The trees began to thin as they reached a small clearing.
Ore suddenly stopped.
Tolu nearly walked into her."What’s wrong?"
Ore turned around with a smile. "Nothing."
She stepped aside and pointed toward the clearing.
"Tada!"
Tolu looked ahead.
A field of small flowers covered the ground.
They were unlike the ordinary flowers they had passed earlier. Their petals were pale blue, almost translucent, and faint particles of light drifted around them.
Tolu stared at them. "What are these?"
"Flowers."
"I can see that."
Ore laughed. "These ones are called mohet flowers." She crouched beside them. "They grow in dungeons quite often. A lot of people have studied them, but nobody has found much use for them."
Tolu knelt beside her. "Why?"
"They don’t have any medicinal properties. They can’t heal wounds, cure diseases or even make useful potions."
She gently touched one of the petals. "They also need a ridiculous amount of mana to grow. And when a dungeon collapses, most of them wither almost immediately."
Tolu looked at the flowers again. "Then why are we here?"
Ore smiled. "Because of what the Heart told you yesterday."
Tolu’s expression changed. He looked at the flowers more carefully. "Something that absorbs mana..."
Ore nodded. "I rememberes it instantly when you told me what the heart said." She pointed toward the flowers. "These things grow by pulling mana from their surroundings."
Tolu’s eyes widened slightly.
"And since they naturally grow inside dungeons, it means they could be part of the ecosystem supplying the dungeon with...They could help the dungeon gather mana."
Ore nodded. "Exactly."
Tolu stood and looked across the field.
"So the dungeon must have many different ways of gathering mana."
"Probably." She shrugged. "But if the Heart is as weak as you said..."
She picked one of the flowers carefully.
"...this should be one of the easiest ways to start."
Tolu looked at the small flower in her hand.
"It won’t produce much, though."
"No." Ore stood and brushed the dirt from her hands. "But it’s a good way to start your dungeon could go from dying to not dying but not growing which is significantly better."
She reached behind her and pulled out a large bag.
Tolu stared at it. "What’s that?"
Ore handed it to him. "Open it."
Tolu loosened the tie and looked inside.
Several smaller sacks were packed neatly within it.
His face slowly broke into a smile. "You planned this?"
Ore smiled. "I had a feeling we’d need them."
Tolu looked back at the field of flowers.
"Then let’s get to work."
Ore nodded. "Let’s transplant these babies."
Tolu tightened his grip on the bag.
And so it began the mediocr.... Sorry I mean great dungeon Lord did some dirty work.
Ore carefully dug around the first mana flower, making sure not to damage its roots.
"Slowly."
"I know."
"You said that last time."
Tolu glanced at her.
"I didn’t kill it."
"Yet."
He rolled his eyes before carefully lifting the flower from the soil.
The two of them spent the next several minutes working their way through the patch.
It was harder than Tolu had expected.
The flowers were delicate, and several times he nearly damaged their roots.
By the time they had gathered enough, both of them were covered in dirt.
Ore looked at him and laughed.
"You look terrible."
Tolu looked down at himself.
"So do you."
"At least I look good while covered in dirt."
"That’s debatable."
She lightly shoved his shoulder.
"Come on. Let’s get these back before you manage to destroy the entire forest."
They packed the flowers carefully into the smaller sacks and began their journey back.
The walk was quieter than before.
Tolu kept thinking about what the Heart had told him.
Absorb mana.
Store mana.
Release mana.
It sounded simple when he heard it.
But now he understood that restoring the dungeon would require far more than simply walking around and collecting things.
When they finally reached the hidden entrance, Tolu moved the boulder aside and followed Ore underground.
The familiar pale blue glow of the Litites greeted them.
They made their way through the tunnels until they reached the Heart’s chamber.
The enormous crystal remained suspended above the altar.
Tolu looked around the empty room.
"Where should we plant them?"
The Heart answered.
"Near me."
Tolu nodded.
They chose several spots around the chamber where the stone was covered with thin layers of soil.
Ore carefully placed the flowers into the ground while Tolu covered their roots.
When the final flower was planted, they stepped back.
For a moment...
Nothing happened.
Tolu frowned.
"That’s it?"
Ore shrugged.
"Maybe they need time."
Then the crystal pulsed.
A faint wave of energy passed through the chamber.
The Litites lining the walls flickered.
Tolu’s eyes widened.
The pale blue glow became slightly brighter.
Not much.
But enough to notice.
He stared at the flowers.
"They’re working."
Ore smiled.
"I told you."
Tolu slowly approached one of them.
He could feel something now.
It was faint.
Almost like a gentle current moving beneath the stone.
Mana.
It was flowing through the dungeon.
Very slowly.
Very weakly.
But it was there.
Tolu smiled.
"So this is what it means to bring life back."
The Heart spoke.
"This is only the beginning."
Tolu turned toward the crystal.
"Then what comes next?"
"Many things."
The Heart paused.
"Water."
"Food."
"Life."
"Mana."
"And creatures."
Tolu’s eyes narrowed.
"Creatures?"
"The dungeon was created to sustain life."
"It cannot thrive without them."
Tolu thought for a moment.
"Then can I create monsters?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"But you may bind them."
Tolu looked at the ring on his finger.
"Bind them?"
"A monster that submits to the authority of the Dungeon Lord may become part of the dungeon."
Tolu’s curiosity grew.
"How?"
"Defeat it."
"Then touch its forehead with the ring."
"The bond will be formed."
Tolu looked down at his hand.
"And then it’ll obey me?"
"It will belong to the dungeon first."
"And through the dungeon..."
"It will belong to you."
Tolu smiled.
That sounded useful.
Then the Heart continued.
"But there is a limitation."
Tolu’s smile faded slightly.
"What limitation?"
"You may only bind that which you are capable of defeating."
He stared at the crystal.
"So I can’t just find some powerful monster and make it mine."
"No."
Tolu sighed.
"I thought that sounded too easy."
Ore laughed.
"So your first monster will probably be something weak."
Tolu looked at the empty dungeon around them.
"Probably."
He looked at the small mana flowers.
Then at the dark tunnels beyond the chamber.
The dungeon had its first source of mana.
Now it needed life.
And if he wanted monsters...
He would have to find some he could actually defeat.
Tolu smiled.
"Then I suppose we start small."
The Heart pulsed softly.
"The dungeon has waited a long time."
"One more day will not matter."
Tolu looked at the flowers growing beneath the faint blue light.
For the first time, the dungeon no longer felt completely dead.
It was weak.
It was empty.
It had almost nothing.
But it was alive.
And now...
It was his responsibility.