"You'll never be like one of the Evermen," Ella whispered.
"I continued to explore and I examined the portal, but if the Evermen couldn't open it, neither could I. I know the words that must be said to cross from this side, but the portal can only be opened from Merralya. In my explorations I did, however, learn what befell the denizens of Shar."
"Is that what they called this world?"
Killian nodded. "At first I couldn't read their writing, so I learned what I could from the records left by the Evermen. Much later, I taught myself to read their pictographic symbols, and then I had both sides of the story.
"The Evermen came here long ago. They knew nothing of the world they'd opened a path to, other than that it was hospitable to life. When the humans exiled them from Merralya, they were pleased to discover this world already occupied. They were pleased because here were more creatures for them to enslave. Here was another species they could murder, converting the life energy of those they killed into essence.
"Those who lived here called themselves wrains, much as we would call ourselves human. They were winged creatures, and could fly like birds. The wrains lived in hive-like pyramids, each level of the pyramid indicating a higher social status. They made their homes at the level they had achieved, flying up and down with no need for ladders or stairs."
Ella thought of the structures she'd seen in the ruined city. The bizarre architecture made more sense now. "What happened to them?"
"Their numbers were beyond counting. You probably saw the cities near the road. There are more cities like that, more than you could ever know. All of the cities are in ruins. The wrains are long gone."
Killian looked out at the sky, and Ella saw with a jolt that the twilight had faded to black, the deepest, darkest night imaginable. Remembering Killian's earlier words, Ella realised they would need to wait now. She didn't want to be caught outside with whatever dangers were out there. Ella moved closer to him, until their knees were touching, and felt him squeeze her hand.
"Where did they go?"
"The wrains were peaceful creatures: artists and builders, not fighters. Aggression was unknown to them, and the Evermen easily took control. The Evermen revelled in their power over those they saw as too cowardly to defend themselves, and they killed them in their hundreds, their thousands, and their tens of thousands."
Ella looked at the tomb-like shells. The occupants had much to answer for.
"The Evermen enslaved the wrains of Shar. They slaughtered them in great numbers to get essence, which they planned to use to open the way to yet another world. The wrains didn't stand a chance, and their great civilisation was ruined. Their cities were beautiful and their culture thrived. Ella, this is what will happen to Merralya if the Evermen gain power."
"Why are the Evermen here, then? Did they get the essence they needed?"
"As far as I can understand from the histories, both those of the Evermen and those of the wrains, a new religion, a kind of magic, was created in desperation by one of the wrains' leaders. He gathered his people, all of them, in a great field, and together they performed some kind of spell or religious rite. Every last one of them was there, Ella. When the spell was finished, the wrains were no longer. The field was littered with dead bodies. They killed themselves rather than give the Evermen the essence they needed, and allow another world to be shattered like Shar."
Ella had a sudden thought. "The shadows…"
"The wrains evolved into some new state of being. They left their bodies behind, and now they are no longer wrains. They freed themselves from their non-violent ways. They are now something else. Something altogether different."
"What are they now?"
"I call them wraiths."
Ella digested the information. "Then the Evermen…?"
"They were suddenly under attack wherever they went, and had no source of new essence. With Shar now inhospitable they were left with no choice but to place themselves in stasis, in hope that one day the portal to Merralya is reopened."
"They're desperate," Ella said in wonder.
Killian nodded. "This Sentar, he will do anything it takes to aid their return. There is nothing left in this world for the Evermen. They need to return. We need to do anything we can to stop them."
"What about you?"
"The wraiths sense something about me and attack me wherever I go. I searched the cities and found the places where the Evermen once distilled the life energy from the wrains into essence. Eventually I found some essence, Ella. Not much, but enough… enough to help me survive in this place. Without this power I would long be dead."
"Back in Merralya, Evrin is rebuilding the machines," Ella said. "Soon we'll have essence. We need you to help us fight Sentar Scythran and those who fight with him."
Killian nodded. "I've seen what happened to the wrains of Shar."