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Now I sit here, far away and yet so close to the adventurers as Father intervenes, as I juggle the memories of my first appearance that have been sealed away. My new nature is strange, able to interact with these things as though they were physical objects. I pluck one of them out in particular, as it shines brightly with a holy radiance and is very nearly ready to burst. When I peer inside this beautiful marble I witness:
It’s like a curtain being pulled back, to allow the performer to walk on stage. There is a darling girl that walks from behind a tree and approaches the pile, her focus only upon the skull as she reaches it and squats down next to it. When she glances my way, I know that I would die for her, if only she asked it of me. When I see her smile falter and droop the rage and sorrow swamp me and I can only choke on the scream that wants me to beg her to allow me to do anything to wipe away her frown. Anything.
His hand comes to rest on my shoulder and a tear escapes my eye. He doesn’t say anything in this place, even as he continues to offer assurances to the delvers with his avatar there. As that tear continues to spill forth, instead of others joining the first, it merely grows in depth and breadth. Its journey down my face like a burst dam along a dry riverbed.
Worse still is the blockage in my throat. Oh, how I wish to beg and plead for forgiveness, but the apology is stuck within me, and cannot come out. As the sorrow on my face continues to torrent forth, he kneels in front of me, his form has never been clearer nor so indistinct. With a single brush of his thumb, he wipes away the river of tears, “There is nothing to forgive, daughter. We didn’t know, and your quick wit averted a far worse outcome.”
He smiles at me and nuzzles our noses together before looking even more deeply into my eyes, the moment stretching between us as he holds my face so gently, “Thank. You. Cutest. For being your best self, for saving them from enslavement, and for presenting them with a Challenge. Truly, the most a Kingdom, a Father, could ever ask for,” before he leans in and kisses my forehead.
There was Magic in his Words, and even now the potential of it swirls around us. Yet, it is with utmost ease that I’m able to dispel all of that away, despite my struggle with asking for help or apologizing, it is so easy to free us with a simple reply, “
He stands up beside me and takes my hand, teasing me with his eyebrows now that he’s shrunken down to the same height, “They’ve set off to visit and document Life’s most recent growth spurt, care to take me on a tour of your… Underworld?”
I just roll my eyes at him but pull him along, “
His blank skull hangs from the largest crack that starts at the base of the tree, both looking empty and yet full of menace. At our approach the eye sockets flicker on their undead light as a far off burgle echoes from deep within the tree. Once we reach our destination, Unclean wheezes out, “
DNA takes a step forward into his full height to reach up and give the skull a pat, “You were perfect. They had to use all they knew and more to defeat you. And you pushed them to that once you realized they wouldn’t flee. You do us both Proud. Rest now, there aren’t any other Challengers of their caliber for miles around.”
There is a long raspy sigh of contentment after the praise that fades away with the light dimming in the skull. When Father turns back to me, he does a sweeping bow as he returns to mimicking my size and I just snort in response.
As we walk underneath and between spaces, I find my feet soon shadowing the adventurer’s path. Perhaps it is curiosity, or maybe lingering guilt that brought me alongside them in this side place, but he follows along and doesn’t mention anything.
When they soon arrive at Life’s clearing, the Barrow wobbles with the transition, but with only myself and Father’s projection walking it, the path is able to hold us. Taking up the excuse to talk about anything else than why I’m following them, “
He nods along, “It certainly is a strangeness. Dreams is both stronger here and not here at all. I could see why Life would have trouble learning this with only Sky and Earth as his building blocks.”
As we follow the group ascending a growing staircase that’s spiraling around Life, we find the steps to be more solid than the soil we had to carefully cross to reach him. Gesturing at it, “
We end up passing up the adventurers once we ascend past the canopy as they stop and take in the view. While beautiful in its own right, both Father and I are more entranced by the gorgeous patterns on each of the steps, “Do you think the art comes to them naturally, or is Thing showing off for us?”
I spare a glance and meet his eyes before turning my focus back to the steps. I lean over the edge to look below, “”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I see him turn around and follow his gaze as we look below at where the group has started up again, the two of us meeting the eyes of Wildfire as she’s held tightly by Bond as her trembling steps set the pace of the party in their ascent. The tears in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks juxtaposed against the beaming smile as she slides her gaze from our figures back to the stairs under her boots.
“There is a beauty in exclusivity, in being special. A Challenge for those who would seek and a reward for those with eyes to see.”
We watch as the party stops and looks around again, more confusion than awe on their faces as Wildfire steps past them and turns around, “Why’d you guys stop?”
The trickster in me is delighted at the looks of shock on the rest of their faces, as Bond reaches out an unsteady arm, “Wildfire, would you grab my hand please?” When she does, he swallows to gather courage and then takes another step up- onto nothing from his perspective.
