Lila stormed away from the treehouse, leaving Aira and Ainorrh alone.

"I understand it may be overwhelming for a human to find out that their whole history is a lie," Ainorrh said. "But I'm also impressed that you are so calm after losing everything you've been used to."

"I've sort of got used to it," Aira answered. "It's already... How many months had passed since I appeared in this world? You told me you sensed it, so you may know the date even better than me. But in any case, it was autumn then, and now it's spring. And for Lila, she suspected that many things weren't as they were told. Still, it's all very new to her."

She followed the path Lila took with her gaze and sighed.

"Also, I at least still have the System and my powers," said Aira. "I can communicate with you. And Lila, she only has me and nobody else here. She just needs the time to get used to her new status. She had only recently came to terms with the fact that she isn't living among humans anymore. That she has to share every days with... an undead."

"She'll be safe out there, don't worry about that," said Ainorrh. "No one would touch her, even if she is a human. We've long since had chosen the path of peace."

That last comment made Aira turn her gaze to Ainorrh abruptly. Aira had met people who claimed to work for the greater good before. It often ended with them making their own interests the first priority. Aira's eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line.

"Why do we have to believe anything you say?" asked Aira a bit harshly. "For me, as an outsider, it seems that both sides of the conflict will create their own version of history, spinning everything in a way that's more beneficial to their rulers. Or shamans, it doesn't really matter."

"Aren't you a cynic, Aira!" said Ainorrh with a smile. "But I understand, you don't know my agenda. And, of course, I have something to gain. I'm not even sure what can make you both believe that I'm on your side."

Ainorrh stood up and started pacing. She seemed to be deeply immersed in her thoughts for a moment. Then she stopped and looked at Aira.

"You know… there is this one thing…" Ainorrh said. "I can tell you something about the enlightened that may help you understand why we need humans and why we aren't their enemies."

"And what could that be?" asked Aira. "Let me guess, it's either trade or some other sort of dependence."

"You are right," said Ainorrh. "We depend on them because enlightened aren't born. We don't procreate. That's one of the reasons gender doesn't matter to us, as I mentioned before. Newly transcendent are always converted humans. There's no other source. We tried different ways for us to balance or even increase our population. But it always comes back to attracting humans to join us. Without them there would be no us. It would take a few centuries, or maybe even a couple thousand years. But we'll perish in the end."

"And how does the conversion usually happen?" asked Aira.

"In most cases, it is an energy-consuming ritual that connects a human to the Nexus," explained Ainorrh. "As you've already seen, we need a ritual for almost any major transformation. These people are changed profoundly by this process. But sometimes it can happen naturally. And the outcome is a little bit different. I bet those humans that found you thought you were this recently changed… undead."

Ainorrh's face showed a whole range of emotions when she muttered that last word.

"We had humans coming to us throughout these previous centuries," she continued. "They sense the elemental power of the city. Of all enlightened cities. Of course, if they survive the first contact with their fellow villagers and the others. With the rangers..."

"So, that's why the humans in Mountain View were debating from which settlement I came," said Aira, bringing back from memory the circumstances of her first days in this world. "They thought I'm one of these naturally converted undead. But I wasn't."

"We prefer the name the Nexus chose for us: enlightened," said Ainorrh.

"Well, I guess humans would prefer if you didn't call them barbarians," said Aira with a smirk. "But I'll use your word. I don't want to make you upset."

"I get your point as well," said Ainorrh. "I'll do my best to respect Lila's presence and mind my language."

"So, what's the difference between the 'undead' and 'enlightened'?" asked Aira. "Are you really undead? Because my skills definitely think you are."

"That's what humans call us," said Ainorrh. "There is some debate between my people on the origin of the term. And, as I said, there are some aspects of our nature that bear some similarities with the undead from the old legends and fairy tales. But I don't know why they chose that word and why did your Nexus decided to use it and not 'enlightened.'"

"There should be a reason," said Aira. "Maybe I'll find it out someday. I hope I'll return to my old self before that, though."

"Anyway," said Ainorrh. "Let's talk about something more exciting. Like, what are your plans?"

"Obviously, the first thing on my task list is to survive," said Aira and started to laugh nervously. "It wasn't a given in the beginning. I guess at some moment I relaxed a bit too much and we had some… issues. But now, everything seems to go more smoothly. I have high hopes."

Aira chuckled again.

"That I've heard," said Ainorrh. "You remember that I had you watched."

"By the way," said Aira. "Would that watcher intervene if we found ourselves in over our heads? And are we going to meet that person? Will you introduce us to each other?"

"I'm sure you'll meet him," said Ainorrh with a smile. "And concerning your first question, let's say he was sent to assess your capabilities. And while some of your actions were dubious, you survived. So, his orders don't matter anymore."

"Alright, it's clear as mud, as Lila likes to say," muttered Aira. "Anyway, I have no doubt there are still some risks waiting for me ahead. And then, I want to understand why I happened to be transferred to this world. And find my way back… But now I also have Lila to care for. How can I leave her alone?"

"Do you think there's some will behind the Nexus that planned this for you?" asked Ainorrh. "Like gods?"

"Do you have a concept of gods in this world?" said Aira. "Somehow, it didn't pop up in my talks with humans. In my world, the System is worshipped by some. But gods are mostly the names from the old myths. No one believes they really exist."

"It's similar here as well," said Ainorrh. "The old human civilization had a few pantheons. But as far as we know, there are no overpowered beings in our world. Well, some may say that we are overpowered compared to humans. And others would say that you are overpowered compared to us."

Ainorrh paused and smiled cheekily at Aira.

"You may say that's one of the reasons I want you on our side," Ainorrh continued. "You are a powerful being. I saw at least some of your stats. The hundredth level, that's impressive."

