Beneath the shadow of an ancient, cracked mountain, I, Akio, found a passage unseen by any other, a full millennium following the Great Desolation.
The village whispers told of kami residing in such hidden places. With a sense of trepidation, I entered. Perhaps I could find something to make our lives easier, or an end to the curses that seemed to plague us since the world fell into ruin.
Inside the stone gullet, a strange light flickered, casting peculiar shadows on the weathered rock. A humming, unlike anything heard before, vibrated the air. As I ventured further, the mountain’s stone flesh opened into an enormous chamber, unlike anything of human creation.
The floor was flat, as though carved by a precise chisel, but it was the wonder of the ceiling that stole my breath away. A multitude of sparkling stars shone against the darkness, an imitation night sky. And below it, a thriving forest stretched out, filled with plants and creatures more bizarre than any encountered before.
As I ventured further, I noticed the plants and animals appeared… different, fused together in an unholy union. Bird-orchids fluttered about, chirping soft lullabies, while squirrel-vines scampered underfoot, their rustling like whispers. The whole place throbbed with a strange, unseen pulse.
One creature, large as a horse, but with the body of a tree and the head of a rabbit, stared with eyes full of ancient sadness. Its voice boomed in my mind. “You are not of this place, stranger. What brings you to the House of the Kami?”
Taken aback, I stammered my simple quest, of the village’s hardship, of the hope for relief. The creature, the Kami, listened, its gaze softening. “We were not always thus, but a consequence of the Old World’s meddling,” it sighed. “Your people are not ready for our truth. But, perhaps, a small gift…”
It stretched its gnarled limb, producing a single fruit, unlike any I’d ever seen. It shone in the dim light, seeming to hold the promise of a thousand harvests.
“But beware,” the Kami warned, “just as we were shaped by the Old World’s curiosity, so could this gift bear unintended consequences. Use it wisely.”
I returned to the village with the fruit, the memory of the Kami’s warning echoing in my mind. It was a glimpse into a world beyond our understanding, a world where the Old Gods had attempted to play with the fabric of life itself. It was a lesson, too, a reminder of the horrors borne from the reckless pursuit of power.
And yet, as we planted the fruit’s seed in the heart of our village, I couldn’t help but feel a strange hope. We were venturing into the realm of the Kami, and though it might bear unforeseen consequences, it might also bear the salvation we so desperately needed.
After all, in this twisted world of ours, hope, no matter how dangerous, was all we had left.