Sid squats down next to the invisible step and even waves his hand through where it is supposed to be, but when he slaps down on it, there’s something solid there. He gives the step he’s on a good knock and then knocks on the one that Bond has stopped on. Bond is holding both of Wildfire’s hands in his, “What are we standing on?”
I watch as she glances around again, taking in the ‘strange’ way her party is acting before she takes another half step up and pointing above, “The same staircase that leads all the way to the canopy. It’s really high up there, so we should probably keep moving. Why are all of you acting so weird?”
Garn walks up the sky branch steps to join her, “Trust Wildfire. Trust Life.”
Alex just shakes her head, “Wildfire, dear. I get that your new Perk is great and all, but for the rest of us,” she lightly stomps down, “this is the last step. Obviously, there’s something holding the rest of you up, but none of us can see them.” As she follows after Garn, “I’d ask what you mean by canopy, but I figure that’s another thing this weird place is obfuscating from us.”
Sid starts making his way up as well, “I wish to lodge a formal complaint. There are no shadows on these things, it’s really disorienting.”
I snicker as they start walking single file behind Garn, despite the massive width of the stairs being undiminished by their conversion into the new Realm Woods material, “
“~It’s all a matter of practice. It’s also why I’ve tasked the Mu’Reign with bringing me a lake. There are still plenty of blank nexus trees waiting to flourish into something unique and grand.~”
Father and I take a Step high into the sky, the pull of his Lungs makes the journey easier, even through the transition out of my Barrow. Life’s voice being easier to feel up here in his crown of heart wood and capillary leaves, “
There is a susurration of amusement as a long pause greets us before, “~And, now a good afternoon to you, big sister. Unclean is still luxuriating in the satisfaction of your praise, I take it the Boss encounter went well?~”
A note of solemnity sweeps through me, but I push on, “
“~None of us are perfect, sister. Even Dreams understands the burden of power, as each great performance of theirs has resulted in pain of equal measure. Even if they were merely being wielded and not enacting it of their own will.~”
Father rustles the long fur on my head, “Leo and Helix care in their own way, but neither of them have experienced quite that same feeling. Leo is excellent at forgiving himself for the few mistakes he makes as he strives to give his every choice, all of himself. And Helix, is still quite young and more explorative and curious than deeply introspective.”
I bring that sprout of joy they’ve cultivated into the forefront of my thoughts, my new nature won’t allow me to speak the simple words on my lips, so I simply push those feelings towards everyone, “
An echoing chuckle resounds through the branches, “~It is my nature and ever since my evolution, an axis by which I relate to the world. You will always be Welcome within my Woods, dear sister. Even should your fascination forever outpace your control.~”
This lovely moment is interrupted when, “Weakness discovered with Truesight, sensory overload. Adjusting stairwell with feedback from Wildfire.”
Father and I share a glance as we wait by the pair of Heart Fruits, a sweet scent wafting from them indicating their ripeness. The serendipity of our favored party arriving in time to take these is great. It was a decision made in the heat of the moment, and while I may not perhaps agree with the how or why, even I understand that boundaries must be enforced to have meaning.
Father gets a far-off look on his face before he speaks to us, “Sorry. I know this is important, but it seems that when it rains it pours. Love you, take care,” before he fades out, leaving only a pale echo to observe.
I reach out and lay my hand on Life’s crown, “
“~Dreams tells me there’s going to be the first death. Mana Toxicity. Father has pushed most of his presence into comforting them and watching over the little one that’s pushing herself over the edge.~”
I now regret climbing so high up, my Barrow is far from my reach, “”
I’m about to hurl myself off this terrace of solid ground when a host of sprouts wrap around my feet, holding me in place. I lash out at the growth baring my way as a deep melancholy and admonishment descends on me, “~Sister… please stop. You more than most should know Father won’t bar others from walking their path, from striving. Look at me, at him, at yourself. None of this would be possible if we had stopped pushing for more beyond what we could reach.~”
I’m frantic as my claws tear at the thickening vines that regrow to keep hold of me, “
Life enacts a well of silence around me, for the next few moments the only sound is my struggles against the grasping foliage. My efforts slow and the restrictions of the vines mirror my reduced attempts to escape, “~And We, will always be his children. Yet, he must give us room to grow, encouragement, but in the end, he can only wish and hope we’ll achieve our own success. It’s not something he can give us.~”
The vines and sprouts all fall away, sinking back into the ground to be replaced by a carpet of grasses once more, “~Stay with me, Cutest. Be present for the party’s rewards, or don’t. Add your voice to the song in the winds if you wish. But you should not go there. The cost of real power is responsibility, and your changed nature is very powerful.~”
I lay on the grass and curl up into a ball, gently chewing on my tail-tip to soothe myself like I was just a little mouse once more, “