"Uhmmm?"

  Helyna slowly opens her eyes only to get greeted by the unfamiliar surroundings. The sudden change of scenery makes her extremly pumped up and alerted. Jumping out of the bed with panic and eagerly try to pull her sword.

  Yet, She didn't feel anything. Not a scabbard, handle or even the belt holding her sword.

  "W-where?!"

  Helyna looks around and she saw her weapon gently placed above the wooden desk along her BoS and other accessories. So with no hesistation, Helyna starts arming herself.

  "W-where am I?"

  She saw the door of her room she staying with. Helyna now opens it and greeted by Grand Ecstasy and Wanderer sleeping peacefully everywhere on the living room. She didn't see any sign of injury at them, ruling out their defeat.

  But to be sure, Helyna walks closer into the sleeping Claustrine who slumped on the table. She gently shakes Claustrine in attempt of waking her up.

  "Miss Claustrine..."

  After few more attempts. Claustrine finally wake up and smile after seeing Helyna healthy and fully recovered.

  "You're finally awake Helyna. Do you feel great?"

  "Uhmm y-yeah. But that's not important right now. Where exactly are we Miss Claustrine? Did we returned to the city?"

  Thus Claustrine explained the situation.

  "I-I see..." But Helyna is still perplexed on the turn of events.

  After some time. Everyone finally wakes up and resumed their meeting after gaining good amount of rest.

  "That monkey is completely incomprehensable. It acts like it knows humanity yet still far from it." Boltz observation.

  "That's makes it more dangerous. It's unpredictable at all fronts. Behaviour, power, everything. It's our best interest to just be on its good side... As how much it would last anyway." Mateo agrees on Boltz.

  "We can't still disregard that it might have intelligenceee. What's the purpose of all of these humanly stuff~?" Monica spans her arms to emphasize the oddly human-friendly home they staying with.

  "Fair point." -Claustrine.

  The door opens and the monkey shows itself bringing lots of unknown fruits with its hands deformed to be look like a basket. It just place the fruits on the carpet then leaves with no interactions with everyone.

  "Did he want us to eat theseeee~?" Monica is wary.

  "I guess so." Mateo's short answer.

  "Should we really eat though?" -Boltz.

  "As if we have any choice."

  Everyone picks a fruit with their trembling hands and simutaneously takes a bite.

  "Hmmm... Taste just a normal fruit." Graham commented.

  "Taste like combination mango and tamarind." Mateo think after tasting a weird looking fruit.

  After eating some of the fruits and filling their energy. The monkey returns now looking at them.

  "What now?" -Mateo.

  The monkey didn't answer as usual, instead leave again but this time letting the door to the outside world open.

  "He wants us to leave?" Graham raise his eyebrow.

  "I guess we're free now." Helyna answers with a smile.

  The group exits the log cabin to its front entrance and greeted by a vast farm with different variaties of plants. From grass to trees.

  "Yup. He's really a farmer." Claustrine smirks.

  Mateo spans his vision around only to see the monkey looking at them again.

  "I think he wants us to follow him?" Mateo's theory.

  "Well then. Lets go. It's not like we have any map of this place. If this cursed location can even be sketched to a map." Graham scratches the back of his head.

  .

  .

  .

  The group follows the monkey deep inside the vast garden. As everyone enjous their sightseeing, Claustrine and Monica notices something around them.

  "These plants..." Monica looks at the vegetation with amazed yet concerned look.

  "Yeah... I recognize some of them from textbooks. I can't believe we going to see these extinct plants here of all places." Claustrine commented with curiosity.

  "W-what?! No waaay!"

  Boltz rushes towards a row of specific blue glowing tree. The others follow her and Monica also make the shocked expression after knowing what Boltz is surprised with.

  "W-why there's Vivvilus trees here?" Boltz can't believe what he seeing with his own eyes.

  "Vivvilus tree?" Mateo and Graham both asked.

  "This tree is supposed to not existing anymore. The last tree kept by the church died 10 years ago."

  "And what makes this tree special?" Mateo continues his inquiry.

  "You shouldn't be the one asking that. Because the grounded seed of this fruit is the reason why your party manages to stay alive after fighting the Legendary Hero."

  Mateo's mouth slowly opens after remembering the dust used by Gilmore at them as first aid treatment on their deep wounds as what Sophia and Hilgurd tells to them.

  "Unbelieble."

  "A magical tree is created by the Goddess Vivvily herself to help humans. Its fruits contains the eternal kindness of healing."

  Boltz touches the glowing tree and look at it with his solemn eyes.

  "But being a magical tree personaly created by a deity, every humanly attempt to cultivate it failed as according to the theories. Vivvilus trees requires the vast presence of Vivvily itself to continue their existence."

  "Hey hey are you telling me that?"

