Everyone was momentarily stunned as they stared at the petite girl who had just introduced herself as the princess of the Spirit Mice Tribe.
She was tiny—about as tall as a dwarf, maybe even shorter. But unlike dwarves, her frame was slim and delicate. To Duanmu Huai, she looked more like a walking Barbie doll than a warrior princess.
"We're just travelers passing through," Duanmu Huai said as he stepped closer, towering over her. Up close, Milfi looked even smaller—barely the size of one of his action figures.
"In that case," the mouse princess said, clutching her rapier, "please leave this place immediately."
Though Duanmu Huai's massive frame made her nervous, she still drew a deep breath and met his gaze steadily.
"This is a cursed land. Anyone who steps within its borders will fall under the curse."
"Oh?" Duanmu Huai raised a brow.
"If you don't mind, why don't you tell us in detail?"
"…Very well."
And so Milfi began to explain everything she knew about the underground world.
According to her story, this realm had once been a scorching furnace. Rivers of molten fire flowed endlessly, devouring everything. Then, one day, a small sapling sprouted amid the inferno. Instead of burning, it grew—taller and stronger—until it became a colossal tree. Its presence extinguished the flames and covered the scorched earth in greenery. Thus, a vast and wondrous world was born beneath the surface.
Many races were drawn to this reborn land. They received the Golden Tree's blessings and grew stronger, eventually forming nations and civilizations.
Humans, beastmen, giants—even moon rabbits and the Spirit Mice Tribe to which Milfi belonged—all lived peacefully in this subterranean paradise, far from conflict and war.
But, as always, peace didn't last.
One tribe claimed that the Golden Tree had chosen them alone as its disciples. They demanded that all other races abandon their beliefs and follow the Golden Law.
Naturally, the rest refused. Though every tribe worshipped the Golden Tree, their interpretations of its will differed. To them, this "chosen" tribe's declaration was nothing but a power grab—a move to monopolize the Tree's blessings.
War broke out.
And though the other tribes united, they could not withstand the might of the Golden Tribe. Blessed by the Golden Tree, they crushed all opposition and forged the Golden Law from their conquered faiths and stolen power. Only a few managed to flee the massacre—the Spirit Mice Tribe among them. True to their nature, they scurried to the outskirts of the underground world and built a small refuge to escape the Golden Tribe's dominion.
In time, the Golden Tribe ruled the entire underworld, now called the Lands Between.
But prosperity always breeds ruin.
For reasons unknown, the Golden Law—the very source of the tribe's power—shattered. Then came the curse.
Milfi didn't know exactly what happened, only that those once blessed by the Law became half-dead monstrosities. Their minds decayed into madness, their bodies twisted by hatred. The surviving leaders of the Golden Tribe now wander the cursed world, seeking fragments of the Law in a desperate bid to rebuild it.
Some of the surviving races tried to take advantage of the chaos to reclaim the Golden Tree. They raised an army and marched on the Golden Tribe's capital. But they were annihilated. The curse and the madness were far beyond what anyone expected. Only a handful returned—raving, delirious, and dying.
And worse still, they brought something back with them: a horrific plague. It spread through contact, infecting everyone nearby, turning them into lunatics before consuming them in fire and ash. The remaining tribes suffered heavy losses, and none dared approach the Golden Tree again. The Spirit Mice, led by Princess Milfi, stayed on the outskirts of the Lands Between, watching the borders and preventing outsiders from entering.
"…So please," Milfi said firmly, "you must leave this place. All who enter are doomed. No one has ever returned."
"Even so, I won't turn back," Duanmu Huai replied flatly.
If anything, her story only deepened his curiosity about the Golden Law. He had also compared this underground world's layout with the real-world map—and realized something startling. The stretch of land from the Southern Territories all the way to Skavenblight overlapped almost perfectly with this World Fragment.
If this world was now a fragment, it meant it had already been destroyed in reality.
Then why had it fallen?
Just like the Holy City and Manaria, this world had become trapped in a death loop. And every loop had a cause.
The Holy City was destroyed when the Mechanicus priests summoned the infernal Ice Prison King.
Manaria fell when the wicked dragon Fafnir sparked the war between Manaria and Regnis.
So what had doomed this place—the Lands Between?
What had caused its extinction?
And more importantly… was it connected to the Skaven?
According to Milfi, the Golden Tree's blessings had awakened the minds of countless beasts, allowing them to evolve into sentient beings. The Spirit Mice were one such race. The mouse soldiers Duanmu Huai saw outside were still beasts, but Milfi herself was almost entirely human—save for her ears and tail.
Wasn't that exactly how the Skaven had come to be?
Once ordinary rats, suddenly gifted with intelligence, becoming an entirely new species. On the whole planet, the Skaven were unique in this regard.
Dwarves, humans, elves, ogres, and beastmen—all had clear origins. Only the Skaven had seemingly crawled out of nowhere, as if they'd just… appeared one day.
What, were they born from rocks?
And why rats? Why not pigs or wolves—or even cows? If it were purely about numbers, there were millions more cockroaches than rats!
…Though an intelligent cockroach-man civilization would be the stuff of nightmares.
Still, Duanmu Huai's instincts told him this fragment was deeply tied to the Great Horned Rat—and to the creation of the Skaven.
And the key to it all lay within the Golden Tree.
"We've decided to head there," he said finally. "Princess Milfi, you might think we're being foolish, but we have our own mission. I'm sorry—we can't obey your warning."
"…I see."
Milfi lowered her head, disheartened. But before she could respond, another voice echoed from the trees.
"In that case, how about I go with you?"
Everyone turned toward the forest. From the shadows emerged another girl, with golden hair and soft, furred ears like Milfi's. But unlike the tiny princess, this one was tall—human-sized—and wore a skirt of armor plates. A massive shield rested in her left hand, a long sword embedded in its center. Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement.
"I saw everything earlier," the newcomer said with a bright smile. "To defeat the Tree Guardian so easily—truly impressive. Since you're determined to reach the Golden Tree, would you allow me to accompany you?"
"Your Highness!" Milfi cried in alarm, eyes wide.
Duanmu Huai turned to face the new arrival.
"And you are…?"
"Ah, nice to meet you," she said, bowing gracefully. "I am Mistrina, Princess of the Forest—more or less the guardian of these woods."
Then she smiled up at Duanmu Huai, her tone warm yet firm.
"Mighty warrior of steel, will you grant me the honor of joining your journey?"
"Your Highness, please!" Milfi protested. "You are the protector of the forest! Without you here, what will become of it—?"
"I know, Milfi," Mistrina interrupted, her expression suddenly grave.
"But you also know the truth. The forest is dying. The curse spreads farther each day. Even we will run out of safe ground eventually. That's why I must go—to reach the Golden Tree and speak with the Mother of the Earth. Perhaps there, I can find the source of this rot. Doing nothing while the world decays around us—that would be the real failure."
She turned back to Duanmu Huai.
"This warrior defeated the Tree Guardian with his bare hands. His strength is beyond doubt. Since they won't turn back, wouldn't it help to have someone familiar with this land guide them?"
"But… but then I could—" Milfi started.
"You're right," Mistrina said cheerfully, cutting her off with a wink. "Then you'll come with me."
And with that, the Forest Princess declared her decision.
(End of Chapter)