The rescue mission didn't go as planned. It didn't go as planned at all. Alliot had left abruptly. And while Lila followed Aira, she wouldn't respond to party invitations anymore. The only… person… who seemed not to be angry with Aira was the rat. She reached out with her arcane powers toward the wristband, that crutch she had to use to access the System in this world.
--- Party Interface ---
Maximum party invitations: 2
Current party size: 1 (including the host)
Invite a new party member [Y/N]?
...Al invited to join the party. Awaiting confirmation...
Al nuzzled against Aira's neck, his silvery fur tickling her skin as he emitted a contented vibration somewhere between a purr and a squeak. His tiny claws gripped the fabric of her collar, whiskers twitching with each breath she took. Despite the absurdity of finding comfort in an undead rodent, Aira felt an unexpected warmth as she reached up to scratch behind his ear, fingers finding the small patch of missing fur—a battle scar from his brief but valiant defense of Lila's body. His eyes, glowing with the same ethereal light as hers, seemed to understand her loneliness in a way no words could express.
"Well, Al, it looks like it's just you and me now," Aira sighed. "Maybe we can persuade Lila to rejoin the party together? What do you think?"
"Chrrk-chrrk!" came a reply. However, Aira wasn't yet fluid in the nuances of rat speech.
"Alright, we'll figure it out, right?" said Aira, unsure whether she was thinking about Lila or talking with the rat. "Yeah… Right... I'm talking with a rat now. That's great…"
She looked back at Lila who trudged several paces behind, shoulders hunched, gaze fixed on the dirt path. Two days had crawled by since Alliot's explosive departure, leaving a chasm of silence between them that neither had dared to bridge. Surprisingly, it seemed like Lila was able to talk to Alliot using the enlightened ways. Aira noticed that distant look in their eyes a few times before Alliot left. The same look Ainorrh and other people in Wentouk shared so often.
...Lila invited to join the party. Awaiting confirmation...
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
System timed out.
Lila didn't even raise her head when Aira prompted her once again.
"Arrgh…!" Aira growled aloud. "How can I possibly fix that?"
That finally gained a reaction from Lila. She looked at Aira, her gaze unfocused. But then she shifted her gaze to their surroundings.
They were approaching the valley of the ancient facility. It seemed counterproductive to Aira to go there once again. But where else would she go with the unresponsive Lila? To Wentouk? She had to figure things out with her friend first. And maybe the familiar setting would help her with that.
***
Lila trailed behind Aira, her gaze fixed on the ground as the forest assaulted her newly heightened senses. The loamy earth beneath her feet pulsed with tiny threads of energy that almost tickled her skin through her boots. Every breeze carried a symphony of scents—decaying leaves, animal musk, the mineral tang of distant water—so intense she could almost taste them on her tongue. Bird calls pierced her ears like needles, distinct and overwhelming where once they'd been mere pleasant background noise. She couldn't remember choosing to follow Aira; she simply moved forward in a daze, her mind struggling to filter the barrage of sensations that came with this unwanted transformation.
Ambient magic… Elemental powers… Who'd have thought that all the things Aira explained to her would be so useful for Lila at some moment?
She found herself yearning to explore the arcane, a desire she had never expected to have. She envied Aira for her connection with that… System. But still, Lila pretty much accepted that it wasn't her path. And for sure, becoming an undead, an enlightened, wasn't how she envisioned her future.
She felt lost. Mountain View was no longer her home, and the thought of being alone in a world where most people she knew were either dead or wanted to kill her was daunting. Should she go to Wentouk? She knew the way, and Ainorrh had mentioned that naturally transformed enlightened were welcomed there.
But… she wasn't one of those enlightened. She wasn't naturally transformed. Aira... made her. What would that mean for her and for the other enlightened? Alliot wasn't forthcoming in disclosing her fate.
[Invitation to join a party received. Party host: Aira]
Accept [Y/N]?
"No! Just..." Lila bit down on the following words, her jaw clenching tight. "Roots be..." No. Not anymore. Not their words. Not their traditions and way of life.
"Leave me alone!" she thought.
It was the umpteenth time Aira had sent her an invitation. Lila couldn't help but admire Aira's perseverance, but it was also incredibly annoying. She almost rejoined the party just to tell Aira what she thought. But...
