The blinding light vanished, and Eli found himself in his camp again. The late afternoon light was fading, with much of the sky still full of angry grey clouds. A few openings dotted the opaque coverage, revealing a pale orange sunset shading towards the darker blue of night. A quick glance around with Manasight confirmed that nothing dangerous had snuck up while he’d been distracted. There were still plenty of lights marking the little creatures and vegetation nearby, but the more significant bits of illumination were hundreds of meters away, well within the forest’s boundaries.

He was glad to see that his HUD’s clock agreed with Madwen’s earlier prediction, only minutes passing while his mind had been absorbed with training. The tome itself lay on the blankets before him, open from where he’d dropped it after it had hijacked his mind. Its solid white block interior, resembling hundreds of pages fused together, was filled with jagged black cracks like those he’d seen within the simulation. The fracturing continued for a few more heartbeats until it let out a muted pulse of silvery light, and the block began disintegrating. Like actual paper lit on fire, the surface was soon awash with ashes that disappeared into the lazy afternoon breeze.

Picking up what was left, he found that the back and front cover were still intact, held together by the heavy spine. On the front, Madwen continued to smile enigmatically, her emotions so much easier to read now that he’d met the vibrant genius. He idly brushed off some of the dust that had collected on the surface, wondering if she was really okay. Feeling a little sad yet hopeful that they’d see each other again, he set the empty shell back inside the box.

Afraid he’d forget some details if he waited too long, he summoned his workspace, the wooden tray and his notes materializing on his lap. Thinking back over the whole experience, he started to write everything he could remember. Yet unlike dreams that often slipped away only moments after waking, the simulation had been real enough to feel like he’d just returned from a month-long trip. Consequently, the oldest details from his first few dozen tests were a bit fuzzy, yet the last experiments and what he’d figured out were still fresh. Even more, the times spent with Madwen were sharp and clear in his mind. There were so many details that he filled pages and pages with his theories, impressions, the words spoken, and anything else he could remember from within the simulacrum.

By the time he finished, night had fallen. The insects were chirping while nearby birds let out their raucous cries as if saying hello to the evening. His fire had been burning low for a while, making his writing more difficult toward the end. But he hadn’t wanted to pause and had continued pouring out all his observations and ideas regardless of the diminishing light. Now that he had a moment, he fed a couple of dry logs to the fire, the disturbance kicking up a bit of smoke and tiny embers.

He still had some items to catalog in his DS, so he organized the mage kit, returning everything to the box. He finished by placing the lid on top, and like last time, it slowly lowered itself in a strangely satisfying way. About to store it within his bracelet, he paused as he noticed how the little lights in the air were acting weird, suddenly dashing away from him.

Momentarily confused, he looked down at the box in his hands. “No effing way,” he whispered in disbelief.

He set the box down, having it open again but keeping his eyes on the lights. The moment the lid started to rise, the mana floated closer in a perfect display of Brownian motion. When he put the top back on, the colored clouds rushed away again.

“She really is a genius,” he breathed, shaking his head with astonishment. He’d been wondering how he would do inscriptions, especially with how volatile everything was. After his recent experience, he knew that the smallest mana particle touching the spell paper at the wrong moment would ruin his work. Yet Madwen had already provided a solution, apparently making the entire box out of nishati. With admiration for her forethought, he stored the kit away for later. He wasn’t about to practice out here in the woods, but at least now he could once he made it to the manor.

Off to the north, a bloodcurdling sound had him turning with some alarm. Unlike a dog’s howl, the cry ascended up the scale, ending with a high-pitched note. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the discordant roars produced for dinosaur movies, which only made him more nervous. He definitely hadn’t heard anything like it when he and Dara had trekked through here a month ago. Still, with how unbothered the nearby birds and animals were, he figured it wasn’t too rare a sound for this neighborhood. He hoped it was something innocent like a mating call and not some giant predator out hunting for some dumbass camping alone in a freaky forest.

He glanced around with Manasight, confirming that there wasn’t anything too big close by. Even looking into the massive tree’s canopy overhead, he only saw lights from smaller creatures. In the distance off to the west, large shapes moved about within the forest but weren’t coming any closer. As long as they kept their distance, he wouldn’t bother them, but he still added more logs to his fire. Hopefully, the animals here were just as leery of a roaring bonfire as most animals were back home.

A few hours later, he was diligently working through the rest of the junk in his DS, but he’d been finding it harder and harder to concentrate with each new object. After his recent trip within the tome, his mental exhaustion had only worsened, and he finally gave up and set the alarm for Guide to wake him in four hours. Then, after a very thorough search of the surrounding trees for any large animals, he fed enough wood into the fire to keep it going hopefully until dawn. Leaning back against the massive tree trunk, he pulled the soft blue blanket up to his neck as he closed his eyes.

