"Ms. Caspar arrived on Gramor Island only after the city had been burned down. By then, King Louis's army had already left. They hadn't even entered the city. Perhaps those psychics from the White Cliffs had sensed something was wrong.
"Anyway, those cowards saw the city burn for three days, then sensed dangerous power welling up from beneath the earth, so they chose to retreat.
"They were certain no one in the city had survived.
"But some had.
"Beneath the most sacred Holy Pool, the roots of the ancient tree had formed a vast hollow underground. When Avalon Keep was besieged, we reached the depths through the tree's hollowed-out heart.
"At first, it was the children, then the wounded soldiers. When the desperate fire began to rage, everyone who was still alive came down into this dim underground refuge.
"From then on, we said goodbye to the sunlight. But nature's blessings protected us. Avalon descended and bestowed power upon us, keeping hunger at bay. Vitality kept surging through our bodies, and so we survived.
"Under the gifts and watchful gaze of the gods."
The mayor of Deadwood Town led the outsiders upward along the roots of the "ancient tree."
He continued to recount the past in a rambling, disjointed way. It was clear the mayor was doing his best to tell the story clearly, but perhaps the strange symbiosis with the plants had affected his mind, making it difficult for him to think normally.
He would always repeat a sentence after speaking for a while, and someone had to prompt him before he could reconnect his train of thought and continue.
Natalie, Amber, and Meow Brother listened intently. After all, this was a firsthand account of the last guardians of the Old Church, and it held special meaning for the