AS the King’s son had said, the path ascended, and the space slowly widened. The ceiling receded into the darkness above. The air felt wet and cool upon their skin. Having recovered their bearings, the group leaped from Hvesykhiḥ’s back and walked beside her. Journeying farther, they could feel the rocky surface smoothen. The walls faintly glowed until it was as bright as an array of lamps. Droplets from the ceiling bounced on the floor or upon shallow puddles, as its sound echoed.

The air chilled, and the group started shivering. They kept themselves near Vrihkhaḥ, holding open flames upon their palms to warm themselves. They took a few more turns and ramps and soon, they could see a faint light of orange and red hue, and though they did not think they should ever want it, they ran toward it and emerged into a vast hall of stone and magma.

Just as Yūrmatṛtha had said, the air was indeed pleasant, but they stood in awe looking at the gently lit area: magma flowing like waterfalls on all sides with massive adorned pillars, statues that prostrated, and carvings upon the walls and floors that depicted both the descent from the Heavens and the War of the Ṃārhaḥn, with much inscriptions written in both the script of the Gazhigam and Ahasṭṛṭhaḥr.

Hvesykhiḥ slithered furthered into the hall and stopped in a space clear of any pillars. It seemed they were in the center as the pillars radiated out in a circle from there and in front of them was a rather large pit filled with ash. She said:

We shall rest here for the night. Though it may not look as such now, due to the cover of darkness, this hall stretcheth far. The further we prod, the more ruins we shall see: fallen pillars, broken paths, and unstable platforms and floors. We shall have to be careful and well rested before attempting to scale them. In five more days, we shall reach the Giant I spoke of.

The group had no objections and dropped their belongings next to the pit. Tūmbṃār, Iḷēhaḥ, Feyūnhaḥ, and Nakthaḥm readied themselves to alight the kindle, but Hvesykhiḥ stopped them.

Waste not your powers, children. I shall alight the bowl.

She coiled about the pit’s edge, stacking herself three times and then fanning out her hood, she spewed a glorious blaze. The flames elevated much higher than any of them could lift, enough to see an image faintly upon the ceiling. Two Gazhigam standing side by side holding hands, as they walked around a Fiyukthi.

“What’s that image at the top showing?” asked Tūmbṃār. Unlike the other images he saw, this seemed the most peaceful, but why it rested high and not low was beyond him.

The snake turned her head his way and said:

It depicts the marriage of Athizhska’s father, the great sage, Yharekarazt: a Gazhigam of Monstrous Consumption, before performing his austerities to my sister Nananghsā: She who is the Reflection of the Mind. Would you like to listen to their story?

Aiṛth awoke suddenly and said, “Oh yes, please!”

And all looked to her, confused.

“What?” asked the priestess. “I much like listening to tales of the past as well.”

“You seem rather energetic after having been unconscious for most of the day,” said Nakthaḥm. “Should you not rest some more.”

“Worry not, my fellow Yavhaḥṃār, for I recover quicker than would seem,” said Aiṛth as she moved next to the fire to dry herself.

“No matter, we should let the snake speak,” said Iḷēhaḥ, “I am sure the tale will be interesting.”

Yūrmatṛtha said, “Carry on Hvesykhiḥ, I have no objection listening to the tale once more.”

The rest of the group echoed the same desire, and so Hvesykhiḥ related of their tale:

In the Era of Formation, not long after the arrival of the Gazhigam, but much longer in relation to you, and long before the snake sacrifice—there was an issue that was dealt to many of my kin: those that had died in battle were sent to suffer in the lower worlds having sided with the Yavhaḥṃār. Terrible was the punishment they suffered at the hand of Lord Daryurhaḥ. But it was said they could be delivered from their suffering if a descendant of theirs performed the last rites.

At this time, Yharekarazt was performing many austerities, bathing in many of the holy rivers, and worshiping at many of the sacred temples and mountains across Ārhmanhaḥ. He had become famous among the Ṃārhaḥn and Yavhaḥṃār alike, and would often give blessings, discuss at length of the Vādrunṃs, dispense religious precepts. Like many of the Zūryashhaḥ, he gave little heed to the encroachment upon the foremother by the Yavhaḥṃār, and ignored the split of the forces of the Gazhigam. But it came to pass that he saw the multitude of his ancestors as ghosts hanging upside down from some fig trees. And they gave him news they were to hang forever in that state stuck in the Midworld, ever resisting any attempt to spirit them down to the Lower Realms, and finding no peace if their descendant would not perform the last rites and deliver them.

He asked who the wretch was to have so ignobly ignored the plight of their ancestors and perform the last rites to release them from their misery. They all pointed to him at which, much to their surprise, he laughed. He said that he would do as they would say, if he was to be given a wife by them that he saw as worthy of his repute. It was from there I came to that tree in a form much greater than this and presented to him my sister of whom he was exceedingly glad to meet. It was not long after that they should marry and live together by the great sea of Ardhunāma upon the western edge of the great landmass.

But the life of an ascetic had taken its toll on my sister. She had offended the sage her husband, in trying to wake him from his sleep in fear that he should forget to perform the daily oblations. And the sage, upon waking, became exceedingly enraged at her lack of trust, and left her thereafter. Yet not before she had borne a child who later in life would follow in the footsteps of his father and become a great Zūryashhaḥ. He did as was destined for him and freed the ancestors from their plight and would later save them from that treacherous sacrifice.

Yet if only malice had not covered his heart at the end, we would have lesser issues to deal with in this age.