  "It's just a theory Mateo. And now that we see these trees. It seems that the dreaded theory of the church and academia is not true. It's just the matter on why the tree is in this place." Boltz makes a sigh of relief.

  Helyna sees that the monkey stops and looking at them.

  "G-guys... I think we making the monkey annoyed."

  "Ah sorry... Lets go guys, just forget these plants for a moment and focus on leaving this place." Mateo reminds everyone.

  "Can I pick just a single fruit?" Boltz asked.

  "I think that's a bad idea." Mateo answers as he look on the monkey still staring at them.

  Not want to make the monkey mad. The group resumes following the pink primate, they can only give glances on the unique plants, flowers and fruits everywhere.

  Until they finally reach a place covered with tall plants.

  "Tool shed?" Mateo asked as he stare at a wooden shed.

  The monkey opens the door of the shed and it enters, facing everyone as it waits for the rest to also join him.

  The group enters and just wait for the monkey to do something which what it exactly do. The monkey stomps its left foot hard and then...

  A red magic circle glows beneath them.

  "N-no way!" Mateo scream as he knows what's going to happen next.

  "You know this?!" Graham shouts.

  "Yes! This is the teleportation circle we encountered in the caves! Prepare to get sent to a location!"

  The inside of the shed radiates in bright red and even out-shining the daytime light ifself. The light show only last for a second and banish as quickly as a blink of an eye. Inside, there's not even a trace of everyone nor the magic circle.

  ~~~~~~°~~~~~~

  A magic circle lights up on a stone platform and for a mere seconds, Grand Ecstasy alongside others spawned over the circle and their first reaction is to see where the circle bring them with.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "I-I feel... Sick..." Helyna then almost puke.

  "What the fuck is this... Place?" Graham's mind is in shambles as around him are limitless jumbled stairs criss-crossing with each other. Some having orientation that doesn't even make sense like being upside-down or twisted for some reason.

  The others are equally perplexed as they doesn't know how to make sense of the scenery.

  "It's like a... Maze?" Claustrine whispered.

  "My brain hurts." Helyna touch her head as her brain starts to ache a bit watching the confusing stairways.

  The monkey resumes its walking and the others follow. Now carefully traversing each step of the stairs spanning for what it seems like an infinite space.

  .

  .

  .

  The group quietly walks. The humming of the surroundings is magical yet ominous as the bright blue void radiates from the gaps of the stairs. As they continue their exploration, everyone is surprised after walking the upside-down and twisted stairs. There's gravity the pulling them down, or more likely.

  The concept of gravity inside the space is distorted.

  "Unbelievable... To see that Jhulzihar can create something absurd like this is such a treat. I wonder how the academia would react on this?" Monica commented.

  "Makes me wonder. How powerful the legendary heroes really are." Graham's thought.

  "I'm more curious on what would happen if we fall on the empty space. These stairs are quiet unsafe." Claustrine commented as she looks down on the blue abyss.

  "W-w-w... WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

  "AYAHHH!" Claustrine almost fall but managed to leap away to the edge.

  "Helyna?! Why you suddenly scream?!" Claustrine asked, annoyed. Only for her to see Helyna engulfed with fear as she look up.

  Everyone got alerted after Helyna screams out of nowhere. Seeing the young lady pointing up with scared expression. They look on what she's watching, only to experience Helyna's same exact fear after knowing what make her scream in panic.

  Above them is a gigantic long creature slithering between the gaps of the stairs. It's too huge for a normal monster that everyone encountered on their adventuring life.

  "T-That's like one kilometer in lenght?! How can something like that exist?!" Graham spouts as he never encountered such absurd monster before.

  "No... It's a lot longer..." Monica corrects Graham. Sweating profusedly as she can't comprehend the sheer size of the beast slithering towards them.

  Everyone brace themselves as they observe for the gigantic monster and wait for it to reach their spot closer.

  And closer...

  And closer...

  Overwhelmed by megalophobia as the scale of it become more pronounce. Dread sets on everyone's guts, unsure if they're even capable of fighting a monster of such magnitude.

  "T-This is impossible..." Boltz's scared words.

  But to their surprise the beast halt its movement. Its enormous face blocking most of their field of vision and with it. The group finally can view the otherwordly details it posessed.

  Its skin are comparible to a shining silver with a flat body that makes it appear like a tangled stretch of metal slithering between the gaps of the floating stairs.

  above its head is a very long dorsal fin waving elegantly on the space. And the face, it's covered with what seems like thick plates of rainbow glass with only its huge pearly white eyes on display. Staring at them directly through their soul.

  Mateo gulps as the empty eyes out him at unease. Meanwhile, the pink monkey remains calm and stare on the beast. Mateo saw him and notice that the two monster are like silently conversing with each other.

  And after a minute. The silver beast turns its head and moves. Bypassing the group who watch in awe as they finally see the extent of its size and lenght as the body fully blocks their vision.

  Helyna slumps on her knees, breathing heavily as encountering such magnificent creature takes her breath away.

  "W-what's its d-deal?" Graham swallows a lump. To him, he feel like he just survived an unwinnable encounter.

  "Incomprehensable..." Monica's only words after attempting to scale the beast.

  The monkey continues to walk, treating the entire encounter like an inconvenience which confused the people its guiding.

  "Do you think that creature knows something about that beast earlier?" Boltz asked.

  "I think that's the case here. If not, we're already dead." Mateo's answer.

