Chik chik! Essairyn held up her carving, carefully inspecting her workmanship while a pot simmered over a crackling fire in front of her log seat. The dragonfly perched comfortably on top of her head eyed the wooden piece the girl had whittled.

“What do you think, Zuri?” She asked the dragonfly which she had named after its blue azure coloring.

“Pii pii!” The little creature chirped in appreciation.

“Good? Hmm, it’s not done yet, but it’s not so bad for a first try?” Essairyn smiled in satisfaction. She wasn’t sure when she’d be back to this forest, if ever, so she decided to give woodcarving a try in order to present D’yrwin something before she left.

Essairyn had already hunted and foraged for more resources in the early morning, so now in the early afternoon, she busied herself making tools and preparing food. Extracting clay from the dirt and mixing some stone dust to temper the earthenware, she had blasted it with magical fire, creating a decent pot for cooking. And tossing in some greens, spices, and meat, she had whipped up a simple, flavorful recipe and recorded it in her makeshift journal.

While she was no outdoor camping or primitive survival expert, Essairyn had learned some fundamentals from videos on Earth. Back then, she would have never guessed that watching people create homes in the wilderness, and rural life and cuisine would ever become handy. They were merely an interesting view into a serene life vastly different from her city living.

It also helped that she knew how to cook basic dishes and loved all forms of art. It was this passion for art which had enlightened her on how to make ink and pottery. Essairyn felt rueful that here she was, doing the little artsy and crafty activities she had always wanted to do but couldn’t on Earth. All her childhood art supplies had collected dust from being stashed away in a corner of her office overridden with files and textbooks.

Staring up at the sprawling tree dome and resting her eyes on the imposing Primordial Eichen, Essairyn felt small and distant. Instead of waking up and rushing out the door with hardly a bite to commute to college followed by tedious work after school on some days of the week, she instead woke to the cool sweetness of woodland air with no set schedule to dictate her. How strange it felt, to be so free and yet so alone.

“Chirawr~?”

Essairyn looked up at the dragonfly peering down from her head, nearly going cross-eye from the close proximity. She reached a hand up, and the dragonfly hopped onto her finger.

“I’m okay, little fella. Just feeling… a little lonely.” The girl exhaled as an odd weight lifted from her shoulders from admitting her loneliness out loud.

“Chii chii pi!”

“I know, I know, you’re here with me, haha.”

Standing up up, she placed her unfinished wood carving and cooking pot into her magic cache before clearing out the fire and stretching. She had enough food to last her several days, including the seared meat strips currently drying on a vine hung near her treehouse. And two water jugs hewn from wood sealed with wax checked off the rest of her traveling supplies. The water from the underground springs was refreshingly tasty, unlike any she had ever drunk before. It was a shame her magic cache couldn’t hold more than two containers alongside all her other items.

“Now then, let’s restock on ink before I practice more magic.” Essairyn had depleted her ink bottle made the night before from recounting her experiences thus far in the Spirit-Demon forest inside her journal. It didn’t hold many pages due to the thickness of the handmade sheets, so between diary writing, archiving flora and fauna, and detailing her magical abilities, the journal had quickly filled.

Waving goodbye to Zuri, Essairyn left the dragonfly behind with its friends and returned to the iridescent berry bush from yesterday. On the way, she collected up more plant wax and tree sap for future use as sealants and binders. Just as she arrived and began gathering the berries, Essairyn heard a distant clamor.

Although curious, she sided with her better judgement to not get involved in whatever the racket was about. But her sensitive ears picked out two voices, one distinctly male and female arguing while tussling. As the intensity of their scuffle rose, Essairyn became troubled, juggling with the possibility of meeting other people as they didn’t sound like the fairies or solh’vunds. While she was certain other animals could speak in the forest, she hadn’t encountered any others besides the spirit hounds.

As the nagging urge grew, Essairyn finally succumbed to her curiosity and quietly approached the commotion. Through the cover of thicket, she discerned a human figure engaged in some kind of altercation with the small fox she had seen yesterday being chased by the erhinde. Startled by their second meeting and that the fox could talk, Essairyn cautiously hid while trying to grasp the situation now that she was close enough to hear their words.