Lila stomped the toe of her scuffed boot into the dirt, sending a small stone flying into the underbrush. The sound of crunching leaves and twigs echoed through the quiet forest as the stone bounced off a tree trunk and disappeared into the foliage. Lila let out a frustrated sigh and kicked at another rock, watching it roll down the hill and disappear into the shadows.
That finally made Lila take in her surroundings. The land was changing around them, and she didn't even notice that before this moment. They were approaching the hills.
Aira was leading them to their base.
Lila's foot caught on a root, causing her to lose her balance. She stumbled forward but managed to catch herself before she fell completely. A wave of emotions hit her all at once, making it hard for her to breathe. She plopped onto the dusty ground, tears streaming down her face as she tried calming herself down.
She barely had time to catch her breath before Aira was there, wrapping her in a fierce hug that smelled of earth and ozone—the scent of magic that Lila found everywhere now. The embrace burned with an intensity that broke the last of Lila's defenses. Weeks of fear, rage, and grief erupted from her chest in heaving sobs that shook her entire frame. The weight of Aira's arms anchored her as she spiraled through her emotions, the world around them fading until there was nothing but this moment of raw vulnerability, this shared understanding of loss and transformation that no one else in this world could comprehend.
"Rrrh… nnngh… Lrrhh…" Aira's voice cracked, struggling against the unnatural shapes her throat could no longer form. "Hff… hrrh… srrhh…"
"Oh, dammit…" thought Lila. "By the roots, she's so cute, even if I can't understand her…"
[Invitation to join a party received. Party host: Aira]
Accept [Y/N]?
"She's nothing if not persistent…" thought Lila. "Alrighty, yes!"
The invisible thread of connection between them snapped back into place with an almost physical sensation, like a dislocated joint finally sliding home. Aira's eyes widened at the familiar presence in her mind—Lila's consciousness, sharp-edged with anger but underlaid with that bedrock steadiness that had guided Aira through her darkest moments in this world.
--- Party Interface ---
Current party size: 3 (including the host)
Party members:
- Aira
- Al
- Lila
"Wait. Wait, what?!" Lila blurted through the party chat, eyes darting to Aira. "By the fox's tail, who the hell is Al? You've got more cracks than a cliffside if you think adding a rat to our party is normal!"
"Well, I thought we needed a replacement for Alliot when he left," said Aira with a smile. "So, I invited Al."
The rat showed his cute nose from under Aira's collar.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Prrrt!" Al sent through the group chat.
"It talks through the chat?!? Aira, please tell me this is a joke," Lila groaned. "You added a damn rat to the party? Level three?! What in the deep rot is happening?"
"He kept me a good company these past few days," Aira said. "He transitioned the same night as you and I decided I can't leave him behind."
"So that's your grand plan now, huh?" Lila muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Picking up strays like a storm-scattered nest? A real fine pack we make."
"Can we talk?" asked Aira. "We need to figure out all of that. We need to figure out… us."
"Aira, you don't even…" Lila exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "By the Elder's…" No. No Elder's anymore. She swallowed hard. "I missed this. I did. But I'm still seething. Just... give me a minute. Let me sort through this mess before I go saying something I regret."
"Sure, no worries," said Aira. "But I'm glad we can talk again. Thank you for that. What about a meditation? We can do the full routine now together!"
"Oh, I..." Lila hesitated, shifting her weight. Her voice softened, almost unsure. "Didn't think I'd get a chance to, you know? Never thought I'd..." She stopped herself, pressing her lips together. "Yeah. Let's do it."
"Let's find a good place," said Aira.
The path ahead seemed to clear itself as they walked, branches bending away as if the forest itself recognized their need for sanctuary. Lila noticed how differently she moved now—her limbs felt leaden, requiring conscious effort where once they'd flowed with natural grace, yet somehow also stronger, as if she could uproot a sapling with minimal exertion. The contradictory sensations of her new body only added to her mental tumult. How would the meditation even work for someone like her now?
***
Aira led Lila through the dense underbrush, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of moss and fallen leaves. The air was heavy with the scent of earth and growing things, and shafts of golden sunlight pierced the canopy, highlighting the forest floor.
