Chapter 2. Silenced

Fragments of her final quest description floated through Aira's mind as she steadied herself against the unfamiliar tree, its bark rough beneath her trembling fingers. What was the exact wording? She reached for the memory, trying to grasp it with the same precision she once accessed her quest log—that crystalline interface that had guided her through thousands of challenges. 'Unopen the closed door to pass through.' The words surfaced like debris from a shipwreck, nonsensical as ever.

What did it even mean to 'unopen' a door? But she was always so focused on getting that quest that she never really considered its absurdity. She had indeed passed through a door, but into what seemed to be an entirely different world. 'Unopen,' as if the door was never meant to be opened at all. As if she had violated some cosmic rule by touching that handle. "A warning," she growled to herself. "Was it a warning and not a quest?"

It was too late to worry about that. Now, Aira had only one quest: to survive.

And survival demanded movement. Aira forced her uncooperative body forward, scanning the terrain with the practiced eye of an arcane enforcer. Downhill—that's where she needed to go. Water always flowed down, and water meant life.

She paused at the edge of the clearing, kneeling with effort to gather several distinctive stones. With trembling fingers, she stacked them into a small cairn, an arrow shape pointing in her intended direction. A habit from her training days—mark your path, create breadcrumbs back to the beginning. Though what she would do if she needed to return to this spot, she couldn't say. Perhaps only to confirm that there was no way to Aira's world left behind her. Perhaps to wait and see if whoever sent her here would follow.

Slim chance. The ones who seemed to orchestrate this circus left the chamber before Aira.

Paradoxical cultists… What a joke!

But the results of their actions? It definitely wasn't a joke anymore.

She knew something was very wrong right at the moment she stepped through that portal covered in runes.

Runes… Aira chuckled. At least that sound came out of her throat without any distortion. She was marked with a Rune now.

Aira put her fist high above her head and looked up, preparing to shout at whatever higher forces chose this trial for her. But again, only growls came out of her throat. Like a wild beast.

She looked down, shifted, and placed one final stone atop the marker, willing her muscles to remember how to move efficiently in her current weakened state. Each step felt like wading through chest-deep mud, her limbs fighting her every command. Listening for the faint sound of running water, Aira oriented herself and began a slow, arduous descent through the alien forest. The shadows between the trees seemed to deepen as she moved, as though the forest itself was closing ranks behind her, swallowing the evidence of her arrival.

Whatever this world held, whatever had brought her here, she had only one imperative now, reduced to the simplest truth of existence: she had to survive.

Only after that would she have a chance to get some answers and make people in charge of this charade accountable.

And she didn't doubt she would.

Aira pushed her way through the dense underbrush, each step a battle against vegetation that seemed to resist her passage. Thorns snagged her clothing, branches whipped at her face. As if this alien nature recognized her as an intruder. Then—a glint caught her eye. She froze, breath caught in her throat. There, nestled in a small recess in the ground, water bubbled up from beneath the topsoil—a spring, barely wider than her hand. The sight nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Water. Life. This brook was her first true ally in this strange world.

Despite being unable to see her stats, she could feel that each puncture made by thorns and each clumsy movement affected her constitution and health much more than before. Even without those numbers, she knew the effects of her new condition were there.

Now, as she had to follow the small stream, the ground was damp and slippery, making Aira's progression even slower, her stance more unsteady. Each step only emphasized the changes in her degraded abilities. All that was effortless before now felt like a struggle. Even her breaths came out labored and heavy.

She hoped to find signs of civilization but only saw gnarled trees, tangled vines, and overgrown foliage. It didn't look like anybody besides animals visited this part of the forest. If there even were any intelligent beings in this forest. In this world.

But it would have been a cruel joke to put her here only to die.

The thought of wildlife reminded Aira of a good steak and made her stomach grumble a bit. Provisions were among the things she lost along with her warhammer during the transfer. With her analytical mind, she knew that if she wanted to survive, she had to find a way to replenish her provisions, and soon. But at least she had water. Even if she had nowhere to put it.

When the stream became deeper, Aira stepped closer and made a few large swallows. At least the water was absolutely normal. Just as she remembered it. Just like she wanted it to be.

" Alright, baby steps, " Aira thought and chuckled. " Yeah, how else would I call my new style of movement with my downgraded agility stat? "

Trying to distract herself, Aira attempted to figure out how much her stats were reduced in this world. She was so used to having access to the numbers at any moment. But what was important, besides them, was some hard math. She knew her stats even without accessing any menus. So, she should be able to calculate the base level for her old race and some other things as well.

Previously, she was a human. What was she now? That was anyone's guess. But it wouldn't be a wild guess to say that it affected her capabilities. Still, even without seeing the updated stats, she knew the situation was dire. She felt weaker, and she was getting tired much faster. This meant that her strength and endurance were affected at least a bit. But the worst was the situation with her agility. Just a few hours earlier, in the dungeon, she could move tenfold faster. Never before has she been this slow, even when ill or wounded.

Was she cursed to spend the rest of her life in that state?

Aira continued her slow march through these desolate lands, time stretching like pulled taffy. The spring widened gradually into a brook no deeper than her ankle. As the light began to wane, the trees suddenly parted before her, revealing a perfect circular clearing bathed in golden late afternoon light.