“How does it feel to be weak and powerless for once, knowing that you’ll die so soon after being reincarnated?” The male voice mocked contemptuously as the fox spat back with pride.

“Ha! As if that’d ever happen you weak, low-class demon!”

Visibly aggravating the man who wrinkled his face in burning rage and what also seemed like shame, the fox braced itself again for a beating while desperately searching for an escape.

Hearing the demon’s cackle as he clobbered the fox already in disarray with matted fur splattered in dried and fresh blood, Essairyn clenched her fists. Peeking through the foliage, she spied a gray-skinned, humanoid demon garbed mostly in black with two knives attached to either side of his belt. But neither seemed to have been used in this one-sided fight.

“Today, you’ll finally get what you deserve. And after you die, we’ll hunt you down again and again, mercilessly ending your life each time until you no longer have the ability to even reincarnate!” The demon hooted in triumph and pure hatred for the tiny fox.

Reincarnation? Essairyn had written off the notion earlier, but if reincarnation was possible in this world, perhaps it actually did have something to do with why she appeared here. And seeing that the demon and fox knew one another, it seemed that past memories were also retained. Although that doesn’t explain why my body looks exactly the same with the last clothes I remember wearing…

However, it was also possible to lose the ability to reincarnate too. These discoveries provoked ambivalent emotions inside Essairyn. Humans had always feared death and the unknown after it. Yet the prospect of reincarnation wasn’t completely palatable to Essairyn. The idea of having no definite end to existence made current lives and time seem less valuable. No matter how wearisome of an existence she may have, with reincarnation, it was no longer about struggling to live a life without regrets.

But the man’s barbaric words triggered something else inside Essairyn. Ending an existence through the inability to reincarnate seemed more cruel than simply dying once. Humans lived knowing they would die one day. Those with the ability to reincarnate in this world died knowing that their goals could be achieved in the next life. But if that safety net was suddenly stripped from them while they still had lingering aspirations, then it was an existence with regrets. That kind of desperation and despair… How sorrowful was that kind of end?

Spurred on by tragedy, pity, and indignation, Essairyn hardly realized she had stepped away from her hiding spot until she was in the open, a streak of magic flying from her hand toward the man. It hit him squarely in his stomach and sent him stumbling backwards. Briefly in shock from the sudden attack, he could only gape at Essairyn before straightening his hunched back and giving her a wary glare.

“Who are you? A friend of this murderous rat?” He jeered with narrowed eyes, quickly taking in her appearance. “But you’re just a human!”

Essairyn hastily searched for an answer as he studied her closer.

“And in such unsuitable clothes for being in the Spirit and Demon Forest, too.” He leered, raising a brow at her slightly ragged lavender blouse and ripped black jeans.

The demon’s gaze made Essairyn’s skin crawl, and she didn’t hide her visible disgust. She would enjoy kicking his ass, given that he wasn’t much stronger than her previous two foes. But she was confident she would win, believing in her magical abilities and combat experience. Let’s hope low-class means he’s not strong and not something else…

Admonishing herself for acting without thinking, Essairyn knew a surprise attack was out of the question now that her emotions had gotten the best of her. But oddly enough, she didn’t regret this confrontation, especially if it meant she could meet the fox again—

“Hey!” Essairyn shouted in disappointment upon the fox deciding now was as good of a time to escape as ever. But as soon as the fox began to dart out of the scene, the man immediately blocked her path with an arc of smoldering ash-black magic.

“Trying to escape again, eh?” The demon taunted. “Leaving your friends to save your hide again, no less—that is, if she is your ‘friend’.”

“What do you know, you brute!” The fox shot back, revealing her small canines as he drew near.

“Aww, how cute.” The man mocked, making a fake, adoring face. “Yeah right, you worthless pup!” He switched, eyes sinister as he raised a leg to give her a sharp kick in her side.

