The dragolins had since left their company with the advent of night, so only the unlikely duo meandered their way through the forest in search of food. Under Akari's guidance, Essairyn distinguished the edible plants and stored them all in her magic cache, a portable, personal inventory that those with sufficient magical ability could access. She had read about pocket spaces and virtual inventories in plenty of stories and video games, but never did she imagine that one day she would experience it personally herself. She knew that this world was magical, but it didn't lessen the surprise and thrill upon discovering these magical phenomenas.

"It's just how adventurers get by. Do you think we'd hike around with luggage and expect to fight properly in a battle? Or have ourselves get robbed in our sleep?"

The girl beamed. Akari had made a good point. Essairyn never thought about it from a logical standpoint in a magical world. The magic cache would definitely make her plan to travel the lands more convenient and enjoyable.

The fox chuckled at Essairyn's visible joy. In her past lives, Akari hadn't interacted with travelers all that much. In her first life, travelers hadn't existed. By the time she reincarnated into her second, she got caught up in the demon's inheritance conflict and never got to explore the new human parts of Sol'h'meyr. Thus, it was rather droll meeting someone who was so unfamiliar with the world.

"That makes me wonder," Essairyn thoughtfully began, "Does the magic cache also preserve food items?"

Akari nodded. "It does actually; it keeps food both cold and warm. Since humans usually don't have strong magical abilities, very rarely are they able to generate and use magic caches."

Essairyn's mouth opened slightly. This magic cache system really made her too giddy. The limitations of decomposition really was missing from this world. "But then what about lifespans in this world? Does magic preserve life longer?"

The fox thought for a moment. "Elementals, spirits, and demons do have long lifespans. Usually they die to external reasons rather than of old age, just like humans. Eventually, the magic which binds their soul and body together wear out. Or rather, it's their soul which wears out by being constantly attached to a body which magic fluctuates through." Akari paused for a moment. She wasn't sure how to explain life and death in a way that would be understood by Essairyn.

"Oh!" Her face brightened up as she thought of an analogy. "Imagine a stone surrounded by water in a river. The soul is the stone; magic is water, and the river is the world. Water constantly surrounds the stone, but the same water doesn't stay around it. Bodies are made of water, of magic. They are constantly refreshed with new water. Magical fluctuations are currents which moves the body, the water, and thus it moves the stone, the soul. But over time, water wears down the stone. Eventually, before the stone disappears completely, it must be removed from the river, from the world. It dies because it's no longer in the world."

Essairyn was speechless. The analogy was a strange one, but somehow very fitting. So the stone, the soul, dies because it's not in the river? So out of the river, where does the stone go? Does the new place allow it live because nothing can buffet it like currents in a river? The girl felt this was all very philosophical. She wondered if Akari being a god made her knowledgeable about life and death. "So stronger, denser rocks live longer, and weaker ones which water flows through more easily 'die' quicker?"

"Exactly! Does that explain how magic works in this world better?"

The girl slowly inclined her head in a partial nod. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a wry smile traced her lips. Yes, but it still feels mystifying. And it doesn't exactly explain how rocks can kill each other. They smack into one another, so the weaker one shatters? Looks like humans will never truly grasp life, death, and the afterlife.

Her eyes flickered away from the fox and landed on a group of grazing animals several meters away. They had been foraging this whole time, but Essairyn knew that she'd have to kill to eat too. She wasn't a vegetarian, and there wasn't a supermarket nearby. Although she disliked the thought of hunting for survival, she would have to accept and get used to it sooner or later. At least, until she found civilization. So she stood up and began forming a new weapon with magic.

"Hey Akari. What's the best tasting animal out here?" She tipped her head in the direction of the grazing animals. They were stocky and round, very much like a pig in shape and size. However, they were furry with round, large ears, and stumpy tails. They were cocoa powder brown with green dappled backs. Essairyn supposed the coloring was for camouflage.

Getting the hint, Akari replied, "Those are gapisvara, grass eaters. Huh, I guess these oversized hamsters managed to survive all these years."

"Pft—" Essairyn had to restrain herself from laughing at Akari's hamster remark and scaring away the gapisvara. "Will their bodies stay after I kill them though? The two demons from before didn't leave a body."

