There were many differences between Ziemrot and Wentouk, noticeable right from the first steps Aira and her fellow travelers made within the city limits. Unlike Wentouk's towering structures that reached for the sky, Ziemrot sprawled low and wide as if the city itself refused to stray far from the soil that birthed it. Buildings hugged the landscape, their foundations sinking deep into the mountain's flesh rather than stretching upward—a physical manifestation of the Earth element's pull downward, inward, toward the heart of the world.

  What remained the same was the lush forest cultivated by the enlightened, though here it didn't merely surround the ancient ruins—it consumed them entirely. Massive roots cracked through stone pathways, thick vines strangled columns, and trees erupted from what once were grand halls. Nature and history weren't merely blended—the Earth element had asserted dominance as if the very soil had reclaimed what human hands had built centuries ago.

  The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming flowers, and the sounds of wildlife echoed through the trees. It was almost like the trio had never left the wilderness. The only difference was the appearance of the enlightened people around them. Only a few in the beginning, but there were more and more of them with each minute.

  As they ventured deeper into Ziemrot, Aira couldn't help but marvel at how nature had reclaimed the ancient city. Once grand and imposing, the buildings were almost entirely hidden beneath layers of foliage. It was as if the forest had swallowed the city itself, the stone walls and towers standing as silent sentinels amid the greenery.

  Lila's mouth dropped open as her gaze swept across the landscape before her. "By the twisted branches, it's beautiful," she whispered, fingers unconsciously reaching out as if to touch the scene before them. "Like the forest and city decided to become heartwood strong together. This isn't just growth—it's partnership."

  "And perhaps protecting it from us," Aira said, her eyes narrowing as she scanned their surroundings. "It's such a striking difference compared to Wentouk. There, the ancient city was a ten-kilometer wall around the enlightened settlement. Here, it is completely consumed by the greenery."

  "We have different affinities," said Alliot. "Ziemrot and us. That influences the city. It influences its growth and development."

  Soon, Aira was able to distinguish a few more powerful energy signatures among the city dwellers. And one of them was slowly moving to intercept them. A few minutes later, they faced him. He didn't look much older than Alliot. But one thing distinguished him and other citizens of Ziemrot from both Aira's enlightened guide and from Lila: they all didn't have any grey marks in their hair. A sign, as Aira learned, that they all transitioned to become enlightened 'naturally.'

  The enlightened moved in their direction so intently, so there was no mistaking he was sent to intercept them. However, neither Aira nor Lila didn't seem to have a connection within. Even while Aira upgraded her Two is a Crowd skill a notch to allow for more members of the party.

  "This is Solvarrh. A shaman in training," messaged Alliot after a minute of silent discussions. "He invites us to follow him. We are meeting with Khanorrh, the High Shaman of Ziemrot."

  "Invited?" asked Aira. "Or invited? Not that we'd want to skip this meeting if we want to get access to the source."

  Aira imagined they would be heading to a treehouse akin to the familiar one in Wentouk. Instead, they were guided to one of the more intact remnants of ancient architecture. Once, centuries ago, it must have stood as a testament to human ingenuity with its soaring arches and intricate stone carvings. Now, the structure was mostly cloaked in a verdant tapestry of vines and leaves, lending it an air of mysterious grandeur.

  Despite the overgrown exterior, sunlight filtered through the expansive, dust-speckled windows, casting dancing patterns of light and shadow across the worn stone floors and faded walls within.

  That's where they met the High Shaman. Khanorrh stood motionless at the chamber's center, a living monument carved from time itself. His spine-straight posture belied his ancient age, and the robes draped across his frame weren't merely made of leaves and bark—they seemed to still be growing, small tendrils sprouting in spots. When his emerald green gaze fell upon them, it felt like being weighed by the earth itself—first assessing Aira, then regarding Alliot and Lila with particular attention to the gray strands in their hair, his mouth tightening almost imperceptibly.

  "The High Shaman of Ziemrot greets you," Alliot transferred the message of this ancient man.

  Aira knew that most of the enlightened people had lived for centuries. But this shaman looked the age. The stiffness of his movements was defined not only by the race's debuffs but also by the time he had spent on this planet. Probably not only after he was changed but before that moment as well.

  "The High Shaman doesn't want to talk to me," Lila muttered, her voice low and tight. "It's like I'm… a cracked sapling not worth noticing…"

  She clenched her jaw, cutting off the phrase mid-sentence. "He's blocking my requests like I'm nothing but hollow moss. Guess when you're stuck high on the cliffs like him, folks like me just blend into the shadows."

  "Alliot, would you please pass my greetings to the High Shaman," said Aira. "And ask him why he wouldn't talk to Lila."

