Entry 1
My travel companion Muscles has shown me how to make parchment from animal hide. The process is slow, and the pages are thicker and more cumbersome but this means I can be less frugal with my notes. A good thing too, since I was almost out of space in my journal.
Currently we are traversing the 70th floor, trying to head towards the centre. As always I have opted towards the approach of following the size of the caves since they are generally larger nearer to the centre. This is made a smoother process by Teacher's ability to see through walls. A remarkable ability I must try to learn for myself.
Incidentally, we have somehow gotten to the topic of names. Strangely enough I can't seem to remember mine. I'm sure it will come to me eventually though.
Entry 2
Turns out we've been walking in a circle. Who knew following the easiest path would diverge us so much from where we want to go? We will try again after a rest and put more of an effort in following a straight line. I do feel this journey is strengthening our friendship though.
Entry 7
My Aether training is coming along slowly. Ae'othas is simply too advanced for me, at least the way Teacher does it. For now I will try focus on sensing a small area around me, as an augment to my other senses rather than a replacement.
Apparently Muscles' training is going well though. This white furred form of his has become more stable and he can control a wider area with it. He's even beginning to manipulate the Mana rich rocks here.
I have also found a small patch of glowing moss which we can use for the ambrosia. Though different in colour it reminds me of the bioluminescent layers above.
Entry 18
I have encountered a few new species today. A small mammalian critter with jet black fur and large, round ears, a yellow bear with patches of red fur on its chest, and a pack of grey rabbits which stood on their hind legs. One of the rabbits was exceptionally plump, and delicious.
There have also been a few crystal butterflies following us. Strange critters indeed. Perhaps they like Lil' Blue's Mana?
Entry 21
We went in another big circle. Maybe my cave size method isn't very effective after all. Tomorrow we are simply going to throw a stick and follow as close to the direction it points as we can until we find something we can work with. I still feel our friendship is getting stronger by the day though.
Entry 27
Turns out Lil' Blue is quite fun to be around. Where she finds so many ideas for games I have no idea. And she won't tell me either. Just that she has 'lady's secrets' and a 'super cool reveal for the future'. I have some theories of my own though.
Entry 45
We have found a subterranean creature we can use in the ambrosia. A curious little critter which tried to eat my toes while I slept. I would like to find more to study, but they seem quite skittish. At least when you're awake.
With this our main hurdles will be something from a realised divine beast and a durable pot. I have been collecting the moss we need in vials and I always keep some ground mungroot on me for this exact situation. How my master knows this is my favourite spice I do not know, but they've never been wrong before.
Entry 80
According to Lil' Blue it's been thirty days since we entered this floor. Not sure how she can tell. One of her 'lady's secrets'? I must say though, I'm quite surprised with how lost we've gotten. Normally I can at least find a way down to the next floor where there are plenty of rivers to follow, but here we're lucky to find a tiny stream.
Turns out she has been trying to reach the bottom of the labyrinth for much longer than I had thought. Longer than I've been alive even. Some kind of rite of passage for divine beasts I gather.
Entry 60097562334
I am a dumbass, Lyla is the best, and I stink too! My bad sense of direction is only eclipsed by my awful taste in divine beasts!
Entry 100
As it turns out, Lil' Blue can write. Incidentally I would like to make a note to never bring up divine beast Kavlaxhar around her, and definitely not compliment him within earshot.
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Entry 110
Another fucking circle. This time we're just going to follow Teacher. My method clearly isn't working.
Entry 151
We thought we had gone in yet another circle, but as it turns out we simply came upon one of my old camp sites. Must be from years ago since I don't remember this place at all. I wonder why I didn't clean it up. Either way this makes for a nice place to rest a while.
Entry 152
I remember why I left this place in a hurry now. Truly, who knew so many grey-bellied chimps could live in one place. They even managed to injure Teacher, though she seemed largely unphased by the whole thing. Her blood seems to be almost entirely ichor now though, so that means if we find a divine beast we'll have everything we need for ambrosia.
Entry 185
I am learning Englin now. It is certainly a language. Teacher says it's similar to Aoan but I don't really see how. Aside from a few similar words it's a completely different language with some truly bizarre grammar. Given how much people have always built up this language as the pinnacle of communication, I am quite disappointed with how difficult it is to learn.
