Somebody was shaking Lila. She moaned in protest. But then, something switched in her mind. She was able to make sounds.

"Aira!" she shouted. "By the roots, watch the shadows! They're coming!"

Finally, she opened her eyes. The room was dark, but in the dim light coming from outside, Lila could see Aira standing near and holding her shoulder. Her undead friend was the source of shaking that infused her... nightmare.

"Wake up, Lila! Wake up!" Aira was saying again and again. "It's only a bad dream."

"Arrgh…" said Lila groggily. "What in the thorny thicket's going on? Where's Ainorrh? Did they… attack us? Or was that just… nothing?"

"No one is here," said Aira. "It was just a dream. Nobody came to our house since these guys who brought us here left."

All the fresh impressions of the past day were buzzing in Lila's head. Now, it was obvious that they even sifted through her unconscious mind to poison her dreams.

All the doubts, fears, and uncertainties that overwhelmed her during those bizarre silent negotiations between Aira and Ainorrh.

And the shining eyes of the undead. Lila got used to Aira's ethereal gaze. But it didn't prepare her for this...

The unfamiliar sounds of the enlightened settlement, the rustle of the unexpectedly vibrant for this season leaves on the trees, and the distant, melodic trills of birds only added to her disorientation. Something... no, almost everything was wrong here.

"Are you feeling well, Lila?" Aira asked. "What happened?"

"Bones and bark, I don't know what to think," said Lila. "Undead were always the monsters under the bed, you know? Parents would say, 'Behave, or the undead will haul you off to the ancient city.' And now? I'm right here in the middle of it!"

"It must be bizarre for you to sit in the middle of their settlement," said Aira. "But for all it's worth, I don't sense any danger at the moment."

"Yeah, strange doesn't begin to cover it," Lila said. "And with this torch-blind communication gap? Feels like I'm chasing shadows, completely cut off from everything going on around me."

Lila looked at Aira and put her hands in front of her as if to stop Aira from answering.

"I know, I've got no right to gripe about not understanding folks," Lila said. "You lived like that for weeks. And probably even in a much more hostile environment."

She paused to take a deep breath.

"But somehow, it seems to be even worse for me," Lila continued. "You should've seen yourself with Ainorrh to get where I stand. Stone-silent, just staring, grinning now and then, and then… looking at me with those bright-as-sunrise eyes of yours!"

"I'm sorry you are excluded from our chats," said Aira. "But I don't know what else I could do. I tried inviting you to the party, remember? And Ainorrh confirms that humans don't have any magic at all."

She looked at Lila and added, after a brief pause: "I'll do better next time to include you in conversations. I got carried away."

"I'm not blaming you," said Lila. "I just… gotta get used to it. Maybe find something to keep me busy—chop moss or something—to keep these thoughts from rattling me like a loose gear."

Lila took another deep breath.

"Elder's breath… There are so many questions," she said. "Even brushing off a lifetime of tales about undead horrors, can we really trust them? What's in it for them to help us? Feels like we're skirting the shadowline here."

Nodding, Aira took out the journal she stopped using a while ago.

"I agree, we have to be cautious," she wrote. "Especially after the incident at the ancient facility. We can't be completely sure who's listening to our radio chatter."

"Yeah, we dropped our guard for just a moment," Lila wrote in reply. "And look where it led all of us… Where it led me: straight into the den of undead!"

"I have the same questions as you," Aira wrote. "We can keep all the most important messages on paper. And burn them as soon as they are read. But we'll keep the normal communication for everything else. Not to rise any suspicions. If they listen to us."

"Sounds like a reasonable thing to do," wrote Lila. "But what is your plan in general? What are our goals here?"

"The System obviously brought us here," broadcast Aira out loud.

Seeing Lila's worry, she made a sign that talking aloud was what she wanted to do at that moment.