  For a brief moment, Alliot and the High Shaman looked at each other, not even shifting a single muscle. The wind rustled the leaves on the trees that surrounded the square and grew on the nearby buildings. The scene would have been entirely peaceful if not for the uncertainty of the old man's reception of the newcomers.

  "He…"

  It was probably the first time Aira and Lila saw Alliot uncertain. Not sure what to say and what to do.

  "He says… it's bad enough he has to condemn himself by talking to a blightborn like me," Alliot said in the end. "In his opinion, Lila is even worse, as she was transformed by an aberrant like you, Aira. I'm… I'm sorry for all this name-calling."

  Aira gently put her hand on Alliot's shoulder.

  "Kind of makes you understand better what Lila had felt, when you called her a barbarian," she said. "But I don't care much about the name-calling. I've heard enough of it. Will they allow us to stay here? Will they allow us to connect with the source?"

  ***

  Alliot was taken aback by the Khanorrh's greeting. He heard some stories about the shaman. But they seemed bizarre, outlandish. How could someone separate the enlightened into categories and sort them depending on their origin?

  Not giving away anything and not showing any reaction was the main thing Alliot focused on now. The outsiders shouldn't see him being affected by Khanorrh's words.

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  "The outworlder would like to know why you exclude Lila," he said to Khanorrh. "She's one of us now. Even the Nexus recognizes that. I'm sure you can see that."

  Khanorrh's gaze lingered on Aira for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to peer into her very soul. Aira could feel the weight of his scrutiny, a probing energy that seemed to brush against her mind like a gust of wind. She met his gaze without flinching, refusing to show any sign of weakness or discomfort. Then he looked at Lila as if calculating the percentage of impurities in the recently ascended woman.

  "She is wrong. We can't accept her," Khanorrh said. "The aberrant is burden enough, but necessity forces us to endure her presence. As for the other blightborn, we have no need for shallow roots pretending to grow deep."

  "I'm afraid, I'd have to insist, High Shaman," said Alliot. This was the first time during this conversation he showed his nervousness in his stance. "Lila is crucial to Aira's plans. Ainorrh insisted that she should receive the same treatment as Aira."

  "She will," said Khanorrh. "But I do not speak to drifters of hollow winds. And I certainly won't join her… what do you call it… 'party'? Moss-eaten nonsense!"

  "So, you'll allow us to Ziemrot?" asked Alliot.

  "Yes, we'll host you until the decision is made," said Khanorrh. "But tread lightly. The mountain crushes the foolish first."

  "The Council still didn't make the decision? What stops you?"

  "I'm not reporting to you, child," said Khanorrh. "And I would sooner let roots rot in the dark than report to a blightborn. We built our city on bedrock principles—never bending, never defying the will of nature. Even if we have to trade with the other cities, with shamans like Ainorrh, that doesn't mean we share the same values."

  Khanorrh looked at Lila and Aira once again. The two women were standing there patiently, waiting for the decision.

  "We will host you," Khanorrh said, each word falling heavy as a boulder rolling into place. His fingers traced a pattern in the air that made the ground beneath them tremble almost imperceptibly. "But don't mistake tolerance for acceptance. Stone's silence isn't mercy—it's waiting. And the mountain remembers every footfall upon its back."

  "Thank you, High Shaman," said Alliot, his head bowed slightly lower than seemed comfortable. "I couldn't ask for more."

  "Of course you can't," Khanorrh replied, the corner of his mouth twitching with something between amusement and contempt. "It's not your duty to ask for more." His gaze shifted to Lila, eyes narrowing as if examining a particularly stubborn weed that had taken root in his garden. "There's one more thing I'd like to pass to the seedling that clings to borrowed soil. Listen carefully, for the earth speaks only once before it shifts."

  ***

  The more Alliot's retelling of Khanorrh's words progressed, the more Lila's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her knuckles white with tension. Even before hearing the words, she somehow could feel the hostility radiating from Khanorrh, a deep-seated resentment that seemed to permeate the very air around them. The shaman's words stung, a sharp reminder that there always will be a chance for them to feel like outsiders. Despite everything they had been through.

  If his attitude wasn't enough, the last words Alliot passed were twice as insulting. "Humans and those like you have brought nothing but trouble to our kind," Alliot transferred Khanorrh's message. "You speak of peace, but your actions are driven by selfish desires. We have lived in harmony with nature for centuries, undisturbed and pure. Your presence here is a threat to that peace. There is a traditional way for all newly enlightened to join us, and coming with an… outworlder isn't it! We will welcome you, but don't suppose we'll open all doors to you."

  After Alliot had stopped transmitting this untypical for his tirade, Lila's face was contorted, deformed by rage.

