"Most presume this is what she would have wanted, but we're talking about the Weaver here. Inscrutable and unknowable are his deal. I say ripping his younger sister's body to shreds and scattering her across heaven and earth was an art project. Even the Eternals deal with grief in nonsensical ways."

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[Warning: Exposure to Element (Ice)]

Text floated across Alexa’s vision. She blew a stream of hot breath into the air at them and the words rippled like the surface of a pond before disappearing. Her hair and thin night clothing was drenched and beginning to stiffen and freeze. Wind blew through the high treetops, causing them to claw at the night sky as the wood around her moaned. She wrapped her arms together, trying to minimize her bare skin, but her feet and toes were beginning to burn with the chill.

It appeared she’d prevented herself from drowning only to die of exposure.

Yet, Alexa felt serene. She continued to lie on the rocky ground, entranced by the moon above her. Its silvery light offered no warmth, but as she bathed in it, the cold lost its harsh edge. Another wind, harder this time. Its claws slipping past her clothing and sinking into her bones. Rather than budge, Alexa curled up into a ball.

A pool had appeared in her backyard, cured her of illness, and whisked her here. There was magic in the night air and Alexa trusted it had not scooped her up simply to abandon her. There must be more. Some meaning to the chaos.

So she waited, shivering in a wet ball on the ground.

[Warning: Exposure to Element (Ice)]

Again the words formed before her. Alexa squinted at them in distress. This was magical as well, but it felt different. It was ordered and precise like the innards of a clock. Could she be wrong? Maybe that was it. Magic was no different than a hurricane or an ocean wave—what had moved her was an indifferent force lacking desire or meaning. She didn’t like that thought.

Her teeth chattered annoyingly as she tried to think. The water of the pool had banished her flu and transported her. Even now, it sustained her. Alexa shifted herself, ignoring the sharp rocks under her, and dipped her trembling fingers in the water.

This time when she drank, the sweetness and energy had gone from it. Whatever magic it had held was no longer available.

The next time the wind blew, a small cry escaped her. Icy air snatched the euphoric sensation from her like the blanket off a small child. Alexa was cold, miserable, and trapped outside in a strange woods; this was not the time to be enjoying herself. Before her eyes, the warning seemed to become more solid.

She stumbled to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain that suggests a tender bit of her foot had been cut. The forest was a black beast curled around her, but she hobbled to the nearest tree. It was the closest thing to shelter she had.

A palpable menace slithered through the darkness. Lingering had been a poor idea. Though nothing had changed physically, Alexa now had the sense that when she looked at the world, the world was looking back. The forest, the shadows within it, and the moon above all watched her.

Not the bravest person in the best of times, she couldn’t force herself to move despite the knowledge that staying here would kill her.

“I guess that’s it,” Alexa said, addressing the sky. “Why not just kill me? I work at a bank—I’ve never been camping. I’m almost naked and there’s something out there. Unless you’ve got more for me than a warning, it’s obvious how this ends.”

Around her, the world stilled. The wind dying down as an unearthly silence stretched over the word. The hairs on the back of Alexa’s neck rose as she had the odd sensation that people were talking about her.

[Aspect unlocked: Divine Lunar essence. This will form a covenant. Accept?]

How could she say no? Alexa nodded eagerly and something brush against her heart and soul. Her fears diminished as the sensation of moonlight on her skin grew more real, as though it were a substance in its own right, however subtle.

[Suggested Race: Dark elf. Accept?]

This time she hesitated out of confusion. Weren’t dark elves usually evil? Why would she become one?

Alexa had asked for help, however. Whined really. This wasn’t the time to doubt whatever mysterious system was at work.

She closed her eyes and accepted. Her flesh tingled and with alarm, she felt the bones shift within her. Alexa braced herself as the sensation intensified in waves. It was not painful but it was bizarre enough to be distressing.

Finally, her body settled. Alexa opened her eyes to find she could see clearly through the shadows of the trees. She peered into a world rendered in crisp shades of gray.