"I got another quest completed yesterday, so it seems we are on the right path," Aira continued. "But as usual, we don't know where it leads next. Also, the quest mentioned the undead, but these people call themselves the enlightened. I can't get my head around this discrepancy. We need to investigate that as well. It would be fun if humans know the real nature of these people better than they themselves."

"Well, your skill works on them," Lila said, tilting her head. "Maybe they're both undead and enlightened? That's a bramble twist, isn't it?"

"I don't know," said Aira. And then took the journal once again.

"You are right, even the System recognizes that," she wrote. "But how much like me are they? Do they have the same powers, even if on much lower levels?"

"You mentioned yesterday that Ainorrh is level 43. It's way behind you. Is her level the highest among the enlightened?" wrote Lila.

"That's also a very good question," Aira replied. "And I don't have an answer. We'll have to explore more."

"But at least, as I said before, I don't feel unsafe here," Aira transmitted aloud. "And I don't think you are."

"Ainorrh mentioned the protective magic they set up in the city," wrote Lila. "Did you feel any of that? You should probably have some experience with stuff like that."

"I felt some energy signatures. That's true," answered Aira. "But I can't say that if you had asked me before Ainorrh explained that, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what I felt. Maybe it's because my magic is so different. I'll have to meditate to explore it."

"Anyway, will you be able to get some more sleep?" said Aira out loud, "It seems that we'll have even more information dumped on us tomorrow. And there still some time before the morning comes. You need more rest."

"I'll try," Lila said. "My thoughts are racing like a chased deer, and it's hard to fall asleep. But I'll give it a shot…"

 

***

 

Aira spent the rest of the night exploring Necrocommunion. Before, she had only feeble sensations related to the skill and hadn't been able to focus on practicing it just because she didn't really know what she experienced and where to apply it. She didn't have any reference points.

Now, she was surrounded by the undead. Or, as they called themselves, enlightened. Instead of one mysterious energy signature of a spy hiding in the forest, she had dozens or even hundreds of people surrounding her.

What was even more impressive was that the local flora bore that impression of this different magic. Aira could feel it not only in the walls of the house they were hosted in but in every tree around them and all other plants as well.

Focusing on the treehouse, Aira also felt some minute differences. Like it was all the same elemental magic Ainorrh told her about but with another flavor.

Aira tried to explore the paths of this force, but she wasn't yet trained to unwind them. Decipher their meaning. She wasn't yet ready to embrace the arcane powers of the Air element that defined this enlightened city of Wentouk.

Just after she realized that this world is complex, Aira discovered its complexity was even more layered and intricate than she expected.

Probing around her was also a tricky task. Aira didn't want to infringe on the privacy of the citizens of this magical city by scanning every single person. Still, she was able to trace the threads connecting her through Necrocommunion to the other enlightened of the settlement. Even during the night, it was bustling with activity. As Lila guessed earlier, they didn't seem to need rest. Just like Aira.

She carefully probed around. Some of the enlightened were stationary. Practicing meditation? Sleeping? Resting? Others moved, probably fulfilling their standard chores and routines.

The settlement buzzed with the same sounds as during the day, with only the bird calls changing as different creatures were active at night. During one of the gentle probes, Aira even felt something familiar, an energy signature that reminded her of their meeting with Ainorrh. But that fleeting sensation dissolved as soon as Aira tried to explore it a bit more.

She knew she'd have to find other ways to practice the skill. From the very beginning, she realized that one of the options was to raise more undead. And now she even had some experience with that. It was done in a very haphazard manner, that was true. And Aira didn't really have an opportunity to analyze that experiment. But still, that practice went against everything she stood for throughout her career as a wielder of the arcane.

She fought the undead. She wasn't the person who created them.

That was probably one more thing to discuss with Lila. Since meeting the woman, their conversations had become an essential part of their daily routines. Even when she had to communicate with Lila through the notes, it allowed her to learn a lot and feel a connection with somebody. A sentient person. And Lila's opinion had influenced Aira's actions on a daily basis now. She wouldn't even consider making a decision that affected their fates without talking to that kind human.

