Tree of Life ~ Interior

[Namohysip]

Even after Dark Matter's crisis, the insides of the Tree of Life continued to be an internal labyrinth. The walls seemed to be straightforward for a while, with prismatic light flowing through the roots wherever they looked. The wood itself seemed healthy, greenish, and dark. Perhaps even fires wouldn't be able to put it out.

But the tree was not entirely harmless. There was a strange energy about it, too, that was oddly draining. Spending too much time inside could potentially cost a traveler's life... though clearly, travelers were not normally allowed inside. Along with that, some of the vines along the way had thorns that the group had to be careful about stepping over. Sometimes, it felt like they moved...

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Maple already had her blade drawn, moving cautiously through the tree with Team Spectrum just behind her. "Xerneas and Diyem weren't anywhere around the perimeter," she said. "Has he answered any of your calls?"

"Not a one," Owen said, "but he has to be alive. Otherwise, we'd be feeling it, and badly."

"Mm." Maple kept to her Smeargle form in case there was corruption in the air. She wasn't going to be able to do much in an Eterna environment anyway. "Then by that logic, he must be somewhere inside..."

 

[Namohysip]

Most of Team Spectrum and their Ultra Shades floated behind Diyem as dark phantoms. As nothing but silhouettes, similar to Wishkeeper, they were both weightless and bodiless, but still audible to one another and to, of course, their host. A few, such as Bahamut, were still taking on physical forms and lined up on either side of Diyem like bodyguards, prepared for whatever awaited them in the Tree.

Ahead was the entrance, radiating an ominous air. The Tree itself was dim and cracked in a few places, a shadow of its former self, though thankfully not as dead as it had been during the Dark Matter crisis. At least, not yet... Diyem feared what would happen soon.

"I will enter the Tree," Diyem said, "and the moment we can, I shall strike Maple with the point of my weapon. From there, it will be up to you all while the rest of us hold Maple off."

Next to Diyem was Xernatus, who nodded uneasily. "I will do my part as well," he said. "We must also be careful of Eien and Blacklight Mewtwo. They will likely be fighting each other, but..."

"Mm." Diyem nodded. "This will be difficult no matter how we look at it. Hopefully our preparation will be enough..."