Neither had expected such an enormous space beneath the village.
The ceiling rose more than twenty metres above them. Thick roots covered the stone walls, but no trees existed on the surface.
The roots were pale rather than brown, and some of them pulsed as if blood flowed inside.
Green light came from several translucent sacs attached to the walls.
Each sac was larger than a human head.
Hundreds covered the chamber.
Those were the heartbeats Sonny had heard.
"What are those?" Vanish whispered.
"I don't know."
They moved closer to the nearest sac.
Something small was curled inside it.
At first, Sonny thought it was an animal. Then, the creature shifted, revealing a shrivelled human face.
Vanish nearly stepped backwards in shock.
Inside the sac was a person.
Their body had been reduced to skin and bones. Thin roots penetrated their arms, legs, and spine.
The person was still alive.
Their chest rose slightly with every irregular heartbeat.
