Massive stone pillars rose from a glowing pool below. Ancient carvings covered the walls, some depicting strange Beasts, others showing humans carrying objects, several depicting what appeared to be a gigantic tree.

Arthur slowed down, his eyes moving across the carvings. "...This place is old."

Athena nodded. "Very."

Athy walked toward one of the walls. "Some of these symbols are different from the ones outside."

Athena studied them. "They’re older too."

Arthur looked toward the center. His expression changed. "Then what about that?"

Everyone followed his gaze.

Floating above the glowing pool was the Fire Mirror. It wasn’t sitting on anything. There was no pedestal, no chain, no support. It simply floated several meters above the mana. Its surface wasn’t reflecting the chamber. Instead, golden flames slowly moved beneath the glass.

Luna froze. Her voice became almost a whisper. "The Fire Mirror..."

Arthur looked at her. "You’ve never seen it before, right?"

Luna shook her head. "No."

Arthur looked surprised. "But your grandfather told you about it."

"He told me where it was." Luna kept staring at the Mirror. "He never told me what it looked like."

Arthur smiled. "Then I guess we’re seeing it for the first time together."

Luna slowly nodded.

Athena circled around the edge of the chamber. "There isn’t any visible mechanism."

Athy looked upward. "No chains either."

Vedas looked toward the mana beneath it. "Then what’s holding it up?"

Athena shook her head. "I don’t know."

Arthur’s eyes brightened. "Interesting."

Vedas immediately sighed. "That word always means we’re about to do something dangerous."

Arthur looked back. "Not always."

Vedas raised an eyebrow.

Arthur thought. "...Usually?"

Eden giggled. "Usually."

Arthur looked at her. "You’re supposed to support me."

Eden nodded seriously. "I am." Then she added, "But Vedas is right."

Arthur stared at her. "...Traitor."

Luna laughed softly.

Arthur started walking toward the Mirror. Vedas immediately followed. "I’m coming."

Arthur glanced back. "You don’t have to."

Vedas smiled. "I know." He continued walking. "I’m still coming."

Arthur laughed. Eden flew after them. "Me too!"

Arthur looked upward. "Of course."

Luna watched from a distance. Athena remained farther back, studying the Mirror carefully. "Arthur."

Arthur stopped. "Hm?"

"I don’t know what it does."

Arthur nodded. "Neither do I."

Athena looked at him. "That was supposed to make you stop."

Arthur smiled. "It made me more curious."

Athena sighed. Athy covered her mouth, hiding a laugh. "You should know by now that telling Arthur something is unknown only makes him more interested."

Athena nodded. "Unfortunately."

Arthur raised his hand, his fingers slowly approaching the Mirror.

His fingertips touched the surface. Nothing happened. One second. Two. Three.

Arthur looked at everyone. "Maybe it doesn’t—"

BOOM! Golden light exploded outward. Everyone was thrown backward. Vedas immediately planted his spear into the stone.

"Arthur!"

Eden cried out. "Arthur!"

Athena raised a barrier. Luna shielded her face. The chamber trembled.

But Arthur remained standing directly in front of the Mirror, his hair and clothes whipping backward from the energy. His eyes widened. "...Whoa."

The flames beneath the Mirror suddenly disappeared. The surface became completely golden. Then an image began forming.

Arthur’s expression slowly changed. "...What?"

A massive tree appeared. Arthur had never seen anything like it. Its trunk was wider than buildings, its branches stretching beyond the visible sky, golden energy flowing through its roots. And beneath the tree, five Mirrors, each a different color.

Arthur stared. "Five..."

Luna stared at the five Mirrors and her eyes remained fixed on them for several seconds. "...Grandfather wasn’t lying."

Arthur looked at her. "You doubted him?"

Luna quickly shook her head. "No." She smiled faintly. "I just never imagined I’d actually see them."

Arthur looked back at the five Mirrors. "Then I guess we’re lucky."

Luna blinked. "Lucky?"

Arthur smiled. "We came here looking for the Fire Mirror." He pointed toward the image. "And the first thing we find is all five."

Arthur kept watching.

Around the tree stood several robed figures. He immediately recognized them. His expression changed. "...Them."

Vedas looked toward him. "You know them?"

Arthur nodded. "I’ve seen those robes before."

Athena’s eyes sharpened. "The Memory Crystals."

Arthur nodded. "The same people."

The peaceful scene beneath the tree suddenly changed. The robed figures were no longer standing around the Mirrors. They were running through a dense forest, their robes whipping behind them as each carried one of the five Mirrors.

Arthur leaned closer to the surface of the vision. "They’re running."

Vedas studied the forest behind them. "From something."

A deep vibration suddenly passed through the chamber. Even though they were only watching a memory, the sensation traveled through their bodies, making the stone beneath their feet tremble.

The ancient figures looked behind themselves.

One of them shouted, "Don’t stop!"

Another turned while clutching the Mirror against his chest. "Keep moving!"

Then someone farther ahead shouted, "Separate the Mirrors!"

Arthur’s expression changed as he watched them split apart, each carrying a different Mirror deeper into the forest.

"They’re not trying to keep the Mirrors together," he murmured. "They’re making sure nobody can find all five in one place."

Athena slowly nodded. "Which means whoever is chasing them knows what the Mirrors are."

Arthur’s gaze remained fixed on the fleeing figures. "We saw them running in the Memory Crystal. I guess this is what happened before they separated."

"Yes..." Athena muttered.

Something moved behind the ancient figures.

At first, it was only a tremor beneath the trees.