 Akari raised an eyebrow tuft. "Of course they will. These are just normal animals, not like rampaging beast demons or third classes which disappear upon death."

"Is that why the demon bear and guy disappeared?"

"Rampaging beast demons of lower tiers will dissipate upon being killed—it's the price paid for boosting their power by being in their pure demon form. Demons and spirits in the third tier, however, can reincarnate, so their bodies break down into pure magic in order to be reborn later. Lower tiers, or classes, don't have souls strong enough to manipulate their bodies like that. Reincarnation is the distinguishing point between low and mid tiers."

Essairyn shivered. Somehow, reincarnation sounded quite malicious by that explanation. "Then only spirits and demons can reincarnate? Not even elementals?" The demon guy from earlier seemed to be rather afraid of elemental magic. By the same reasoning, souls of elementals must also be strong enough to manipulate the magic composing their bodies.

"Perhaps because elemental magic formed this world, they are unable to retain the magic in their bodies for reincarnation. However, they do live much longer lives than humans and lower class demons and spirits. Simply put, we aren't bound to the world's laws as tightly as other species. Perhaps it's because were birthed from humans so—"

"You can circumvent what restrains life and death in this world." Essairyn finished Akari's sentence from her own deductions.

"Yup, that." Akari wagged her paw. "Third classes are pretty unique, so if you see a large group of animals that look the same, then they're mostly likely lower classes."

"Hmm, makes sense. Easier to identify for the future." Essairyn gave a sharp nod as she narrowed her eyes and aimed for a medium sized gapisvara with her newly formed bow and arrow. Head? Neck? Stomach? She wasn't sure what part of the body to hit in order to kill the animal the quickest.

After being dragged to a Renaissance fair once by her friends, she had discovered archery to be quite enjoyable. But, she had only ever hit inanimate targets. The closest thing to shooting an animal was in video games. Taking a deep breath to calm herself for killing an innocent, defenseless animal, she drilled in her mind that it was just for survival. It's ok. She was doing nothing wrong.

The arrow burst forth and struck the gapisvara soundly in the neck. Essairyn and Akari raced over directly after the arrow hit. The other animals scattered upon hearing the strangled cry of their critically injured member. The struck gapisvara tried to follow its group, but it soon collapsed with harrowed, shallow breaths. The girl's stomach convulsed nauseously at the sight of the gapisvara's bloodied neck and bulging, white eyes. The creature quavered and frantically clawed the air, trying to get up.

Quickly putting the animal out of its misery, Essairyn sliced its neck with an arc of magic. She could've tried hunting the animal by flinging arcs of magic, but she hadn't thought of it earlier. A tool just naturally came to her mind instead of magic; even though, it was in fact made of magic. Her mind hadn't yet intuitively turned to magic as something which could be utilized in diverse situations. She had only initially triggered magic as a subconscious, self-defense mechanism due to her near death encounter with the demon bear. It would take time adjusting away from the familiarity and comfort of a physical object.

Sighing, Essairyn withdrew her bow and then gingerly picked up the beheaded gapisvara. Seeing the silent girl, Akari blinked her eyes. Is she not used to killing? She didn't seem this bothered when she killed the demons... The fox couldn't help finding the girl's behavior strange as Essairyn placed the gapisvara into her magic cache and began digging a hole to bury the head.

"Umm, if you're not going to eat the head, how about leaving it for me? Or at least leave it for other animals to eat?" Akari flatly suggested.

The girl paused placing the head into the hole. She seemed deep in thought. A second later, she fervently shook her head. "No, I'd rather just bury this for now..." This act probably looked pretty silly to Akari. Eventually, maybe she would get used to killing to eat. But Essairyn didn't need to force it. She would reach civilization soon enough, so if she could, she would resist getting used to killing for food. Burying the head didn't absolve her act, but it still made her feel better.

The fox didn't reply. She merely watched Essairyn finish the burial.By now, the sounds of the day had gently subsided into the stirrings of the night, and fairylike wraiths materialized in the cascading twilight. Startled by their sudden appearance, Essairyn goggled at the ethereal creatures.They dusted the forest floor with fallings wisps while flitting around like fireflies. Their speckled glow faintly illuminated the understory. Intrigued, she outstretched a hand, and they daintily danced upon her hand in mirth. Their giggles whispered throughout the air, and their smiles radiated in the coming night.