“Oh…” Alexa said. Her voice sounded off. Looking down at her hands, her skin had turned a dull gray—no, everything was gray now, she reminded herself. She’d need to get into regular light before she could perceive colors.

[Racial trait unlocked: Darkvision.]

[Warning: Exposure to Element (Ice)]

“Got it.” Alexa stepped forward, trying to avoid the patches of snow that had made it through the cover of branches. Where should she go?

“How do I get out of the cold?” she asked the words.

The forest floor shimmered and a white strip of light appeared hovering over the grass.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

[Follow guide to Safe Zone]

“Thanks,” Alexa breathed out. Arms crossed against her body, leaning forward, she set out. The path was clear but her feet were in agony as she scrambled up a rocky hillside. She ignored it and walked as fast as she could without falling. Staying outside would kill her, and even if it hurt, moving would help her body keep warm.

Her new vision was excellent. The night forest was as bright as day, only all the color had been leeched out of it. Alexa caught glimpses of owls huddled within the branches of trees. A bobcat, fluffy in its winter coat padded noiselessly over the pine needles and fallen leaves. It spotted her and made a cautious approach but then froze, one paw still in the air, when Alexa looked right at it.

She carefully walked away, keeping an eye on it, and it made no move to follow.

Eventually, the white lights lead Alexa to a narrow crack in the side of a hill and she squeezed inside.

[Status: Safe Zone not activated]

The crevice widened after a few steps, revealing a rough but open area about the size of her bedroom. It was cold in here as well but at least she was out of the wind. Alexa lifted a foot and rubbed it, trying to get the sensation back into her toes. They were muddy but she discovered a shallow cut weeping blood, while Alexa disliked pain, it was preferable to feeling nothing.

There was a pit near the center of the cave filled with twigs and dried leaves.

“Can you turn on the fire? I’m cold.” Alexa asked the words. There was only silence in response.

She cleared her throat. “Activate safe zone.”

Again, nothing.

“How do I start a fire?” Maybe it needed a more direct question. Something flickered behind her eyes and a faint white outline appeared around the fire pit. She sighed. “That is not helpful.”

Maybe there was flint and metal nearby. She moved closer to the pit and then stopped. An emaciated form huddled in the corner against the rocks.

“Hello?” she said. It didn’t stir. After a few seconds, Alexa realized it was completely still. Could someone else have been led here? Alexa had just been taken here, but who was to say she was the only one. The body looked old and dry, as though it had been left outside for days.

Alexa shivered, realizing this might be her fate. If she didn’t get warm, she might die out here, all alone. Tentatively, she moved forward. It was unlikely that the person carried something to light a fire, but it had woolen slippers on its feet.

The body shifted.

Many things that had made no sense had occurred this night, but Alexa was still unprepared for this. The dried, hairless corpse twitched and then lumbered to its feet. Loose scraps of clothing fluttered around a woman’s body like a shroud. A single hand rose towards Alexa’s face and the sliver of moonlight from outside shone on bone and ragged flesh.

She should run—part of her screamed at her to run. As the body shuffled forward, Alexa only stumbled back mindlessly. Her back touched the cave wall and there she stood, pinned with fear. The corpse lurched forward, its lipless mouth emitting a soft groan. With her new vision, Alexa could see how its nose had been chewed away, and the tiny squirming things that now resided in its eye-sockets.

It reached for her. Bony fingers touched the warm smoothness of her cheek and she gasped. On instinct, Alexa lashed out, shoving it away.

It fell to the ground. Weak as a newborn.

Alexa could hardly believe that. Her mind was tripping over a corpse standing up and attacking her. That she could fight back, simply push it away, seemed impossible.

Again, it rose and stumbled towards her. This time she was ready and shoved hard against the cold body. It was like pushing over a frail, elderly woman. As it hit the floor, it made a sound of dull pain.

