"I'm sorry," Ilyth said calmly. "But we can't do that. I won't put my life and my colleague's life in your hands. You haven't earned that trust. And you probably won't."
Bai nodded.
It was reasonable. A few hours of conversation did not create trust between strangers in a Dead Realm.
"You don't want to be vulnerable," Bai said. "I understand."
He paused before continuing.
"The solution I'm proposing isn't perfect. But it places my life in your hands as well."
Both Sylvans looked at him.
"This will be a risk for me too," Bai said. "A way to prove I bear no ill will. That way the danger is equal. My life in your hands. Your lives in mine. If we're both taking the same risk, then neither side holds all the power."
Myrren folded her arms.
"So what's the solution?"
Bai scratched the back of his head.
"Well… whenever I use my ability… I enter something like a head space."
Myrren immediately interrupted.
"Head space? Never heard that term before."
Bai shrugged.
"It's the best way I can describe it. When I read someone's memories, my consciousness enters a large space where those memories appear. So I call it a head space. Head for memory. Space for… well… the space."
"Continue," Ilyth said.
"It's like viewing memories from a third-person perspective," Bai explained. "My consciousness leaves my body. For a short time, I lose control of it."
Ilyth narrowed her eyes.
"So you temporarily lose possession of your body while reading memories?"
Bai nodded.
"Yes. But that's where the solution comes in."
He looked at them seriously.
"You can restrain me. Bind me however you want. Until I reveal the creature's weakness."
Myrren looked at Ilyth.
"We can work with that."
Ilyth slowly nodded.
"That arrangement is acceptable."
---
Bai kept his expression neutral.
In truth, the third-person perspective only happened when he viewed his own memories. But they didn't need to know that. And he had no intention of betraying them anyway.
So the lie didn't matter.
---
"So what's the plan?" Bai asked. "Do we leave tomorrow morning?"
He glanced through the chamber openings.
Night was approaching. The canyon outside was already darkening.
"Tomorrow?" Myrren said. "We leave now."
Bai blinked.
"Now? It's getting dark! That makes everything more dangerous!"
"No kidding," Myrren said flatly. "Which is exactly why we're going tonight."
"No," Bai said firmly.
He turned toward Ilyth.
"Please talk some sense into her."
Ilyth shook her head.
"She's right. We go tonight. We read the creature's memories. If possible, we defeat it immediately. If not, we attempt it again tomorrow. There isn't enough time to wait."
Bai frowned.
"See, that's the problem."
He had another reason for resisting. Night in the canyon meant complete darkness. He would be blind—entirely dependent on whatever plant-based awareness the Sylvans possessed. Roots. Vibration. Something. He would have no control, no visibility, no fallback. He didn't like that at all.
"There's a creature in this mist that hunts at night," Bai said. "I encountered it during my first night here. It uses intent."
"That was the leader," Myrren replied. "It's dead."
Her tone sharpened.
"So stop stalling. Move."
Bai sighed and said nothing.
---
Soon the three of them left the chamber.
The structure dissolved as the surrounding trees merged back into Ilyth's body. Both Sylvans returned to their original forms. The ground shuddered beneath Bai's feet as roots tore free from soil. He gripped bark instinctively, suddenly very aware of how far the drop would be if he fell. Above him, the two trunks rose until their crowns vanished into mist. Massive. Towering.
"Alright," Myrren's booming voice echoed. "What's the plan?"
"There is no complicated plan," Ilyth replied. "Myrren attacks and distracts it. I attach Bai to the creature and bind them together."
Bai pressed himself flat against Ilyth's bark as she began moving. The wind of their passage tugged at his clothes. Below, the ground churned, roots and stone churned to mud by the weight of giants.
"I read its memories," he said, steadying himself.
"Correct," Ilyth said. "You read as much as you can before the binding breaks. I will protect you. The moment you discover its weakness, you speak immediately. Myrren and I will decide whether to finish the fight… or retreat."
Bai nodded.
The plan was simple. Dangerous. But logical.
"Quick question," Bai said. "How long will the binding hold?"
Ilyth answered while moving through the mist.
"Ten seconds minimum. Twenty-five seconds maximum. Make them count."
The Sylvans moved quickly through the canyon. Massive trunks crashed through mist and vegetation. Smaller contaminated creatures scattered in panic as the two living giants advanced. Bai barely saw them, he was too focused on holding on.
Finally they stopped.
"It lives beyond this point," Ilyth said. "Right past that area is the canyon exit."
Myrren raised a massive branch. Then slammed it into the ground.
BOOM.
The earth shook violently.
Silence followed.
Then—
A roar echoed through the canyon.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Something emerged from a cave ahead.
A towering tiger. Half the height of the Sylvans in its natural stance. Four glowing eyes. One missing. Clearly a previous injury.
The tiger slowly rose onto its hind legs.
Bai's breath caught. That wasn't supposed to happen. Beasts didn't do that. But the creature kept rising—shoulders broadening, spine lengthening, muscles reshaping under fur like liquid shadow. By the time it stood upright, it was nearly as tall as the Sylvans.
And Bai was the only one small enough to die in a single careless step.
The creature roared.
Three giants faced each other in the mist.
This was no longer a hunt.
It was a battle of giants.