8,000 meters.
A height nearly equal to the world's tallest peaks. On land, eight kilometers might just be a long walk—but vertically, it was close to the depth of an ocean trench, far beyond the reach of human exploration.
The Great Hollow was utterly empty. Dropping straight down from the surface, even Shiomi felt a flicker of unease within.
It reminded him of the time during a singularity expedition when an unstable Rayshift had left him materializing high in the sky. The key difference this time was that as he descended deeper into the Hollow, the light completely vanished.
Darkness enveloped him on all sides.
Counting silently in his mind, Shiomi reached "forty" before activating Magecraft to lighten his body, slowing his descent. The silk thread tied around his waist slackened and curved, no longer pulled taut by his weight.
Dust.
That was the first thing he noticed.
The Hollow's dimensions hadn't changed, and there were no signs of life. Yet the air grew thicker with dust as he descended.
The substance was something common in Britannia's atmosphere—though far thinner on the surface—so Shiomi quickly regarded it as another of this Lostbelt's peculiarities.
However, unlike on the surface, the dense dust here was clearly rising from below.
Even at a depth of nearly 8,000 meters, the particles maintained a faint upward flow, thinning gradually as they ascended.
"Dust... something's burning?"
He cast a protective spell, shielding his body to keep the dust from entering his lungs. The air within the Hollow was warmer than on the surface, but the pressure was far higher.
For any ordinary fairy or human, breathing at this depth would already have been impossible.
Gradually, Shiomi felt something beneath him. Was it the bottom?
He slowed further, continuing downward, judging that Totorot's thread had not yet reached its full 8,000-meter limit.
Darkness surrounded him still—but an unusual presence coiled faintly around him.
"A curse?"
He muttered under his breath.
The malice in the air was potent; an ordinary human would be completely eroded by it within minutes.
Shiomi, however, remained untouched—protected by two forces. One, his Life Authority. The other, the Primordial Runes' innate resistance to curses.
From the start, he had inscribed a rune of curse reversal as a precaution, and now he was certain his caution had been warranted.
Beneath him lay not the Hollow's bottom, but something else—something burning.
That burning matter was turning to dust, rising slowly through the Hollow until it mixed into Britannia's air above as a faint haze.
As Shiomi descended, the dim glow ahead became sharper, clearer.
He stopped, hovering midair.
"Well then," he murmured, "let's see what exactly you are."
He carefully drew Runes into the void, and the glowing sigils shot outward, scattering like trails of starlight through the darkness.
Beneath the Great Hollow, where no light could reach, the colossal being that filled the vast space at last revealed its true form.
Shiomi's pupils contracted sharply as he saw it clearly.
Cernunnos.
Amid his shock, he recognized the identity of the massive existence before him. It was almost identical to the figure depicted in the mural beneath the Rain Clan's Bell Hall—the twin antlers like those of a stag, and the distinctive markings that adorned its front. Everything confirmed it. This was indeed Cernunnos.
According to Britannia's creation myth, this god had exhausted all his power in shaping the land and had since fallen into eternal slumber. It wasn't uncommon for gods to die after pouring their divine strength into the act of creation.
Shiomi had long suspected that the land of Britannia had been born from the body of Cernunnos. But the truth, it seemed, was far more complicated.
If the earth had truly formed from the god's remains, then the soil of Britannia should have long merged with his corpse—instead of rejecting it so completely that it left this gaping Hollow, unable to conceal his presence.
"What an immense grudge," Shiomi murmured softly.
He pulled a stone etched with Runes from his coat and tossed it forward. The stone burst apart midair, reforming into uneven footholds—temporary steps one could stand upon.
Using the invisible path as support, Shiomi descended carefully, moving closer to the remains of Cernunnos.
The nearer he came, the more the curse born from resentment thickened, its malice gnawing at anything that dared to approach. Step by step, he advanced, until he stood within arm's reach of the god's remains. Exhaling slowly, Shiomi eased the pressure of the surrounding curse.
A god's curse could only be countered by a god's miracle.
The curse of Cernunnos could not penetrate the protection of Odin's Primordial Runes.
"Are you… angry, Cernunnos?" Shiomi asked quietly, gazing up at the antlered god's remains.
His past communion with the goddess Tiamat allowed him to sense emotions that could not be conveyed through words. Yet Cernunnos could not respond.
This Divine Spirit was already dead—and without a doubt, had been slain by the Primordial Six-Winged Fairy through some unknown means. The anger of being killed, the resentment twisted into the foundation of the land—both were more than justified.
"Even after all this," Shiomi murmured, "with such hatred festering within you… do you still not despise the fairies who ended your life? Even in death—what is it that you're hoping for, sorrowful god?"
The remains of Cernunnos gave no answer.
They only continued to burn faintly, endlessly releasing cursed ash that drifted upward—eventually thinning, scattering into Britannia's air, becoming a silent, unseen part of the world itself.
"So your soul is long gone," Shiomi said quietly, "yet your body still pulses with the vitality of the divine. That's why the earth of Britannia has never been able to consume you."
He slowly raised his hand, palm facing Cernunnos.
"In that case—"
A sudden realization struck him.
The instant his palm brushed the divine remains, a memory flashed in his mind—the mural in the Land of Rain. Beneath the six-winged fairy and the stag-horned god, a dragon-like creature was depicted, its jaws gaping upward as if ready to devour them both.
"I see… So that's the truth. You're not only a curse—you're also a seal."
Shiomi withdrew his hand, watching the curse recede into the air. His fingers tightened into a fist.
Cernunnos had left behind both wrath and compassion.
And in that moment, Shiomi reached his own resolve.
...
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