Forest Dweller
But then why... why are you still thinking? Darkness covers your vision like a blindfold, but you feel yourself fully capable of thought. Slowly your vision gets brighter, until you find yourself hovering in a place that is completely white. You feel a presence near you, and turn to find a giant tree. The tree is enormous; its roots are huge, its branches filled with green, big leaves. You cannot see the top of it, and it would probably take you twenty seconds to walk across the length of it.
Child.
The voice softly whispers through your head.
"Y...yes?" You ask, just as softly- knowing the tree will hear.
Child, you have forgotten me.
"Who... who are you?"
I am the essence of the woods. You have been fighting for only your own reasons, without realizing the big picture. You are fighting for the right reasons... but you have lost touch with the wood. This is why your power is fading.
"How... how do I..."
Listen to the breeze. Death was wrong. The woods, the ocean, the mountains, the sun, the moon, everything is a part of everything else. You do not just hold the spirit of the woods within you. You, as well as everyone else, holds the universe within themselves. You have the power to harness that into strength, courage or wisdom. So far, you have harnessed only the power of the woods. The wood, like everything else, gets its energy from the sun and the rain. The moon shines upon it and gives it light during the darkest night, and the rich soil keeps it alive. Child... listen.
You feel yourself coming to. You are bleeding badly, and you are on the verge of death. Yet, somehow, you are unafraid. Everything is with you. As you realize that fact, you feel your body mending. The vines sink back into your head and you feel yourself not powered by the actual woods, but by its essence, its spirit, its love.
Not only the woods... the sun, the rain, the moon, the earth... everything flows through you. You realize this... now, more than ever before. You, Adam, are the savior of the earth. You hold within you the spirit of everything. For the first time in a while, all of your worry fades. You stand, slowly.
"So, the little punk's got his second wind, huh? I'm guessing that's all the power the forest can give you. You have no chance anymore." You stay silent, breathing peacefully and feeling the cool air on your skin. You feel the power of the wind rushing softly around you, a pleasant breeze spins around you. The light of the sun washes over you and you glow softly with its power as well. The earth beneath you... you can truly feel its power rushing through you. You feel grounded, solid.
"Ignorance is death!" Ayla shouts, then throws a punch at you. You softly put your hand out and block it, the energy you hold inside does the rest. Her fist is deflected by a rush of wind. She looks at you in mute shock, then cries out angrily and stabs at you with her knife. It goes harmlessly through you as you appear behind her. Your movements are so fluid, you don't even need to think. It seems as natural as breathing.
"DAMN IT! STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME!" Ayla screams, her skin ripping off as the black threads shoot out, re-creating the entity. You say nothing, not allowing your feelings to get in the way. Your task is simple. Kill this thing and save the world. Anything else is irrelevant- proving your strength to him would put you out of balance with some things, and that would be fatal. You are free of panic, free to fight the way you choose without being afraid of death. Even if you die, you sense that it will be all taken care of, one way or another. Ayla will get over you eventually, and perhaps you can tell her it is alright in a dream. Perhaps even humanity will survive somehow. Staying alive is your second goal... saving humanity is your first.
You have finally awakened.
Child.
The voice softly whispers through your head.
"Y...yes?" You ask, just as softly- knowing the tree will hear.
Child, you have forgotten me.
"Who... who are you?"
I am the essence of the woods. You have been fighting for only your own reasons, without realizing the big picture. You are fighting for the right reasons... but you have lost touch with the wood. This is why your power is fading.
"How... how do I..."
Listen to the breeze. Death was wrong. The woods, the ocean, the mountains, the sun, the moon, everything is a part of everything else. You do not just hold the spirit of the woods within you. You, as well as everyone else, holds the universe within themselves. You have the power to harness that into strength, courage or wisdom. So far, you have harnessed only the power of the woods. The wood, like everything else, gets its energy from the sun and the rain. The moon shines upon it and gives it light during the darkest night, and the rich soil keeps it alive. Child... listen.
You feel yourself coming to. You are bleeding badly, and you are on the verge of death. Yet, somehow, you are unafraid. Everything is with you. As you realize that fact, you feel your body mending. The vines sink back into your head and you feel yourself not powered by the actual woods, but by its essence, its spirit, its love.
Not only the woods... the sun, the rain, the moon, the earth... everything flows through you. You realize this... now, more than ever before. You, Adam, are the savior of the earth. You hold within you the spirit of everything. For the first time in a while, all of your worry fades. You stand, slowly.
"So, the little punk's got his second wind, huh? I'm guessing that's all the power the forest can give you. You have no chance anymore." You stay silent, breathing peacefully and feeling the cool air on your skin. You feel the power of the wind rushing softly around you, a pleasant breeze spins around you. The light of the sun washes over you and you glow softly with its power as well. The earth beneath you... you can truly feel its power rushing through you. You feel grounded, solid.
"Ignorance is death!" Ayla shouts, then throws a punch at you. You softly put your hand out and block it, the energy you hold inside does the rest. Her fist is deflected by a rush of wind. She looks at you in mute shock, then cries out angrily and stabs at you with her knife. It goes harmlessly through you as you appear behind her. Your movements are so fluid, you don't even need to think. It seems as natural as breathing.
"DAMN IT! STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME!" Ayla screams, her skin ripping off as the black threads shoot out, re-creating the entity. You say nothing, not allowing your feelings to get in the way. Your task is simple. Kill this thing and save the world. Anything else is irrelevant- proving your strength to him would put you out of balance with some things, and that would be fatal. You are free of panic, free to fight the way you choose without being afraid of death. Even if you die, you sense that it will be all taken care of, one way or another. Ayla will get over you eventually, and perhaps you can tell her it is alright in a dream. Perhaps even humanity will survive somehow. Staying alive is your second goal... saving humanity is your first.
You have finally awakened.