"Holy crap," Riva whispered, stepping through the passage from Floor 7 and coming to an abrupt halt.

  Alexander almost bumped into her, but he understood her reaction immediately. The view before them was unlike anything they'd encountered so far.

  Colossal trees stretched skyward, their trunks wider than small houses. But it wasn't just the size that was remarkable—it was what had been done with them. Dwellings spiraled around the massive trunks, windows glowed with warm light, and rope bridges swayed gently between branches. The entire settlement existed within and among the trees themselves, as if the structures had grown naturally rather than being built.

  "It's beautiful," Elijah said, his voice hushed with genuine awe.

  Alexander stepped forward, automatically scanning for defensible positions and potential threats. The vilge extended upward as far as they could see, with ptforms at various heights and bridges creating a complex three-dimensional network.

  "This changes everything about how we move," he said, shifting instantly into tactical assessment. "Vertical navigation, limited escape routes, visibility from multiple angles..."

  Lyra stepped up beside him, her amber eyes taking in the construction with professional interest. "The integration is almost seamless. Look at how they've encouraged the wood to grow around those support beams rather than cutting into it."

  Alexander gnced at her, noticing the genuine enthusiasm in her voice. It was one of the few times he'd seen her openly impressed by something.

  "You think they're actually controlling how the trees grow?" he asked.

  "Definitely." Lyra pointed to a spiral staircase that curved perfectly around one trunk. "That's not carved—that's guided growth. The programming for this must be incredibly complex."

  Elijah walked toward the nearest trunk, his head tilted slightly as if listening. After a moment, he turned back to them with a puzzled expression.

  "I'm hearing... something different near these trees," he said hesitantly, careful with his wording since Valeria was within earshot. "The older ones especially. It's clearer somehow."

  Alexander caught his brother's meaning immediately. They'd discussed Elijah's unusual ability to hear things others couldn't extensively on their secure channel. He nodded and filed this information away as another important data point about the floor.

  "Let's find somewhere secure to set up before exploring further," he said, checking the position of the artificial sun overhead. They'd learned the hard way that each floor had its own day-night cycle.

  A vilge resident—a man with bark-like patterns on his skin—approached them with a welcoming smile. "New arrivals! Welcome to the Living Vilge. I'm Thorn, one of the greeters."

  Alexander stepped forward, automatically taking the diplomatic lead. "Thank you for the welcome. I'm Alexander, this is my brother Elijah, and our teammates Lyra and Riva." He deliberately left Valeria out of the introductions, keeping her at arm's length since their confrontation on Floor 7.

  Thorn beamed. "Wonderful! We've prepared accommodations for your team. Let me show you to your dwelling and expin how things work here."

  As they followed Thorn along winding paths and up a gently sloping spiral staircase, Lyra hung back slightly, examining everything with analytical precision. Alexander could almost see her mental catalog expanding with each detail she observed.

  "The bridges have a weight-responsive stabilization system," she murmured to him as they crossed one, the rope and wood construction swaying gently beneath them. "See how it distributes tension through those anchor points?"

  "These people know what they're doing," Alexander agreed, impressed despite himself. He looked down and immediately regretted it. They were already at least thirty feet above the ground.

  Thorn led them to a spherical dwelling attached to a massive branch, its entrance a perfectly circur opening. "This will be your home while you're with us," he expined. "The tree provides natural temperature regution. Those transparent sections of the wall aren't gss—they're actually parts of the tree that have grown clear to allow light through."

  "That's incredible," Elijah said, running his hand along the living wall. "I can feel a pulse... like the tree is breathing."

  "It is, in a way," Thorn smiled. "The dwelling responds to its inhabitants. You'll find it quite comfortable."

  Inside, the room was surprisingly spacious, with smooth wooden surfaces that curved organically. Ptforms at different levels served as sleeping areas, and natural shelves had formed in the walls. Light filtered through the transparent sections, creating dappled patterns on the floor.

  "This is way better than camping in the River Valley," Riva said, dropping her pack on one of the lower ptforms.

  Once Thorn had left them with maps of the vilge and basic information about local customs, Alexander called the team together.

  "We need to establish protocols for navigating this pce," he said, unfolding the map on a central table that appeared to be a cross-section of a massive branch. "It's three-dimensional, which means different risk factors."

  "Fall protection is the obvious one," Lyra said, already digging through her pack. She pulled out coils of the lightweight rope they'd acquired on Floor 4. "I can rig up some safety lines for crossing those longer bridges."

  "Good idea," Alexander nodded. "Buddy system at all times—no one moves alone, especially at height. Riva, you and Elijah pair up. Lyra, you're with me." He deliberately avoided assigning Valeria, who stood silently at the edge of the group.

  "The vilge seems peaceful," Elijah observed, "but that doesn't mean there aren't dangers. Should we establish a meeting point in case we get separated?"

  "The central pza here," Alexander pointed to a rge ptform on the map that connected several major trees. "Always return there if something goes wrong."

  As they continued pnning, Lyra moved to the transparent section of the wall, examining how the wood had transformed itself. Alexander noticed her tracing the patterns with her fingers, a habit she dispyed whenever encountering new technology.

  "Reminds you of home?" he asked quietly, joining her.

  Lyra gnced up, surprised. "Not really. Sector 17 was all about making do with scavenged materials. Nothing grew like this." She hesitated, then added, "But we did try to build efficiently, using natural forms when possible. These people have turned it into an art."

  The genuine appreciation in her voice made Alexander curious. "Did you do construction work there?"

  "Sometimes," she answered vaguely, in the way she always did when pressed about her past. "When I wasn't busy with other things."

  Evening approached, and the vilge transformed. Bioluminescent insects emerged from hidden crevices in the trees, filling the pathways with soft blue-green light. Lanterns made from hollow gourds containing the same insects were lit along main thoroughfares, creating a magical atmosphere.

  "We should rest," Alexander announced, watching Elijah stifle a yawn. "Tomorrow we'll explore properly and learn more about this pce's social structure."

  As they settled onto their sleeping ptforms—surprisingly comfortable depressions in the living wood that seemed to mold to their bodies—Elijah spoke softly.

  "I think the trees are talking to each other," he said. "What I'm hearing is strongest where branches from different trees touch."

  "If they are, see if they'll tell you where we can find better equipment," Riva joked sleepily.

  Lyra, who had chosen the highest sleeping ptform with the best visibility of both the entrance and the window, was still making notes in her small journal.

  "What are you writing?" Alexander asked, climbing up to check on her before turning in.

  "Just observations," she replied, not hiding the journal but not offering to show it either. "The construction techniques here could be useful someday."

  Alexander nodded, sensing there was more to it but not pushing. In the weeks since Floor 4, he'd learned that Lyra shared information when she was ready, not before.

  "Get some sleep," he said. "Something tells me this floor is going to be more complicated than it looks."

  Through the transparent wall section, Alexander could see bridges connecting distant trees, nterns swaying gently in the breeze. Despite the potential dangers he'd cataloged, there was something peaceful about this pce—as if the trees themselves offered protection.

  As he drifted toward sleep, Alexander realized that for the first time since entering the Game, he felt like they'd found a pce that wasn't actively trying to kill them. He knew better than to trust that feeling, but he allowed himself to enjoy it, just for tonight.