Then several enormous trunks bent sharply, as though something massive had pushed through them from behind.

BOOOOOOM!

The forest erupted.

Trees were thrown aside, revealing only fragments of a creature hidden beneath the darkness. Arthur caught sight of an enormous claw sinking into the earth, followed by a long limb covered in strange golden markings.

Then two golden eyes opened between the trees.

The pressure that followed made Arthur’s expression change.

Even through the Mirror, the Beast’s presence was powerful enough to make his body instinctively tense.

Eden quietly moved closer to him. "Arthur..."

Vedas tightened his grip around his spear. "I’ve never seen a Beast like that."

Athena stared at the creature, her usual curiosity replaced by caution. "Neither have I."

Athy hovered beside her, watching the Beast carefully. "What kind of Beast is it?"

Arthur remained silent for several seconds.

Normally, a creature this strange would have immediately made him wonder about its species and Evolution Path.

But something about this one felt different.

"I don’t know," he finally admitted.

The Beast raised its head.

Its roar shook the forest.

ROOOOOAR!

The ancient figures continued running, but the Beast suddenly stopped.

Its enormous head slowly turned.

Its golden eyes moved past the fleeing Mirror bearers.

Past the Mirrors.

And settled directly on Arthur.

Arthur’s expression froze. "...What?"

Vedas glanced at him. "Arthur?"

Arthur didn’t answer.

The Beast wasn’t looking at the people inside the memory.

It was looking at him.

He took a cautious step backward. "It can see me."

Athena’s eyes widened. "That’s impossible. We’re outside the memory."

"I know."

The Beast took another step.

The Fire Mirror trembled violently beneath Arthur’s hand.

Luna gasped. "Arthur!"

Golden cracks suddenly spread across the vision.

Arthur raised Dusk. "Something’s wrong."

The Beast opened its enormous mouth.

Before it could roar again, the entire vision shattered.

...

Arthur opened his eyes.

The chamber was gone.

So were the glowing pool, the Fire Mirror, and everyone else.

He found himself standing in the middle of an unfamiliar Everglades.

The trees were much larger than the ones he’d entered earlier, their branches twisting together overhead and blocking most of the sky. A thin layer of fog drifted between their roots, and the darkness made it difficult to tell how far the forest actually stretched.

Arthur slowly turned.

"Mithra?"

Only silence answered him.

He tried again. "Vedas? Eden?"

Nothing.

His expression became more serious.

"Athena? Sun? Luna?"

Still nothing.

Arthur sighed and tightened his grip around Dusk. "Great. I really should have expected this."

A voice suddenly echoed through the forest.

"Bearer of Possibility."

Arthur immediately turned, but there was no one there.

"Who’s there?"

The voice came again, seeming to surround him rather than come from any particular direction.

"You have entered the Fire Mirror."

Arthur glanced around the forest. "The Fire Mirror did this?"

"Yes."

"Where are my friends?"

"They remain where they were."

Arthur’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

At least they weren’t trapped in here with him.

He looked toward the darkness ahead. "Then why am I here?"

A brief silence followed. "Because the Mirror chose you."

Arthur frowned. "Why?"

The voice didn’t answer.

Arthur waited and still nothing. He finally sighed. "You’re not very talkative."

Silence.

Arthur shook his head. "Fine. I’ll figure it out myself."

The voice returned. "Your trial begins now."

Arthur stopped. "Trial?"

"Reach the center."

Arthur looked deeper into the forest. "And what happens when I reach it?"

"You will learn."

Arthur gave the empty forest an unimpressed look. "That’s not exactly helpful."

The voice remained emotionless. "You have never required much information to begin exploring."

Arthur’s smile disappeared for a moment. "...You really do know me."

The forest suddenly shifted.

Trees twisted into different positions. Paths that had been straight bent in impossible directions, while cracks spread through the earth and closed again.

Arthur watched the changes carefully. "So you’re not just testing whether I can survive this place."

No answer came.

Arthur continued, "You’re trying to make me figure out what the trial actually is."

The voice finally answered.

"You seek answers."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

"Then seek them."

Arthur stared into the forest for several seconds and then his curiosity returned. . "...Fine." He stepped forward. "That’s more interesting anyway."

A scream suddenly echoed through the forest.

"ARTHUR!"

Arthur’s head snapped toward the sound as he recognized the voice immediately. "Vedas!"

He rushed through the trees, branches scraping against his armor as he followed the cry. The voice came again, sounding desperate.

"Arthur! Hurry!"

Arthur pushed through the final wall of vegetation and entered a clearing.

He stopped.

Three figures stood beneath the trees.

All three were Vedas.

Arthur’s expression slowly changed. The first Vedas stood with his spear raised, his golden armor covered in scratches. The second was kneeling on the ground. Blood ran down one side of his armor, and one hand was pressed against his injured side. The third stood several meters away, completely unharmed.

For several seconds, none of them moved.

Then all three looked toward Arthur. "Arthur."

The voices were identical.

Arthur slowly lowered Dusk into a defensive position.

The injured Vedas immediately reached toward him. "Arthur, help me."

Arthur’s eyes moved toward the other two.

The armed Vedas pointed his spear at the injured one. "Don’t listen to him. He’s lying."

The uninjured Vedas shook his head. "They’re both lying."

Arthur stared at the three figures.

The injured Vedas looked desperate.

The armed Vedas looked angry.

The third simply watched him.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed before the voice of the Fire Mirror echoed through the clearing. "Choose."

Arthur remained silent and then a faint smile eventually appeared on his face. "...That’s annoying."

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