"Ts' rien," they murmured, causing Essairyn to knit her eyebrows in confusion at the foreign language.

"What're they saying?" she asked Akari who was now attentively looking at the creatures.

The fox turned her gaze away and seemed to shrug before beginning to walk again. "Who knows," she replied disinterestedly while knowing exactly what the night fairies had said. It's rain? What the heck does that mean? It didn't rain today. Maybe tomorrow's forecast? Weirdo fairies spouting gibberish as usual.

Akari huffed to herself and watched as dusk finally descended. More creatures of the night arose from their slumber, and soon the forest was a hushed frenzy of activity. Once again, Essairyn was astounded by the beauty of these otherworldly spirits and demons. This world... is truly beautiful.

While gazing at the mysterious splendor of the night, Essairyn noticed some light-footed animals streaking through the brush. They were traveling so swiftly that they could only be discerned by a soft phantom glow that smudged the air behind them. She wondered how and why they were moving so fast. She squinted her eyes in concentration, trying to pick out their features as they passed.

To her surprise, her vision sharpened automatically, and she could distinguish their forms and colors. With their slender bodies and spindly limbs, they looked similar to greyhounds; except, their coats were a mystical silvern that luminesced the air around; their backs were dappled and streaked in platinum, and their paws were dipped in sateen sable. Their ears, as well, were peculiar and looked more akin to rabbits. And their tails too were remarkably long and splayed out at the end like a feathered fin. But the strangest features had to be the two elongated appendages that arose next to the backs of each ear and billowed behind them as they ran.

Just as her thoughts wrapped itself around that last feature, the animals suddenly stopped their frenzied dash and turned their eyes toward Essairyn. A flash of anxiety surfaced in her middle as she returned their glassy gazes. They slowly patrolled around her a few meters away, and she looked to Akari for explanation. The fox merely watched them with indifference as she stood at an angle two feet away from the girl.

After several bewildering seconds, one of the larger animals stepped forward in front of Essairyn, and Akari's ears twitched in mild interest. No longer running, the animal's two strange appendages looped around its ears and floated airily at the sides of the face. It appeared that this one was the leader of the pack. And as it studied the girl, its inquisitive eyes seemed to whisper arcane words of reassurance and salutation. Somehow, Essairyn knew that these animals weren't a threat. This moment of inexplicable understanding between the girl and the pack leader was then abruptly ended by the crashing of scattered thicket in the direction that the animals had been running toward.

In the near distance, a gigantic, ghastly beast had manifested itself from the gloom. Essairyn watched with amazed horror as the grim, humanoid giant languidly slogged through the canopy. Its arms and legs were gangly; its blackened bones were visible underneath its stretched sooty skin, and its head hung under the apparent weight of its two horns. Rising loftily above its skeletal figure, the horns curved toward one another in an ellipse, creating what Essairyn envisioned to be an almost full moon. As it moved, strands of earthen masses swung from its center.

"A nightstalker," Akari murmured with diligent eyes as the the phantom greyhounds began running again.

Essairyn repeated the creature's name under her breath. This monster was like one straight out of a nightmare, and yet the greyhounds were racing straight toward it. Why are they running so desperately toward that monster? The nightstalker looked like it came straight out of a fantasy horror movie. But there was an odd, mysterious magnificence to the monster. It seemed weathered by the ages, languid to life. She looked over at Akari who, sensing her gaze, immediately jumped up on the magic circle Essairyn had generated. She climbed up the girl's outstretched arm, and together they rushed through the forest along with the phantom pack.

With the greyhounds running below, Essairyn nodded in their direction and asked Akari, "What are they?"

Akari's eyes glimmered as she glanced at the animals before returning to the nightstalker. "Solh'vunds. Spirit hounds. One of the guardian animals of the forest," she answered.

"Guardian.. animals?" Essairyn.

