Twilight descended, and the cold light of the Spirit Branch Tree began to emerge. Orlen and Ms. Adelle traveled along a little-known hidden path, avoiding the migration crowds already stirring on the main trunk roads. Their destination was downward—toward the Root Layer, a place most Leaf Dwellers studiously avoided.
"Wear your iris light filter properly," Ms. Adelle instructed, her voice dropping to a whisper. "We're about to cross the first boundary zone."
Orlen nodded, adjusting the position of his mask. This was his first time leaving the middle layer, and his heart raced with nervousness. Though he had heard countless stories about the various regions of the Spirit Branch Tree, seeing with one's own eyes was vastly different from hearsay.
They arrived at a massive node, the connection point between the trunk and a major branch. Several Leaf Dweller guards dressed in luminous fabric stood there, checking every traveler attempting to pass through. These guards belonged to the Tree Crown aristocracy, responsible for maintaining order during the migration.
"Hide behind me," Ms. Adelle whispered, simultaneously expanding her wings. "The Forest Pendant tribe has passage rights."
The guards merely nodded upon seeing Ms. Adelle. As neutral beings, the Forest Pendant tribe had special passage privileges during the Withering Season because they didn't participate in resource competition. Ms. Adelle wrapped Orlen tightly with her wings, making him appear like some package she was carrying.
They passed the first checkpoint smoothly and entered a darker area. Here the texture of the bark changed, becoming rougher, its surface covered with a luminous moss that illuminated the path ahead.
"This is the border between the middle and lower layers," Ms. Adelle explained. "Further down, we'll encounter more lower-layer Leaf Dwellers forced to migrate."
Orlen curiously observed his surroundings. As they descended, he could clearly feel the change in the Spirit Branch Tree's energy flow. The energy flow in the upper layers was light and active, while here it was slow and heavy, as if bearing some burden.
"Ms. Adelle," he asked quietly, "why are there distinctions of high and low, noble and common among the Leaf Dwellers? Doesn't the Spirit Branch Tree nourish all beings equally?"
Ms. Adelle gave a bitter smile. "Ideally yes, but reality differs. Hundreds of Withering Seasons ago, the Spirit Branch Tree did distribute resources equally. But with population growth and resource competition, powerful Floating Brahmas began to control the Spirit-Drawing Towers, monopolizing the production and distribution of Light Honey."
"Aren't Floating Brahmas supposed to protect all Leaf Dwellers?"
"Yes, but power often changes original intentions." Ms. Adelle stopped, carefully listening to sounds ahead, then motioned for Orlen to follow her into a narrow side path. "Most Floating Brahmas now have become spokespersons for the aristocracy rather than guardians of all Leaf Dwellers."
They continued forward and soon heard commotion from ahead. Rounding a bend, a shocking scene appeared before Orlen: hundreds of lower-layer Leaf Dwellers crowded in front of a huge tree hollow, pushing forward eagerly. These people's skin was darker than ordinary Leaf Dwellers, their clothing simple, their eyes filled with fear and despair.
"They're fleeing for their lives," Ms. Adelle said. "Lower-layer Leaf Dwellers are most vulnerable during the Withering Season. The upper layers have blocked the paths upward, so they can only flee downward, or be trapped on leaf islands about to detach."
Orlen watched these people who were of his kind yet with such different fates, and an emotion he had never felt before welled up in him. These people had no right to choose, like abandoned wood chips floating with the wind.
"We can't take the path ahead," Ms. Adelle observed the situation. "We need to detour. Stay close to me."
They circumvented the crowded people, slipping into a nearly forgotten crevice. This passage was so narrow that Orlen had to turn sideways to pass through. The interior of the passage was pitch black, with only the phosphorescent glow from Ms. Adelle's wings providing faint illumination.
"This is some kind of circulation tube of the Spirit Branch Tree," Ms. Adelle explained. "It connects the upper and Root Layers, transporting nutrients and waste. Few people know of this route."
They crawled through the tube for hours, occasionally hearing clamor and screams from outside. Orlen dared not imagine what was happening outside, just mechanically following the faint light ahead.
Suddenly, Ms. Adelle stopped.
"Something's not right," she said, wariness in her voice. "There should be a vertical drop ahead, but I sense unusual heat."
She cautiously peered ahead, then quickly retreated. "Gu Tribe!" she exclaimed in a low voice. "A group of the Gu Tribe is camping below."
Orlen felt a chill crawl up his spine. The Gu Tribe—those beings said to devour everything, the source of every Leaf Dweller child's nightmares.
"What should we do?" he asked nervously.
Ms. Adelle thought for a moment. "We must pass over their heads. These tubes usually have supporting structures above; I can carry you over with my wings."
Orlen swallowed and nodded. Ms. Adelle instructed him to climb onto her back, arms around her neck. Although Orlen was already fifteen and much heavier than when he was young, the Forest Pendant tribe possessed amazing strength, especially inside the Spirit Branch Tree, where they could enhance their abilities using the energy from the tree veins.
Ms. Adelle spread her wings and slowly rose to the top of the tube. Through a crack, Orlen caught a glimpse of the scene below: dozens of Gu Tribe members surrounding a small pile of burning leaf ashes, emitting strange humming sounds. These Gu Tribe members had various forms—some like beetles, some like spiders, and others in strange shapes Orlen had never seen before.
Just as they were carefully moving forward, one of the Gu Tribe suddenly looked up. Orlen held his breath, making eye contact with those compound eyes for an instant. That Gu Tribe member's body seemed to tremble, then emitted a sharp cry.
