The forest felt empty.

I didn't know why. It had been empty to start with, devoid of intelligent life with only trees and bushes to keep me company, but now there was a distinct absence where before there had only been hollow space. It was like looking into a dried-out riverbed. You could tell something was supposed to be there, but in this case, I couldn't figure out what it was.

It doesn't help that the yellow ball I'd seen earlier is gone, having been replaced by a white half-circle coldly floating in the sky. The pale light it produced cast a silvery glow on everything I could see, and the trees' shadows moved unevenly across the ground. I couldn't see quite as well as I could when the yellow ball was out, but it wasn't much of an issue.

I couldn't help but think back to Della. She'd seemed like such an unusual person, freakish origins aside. She had a genuinely unique appearance. It hadn't been some mish-mash of animals in some half-baked attempt at originality, liked some realities I'd been to, but wasn't someone absolutely basic either. She'd been comfortable in her skin, like she'd lived in it her whole life. Granted, she wasn't an eldritch, so she probably only had just one skin.

It wasn't rare for one of my kind to create a fake sapient, a creature whose reactions had been premade. Those were flat, annoying things that were more of an obstruction than a decoration. Most places were better without them.

Della hadn't been like that. She had depth, her own thoughts. Even though she didn't like me, I could tell it wasn't a personal dislike. She'd wanted that tool, and she'd expressed gratitude when it was fixed. Not very much gratitude, sure, but I'd received far less for a lot more in the past. Had she been scared of me? I didn't look anything like her, and my colors didn't blend in with my surroundings. Perhaps I was the freak of nature here, not her.

Thinking about it a little more, I was absolutely the freak. She'd almost definitely been here for her entire existence. I was an outsider in every use of the word. She had a 'mouth', though I still wasn't sure what it was used for, and I didn't. Her hair was like a flaming cloud, and mine was tentacled and messy. In every comparison I made, I realized she was technically superior.

I paused in front of a wall of greenery. For some reason, I could feel a slight pressure in my head, like someone was either trying to contact me or fight me in a battle of wills. I'd been the brunt of such battles more than once, so the feeling was pretty familiar. The sensation was coming from behind the wild shrubs and bushes that made up the wall.

I could have walked away. I probably should have. But I was curious as to what other secrets this world held, and so I walked forward. The bushes pushed at me, and the pressure gradually increased until it was almost at the level of a newly conceived eldritch.

Behind the green wall was a circle of gray. For a massive radius expanding outward from a stone some distance away, nothing grew. Hollowed husks of deadened trees leaned, crumbling into dust even as I watched. Despite the ring of death I stood in, the green wall I had just passed through nearly glowed with health, and pulsating vines grew towards the giant stone, utterly encircling it in a tangled mess of life. Even the white half-circle floating in the sky seemed to dim, looking down upon the scene.

I walked forward, my robe dragging on the ground. Strange white shapes were half-buried in the ground, partially melted and shattered chunks of metal littering the ground alongside them. A strange feeling accompanied the odd destruction, although I couldn't identify it at first. It came to me after a moment. This whole area felt like a child wrecking their room to get back at their superior, kind of like when Mother bound Skal'dryn as a consequence for breaking some of her physics. A carefully designed reality shredded to pieces in a fit of wrath, the shrubbery acting as a barrier to the tantrum.

The vine-wrapped stone almost seemed to grow as I approached it. Underneath the green, I could see crimson binding circles, massive ones that could even have given me some trouble. They were made by no novice, but it was strange that I could recognize them. Had an eldritch been here? If so, why had they destroyed so much?

About five feet up from the ground, a person was strapped to the stone. The vines secured him so tightly I could see indents on his ornate clothing where they bit into the fabric, which almost worried me as much as the glowing metal object impaling him to the stone through his chest. His fractured hands were holding onto the handle of the object, and more vines held them in place. He wasn't the same thing as Della, that was for sure, but he wasn't the same as me either. His head was bare, without hair or skin. It was made up of some hard, pale white material I couldn't identify, and a vibrant green glow filled the sockets where his eyes should have been. The bottom of his head seemed barely attached, small nubs of the same white material jutting out from the top and bottom of the gap in the lower third of the front.

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As I walked towards it, I saw the glow brighten slightly, and his head tilted up to look at me. He never initiated a mental link, but I somehow heard his words regardless, piercing straight into my mind. A visitor. Surely you know where you stand, where death and life eternally strangle each other around you. And yet you stand before me with no fear. Why... who are you?