But before he made impact, a lilac streak knocked his foot away, unbalancing him and causing him to swivel a step aside. He swiftly swung his head at Essairyn who had her hand outstretched. The fox had managed to dart away into the brush.

“So you’re on her side.” He snarled with glowering ash-black eyes. “I was going to maybe let you go, but it seems like I’ll have to deal with you first.”

He leapt at Essairyn with a sphere of dark magic, and she swiftly cancelled it out with a sphere of her own. Sparks of magic and light emanated from the two spheres’ collision. The demon sprung out from behind the impact, using the momentary mist from the clashing magic to surprise Essairyn. She barely had time to form a barrier blocking his strike, an arch of flaming black magic that almost sliced through her shield. While she didn’t get injured, the force knocked her backwards, making her stagger as she strove to stay on her feet.

Crazy demon! She mentally cursed while keeping her eyes fixed on the demon, anticipating his second strike. Even if she had the blessing of the faelytes, she wasn’t keen on experiencing what demonic magic felt like. When he lunged at her with another wave, she was ready. Pushing the dark magic back with a barrier on one hand, she used the other hand to materialize a sword. The demon’s eyes widened in disbelief when he saw the sword forming in her palm.

“A sword?! But how can you-?!” He spluttered, reflexively taking a step back. Angling his head downwards, he growled. “Then I better finish you now.” His eyes turned a lurid red as he grasped the two daggers at his sides. Meanwhile, an ash storm smoldered around him.

But Essairyn was already done. While creating the sword in her right hand, she had suffused her left with magic to block any further blows. She wouldn’t be caught off guard again. The demon bombarded Essairyn with a flurry of strikes from a distance, but they were ineffectual against the barrier she kept reinforcing. She noticed, however, that his blows were stronger than before. He had undergone a transformation similar to the erhinde from earlier. But she didn’t have time to ponder this, so she gathered some force into her feet and leapt over the magic barrage toward him. His eyes again flashed with surprise, but he dodged before Essairyn could reach him.

However, Essairyn knew his quickness by now and anticipated the dodge. She spun airborne on her step; the demon had no time to adjust, and her blade sunk heavily into his shoulder as Essairyn landed. The demon howled out in agony, and he slashed a dagger at the girl. She deftly retreated, letting go of her sword in the process. With furious eyes, the demon reached up to grab the sword’s handle. But upon contact, his hands burned. He retracted his charred hands instantly, staring at them incredulously.

“You…” He began slowly. “Elemental magic…? From a human? How can—” He paused, looking up at Essairyn with sullen, sunken eyes. “Who are you?” He staggered forward with deranged fascination and caution.

At the sight of his lightless, carmine eyes, Essairyn briefly started back in horror before regaining her composure. Silently commanding the sword to exit the demon’s body and return, she elicited excruciating gasps from the demon.

Clutching his shoulder, the demon’s eyes lit with insanity and chagrin. He couldn’t believe that this random human twat could best him like this. For one, it didn’t make sense that she was in this forest. And two, he knew that while he was only barely a mid-tier demon, the majority of humans were powerless to his might. Humans were on the lowest rung of the magical ladder. But here she was, breezily controlling her unusual magic.

“You… Are you an elemental in disguise?” He drawled. “Or an unwanted half-bred sent to die here?”

His maniacal laughter paired with bulging, deep-set eyes sent shivers down Essairyn’s spine. Hell, that would make a terrifying Halloween costume. She snarked internally. Tightening her grip on the sword handle, she prepared to pitch it at the demon and end this frightening encounter.

Espying the movement, the demon drew back warily. He couldn’t die here. He’d be killed as punishment when he reincarnated if this mission failed. And it would be a painful death, even more than the strange effect of this girl’s magic. He hated giving up on the damned spirit fox, but it was no use. At the very least, if he reported this girl to his boss, he might be able to save his hide.