  ~~~~~~°~~~~~~

  The group continues their journey and experiencing the weirdness of tje stairs. They manage to walk on the upside-down and twisted stairs with ease. As if the concept of gravity is distorted inside the space.

  .

  .

  .

  It's been hours and everyone's knees are starting to hurt due to constant climbing through the stairs.

  "Haaa... Haaa... How long we need to walk?" Helyna is panting as due to her previous injuries, her body is still not on good condition.

  "Want me to carry you again Helyna?" Boltz kindly propose which Helyna quickly refused.

  "But you seems in struggle?" Claustrine asked with concern.

  "I-I'm fine... Ahh... I don't want to become an inconvenience for everyone anymore." Helyna make a pained smile.

  "That won't do. You're body is clearly not recovered yet."

  Mateo walk towards Helyna and crouch in front of Her.

  "Hop in."

  "E-eehhhh?! B-but..."

  "No buts Helyna. Please."

  Helyna blushes and awkwardly piggybank on Mateo who carried her with ease. Helyna is still embarassed.

  "T-Thank you Mr. Mateo." Helyna makes a faint smile.

  "Just tell me if you want to switch places." Boltz's recommendation.

  "You really fond of Helyna aren't you Mr. Boltz?~" -Monica

  "She reminds me of my daughters." Boltz smile.

  .

  .

  .

  Another few hours of grueling walk and steps. Everyone reached a very wide stone platform. The monkey for some reason stops there which surprise everyone.

  "F-finally... Flat space." Graham then lies on the floor. Exhausted after they traverse the space with no stop at all.

  Mateo sees that in the middle of the platform is a large stone box with a door in it.

  "Is this where you want to bring us?" Mateo asked out of curiosity.

  The monkey as usual didn't show any response. It just walk again towards the stone box and stop in front of the door. After catching their breath, Mateo tells everyone to follow the monkey which they did.

  And now they're in front of the door which the monkey opened. Revealing a completely dark space.

  "There's nothing inside." Mateo commented.

  The monkey enters the room and everyone follows only for them to got blocked by the monkey's elongated arms.

  "Woah... W-what?" Graham is surprised.

  The monkey then points its finger to Mateo.

  "I-I'm the only one you want me to enter?"

  The monkey just make a single deadpan nod and waits for Mateo.

  "Guys. Just wait for me here."

  "No problem. It's not like we have power to disagree on its decision." Claustrine's words.

  Mateo gives a nod for everyone then he enters the dark room before the monkey closes the door. Leaving the others behind.

  .

  .

  .

  Mateo can't even see a single thing due to how dark the room is, only for her to get blinded by a sudden flash of light.

  "W-What now?!"

  The room finally got illuminated and the insides surprise Mateo as it's a lot larger compared on what it looks outside. Not only that, he see numerous floating glowing orbs of multiple colors with a very large white orb in the middle ominously levitating and surrounded by the fields of smaller spheres.

  "Is this..." Mateo got a hunch on what the place is.

  The two proceeds to approach the large white orb. Its radiance looming on Mateo as he come closer yet he persevere until finally, Mateo and the Monkey got dwarfed as they look up to the shining sphere.

  "What now?" Mateo asked as he's unsure why the monkey brings him on such important place.

  The monkey respond by looking at Mateo and raise both of its arms. Its hands like reaching on the orb itself.

  "You want me to... Touch it?"

  The monkey makes an emotionless nod.

  Mateo gulps and he walks closer. Approaching the unknown is not his style but on his situation, it's better to just trust the monkey. Hoping that something wrong would not happen as a result.

  At first, Mateo hesistates but to a sheer will. He manage to place both of his hands on the orb. Despite the brightness of the sphere, it's not scolding hot like what he expected. More like comfortably warm on his touch.

  "W-what's next?"

  But Mateo quickly find out as the light of the sphere then travels from his arm and then engulfing his entire body. Before finally getting absorbed inside his body. Everything happened in a fraction of a second.

  "Ooo haaaa!" Mateo panics as he reacts late to the phenomena. He quickly pulls his hands and inspects his body. Checking for any abnormalities and damage only to find none.

  But he's still not convinced.