In its center stood a crumbling stone arch, weathered and ancient, its surface conquered by vines and moss that seemed to pulse with vitality in the fading light. The stream Aira had been following ran directly beneath the arch as if the monument had been deliberately placed to straddle this lifeline. Something about the symmetry felt intentional—not random chance, but design.

"A mysterious stone monument?" thought Aira. "Again?!?"

Aira approached it cautiously and extended her hand to touch it. But before she felt the cold surface touch her fingers, a jolt of fear passed through her, making Aira snatch her hand back. Just a few hours ago, her life was changed forever when she touched another mysterious stone object. Would it be a mistake to do that once again?

She remembered that portal she stepped through in the dungeon. Unlike this ancient relic, it was covered by glowing runes and emanated power. That was another sign for Aira to stop. To give her progress a thought. And maybe even to track back.

The power that the portal in the dungeon emanated was absolutely foreign. Alien. It didn't belong to the dungeon or to Aira's magical context. Still, she touched it, she opened it, and she stepped through.

That's where she faced those… whoever they were. Their status marked them as Paradoxical Cultists. Their levels compared to Aira's. Maybe a bit higher.

And again, she was impatient. She wanted to finally get through that dungeon, get her XP and her new level. Make the first step on the path of the Legendary wielder of the arcane.

Hubris… That's what it was. That's what led Aira here.

Her palm left a faint imprint on the damp moss. But there was no reaction from the remnant of a bygone era. No energy flowed through her touch. She was left with only a sense of emptiness.

Aira felt both relief and anger at the same time.

Briefly, she thought she felt something—an echo of her lost power. But after waiting a bit more for it to manifest, Aira realized that her mind was playing tricks on her. Her magic was gone. And at a moment of such a glorious achievement!

For a brief moment, Aira's head spun, reality blurring as memory overtook her. She was back in that chamber, watching the cultists move around the glowing altar with inhuman grace. Their leader's eyes had gleamed with secret knowledge, his mouth curved in that insufferable smile that said he knew exactly what would happen. Her warhammer had passed through their bodies like they were made of smoke—even when her aim was true, they'd shimmer and reappear meters away, continuing their ritual without pause. Not fighting her, but using her somehow. Leading her exactly where they wanted her to be.

The bizarre dance continued for what…? A few minutes? An hour? It was impossible to say. Especially as the result was the same. The cultists did their deed and vanished. And Aira was here. Lost.

"Great, a complete dud," Aira thought, unsure if she was addressing herself or the monument before her. "And to top it off, it feels like I'm half-dead now."

She removed some moss to uncover the letters hidden beneath. At first glance, she thought they were familiar. But no, the symbols were unlike anything she had ever seen before but didn't match the runes on the doorway and the altar she saw in that damned dungeon.

However, at least the mere existence of this object meant there had to be a civilization in this world. Aira was making progress. There were intelligent people here. Hopefully, they didn't go extinct in the centuries since the moment this arch was built.

***

Aira continued her slow and unsteady march until the moment the sun began its descent. Since finding this ancient monument, she felt as though she was walking through the territory of an old settlement, but it was abandoned so long ago that no buildings remained. And she could only guess where the old pavement had been in the ancient times because trees were not as dense there.

The forest spread around her in all directions with no end in sight. The branches of the trees cast long shadows across the ground and seemed to reach out to Aira as if to grasp her. The air grew colder, and she could feel the chill seeping through her clothes. She needed to find shelter and do that as soon as possible. Aira hugged herself, trying to return some warmth to her body, though it did little to comfort her.

" Fantastic, " she thought. " Out of mana, out of skills, and now out of warmth. Could this day get any worse? "

Immersed in self-pity, Aira stumbled forward blindly until something solid stopped her progress—a wall, appearing so suddenly through the gloom that she nearly crashed into it face-first. She recoiled, heart racing before her eyes adjusted to recognize the sharp angles of human construction amid the forest's chaos. A cabin stood before her, half-swallowed by wilderness, its wooden walls warped and grayed with age, its roof sagging dangerously in the center like a swaybacked horse. The windows were empty sockets, glass long gone. Still, it was undeniably a building—proof of intelligent life in this realm.

Aira made her way toward the cabin, her steps cautious. The door was left slightly ajar, but in her current state, it took almost all powers Aira had left to pry it open a bit more. She had to clear the way first, as undergrowth and branches were getting in the way. But then, unwillingly, the door submitted to her efforts.

Faint rays of light filtered through gaps in the walls, barely illuminating the interior. Even while she saw the desolate state of the cabin, Aira couldn't help but expect that cozy feeling she usually got upon entering a house. But here, the years erased even the smells of decay.

The floorboards creaked under Aira's steps, a constant reminder of the fragile state of the structure. The remaining furniture was scattered haphazardly around the room: a shattered chair, a wobbly table, and a narrow bed tucked away in one of the corners.

" Not exactly a welcoming sight, but it'll have to do for now, " Aira thought, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Exhaustion washed over her, only amplified by her new condition. It was as if shaking it off, even with a long rest, was impossible.

She took a step forward and then looked back at the door. " What a stupid action, to close the door, when not all of the walls are in place! " she thought.