Regaining my composure, I was sent back out of the cave and into the wasteland in order to make it to the tree safely. I had full confidence in myself that I would come back here later and destroy that damned cave. With the sun starting to set, I made haste.

Climbing up the steep slope of rocks proved to be easier then I thought, since the jagged edges helped with my footwork. Before the cover of darkness, I was able to make it halfway to the top. Then the idea struck me: if time in this 'dimension' didn't pass the same as time in my world, then wouldn't that mean I age faster the more time I spend in here? Too deep into thought, my left foot slipped.

Dragging my hands down on the rocky surface to try and catch something to grab onto tore the skin off of my hands, leaving behind red marks wherever I skid. Frantically trying to find something to grab ahold of, my foot fell onto a large spike. It impaled my foot completely.

The pain I felt made me want to leap off the rocks into my easy death. The tearing of my tendons and muscle, whenever I moved even a bit, made the pain shoot up through my entire body. Gritting my teeth, I pulled my foot off the spike and continued onward.

The blood loss began to make my body cold, so I sat on the largest rock I could find on the slope and tore part of my pants off, wrapping the cloth around my foot and tying it together. The school doesn't sound so bad right about now. I'd take another beating any day over this shit... With the bleeding a bit under control, I curled into a fetal position and fell asleep.

I suddenly woke up with a cold sweat after my nightmares, feeling worse than ever. My foot ached of pain and I was sore all over. Honestly, I feel like giving up right about now and waiting for my death. However, I do want to see what that tree is all about. If it's able to make that mass murderer make a 180 switch in personalities, it must be pretty fucking incredible.

Making my way up the slope felt easier than before, probably because my entire body was numb to any pain right now. Making the most of it, I was about two-thirds of the way there. The putrid scent of the cavern kept haunting me, making me convulse and vomit again. I haven't even taken a shit or eaten yet... I just keep throwing everything back up.

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Finally, from what seemed like forever, my journey has come to an end. I was at the top of the slope and the massive tree was in sight over the edge. The tree itself had to be as tall as a skyscraper, and upon it hung tons of golden apples. Pulling myself over the edge, I began to crawl towards the tree. I'm not sure what I was even here for, but I'm sure the answer would come to me. Making my way towards the tree, the golden apples shone brighter than before.

Then the ground started to shake and rumble. An earthquake maybe? No... what the fuck is that... Over the edge of where the tree was, a large claw appeared. Then another. What came over the edge truly answered my question of where I was; another world.

A dragon-like creature, nearly as tall as the tree, coiled around it. Its massive figure sent shivers down my spine. Its scales were a golden bronze, each one in perfect symmetry with the others. With a bright white stomach, it seemed as if it was a creature from a fairy tale. It had too many heads for me to count, each baring teeth as sharp as daggers and as white as a cloud.

The dragon, completely coiled around the tree, had all of its heads faced towards me. Completely synchronized, each head opened its mouth. Inside, red orbs started to appear. Wait wait wait, am I about to get obliterated into dust? "W-wait! I come from the Forest of Ents!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping the mythical creature would hear me.

The dragon must have heard me, as it lowered a head down and stopped the orbs from forming. "From the Forest of Ents? For what reason do you come here today young one?" the dragon asked. "That... I'm not sure. An Ent told me to meet his friend in the North East. I've had... quite a journey. Please, tell me this is the end?" I pleaded towards the dragon. If I have to go through anything more, I might as well quit now and let him destroy my entire being.

"Hmph. Very well, if that's the case, you must be the final one." the dragon snorted. "The final one? What does that mean?" I asked the dragon.

With a snicker, the dragon answered "The final Fate of course."