wellbeing and joy.
For several hours they went on down the tight stone passage. They moved as fast as they could, knowing that danger was close behind. At last they came out into an enormous cavern, and immediately felt free from the oppression and darkness of the narrow tunnel. Looking up, they saw with astonishment that the lofty dome let in a whitish light, which bathed the whole space. They stared at it in awe, speechless. The transparent rock surface which formed the dome allowed them to see something impossible, something that broke all the rules of nature: they saw, above their heads, the bottom of a clear lake.
They were looking at the Fountain of Life.
From inside the cave.
The whole dome of the cavern, from wall to wall as far as the end, was completely translucent, it allowed them to see the inside of the great lake above their heads. Schools of small silver fish zigzagged rapidly in the depths of the sky-blue waters of the lake, reflecting the light of the sun. Silver flashes revealed the abundant vegetation which covered parts of the dome, with small groups of fish of varied colors hiding from other, bigger kinds. On the underside of the dome, plants and algae formed patches of intense green, creating a complete natural waterscape. The spectacle before their eyes, suspended above their heads, was so beautiful that they both stared and stared in disbelief.
“What… what is this place where the laws of Mother Nature aren’t respected? H…how is it possible that we can see the sacred lake through the rock ceiling of the cavern?” muttered Iruki. She was completely overwhelmed, her eyes staring wide.
The Assassin leaned the torch against a projection in the rock and looked from one end of the place to the other with deep attention. His dark, slanted eyes went carefully over the whole unlikely scene, looking for some possible rational explanation for what they were witnessing.
Very softly he said, “Truly intriguing… I can’t tell whether it’s a natural phenomenon, an anomaly in the composition of the rock itself, or if there’s some other hidden factor involved.”
Iruki dragged her eyes away from the ceiling with an effort and looked at the rest of the cavern. A natural spring issued from a pile of red rocks, forming a stream which meandered past her feet, running from one end of the hall to the other. Small ochre-yellow plants and strangely-shaped green water lilies sprouted on both sides of the narrow, winding stream. In the center of the great cavern was a pool of quiet water which shone peacefully in the filtered light from the dome. More water lilies in soft shades of pink, together with other plants of unknown origin, spread around and over the water, floating on the gentle, scarcely-perceptible current.
On the west side of the cavern, at the far end, two waterfalls separated by a rocky outcrop fed a steady influx of white spray. Both waterfalls came together in the center of the hall, forming a stream which disappeared amid golden rocks. Splashing the ground with color, a range of plants in many shades grew in small clumps all over the cavern, competing in intensity with one another: reds, oranges and strong greens caught the observer’s attention.
“Do you think there’s some hidden power behind this mysterious place?” said Iruki, unable to find any explanation for the wonderful spectacle before her. “I’m sure this is not natural.”
“There probably is…”
The Assassin pointed to his right, to the spring, and walked towards it. Iruki followed, intrigued by the dreamlike beauty around them. As she came closer, she saw what he was trying to show her: a long line of strange golden markings etched on the wall, hidden by the spring.
“Do these symbols have any meaning for you?” she asked the Assassin.
He looked at them thoughtfully for a long moment, and finally shook his head.
“No, it’s a language I’ve never seen before. Anyway, what I know of these lands is very
For several hours they went on down the tight stone passage. They moved as fast as they could, knowing that danger was close behind. At last they came out into an enormous cavern, and immediately felt free from the oppression and darkness of the narrow tunnel. Looking up, they saw with astonishment that the lofty dome let in a whitish light, which bathed the whole space. They stared at it in awe, speechless. The transparent rock surface which formed the dome allowed them to see something impossible, something that broke all the rules of nature: they saw, above their heads, the bottom of a clear lake.
They were looking at the Fountain of Life.
From inside the cave.
The whole dome of the cavern, from wall to wall as far as the end, was completely translucent, it allowed them to see the inside of the great lake above their heads. Schools of small silver fish zigzagged rapidly in the depths of the sky-blue waters of the lake, reflecting the light of the sun. Silver flashes revealed the abundant vegetation which covered parts of the dome, with small groups of fish of varied colors hiding from other, bigger kinds. On the underside of the dome, plants and algae formed patches of intense green, creating a complete natural waterscape. The spectacle before their eyes, suspended above their heads, was so beautiful that they both stared and stared in disbelief.
“What… what is this place where the laws of Mother Nature aren’t respected? H…how is it possible that we can see the sacred lake through the rock ceiling of the cavern?” muttered Iruki. She was completely overwhelmed, her eyes staring wide.
The Assassin leaned the torch against a projection in the rock and looked from one end of the place to the other with deep attention. His dark, slanted eyes went carefully over the whole unlikely scene, looking for some possible rational explanation for what they were witnessing.
Very softly he said, “Truly intriguing… I can’t tell whether it’s a natural phenomenon, an anomaly in the composition of the rock itself, or if there’s some other hidden factor involved.”
Iruki dragged her eyes away from the ceiling with an effort and looked at the rest of the cavern. A natural spring issued from a pile of red rocks, forming a stream which meandered past her feet, running from one end of the hall to the other. Small ochre-yellow plants and strangely-shaped green water lilies sprouted on both sides of the narrow, winding stream. In the center of the great cavern was a pool of quiet water which shone peacefully in the filtered light from the dome. More water lilies in soft shades of pink, together with other plants of unknown origin, spread around and over the water, floating on the gentle, scarcely-perceptible current.
On the west side of the cavern, at the far end, two waterfalls separated by a rocky outcrop fed a steady influx of white spray. Both waterfalls came together in the center of the hall, forming a stream which disappeared amid golden rocks. Splashing the ground with color, a range of plants in many shades grew in small clumps all over the cavern, competing in intensity with one another: reds, oranges and strong greens caught the observer’s attention.
“Do you think there’s some hidden power behind this mysterious place?” said Iruki, unable to find any explanation for the wonderful spectacle before her. “I’m sure this is not natural.”
“There probably is…”
The Assassin pointed to his right, to the spring, and walked towards it. Iruki followed, intrigued by the dreamlike beauty around them. As she came closer, she saw what he was trying to show her: a long line of strange golden markings etched on the wall, hidden by the spring.
“Do these symbols have any meaning for you?” she asked the Assassin.
He looked at them thoughtfully for a long moment, and finally shook his head.
“No, it’s a language I’ve never seen before. Anyway, what I know of these lands is very
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