Tristam

Courtesy art by kyrgyz.

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I wish I can see her again, for one last time.

It was the last thought that went through his head when his mind drifted away.

He never regret his decision to leave her. He had to see the remains of his clan and pay tribute to his clanmates' passing, and avenge their death. And died beside them.

It's just, a wish.

Then he closed his eyes.

*****

The next thing he knew he was floating off his cold body. Was he going to the afterlife? It's so... blue. He thought it would be whiter, brighter.... Then he surfaced. The familiar tree was glowing its eerie blue light underneath the moon, with her standing beside it. Surprised, he opened his mouth to call her name.

Only the sound of trickling water came out.

He raise his hands, saw the translucent figure of a body made of water, and the surface of the lake where he stood. She came over and touch his watery face, and images flashed through his vision - he saw his body underneath the lake, entangled in the grasp of those roots of the tree; he saw the faint light of the magic surrounds the body that trapped his soul within; and saw his watery figure from the her perspective.

"Don't leave me again." She said, "I promise I'll keep you safe. So stay with me. Forever."

He nodded.

*****

Folks in the nearby villages tells of a tale. A tale about a giant tree by the lakeside that glows blue underneath the moonlight, and how its leaves and sap can heal anything. It also tells of a guardian, a warrior of the lake that guards the tree, and fights off anyone who dare to go near. Many had ventured into the forest searching after the healing power of the tree, but none had returned. Only the tale remains.

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