  "W-what just happened?" Mateo asked the monkey but it doesnt respond.

  Only for it to away towards the exit to the utter confusion of Mateo. He check himself again and wondering what is the thing that entered his body. He doesn't feel weaker nor stronger at all. Mateo feels... normal.

  "W-whatever..." Mateo just shrugs and follows the monkey until they leave the room. The orbs disappears with a blink of an eye after the monkey close the stone door.

  .

  .

  .

  "Mateo!"

  Graham alerted the others which resting by calling Mateo who just exited the room.

  "Are you ok? What happened there?" Claustrine asked.

  "I-I don't know. I just followed what the monkey wants me to do." Mateo answers, still confused with the whole ordeal.

  "What he ordered you to do?" Boltz's question.

  "I just touched a giant white orb. But I don't feel anything after."

  Graham walks towards the stone door and prepare himself.

  "Perhaps that's a pass for us to leave this place."

  Only for him to get yanked back by the monkey on his collar with its elongated arm.

  "Perhaps not~." -Monica.

  "I don't know what you want us Mr. Monkey but we really need to return home." Helyna's pleading words to the monkey.

  As usual, the monkey doesns't show any emotion and walks towards one of the corners on the stone platform.

  "Again?" Graham is not amused.

  Despite that, they have no choice but to follow. Once they reach the destination, the monkey taps his right foot and...

  A blue magic circle appears beneath them.

  "W-woaah! Another teleportation?!" Graham's surprise.

  The group got engulfed by a blue light and dissapear instantly. The unknown place becomes quiet again with only the magical humming left.

  ~~~~~~°~~~~~~

  In Layer 7: Bloody Ice.

  After a bright flash of light, a group of people suddenly appears near a giant hole on the ground.

  "I- aughh!"

  Helyna run away from the rest and calls the crows. Mateo and the others meanwhile got greeted by the familiar harsh coldness.

  "We're... Back?" Monica can't believe her eyes.

  "It's really Layer 7? Thank the goddess!" Boltz makes a short prayer

  Mateo looks around and he see the what once a cabin is now turned into a giant black hole leading to a brand new layer.

  The monkey walks towards the hole which noticed by everyone.

  "Are you leaving now?" Mateo asked.

  The monkey didn't show any response and just casualy leap to the hole. Everyone run on the edge and shouts their gratitude to the guide that brings them back.

  After wearing their winter clothing. Grand Ecstasy, Wanderer and Helyna finally starts their journey back home as they remember the absurdity they experienced on the new discovered areas.

  "You know... We're the ones that discovered that place, so we can name the monsters we saw there right?" Graham's thought.

  "I think we can think of that later. The first hurdle is convincing the guild and the kingdoms on what we just discovered. Especially that farm~" Monica's correction.

  Everyone sighs as they don't know if the guild and kingdoms would believe everything. Especially the gargantuan beast on the stairs and the monsters of the meadow.

  "The good thing is. We can use the hole as an evidence that we really discovered the entrance to new layers. Well, thats the only comprehensable thing on our experience really." Boltz's opinion.

  "So we need physical evidence right?" Claustrine asked.

  "Yeah. The silk of cow spider thing is great but sadly we didn't managed to snag a small piece." Boltz added.

  Claustrine pulls something on her BoS and show it to everyone.

  "How about this?"

  Everyone feels a shiver on their spine after seeing the thing on Claustrine's hands.

  A Vivvilus fruit.

  "Y-you a-almost get us k-killed Trinne!" Monica panics.

  "Hey! It's already done and the monkey seems didn't mind. Besides, we survived right?" Claustrine smirks.

  "Good grief Trinne. Do you have a kleptomaniac side on you?" Mateo scratches his head.

  "Geez Mateo... Atleast praise me a bit." Claustrine look at Mateo with disbelief.

  The others don't know what Kleptomaniac means but they still chuckle

  "O-Ok... Now that we have that settled. There's one thing we need to deal with."

  "What is it Mr. Boltz?" Helyna asked.

  "How we can explain the Ameron Party?"

  Everyone ponders as they really don't know how to approach the situation.

  "Lets just explain the situation and hope for the best. Atleast, we can give closure to their victims" Mateo's proposal.

  "I agree." Helyna makes a bitter smile as she agrees alongside others.

  "Good. Lets return home. I'm starving." Mateo declare with a smile.

  "I hope we don't encounter the White Queen." Graham's worried words.

  "Please don't jinx it~" -Monica.

  On the distance, the White Queen alongside her pack of White Stalkers watch the group for a moment before she leaves without a trace.

  .

  .

  .

  After day of exploration. Everyone finally exit the Reverse Tower and quickly informed the outpost about their discovery. In return, the Outpost sent their fastest messenger falcons to the Kingdoms of Nattunia and Zelestre to tell the news.

  And prepare for their return.