***

Shapes surrounded him within the shadows, spikes of fear and anxiety sending his heart racing while he looked for an escape. Discordant voices like hundreds of people incoherently whispering drowned out any other sounds. He turned around, trying to find any way to flee from them, but he was surrounded.

As if his realization was what they’d been waiting for, the shades with eyes of darkness closed in. He tried to yell, to scream for help, but even his mouth was soon filled with their cold essence. In moments, he was covered with pitch-black waves of eternal darkness. Pulling him down into the starless eternity with them, his hand reached out for a tiny pinprick of light shining in the distance, somehow calling to him for salvation. He tried to grasp it with all his might, but the cold dark dragged him into oblivion.

***

Eli opened his eyes, the residual nightmare’s details slipping away. Still, he grasped enough to recognize the type of dreams he’d suffered from since he was a little kid with the indistinct shapes and shadows stalking him from the darkness. His heartbeat, a reminder of his recent panic, quickly slowed to a more reasonable pace while he took in a few calming breaths.

Leaning away from the trunk, he scratched at a spot low on his back, idly wondering if his giant green tree friend had an ant infestation. He studied the waking world around him, with the closest trees filled with hundreds of tiny points of luminescence like multicolored lights strung up for the holidays. However, these weren’t a string of tiny festive bulbs but small birds and other creatures going about their business within the forest. Below the ground, a handful of muted colors glowed, probably from some rodents or other small animals within their burrows. The brown hues of the massive trunk brought some comfort as he looked far overhead at the faint green glow of the leaves and limbs. The canopy was sprinkled with the same pretty points of light he saw in the other trees, the edges stark in relief before a brightening sky.

Stretching his arms, he listened to the cacophony of a forest in transition. While nocturnal creatures found their beds, or perhaps one final meal before their earned rest, other animals started marking their locations with various calls. He winced at a few strident shrieks more akin to scraping metal while they seemingly engaged in a competition over which was the loudest.

Sitting there, he mentally reviewed his task list for the morning. It was a bit dark for reading or weapons training, so he settled for strengthening his auric discipline. The exercise was simple, just as Dara had shown him. First, sending a trickle of energy out to his skin, he formed a tight auric shield around his body. Then, holding the barrier for a ten-count of slow breaths, he’d release the power to seep back into his core. Like a workout routine, he counted each completed cycle of shielding and releasing as a single set. Intending to complete twelve today, he still found it challenging enough that he was sweating a bit by the time he met his goal. Wiping at his brow and more than a little disgusted by how poorly he’d done, he resolved to get in an extra set tomorrow morning.

With one task marked off his list, and a little more color lightening the sky, he summoned one of the thin blankets, folding it a few times to form a bit of cushion on his lap. A moment later, the codex appeared in both hands. He placed it down atop his crossed legs and blanket, opening it to the folded piece of notepaper he’d previously used as a bookmark. Glancing at the time in his HUD, he set an alarm for thirty minutes.

He slowly slogged through the various passages, many more poetic than informative. However, he did come across an interesting section describing guest rights. Remembering how Head Ute and Wolf had reacted to the idea of any violence against one of their guests, Eli read through it a couple of times. Many of the flowery words meant little to him, but one passage stuck out.

Woe betide those who fail their hospitality, for true guests are a gift from the honored spirits. In a world of darkness and light, where life hangs by the slightest edge, proclaim your strength to all by giving succor and relief to others. Your honor is balanced against the deeds, yet those who fail will find their ancestors’ eyes turned evermore away.

He nodded, the concept not too dissimilar from something he’d read about back on Earth. A double beep interrupted his thoughts, and he looked at his HUD, noting that a half-hour had passed. Marking the page with the same folded piece of paper, he stored the large book away again.

His blanket disappeared into his bracelet, and he stood, summoning his pants and poncho shirt. A moment later, a pair of sandals materialized in one hand. They had a series of leather straps that would go over the top of his foot with two long ties to wrap around his ankle and calf, like something out of an old movie about the Greeks or Romans. He’d taken a little time last night looking through his supplies for something to protect the bottom of his feet. Unfortunately, all the shoes that offered complete foot protection were far too small for his size thirteen boats. Ultimately, he’d settled for something more forgiving, and these sandals had been the best of the lot, which wasn’t saying a lot.

Taking a knee, he put one on and tied the long laces around his ankle, carefully pulling them tight until he felt a bit of resistance before the other foot followed. He’d already done his best to adjust them to better accommodate his feet last night, but their size looked worse now with his two big toes hanging slightly over the sole’s edge. He shrugged since he was out of options until he found a place that sold something better. He’d just have to be careful to walk heel-to-toe or risk tripping himself – running in these seemed like a particularly bad idea.

