I couldn’t sleep for the life of me, there was so much noise, not just coming from the jungle around us but from the camp as well. At first, I had thought the moans coming from my neighboring tent were ones of alarm. I had rushed out and burst in on a scene of two Naga writhing on the ground together, doing things to each other. I should have realized what it was, they had grown more intimate after all, it was the whole reason I had gone back to my tent in the first place. I was mortified, holding a pillow over my face and ears to try and drown out the sound. Why did I have to get so embarrassed? I blamed my father, he was the one who sheltered me from everything he deemed inappropriate. How did he expect me to react when I came across something like this? And now I was thinking about dad again, about how I had killed him. Oh gods, how could they ever welcome someone like me back to the mainland, let alone let me enter the university?

I had retired early just as Lubus had as many of the Naga had gotten a little to intimate with each other for my tastes, and I didn’t feel like spending the rest of the night in complete embarrassment. Now here I was, with a red face and a pillow over my head. The Naga were just so open about it, they didn’t seem to have any shred of modesty at all. I could never be like that, not when anyone else was looking. I had always been taught that young women were supposed to be humble and demure, showing as little skin as possible. Naga was the opposite of that, they were confident and independent, and no god had struck them down for showing a little skin. I wanted to be like that, like the Naga, that didn’t mean I wanted to strut around Naked all day, but I could do with a confidence booster.

The time I did spend by the fire was very interesting though, listening to Eshanai trying to translate all their stories was a joy, and I only wish I had brought paper and ink to write them down. They had no concept of the gods, most of their stories and legends revolve around the forebearers and the home cave. The forebearers were Naga who had helped create the world, according to some of the stories they were still down in the home-cave somewhere making new Naga for the tribe when needed. It was probably mostly false, but there were usually some truths mixed in with myths and legends, the Naga and all this mana had to come from somewhere after all.

Seeing that big crab monster thing had been pretty scary, I had frozen in fear and indecision as I watched Eshanai and Rulan charge into danger to try and help their sister’s. I would have probably stood there doubting what I should do had it not been for Lubus. Eshanai’s strange friend had laid a hand on my shoulder and told me what he thought. After some back and forth discussion we came up with a plan, it was a crazy stupid one, but seeing Eshanai and her sisters struggle to take the thing down made me a bit reckless. I agreed after some more hesitation, it turns out I didn’t need to be so worried as the plan had worked. With the crab monster asleep, the Naga easily took care of the goblin. There were many things I still needed to get used to, the sight of blood is one of them. I had been a bit squeamish around blood before, I remember retching the first time I helped skin a deer, but it was never as bad as when I saw Eshanai covered in the stuff. It brought back memories of my father, laying with his head smashed open, blood everywhere. I know it wasn’t really my fault, that magic could be unpredictable at an awakening, but that didn’t make the feelings of guilt go away.

Eshanai had then thanked me for saving them, and I had realized something. I could be useful here, dabbling in ‘unadylike’ things or ‘mens'-work’ wouldn’t be discouraged here it would be encouraged more likely. I had been aware of it before sure, but it hadn’t hit me this directly before. The feeling of relief and sense of freedom that suddenly filled me was enough for me to forget my guilt for a moment. Why did I need to go back to the mainland, really? Even if I somehow got into university, I would need to work twice as hard as the boys at every turn. Here, on the other hand, I would be accepted, had already been accepted for who I was, and my talents were valued. The Naga were a bit on the primitive side, sure, but that could change. I could be there at the start of a new civilization, of a new emerging culture, to document and write its history. What was some stupid education compared to that?

I wanted to continue being useful to the Naga and Eshanai, but that couldn’t happen if I didn’t get any sleep soon. This was when I had the bright idea of putting myself to sleep using magic. I could do it to others, why not myself? I put the pillow back under my head and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the sounds of passion coming from outside I summoned the power from within. The power started at my chest at expanded out to all my limbs, I took hold of it and imagining what I wanted I directed it at myself. I could feel the magic taking hold, dulling my senses. I was slipping away into dreamland when it suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes and sat up in frustration, no matter how hard I tried the magic wouldn’t listen to me. It was still there, I could feel it, so I summoned a ball of it out of my hand, this worked fine, the purple ball of magic swirling and dancing above my hand. So why didn’t the sleep spell take effect? Maybe I couldn’t put myself to sleep after all, as I got up from the blankets to test my magic some more I noticed a sound coming from behind me.

I looked back to see someone laying on the ground. I jumped in surprise and let out what would probably an embarrassing scream if someone could hear me. I abruptly stopped as I recognized the person laying where I had been just a moment ago. It was me, the sound I had been hearing was my breath as I, or my bodies chest rose up and down slowly in sleep. Did this mean the spell had worked? Was I dreaming? It seemed like it, but not at the same time, dreams had a certain quality to them, a haziness as if something was slightly off. This didn’t feel like that, I reached down towards my arm and pinched myself, I started in surprise as pain shot up my arm. I hadn’t expected that, and rubbed the spot, having pinched too hard, not expecting anything to happen.

So this was not a dream then, but something else, something new. I looked back to my body, sleeping peacefully on the soft furs and decided to have a look around. As I went to lift the tent flap, but my hand went straight through, as if I was some ghost. I stumbled forward, and my whole body passed through the material. Outside everything was as I remembered it, the fire had died down to embers, except for two lookouts standing and guarding either side of the camp everyone had gone back to their tents. I was about to enter Eshanai’s tent when I heard the sounds coming from it, she had company it seemed, and judging by the moans they were very busy. I hurried away as fast as I could go, and with cheeks burning I stood next to one of the guards. She didn’t notice me at first, focusing on watching the jungle. I waved, still no reaction, this woman was taking her job very seriously, or she didn’t know I was here, which I found strange. If Naga could smell well enough to avoid danger, surely this guard must know I was here by smell alone. I could see her tongue flicking through the air periodically.

“Hello,” I said, knowing she wouldn’t understand me, but trying to get her attention. Still no reaction, it was as if I wasn’t even there, finally, I stood in front of her and waved my arms in her face. All she did was scan the trees with her eyes as she had done before, she looked right through me. Was I dead? Had my spell misfired and made me a ghost in truth? No, my body was still alive, this was some spell I wasn’t familiar with, some dream magic spell. I had to be sure though, so I rushed back to my tent, phasing through the canvas. My body was still there, showing all the signs of being alive. I touched my own cheek, it did not go through as I thought it would, and I could feel my slightly cold skin touch my hand.

Suddenly I felt a connection forming, something was wrong, this wasn’t normal. The connection grew stronger, it would take away the wrongness. I wanted to listen to fall into the familiar feeling, there was a click, and I was sucked back into my body. I sat up from my bedding, being torn violently from the dream. No, not a dream, that had been real. I walked outside my body as if I was some lost spirit, was that what it was, had the spell let me walk the real world with no one noticing. No one, this could be useful, I wanted to be useful. I could explore the path ahead, maybe even get to the goblins' cave before morning to do some scouting. Knowledge was power after all, and I was sure that was just as true when planning to raid a monster den as in the world of academics.

I laid back down again and tried what I had done before, it came easier this time. I even floated effortlessly out of my body to hover over the ground, flying. I flew into the jungle, not hindered by root or tree, all obstacles I went straight through, appearing on the other side. I was not just a glorified sleeping aid, I would give the Naga the best advantage I could manage, now I only needed to find the right direction.