Hours after the initial emergence of the earth eaters, everything became silent, and shortly after, as if like clockwork, another familiar sound gradually grew louder from below. Millions of legs shuffling around, as if everything that was hiding knew it was time to move around. The creatures, or demons, below seemed to have adapted and learned how the earth eaters operated, and knew when this phenomenon happened, it was safe to wander. However, none of them came out of the spare holes and onto the surface.

Questions surfaced as Lilith made her way. Did they know nothing lived up here? That there was no purpose in doing so? But even then, why not look? Or maybe even to leave and find a better place to live? It was hard for her to comprehend why they would stay. She understood it would be far too difficult to escape when earth eaters were on the move, but knowing that there is a time where they could leave, then why wouldn’t they?

All these questions kept Lilith quite occupied, even if she wasn’t answering them herself. But it kept her mentally busy enough to pass the time as she continued to travel. It was only when night hit, and everything darkened, did the noise calm down. It didn’t come to a full stop, as some things living underneath were nocturnal, but it was enough to tune it out.

“Do I just sleep here?” Lilith asked herself, while weighing her options. She had estimated another day or two of travel until she left the area, and that was far too long of a timeframe to power through with potions. With a nod, Lilith prepared herself for the night ahead. It didn’t seem all that bad since the earth eaters were doing earth eater things, and if they did suddenly start moving around, it would wake her up from her sleep like it did before. It also helped to know that whatever else lived beneath her never dared to surface, which meant there was no genuine worry.

With that in mind, Lilith unfurled her sleeping bag in a spot she deemed worthy enough and swapped out her crystal for Scarlets. After eating a quick meal, there was no time for anything else. No writing in her journal, or reading her book. There was no telling when they would be on the move again, so she needed to get as much asleep as possible, so she curled up in the bag, and snuggled the crystal close.

……….

Covering her mouth with a hand, Lilith let out a long, drawn out yawn.

The night wasn’t as peaceful as she would’ve hoped, and to make matters worse, the alarm clock was far too noisy. It happened so suddenly when all the skittering below came to a stop, followed by an earthquake of a lifetime which lasted far longer and was far louder than any of the others before, causing Lilith to snap awake with her arms outward in a pose to protect herself. They were awake and most likely trying to catch as much food as they could.

With another yawn, and stretching her arms and legs, she dragged her legs west.

“I wonder what they were even doing yesterday?” Lilith asked.

Maybe reproducing? She thought.

“That makes no sense, though.” Lilith said.

Then some ritual? She thought.

“Ritual for what?” Lilith said.

The rest of her travel through the barren wasteland was quiet. The rumbling, after the initial wake up call, became far less frequent and outside of her own thoughts, there wasn’t much else going on. She quickly realized as she continued her travels that being alone sucked. The void of having a partner hit Lilith like a truck. She never willingly talked to other people while out on deliveries, but it still happened, be it a casual conversation out on the road or at the Inn to the mage or staff. She was missing human interaction on any kind of level, and she began to notice the importance of such interactions.

“Is that a tree!?” Lilith yelled out, as if she spotted a gem.

A dead one, she thought.

“But it’s still something! Something different,” Lilith said.

Something different doesn’t mean it’s always a good thing, she thought.

“These trees..” Lilith put a hand on the first one she saw, then looked around. It must’ve been a forest in the past, as there were far more tree trunks than she could ever count, but it was weird. Normally, they shouldn’t still be standing after this long of a time. Yet, here they were, leaving a puzzle that Lilith couldn’t figure out.

Magic? She thought, while inspecting a trunk.

It was weak, but it was hard not to feel it. Magic coursed through the roots of the tree, although stopping only halfway up. The magic, having a similar feeling to her own, and only interacted with the trees.

“This was definitely a forest,” Lilith said, as she made her way deeper into its depths.

But why are the trees alive and why is the magic pulsating? she thought.

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“And why are there no demons?” Lilith asked.

If the previous area was the earthworms' territory, then this was… she thought.

“Someone else's,” Lilith said. "Does that mean other demons fear getting close?" A question Lilith didn’t want to answer. If that was the case, then whatever was waiting for her wasn’t something she wished to mess with. “But that means I can sleep without a worry.” Lilith said, thinking on the bright side.

Although, even with that optimism, she was worried. As she traveled closer to her next destination, which was an elven city hidden away in these woods, she noticed the magic, which felt weak when she first entered, gradually became stronger while getting closer to the center. In tandem to the magic becoming stronger were the trees becoming more alive. Healthier. Albeit still dead, they looked fuller than before.

Placing a hand on the ground, Lilith closed her eyes, feeling the magic coursing through the ground and, with each pulse; it breathed magic into every single tree.

