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Granny Yaga explained the Netherworld and its many regions to Elayne. She listened carefully, taking mental notes and engraving the information as runes within her soul to ensure she would never forget. The regions were as follows:
Abyssal Cavern Labyrinth
A recursive, living maze formed from the collapsed soul of a primordial Nether Titan. Its layers spiral downward through time-distorted caverns, each older and more saturated with Nether Essence. Ancient factions dwell in its depths, including the Black Spectral Dragon Palace and the Nether Ghost Castle. The Labyrinth is the spiritual heart of the Netherworld, where the Demon King of Death has taken over most of the Surface Layer and is rapidly expanding through the Middle Layers.
Poisonous Nether Wetlands
A swamp of sentient toxins and whispering fogs, fed by rivers of liquefied curses and decomposed souls. Plants here bleed venom, and the air itself can infect thoughts. Alchemists and poison cultivators harvest rare reagents from its depths, but only those with soul-bound masks survive the hallucinations.
Once a battlefield soaked in betrayal, the land itself turned poisonous. The Demon King of Death has established outposts, fortresses, and a large city here. Elayne saw this place as ideal for expanding her powers by discovering and "befriending" poisonous plants.
Hollowed White Bone Desert
A vast expanse of calcified dunes formed from the bones of forgotten armies. The wind carries echoes of war cries and broken oaths. Beneath the surface lie cursed skeletons and relics that awaken during soul eclipses. Nomadic bone shamans roam the desert, communing with ancestral spirits.
This land of exile and spiritual erosion draws Skeletons seeking ascension. The Demon King of Death uses it to regenerate and grow his body. Mark might find this place ideal for his own evolution.
Eternal Shadow Forest
A forest untouched by light. Trees of petrified sorrow drip spectral ink from their leaves. Time fractures here—walkers may emerge centuries older or younger. The forest is home to the Shadows, cursed ghostly beings like the Cursed Needle Master and Shade, who built a citadel of curses and madness beneath the Shadow Roots. The trees are said to remember every soul that has passed beneath their canopy.
The Demon King of Death controls 20% of the forest. Elayne was most intrigued by this place—a forest of trees, perfect for her growth.
Soul Ash Mountains
Volcanic peaks that erupt with burning soul fragments instead of magma. These mountains are remnants of a celestial war, where fallen spirits were incinerated and fused into stone. Ash storms here can erase memories or rewrite identities. The Ash Monks, who believe in purification through pain, guard the peaks. Their chants can calm even the most violent Nether beasts.
The Demon King of Death has conquered several mountains, mining them for resources. The Ash Monks resist fiercely, and their Venerables are among the few who practice empathy and kindness. Elayne might find refuge here—and the flames may resonate with Mark as well.
Azure Nether Ghost Sea
A tranquil, glowing sea of condensed ghost energy. Its waters shimmer with the emotions of the drowned—love, grief, longing. Ghost ships drift endlessly, crewed by silent phantoms. Beneath the surface lies the Temple of Echoes, where one can relive a soul’s final moment in perfect clarity.
Undead pirates, led by Noble Race defectors, sail these waters. The sea connects the Mainland to the Nether Bone Archipelago, a hub of trade. The Demon King of Death has not expanded here, but the Demon King of Flood is currently attempting to do so.
Nether Bone Archipelago
A chain of floating bone islands tethered by spectral chains. Each island is a fragment of a forgotten kingdom, preserved in bone and memory. Ruled by the Bone Cartographers, who map the emotional geography of the Netherworld, their living maps shift with tides of grief and ambition. Travelers must barter memories to navigate safely.
Currently free from the Demon King of Death’s control, it could serve as a safe haven for Elayne’s forces—though crossing the sea remains perilous.
Black Nether Ghost Sea
A violent, abyssal ocean of corrupted ghost matter. Unlike the Azure Sea, it devours identity and replaces it with rage. Storms scream with the voices of the damned. The Drowned Legion patrols its waters, serving the fabled King of the Black Nether Ghost Sea, a godlike figure. The sea is said to have been born from the tears of a betrayed God of Chaos.
Abyssal Demon Continent
A continent forged from the crystallized wrath of ancient demons from Hell. Its jagged, blood-soaked landscapes shift constantly. Demon clans wage eternal war, each bound to a different sin or emotion. The Demon King of End holds near-total control here. A permanent Gate to Hell allows powerful demons to enter this realm. Only the strongest survive in this crucible of power.
Crimson Blood Ghost Sea
A sea of coagulated blood and spectral ichor. It pulses like a living heart, its tides governed by lunar rituals. Blood priests sail bone barges, harvesting soul-rich clots to forge Blood Ghost Pills. Sacred to the Crimson Cult, who believe blood is the purest form of existence.
