From what we learned from Titania back then, we learned that Yggdrasil's true form was the Yggdragon, the first "perfect creation" of the Gods after Erebus, the "imperfect creation".
"Instead of his chaotic mix of elements which the Gods were trying to make to create something like an ultimate god, Yggdragon was made true carefully mixing the essence of the Gods, not by going overboard as before." Granny explained.
"Apparently, this created a balance. The Yggdragon was a being of utter purity, and also the God's connection with the mortal world, as it possessed a physical, non-ethereal body. She, or he, was perfect in everything.
Having inherited a part of every god's divinity, they birthed the three Ancient Tribes, the Divine Dragons, the Ancient High Elves, and the Majin by combining their Life Force with the God's Divine Essence."
"Titania did explain something like that." I nodded. "About the Gods of Time and Space birthing the Ancient High Elves, the Overseers of Time…"
"Indeed." Granny agreed. "There was, however, a problem. They were unaware that Erebus, was not done yet! He raged, furiously freeing himself from his seals. Even if divided into seven, he kept emerging, all his fragments together. Ultimately, he clashed against Yggdragon, the perfect creation against the imperfect creation… BOOM!
CLASH! A battle between the creation of the Gods happened. The seal that the Gods had created failed miserably! And Yggdragon paid the price for such failure…"
She was really intense in her storytelling…
"They fell, the Yggdragon used their last power, sacrificing the fragments of Divinity they inherited from the Gods, and imbuing them into the seven fragments of Erebus, sealing him once and for all." She said.
"The very reason why she weakened so much was because of how much the Yggdragon had to sacrifice… They entered into an eternal slumber, slowly expanding into plants and life, covering the ruined world that Erebus had covered on miasma and death, and healed it, every inch of it."
"T-They used the Fragments into the Demon King?" I asked. "Wait… does that means…?"
"Indeed, every Demon King always is born with a specific element, corrupted, that is…" Granny said. "And the reason behind their powers originates from the very Divinity Fragments that sealed them. Ultimately, their powers won against Yggdragon's last resort, devouring this power, and absorbing it into their own souls and bodies. This is the reason why they're so strong even if divided!
And also… why you cannot completely inherit the Yggdragon's true powers either."
"I-I see…" I understood something at long last. "So the Yggdragon became Yggdrasil then? And then it birthed Titania, and the other Guardians, then it was corrupted by the Demon King of Miasma and died, leaving behind a small child…"
"That's right." Said Granny.
"But then… Where does the Yggdrasil Church comes from? Which Thanatos hates so much?" I asked.
"The Yggdrasil Church… That is a name I've only heard once, from the Ancient, very old Spirit of Nature, that is no longer with us, as she slowly faded away and went back to nature itself." Sighed Granny. "She told me that the Yggdrasil Church was built upon a false Yggdrasil."
"F-False… Yggdrasil?!" Everyone reacted in the same way, almost synchronized.
"Apparently, long ago, much after Yggdrasil's death by the hands of the Demon King of Miasma's first incarnation… There was a second Yggdrasil, nobody knows where it came from, or what it was. A huge tree appeared within the south of the Verdant Continent, and a church was formed around this tree…" Granny said. "It was a strange being, asking for sacrifices, and it had a voice, a greedy one.
The Spirits still obeyed the tree, and it expanded its influence, becoming an Empire. They once attempted to conquer the entire Continent but failed miserably when the Demon King of Death's first incarnation happened, somehow… the Kingdom of Sorrow suffered from their invasion, something happened, betrayals, and the King's death also brought the birth of the Demon King of Death, Thanatos."
"The King's death…" Mark said, looking at the table in silence. "That Thanatos… Despite being a Fragment of the Demon King, he was born a human. And was only able to manifest his true powers once he died… I guess it fits that he wields the element of death."
"Aside from that, who was this fake Yggdrasil?" Rita asked. "And if this is really true then… Isn't Thanatos hating you for no reason then?! Well, aside from the ancient grudge that all Demon Kings have against Yggdragon to begin with… But his deal seems much more personal in that regard, something that you have no fault of either!"
"I guess it might be a bit too late for that…" I said. "I doubt that learning that the fake Yggdrasil wasn't the real one would change his hatred against us. We've done a lot of damage already, and we'll continue doing so until we slay him…"
"R-Right…" Rita said, sighing a bit.
"The Fake Yggdrasil still remains a mystery." Said granny. "But we do know that Thanatos was unable to destroy it, as he was slain by the Ancient Hero Sigurd with the help of Gram, his Almighty Heroic Sword, which you now wield… well, half of it."
"It simply disappeared?" I asked. "The church… what happened with the church?"
"The Empire of Yggdrasil was destroyed by the Demon King's army, but it was never seen that the tree was affected… Maybe this grudge has been transferred to you now. Whatever that fake Yggdrasil was, it was an evil and devious being that possessed similar powers." Granny explained. "Now, now… I do know one last thing.
The Fragment of Cloudia in here can only be accessed by the inheritor of Hephaestus, as both places are interconnected. You will only be able to access this area once the Divine Forging Spirit allows you to enter!"
"Ah, we know that already." I nodded.
"But do you know that this Fragment of Cloudia hold a special Artifact, something that the cultists want desperately?" Granny giggled. "After all, the greedy monster that is leading them desires nothing else but to become a Demon King himself."
"What?! Granny, do you know…?" I asked.
"No, that's all I've learned from the Spirits. But you, someone with a much greater control over their powers, could learn much more." She laughed.
"That… might be true."