Wallis unceremoniously slammed onto the ground face-first with a yelp, feeling strangely incorporeal for a short moment. The ground tasted like grass and dirt, flavors she sensibly hadn’t tasted often before now.

  If Wallis had wanted to stand up immediately, she certainly could have. However, her desire to maintain some decency was stronger than the urge to scramble to her feet like a spider, so she instead perked herself up onto her elbows.

  The familiar black particles swirled into the air, appearing out of nothingness once again, as something inside her right arm shifted. Wallis turned to the side and stared at the hulking mass that now loomed beside her in all its horrifying glory.

  Extending a tentacle, Rono wrapped it around her waist and lifted her effortlessly to her feet.“Come. We’ll be walking for a while,” he said, but Wallis’ back suddenly arched. One hand flew to her stomach, the other clamped over her mouth as she gagged.

  The Companion stood silently.

  Gag.

  "You need to get a hold of yourself," Rono said, his euphonious voice devoid of conern.

  After a short, miserable moment, Wallis repeatedly patted her chest, her breath catching. She straightened, thankfully not vomiting. "Oh. That was sudden," she murmured weakly.

  "Happens at first. You’d get used to it," Rono said. As he spoke, Wallis' gaze swept over her surroundings, taking in the scene before her.

  All around her stood towering trees, forming a dense, sprawling canopy overhead. Among them were black-barked trees with their equally black leaves, absorbing much of the light. Scattered throughout were also the contrasting forms of brown-barked trees, vibrant with green leaves, adding streaks of color to the otherwise somber palette. The ground beneath her feet was rich, damp black soil, soft and yielding. A thick, pervasive gray mist clung low to the ground and threaded through the upper reaches of the vegetation, lending the air a chilling, damp quality and obscuring clear sightlines into the distance. Overhead, the sky possessed an unnerving, cold, shiny appearance, like polished metal reflecting a distant, muted light source, casting an ethereal glow over the entire landscape.

  "You said a garden, not a forest," Wallis accused, glaring at her Companion.

  Rono was already moving, gliding forward without visible effort, and Wallis hurried to follow. Rono wasn't using any muscles or limbs, yet he seemed to flow into the landscape at a considerable speed, as if sitting on a moving cloud.

  "It sure is," Rono replied shamelessly, a hint of characteristically dry wit in his flat tone.

  Technically, he was sitting on a moving cloud. A very thin swirl of black mist, identical to the particles that heralded his appearance or dematerialization, coalesced beneath him, propelling him forward.

  Wallis decided to ignore his very annoying behavior and hugged herself, shivering from the cold. "How did we get here?" she finally asked, a genuine hint of concern present in her voice.

  "Through entanglement," Rono said, without breaking stride.

  “What?”

  “Just think of it as teleportation.”

  “Do you have superpowers or something?”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “No, I can just reassemble at my entangled particles.”

  “What?”

  "Truly, just think of it as teleportation," Rono said.

  Wallis looked her Companion up and down as if he were speaking utter gibberish, stepping a few paces to the side as they continued. They walked deeper into the tree region, with occasional patches of sunlight filtering through the canopy, surprising Wallis that the golden rays didn't sting her skin.

  Then it dawned on her: ‘If he's like this, what about the people we're going to meet?’

  Wallis scratched her neck, a nervous habit. "Who are we meeting?"

  "You'll know soon enough," Rono replied.

  She looked up at the sky, her eyes shutting momentarily in frustration, trying her best to ignore his ceaseless mysteries.

  They continued to walk, Rono still gliding like a cloud while Wallis moved like a human, albeit with a weird, new smoothness. She extended an arm into the gray air. It was a sensation she had noticed since entering the forest—a gentle, waterlike pressure around her skin. She couldn’t quite name it, only that it felt pleasant. Then another thought came to mind. “Are there cameras in the apartment?"

  "Inside, there aren't, but outside, there are in some hidden areas. Why?" Rono questioned.

  "Because earlier, you said we were being watched."

  "Indeed," he confirmed. Then, after a short moment, he spoke again, his tone unnerving. "They aren't only watching you to see if you're dangerous, Wallis. They want to see if they could use you as a weapon."

  "As a weapon?" Wallis frowned.

  "Yes. That's why I needed you to come today, and not tomorrow, because from tomorrow on, they will do anything to have you as fast as possible."

  "But I can’t do anything, so why would they want me?" She looked at Rono for an answer, hoping for one of his usual straightforward explanations.

  “You can’t do anything yet,” he said.

  Passing another massive tree, Rono coalesced, his gigantic form shifting to fit through the narrow passage. "You are not restricted like humans," he continued. "The human body has always been an unnoticed burden. Whether for attractions or capabilities, it has always been a burden." He navigated through the thick vegetation, sunlight streaking through the canopy and glistening around them. "But here you are, your directions are not limited as theirs, free to do and change. They want use. And your future potential is anything but limited."

  The host considered his words. Sure, her body had mixed with Nevas more than normal, her mind was faster than usual, but it all felt foreboding. It made her feel alone and unreal, a curse more than a gift. Yet, here he was praising it.

  “Do they want to use me as a soldier or something? Or is it because of... the war?” she asked, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes.

  "Correct," Rono affirmed. “Although war is not certain yet, humans sure do like to have an upper hand.”

  “Won’t the Org do anything?” Wallis asked.

  “There are more embezzlements than you’d think. Peace won’t last for long,” Rono replied.

  Wallis paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just guard whatever those marvelous treasures are?"

  "Do you hate war?" Rono suddenly asked, despite already knowing the answer.

  "Of course I hate war!" Wallis answered with a look of utter disdain and disbelief.

  "Then by guarding those marvelous treasures, they’d try to work together to steal it from us, and there would be no war," Rono said, still in his usual neutral tone, presenting his logic with chilling simplicity.

  Wallis wanted to ask about the treasures, to ask why humans would be so greedy for something she would be guarding, but it felt pointless when another, larger thought weighed on her. "If that is how humanity unites, then it is meaningless," she said, her head drooping slightly.

  Rono went silent for a few seconds. This was unlike him; he always replied instantly. The pause surprised Wallis deeply.

  "What, is that a surprise for you?" she asked, glancing at him with a mocking tone, trying to gauge his silence.

  After a short moment, Rono finally replied, with an almost lighter tone than before. "No, I was laughing.”