She glanced at Larvavine who are waiting nearby and continued, "The path ahead might be narrow. If you're worried about getting squished against the rocks, you can perch on my head."
"Larvavine!"
Larvavine chirped in response.
Once Ash had securely strapped her backpack on, it crawled up her outstretched arm, settled onto her backpack, and then lifted its upper body to drape itself across her head.
"Larvavine~"
Larvavine adjusted its position and emitted a contented hum, clearly comfortable in its new spot.
Ash chuckled softly.
She reaching up to gently pat Larvavine's head that was now adorning on her head.
Without further delay, she used her backup lighter to ignite the torch she held, and then stepped forward into the dark, narrow pathway ahead.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed.
A faint light appeared in Ash's line of sight.
The Larvavine who is excited let out a sharp chirp, as if to say: Look ahead!
"I see it, I see it..." Ash reassured the Larvavine, using her free hand to pat its head gently, calming its eagerness.
Picking up her pace, she moved toward the source of the light with Larvavine perched securely on her head.
The sound of dripping water echoed constantly around them, a rhythmic backdrop to their journey through the dim, confined space.
Ash's lips curled into a faint smile, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Finally, we're here!
The moment she stepped out of the darkness, her surroundings opened up into a breathtaking view.
Instinctively, Ash closed her eyes to shield them from the sudden brightness.
The Larvavine that was perched on her head unbothered by such concerns.
It let out a startled cry and clutched at Ash's hair with its soft limbs.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked, feeling a slight twinge of pain on her scalp.
She quickly opened her eyes, but what she saw next left her stunned.
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
"This... this can't be real!"
Before her lay a pristine azure lake.
The crystal-clear waters shimmered under sunlight streaming through the cracks in the mountain overhead, creating a dreamlike scene.
At the center of the lake stood a small island crowned by an ancient, massive tree, its grandeur adding to the ethereal beauty.
"This place..."
Ash stood frozen for a few seconds, utterly captivated by the surreal sight, before she finally managed to shake herself free from the spell of awe.
Before arriving, Ash had speculated about what the old man meant when he mentioned the center of Azure Bay Mountain.
But what she never could have imagined was...
The center of Azure Bay Mountain contained an actual lake!
This... does this even make sense?
Ash's gaze swept repeatedly across the thick stone walls surrounding her, struggling to believe her own eyes.
She was certain this was an enclosed space.
Apart from the narrow path behind her and the cracks above letting sunlight pour in, there were no other exits.
The elevation difference between the lake and her current position also made it clear that this mountain lake couldn't possibly be the source of the outside stream and waterfall.