What Lies Beneath

Bones.

Bones as far as the eye could see.

They stretched out in every direction, more numerous than either of them could count.

'Vertebrae?' Sarai leaned down and studied them.

Though different sizes, the bones indeed connected like thousands of backbones. They snaked through and over one another, often ending abruptly before tapering to a point.

These were the vines that Noble had fought.

'This is the Bloom of Doubt.'

Sarai furrowed her brow. 'I thought you said it was like a plant.'

'It was. But it was also a Nightmare creature. For all we know, it used bones from its victims to form those ghastly tentacles.' Noble shivered. 'Either way, it is dead now. The question is…what killed it?'

In her experience, powerful beings like the Bloom of Doubt didn't die of old age.

Had it starved to death once all the people above had been consumed?

No. The murals on the walls of Ender's Deep suggested the people had lived in the underground city for a very long time.

More than that, there were signs that a great struggle had taken place, and the Bloom was the loser of the confrontation.

Many of the bones below the missing ends of limbs were deeply gouged. The onyx stone of the walls was also deeply scarred by the harrowing battle. Below the serpentine bones, large stones from the surface lay cracked and broken, some looking more like sand than stone.

Remnants of the fallen city.

The pair continued, floating above the ruins and using Fire's spear to light the way. Nothing stirred in the darkness as they explored the ruins and bones. It was eerily quiet.

Too quiet.

The sense of foreboding was stronger down here. At first Noble thought it was her own nervousness or even Sarai's fear of falling that had stirred up the feeling of dread.

But now that everything was calm, the uneasiness remained.

Perhaps it was the random human tools and weapons scattered among the remains. Broken swords and axes made of the onyx stone littered the ground. The former wouldn't have done much against the Terror, and the latter were clearly constructed after the creature was dead in order to strip its flesh.

Were the cliff dwellers so desperate for meat that they chanced eating the corrupted flesh?

'That would have been a tough meal to swallow.' Noble pointed to a spot where an axe was still stuck in the bone.

Sarai nodded. 'How long do you have to cook meat like that to make it edible for mundane humans?'

'A long time…if it is possible at all…' Noble hadn't eaten many high-rank Nightmare Creatures. She preferred not to eat them at all.

Not that there was much choice with long-term living in the Dream Realm. If they were unable to return to the waking world, Awakened were forced to eat anything they could find.

Trying not to starve was often just as serious of a problem in the Dream Realm as fighting off creatures when it came to moving cross-country.

Was the same true for traveling through a chasm?

As they hovered across the broken ground, Noble could swear her worry was steadily growing. While the professor could push the sense aside, she was still keenly aware of its existence.

That could only mean one thing.

'I think we are under a mind attack.' Noble said calmly.

'Oh good, you feel it too! I thought maybe I was having a panic attack,' Sarai's shoulders relaxed slightly.

'A panic attack is worse than a mind attack?' Noble resisted the urge to chuckle.

The redhead nodded. 'At least with a mind attack, I can kill it at its source. Anyway, this one doesn't seem very strong. Any idea what is causing it?'

'I think it's up ahead…' After floating along over a kilometer, Noble felt a change in the landscape. They were reaching the end of the remains of the Bloom of Doubt and coming upon something else entirely. 'Be on your guard. There is something ahead.'

Sensing the strangeness, Noble switched to her second sight and raised her blade.

What in two worlds?!

Coming up were dozens of little glowing dots in her vision.

As they finally left behind the bones, strange splotches covered the ground like burst grapes. The stench became stronger. Sarai wrinkled her nose. 

'What is that?'

'I'm not sure.' Noble did not sense any life in the spots. 'I think they are bloodstains. I'm more worried about what's ahead.'

'What is...oh!'

At that moment, Sarai's light shone on the alien orbs.

Littering the tenebrous bottom of the cavern, little ovular capsules dotted the landscape. They pulsed imperceptibly, warning the women not to come any closer.

They were the source of the inexplicable fear.

Noble recognized them immediately. Her face grew pale. 

Stabbing one of the anomalies confirmed her fear.

[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Seed of Doubt.]

'Seeds!' 

Noble had seen the Bloom of Doubt try to release something from its pistil, but she had cut the flower down before it had a chance. In the real timeline, the Bloom must have been able to release its spawn. 

The stains closer to the bones were likely other slain seeds. If Cor had come down here, perhaps he had cut them down himself. Had he missed the others or had they sprouted since then? 

As the seed slowly deflated, a mist came out of it...no... it was tiny spores! It was no wonder there were so many pods. Killing one meant releasing the potential for many more. 

Who knew how many times Cor had come down and thought he wiped out all of the seeds only for more to spring up! It was a serious problem.

"Sarai!" Noble yelled aloud. 

But the redhead was already on the case. The fiery spear whizzed through the air and consumed the powdery mist, burning it to ash. 

The two women methodically moved along the dark chasm, destroying each of the seeds they found and burning the spores before they could spread. It was time-consuming. 

Another day, they would have to go in the other direction, but for now, they would have to be content with clearing a single side. 

'I don't sense any more of them,' Noble smiled when the last one was destroyed.

The feeling of fear pressing upon her consciousness was gone. There had been far more than just the first ones Noble sensed. The Bloom had been thorough in trying to preserve itself. Had it been on the surface, the whole Dream Realm would have been covered in a viny forest by now. 

Fortunately, the dark crevice had contained the creatures. 

It also contained something else. Noble's eyes opened wide.

Arranged together in a small alcove were a different kind of bones. 

Human bones. The skeletons were laid one beside the other underneath the overhang, like a long-lost mausoleum. 

'Was this...a settlement?' Sarai pointed to the remnants of a fire and possibly some cooking utensils. 

Noble thought for a moment. There was no way mundane humans could have survived the fall from the surface. That meant that whoever came down here would have done so intentionally. 

But why? 

Carved in runes beside the tomb, they found their answer. With great effort, Noble discerned the meanings from the shallow markings.

"We who lie here witnessed the true nature of Ender in the battle of the deep. To keep his secret, we were left to die. Yet we stubbornly held on, hoping we would find a way to escape. Our hope was in vain. With no more water, we have perished one by one. I am the last witness to Ender's treachery. May the gods seek vengeance. May our suffering be known."

"-Theo"