Nightmare

Even though I was in a forest where the sunlight warmed me as it filtered through the branches, I closed my eyes and the cold came.

Everything around me disappeared. The grass, the sky, the sounds of the animals were no longer there. Everything was grey. Fire burned everywhere, and I could hear the pounding of hooves, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of steel from elven armor.

A shadow was approaching me. That was all it was: a shadow. I couldn't make out its face, not even the shape of its clothing. It let out a laugh that hurt my ears.

—Kamasylvia's dog. Protect the Ganelles. Just try it and die.

I took a few steps back, frozen, not knowing what to do. Instinctively, the first thing I did was draw my bow, and sparks wrapped around me, warning me that I truly was in danger. And yet, the moment I tried to draw an arrow, it wouldn't come free, and the bowstring snapped on its own.

I stared at what had been my weapon in disbelief, afraid that it might be some kind of magic cast by that shadow. Then it spoke again, its words burrowing into my ears as though they meant to tear me apart from the inside.

—You can't defeat me because you're weak. Weaker than the rest of your kind.

Then the enemy moved fast.

Something struck my chest and sent me backwards, and I could do nothing but lose my balance.

I fell.

But there was no ground.

I just kept falling.

The glow of that war-torn fire grew more distant as I sank deeper into a void that seemed to have no end. My ears were still ringing. I couldn't see anything... My hand lost its strength and I let go of my broken bow, the only weapon I knew could protect me.

And I fell.

And fell.

It grew colder and colder. My body was still on edge, sparks wrapping around me in alarm.

I was in danger.

Perhaps more than ever before.

At last, the fall came to an end.

I crashed onto something that seemed to belong to an enormous tree... A branch?

...No.

It was a root.

They were the Roots.

The moment I tried to sit up, my body glowed a little brighter, almost like a yellow firefly, and I looked around.

Roots were everywhere. Some larger than others, but almost all of them bore signs of suffering. They were covered in cuts, countless scars carved into them. Some areas showed signs of having been burned again and again; others were poisoned by some kind of demonic miasma.

—I'm sorry... so sorry... —I trembled, grief-stricken as I watched the sacred tree dying beneath the earth. And whatever was happening outside, up there, didn't seem to be making things any better.

The roots seemed to notice my presence.

Some of them began to twist toward me, almost like thorn-covered brambles. They wrapped themselves around my arms and lifted me into the air.

I tried to force myself free, but it was useless. Worse still, every attempt hurt. The thorns dug into my arms as though they were claiming me, while my body could do nothing but surround itself with sparks in alarm.

The tree didn't care.

If anything, it seemed that was exactly what it wanted me to do.

The thorns sank deeper into my flesh, and I felt my energy beginning to fade...

In pain, I looked toward the roots. Little by little, they began to glow, appearing more alive... more beautiful, shimmering with tiny flashes of blue and white light.

The tree was healing.

My sparks were feeding it.

Meanwhile, my eyes were slowly closing, overwhelmed by an unbearable need to sleep.

I didn't want this to continue.

I wanted to get out of there.

I wanted to live.

All I could think about was everyone I had met, everyone I had grown to care about...

But that tree needed my help.

I took what might have been my final breath...

And finally woke, releasing it all at once as I choked back a desperate cry that tore its way out of my throat.

My hands flew to my arms.

I touched my bracers.

The sun was high above me, the forest surrounding me once again.

I was in Serendia, still breathing so fast I could barely control it.

After a while, I managed to calm myself and let out a long sigh. I lowered my back onto the grass again and covered my face with one arm.

It was only a nightmare.