Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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Once I was alone in my cave-room, I checked the bed by sitting and lying on it. I don't remember if I ever slept on something so hard, but I will manage. I'm not here to sleep and the lack of amenities should act as a motivation to try harder.

With nothing much to do, I went to inspect the tiny lights in my room and I confirmed that they are some form of glowworms that were living in the moss which existed in the tiny cracks in the wall. I hoped that worms won't move around.

I regretted not bringing a book or something to keep myself busy. But then... there was not enough light to read a book, and any electronic device would run out of battery, so this is for the best.

Focus on practice, Serina! I reminded myself.

I sat on the bed, closed my eyes, and played with my pheromone control.

I wanted to do at least something useful before Treva comes to fetch me for a meal and wandering outside on my own didn't sound like a good idea.

With my practice, I developed sensitivity to my pheromone output, and I was at the point where I didn't need the spiky gadget to figure out how much I'm releasing as I was within 1 to 2 points of what the measuring device showed.

My next goals were to see how low I can take my pheromone output, with the lowest measurement being 2 currently. I guessed that if I can somehow put it on 0, people will ignore me completely, and I wondered if I can make it negative by changing the structure of pheromones.

I also want to try targeting a specific person, but I don't want to target people. Aldus said that he will acquire a number of spiky measuring devices that I can arrange around myself at various distances and attempt to affect only specific ones.

In addition to that, I am analyzing the fine details of my access to subconsciousness. I believe that if I can break the invisible wall in my mind and I get to see my memories before my fourth birthday, I might get a clue into who I was.

Ah, there is so much to do. I will not be bored.

It didn't take long before my clothes were drenched in sweat due to heat and humidity and I started removing layers until I ended up in my sports bra and shorts. Considering what the harpies were wearing, I was overdressed.

Time passed and I realized that this place is surrounded by constant darkness without any daytime. The only way for me to track time were my meals which I had in one large common room that looked something like a cafeteria with one area where food was arranged for us to take and several long tables where we would sit to consume food.

Harpies ate mushrooms, roots, herbs, and fruits, raw or boiled. It was not very tasty, but it was food and I swallowed it.

Other than my official guide, Treva, I met several other harpies that happened to sit next to me.

My new friends were not very friendly, and I contemplated giving them granola bars because it worked on Treva like a charm and she became quite accommodating, but I dropped that idea as I had no clue how long I will be stuck here. Also, exchanging food for their friendliness seemed like bribing kids with candy.

Treva explained that harpies are spirits, and they eat mostly for the pleasure of experiencing flavors, and not to sustain themselves. That is why they gather in the cafeteria for one meal a day.

Since I had no way of tracking time, I wondered if I was getting one meal a day or if it was three, how Aldus requested. Considering that the crowd was more-less constant, I guessed that it's once a day.

"For someone who eats for the pleasure of flavors, your food is quite bland...", I told Treva during my third meal in the cafeteria while chewing on half-cooked daikon.

Treva agreed with me. "This is common food we consume when no one goes for a hunt."

My ears perked up. "A hunt?"

Treva nodded mysteriously. "We send small teams to different realms with the task to find food..."

Listening to Treva's story, I realized harpies are not hunters to catch something that needs preparing, but they would 'borrow' already prepared food. I said that they are picnic thieves, and Treva assured me that they love picnics, but they are not thieves. I didn't want to argue on this point but when they take someone else's food without permission, that is definitely stealing.

Treva told me excitedly that when teams return with their catch, there is usually a feast next to the lake where harpies eat, drink, dance, and sing. I imagined it like pirates who throw a party after raiding a merchant's ship, but I kept those thoughts to myself. In any case, I would love to see that party because from what I've seen so far, the life of a harpy is quite monotonous.

From Treva's stories, I understood that other than food, singing, and dancing which are considered leisure activities, harpies also have occupations.

Mivian is the Archousa, or the leader of harpies. She makes sure things are running smoothly, has access to their treasury and security boundaries, and is resolving any conflicts.

Lumiona is the Manteio, or the oracle in this community. She is something like a spiritual leader and she helps other harpies establish, maintain, and harness the power of stars.

There are also warriors, scouts, technicians, builders, and several other occupations. Based on the bland food in the cafeteria, I guessed that cooking is not an occupation anyone excels in.

Treva told me that there are more than one thousand harpies in this community, but she didn't know the exact number, which told me that she was just guesstimating or exaggerating. There were no more than one hundred harpies, how much I've seen. Where are the others?

After some time, we ran out of harpy-related topics to discuss, and Treva would mostly ask me about life in the human realm. On a few occasions, after the meal, Treva and I sat on the moss next to the lake and chatted.

"This place is called Lost Isles, right?", I asked Treva on one occasion.

She confirmed. "That is how outsiders call it."

"It looks like an inside of a mountain.", I voiced my observations.

Treva smiled. "This is inside a mountain. And the mountain is on an island." She glanced around, making sure no one is nearby before she spoke in a hushed tone, "We used to live outside, but after the war, our Archousa decided that safety comes first. There are several mountains on this island, each is carved for us to live in."

I understood that Treva told me something that outsiders shouldn't know, so I didn't ask more about it.

The existence of multiple mountains like this one would explain why Treva said that there are thousands of harpies, yet I've seen only a fraction.

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