For a time there was nothing but silence, broken only by the sound of the thick waters of the Sea of Life sloshing in the massive Hokubu. Visibility was low, shrouded in the dark and muddy waters. But as Lucifer dove deeper that silence eventually was replaced by what sounded like a chorus of female voices faintly singing in the distance, though it was difficult to discern exactly what.
As Lucifer dove deeper, the voices grew louder and clearer. They were in another language, indecipherable from English but sounding themselves quite angelic. But perhaps even more shocking was that once Lucifer dove deep enough, as if a switch was flipped, the dark and cloudy Sea of Life suddenly vanished as if crossing a barrier threshold. The water became crystal clear, chilled, and illuminated. Above him was absolute darkness still encased in the Sea of Life, making the Hokubu very toxic. But below him was... a city. A massive underwater city built from marble and granite. Its buildings looked Hangurian-esque, neoclassical, and gothic. They towered underwater, and surrounding them were hundreds, if not thousands of fish-people. The same that were encountered at the Ruins of Chungsu many weeks ago. Lucifer's Relic Core would pulsate warmly as he crossed the threshold, entering what was the Sentinel's territory.
As Lucifer swam closer suddenly his core would glow, vibrate, and become warm to the touch. Whispers emitted from it as it began speaking to him from the distance; like before the whispers came from a woman's voice. But they were inaudible, perhaps spoken in an entirely different language like the ones being chanted from deep below the Hokubu. The voices only grew louder as Lucifer continued traveling downward from beneath the barrier that separated the Sea of Life from the crystalline blue waters above this wondrous civilization. Suddenly his body would be overcome by a vision, his sight being overwhelmed by a bright light. The woman's whispers turned into a seductive lull. "Finally you have come to the northeast, champion of Life. Though it had taken you quite some time. Look before you, Lucifer. Your eyes are witnessing the birth of something entirely new. The rise of a phoenix deep below the sea. Much like yourself these are also Children of Tiamat. But their breed and creation is far different from your own. Your anatomy was born human, and transformed by the Sea of Life's genetic manipulations. But they were born directly from the Sea of Life itself. Shaped from nothingness. A product of Tiamat's own will. And look upon them and what they have built within a few short months. Soon they will become the True Inheritors of the World; this is what you needed to see. A choice must be made in time, son of Tiamat. War is coming. Ancient ones stir deep below the depths of the world and you must be prepared. Three things you must obtain to awaken what rightfully belongs to you: a shard of the chasm which grants entrance to Irkalla, Essence of the Twin Fates, and the blessings of the Sentinels. The Primordial Life-Shaper used her hands to shape the Gods, and her hands shaped the Sentinels before you. For we are in the era of the Kamiumi."
The woman on the left spoke first, "We know who you are. Though you look somewhat different from the humans we learned about sometime ago. The Queen commanded we learn your tongue and culture to better acclimate us to when we one day come to the world above." She spoke very straight forward and to the point. The Sentinels had taught their people human ways, something that was likely discovered when they made their first incursion to the surface world at the Ruins of Chungsu. It was not to hurt anyone. It was simply to learn.
The pair of Sentinels motioned for Lucifer to follow them, making no response but other than a mere hand gesture. They turned around with their baskets, leading him closer to the ocean's floor and the heart of the immense city. As the trio swam, they began speaking to him again. "Our home, here, is called Eridu. In your human measurements we have been here for seven months, constructing our city diligently in the aftermath of the Great Ordering. For a time the waters here were as corrupted as they are above, until we were born from them. Lady Aria tamed the great beasts that once roamed the waters, and established the first home of the Sentinels. We may be young, but we learn quickly. Perhaps our great speed in learning was designed by the Primordial Mother. In the first months Lady Aria commanded her Elite Guard to visit the surface world, to see human culture and civilization for themselves. From the rumors we heard...it was quite interesting."
It was indeed a mysterious tree indeed. The longer that Lucifer remained transfixed on it, the more alluring it seemed to become. It wasn't enough to simply describe the tree as Void-touched. It was something more, something deeper. As if it actually originated from the Void itself. After an unclear amount of time transpired Lucifer would even hear voices, once again, in his own head. They were similar to the first that he had heard when he first arrived in the Sentinels home of Eridu. Though this time it spoke of something much more ominous, She has slept silently, staring into an abyss; a black serpent with eight eyes stares back. Have you wondered what has driven the Goddess of Life to madness? It was a gentle whisper, almost tantalizingly quiet. Though this would be the only whisper delivered before Lucifer's concentration would break upon hearing Lady Aria arrive.
