The Chat Group?

"They say God created the desert so man would cherish the date palm.
A bit dramatic just to serve a snack."

- Commentary, Tales of the Transmitted Strange

CHAT GROUP: "THE RECENTLY DECEASED"

Andraz Kenith sent a greeting to you.

Konrad sent a greeting to you.

Lars sent a greeting to you.

Konrad: "So only two people who recently suffered cranial decapitation and regained vital activity popped up?"

Andraz Kenith: "Newcomer, what's your designation?"

...

Ljus hesitated for a moment. Harnessing his intent through the neural link, he projected the characters one by one onto the input pane:

Stjarnljus: "Ljus... Stjarnljus."

Andraz Kenith: "Ljus? Doesn't sound like the person we're looking for."

Konrad: "You idiot. If he logged back on, his original registry handle would pop up automatically."

Andraz Kenith: "?"

Andraz Kenith: "You think you're clever, don't you?"

[ NEW USER ADDED TO GROUP: SIRIUS ]

You may now send an animated greeting.

Ljus refrained from touching anything carelessly, opting instead to observe in silence.

Suddenly, an audible chime echoed through the interface:

Sirius sent a greeting to you.

Ljus felt a flicker of confusion, though he reasoned it was likely an accidental click from the other end.

Andraz Kenith: "S... Sirius, are you awake?!"

Sirius: [Auto-Reply: The user is currently in a state of deep pseudo-mortality. Unable to respond to incoming transmissions for an indefinite period.]

Andraz Kenith: "..."

Konrad: "..."

Konrad: [Sent an encrypted media file. Tap to decrypt. Note: Playable only once.]

Ljus focused his intent and tapped the file. To his surprise, a video bloomed into view, revealing a feline creature laughing uproariously.

Andraz Kenith: "?"

Konrad has disconnected.

You may send a greeting when they return online.

Andraz Kenith: "That bastard won't weep until he sees his own casket."

Andraz Kenith: "Ah, apologies for the disturbance, everyone. We've managed to locate the individual we were tracking. However, this frequency group cannot be dissolved just yet, so consider this an open channel to get acquainted."

Andraz Kenith: "The fool who just dropped offline hails from a high-tier mechanical civilization. As for me, I am a Tier 4 mage, also based in Upper Second."

Andraz Kenith: "As for Sirius, he is our leader, currently incarcerated in The Carceral Vault and an active Tier 2 mage. We will await his full reactivation before deciding when to disband the room."

Andraz Kenith: "Feel free to chat among yourselves. I'm off to deal with that mechanic."

Andraz Kenith sent an image.

A feline creature waving farewell with alien script below?

Andraz Kenith has disconnected.

Stjarnljus: "..."

Lars: "..."

Lars: "Hel... hello?"

Lars: "I am a Tier 6 mage, active for twelve years now. My name is Larsa Ellen-Vex. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you!"

Stjarnljus: "..."

Stjarnljus: "Hello."

Lars: "Who... who are you, if I may ask?"

Stjarnljus: "...I am just... an ordinary person? Today was the first time I ever encountered magic."

Lars: "...Oh! Then we share the same Tier 6 ranking! If this is your first time studying the craft, I can share whatever foundational knowledge I have with you."

Stjarnljus: ":0"

Spotting the thumbs-up icon at the margin of the console, Ljus pulsed his intent and clicked it three times in quick succession.

Lars: "Haha! Is there anything specific you'd like to inquire about?"

Lars: "Theoretical foundations and historical overviews only, please! I won't be able to give you answers on phenomena I've never personally witnessed."

Stjarnljus: "..."

Stjarnljus: "Then... since you were assigned to this group, does that mean you were also decapitated and subsequently revived?"

Lars: "...Ah... well, not quite. I am currently sustaining biological consciousness entirely through an artifact--a life-suspension relic that holds my vitality in escrow for roughly a little over one tikv."

One tikv? Ljus recalled old Qei mentioning that Gli and he were contracted to work the fields for exactly one tikv to clear their debt.

Stjarnljus: "One tikv... how much time is that in Earth hours?"

Lars: "Earth hours? Let me run an index query... Ah, your origin coordinate 'Earth' is tagged as Sub-0, an unclassified domain below the lowest stratum."

Lars: "In Three Strata reckoning, one tikv is a standard cycle of thirty orbital years. But don't panic!"

Stjarnljus: "Thirty years...?"

Lars: "The temporal gradient between the Strata and a Sub-0 pocket is massive. Time here burns far faster than in your origin domain."

Lars: "According to the index calibration: exactly 93.6 years in the Three Strata, which is roughly 3.12 tikv, equates to merely one single calendar day on Earth."

Stjarnljus: "..."

Lars: "So while one tikv means thirty full years of living here, back on your home planet, barely eight hours will have ticked by."

Lars: "..."

Lars: "...To be candid, for my species, one tikv represents nearly half our entire biological lifespan. That is precisely why I must strive to ascend the mage ranks. I've heard that Tier 5 practitioners gain clearance to enter the dimensional domain of the Council's Academy. There is a department dedicated to cellular senescence and life-extension mechanics; I hope to uncover a breakthrough that can grant my people longer lives."

Lars: "...Ljus, if circumstances permit in the future, you are welcome to visit my home continent. It is a vast, beautiful world, I am certain it would leave you in awe. If you ever wish to travel there, just ping me here!"

Stjarnljus: "...That... that would be wonderful."

Lars sent an animated sticker: A snow-white, rabbit-like creature leaping rhythmically with unbound excitement.

Stjarnljus: "How are the tiers of mages structured across the strata?"