"Yes," confirmed Akari. "They're similar to other spirit animals of second and lower classes; except, they're much stronger and adhere directly to the spirit gods. They're third tier spirits, considered to be servants or agents of the fourth tier of small gods called latymls, and the top tier, the fifth, are the reigning spirit gods. Beast demons, like the bear from earlier, make up the third and fourth tier. We— Demons don't follow any superior gods or have a power structure or organization like the spirits. Fifth tier demons are usually solitary and do whatever."

Essairyn absorbed the information like a sponge while noting Akari's trip in words. Although she didn't sense that the fox was lying, she would still have to fact-check everything later. "So what about you? What tier are you, Akari?"

The fox was momentarily caught off guard by the girl calling her name for the first name. For some reason, a blossom of warmth tinged in her heart hearing her name. "At my peak, I was fifth tier." Akari puffed out her chest in haughtiness before it fell with the next sentence. "But I guess most would consider me a latyml since I started out as second tier."

Essairyn hummed in acknowledgement. So Akari is actually pretty strong, huh? I guess reincarnation really hurts for gods. But, it also seems like they use their multiple lives to get stronger too.

"So are nightstalkers beast demons?"

Akari narrowed her eyes slightly before answering, "Technically.. But they seemed to have evolved differently. I've never actually seen them rampage like typical beast demons do when morphing into their pure demon form—" Noticing Essairyn's inquiring look, Akari added, "—that's what the bear and guy did earlier, only demons can do that. Rampaging is pretty risky for third classes because they will always lose some control and then die.

"Anyway, a nightstalker's collection of souls apparently prevents it from transforming. But seeing as no one actually knows what their regular or morphed forms are, it makes more sense to me that they're instead maintaining their rampaging forms through eating souls."

"What?!" Essairyn nearly yelped and fell off the magic circle as they had quickly arrived at their destination, and the nightstalker was only a few meters away.

Upon their arrival, the nightstalker turned slightly towards the duo, and Essairyn came face-to-face with the beast as it gazed at her with dark, starlit eyes. Suddenly, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of urgency to retreat that clashed with the mystic wonder she felt staring into those eyes. The feeling lasted but a moment as the beast turned downwards at the earthen mound where the solh'vunds had gathered around.

It was a solh'vund den. In the curve of the den's mouth, a mother and her pups laid on the smooth, dirt floor. Sprawled out on her side, she looked frail with her eyes closed and her pups milling weakly about her belly. The solh'vund that had approached Essairyn earlier stepped out from the pack onto the mound and was accompanied by another. The two sat stoically next to the mother's head, and she parted her weary, emerald eyes. She lifted them towards the sitting leader and the other solh'vund, and they exchanged silent farewells before her eyes listlessly closed again.

As if it was a cue, the nightstalker bent its head down to the mother and blinked with eyes that mirrored the night sky. Stardust filled their depths, and its mouth gaped open to reveal a maelstrom of starlit darkness. As if magnetic, specks of light arose from the mother's body and spiraled inside the gaping mouth. The warm, silvern starlight, the fragments of her body, eddied into the depths of the demon and disappeared among the twinkling stars. Closing its mouth, the nightstalker squinted its eyes at the pups and then inhaled and blew a stream of soft myrtle light upon them. As the light hit the pups, they squirmed and began mewling. After the nightstalker closed its mouth and the last rays reached them, they wriggled their faces in an attempt to open their eyes.

Transfixed by the entire scene, Essairyn hardly realized it was over until the solh'vund beside the pack leader broke vigil and padded over to the pups. Their eyes were now open, and they took in the curious sight of their pack surrounding them as well as a monstrous demon, a human, and a spirit fox. Uneasy at the sight of their onlookers, the pups nuzzled into the lowered face of the larger solh'vund for protection. After a few seconds of consoling, the pups relaxed.

The leader got up and looked at the nightstalker and gave a nod. Upon that gesture, the beast demon rose to its full height, giving Essairyn a sidelong glance before it melted into the woods. Right after, the crowd of solh'vunds departed, and a few remained to comfort the pups. Leaving the mound, the pack leader approached Essairyn and Akari who were still on the floating circle.

Directing the words at Essairyn, the leader stated more than asked, "What brings you to the Spirit and Demon Forest, human?" A low growl resounded in his throat as he added, "We don't usually allow humans into this forest. You are lucky that the faes have accepted your presence."