"We've been spotted!" Ms. Adelle whispered, her wings suddenly beating harder, accelerating their forward movement.
The Gu Tribe group below immediately became agitated, with several smaller ones beginning to climb up the tube wall. Ms. Adelle sped up her flight, but the tube space was limited, preventing her from fully extending her wings.
"Hold tight!" she shouted, then suddenly changed direction, crashing into what appeared to be a solid structure on the side of the tube. The structure broke upon impact, revealing an exit to the outside.
They burst out of the tube, falling into a vast space. This was clearly some internal cavity of the Spirit Branch Tree, so tall that the top was not visible, surrounded by holes and passages of various sizes. The ground was covered with a thick layer of humus, emitting a damp smell.
"Where are we?" Orlen asked in surprise, never having seen such a spectacular scene inside the Spirit Branch Tree.
Ms. Adelle looked around, her brow furrowed. "This is the ventral cavity of the Spirit Branch Tree, a transition area between the middle and Root Layers. Usually, this place should be empty, but now..."
Her voice abruptly stopped because they saw a shocking sight: on one side of the cavity, hundreds of Leaf Dwellers were confined in a huge cage made of Gu silk and tree resin. These people looked like they had been imprisoned for some time, their faces haggard, their eyes hollow.
Orlen couldn't comprehend the scene before him. "The Gu Tribe is... collecting Leaf Dwellers?"
Ms. Adelle pulled Orlen behind a protruding piece of bark. "The situation is worse than I imagined. This is not just an ordinary Gu Tribe invasion; this is an organized, purposeful action."
They hid in the shadows, observing the entire cavity. Besides the huge cage, there was a strange structure in the center of the cavity, looking like a giant pupa. The surface of the structure flickered with familiar light—that was the energy of a Spirit-Drawing Tower.
"The Spirit-Drawing Tower they stole from Eternal Light Island," Ms. Adelle said softly. "They're using it for some kind of ritual."
Just as they were trying to understand the scene before them, heavy footsteps approached from nearby. A massive being, obviously different from other Gu Tribe members, walked toward the pupa-like object. This creature had a near-human upper body, but the lower body was a multi-segmented insect form. Its head was covered with a peculiar carapace, making its features unclear, but one could sense a powerful majesty.
"The Gu King," Ms. Adelle gasped. "I thought that was just a legend."
The Gu King walked to the pupa, extended an arm covered with spikes, and lightly touched the pupa wall. The pupa immediately emitted an intense light, illuminating the entire cavity. Orlen instinctively closed his eyes, but through his eyelids, he could still feel the blinding light.
When the light diminished and he opened his eyes again, he saw that the pupa had split open, and a humanoid creature emerged. The creature had a form similar to Leaf Dwellers, but its skin shimmered with a metallic luster, and parts of its body bore carapaces similar to those of the Gu Tribe.
"A Leaf-Gu hybrid," Ms. Adelle said in shock. "They're creating new life forms."
The hybrid creature looked around, its gaze sweeping over the imprisoned Leaf Dwellers, then exchanged a few words with the Gu King in a language Orlen couldn't understand. The Gu King nodded, then made a gesture. Immediately, several Gu Tribe members dragged a Leaf Dweller from the cage, bringing him before the hybrid creature.
Orlen wanted to look away, but fear rendered him immobile. He watched as the hybrid creature extended its hand, pressing it against the Leaf Dweller's chest. A few seconds later, the Leaf Dweller's body began to glow, then rapidly withered, as if all life energy had been drained. The hybrid creature's body became brighter, its carapace growing more complete.
"We must leave here," Ms. Adelle said urgently, pulling Orlen back. "Now!"
But it was too late. Just as they turned, Orlen's foot stepped on a piece of dry bark, making a crisp breaking sound. The sound echoed in the spacious cavity, attracting the attention of the Gu Tribe.
Dozens of Gu Tribe members turned in their direction, emitting low hisses. But most terrifying of all, the hybrid creature also turned its head, looking directly at their hiding place. Orlen felt a chill run from his spine to the back of his neck—the creature's eyes were the same as his, the green unique to Leaf Dwellers, but with the coldness and calculation of the Gu Tribe.
"Run!" Ms. Adelle shouted, pushing Orlen toward the nearest exit.
They ran frantically, with the hisses and pursuit of the Gu Tribe behind them. Ms. Adelle led the way, taking Orlen through one complex passage after another. These passages became increasingly narrow, dark, and humid.
Orlen could feel that they were continuously descending, the slope of the passages becoming steeper. Although Ms. Adelle's wings provided a faint light source, the field of vision was extremely limited. They were almost moving by touch and intuition, occasionally bumping into protruding roots and nodes.
"We're almost there," Ms. Adelle said breathlessly. "The entrance to the Root Layer is just ahead."
The passage suddenly widened, and a curtain formed by luminous fungi appeared ahead. Ms. Adelle slowed down, carefully parted the curtain, and led Orlen through.
They stood at the edge of a cliff. Below was a vast space filled with thick roots and tangled rootlets, forming a huge maze. The light here was completely different from above—there was no warm or cold light from the Spirit Branch Tree, only the dim blue glow provided by countless luminous fungi and mosses.
Most shocking of all, the entire Root Layer was full of moving figures. Those beings known as "Darkened State Residents" moved among the roots, their skin a deep brown, almost blending with the surrounding environment. They worked in an orderly manner, some collecting amber-colored liquid dripping from above, others tending to a strange, semi-transparent plant.
"Welcome to the Root Layer," Ms. Adelle said, her voice tinged with sadness. "Your true home."