"What do you mean us? Is this not you're home?" Slowly letting go of Nai's hand April spoke.
"I have to say, you're language is quite easy ... still, it has helped with my understanding of my aspect" pondering to herself Elkra seemed to ignore her.
"Answer me" April snapped, to Ian's disapproval.
"Yes, yes ... off this planet. We were human, you know ... ".
"You are the furthest thing from human" Disgustingly, April spoke. Elkra laughed, "Yes, you are right... we are; not always though. However, we have a more important matter right now". April slowly turned to face the still sitting and confused Nai.
"You heard her, no longer human; she's crazy and you'll die if you go through with it... "
"At the very least we should hear her out ..." Ian argued, "you're right, I don't know anything about this world or universe. To me it means everything has the same value. Where are we even going to go to right now? Remember they blew our Hova... "
"Stupid, to think I ever said you were smarter than him" Muttering to herself, April laughed. Taking a deep breath, her shoulders rose and relaxed. She seemed to have agreed but did not go back to sitting down. Elkra eyed her with a smile then turned to Nai and clasped her hands.
"Right, to awaken, you need to die" with a straight face Elkra spoke. April's face contorted in disagreement, "What are you talking about ? " . Ian was also shocked, "D-die? yeah what do you mean ... is this a problem with the language learning ability?"
"No!" Her hands grabbing her crossed thighs and elbows arched outwards she spoke with her hoarse voice, "You're projection needs to transcend to the astral plane for a forceful connection with astral imprint that was barred; in you're case, I would guess to make an entirely new imprint. In this regard, it might even mean increasing your success chances"
"Yeah, b-but why does that mean I have to die?"
"Its not like dead, dead; just disconnecting from earthly tether. Don't be so scared, I know you can succeed" .
"Is this how you gained your aspect abilities? Is this how the rest of them did?" With an unimpressed looked and brows creased April asked. "No" Elkra simply responded. A laugh came from April, "Then what are you telling us here?"
"Special; I know "you" can"
"Crazy, I told you, Crazy. First, how about you tell us how you claimed you were human? has this body corruption also spread to your minds"
"You mistake me. Your tongue has too much freedom. Continue blabbering and I, we, won't be so lenient" Elkra spoke in a sharp hoarse cold voice. April's body twitched and she took a hesitant half step back. The pregnant silence grew in the dim lit house-room. Elkra's cold expression relaxed and a slight smile appeared, "Of course, we still need your help first"
"The method I speak of is real; it was passed down from the first of us that were trapped here ... "
"Their ships also deviated here?" This time Ian spoke. April seemed to have been shut to complete silence.
"Yes it would seem"
"and how long ago was this?"
"Oh, I don't know, must have been about two thousand eight hundred years ago"
"That can't be... " this time with a soft breath and cautious voice April spoke up again, "That would mean ... the first of the nomads?"
"Yes; smart when we are calm are we?" Elkra chuckled.
Ian pondered for a moment, "Then why are there so few of you? and I'm sorry but the development and technology? and the, well, obvious physical differences"
"This planet doesn't fuck with us; that's what you would say right?" Elkra sighed then continued, " a lot of complimenting reasons if I was to make an assessment. First, not such a huge number of "nomads" , as your girlfriend said, deviated here. Second, when they did, something must have gone wrong. Third, the planet itself. Have you not noticed, the silence of it at night, the vastness yet emptiness of it?"
"Yes, but I-I was chased by a "rock" looking thing... "
"You were? Where?" Elkra seemed surprised.
"Yes, that's why I brought it up ... other than that, you are right; there is and was an eeriness to the night".
Elkra turned to April, "And you saw this, "rock" thing too?". April looked down then at Nai and slowly shook her head.
"Where did you see it?" Elkra eyelids closed halfway. Ian was still looking at April when he laughed and shook his head, "That's stupid, it chased me ... it made the Hova fall"
"Yes, Yes ... where did you see it ?" Elkra interrupted him. He did not face her, his gaze on the floor, "On the mountain slope, it woke up when I touched it, it was huge I-I ... it chased me, and made me fall from the slope's edge "
"So you were faster than it, and when it finally caught up only made you fall?"
"Yes, but only because I reacted fast ... its real, it's probably dead now by the mountains foot. If we could find where we were, I'd show you" Ian sounded more and more unsure the more he spoke.
"Right, I'm sure you would. So, you said the mountain? That's where your "Hova" deviated to? Kenda told me the size ... its hardly for space travel. Or how did you end up there?"
"There was someone who could manipu-" Ian had quickly begun mumbling to create connection to where he was and the "rock" thing when April cut him off, "You … were telling us about how your little community came to be" Nai's face had a confused look at April, she did not bother to look at him to see it.
Elkra scanned Nai's face before slowly turning to April and with her lips curled up slightly, "Yes, you are right... I was, I suppose. But before that, we were talking about his awakening ... "
"It was supposed to lead to that if I'm not wrong ... " her argumentative vigor seemed to be slowly coming back after that Initial shock she had gotten.
"Time, time... as you can see I do not have enough of it, as soon as we get "Nai" here to awaken the better for all of us "
"But I haven't fully understood the dangers for myself," Ian jumped in to defend himself. Elkra nodded, "Yes, yes ... like I said, special. You are one who has experienced separation and joining and with such a uniqueness. Like I said, this planet's not simple and again everything is connected ... to detach without completely dying, we will go to the river source and you will lie in its depth for three days"
April and Nai's eyes widened. ' River! Three days! ' , these were the exact conditions Ian had found himself in when he first got into this world. A slight terror grappled his chest, 'What if this woman, what If they, had something to do with it?' . He had no intentions to ask directly, she knew his condition but she might not necessarily know how it had happened. And if she had anything to do with it, why say it like that. ' Is she testing us?' Ian struggled to control his breathing and Elkra must have noticed.
"What? its just a little dying" She laughed; a hoarse laugh. This time it felt like it echoed in April's and Nai's ears in an eerie manner.
"Y-yes ... " Ian was agreeing, not sure what he was saying yes to, barely hearing his own voice. ' was I not already dead? If I came by the river, I might leave by it ' , try as he might, the rationality of it was not coming to him.
"Why three days? that's impossible ... even two minutes would be a stretch for any giza" April's confident voice came and Nai almost felt like his body leaned on it.
"Oh no, no, no, no ... the river and its mouth are far from ordinary" Elkra chuckled but did not explain further.
April licked her lower lip and bit it as she eyed her. You could not tell from her posture and expression but her heart had been racing. She had considered it, to try and fight their way or at least her way out. But this Elkra in front of her, was at least a high tier level 3 mind warper or already a level four; it wouldn't just be her alone too. The calculations ran through her mind over and over again but the picture would not form.
"Shall we?" as everything croaked around her, Elkra made to stand up. It looked like she had sat there for ages and as she got up an unpleasant air wafted through April's and Ian's noses.
"N-now? b-but I haven't even made a decision yet ... if ill go through with it"
"A decision?" the full standing Elkra , at about two point three meters, asked Ian. He gulped and April didn't know why but he went to reach for him. Just then they had a gory scream from outside