Startled by the threatening switch in his tone, Essairyn faltered before replying, "I actually just arrived here. I'm a traveller from Earth. My name's Essairyn. And this is Akari, a spirit I met and am traveling with." She gestured at the fox who was perched on her shoulder.

The leader held a steadfast gaze as he introduced himself. "Errol. Leader of the solh'vunds of the Spirit-Demon Forest." He tipped his head at the den before adding, "She was one of the best hunters. Her mate and her sisters are with her litter that the night guardian has healed."

"Night guardian? You mean the nightstalker?" Essairyn queried.

"Yes, we call them night guardians. They can be fearsome creatures, but they protect the Spirit-Demon Forest as we do. They are unlike other nightstalkers.." He paused before continuing, "They take souls, but only to keep the balance and health of the forest. Strengthening weak bodies is a special ability of theirs. In this case, the strength of her soul was used to fortify her litter's weak bodies. She had insisted on carrying them even though she knew she'd be at risk since her first miscarriage..."

Errol's face was still stoic, but Essairyn noticed a small gloom lingering in his eyes. As she pondered this for a moment, he spoke up again. "Although I do not care for humans, I welcome you to this forest and world. However, heed your companion. In her past life she has destroyed many homes, spirits and demons alike. Even to this day her deeds ring throughout our history."

Akari's eyes glinted at his remark, and Essairyn looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "I would leave it your kind to remember such events from long ago.." Akari voiced with a trace of disdain. These guardian animals were always the lackeys of the spirit gods which had pursued her with their code of right and wrong. Victors were the ones that wrote history.

"Of course, the solh'vunds were one of the first spirits to have existed," Errol coolly replied.

"Then do you plan to inform the spirits and demons of my return?" Akari raised her eyebrow tuft.

"It's not in my interests to partake in gossip. Besides, it seems the demons already know. And you're hardly a threat in that state."

Akari looked as if she was going to shoot back at Errol's snide remark, but she couldn't find the right words to disprove him and instead just turned away and gave a grudging humph. Just you wait when my powers return... You won't be speak so boldly then, solh'vund Errol.

Essairyn smirked at the outwardly cute reaction and addressed Errol. "Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll take my chances on her." Whatever Akari's history was, and despite her own suspicions, Essairyn honestly felt that Akari would make a good traveling companion. They mutually benefitted one another, and the fox had answered her questions very well. The girl's intuition also told her that there was more to the story. Something tragic had laid in the depths of the fox's eyes when they were talking in the treehouse earlier.

Akari jerked her head at Essairyn and met the girl's mirthful eyes before turning away with a slightly embarrassed scowl. Fool. Don't be so trusting. You just got here.

The unordinary duo's exchange prompted a shade of a smile on the solh'vund's face. "I must join my brethren in the hunt," Errol imparted as he turned to leave, "Make sure to find a safe place to spend the night. Demons lurk in the dark.." And with those words, he disappeared into the gloom.

"Tch," Akari clicked her tongue. "What an uptight guy."

Essairyn laughed at the fox before saying, "Let's go back to the treehouse. It probably is best that we don't linger out here too long."

Akari sighed her agreement, and they flew below the canopy back to the ancient tree. But before they travelled very far, a murky figure manifested itself from behind the trees. Essairyn knew exactly what it was, and slight trepidation rose in her throat. She watched the figure become clearer as they moved closer. It was the nightstalker.

When they reached several meters away, the demon turned its upper body towards them. As it focused its gaze on the two, its sunken eyes blinked with small stars that seemed to shine from far away. Its mouth gaped open a little, and upon the sight of Essairyn, it tipped its head slightly to the side. While unquestionably horrifying, the nightstalker had a somewhat dumb way about it that made it oddly endearing to the girl. With that impression, Essairyn halted three meters in front of the beast.

Realizing Essairyn was about to try conversing with the beast demon, Akari squawked under her breath, "Are you nuts?!"

"We're about to see," the girl murmured in response, garnering a look of utter disbelief on the fox's face.