Entry 190
We seem to have reached the outer edge of this layer. The intense heat, heightened gravity, and obsidian walls indicate we are close to the boundary separating the labyrinth from the planet's mantle. From here we can get a rough gauge of which direction the centre is, so we should hopefully make it there within a few days travel.
Entry 199
I believe I have finally figured out ae'eyo, the ability to pull with Aether. Supposedly, using this is far more efficient than giving vague instructions to Aether as I normally do. Something to do with the way Aether prefers precise instructions, but frankly I lost track of what Teacher was saying when she started delving into atomic physics and the fundamental laws of the universe. Who knew she was so knowledgeable about such absurd topics.
Specialith Entryith From Aleph
Thou hast shown difficulty maintainething thine memories of some simpleth concepts of Aether. Thereforeth I hath doth taken the liberty of providething thy a summarised explanation of the topiceth.
Where oneth may intuit based ofeth Mana that Aether shall fill in the gaps of instruction in order to performeth a task, this be'eth untrue. Aether shalt only perform as efficientethly as the specificityethness of the instructions shall allow. Commandething Aether to push a finger's worth of air, shall cause the Aether to spendeth time calculatething the force and quantity of energy required to push the air. Yet commanding Aether to push 1e14 atoms of air shall allow the Aether to performeth thine same task imminently, for thy calculations hath already been done.
Thine most efficient path in mastering thy manipulation of Aether shall be to first master ae'othas to the degree'eth thatst thine is capable of witnessing the presence of atoms. Fromst there, thine shall attain capability of grasping every atom within thine view and applying technique at the speed of thought. Thiseth shall additionally enable greater force to be appliedeth, for the Aether shall be able to act in confidence with thine instruction.
Heed mine advisements well, for they shall lead thy towards a path of superior application.
Entry 200
My master taught me one of the oldest forms of Aoan, which I am now quite fluent in. Yet even I find Teacher's writing archaic to a truly obtuse degree! Even divine beasts don't speak that way.
Incidentally, what is this absurdity of perceiving every atom around me? I don't even know of such large numbers, so how am I supposed to visualise them? Venting aside though, this simply means I have much practice to do. And I am not one to shy away from a challenge.
Entry 230
We have reached the foggy lake. Were we to travel the circumference of the lake we would eventually find one of my routes, though I am unsure how large this lake actually is. Perhaps 'lake' was something of an understatement. Either way, the group consensus is to search for another way down. Our best bet is to search the pillars where tunnels tend to form the most frequently, though the walls of this place make discerning them quite difficult.
Strangely enough I have been feeling as if I am being watched for a while now. It reminds me of when Teacher spoke those strange names. Quite unsettling.
Entry 300
We finally found a tunnel leading down. It seems to be a pathway dweller nest, so we might be able to reach a few layers down with this. As for the inhabitants, I assume they are either skittish or have migrated to a different layer. It does seem to be the hot season after all.
One thing I didn't realise when I began writing more freely, is the issue of space. Parchment is thicker than paper, and I don't have proper bindings for it. As a result my bags are overflowing and I have almost no space for anything else. Perhaps I have been too liberal with my writing. I supposed I didn't need to document every new insect I found.
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"Father. Lyla, the dragon, and the ape have reached the steam layers. Additionally, they now seem to be travelling with that weird elf man." "Oh him. Wasn't he the one now called the Lost Hero? We should ask Lamla, they will know. How are they doing?" "They appear to be lost, mother. From what I've gathered they seem to be going in circles, though it is hard to keep up with them given their speed and stamina." "Don't worry yourself child, your work has been a phenomenal boon to us. Our observers have gotten evermore strict lately, so the ability to know what happens above us, even if in fragments, is priceless. Is there anything else?" "Yes mother. I find the dragon to be quite confusing. Much like the elf, it seems to have no visible Mana. My senses should really be good enough to pick up on even the slightest hint of it, so I find it quite unnerving that beings as strong as them can get past my sight." "As I recall, the dragon was designed to be exceptionally efficient at manipulating Mana. Perhaps it has developed a more enhanced method of Mana concealment? The soul we used was pre-awakened and evidently had memories of its past life, so it is entirely plausible. They will be reaching Mekrotok soon, so do keep us informed of anything new. Perhaps Lyla will finally reach past that layer. I would be quite pleased with that." "Yes mother. I will keep my eyes on Mekrotok's domain."