I'm Shold'ler. I really don't know what you mean by all of that other stuff. I'm just new here. So who are you?

His shoulders briefly shook as though he was laughing. So honest. So naive. To give one's name so easily, without care or caution of repurcussion. You remind me of some of my old companions, Shold'ler. But to answer your question, I must confess my name has slipped my memory. It has been a long time since anyone used it. So... call me Green.

I bowed, my tentacles wriggling. Nice to meet you, Green. So, what happened here?

Green's glowing eyes stared at me without blinking, which unnerved me more than it should have. It's not as though he had eyelids, how was he supposed to blink? I used to be a powerful mage, Shold'ler. Too powerful. I grew to believe my will was all that mattered, and I began conquering the world one country at a time. Without my friends standing in my way, I might have succeeded, and then we likely would never have met. They... they shouldn't have been able to stop me. But through necromancy and blood rituals fueled by desperation and hope that I was not too far gone, they bound me to this place. Their lives were lost, and- no.

He hung his head in shame. They were not lost. I slew them where they stood and contrived to use their lives to escape, and all I managed to was create the hedge you came through. I'm afraid the vines would end you in moments, Shold'ler. I was quite the talent back then, but... I wish I hadn't been. It's been many centuries since then, and I've had time to look my actions over. I wasn't saving the world from itself. I was razing it to the ground and building a new one for myself.

I sat down cross-legged, genuinely curious. You use words I don't know, Green. Lost lives and conquering worlds and all that.

Green shook his head. I don't have the strength to reveal their meanings to you. I don't have the strength to see your expression change, however much I deserve to. But I tire of speaking only of myself, and it is a subject best left to history to sort out. Why are you here?

I thought it over. You know, you're not the first person to ask me that. I really don't know what to do here. I'm kind of getting the feeling that I might have a bit more power than Della, but if you're here, then I think there might be more people than just Della and that one tree I met, so it's hard to tell. You sounded surprised when I wasn't afraid of you, and I think you explained everything so that I would be. I've only just met you. I still don't really know what you're talking about. But you don't sound like a terrible person to me. You sound like you messed up in a big way, but I don't see a reason for me to be afraid of you. I do think you should apologize to your friends, though. They sound like pretty nice people.

Green was quiet for a moment. How I wish I could. Immortality comes with many prices. Unending guilt is merely one of them.

I looked up at the object pinning him to the stone. Do you want me to pull that out for you? It looks uncomfortable.

He dropped his head to look down at it. I don't believe you could if you wanted to.The woman who put that sword in was a mage specializing in binding magic, and you don't give me the feeling of someone with great power.

Mother always taught me that auras should be hidden. If someone wants to fight you, it should be because they feel strongly about something you did or about a disagreement, never just because they think it'll be fun. Grandfather could win fights just by showing his off. I don't have anything like his, but...

I closed my eyes, focusing on the lake in my soul and letting it flow outward. As I did, the air began to move a little faster, and the haze of gray dust floating in the air lifted, cracks that led to nowhere appearing in the ground. Green's eyes brightened, but I couldn't tell from what. I see... You are not what you appear to be as well. While I greatly appreciate your offer, I must refuse. This is my punishment, and it is one I accept gratefully.

I shrugged, pulling the waves of warped reality back into myself. Okay. Is there anything I can get you? I kind of feel bad just leaving you here.

Green shook his head. All I have is a request.

I started getting up, brushing my robes off. What is it?

His eyes drilled into mine, and I suddenly realized he absolutely knew what I was. Never accept a command from a person who refuses to listen to others. Never end a life unless every bone in your body demands their demise. I promise someone will try to make a contract with you. While some would benefit you, there are many dangers in such things. Beware of them. And... should you ever need advise, please return. Loneliness crushes one's soul better than any magick or spell I know.

I gave him a wave as I started heading back to the hedge. Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. And I have something I'd like you to do.

Name it. His voice was sincere, but a hint of suspicion ran through its undercurrents.

I looked over my shoulder at him. You don't have to do it right now. But try and forgive yourself in a while, okay? Very few people deserve to be alone forever, and I don't think you're one of them.

The hedge pushed and pulled at me as I made my way through it, but I still caught his soft reply as I went.

Thank you.