  "We're not here to disrupt your ways," Lila shouted, her voice filling the chamber with unexpected force. "By the roots and rivers, I'm fed… up… with… this… moss-eaten nonsense!!!"

  "I was tortured! I was killed! I was revived!" Lila's voice cracked, her hands trembling like leaves in a storm. "No one asked if I wanted that! I was wind-snapped and bone-broken, and now you're treating me like I'm carrying some forest blight! Clear as a mountain stream, I didn't ask for any of this!"

  She took a sharp breath, her nails digging into her palms. "All I wanted was to learn more about this world, maybe make it better. And now you're throwing this… moss-eaten nonsense at us? About humans? I'm not human anymore! I didn't ask for this!"

  Her voice sharpened, fury burning behind her eyes. "How are you any better than those narrow-minded fools back home with that attitude?"

  Lila stood there, looking at the three other people. Each of them was so different from her in so many ways. Alliot accepted her. Sort of. Aira was… an outworlder. But she tried to help Lila. Even when Lila herself didn't want to accept that help. And Khanorrh? The High Shaman was supposed to be like the other enlightened they met. And yet, he reminded some of Lila's narrow-minded fellow villagers more than anything.

  "You talk about purity. Tradition." Lila's voice wavered, but the fire behind her words didn't dim. "But what about compassion? What about understanding? Isn't that what enlightenment should be about—growth? Not about where we came from or how we were born… transformed… but how we choose to live?"

  Her voice sharpened, eyes locked on Khanorrh. "Or has your 'superiority' blinded you to that?"

  Alliot dutifully translated everything Lila said, adding only one thing in the end: "I'm sorry about that outburst, shaman."

  But everyone, even the ones with whom Khanorrh wasn't talking, could see his face change. From anger to astonishment. And then to amusement. Khanorrh regarded Lila with a mixture of surprise and something akin to respect.

  And then, Lila felt a connection coming from the shaman. "By the mountain's cracked bones... what a peculiar woman," Khanorrh finally said, including both her and Alliot, his voice softer, almost contemplative. "You speak with fire. A blaze stubborn enough to char bedrock. Perhaps… there is more to you than I first believed. Not that this outburst changes my opinion about any of you."

  "Thank you, High Shaman… I guess," Lila muttered, uncertainty lacing her words. She looked sidelong at Alliot and Aira, her voice softening as she messaged through the party chat. "By the bark, did that actually work?"

  "But I'm at least curious to see what else she has to say," Khanorrh continued. "Let's call it a day. I'll assign you a guide. Tread lightly, lest the earth swallows you whole. We'll meet again tomorrow."

  With a final nod that seemed to carry the weight of centuries, Khanorrh turned and moved away. In his wake, another enlightened materialized from the shadows—younger, less imposing. Without a word, he motioned for the trio to follow, leading them deeper into Ziemrot's heart.

  ***

  "It sounds like Khanorrh isn't as open-minded as Ainorrh," Aira said, breaking the heavy silence. "But maybe that's something we can work with. Sometimes, people like that just need to see things from a different perspective."

  "He's just a sap-headed fool!" exclaimed Lila. "And the way he talks… It's so strange… But I'm so fed up with this hateful stuff! It got me dead once, and I don't plan on dying any time soon again!"

  "I agree, it's disturbing," said Alliot. "I didn't expect anything like that. But I wouldn't judge so fast. Every city has its differences. Every shaman had to go through different challenges. Let's give them a chance."

  "Look, Alliot, there's one thing I wanted to tell you since you rejoined us," said Aira. "I appreciate your help today. But please don't forget, your membership in this group is provisional. Even if it seems that you helped us negotiate this situation, so many questions remain. And somehow, we have to believe everything that you have said to us about Khanorrh."

  She gazed at Lila, looking for support.

  "We didn't question your return and didn't press you on your reasoning earlier," Aira continued. "But what you did, made our trust waver. Even before we had some misgivings because of all the enlightened politics mess. You'd have to do better, you understand? You'd have to talk more to us. Explain more."

  Alliot's typical stoicism faltered, the rigid line of his shoulders softening. He looked down at his hands—hands that had served Wentouk faithfully for centuries, now caught between loyalties he'd never anticipated. "I..." his voice trailed off, the single syllable hanging between them like a confession. "I'll do my best, Aira." His eyes met hers with newfound resolution. "I'm here to help. That much hasn't changed."

  "Talking about help," said Aira, accepting his words with a slight nod. "We need to figure out easier ways to communicate with Khanorrh. I hate it that I have to use a translator once again. That distance—it's another way he maintains power over the situation." She leaned forward, the determination in her eyes unmistakable. "So, Alliot, are you ready to bridge that gap?"

  "Yes, Aira," Alliot said. "Of course. I'll do what I can."

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