Seeing the retreating demon, Essairyn narrowed her eyes and sent the sword flying. The demon parried the blade, and black wires snaked around the blade, holding it in place. Then, he leapt away and dashed off in the brush. Thwarted, Essairyn retrieved her magic and raced after him. There was no way she was going to let that dangerous demon stick around in this forest. And she couldn’t shake off the intuition that if he escaped, a bigger trouble would await her. From his earlier words, he wasn’t the only one behind the fox’s cycle of death and reincarnation. So, his friends would likely come after Essairyn in revenge.

Looks like I’m the one doing the chasing this time. Essairyn grimaced. Fortunately, the demon wasn’t much faster than her. Although she almost lost sight of him in the density of the undergrowth, she could leap over any obstacles. Noticing the fast approaching girl, the demon snarled in annoyance. But his destination was right up ahead. The demons’ teleportation point would assure his escape.

Seeing the demon step into a semi-transparent portal which had suddenly appeared out of thin air, she hurriedly shot a flurry of magic slivers at his back. He yowled at the unexpected onslaught, and the force made him nosedive into the portal. Essairyn extended her hand out to nab the demon, but just when it looked like she wouldn’t make it in time, the portal suddenly vanished. The demon flopped onto the ground with multiple short skewers on his back.

Realizing his plan failed, the demon scrambled up while cowering in intense agony. But Essairyn merely smirked with a deriding snort as she manifested the sword again. She noted that every time she created a magical weapon, it formed quicker. Before the demon took another step away, she swung the blade at his side. The sword hacked him nearly in two across his back, drawing an ear splitting screech from the demon. The force spun him around, and she witnessed his shocked, deathly ashen face.

“You—” he started.

Essairyn swung the blade back into the gash, slashing the demon cleanly in half. He gave another garish scream, the sound turning liquid as he struggled to finish his words.

“Monster.”

The demon laid still in a pool of blood. His pitch black orbs peered out into nothingness. Essairyn blinked vacantly as blood dripped from her blade. After a second of silence, the man’s body burst into a shower of black dust glinting with red. The dust dissipated as it rose, and the body and blood soon disappeared as if nothing had ever happened. Only the demon’s clothes and two knives were left behind.

Essairyn stared at the empty space. Her sword dropped from her hand, vanishing in a puff of lavender. Her knees felt shaky. She drew in a sharp breath and released it tremulously. Even though this was her third time, no, fifth time including the two animals she had slaughtered for food, killing didn’t get any easier. And witnessing gore in real life was a hundred times more gruesome than watching it on screen. She was sure she did the right thing, but killing someone so human-like was especially jarring.

That portal however… She wasn’t sure how she had interfered with the teleportation working, but the discovery troubled her. Does a similar portal to Earth exist somewhere in this forest? But she had already searched the area where she had fallen and seen nothing out of the ordinary.

“So.” A voice jolted Essairyn back. She whipped her head in the direction of the voice. It was the fox.

“You can do magic. I suppose that was how you defeated that beast demon.” The small animal conjectured, revealing herself from behind a bush. Although it seemed like she had run away, she had trailed after the two when she heard the demon struggling against the girl.

Essairyn looked at the fox, deadpan. “Yeah. And I suppose you left me again to your pursuers.”

The fox smiled tersely. “Well you were stronger than them anyway.”

A corner of Essairyn’s mouth twitched up fleetingly on her impassive face as she picked up the demon’s two knives, storing them away. “I don’t suppose you also left me for dead too; although, I suppose you came back this time.” She teased the fox in a mocking manner in order to figure out its intentions.

“Ouch, touché.” The fox winced. “It’s not like I know you or anything…”

“Huh, but if you knew me, would you still leave me like one of your ‘friends’?” Essairyn snapped sarcastically.

The fox’s eyes widened momentarily before she turned her head away. “I don’t have friends… anymore.” The last word came as a whisper as the fox’s face turned dark. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

At this response, Essairyn wondered what was the story behind the demon’s words from earlier. The fox must have been strong enough at one point to offend the demon so greatly and make him pursue her upon reincarnation. That also made her question why she was so weak. Does reincarnation make one weaker than before? The supposition made sense. If someone could retain the same level of power even after death, then dying wasn’t a penalty but an easy escape for beings that could reincarnate. Unless, of course, the number of reincarnations is limited…

“Anyway, what are you even doing in this forest?” The fox queried, evading Essairyn’s questioning look.