For his next task, and as a bit of a test for his new footwear, he summoned Bash. Starting with simple stretches, he used the long staff for a bit of counterweight as he twisted and turned slowly to warm up his body. Soon shifting into the techniques his friend Aarav had shown him, he repeated the same series a few times, increasing the tempo with each new cycle. He kept upping his speed until he moved at a blistering pace, turning and shifting while the weapon thrummed through the air.

One sandal suddenly caught on the edge of the earth, but before he could smack into the ground, he got his other foot up to turn the tumble into more of a stumble. Shaking his head, he’d have to be more careful when he got into a real fight. That, or consider whether he should just lose the shoes if something happened. Either way, he figured it was about time to hit the road.

He quickly cleaned up his camp, touching the various items to store them away within his bracelet. Minutes later, he’d done what he could, but there was no chance he’d be able to hide that someone had been here. Between the blasted stump halfway down the nearby grassy slope, the hole he’d dug for his temporary bath, the buried remains of his campfire, or the spot a hundred meters away where he’d unconsciously thrashed during his evolution, there was plenty of evidence to find. Still, he wasn’t sure if it mattered since no one was likely looking for him.

Carefully making his way down the slippery slope, he turned back near the standing stones to get a last look at the giant tree that had sheltered him. There was something comforting about the massive oak growing as tall as a giant sequoia, and he couldn’t help remembering that first crazy night when he’d camped here with Dara. So much had happened since then, in such a short time. Now, with Fluxi’s portal dropping him here, subsequent evolution, and his mental adventure inside the tome, his sentimentality for the arboreal wonder had only grown. Settling for a little salute, he grinned at the tree before turning away to start his journey.

He didn’t make it far before he came to a slight depression in the earth on the other side of where the cultists had set their camp a month ago. He crouched down at the grave's edge, the smell of grass, soil, and death mixing together into a stench that had his nose wrinkling with disgust. He’d left a mound of rounded earth on top when he’d finished burying the bodies, but now, the grave had a depression sagging down in the middle with dirty water and thick mud at the bottom. Shaking his head and trying to ignore the stink, he decided to leave the mystery. It wasn’t like he would dig into the muddy earth to see if their bodies were still down there. If some of their friends or enemies wanted to rob their graves, it wasn’t his problem.

Heading west on the trail he’d taken with Dara, he’d been walking for maybe ten minutes when an uneasy feeling crawled up his spine. Pausing in his trek, he looked around with Manasight but didn’t find anything threatening nearby. Off to the west and a bit north of the trail, hidden behind the thick vegetation, a sizeable collection of lights revealed some big animal a few hundred meters away. With the distance, even focusing on his ability, he couldn’t catch any details, but at least it didn’t seem interested in Eli. Ignoring the omnipresent illumination from the abundant greenery, he didn’t see anything dangerous nearby, and the smaller lights of the nearby animals seemed just as uninterested in him walking through their area.

Standing there, he noticed how narrow the path through the trees was, which was weird. He distinctly remembered Dara walking beside him as they started out, one of the blue blankets wrapped around her shoulders. Before, the hardened dirt path was a couple of meters wide with only thin ground cover growing nearby, but now there was only a tiny sliver of the trail still exposed under the encroaching vegetation. Remembering her words on the Accord, he wondered if Boruta’s death meant the old-growth forest was reclaiming its land. She’d implied that the trails were a part of the agreement with that big red bastard, so maybe that was the explanation. At least there was still some kind of path to follow, and Eli could only hope it didn’t disappear on him when he was a couple of kilometers deep within these creepy woods.

Continuing down the trail at a more leisurely pace, he kept an eye on the giant creature. As he got closer to the beast, it became even easier to see, the white and grey lights within its body standing out stark against the forest's more muted browns and greens. Given the scale of those trees, the creature had to be as big as a rhino. Then its head dipped down to disappear for a few moments, only to come back up with a chunk of something faintly glowing in its mouth. Apparently, it was busy feeding on another animal nearly as gigantic.

Feeling cautious with the unknown variable, he considered whether he wanted to go around the thing. Looking to the left of the trail, he could give the beast a wide berth by cutting a bit south but was apprehensive about moving off the path. Dara had hammered home how foolish that was, but was that still true now that Boruta was dead? This mystery creature might not even be dangerous, but a scavenger out for an easy meal. On the other hand, how the other nearby creatures’ lights stayed well clear of the behemoth made him think otherwise.

Before he could decide, he glanced back to find that the beast had stopped feeding, its head now up and turning as if looking for something. Wondering what had it so excited, he felt a jolt of adrenaline when it unerringly looked Eli’s way. He’d barely recognized that fact when the monster was suddenly up and dashing towards him. The beast wasn’t even bothering to dodge any intervening vegetation, crashing through everything as it closed the distance at nearly the speed of a racing horse.

“Oh shit,” he whispered, already triggering Hypermind as he summoned Bash to meet the charging threat.