Jina walked next to me as we descended, slowly, carefully, into a place I never wanted to be again. Every step made me hurt, made my heart ache, ache for the destruction this place had caused. Jina was silent, as if it made her too contemplative, at least until the first of the bubbles drifted forwards.

“What is that?” she asked, almost panicked as she brought her hands up before her.

“Nothing to worry about, they've always been here, some kind of weird aura or something,” I answered, pulled from my thoughts.

“An aura? Like the light that surrounds us?”

“Yes.”

“It looks... almost like yours,” she said accusingly.

“Yes, it does.”

I didn't stop moving forwards, letting the light from mosses and mushrooms growing here guide my way. Now was not the time to keep pestering me about that, something I wanted nothing to do with. Jina however kept shooting me looks, looks I could see and feel.

There'd once been a massive underground sea, but it was gone now. Either through magic or pure manpower it had been filled, the beasts lairing within it presumably killed. However many blockages had been placed in the way, not something that could slow us, but enough to slow us a bit.

It seemed like such a long way, without magic to power our steps or push us forwards it took time, so much time to make it. Our steps echoed against the walls, the pale glowing patches and bubbles to guide us seeming to invite, to call us downwards.

Eventually we came to the final chamber. I doubted I would ever get over the scope of it, the massive underground crater, the powerful magic in the air, the vines that so reminded me of that day I'd died. In the back of my mind I could remember it like it was moments ago, the pain as my flesh was burned away.

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Jina moved forward, stepping among the vines. Carefully she reached down, and though I couldn't tell what she was doing there was certainly some magic there.

“I cannot effect them,” she declared after a few moments, then tried ripping a leaf between her fingers.

The vine there didn't respond, it didn't rip, didn't break, didn't seem to care about what she did. Her efforts got more and more, but nothing came of them.

“Odder and odder,” I said.

“Tell me, and the truth, are you of this place?” she said, moving over to one of the skeletons and moving the vines aside so she could see the skeleton.

“Could you clarify?” I asked.

“Your power is similar, your behavior odd as well. Are you the guardian or child of these plants? Are you something else?”

“I am an elf,” I responded. “I was born in the village we passed through to parents who dwelt there, not in this place, not of these vines. Perhaps I'm odd, perhaps this place effected me, but if so I don't know how, nor why.”

If I outright lied she might have some way of knowing, some spell that told her about my body's reaction. So I didn't, I didn't understand it, I didn't know why, or even what these were, nor where they'd come from. So many questions.

She looked at the pool, at the eggs from which this power flowed.

“Stranger, eggs for sure, but to what? These creatures?” she pointed at the skeleton. “Or whatever killed them?”

“I'm more concerned about what will happen with it,” I told her.

“I will seal this place for now, as best I can. Then I will build a home above it and keep any away.”

“You won't try to destroy it?” I asked.

“No. Something in my gut tells me that doing so would bring danger.”

I hadn't felt that, but then again I'd never tried to destroy it. Perhaps it was like the trap I'd been stuck in, perhaps there were other defenses, deep down in it. I didn't know, and for now I didn't need to. Perhaps one day I would return to work out the mysteries as I could, perhaps not, but for now her suggestion would do. I did have one question though.

“What do you think will happen when the eggs hatch?” I asked.

“Nothing good.”

Neither of us wanted to get too close to the water, so after she was satisfied at what she'd found we slowly made our way back to the surface. On the way the barriers were rebuilt and fortified. Jina could make roots as strong as steel and thick as my thigh in a hurry and I made walls that were actually walls by manipulating the stone into place, sealed tightly so that nothing could get through. At each of the places where the tunnel got thinner it got a new barrier, a new stop for anything trying to get down here.

As we returned and saw the women, along with Isha and Chien I looked to Jina. “Hey, so about them.”

“I'll do what I can for them. I imagine some will want to go home, but some might stay here, or nearby for now. Do you care if they resettle the old village?”

“No, so long as the graves aren't disturbed,” I told her.

“Things will be done with respect,” she assured me.

“Um, excuse me,” said a high voice, the child it belonged to approaching us.

“Yes?” I asked, since she was clearly looking at me.

“Is, is it true that you killed Cino?” she said, asking about the leader of the army who'd done all this.

“Yes,” I said solemnly.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“I'm Era,” she told me. “If one day I can help you, let me know.”

I didn't know how to respond to that, an offer of aid from one so small. I doubted I'd ever call that favor in, but being disrespectful wouldn't help.

“Very well Era, thank you.”

With a small bow she left us, turning and running back to the women.