The girl gazed at the fox cautiously. “You haven’t told me why both of those demons were after you. And how do I know you’re not a demon too? Seeing as I saved you twice, I think I ought to know.”

The little creature sighed, her white-tipped ears bending downwards in exasperation. “Look, I’m not a demon; I’m a spirit fox. I know that demon’s words didn’t give you the best impression of me…or that I had left my problems with you twice…but, I assure you, I’m not going to hurt you or leave you again.”

“Right…” Essairyn breathed dismissively with a sidelong glance. This fox was already talking about not leaving her. Did that mean she planned to tag along? Before Essairyn could speculate her suspicions, the small fox perked her ears up, scampered over, and started sniffing her.

“Wha…” Essairyn started questioningly, picking up her foot to move away from the fox’s nose.

The fox lifted her snout towards the girl. Her hazel eyes were bright as she exclaimed, “You’re not from around here, are you? Are you a traveler, perhaps?”

“A traveler…” Essairyn repeated, hearing it again after the first time from D’yrwin.

“Yeah! Travelers are people who come from another world! That would explain why you’re wearing such unsuitable clothes inside this forest.” The fox resolved, sitting down on her haunches with pricked ears.

Now that she was close enough to see, Essairyn had to admit, the fox was rather cute, especially with her big eyes and ears. And the way she looked triumphantly up at her was adorable. Still, she couldn’t be sure how safe this little animal was, and she also had to factor in the demons pursuing her. The girl turned her eyes toward the expectant fox.

“Look, I’m not sure what you want from me, but despite our doubtful start, it’s nice to finally meet you. And that’s it, see ya.” Essairyn gave a backhand wave and began walking away, leaving the fox stunned.

“Wa-wait! You’re going just like that?!” The fox piped frantically while jogging behind. “But I don’t even know your name! No, you don’t even know mine! Um, hello?”

Essairyn raised a brow, continuing to stride. “Do I need to know yours? Or you, mine? I’m leaving this forest tomorrow, so I won’t even see you again. …Probably.”

“Then—!!” The fox’s eyes flickered around as she gauged her prospects. “Take me with you!”

“And why should I? You seem to be a target for demons, and I’ve had my fair share already, thank you very much.”

“Ergh–” The fox didn’t know how to respond, for it was true. She was a magnet for both demons and spirits that knew about her past life and who wanted retribution. But she wouldn’t ever change her past actions despite her current struggles reincarnating in the worst possible place.

“Then let’s strike a bargain!”

“Hmm, now you’re talking.” Essairyn paused her step. “But what exactly do you have to offer? No offense, but you look terrible.”

“No kidding.” The fox scoffed, sitting down. “I’ll heal up and get stronger with time. But in the old days, everyone would tremble before me.” She harrumphed arrogantly. “But now I’m stuck like this after sleeping for–– Wait, what year is it?”

“Beats me.” Essairyn shrugged.

“Right, a traveler. Of course you don’t know, unless–– how long have you been in this world?”

“I’ve been in Sol’h’meyr for… three days now. This is the third day.”

“And you can already fight that well?”

“I had to adapt. I nearly died three times already.”

The fox mulled in silence. She had not met many travelers in her previous two lives. And this girl was rather tricky despite having only been in this world not even a week. Narrowing her eyes, she sniffed the girl again, confirming a suspicion.

“I see now.” The fox bobbed her head. “You have the faelytes’ blessing.” She turned away in disdain. “Strange girl… Lucky human…”

Hearing the fox’s mumbling, Essairyn sighed. “We can stop beating around the bush. What exactly do you want? Just to leave this forest? You can do that easily yourself.”

“Like this?” The fox sarcastically wagged her bruised, bloody body. “Last time I tried, I only got as far as the Primordial Eichen before I got hunted down again!”

