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Before they even reached Acacero, however, the reapers began giving them warnings about something being strange with the city.

‘What in the world am I sensing?’ said Orolix publicly.

‘I sense it, too,’ said Juda’s reaper, name of Arigaja. ‘What is that? A forest? Impossible. We didn’t go in the wrong direction, did we?’

‘Even if we had, there still shouldn’t be a forest down here. At least, not that kind of forest.’

The uncertainty made little difference, though. Everyone already knew that they couldn’t turn back. Whatever was awaiting them in Acacero, they would have to deal with it.

When the city finally came into view, the reapers’ questions only seemed to increase.

The cave let out onto a ledge with a narrow, winding path that led down onto a major road below. But the view that the ledge provided was truly something else. Taj’s hazel eyes widened as he absorbed the scene before them.

It did indeed appear to be a forest in the middle of the city, trees as tall as any of the buildings. But they glowed green and white, illuminating the greater cavern in which the city sat, revealing many other tunnels high up on the walls and even in the ceiling.

There were great rocky pillars, too, but they were less apparent than in the previous cities they’d passed through. These ones were adorned with more glowing foliage, and not all of them reached all the way up to the ceiling, either. Some of them merely plateaued higher up and had buildings of their own on top of them.

In fact, one plateau in particular was more noticeable than the rest. Right there in the center of the city, it didn’t rise as high as the others, but an enormous structure sat upon it. What was that? A stadium? No.

He had to squint at this distance, but he could see turreted towers. Long banners hanging from battlements.

That was a fortress. A palace, even.

The trees all around its exterior made it luminous and verdant, the vibrant centerpiece of the entire city.

‘...This city is not how I remember it,’ said Arigaja.

‘I’ve never seen this type of flora in the Undercrust,’ said one of the other reapers, name of Elbadon.

Taj was as confused as anyone, but his mind was still consumed with a sense of urgency. “We can’t stand around here gawking,” he said, starting down the pathway. “Let’s go see things up close.”