After a few minutes, they emerged into a small clearing ringed by ancient oaks, their gnarled branches reaching toward the sky like outstretched arms. Soft grass, dotted with tiny white wildflowers, blanketed the ground.
"This looks perfect," Aira said with a smile. "It should give us plenty of material to work with. All these beautiful trees. They should be so powerful."
She glanced at Lila, who nodded in agreement. There was something familiar under the surface there. A bit of tension was lost, and a bit of old Lila's curiosity regained.
Aira paused at the edge of the clearing, watching Lila take in their surroundings. She'd always been able to read Lila's reactions—the slight tilt of her head when something piqued her curiosity, the way her fingers flexed at her sides when she approved of a choice. Those tells were still there, preserved even in her transformed state.
When Lila's shoulders relaxed a fraction, Aira felt a knot of tension in her own chest loosen. Some part of her friend was still present, still recognizable through all the trauma and transformation. Without thinking, she reached out to brush a leaf from Lila's hair—a gesture so natural that she'd done it a thousand times before—and though Lila tensed momentarily, she didn't pull away.
They found a level patch of grass and sat facing each other, legs crossed in meditative poses. Aira reached out and took Lila's hands in hers.
"Good, let's begin like we used to," Aira said gently through the party chat. It was so strange to have an opportunity to communicate with Lila directly. Without any tech voicing Aira's words.
"Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Focus on the sensations... Single them out, as I taught you."
Lila let her eyelids drift shut. She drew in the earthy, green scents of the forest and felt the whisper of a breeze against her face and the solidity of the ground beneath her. Aira's hands in hers were an anchor, a reminder that she wasn't alone.
A squeak sounded through the part chat, and something soft brushed over Aira's hand. Al also decided to join the session.
They moved through each of the senses in turn—smell, touch, hearing. If anything, Al was the most excited with the first one. The minutes flowed by like the water in the stream. And Aira felt the tension leaving Lila's hands bit by bit.
Their fingers interlaced with the practiced ease of those who've shared countless quiet moments. Aira noticed how Lila's thumb still pressed against the side of her palm—a small unconscious habit that had survived death itself. These hands had once guided Aira through her first clumsy attempts at human writing, had passed her slateboards filled with patient explanations when speech failed them. Now their roles were reversed, with Aira guiding Lila through unfamiliar mental territory, yet the foundation of trust remained.
With each shared breath, the air between them seemed to thin, the invisible barrier of resentment becoming more permeable. When Lila's breathing faltered slightly, Aira instinctively squeezed her hand—their old signal for I'm here, you're not alone—and felt a gentle squeeze in return.
"Now," Aira said softly, "we'll do what we couldn't before. Reach out with your other senses, the ones you've gained. I'm sure you felt them influencing you already. Let them guide you even further. Feel the currents of magic that flow through everything..."
Lila was still for a moment and then gasped.
***
The meditation routine was familiar and comforting. It returned Lila to the old days when everything was fine, and it felt like they could figure out everything between each other.
Lila extended her awareness and gasped as the veil between worlds seemed to tear open before her. Glowing streams of power—emerald threads weaving through soil, azure currents dancing on the breeze, amber pulses throbbing inside each tree—suddenly became visible to her mind's eye.
The energy didn't just flow around her; it reached for her, thousands of luminous tendrils extending toward her body like curious fingers, humming a melody so ancient it seemed to predate language itself. Each connection completed felt like coming home to a place she'd never known existed, linking her to the beating heart of the forest, the steady breath of the mountains, the whispered secrets of every living thing. Cold as the cliffs, she'd once mocked Aira's talk of ambient magic—now she bathed in it, drowning in wonder.
"Is it what Aira always felt?" Lila thought. "How could she survive even one minute without it when she lost her magic."
Tears stung Lila's eyes. She finally understood what Aira experienced every day. The wonder of it, the overwhelming intricacy and beauty. Lila turned her senses toward Aira and gasped.
What she had sensed around them was even more potent in the undead woman. And even Al looked like a bright spot in her arcane vision.