Massaging between her eyebrows, Essairyn considered whether or not to help the spirit fox. It would probably be more trouble than was worth her time, but the compassionate side of Essairyn grated on her cold rationality. And remembering the faelytes’ unsought kindness and solh’vunds grudging acceptance, she felt a prickling guilt to return the favor to someone in need.

“…Fine.”

The fox jolted up on all fours in surprise.

“I’ll help you get out of the forest.” The girl sighed, wondering if she’d regret this empathetic decision. “But after that, you’re on your own, okay? I doubt you’d want to be among other humans anyway.”

“Fine by me!!” The fox bounced lightly in delight. “So you’re heading to As’pyze?”

“Yup. Might as well learn about the world with my own kind.”

“Hmm, I guess so…” Pausing briefly as old memories bubbled to the surface, the fox shook her head and looked up intently.

“I’m Akari, by the way. One of the greatest spirit gods in Sol’h’meyr!”

Essairyn chuckled. “You mean, you used to be?”

“Ooof… Don’t hit me with reality like that. I just reincarnated yesterday.”

“Right, right… I’m Essairyn. From Earth.”

“Nice to meet you Essairyn-from-Earth.”

The girl whipped her head with an “are you serious?” face.

“Ahem.” The fox looked away, pretending not to notice. “Thank you for helping me out. I do appreciate it. I may not be able to offer you much, but I can impart my knowledge. So, that should count for something since you’re a newly arrived traveler.”

“True…” Essairyn thoughtfully murmured. As long as the fox was going to take advantage of her, she might as well too. So far, she only knew how to fly, shape magic into different forms, and cast fire, courtesy of D’yrwin showing how in yesterday’s guide when Essairyn attempted sparking fire with two sticks. The fairy had laughed uncontrollably.

On the way back to the treehouse, Akari shared a little about herself, enough to give Essairyn a sense as to why she was disliked by demons and spirits as well. Although, spirits didn’t bother hunting her down, leaving that to the vengeful demons instead. The fox planned to punish those who had killed her unjustly once she regained her former powers, but she didn’t elaborate on the details of her death or current pursuers. Essairyn figured she’d eventually find out considering how quickly the fox ran into trouble.

“So, spirits were born from the positive or righteous feelings, thoughts, values, and beliefs of humans. Demons are the opposite, but that doesn’t necessarily mean spirits are good and demons are bad. They simply balance out the world like light and darkness.”

Akari explained more about her race to Essairyn as D’yrwin revealed little about the elusive faelytes and with that, the spirits and demons in general. Perhaps the fairy hadn’t thought it relevantly useful, but Essairyn was fascinated by all magical aspects of Sol’h’meyr. However, learning about the forest flora was more critical to her immediate survival and traveling preparations. So, she hadn’t brought up the subject and merely observed.

“That’s interesting how spirits and demons came from humans, and yet, they’re magically more gifted than us. Is it because their very existence arose from magical phenomena while humans originally came from Earth?”

“Yes, humans aren’t native to Sol’h’meyr and migrated by force during the Great Elemental War. It was an unintended consequence of splitting a part of the world away and drawing in the closest universe to make up for the vacuum of energy. Stupid decision really.” Akari suddenly went silent, recalling bittersweet memories and a lingering regret that persisted after millennia. If only I was there by your side…

Essairyn glanced at the brooding fox and changed the subject. She noticed that Akari would sometimes stare off in the distance, as if looking into the past. Whenever this happened, Essairyn felt a bothersome emotion welling up within her. No matter how hard she tried to set aside her life on Earth in order to focus on her new one, she couldn’t easily forget twenty years. Those precious, maddening memories filled the surrounding shadows enclosing in on her from every corner.

Back at the treehouse, Essairyn gave a little tour, finding small happiness in showing off her workmanship to an equally impressed and befuddled fox.

“You made all of this from magic?!” Akari exclaimed in astonishment. “What are you, an anomaly? You already were though when you used elemental rain magic as a human… And gimme that bag!”

