“You know, my cousin told me something about you and how you understood her special ability, but…” his voice softened, “I was the one who taught Luna to detect lies. It’s a subtle art, the small changes in voice, the tension in certain muscles, the way the eyes move… And above all, the bodily flow of mana.”
Ren froze, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing erratically.
“And you, young Ren, have been lying quite a bit. Not about everything, but definitely about important things.”
Silence filled the tunnel while Ren processed this revelation.
“You’re not a spy,” the prince continued. “Your lies are too specific for that. You’re protecting something, hiding something you can do or see.”
The mushrooms pulsed more intensely, as if responding to their bearer’s tension.
“Please,” Julius softened his tone further, “tell me what you really see down here. What your mushrooms with more than ‘just light’ are showing you.”
Ren remained silent for several seconds, clearly debating with himself.
The mushrooms pulsed once more before Ren finally spoke:
“The patterns…” he began hesitantly. “I can see patterns in the mana. In the walls, in the beasts, in how the energy flows…”
The prince observed how the boy seemed to relax slightly upon finally telling the truth. Although that was an ability several beasts had, like his qilin or those of his cousins or siblings… He had never heard of a spore providing it.
And it definitely wasn’t enough to explain Zhao’s exaggerations…
“Continue,” he encouraged gently.
“It’s like… like clues,” Ren gestured toward the walls. “I can see where crystals form, where beasts have left marks, which tunnels are safe and which aren’t.”
His mushrooms pulsed with more confidence as he continued explaining:
“And since the attack… there are new patterns. Marks I hadn’t seen before. As if something had altered the natural flow of mana in the depths.”
The prince listened attentively, noting how each word now carried the unmistakable weight of truth.
The supposedly useless spore had turned out much more interesting than anyone could have imagined. Or was Ren’s spore different to others?
“But it’s strange,” Ren frowned, his mushrooms glowing more intensely while he approached to examine a crystalline vein. “The mana flow is… different. As if something had pushed it out of its natural course.”
He moved to another section of the wall, his fingers tracing lines invisible to others.
“Do you see these crystal formations?” he pointed to patterns that seemed random to the prince. “Normally they grow following the natural mana lines, but here…” he paused, searching for the right words. “It’s as if something had forced them to grow in another direction.”
The prince observed with renewed interest as Ren continued his analysis.
“The abyssals,” Ren murmured, more to himself than his companion. “When they emerged, it must have been like opening a floodgate. A vein of their energy extended up to here.”
His mushrooms pulsed more rapidly while following the trail of alterations.
“But it’s receding,” he continued, noticing how the patterns began normalizing in certain areas. “The natural flow is pushing back, reclaiming its territory.”
“Like a river returning to its course?” the prince could see it too, but played along trying to understand more about the boy.
“More like…” Ren searched for a better analogy. “Like when you mix water with oil. At first they blend, but gradually each returns to its natural place.”
The mushrooms detected something else, a subtle fluctuation in the patterns.
“Although…” Ren stopped, studying a particular section more carefully. “There are areas where the abyssal energy seems to have… settled. As if it had found points where it can remain stable.”
The prince observed how the boy moved through the tunnel with a confidence that completely contradicted the image of someone with the “worst beast.” Each movement seemed guided by information invisible to others.
He showed no fear of possible old worm holes that could make him fall, seeming to walk as if through his own home.
“That’s why some crystals are changing color,” Ren pointed to formations. “They’re absorbing the residual energy from the abyssals.”
He stopped before a particular crack, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with a slower, more cautious rhythm.
“Here,” he murmured. “This point is still… active. Like it’s an anchor for the abyssal energy.”
The prince approached to examine the crack. To him it looked like any other, but the certainty in Ren’s voice was undeniable, so he scraped with his beast’s claws and found violet crystals.
“The normal mana flow is avoiding this area,” Ren continued explaining. “Like a river circling a rock. But the abyssal energy…” he stopped, considering his next words.
“Yes?” the prince encouraged him to continue.
“It’s as if it left a mark,” Ren frowned. “A point where its influence remains, even while the rest fades.”
The mushrooms pulsed one final time, detecting something deeper, more worrying.
“And I don’t think it’s the only point like this… it must continue downward… This way,” Ren pointed to another descending tunnel while his mushrooms pulsed. “The abyssal energy vein is stronger in this direction.”
They passed a group of guards who respectfully saluted the prince. As they descended, the marks on the walls became more pronounced.
“Your highness,” Ren stopped abruptly, this was his chance to escape from the prince… He had guided him far enough in the right direction. “We’re passing 150 meters. With my spore, the mana poisoning…”
“Is that what really worries you?” the prince interrupted softly. “Or is there another reason you want to stop here?”
The mushrooms in Ren’s hair pulsed erratically.
“I don’t understand what you mean by…”
“That day,” Julius looked at him directly, “when they found the mercenary. Did you also stop at 150 meters?”
“Of course, I…”
“Lie,” the prince took a step toward him. “Like the other lies about your limits. How far did you really go down, Ren?”
Silence filled the tunnel while Ren considered his options. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed faster and faster.
“150 meters isn’t your limit,” Julius continued pressing. “Not even close. I can see it in your face every time you mention that depth.”
Ren took a step back, but the prince advanced another.
“I… might have gone a bit deeper that day.”
“How much is ‘a bit deeper’?”
“Maybe… 200 meters?”
The prince smiled without humor. “You’re still lying. 300 meters, perhaps?”
Ren’s mushrooms practically glowed at the mention of that depth. It was all the confirmation Julius needed.
“Three hundred meters,” the prince whistled softly. “With a spore. I won’t ask how you avoided the deep assassins or the worms. But it’s… impressive. And what were you looking for so deep?”
“Nothing in particular, just…”
“Ren,” Julius interrupted again. “We’ve established that I can detect your lies. Why don’t you tell me the truth?”
There was another moment of tense silence before Ren finally sighed.
“There was a mana vein,” he admitted. “A special one. That I wanted to use for my cultivation…”
“And that’s when you found the hydra?”
Ren nodded slowly.
“Show me.”
“What?”