The Tree of Shadow, which towered between heaven and earth and supported the entire fabricated space, shone like a torch. Its bark and branches, which embodied scenes of desire from different eras of Trier, the City of Joy above, blazed in the Purification Flame, constantly twisting and withering.
This was not the fire Viève had previously ignited with her own power, nor the high-level power Lutique had temporarily gained through a god's descent. It was purification delivered personally by a True God.
Just then, a deep, rapidly spreading darkness suddenly emerged beneath the Tree of Shadow's tangled brownish-green roots.
The darkness covered almost the entire ground, engulfing every root of the divine tree and making it appear to grow out of constantly churning black liquid.
The two Lightseekers floating in the air simultaneously felt an unrestrained desire well up from their hearts. Lust, brutality, and the impulse to destroy everything arose naturally from deep within them.
Was this caused by that black ocean below? Was it connected to the Chained and Abyss pathways, which excelled at stirring up desires and evil thoughts? Viève swiftly glanced at the liquid engulfing all the Tree of Shadow's roots, then averted her gaze and looked instead toward the Eternal Blazing Sun in the sky, whose warm light was dispelling the desires in her heart.
The latter paid it no heed, merely watching the burning Tree of Shadow in silence. His sunlight fell into the black liquid, but was swiftly absorbed rather than setting this ocean ablaze as it had the divine tree.
That was because this black ocean was not a physical substance. It came from the depths of everyone's hearts, from the collective manifestation of their fallen selves.
It was the manifestation of the Abyss.
Back when Viève had stormed this area and