"So.." Essairyn shakily began, "you're a nightstalker." The nightstalker just stared at her vacuously, and she scratched her head. "Umm, I heard about what you did back there. Thanks for doing that; although, I'm not really in a position to thank you since I'm not really close with the solh'vunds or anything but.. Uh.. yeah, thank you. That was kind of you," Essairyn finished with a small smile. Internally, the girl was smacking herself for acting so awkwardly and saying thanks to the beast as if she were looking for a conversation starter with a human person instead.

The nightstalker tipped its head to the other side, still staring. Then it suddenly smiled. Its face wrinkled in a decrepit way with eyes still unblinking. Okay, Essairyn thought, that's kinda creepy. The nightstalker reached out a slow hand to the girl, and she looked at it perplexedly. The hand looked as if it was made of thick roots encased in hardened soil and covered in a thin veneer of transparent ash. She glanced up at the nightstalker who was still smiling.

"Uhh... You want me to step on your hand?"

The nightstalker nodded, but the weight of its moon-shaped horns made its head bobble more than nod. While Essairyn was hesitant to trust the demon so easily, she recalled how it had wordlessly healed the defenseless solh'vunds pups. She also remembered the pack leader's words on how it helped balance and maintain the forest. So with a leap of faith, she stepped onto the nightstalker's palm and released her magic circle. Meanwhile, Akari clung to her with a wary face.

As soon as both of her feet landed, the nightstalker slowly bent its elbow and began plodding through the forest with her positioned in the front. She blinked, wondering where the nightstalker was taking her and why. After a few paces, the nightstalker picked up some speed. With its tremendous height and long strides, the forest flew by in spurts. As she rode, she noticed red pupils flickering in the undergrowth below. The sight of them made her quiver, and she looked up at the nightstalker. It was facing forward with a dutiful expression that made Essairyn feel somehow relieved. A minute later, they arrived at the outskirts of the ancient tree.

"You knew where I was going?" Essairyn exclaimed.

The nightstalker gave a knowing look and proceeded to trudge towards the base of the colossal tree. Once they reached the roots, the nightstalker lifted the hand Essairyn and Akari were on to the highest point it could reach.

Baffled by the turn of events, Essairyn blinked at the nightstalker who had an benevolent expression on its face, or as benevolent as a five-story skeletal monster could make. It had carried them safely to the tree in such a short time despite the distance. She gave it a small grateful nod and stepped off the large hand onto a bough. Seeing her land there, the nightstalker backed up and waved before plodding off again into the night.

Essairyn blinked again. "Did it just escort me here?" She asked, dumfounded. If her suspicions were right, demons really did lurk in the dark as Errol had cautioned. But it was the nightstalker who had safely carried them to the treehouse. A demon, rather than a spirit, had helped her. At the remembrance of the red eyes in the undergrowth, she shuddered. No way, do other demons know about how I killed the bear and man? But then why did the nightstalker... It really was baffling. Akari was right. Demons weren't necessarily all bad, or spirits all good.

Akari yawned. "Beats me. I'm tired," she declared, slouching on the girl's shoulder. "And hungry."

"Hah, you're always hungry," Essairyn commented.

"I'm still growing," Akari retorted lazily.

Essairyn grinned at the cute fox and then leapt powerfully up onto the next branch.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Why're you jumping when you could fly?" The fox shrieked tensely as the girl leapt upwards.

She laughed merrily as the grumbling fox clung onto her shoulder. "Exercise before bed is apparently good. It'll also increase our appetite. And I'm so ready to roast this piggy."

"You mean the gapisvara?"

Essairyn alighted on the porch. "Yup. Can you teach me how to cook this thing though?"

Akari rolled her eyes in mirth. "And here you sounded as if you knew how to cook it."

"Ahaha, well I don't really want to start a fire in a wooden house. There's probably some safer way with magic right?"

"Yeah, yeah." The fox casually waved the girl off with a paw. "I can show you, but you probably would have figured it out yourself anyway, Miss anomaly."

Essairyn gave a mock sheepish smile. "I guess you don't want to eat any then.." She turned her back and casually took out the gapisvara and other food.

The fox was aghast. "How could you—! Fine fine! This master cook will show you how it's done!"