Lars: "The absolute pinnacle is Tier 0. However, rumor has it only two individuals occupy this echelon: one is actively singing an eternal lullaby to sustain a primordial entity in stasis, while the other has had their cognitive imprint completely purged from living perception--surviving only as dry ink in restricted archives."

Lars: "Tier 1 is slightly more populated, with approximately fifteen individuals. Five of them actively govern the Council. Though even that figure is uncertain, as anyone reaching Tier 1 inevitably weaves cognitive-dampening seals to obscure their existence from general observation."

Stjarnljus: "Then... what exactly is our Witch Council, and where is it located?"

Lars: "Its formal institutional title is The Concilium Sigiillorum. It is said they maintain an autonomous dimensional pocket dedicated purely to foundational research and governance, completely isolated from the Three Strata, overseen by a supreme seven-seat directory, five Tier 1 mages and two Tier 0s."

Lars: "Beneath them are four central institutes: KORVOLIS, AETHEON, VAELOR, and LOGOS-QAR. Vaelor is the institute I aspire to enter for biological research. If you haven't settled on a specialization yet, I strongly advise aiming for LOGOS-QAR; it focuses entirely on the theoretical mechanics of the Twelve Canonical Roots without being tethered to combat detachments or third-party political factions."

Stjarnljus: "I have one more question... I heard that magic is capable of creating anything. Is that truly the case?"

Lars: "?"

Lars: "!"

Lars: "I suspect that misconception is why the institutes exist in the first place! In reality, material manifestation is governed strictly by the law of equivalent exchange. Transmutation of matter falls under alchemy--which is heavily restricted or outright banned in most jurisdictions. To synthesize complex matter from absolute void requires a framework equivalent to Tier 3 at minimum. Modern magic is far more rigorous than you might imagine!"

Lars: "Once you master the Twelve Roots, you must learn operational modifiers, syntax structures, and parameter dampening. Here, let me send you a foundational syllabus packet. Read through it and you'll see the scale of the task T-T . Right now, I'm wading through Mechanisms of Peripheral Immune Tolerance alongside a massive stack of baseline physics texts, and my head feels like it's going to crack open."

A soft chime resonated through the neural link as a dense packet of compressed knowledge drifted across the channel, unfolding directly within Ljus's mind.

It was not a simple sheet of paper, but an overwhelming cognitive archive compiled by the Inter-Institute Academic Committee of Logos-Qar and Aetheon. Six monumental disciplines unrolled through his consciousness, structured with terrifying academic rigor.

The archive spanned from the foundational history of magic reform and the major shifts across the eras, to the brutal physics of basic matter, climbing steadily toward the structural grammar of the Twelve Canonical Roots and command phonology. Beyond that lay the vital safety protocols followed by standard methods for calibrating personal energy and three mandatory combat drills for apprentices.

The syllabus concluded with the strict gauntlet of examinations; single-tongue and multi-tongue casting, and formal dissertation defense. Tucked into the back were exhaustive appendices listing fifty applied civilian and military spells, priority formulas for resolving clashing incantations, and trading protocols for the public exchange.

At the very bottom of the mental transmission, Lars had scribbled an earnest note of encouragement:

"May your compilation be precise, your heat dissipation swift, and may you never have to retake the exam! Warning: watch out during the practical test, some professors will chant fake spell names just to mess with you! T-T"

...

Ljus navigated through the mental archive, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information; each concept even branched into deeper layers of study. He realized modern magic was anything but simple; what his perception assumed was not necessarily correct, and what he knew was far from the pinnacle.

A civilization can shine brilliantly and endure for tens of thousands of years precisely because of continuous learning. He could feel that every generation gathered knowledge bit by bit, relentlessly dissecting the mistakes of their predecessors, and standing on their shoulders to reach even further heights.

Stjarnljus: "So... why did you choose to follow the path of magic? Aren't there other civilizations?"

Andraz Kenith has come online.

You may send a greeting to him!

Andraz Kenith: "I can answer this question for you, little Ljus. As far as I know, there are 3 paths that mortals can follow without innate talent: Scientific civilizations of various tiers, the Demon Realm, and our Witch Council. If you ask why I chose this path, first of all, it was Boss Sirius who led me onto this path. I believe you also arrived here due to fate."

Andraz Kenith: "In addition, the characteristics of the other two are Knowledge and Authority, while modern magic possesses both, and even much more. You can't imagine what a Tier 4 mage like me can do; compared to a mid-tier civilization like that guy Konrad's, it's not inferior at all."

Andraz Kenith: "And finally, it's romance. Don't you think magic is really cool?"

Lars: ":0"

Stjarnljus: ":0"

Stjarnljus: "...I have no more questions. Thank you, Senior Kenith."

Stjarnljus: "Well... good night."

Lars: "Good... night? Even though it's morning on my side."

Stjarnljus: "Alright, thanks a lot for answering my questions."

Stjarnljus has gone offline.

Lars: "Alright T-T"

Sirius reacted with "Joy" to Stjarnljus's message "Well... good night.".

Andraz Kenith: ":0"

Lars: ":0"

...

Ljus severed the connection and turned his neck toward the open doorway. The dawn was rising, and inside him, forgotten emotions began to surface; something seemed to make him feel interested in this magic, but it only lasted for a moment.

Looking at Gli sleeping soundly inside the house, a sense of peace returned. He gently touched Gli's cheek; the little girl let out a soft "mmh". Beside them, Skugga had woken up, jumped down from the hammock, then leapt onto his shoulder and curled up.

Ljus stepped out onto the porch with quiet, measured strides, listening to the morning wind sing through the golden silica stalks alongside the gentle purr of the cat upon his shoulder.

...

Yet somewhere out there, across the boundless, unfeeling dark, terrible things had already happened.

And terrible things were happening still...

...