It is not a coincidence that my new host is this specific Drei. She exploded, killed the children that were closest to her. There is no other closer host candidate alive near me… yup, that makes sense.

She did not mean to explode, of course, I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. She suffered, she was confused, she was in pain. This was an accident. She also does not know what happened to her. Why it happened. How it happened.

She is unconscious again right now, which is good, because she was feeling too much pain, it is preferable that she is at least not suffering right now.

The aftermath of the mana explosion is disastrous. I can see at least 10 corpses, all children. The closest adults were alive but not exactly in good shape either.

I cannot see any external injuries in any of them, alive or dead. Their corpses are in perfect state. The only reason I know that the women are not in a good shape is because they look tired and pale. Some are seated because they can not stand, some are walking very slowly. It is obvious that they are not immune to whatever accident happened. But they are alive.

I hear a voice. The same voice that called us to start this disastrous ritual.

"Bring them"

She did not specify whom to bring, or where. But everyone knew what she was referring to.

Some women approached and helped the ones that did not have enough energy to stand. Others started to carry the children's bodies to somewhere. Further inside this place. I was being brought together, even though Drei is still alive.

The place is huge. Beautiful, if not for the dreadful atmosphere that now dominates the place. We passed several pairs of tutors and children that were ok. The children were unconscious given the demanding ritual they just went through, but ok. Alive. The only place that was affected was about 10 meters radius of the explosion.

Near one of the walls a door is formed. Literally. The roots start to spread and a passage is created there. The entrance is not too big, just enough for the people carrying the children to comfortably pass. We get in. What meets us is a long, long, looong corridor. I cannot see the end. The ceiling is bright just like the cave we were before.

The walk was monotonous. The same walls came and went. I was carried together with the other affected children for about 20 minutes before we arrived at a room. The room was empty, just the same root-wall, root-ceiling, moss-floor. But there is a right table at the center, and a woman.

The woman is different from everyone else I have seen so far. The one thing I can say is that she is green. Green hair, green skin, green pupiless eyes, green nails, green long long ears. Longer ears than the others. She is not wearing anything. Just naked. She is also emitting weak comfortable light. Yes, a weak comfortable GREEN light. She is tall. Taller than anyone here, taller than anyone I have seen so far. I would say she is at least 2.5 meters tall. Very, very skinny. She looks… weird.

She looks attentive at everyone entering the room. Each and every one of the women that notices the presence of the green anomaly, stops and performs a small bow in reverence to her. Then stand up and take place inside the room.

That is news to me. I have not seen anyone bowing to anyone here. They don't use honorifics, they usually talk casually with everyone, it does not matter if they are old, very old or young. I was under the impression that everyone was in equal standing in this society. I guess I did not meet enough of society. I sincerely thought they did not have a caste system here. Yet this green woman is clearly superior to the others, important enough for everyone to bow to her.

When everyone was here she made some weird gesture with her hands and the woman carrying the children spread around, forming a circle around the table on the center, with the green woman being the closest to the table. They kneel, with the children still in their arms.

Green woman did not move, still standing, close to the table. She opened her mouth, and 'talked'. No voice came out, only static noise. Yet, everyone understood her. Including me. How is that even possible? There is no way to write or describe how this works. I just knew what she was saying without actually hearing her words.

Her command was clear. "Place each child at the altar and step back. That one being the last" she pointed at me.

The first woman approached the altar and placed the child there. As commanded she stepped back after. The green woman placed her hands on the child's head and chanted something. Again, only static noise left her mouth.

The child's body levitates a bit on top of the altar, starts to glow, then it breaks apart into small light balls, globs that I now recognize as mana particles. The mana is absorbed into the altar itself. When the process is done, nobody is left behind.

She was absorbed into Mother. Maybe that's what 'recycle' means.

One by one, each child was placed on the altar and the process repeated itself. No remains were left at the end. Only history.

Drei was placed on the altar, but the green woman did not perform the same ritual. I was sure I was going to be recycled and change hosts again, but that does not seem to be the case.

She made another gesture with her hands, signaling for everyone to leave the place, and they did. Only Drei and her were left behind.

After the last woman left the room, the door closed itself. The roots that were spread far apart creating the entrance just approached each other again, joining together, and there was no sign that a door ever existed there.

At the same time, on the other side of the room, the roots also moved, creating another passage. From this passage came 4 other women. Copies of the first green one. I really cannot tell them apart. Are they quintuplets or something? They are too similar… And they really look nothing alike the other alluring Efalem. I'm still questioning myself if they are even of the same race.

They form a circle around Drei, joining their hands. I feel like I have been abducted by aliens and they are performing some kind of experiment on me, seriously. This situation is outside my wildest expectations.

They start to static-noise-chant, all 5 in sync. It is loud and not cool at all. An enormous ball of mana starts to form on top of Drei. The glob levitates itself and touches Drei, passing through her. I feel no pain, just a relaxing feeling. The mana then takes the form of a cocoon, with Drei in the center.

The cocoon-Drei levitates in the center of the green people. They stop the chant and stare at her for a while.

"She is the third, in all recorded history of Mother" Said Noised one of them