“You poor thing,” she whispered, even as it stood again.

This had been a person, like her. Someone who'd been trapped here and frozen to death, and now in death they were reduced to this. Weak, mindless, and pathetic. Was it just a body, or was some fragment of a soul still encased in that moldering flesh?

She stepped backward deftly this time. The zombie was slow and awkward, easy to avoid. Her gaze fell upon a large rock on the ground and she picked it up. It was heavy in her hand, slightly too large to comfortably grip. This time when the zombie walked towards her, she pushed it on the ground and held it there. It flailed and uselessly snapped its jaws open and shut.

“I'm sorry.” Alexa meant it, even as she slammed the rock down on its head. On the first blow, the skull caved in. On the second, a chunk tore from it, and Alexa could see the gray matter within. On the third, the head split, and the body stopped moving.

Alexa felt sick. Tears began to form in her eyes as she dropped the rock. Feeling empty and ugly, she stood and wondered what sort of horrid world she'd found herself in.

Above the ruined corpse, a small ball of light appeared. She reached for it.

[Acquired: Ember]

It sat in her palm now. A single, flickering spark that both gave no heat and suffused her with warmth. As she stared at it, she understood. It was a spirit or part of one. A tiny wisp of life itself that had animated the body and now waited patiently for her command.

Alexa stretched out her arm and dropped it in the fire pit.

[Bonfire Claimed. Safe Zone activated.]

The fire roared to life. Heat and light sprang up as the cave seemed to shift, becoming larger. The floor smoothed as the cave took on a carved look. Alexa heard the trickling of water and found a small stream coming out of the rocks to fill a shallow basin, making a natural fountain.

The body remained though. In the fire's light, she could better see the inside of the skull. For Alexa to survive had required another human's life – their very spirit fueled this 'safe zone.'

This woman came before her. With nothing to kill, no spark to light the fire, she’d perished.

Alexa was only one person but others had been taken from Earth. Even now, some might be coming to the realization that they were in a world of true magic. One where parts of the human spirit could fuel powerful spells. And what else might this world hold? Alexa had been cured of an illness and then almost lost her mind simply from drinking from the wrong pool of water. If there were zombies, any other sort of monster might be lurking outside the cave right now.

Hopefully, the words were being truthful when they said she was in a safe zone.

Alexa wanted to sit and rest. The pain of the walk here, the wet and coldness, evaporated in the warmth of the bonfire. It too was likely magical – though thankfully she had no desire to toss herself into it as she had the pool.

Instead of resting, Alexa gently moved the body to a corner of the cave. She laid the corpse on its back and crossed its hands over its chest. She even tried her best to scoop up the skull bits that littered the floor. Using her hands, she cupped water from the fountain and used it to wipe the stone floor clean. Finally, she grabbed the loose stones outside the cave mouth and piled them around the body, doing her best to make a grave.

Alexa noted that now her skin had changed to blueish-gray. Any other day, this would have fascinated her, but tonight she didn't have the energy to care. Becoming an elf was something she could freak out about later.

After placing the last stone, Alexa returned to the cave entrance. The crack had widened about a foot. Outside the moon continued its vigil in the star-filled sky.

“I've never been religious, but tonight I felt something,” she said to the moon. “I looked at you and thought I felt you touch my spirit. Since then, I've learned that spirits exist and you can start fires with them.”

“If you're a god, please don't be an asshole. Human civilization is full of powerful assholes. If the divine exists, I'd like you to be better than we are.”

“Also, I hope whoever that zombie was is in a nicer place now. Heaven or the fields of Elysium or crossing Lethe on their way to reincarnation as a blue whale. I'm not picky about the details, but that could have been me.”

It still might be her, but she didn't say that aloud.

Unsurprisingly, Alexa got no reply. No shimmering goddess appeared to explain what was happening. She had expected as much.

Rubbing her eyes, she returned to the bonfire and curled up on the ground beside it, quickly falling fast asleep.