It was maddening to be stalled in my progress yet again. Body Refining remained too dangerous to attempt alone, and Extraction was something I preferred to try with seasoned experts nearby. So, with a long exhale, I gathered my energy, steadied my breath, and sank into my Inner World.
The moment my awareness crossed over, a voice greeted me.
“You’re back!” Drybel shouted, startling me enough to jump.
And I did. Jump, that is. Physically.
The body I inhabited now was no longer incomplete, but a fully formed vessel of woven energy, streaked in blue, red, and gold, shimmering faintly in the surrounding void.
“Yeah… hi,” I said, offering a half-sheepish smile. “This body developed fast. I only checked in recently, so—” I let the words trail off, hoping Drybel might have an explanation that made sense of it.
“Only one thing has changed in you, right?” he mused thoughtfully. “Perhaps your bloodline accelerates the formation of your Inner World’s avatar.”
There was no real way to verify that, but it was a reasonable theory. And besides… movement felt incredible. My limbs, though made of light and energy, carried a fluid weight, every movement smooth.
I began taking slow, deliberate steps, testing my balance as I circled the World Seed without straying far from it.
“You’re alright being here all alone?” I asked, finally venturing a little farther from the core of this place.
“I’ve been alone for a long time,” he admitted, his tone softening. “It was good to talk so much last time, but it’s been ages. I was only a child when I died. I’ve existed like this longer than…” His voice faded into the void.
Another step, and suddenly I felt resistance. It pressed against me like an invisible current, thick and slow, the air turning heavy with unseen pressure. I had ventured away from the center only slightly. One more step, and the force strengthened, shoving me back. I relented, turning away.
Nothing but darkness stretched beyond. And this was my Nexus, so what could possibly be out there?
“I see…” I murmured, trying to meet his sadness with empathy as I drifted toward the egg-shaped core being fed by luminous orbs and writhing tendrils of energy.
Time passed in tranquil silence. I placed my palm upon the World Seed’s smooth surface, brushing it gently. It pulsed beneath my hand with a steady rhythm, like the beat of a heart. The sensation stirred a quiet awe in me. What kind of power slumbered within this seed?
Just a fracture in it had turned Amei and Serith into beings who towered over everyone I’d ever met. Only the Starborn girl came close to matching their might. And even then, who truly knew? I had never seen any of them fight. Perhaps even something as grand as breaking the sound barrier would barely register for Serith.
“That boy,” Drybel’s voice cut through my thoughts. “The one who resembled my race. What do you know of him?”
I shrugged. “He’s aggressive. Furious about the Voidseeds. Doesn’t stop to think before attacking. Basically, he’s a psychotic moron. Even told me he plans to kill my Guardian—Steward—whatever.”
The vine around the elemental orbs coiled tighter, pulsing faintly. “I don’t understand how he could know. Though we recognized one another, it was only through the faintest wisp of connection.”
I chuckled, scratching the back of my light-particles-neck. “Well, he managed a pretty solid connection if you ask me.”
“May I ask something of you?” Drybel pressed, his tone cautious.
It wasn’t difficult to guess what he wanted. His only living… somewhat-relative, perhaps? “I told you before: I’ll repay your help. As long as we can reach an understanding, and he doesn’t harm my companions, I have no problem leaving him alone. Letting you speak with him if possible.”
He was quiet for a moment before finally offering a solemn, “Thank you.”
I tried to reach toward the orbs, and even toward Drybel himself, but the same unseen power that had resisted me earlier now pushed me back again. Only the World Seed welcomed my touch.
“If anything new happens, I’ll alert you,” Drybel said, then added with a faint, wistful warmth, “Or if I just want some company.”
With that, I left Drybel to his solitude once more, threading my consciousness back to my body.
A beak greeted me.
I jolted, heart kicking against my ribs as I blinked into focus. Bristle lay curled beside me, fur rising and falling in a deep, unbothered sleep. But there was someone else now. A figure sitting motionless just a pace away. A bird-man. Though, his colors were muted compared to the one I’d seen before.
“Uhhh… hi?” I managed, still half caught in shock.
The figure bowed with precise, deliberate grace. Then came a surprisingly smooth and feminine voice. “I have been sent to serve you. The masters are occupied.”
Her tone was calm, balanced, stripped of emotion yet not cold. There was no malice or fear, only an eerie composure.
“Right…” I said slowly. “I’m not really needing—”
“You’re not a Giant,” she cut in sharply.
We both froze. Her head tilted, and she leaned forward after a moment, crest feathers rustling as the ridge above her eyes lifted in expectation. “That’s where you say something like, ‘No!’ and then I continue.”
I blinked at her. Was she serious? “Are you… joking?”