For a shining moment, everything else fell away—the anger, the grief, the uncertainty. And then the world around Lila seemed to pause as luminous text materialized before her eyes—not floating in the air as she might have expected, but somehow inscribed directly into her vision, as if tattooed on the surface of her mind:
--- Completed Quests: Aira ---
1. Show Lila the ropes (Reward: 250,000 XP; Lila's reward: 50%, 125,000 XP)
2. Save Lila (Reward: 1,000,000 XP; Lila’s reward: 0%, 0 XP)
3. Check on the Old World Facility (Reward: 100,000 XP; Lila's reward: 0%, 0 XP)
[...]
Each glowing word pulsed in time with her heartbeat, the numbers seeming to sink into her very being. She felt the power flowing into her body, a warm current that strengthened her muscles, sharpened her senses, and expanded her mind in ways that made her dizzy with possibility.
"What does it mean, Aira?" Lila asked. "Why am I getting XP from your quests? And what's…" she frowned, gripping her arms. "Something's shifting. Feels like the world just tilted."
"Just check your stats," answered Aira. "It's how my skill works. When we work in a group, all party members get their share of XP. Depending on their input. And if I remember it right, that amount of XP should put you well over the threshold of the tenth level. You should be halfway there to becoming an Apprentice!"
Lila did precisely as she was told, making a mental effort to access the menu. And Aira was right, it was all stated there in plain text.
--- Current Status ---
Health: 199/199
SP Used: 0
SP Available: 127
XP: 127,400 / 144,000 (Next Level: 12, Initiate)
"Root me sideways, I'm level eleven!" Lila exclaimed.
"So, your base stats should have improved quite a bit," said Aira. "I can't see mine or yours. But you should probably try if you could see them. If you are working through the Nexus, it may be a bit different compared to what I have."
"Nope, nothing there, sorry," said Lila.
"No need to be sorry," said Aira. "We'll figure it out. But that's what you are sensing. You are getting stronger, more agile, and even smarter."
"Wait, that's stupid," Lila huffed a short, incredulous laugh. "You're telling me I just got smarter? What, does the System just stuff knowledge into my head even while I sleep?"
"So, getting stronger and more resilient doesn't sounds strange to you?" answered Aira. "Well, that's how it works. I don't really know why. My whole life I just had it as a given. Until I lost it."
"Fine, fine. I'll roll with it—for now," Lila muttered, rubbing her face. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, by the twisted branches—another message? What now?"
--- Completed Quests ---
1. Power-leveling. Gain ten levels in one day (Reward: 15,000 XP)
"Oh, that's just pure cheating," said Aira. "Why does the System give you XP for gaining a lot of XP?"
"Hold on. Power-leveling? What's that?" asked Lila.
"Ah… Probably that's why," said Aira. "It's a teachable moment. Power-leveling is a method of boosting a young wielder of the arcane. There are many ways to share XP like with my Two is a Crowd skill. So, if you need to rush someone through multiple levels, you can hire some high-level guides for that person. They don't even need to take an active part in the action. Getting the smallest fraction of high-level gains would do the trick."
"Just how I got ten levels almost without doing anything…" muttered Lila.
"Right. The only downside is that this method is too unbalanced," said Aira. "You give the person a lot of XP, but no understanding of how the magic works and how to act as an adult."
"Why would you do that to me?" asked Lila. "Shouldn't I grow, you know, like a normal sapling?"
"I think it may be different in your case," said Aira. "You have your ranger training. So, many of the things you have to learn are already there. We just need to fix your understanding of the arcane. And I have a plan for that. If you haven't noticed, we have already started."
"Fine. I'll bite," Lila conceded. "But don't think for a second this means you're off the hook for what happened in Mountain View. We still need to…"
A silver blur shot across the space between them—Al, his tiny eyes blazing with unexpected intelligence. Before either could react, he scrambled up Lila's arm with surprising dexterity for something so small.
CHOMP!
His teeth sank into the soft skin of her wrist—not hard enough to truly hurt, but deliberate, unmistakable in its message. Where once the pain would have been sharp and immediate, Lila felt it as a distant pressure, her undead flesh responding differently to injury. Al's eyes locked with hers as he let out an indignant squeak, the sound translating through their shared connection with crystal clarity.
"Walkin' like a loaded deer through your own feelings," Lila could have sworn she heard through their connection, though she knew it was impossible. The rat's tiny paws patted her skin where he'd bitten, as if offering an apology coupled with insistence.
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