Normally, this would be impossible for her to be ever capable of doing, but since the magic being used was nearly identical to her own, she felt a connection to it. It was as if she was a child once again when she first used her void storage. It came naturally to her as if it was something she could always do.

“This feels… pleasant?” Lilith questioned. It definitely did. There was no doubt about it. But it was weird, or at least, Lilith didn’t think it should’ve felt that way. “And kind of addicting?” She added while laying down on her back.

Taking off one of her boots and sock, she hovered her barefoot over the ground before letting it down, her toes digging into the dirt. It was as she guessed. This feeling. She could feel the pulsating of magic only when her skin made direct contact with the ground. Lilith did the same as earlier, taking off her other shoe, then leaned back, using her hands to hold her up. Feeling the pulsating magic with both her hands and feet. It was an experiment; she told herself, but that wasn’t the full truth.

She closed her eyes, and within that moment, flashes of memories shot through her mind.

Elves equipped with bows searched around the bountiful forest, with trees far taller than any other Lilith had ever seen. The tree canopy covered the sky, blotting out nearly all the sunlight. Yet, it wasn’t dark in the forest. It was bright. The elves who traveled quickly with light feet through the forest had stern and serious faces. A contradiction to the pleasant greenery. Something was happening, but there was no sign of what that something was.

And with a blink, Lilith’s vision changed to the city, which rested in the middle of the forest. Blissfully unaware, the common folk walked around with smiles on their faces. Shopping at stores, going to work. Not even the guards seemed to know something was brewing. They all seemed to enjoy their time slowly and leisurely. Jealousy would be the word Lilith would think of later on when thinking back to the Elven lifestyle. It was carefree and at their own pace.

With another blink, Lilith’s surroundings faded to black, as if she was in the depths of the void. Then, followed by a second one, her scenery changed. She was back in the city, but something was different. Felt different even if she couldn’t hear anything. Visuals were enough and showed everything. Heavy clouds darkened the sky and the streets, once filled, were now nearly empty, with only a handful of elves walking around. Most of them hid away in their houses, looking out of their windows. Horror filled their faces as they were frightened of what the future had in store.

And with another blink alongside a darkness that lasted just as long as before, another memory creeped into view. She was now in the castle. The largest building within the city and a large throne room. Large pillars evenly spaced on the sides with flags representing what Lilith could only assume as clans. Guards stood underneath each one and at the end of the throne room sat the throne, carefully woven with branches sprouting flowers and leaves at the top. It was

interesting, as the room itself was far from nature, yet only the chair represented what Lilith knew of the elves.

A figure sat upon the throne wearing a golden crown engraved with an assortment of gems. Other elves surrounded the Ellen King as he rubbed his temple. The king seemed to be lost on what to do. Struggling to find a solution for a problem which Lilith couldn’t understand. The elves talked and talked, some more emotional than others shown by their gestures. This continued for quite a while longer until the king’s crown dropped and he clutched his heart as if he was in immense pain.

One elf quickly called out, and a guard left while the ones closer to the king checked to see if he was alright. But the king wouldn’t allow it. He pushed them away, forcing them to take a step back. Although it was clear something was wrong, none of them would dare to go against the king's wishes, so the only thing they could do was wait there with worried faces.

A new elf came into the picture, bursting through the large doors which lead into the throne room. She carried a medical bag and wore clothing fit for a doctor and in that moment, as the doctor made her way to the throne; the king looked up as if staring directly into Lilith’s eyes. A metaphorical chill ran down Lilith’s spine as the king stared between his fingers. His eyes no longer held the golden aura they had earlier, but they instead resembled the same red glow as her own with pupils which resembled a cat and sclera as black as the night.

And with that, everything turned black. A longer pause happened, and when her sight came too, and the blurriness faded, another memory appeared. She was walking through ruined streets, unable to control the body she possessed. It looked left, then right. It was a massacre. Bodies littered the streets of the elves Lilith had seen earlier and, although she couldn’t hear the person’s inner thoughts, it was clear his mental state was far from normal.

The being in control came to a stop, then looked in a direction. Although Lilith couldn’t hear what was happening, she could tell in the distance someone was asking for help. The man walked over but came to a stop and recoiled back from the response of the younger elf. There was fear in the elves' eyes as he attempted to escape.

The one in control of the body seemed confused by the elves' reaction. Then, looking down at his shaking hands, he frantically flipped them back and forth. They were black, with long black fingernails. Hands not belonging to an elf.

The demon took several steps back, looking up at the fearful elf, then down at his hands. He repeated this process a few more times before running away into an alley and as soon as he did; he scratched his arms until he bled black blood.

Just as the demon screamed out, Lilith awoke from her sleep. Now laying down on her back, she shot up into a sitting position. She took deep and heavy breaths as a cold sweat dripped down her forehead. After calming her breathing, she curled up, rubbing her arms with her hands as her feet frantically tapped the ground.