She straightened, clearing her throat with theatrical gravity. “I’m deadly serious.” Her expression flattened into a deadpan mask. “I know everything. Your secrets, your—”
“Stop,” I interrupted, waving my hands in front of her face. “I meant—Are. You. Joking.” I gestured wildly to emphasize each word. “As in, are you performing a joke right now?”
Chirp.
The quick and high-pitched sound escaped her. For a moment, she seemed as surprised by it as I was.
“Not if you don’t participate…” she clarified a beat later.
Is this what it’s like talking to me? I wondered silently.
Do you want honesty? Wyrem’s dry voice echoed in my head, all too eager to dismantle me.
I shook my head, which only seemed to puzzle the birdwoman. No, definitely not. I’m funny. She’s… awkward.
I like her,
Luna offered softly.You both have the same humor capacity, I shot back.
Before I could win or lose that argument, the birdwoman resumed without hesitation, picking up exactly where she’d left off. “Your secrets. Your powers. It’s over. Admit it.”
Her golden-brown eyes gleamed with self-satisfaction, feathers shifting, puffed by pride. She carried no exhaustion in her posture. Just a strange liveliness.
I’ll admit, she was peculiar. But… yeah, I liked her.
I eased backward on the dusty floor, pointing at her with a trembling finger. “W–what are you going to do?”
She puffed her chest and flared her wings dramatically. “Nothing!” she declared.
I waited.
Silence filled the space between us.
Her wings lowered.
“Uh… Is that it?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
She nodded, seemingly pleased with herself.
“Okay… so what now?” I ventured, half expecting more nonsense.
She shrugged.
“Were you sent here by the undead creatures?” I pressed.
Her head tilted one way, then the other, before a spark of realization flickered in her eyes. A pause. Then a shake of her head.
“You’re insane,” I muttered, pushing myself to my feet and striding toward the flap of cloth that sealed the hut. I peeked outside. The light was still steady, but who knew how long a “day” truly lasted in this place?
I’d said half a day, but time may not be the same here. The fact that we could even understand one another was mystery enough, some strange law seemed to permeate these worlds.
After all, even our writing systems didn’t match.
Focus, Peter, Wyrem scolded sharply. I sighed and let the flap fall closed.
“That wasn’t a question,” the birdwoman accused, her wings crossing over her chest like folded arms.
I rubbed at my temples. “I’m very aware of that,” I muttered, exhaling the tension from my lungs. “What’s your name?”
She gestured to the ground before her with a wing, patting it. I sat there.
“I’m Harua,” she said at last, her beak moving faintly with each syllable, though the sound seemed to resonate from within rather than her mouth.
“I’m Peter.”
She nodded once. “Yes. You are.”
One of my brows rose. “Is there a reason you’re here, and acting like this while the others are chained and suffering?”
She nodded.
“Well?” I prompted.
Her enormous eyes squinted mischievously. “I said there was a reason, not that I knew it.”
I decided to be more direct. “Do you want help? Because I already have a pretty terrible impression of these undead freaks.”
She nodded, though her words carried a different meaning. “Help will come,” she said.
I blinked. Hard. Then, with a surge of unfiltered honesty that probably overstepped, I muttered, “That’s a ridiculous attitude to have in this situation.”
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation, as if agreement somehow made the absurdity acceptable.
Okay. I’m done. No more engaging.
So I waited.
And waited.
Not long, but enough for irritation to start prickling under my skin.
“Please, just speak normally,” I begged, giving up.
She exhaled slowly, feathers rustling as her head swayed before she asked something completely unrelated. “Why did you say it was change? You’re not wrong… but you’re not right either.”
“W—what?” I gasped, thrown off-balance. “What are you even—”
“What kind of teacher throws out guesses? It was a decent crowd too.” she interrupted, her tone suddenly bright with amusement. Her cheeks lifted, and she almost looked delighted.
“I… uh…” My pulse quickened. The air felt tighter, charged. “You’re joking,” I whispered, voice barely more than breath. Instinct made me inch backward, heart hammering in disbelief.
“Always,” she confirmed softly. Then, with a glimmer in her eye, added, “But I’m not lying.”
A tremor ran through me as I steadied my breath. “You… know me?”
She nodded once, serenely. “You’re Peter.”
The simplicity of her tone unsettled me. “How do you know me?” I pressed, voice thin.
Her body rocked lazily as she thought, legs folded beneath her. “Don’t knoooow…” she sang in a lilting hum, as though this were some lighthearted game. Then her gaze sharpened. “Why that question? Wouldn’t you rather know what you were wrong about?”
Even after everything I’d witnessed this moment felt beyond comprehension.
It was terrifying.
How could she—a creature exiled by the Guardians, nowhere near my world—possibly know what I’d told Mei, Sie, Thea, and the others about the role of Wind?
That was just… “crazy.”