Bai Zixian stirred awake again.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on him.
He was still tied to the tree.
His vision cleared. Walls of woven branches. Ground of packed leaves. A ceiling arched with living wood—he was inside something, not a cave, but a chamber grown from enormous trees.
"Where… am I?"
Before anyone could answer—
Boom. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy vibrations shook the ground. The sound grew louder with each step. The tree he was tied to remained firmly rooted, but the tremors traveled through his entire body.
A massive silhouette slowly emerged from the forest. For a moment, Bai thought they were simply walking trees, but as the figure stepped closer, details clarified. They had eyes, a mouth, ears. Their bodies resembled human shapes, yet their entire structure was composed of plant matter, branches forming arms, smaller branches weaving into fingers, legs thick as tree trunks. And they were enormous, each easily towering over Bai several times over.
A living tree.
Bai stared, completely fascinated.
Then another silhouette appeared behind the first. This one was even larger. Different bark textures. Different shades of green. One had patches of moss growing along its body. The other did not.
"I'll pluck your eyes out if you keep staring."
The voice was hoarse, heavy, clearly feminine. Bai's attention jerked back to her.
"Myrren," another voice said calmly, "be nice."
"Pardon me," Bai said quickly. "It's my first time encountering your species. I couldn't help staring. I apologize if it caused any discomfort."
"Tch. Don't pretend to be polite," the hoarse one replied instantly. "We know your kind."
The calmer voice spoke again. "Don't take it personally. That's just how Myrren is. By the way, my name is Ilyth. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we'll have to keep you restrained until we're certain you're not a threat. Once we confirm you mean no harm, we can discuss releasing you. For now, however… we should at least attend to your immediate needs. If you have any."
Bai studied them carefully. The tension in his chest loosened. At least one of them was reasonable. That was enough. If their positions were reversed, he would have done the same. Trusting other divine beings was difficult enough. Trusting an entirely different species? Almost impossible.
"Water," Bai said. "I need water and food."
"Well, well," Myrren scoffed. "The miserable parasite starts making demands immediately."
Myrren. Hoarse voice. Hostile. Dark green bark without moss. The other must be Ilyth. Their size made direct eye contact difficult, even while sitting, he had to tilt his head upward to look at them, which probably looked like staring, which would likely annoy Myrren again. Better to focus on their voices instead.
Ilyth spoke. "Take this."
A thick branch extended toward him. It carried a tray crafted from intertwined wood. Several cups filled with liquid rested on it, along with strange fruits Bai didn't recognize.
"This should help restore some of your strength," Ilyth said.
"Tch," Myrren muttered.
Bai gulped down the drink in a single swallow. Sweet. Refreshing. Energy immediately returned to his body.
After a few seconds of rest, he spoke again. "Thank you. My name is Bai Zixian. I've been trapped in this Dead Realm for about a week. I'm trying to escape the mist, I assume that's your goal as well. So I was hoping we could cooperate. Of course, I'll earn my stay."
A sudden booming laugh echoed through the chamber. The sound produced a wave of air that rattled the leaves around them. Cold ran through Bai's body.
"Cut the theatrics," Myrren said. "No divine existence should even be in this Dead Realm. This is a research mission conducted by species that are members of the Council. Your species was specifically exempted."
Her voice hardened.
"So tell me. What are you doing here? What is your mission?"
Bai's mind raced. Council. Species. Research mission. Exemption. What was happening here?
But Myrren wasn't finished.
"Let me guess," she continued coldly. "You came to kill us. Take the results of our research back to your pathetic world. And use them against us in the war."
Bai glanced toward Ilyth. The more reasonable one. But she remained silent. Which meant she likely shared the same suspicion. Myrren was simply the one saying it out loud.
Truth or lie.
Truth exposed weakness. Lie risked later exposure if other survivors talked.
Either could get him killed.