The paladin tightened the web of his hand around the sword's hilt while relaxing his three outer fingers. This allowed him to maintain a secure grip without sacrificing the flexibility needed to alter his technique at any moment. Golden flames burned along his blade.
The priest held his holy symbol against his palm, allowing the divine power flowing through the Weave to course throughout his body. He was prepared to invoke divine magic at a moment's notice.
Neither of them had relaxed their vigilant posture for even a moment since Mia appeared.
"Do not act rashly," Elminster whispered through their telepathic link. "Observe carefully first."
Andrei slowed his breathing and replied through the link, "Sir, is this the truth behind Skylrael? Is it secretly a nest of undead?"
He could not conceal his disappointment. Andrei had once entertained beautiful hopes about the flying enclave, imagining it as a transcendent paradise, an isolated utopia untouched by the world's troubles. Yet it had ultimately revealed what appeared to be its true nature, a lair filled with monsters and undead.
Even a grown man might weep if someone snatched away the candy from his childhood dreams.
Unexpectedly, Elminster did not draw a conclusion.
"The secrets of this place go far beyond what you see here," he said. "Far beyond it."
Neither the priest nor the paladin objected. Under normal circumstances, they should already have been attacking the undead rather than merely remaining on guard.
Andrei noticed his companions' suspicious silence. His thoughts raced, and he soon realized that he had overlooked several clues.
He had come here to protect his sister. He had assumed that the members of the Church of Tyr shared his goals, yet in retrospect, they had begun behaving strangely from the moment they arrived in Skylrael.
As for the old mage who appeared later, Andrei did not even know his name. He had simply trusted the man without question, most likely because some enchantment had influenced his mind.
The realization that someone had been manipulating him left Andrei feeling suffocated. He wanted to demand an explanation, but the situation remained unclear. He forced himself to remain patient, intending to wait until Livia had returned somewhere safe before deciding what to do.
He quietly shifted his position, moving behind Livia and placing himself between his sister and his companions.
Livia stared uncertainly at the mysterious woman calling herself Mia.
According to Tawna's account, there was no question that Mia had become undead. Yet the woman before them appeared completely alive.
Livia did not dare provoke her while she was in such a strange condition. According to some old folktales, certain undead creatures remained harmless as long as no one confronted them with the truth of their deaths. The moment they realized they were dead, however, they descended into madness.
She therefore spoke with great care.
"I haven't met Mr. Skyl yet. He recently left on a long journey."
Mia, however, was remarkably perceptive. She smiled softly and looked herself over, then rose lightly onto her toes and took a few graceful steps. Her movements were nimble, and her expression was lively, without the slightest trace of coldness or insanity.
Before anyone realized it, their impression of her had already improved, and they began to relax.
"You've already realized it, haven't you? I am indeed undead. My blood is concentrated negative energy, while my body is filled with the four classical elements. That is why I look no different from an ordinary living person."
Elminster smiled kindly and stepped forward.
"I see. What an astonishing discovery. The four elements are the materials from which the physical world is formed, and they constantly circulate through every living body. An undead body loses the ability to digest and replenish itself. It is like a sail riddled with holes, allowing the four elements to leak out until the sail remains forever limp and empty.
"But Mia, please allow an old man to address you so informally, how do you protect your mind from the corrosion of negative energy while keeping the four elements within your body in a state of abundance? I have encountered tens of thousands of undead creatures. Whether they were proud and emotionless liches or grief-bound spirits that refused to relinquish their love, all powerful emotions were eventually consumed by negative energy, leaving their hearts as cold and hard as iron."
"That is a rather long story..."
While they were talking, three more seafood heads emerged beside the lake.
The three powerful aquatic visitors had also sensed that something was amiss. After conducting a few experiments of their own, they had finally chosen to enter the demiplane.
"What is happening here?"
"I have no idea."
"This place reeks of undeath."
Mia did not criticize the intruders. On the contrary, she appeared delighted to receive so many visitors.
"This is wonderful. It's so lively today. I usually remain here alone, watching over the undead, and it can become terribly boring. I'll prepare seats and tea for everyone. Please wait a moment."
Everyone looked around.
The demiplane was connected to the Shadowfell. Black grass and white flowers covered the ground, while coffins lay scattered like exhausted corpses. It hardly seemed like the proper setting for relaxing with tea and enjoying the scenery.
Mia placed two fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle. Its echo sounded low and hoarse within the demiplane.
One after another, the undead fishfolk climbed out of their coffins.
The three recent arrivals were already wary of one another, and the sight immediately caused tensions to rise even further.
The fishfolk undead did not pick up spears or other weapons. Instead, they dragged several wooden chests out of the grass. Inside were napkins, tablecloths, cups, plates, paper-wrapped bricks of tea, a silver teapot, and a copper brazier.
