“Y-yes.” stammered out Elwin with a smile that looked closer to a grimace.

“Then, let us introduce ourselves!” Their host, a green-skinned elf(?) exclaimed. “I am called P̵̞͝'̷̮̈ẗ̵̢i̵̗͠r̷̭͝ä̸̦.”

‘Static’ overcame their ears as she spoke her name. What had happened?

“P’tira?” Elwin offered, despite his confusion.

“That is close enough for a humble lifeform such as yourself,” P’tira said.

“Then, I am called Elwin, hailing from Ellenia, nearby to the southwest.”

“Ye-es. Wood-elves have long lived in those parts. And who are you, tortured one?” P’tira asked, turning to face Kari with pitch-black eyes.

“Kari,” Kari said simply. He wasn’t much of a talker, much less when in a situation like this. Too many times he had seen the wrong word lead to bloodshed.

Apart from her unsettling array of teeth, Blue thought that their host otherwise looked relatively normal at first glance. Her body was shaped somewhat like an elf’s, with pointy ears. But two glowing antennae grew out of her head, and several giant translucent wings sprung from her back. Her face bore fair features and flawless white skin, but a closer inspection revealed her skin to have shades of green beneath. Even further inspection revealed that it was no skin at all, rather, a thin layer of white mycelium beneath which green, fibrous “muscles” acted.

Indeed, even the purple flower that seemed to be decorating her hair was in fact growing out of it.

P’tira’s entire body was made from various plant and fungal matter.

And though Blue could not tell from her vantage point in Kari’s chest pocket, the elf had no doubt that the vines permeating the entire swamp were directly connected to P’tira’s body.

An Elder Fairy. Blue surmised.

The six wings that Blue could count confirmed her suspicions. Much like with the godbug, six wings indicated divinity, which also explained P’tira’s language being indecipherable when she spoke freely.

It was no surprise that an entire battalion of Angels had gone missing. The Elders were some of the most powerful beings on Apolaphia.

But what did this fairy want?

“Kari. Interesting. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had guests, Kari?” P’tira asked.

Kari hesitated, keenly aware of the corpses surrounding them.

“A few days?” he asked.

“Ḩ̸̿A̶̡͂H̷̕ͅĂ̴̘H̸͚͑A̸̜̾Ḫ̴͑A̴͂ͅH̶͙͐Ả̷͉Ḧ̴̻́A̶̝͌H̴̜̒A̴͓̍H̵̦̄Ȁ̶͕!” cried P’tira, suddenly breaking into laughter.

Elwin flinched at the sudden change in volume and the unexpected static mixed in with the Elder Fairy’s laughter.

“These were no guests, Kari. Not like you and your friend Elwin.” P’tira continued. “No. These meat-bags would rather attempt to subjugate and interrogate than share a nice meal and quality conversation… Bring out the food!” P’tira cried.

She lowered her voice.

“Do you boys eat meat?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

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Kari felt his stomach turn. What was she going to feed them?

P’tira continued. “I hope you do. As a plant-based being, there’s nothing more that I hate than a vegetarian.” P’tira said, breaking into laughter once again.

Laugh. Blue prayed. She’s making a joke.

The boys managed to catch on and eke out some uncomfortable laughs.

The puppeted corpses brought out piles of steaming food on silver platters. Some things were recognisable, such as a roast pig. Others looked dubious, like a particular spherical bulb covered in black spots. It appeared to be some variety of giant mushroom.

Something about the smell of the relatively ‘normal’ food made Elwin relax a little. Enough to be just a little curious.

He took a bite, it was delicious.

“And with the younglings sorted, we can finally get to the more sophisticated conversation. My fellow sister in ADAM, what might your name be?” P’tira asked Blue, effortlessly scooping her out of Kari’s pocket and placing her on a carved stone pedestal beside her.

“Forgive my weakness, Elder, but I have lost my memories. The name I use now, is ‘Blue’.” Said Blue. Though her words were humble, her delivery was confident.

“Blue… about as much as one can expect without the great logos of ADAM, but a fitting name, nonetheless. Unfortunately, sister, I cannot cater to your physical needs like I can for your companions. Is there anything I could offer you as your host?”

“…Actually, there is one thing. I am on a quest to meet our maker; I trust you know what this entails as one of his Primes. So, I will humbly ask: Do you know where the recently emerged Labyrinth Gate might be? We were told that it was in the vicinity of Wraith’s Ravine.”

“Hmm?” P’tira began, feigning surprise at this line of questioning. She paused slightly before giving her answer: “Suffice to say that your travels are not in vain, but I must ask that you share a meal with me first. Then, I shall guide you to my father’s Gate.”

For now, at least, it seemed that P’tira just wanted some company.

“So… how long has it been since you’ve had guests, P’tira?” Elwin asked.

“Guests? Like you polite boys… I can’t remember!” P’tira replied happily. Despite her tone, Elwin could not help but think that it was a little sad.

Ever since the first settlers built Myria Bridge across Wraith’s Ravine, there would be no reason to come up here. The elf realised, thinking to himself.

Kari himself was also thinking, but along a much more calculating line of reasoning. Much like Blue, he had come to the uncomfortable realisation that they were up against a force they were no match for. Therefore, he decided to follow along with P’tira’s desires for the sake of his own survival.

“P’tira, may I ask how long you have lived in this swamp? It must be lonely up here by yourself… have you ever been tempted to leave? Explore the world?” Kari asked, while cautiously nibbling on a piece of roast pork. He was consciously leaving every other dish untouched, while Elwin was a bit more experimental, though likely only due to fear of upsetting their host.

It was no matter though, as the vines seemed to be feeding the corpses the other foods in a morbid display both boys tried desperately to ignore. Meanwhile, P’tira herself had grabbed the head of a trout, on which she munched away in a bizarrely unfitting fashion, cradling it between both hands as she did so.

“When I was first brought into this world, I spent aeons travelling Apolaphia with my newfound family, and The Creator. Once enough time had passed after The Creator passed into the next life, it was time to bring about their vision on this world. I had already chosen this place to be my home, and so it has been ever since.” P’tira’s eyes glazed over. “In the past, many people would visit this place, though it has been a bit quieter ever since that earthquake opened up the fissure to the south… As for loneliness, I have yet to feel it, as I have been asleep for many a century.” P’tira blinked and was back to her usual self. “So, the answer is no, Kari, son of man. I do not feel lonely or tempted to leave… until my duty to ADAM and The Creator is fulfilled.” She said as she took a bite out of the trout’s head.

“I see,” Kari said, wearing a somewhat surprised expression at the depths of P’tira’s answer.

P’tira replied to his awe with a sardonic smile, showing her unsettling array of pointy teeth.

“You mentioned a family, would we know them?” Elwin asked.

“My sisters and I have never been particularly close. I do not know what has become of them in recent times. If I had to guess, my elder sister is still sitting up in the sky, spying on as she usually does.” P’tira said, grabbing a skewer of grilled meat from a nearby platter, which she proceeded to sweep into her mouth in one clean motion while Kari, Elwin and Blue watched wordlessly. Feeling a bit of an awkward silence, she quickly added: “But I suppose I could pay them a visit once my duty is fulfilled.”

Kari looked around as they continued their meal. The fog was settling down, letting the moonlight peer over the treeline. Kari noticed a large round shape on the edge of the clearing behind P’tira in the place of trees.