I'm standing ankle deep in a massive pond. These are my last moments. My final act is to write this last chapter. If you ever read this, here is your warning: The Earth is not yours. She is divine. She has always been here. And She doesn’t need us.

It started with the glow up ahead. I walked on with the beasts not chasing me, but beside me now. My final escort. We all knew what was coming. We marched together, beast with beast. I cannot call myself a man any longer. The glow grew stronger and brighter, until it was like a blue daylight washed over the forest. Singing the whole way. Each moss and fungus glows and dances now as I stand in the water. We’re at the

centre of the Earth. The banks of the ponds are lined with the creatures from the deep. There are the dragon-esque ones, with glittering silver and gold skin, flicking tongues, and wicked claws. There are small birds perched in the tree branches, and they’re painted colours that you’ve never dreamed of. There are beetles and centipedes on every leaf, clicking and buzzing with anticipation. Their wings reflect every thought and emotion. The water stands still as glass, and as soon as I took my first step into it, I knew I'd never leave it again. It holds me by the ankles, smooth as silk but firm as iron. This is the end.

In each creature I see a man I've wronged. One with Mitch’s eyes, one with Joe’s grimace. Ones with patterned skin like the rash that killed so many. They stand, solemn and unforgiving. But in a way, they aren't cruel. They're wild. We marched together to the edge of the pond, singing the song that now fills my ears and my mind. It told me to go in the water, and so I did. I feel the Earth here, stronger than anywhere else. The pond is Her heart, and I'm standing in Her blood. I can feel it absorbing into my veins, slowly taking over what's left of my body. It stings and burns more than any acid, but it also relieves me. I am bathed in the Earth’s essence, Her life blood, and Her power. It is too much for any mortal to touch without dissolving, and even now I can feel pieces of myself stripping away under Her touch. She’s taking me home, and She’s taking away my sins, my pain. I’m seeing through the end I was destined ever since I first saw the beast my father held captive in our house. That beast stands here now, taller than the rest. It looks me in the eye with no anger or malice. Just peace. It knows how I’ve suffered, being in a cage for so long. I will be set free of my broken body, and sent to go back among the grasses, the creatures, and the Earth. I wonder what I’ll get to be next.

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The water is up to my chest now. It's filling my lungs and pumping straight through my heart. All of my poisoned blood leaked away long ago. Everything always was leading up to this point, and it is finally here, coming to life in my death. The pool is the deepest, blue-purple colour you’ve ever seen. It sparkles with starlight, and it ripples with knowlege and power coming from deep below. Soon my hands will dissolve away and I will write no more. Ink flows freely from the tip of my quill, needing no source. It's bleeding out across the page in every colour of a sunrise.

I found Benjamin. He’s there, in the crowd. He’s magnificent. Wearing a thick velvet cloak of deepest greens. The pattern seems to flicker and flip like leaves in the wind before a storm. He has a gold circlet round his forehead, and his hair is long and braided through with flowers and moss. His skin is tan and radiant, and his eyes shine into my soul like a beam of heavenly light. The beasts, creatures, insects, and birds are gathered around him like he’s a great king. He’s holding a massive, carved staff, and he’s conducting the song like a master of the musical arts. He has been here forever, protecting the Earth. He will be here forever, always.

The water is up to my neck now. I'm holding the journal above my head to keep it from getting wet. Soon I’ll toss it clear of the water, for someone else to find someday. Maybe they’ll learn from my mistakes. Maybe it's not too late for all of us. It's not too late to try. Stop using the Earth, stop consuming mindlessly. Remember to give back to the soil from which you sprung, and remember how far down your roots have to grow. She might let you suck up all the air and tear up the flowers and grass for now, but someday the price will be paid. It could be your children, their children who pay for it. She will bring fire and brimstone, and it will be a long, awful fight. Each step and breath will kill them a little more. And they can cry out for someone, anyone to help, but if She decides to end us all, there isn't a thing that can be done about it. The Earth doesn't need us, and if we continue to destroy Her, She will take us all down and remain in the aftermath, laughing. She bore us, but She will strike us from Her side if we force Her hand.

I saw a strange light, like a flash. I saw my own face, reflected and distorted through scarlet and silver. Heat, scorching heat. Like the Devil Himself used my bones for matchsticks. I smelled metal and blood. My outsides froze over and my insides boiled until there was nothing left. The Devil was here

It's time now. Wake up and do something before it's too late.