Under the intruders' bewildered gazes, the undead arranged everything like obedient constructs preparing a formal tea gathering. Mia used an unusual spell to create high-backed chairs made of bone for her guests.
Each person received a small tea table. Gray-white charcoal burned inside the copper braziers, and once the water boiled, they could break off a piece of compressed tea and steep it themselves.
"I'm terribly sorry," Mia said apologetically. "I only have black tea here, and there are no pastries to serve with it. I normally have no need to eat. Whenever Mr. Skyl, Miss Doric, and Mr. Stan come to visit me, they bring their own snacks."
Livia pulled Andrei into a seat. Elminster sat down without the slightest hesitation and invited the priest and paladin of Tyr to join him.
The three oversized sea creatures also awkwardly squeezed themselves into the chairs.
To everyone's surprise, although the tablecloths and tea utensils had been handled by the undead, they carried no aura of corruption or evil. They were simply as dry as the desert.
The water used for the tea was also clear and pure. Due to the nature of the demiplane, the tea itself had turned a suspicious gray-white color, but its aroma was rich and its quality seemed quite good.
Even so, no one volunteered to drink it.
"Mr. Skyl said this place was too empty and monotonous, so I planted two tea bushes myself. I thought I could make tea for everyone whenever they came to visit. It must already be winter outside, right?"
Mia smiled casually, her eyes curving like crescent moons. She raised her head toward the lonely black sky of the demiplane and sighed softly.
"Dagger Beach always grows quiet when winter arrives. There's no farmwork to do, the roads become buried beneath heavy snow, and far fewer merchants and travelers pass through. My mother can no longer run her candy business, so she gathers with the neighborhood women to cut paper snowflakes for the windows and bake raisin pies for New Year's Eve.
"Snow falls outside in thick flakes, and my father walks past the house with a shovel over his shoulder. He joins the other men in clearing the roads. There was never anything to worry about back then. I would come home after spending the entire day playing with my friends, toss another log into the wood stove, crawl beneath the blankets, and fall asleep warm and comfortable."
The priest of Tyr spoke solemnly.
"Miss Mia, would you permit me to cast a spell upon you?"
"What kind of spell?"
"One that will determine whether your soul has fallen to evil."
"Please go ahead."
The priest raised his holy symbol. Tyr's emblem consisted of balanced scales resting atop an upright warhammer, representing the impartial order of justice and the strength required to uphold it.
The holy symbol emitted white light, which washed over everyone nearby.
A glow appeared around each person. Those of good alignment shone blue, while the evil radiated red.
Bomogani and the four-armed naga both glowed red.
Everyone else shone blue.
Bomogani glared viciously at the priest. He responded with a faint smile before turning toward Mia.
"It appears that your soul has not yet inclined toward evil. Even so, please remain cautious. Goodness often retreats one step at a time through the excuses we make for ourselves."
Mia did not appear surprised.
"Negative energy cannot influence me. Death is merely one part of the natural cycle. One day, I will transform the negative energy inside my body into positive energy. When that happens, I will return to life."
"That is impossible!" Even Elminster could not help shaking his head. "Negative energy cannot be transformed into positive energy. They represent opposing principles within the universe's fundamental duality. They are like two carriages traveling in opposite directions, neither will ever turn around."
"But sir, a good person can become evil, and an evil person can repent," Mia explained patiently. "Do their natures simply change without cause?
"Positive and negative energy both possess an eternal quality, so their fundamental properties are stable. They can be consumed, but they cannot ordinarily change. However, if the cycle of the four elements grants them a place within the flow of time, they gain the possibility of reaching an end and undergoing transformation."
Elminster froze.
He opened his mouth to respond, but the words became lodged in his throat. He considered the idea from every possible angle. Although it violated conventional magical theory, he eventually realized that it might genuinely be possible.
His confusion and astonishment resembled what Albert Einstein must once have felt when confronted with quantum theory.
"Did Mr. Skyl teach you this?"
"Yes."
"I would very much like to meet this man immediately."
The old mage's interest had been thoroughly aroused, and he could not stop his eyebrows from rising in excitement.
Livia Miko asked, "Miss Mia, I heard your story from Tawna at the Way Inn. She also told me that Mr. Skyl has been trying to resurrect you. Does this mean the resurrection failed?"
"It was my own choice." Mia smiled. "Remaining undead allows me to help Mr. Skyl, so he asked for my opinion before attempting to resurrect me. I can explain what happened, should you be interested."
"Please do," everyone immediately agreed. "We're eager to learn."
Listening to a story was ideal. Perhaps Mia would even reveal all the Silver Tree's secrets along the way.
"Very well, but I should explain that my own understanding is limited. At Dagger Beach, I was murdered by a succubus disguised as a duke. I spent some time afterward as a mindless undead creature, drifting through a haze. My consciousness did not emerge from the darkness until Mr. Skyl reforged my soul at the Stone Stage..."
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