"Do you have anyone at the same level among the enlightened? "asked Aira.

"I can't say," answered Ainorrh.

"You can't, or you wouldn't?" asked Aira.

Ainorrh's answer was another enigmatic smile.

"Alright, be mysterious, I understand, trust has to be earned on both sides," said Aira. "But what about the System? About the Nexus? Philosophers of our world have argued for centuries whether it is sentient. Or if it's a representation of the actions of some powerful beings. Gods, if you want. Or just some blind force of nature that doesn't have any intelligence behind it. It's hard to do any experiments to research this, you know. Even the concept of a multitude of worlds isn't that popular, since there's no possible confirmation out there. Well, besides my existence. What do the scholars of your world agree upon?"

"Scholars? Agree? You are joking, right?" said Ainorrh with a laugh. "In ancient times, when I still was a human, this city was a beacon of knowledge and power. Our ancestors built these towers to touch the sky. To realize their wildest dreams. Something that's not possible for us even with all of our magic. We are but a shadow of what we once were from that point of view."

"We had thinking machines that sometimes had visual representations very similar to the Nexus," Ainorrh continued. "This was something that made at least some of the eldest enlightened to debate that we all live in an imaginary world. It would be interesting to learn how your appearance affects their theories. But you are right, there aren't really any ways to find out if that, or any other hypothesis, is true."

"Wow! Lila had a bombshell dropped on her earlier today, and now you've dropped another one on me!" exclaimed Aira. "Imaginary world! That's definitely something our philosophers never even imagined. Or, at least, they never spoke about it publicly. It would create quite a stir! Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, I'm just trying to paint you a detailed picture of my world," said Ainorrh. "And you are right, these theories aren't public knowledge. I shared them with you only because you already know a lot of things that are out of the ordinary. There would be no damage done."

"Do you believe the Nexus has a will of its own, Ainorrh?" Aira asked. "Or is it merely a tool we manipulate?"

Ainorrh's gaze drifted upward, as though she could see the Nexus manifesting above them in the thin air. Her voice softened, almost reverent.

"The Nexus is both a guide and a mystery," she murmured, her fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air. "It flows through us like the wind—unseen, untouchable, yet undeniably present. We interpret its signs, but its true nature is beyond our understanding. Still, we are led by its currents. I know you feel that too."

Ainorrh looked somewhere in the distance, her gaze unfocused.

"Its flow brought you here."

 

***

 

Lila's pace quickened as if she could outrun the words echoing in her mind. Her hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. Each step through the settlement felt like a betrayal of everything she'd ever known. She caught glimpses of enlightened tending to the lush greenery, their calm focus so achingly human and unhuman at the same time it made her chest tighten. Could Ainorrh's words hold truth?

Undead or enlightened? Aira told her that even her magical System recognized the name these people used to call themselves. But simultaneously, Aira's own skills were explicitly targeted at the undead.

So, both of them were true?

"Arrrgh!" growled Lila. "Elder's breath! What am I going to do?!?"

The conflict between the humans and undead… enlightened, was centuries-old. Was the explanation that simple? Was there someone who benefited from keeping these two communities apart? If there was such a power there, to what end did they have to antagonize humans with the enlightened? Just to have more control?

One indisputable thing was that the enlightened were sentient. It was impossible to deny that anymore. They weren't the mindless undead of the scary stories every human child knew and shared during the darkest nights. "Undead shadowfooting to eat your brains!"

Lila chuckled involuntarily, remembering all that time she spent telling these stories as a child. She even asked her grandfather to tell her about his encounters with those abominations to confirm their horrifying habits.

Her grandfather’s voice echoed in her mind, bringing her the tales of mystery and narrow escapes. But now, those stories felt warped, their edges fraying under the weight of doubt. Had his laughter masked half-truths? Had his stern warnings been woven with lies?

In a panic, Lila began to recount everything he told her about his encounters with the undead. Yes, he had laughed over her childish stories. But no, he had never told her anything of the sort. His tales were different. Stories about encounters with cunning foes who were hard to fight against. But even more often, those were foes who preferred avoiding confrontation with humans.

"Huh? By the roots, is that true?" Lila thought, her mind racing. "Was Ainorrh actually speaking straight bark?"

What didn't help was that the Elders weren't forthcoming in dissolving Lila's doubts. But now, where there were even more questions, the elders… they were all killed in Garrick's revolt. Was there even anyone left in Mountain View who knew the reason why humans antagonized the enlightened?

Lila continued to mindlessly walk through the forest. The scenery gradually changed as she moved. From the compound of the treehouses, she got to some orchard. And then to a forested area. Everywhere, there were lush plants around her. Nothing even hinted that it was still early spring outside of the enlightened city, and nature hadn't yet woken up fully.

Never in her life had she imagined that the spooky and dangerous city of the undead could contain such a vibrant green area in its midst. Lila flinched as an enlightened figure passed silently behind her, their movements so fluid it sent a shiver down her spine. She pressed a hand to her chest, her breath catching at every rustle of leaves or shift of shadows. The lush green surroundings felt suffocating, as if the city itself watched her every step.

Lila stumbled over a tree root, barely catching herself as she pressed a hand against a nearby trunk. Her breaths came fast and shallow, her vision swimming with the image of enlightened faces. The vibrant green around her felt oppressive, the forest closing in as her thoughts spiraled out of control. Lila didn't even notice how she got to an opening in the forest where several enlightened were participating in what seemed a ritual.

Was it some sort of training routine?

Their ways were so alien to Lila, and there was no way to communicate with these people. So, it was hard to figure out what they were doing.

She was taken out of her reverie quite abruptly by the tableau. It made her stop and recount her walk here. How did she even get to this clearing? Would she even be able to find her way back to their treehouse?