We start to descend the spiral stairs, down which there is still white sand gradually pouring in waves.

The skylights continue to illuminate the stairs for some time. I wonder how, but it seems the whole setup has mirrors that amplify the light shafts. Interesting.

Shortly after around a hundred stairs, we are greeted by a monolithic iron door set into the stone.

There are no obvious handles or even knockers.

"I'm guessing this is another test." Aria sighs.

'Unn... its asleep...' Aeris comments, rather strangely, in my head.

Asleep? The door has a spirit, then?

Can you wake it? I question in my head, putting my hand to her hilt.

She giggles.

'Oi! Sleepyhead!' She shouts suddenly. I jump in alarm, but I don't think anyone else heard this.

It feels as though there was some subtle resonance in my palm though. Some special way metal spirits communicate? I wonder?

'What... ugh... what a racket.' Comes a response in a gruff, gravelly voice. 'Oh! It’s time to open at last!? Mortals for the first time in 596 years, 45 days, and 12 hours!'

'You've been here that long? Poor thing...' Aeris sounds remorseful.

'Oh no, its fine. I spent quite a while counting the grains of sand. Then I tried bending on my hinges to make interesting noises for a few years. That was fun. Oh, and making swirly patterns!'

'You're a mad old man!' Aeris exclaims.

'Aeris that's rude.' I snicker to myself. 'Imagine what you would do for fun if you were a door for that long.'

I get a feeling of sadness, and then blind panic from her.

'...no way! Don't wanna be a door! Please don't make me into a door master-sama! I'll be good! I will!'

I laugh out loud and the girls stare at me.

"What's funny, onii-chan?" Aria gets an eye-twitch.

"Ah right. Sorry. Aeris is talking to the door." I explain.

"Mmm... right... the boy has a metal spirit now." Seria grumbles. "How could I forget already... I must be going senile."

"You can talk to doors now, Aniki?" Kali cocks her head, looking confused.

"Weren't you paying attention when I explained this, Kali?" Seria sighs.

"Tee-hee. Nope!" She tries the whole fist to forehead, tongue out cuteness attempt that Aria often fails at.

Aria chops her on the head and I laugh again.

'Anyway. You gonna open?' Aeris doesn't sound impressed with the door or the antics going on. I can imagine her puffing out her cheeks.

'Oh right. Opening. How does that go again...? Hmmm...'

Suddenly there is a clanking of gears and machinery from somewhere, and the doors clank open widely all at once... and then promptly fall of their hinges in a squeal of rust, blowing up a cloud of dust and sand that makes us all cough.

"Well... that’s one way to make an entrance, nii-sama." Kaede coughs.

'Oh my. I don't think that was supposed to happen. I've fallen and I can't get up... ah... but...'

'You silly old fart!' Aeris rebukes the poor door.

It remains silent, though.

'Oi... you...' Aeris queries.

Still silent.

Funnily enough, the entire collapsed door then suddenly rusts rapidly as if hundreds of years just caught up with it all at once, much like that giant mace we avoided in Sandy Shore once.

'No way... I killed him.' Aeris sounds sad.

Hmmm... is that how it is?

"I think perhaps he could move on now. He'd done his final duty. It’s not your fault." I pat the sword hilt affectionately.

Oh... I said that out loud, didn't I?

"Mmm... it was an old spirit, I take it?" Seria cocks her head.

"It said it hadn't seen a mortal in nearly six hundred years."

Seria raises an eyebrow.

"Out of interest, boy, ask your spirit how long she's been around."

Huh? I'm guessing there is something she wants to confirm. She has that investigative expression.

'Aeris, how long have you been alive?'

'Three years!' She replies, chipper.

Huh. What...

Seria grins.

"Fufufu... your expression tells me everything, boy. Metal spirits have a very screwy perception of time. Master was never able to figure it out. Thunder spirits aren't much better, so I imagine Aeris said something peculiar."

"Hmm... so you think it’s been waiting longer than six hundred years?"

Seria nods, flicking a twin-tail over her shoulder.

"Um... in any case... what's inside?" Kiku asks.

Yes, let’s move on.

After a short corridor, the passage opens out into a grand entryway.

Frankly, it’s something else. Enough for a cartoony jaw-drop.

Black and white marble tiles, impressive Greco Romanesque pillars, and glistening bronze statues of heroic looking men and women flanking a central raised walkway that has channels of water running down alongside it.

Planted trees in neat rows lie further behind. They are orchard-like Mizris and Histmunch trees... but they are absolutely massive, towering at least ten feet above my head, and brimming with fist sized fruits.

And the water channels end in a fountain type apparatus... but the water itself flows up into a swirling, floating vortex, that is suspended mid-air and appears to be entirely ignoring gravity. It loops around in intricate patterns like a ball of watery twine.

A watery sculpture.

Just being here seems strangely pleasant.

"Hah... what extraordinarily pure magic power." Rishya comments, looking strangely content.

"Just what is this palace-like place!?" Aria exclaims.

Seria suddenly drops onto her knees.

"Surely not... just what were you... Thanatos? Were you... it couldn't be? Why? I don't..." she mutters to herself.

I put a hand on her shoulder and she looks up wistfully.

"What is it?" I ask.

She blinks repeatedly and gapes at me like a fish, as though chewing her words.

"It... it is likely the most distant memory I have stored... but it is as distinct as my own childhood. There can be no mistake."

She closes her eyes.

"Boy... this... this... this is the sanctuary of the first sage..."