Aira glanced at the green-haired woman. It seemed that she was finally deep asleep. Her breath became steady. And luckily, there were no signs of her having another nightmare.

"You'll have to rest well to get through this ordeal," thought Aira. "But I hope your natural curiosity will help you with that."

While Aira had already felt re-energized and full of magical power, the process was, of course, different for Lila. And the previous evening showed how easy it was to forget another person's limitations and needs. After spending a month without her own voice, Aira should have been more mindful of Lila's inability to communicate.

"Oh, well," Aira thought. "Any of us can get swept away by an intriguing talk. We just have to adjust. Both of us."

It was really good that Lila finally fell asleep. They'd need all the strength of their minds and bodies to face this new challenge. Especially Lila. For Aira, the main transformation had happened a while ago; she had at least some time to process everything and get used to the new circumstances. Now, it was Lila's time to get to terms with living among people who were absolutely alien to her. And, to make it even harder, she had to question everything she'd been taught throughout her life.

 

***

 

When the morning finally came, Aira sensed Ainorrh's approach well before the shaman arrived. It seemed her efforts during the night weren't in vain after all. She was already learning the arcane ways of these strange people.

Sensing a person with a familiar energy signature move towards their treehouse, Aira went out to greet the enlightened dignitary.

"Lila hasn't woken up yet," she said through the party chat. "By the way, we haven't discussed that in much detail yet, but am I right that your people and me are alike in many ways. Including that we don't need to eat to sustain ourselves?"

"Yes, you are right, it seems we have a lot in common," Ainorrh said. "As enlightened beings, we are more attuned to the energies of this world. We can partake in food, but we don't need it. While some food and water may be needed for our bodies when we are under pressure, our metabolism is much slower compared to humans. And the elements provide us with everything else."

"So, would you have at least some food for Lila?" Aira said. "We appreciated the fruits your offered yesterday, but she will probably need a bit more."

"Sure, as you've seen we grow lots of different plants in our forest," Ainorrh said. "And our orchards are full of trees that bear fruit and berries. We probably wouldn't be able to sustain a large delegation of humans, but hosting one is well within our capabilities. I'll organize a breakfast for Lila and will make sure she is provided with regular meals while she's staying here as our guest."

"You are ready to host her, but still, you call them barbarians, isn't that a bit contradictory?" asked Aira. "What's your real attitude towards humans?"

"That's a tricky question," Ainorrh said. "And I'm not sure I have a good answer for you. Or at least a complete answer."

At that moment, Lila went out of the treehouse and joined Aira and Ainorrh.

"Ah... Talking about the devil," Ainorrh said, looking at Aira.

"Good morning," Lila said with a grin. "Rustling the leaves about me, are you?"

Aira coughed out of startlement.

"Ah, so I hit the mark," said Lila. "What's that? Discussing something juicy?"

"Let me try something," said Aira to her. "I have an idea."

Remembering their discussion during the night, on a hunch, Aira boosted her stats and decided to try simultaneously chatting with Ainorrh through the party interface and transferring voice messages to Lila over the radio.

"Lila asked if we were talking about her," she told Ainorrh. "And I want to try to do better with simultaneous translation. But I'm not sure how long I would be able to do that. I only started, and it already makes my head spin."

"Not about you, really, no," Aira said to Lila. "Or not only about you. But more about the attitude of the enlightened towards humans."

That was just how Aira's life was now. Probably, she had to get used to that by now. When new challenges found her, she then added even more grueling tasks to her plate. This simultaneous way of talking seemed to work. Even while it demanded much more concentration from Aira, and she felt as if her energy reserves were beginning to drain much faster than they were replenished, it was something that could help Lila not feel as excluded. And that meant Aira would keep practicing.

"You asked about our attitude toward humans," reminded Ainorrh, and Aira transferred her words to Lila.

"I experienced the change myself," Ainorrh continued her story. "The Fall, as they call it. I was a young woman then, almost six centuries ago."