The fox snatched the bag from Essairyn and began eating the crushed berries left inside after the girl had squeezed them for making ink. When one of the dragonflies approached Akari to join in eating them, she swatted it away while giving a look that said, “My berries.”

“Even made friends with the dragolins, I see…” The fox mumbled. “How am I not surprised?”

“Is that what they’re called?” Essairyn consoled the hurt little dragon eschewed by Akari. “I’ve been referring to them as dragonflies, but I guess it’s rude to consider them anything similar to insects besides their size.”

“How could you ever compare the last remaining dragonkin to mere insects—” Akari’s words suddenly cut off when visions of the past flashed through her mind. Grimacing, she shook her head and turned to the dragolins with a sigh. Why didn’t you all escape when you had the chance?

Although Essairyn saw Akari’s turn in expression, she thought it was just the fox being annoyed at her for likening dragolins to dragonflies. “So, can you explain more? D’yrwin, a faelyte,” she added when the fox gave a questioning look at the name, “told me that my magic was strange where others might even exploit it, if given a chance.”

Akari nodded thoughtfully in understanding. “It’s possible. We wage wars over magic, after all. Considering it can get you basically anything: money, fame, respect, recognition, a home, a living, even life itself.”

“Because you can heal yourself?”

“Not every mage can heal themselves, much less others. You’re just weird.”

“Oh… Then–?”

“It’s not because of that ability you’d be taken advantage of,” interrupted Akari, figuring out the girl’s question before she asked. “It’s because rain magic has purifying effects that’s especially damaging to demons, but also spirit and all elemental magic. Since it originated from water and light magic which no longer exist in Sol’h’meyr after the Great Elemental War, it’s stronger than singular elemental magic types.”

“Why? What happened during that war to water and light magic?”

The fox went on another silent rumination, making Essairyn feel as if she would get no answer. But before she could ask a different question, the fox spoke slowly.

“It’s something I don’t want to remember. The elemental gods can go die in a ditch somewhere for all I care––although, the world wouldn’t be running without them, and they’re technically sleeping eternally now, good riddance. Because of them… I… lost someone very important. Water and Light took a chunk of the world with them into another dimension after creating Rain, that’s all I can say.”

End of story. Essairyn nodded, knowing this was the most she was going to get from the fox. She didn’t know why Akari was so haunted by the topic of the Great Elemental War to the point of choking on repressed emotion, but it wasn’t unimaginable that many would’ve lost loved ones in combat. So, she supposed that Akari had been in those shoes.

Detecting sympathy from the girl’s rapt expression, Akari glanced out the window, and Essairyn followed her gaze. The forest had gotten darker since they arrived and talked. Even though she had tried to forget her past, Akari could never truly give up those memories which were both painful but inextricably beautiful. She missed those quiet days in the tower. But she was gone with this world, never to return, just like the rest of the dragonkin that once freely roamed the skies.

As Essairyn got up from her seat to cook, she remarked, “It’s interesting how there’s no sun in this world, but we still have night and day.”

“It’s just magic transitioning from high to low energy.” Akari replied a matter of factly. “It’s why magic is typically seen as light, and why sleeping at night restores more mana than during the day.”

“Huh.” Essairyn hummed as she took some fresh slices of meat and soaked them in spices. She was starting to feel that having Akari with her was beneficial after all. D’yrwin was mostly busy with laecait duties, and the other faelytes and solh’vunds kept to themselves. So through Akari, she was able to learn more about the world while also staving off the loneliness that crept in the absence of socialization.

“You got gapisvara? Nice!” Akari licked her chops in anticipation of the succulent meat.

“Is that this animal’s name? You have a really good nose, Akari.” Essairyn laughed while waving a slice.

“Yeah, gapisvara, grass eaters. Looks like these oversized hamsters managed to survive all these years.”

Essairyn snorted and turned away from the meat. “They really do look like hamsters, don’t they?”

“Ever tried whacking one on the butt? They make the funniest noises…”

And through the evening, the unlikely duo chattered until night fell.