I breathed out in amazement, even I, myself, found it very breathtaking.
As for what it was? It was a tree, wasn't very massive like you'd expect from my description, and is actually just around a few dozen meters tall however it's roots...it's roots stretched far and wide to every corner of the massive space.
Most of all, its bark was thick and looked very strong. It was releasing an aura of power and seemed indestructible. The tree didn't look ordinary in any way no matter where you look at it.
It was screaming an air of ancientness.
The same way it's roots stretched far and wide, so did its branches. It was as if it wanted to reach the heavens, unfortunately the caves ceiling was blocking it.
I wondered how such a magnificent tree could exist under a mountain in a cave where no sunlight exists. Well, it could simply use mana as a substitute and the tree looked far from normal so it was somewhat understandable.
Just like how humans and beasts can benefit from mana, so could trees and other living things like plants.
It was really astonishing seeing one right infront of me.
Was this what was calling us? What for though? I don't know why but it seemed that only benefits awaited us from here.
Wait, maybe there was no purpose in us being here, maybe it wasn't really specifically calling us, but we, we were drawn to it instead. Neph is very sensitive to stuff, more so regarding mana.
If a place with abundant mana existed somewhere near. Of course, Neph, who is a spirit that lives off mana, is drawn to it. I, as a mage, is also the same.
Just that, I wasn't as sensitive as Neph to realize that such a place could exist within the inner hollow mountain.
As unbelievable as it was, it seemed that the tree itself was providing mana in the area. The mana here was much more abundant than in the outside, much more pure and packed.
The tree released a brilliant light that continuously pulsed as if it were a human heart.
If I trained here, I should probably be able to train twice more efficiently than in the outside.
It was very tempting to say the least.
Still, I had to find a method to leave this forest first. Training here wouldn't just magically transport me out of this forest, after all.
Neph and I approached much closer to the ancient tree. It didn't seem to be dangerous, looking even a little bit magnanimous.
Neph started flying around in utter excitement. She seemed very active and in high spirits because of the abundant mana in the surroundings.
"Hmmmm....? A spirit." A voice unfamiliar to me sounded in my head. I flinched and looked around for the source of the voice.
"Child...is she your companion?" It spoke once again.
Telepathy?
It wasn't my ears that heard it, but my mind.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously whilst looking around, there weren't any humans nor creatures here who was capable of speaking except me and Neph.
It wasn't clearly me, Neph's voice was also very different from this one. Neph's voice was childish and pouting, whilst the voice speaking in my head sounded wise and very old.
"Me? Don't mind me little boy, I'm just an old withered tree." My eyes widened, I turned my head and it fell on the tree.
No way. It could talk? I knew the tree was something special but never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought of hearing a tree say something.
It was sentient!
"Well, answer me boy." Neph seemed unaware of the voice in my head as she looked like she was still playing around in the surrounding mana.
"Yes...she is my companion, why do you ask?"
After a momentary silence, it answered, "No particular reason really, just that you two are the only ones who I have been able to talk to for a very, very long time."
Yeah, I could imagine.
The tree was ancient and old, it must have existed hundred years way back.
"So? How'd you end up here, in this forest boy?"
"I don't know as well, I just woke up here without any sort of recollection of my life. You got any inkling why?"
I tried asking but really didn't have hope it would know anything.
Silence once again, the voice spoke, "That's interesting, unfortunately, I don't know."
I sighed, however, the voice added something that made me frown.
"Ohh, did I mention that for some reason, you have a scent of divinity?"
Divinity?
"That's...a strong word. What does it mean?" I asked, thinking that maybe, this was connected to my past.
"You'll know when you grow strong enough, right now you are far too weak and insignificant to understand what it is." I gritted my teeth, even though I was exasperated, nothing I could really do about it. If it was just as the ancient tree said, then it might really just be more than what I can take.
"Divinity huh? That reminds me..."
Hmmm? I wondered what the tree was uttering about when it stopped mid-way of its sentence.