Elayne’s cultivation methods are heretical here, as she opposes the Vampire belief that all beneath them must be consumed.
Coagulated Blood Islands
Floating masses of hardened blood and bone within the Crimson Sea. Each island is a tomb, a prison, or a laboratory. The Crimson Cult conducts soul surgeries and blood alchemy here. Some islands are sentient, reshaping themselves based on visitors’ emotions. Highly dangerous, the Cult attacks anyone who approaches—even Dragons.
Chaos Realm
A realm of broken logic and unstable laws. Gravity reverses, time loops, identity fractures. Home to Chaos Spirits, beings of paradox. Sealed by twelve paradox gates, each requiring a different form of self-denial to open. Only those who abandon their name, purpose, or past may enter and survive.
The strongest beings of the Netherworld train here. Its true scale is unknown, but rumors speak of entities so powerful that their mere presence would bring catastrophe.
Colorless Void Realm
The final boundary of the Netherworld. A place where color, emotion, and memory dissolve. Not death—but unbeing. Souls that reach this realm are stripped of meaning and join the Void Choir, a silent chorus that sings the end of all things.
Guarded by the Pale Watchers, who record the last thought of every soul. Also known as Ginnungagap, it is rumored to contain a Dimensional Bridge to other Realms, Worlds, or even the Vast Cosmos.
"Ah, so much to remember... and this is just the basic information," Elayne sighed, slightly tired. "But I’ve engraved it all. I won’t forget. Thank you for the tip, Granny Yaga. I had no idea it was possible to literally write on my soul like a book."
"Well, yes. Undead forget things easily," Granny Yaga replied. "It’s the nature of your existence. Your soul is loose, lacking a proper body—it feels scattered. That’s why Undead are so ravenous, desperate to grow stronger. They don’t want to forget who they are. Memories are precious to us. They give us purpose, meaning, happiness. That’s why, in many regions, memories are used as currency."
"I see... That’s fascinating," Elayne nodded. "I’ll keep using this technique to remember everything."
"You should. If you’re not going to consume pills made from your own kind, you’ll need alternatives to grow and remember," said Granny Yaga. "The Path of Nether Cultivation has always been one of consumption—especially Soul Cultivation. But you’ve found another way. You befriend plants and draw power from those bonds. It’s unheard of. And these plants are poisonous to both Undead and Noble Races, yet you’ve bred them until they’re edible. This is the first time I’ve seen farming done by an Undead."
"People don’t farm here at all?" Elayne asked.
"Most ’plants’ are monstrous or poisonous," Yaga explained. "We raise Nether Beasts, Bone Beasts, Ghost Beasts—but farming is a concept from the living world. Some Undead have tried to build farms here, but all failed. Even Druids from the Living World couldn’t find ’Nature’ here. They called it abhorrent."
"I suppose that’s where they failed," Elayne said. "They believed Nature couldn’t exist here. That Death isn’t part of Nature. But I think it is. Decay, putrefaction—these are part of the cycle. Death leads to life. Nature blooms again."
"Truly intriguing," Granny Yaga murmured.
"Now that we know where we are, we should tell the others," Elayne said. "Sailor, Little Hope, can you bring our friends here? And the people Sailor thought might help us."
"Understood," Sailor nodded.
"Okay!" Little Hope chirped.
An hour later, everyone gathered inside Elayne’s vast home. Granny Yaga included. Together, they explained the true nature of the Netherworld—its regions, factions, and dangers.
To ensure no one forgot, Elayne helped them imprint the information into their souls by "copy-pasting" what she had done to herself, something Yaga said shouldn’t even be possible, yet Elayne had done it without hesitation.
"Incredible. Did you just copy and paste your own soul into someone else? Only... only a being capable of disassembling their own soul and consciousness could ever do such a thing—and you did it so casually. Just what is the true nature of your soul, Elayne?"
"Hm? Ah, I don’t know? I just... did it?"
"You did?! Hmm... So you aren’t aware of your soul’s nature... May I... examine it? I swear I won’t touch it."
"...Huh? Well... okay."
Elayne nodded, allowing Granny Yaga to peer into her soul. The old blue goblin’s eyes glowed with spectral light, her ghostly aura expanding as she gazed deeper.
And then she saw it.
"W-What is this immenseness?!"
For a moment, Yaga was lost within Elayne’s soul. She saw fragmented cracks, echoes of pain and suffering—but also an indestructible core.
From within that fractured landscape, an endless sea of green and golden soul essence shimmered.
"D-Divinity?!"
Yaga gasped, stunned yet fascinated. She tried to look deeper, to understand the structure of this soul that defied all logic.
It was vast. Ancient. Alive.
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