The new Life Tree stood tall at the center of the grove, its roots spread deep into the soil, veins of golden light pulsing through its trunk like the heartbeat of Aer itself. It was the symbol of all life, the anchor to Rachna—the Well of Creation—and the unyielding force that connected the living to the Life Stream. Its leaves shimmered in the breeze like whispered prayers, and as Derrex walked toward it with Xania in his arms, his heart was a knot of sorrow and desperation.
He had heard the stories—how the Life Tree had seen countless generations of beings rise and fall, and how it had witnessed the most profound moments in the history of all their kinds. But now, standing before it, Derrex could feel the weight of those tales in the pit of his stomach. Every breath felt like a prayer. Every step was another plea, a silent cry for mercy that reverberated in the air around him.
Xania was pale, her face hollow with exhaustion. Her eyes, once filled with the fire of rebellion and anger, now seemed distant—clouded with the fog of something far deeper, far older. She had been through so much already. Her mind was fractured, and the small spark of life she carried had been nearly extinguished. But there was still a flicker—a tiny flame—and that was why Derrex was here. He could not lose her. Not like this.
Raven stood at the edge of the Life Tree, tall and imposing, with his black wings folded tightly against his back. His eyes, dark as the abyss, regarded them with a cold detachment that gnawed at Derrex’s soul.
“You come seeking mercy,” Raven said, his voice like the sound of wind whispering through dead leaves. “But mercy is not for all. Xania’s fate was sealed long ago.”
“I don’t care what you think,” Derrex spat, his anger flaring. He held Xania tighter, as if trying to shield her from Raven’s cruel gaze. “You did this. You killed her and our child. You abandoned them to die.”
Raven’s eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. “You know nothing of the costs that mortals are asked to pay, of the forces at play in this world. Your grief clouds your judgment.”
“Then you will understand,” Derrex said, his voice low and dangerous. “I will never forgive you. Not for this. Not for what you’ve done.”
Raven’s gaze softened, just for a moment, before he turned his attention to Gytha. “Take her to Rachna,” he commanded, his tone brokering no argument. “If she survives, she will serve the Fey Kingdom.”
Derrex’s heart skipped a beat. “No... not Rachna. You would send her there to die?”
“She has no choice. Her survival rests on the will of Rachna now,” Raven said, turning his back to them, as if the conversation were already over. “Take her.”
Gytha stepped forward, her form unnaturally still, like a statue brought to life. Her expression was inscrutable, though the faintest hint of sorrow flickered in her eyes. She reached for Xania, her touch gentle but firm.
For a moment, Derrex hesitated, caught between the desire to protect Xania and the harsh reality of their situation. There was no other choice. Raven had spoken, and the Dryad’s judgment was final.
Xania, her body trembling with the strain of their journey, looked at Derrex with her dimming eyes. She whispered something, barely audible.
“Save him,” her hands weakly slid to her stomach.
The words cracked him open, but there was no time for tears. He nodded, his throat tight with emotion. “I will, Xania. I swear it. Just hold on.”
With that, Gytha took Xania away from him and toward the shimmering waters of Rachna, the Well of Creation that lay hidden within the secrets of Enaid. The water was dark and still, and its surface reflected the sky like a mirror, but beneath it lay a power that could transform the very fabric of life itself.
The air around the well seemed to pulse with magic, ancient and unyielding. Derrex watched, his heart in his chest, as Gytha lowered Xania into the waters. The moment Xania’s feet touched the surface, the water began to ripple with a force that sent a shiver down Derrex’s spine. The world seemed to hold its breath.
For what felt like an eternity, there was only silence. Then, slowly, the water began to glow, the light a soft, ethereal green that swirled around Xania’s form. Her body seemed to twist and stretch, the water pulling her into its depths as if it were both life-giving and consuming. Derrex’s heart pounded in his chest as he saw her face, her eyes closed, her body sinking into the abyss.
Then, a burst of light—white and bright as a star—erupted from the surface of the water, sending a shockwave of energy that rattled the ground beneath Derrex’s feet. He shielded his eyes, and when he opened them, Xania was rising from the depths, her body glowing with an otherworldly radiance. Her form had changed—her once fragile, human shape now a manifestation of something much more powerful.
Xania stood on the surface of the water, her eyes glowing with the fierce light of her transformation. She was no longer the woman who had once struggled with her memories. No longer the girl who had been torn apart by the betrayal of the Techie Kingdom. She was something new, something fierce and beautiful—a force of nature, born of fire and wind.
Derrex felt his breath catch as he stared at her. He had always known she was special, but this... this was something beyond understanding.
Raven, standing at the edge of Rachna, watched the transformation with quiet contemplation. His eyes narrowed as he took in Xania’s new form. It was as if he could see the change happening in real time—something ancient, something vast awakening within her.
Xania’s voice, when it came, was like the wind—sharp and cutting, but with an underlying warmth that burned like fire.
“Raven,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “You took everything from me. My life. My power. My future.” She stepped forward, her movements fluid, graceful, but with the weight of her newfound power behind every step. “And have taken everything from you.” She gestured to Dipak that Gytha now cradled in her arms.
The wind began to swirl around her, rising in a gentle, unrelenting storm. Flames flickered along the edges of her form, glowing bright and intense like the embers of a long-dead fire, yet somehow untamed, unbound. It was a raw, uncontrolled power—fire and wind, life and death.
Raven’s expression remained impassive, but Derrex could feel the shift in the air, the weight of power gathering in the space between them. He took a step forward, ready to stand by Xania’s side, ready to fight whatever came next.
Raven turned to face him, his wings stretching wide, dark as night. His voice was a cold wind. “You have no understanding of what you witness.”
“I will protect her with my life,” Derrex said, his voice steady despite the storm building in the air. “I don't need to understand anything else.”
Raven’s gaze flickered to Xania, and then to Derrex, a moment of silent acknowledgment passing between them. The Dryad’s voice broke through the tension, cold and final.
“It is done,” Raven said, turning his back to them both. “Xania, you are now bound to the Life Tree. Your role has been decided.”
Derrex didn't understand. He looked at Gytha who hummed softly as she gently combed her claws through Dipak's hair.
Xania pressed her hands against her chest and gasped as the memories flooded into her. Life times unspooled themselves in her mind, telling her a thousand stories of these two souls. Dipak, living and dying to protect the Life Tree, but always finding Raven. She looked down upon the now broken creature as she remembered killing him.
Xania’s future was no longer hers to control. She had been bound to the Life Spark and the endless cycle of duty that came with it. She was now the guardian of the Life Tree, the protector of Aer, the one who would carry the weight of endless lives upon her shoulders. Raven had given her Dipak's heavy mantle and she understood that Raven’s final act was yet to come.
Raven turned his gaze to Dipak, the Life Spark who had stood at the heart of this unyielding cycle for so long. Dipak’s presence was an aching thing—an entity bound by the ancient power of the Life Tree, his soul tied to the cycles of life and death. Brittle, broken and crumbling beneath the years of it. And now, Raven turned to him with a solemn expression.
“Dipak,” Raven said, his voice low, “you have fulfilled your role. It is time to release you.”
A moment of intense silence passed. Then Raven raised his hand, and a surge of power rippled through the air. Dipak’s form shimmered and the fire faded from him, and with a quiet breath, he was freed also from the power of the wind. The energy that had once sustained him dissipated, and he sagged limp in Gytha's embrace. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile, his form an empty grey.
Gytha cooed at him and ran her claws along his cheek. Something pulled inside her and she hugged him close to her, trembling. He gently patted her arm and murmured a reassurance, "My mind is quiet now."
Raven knelt down beside them. He pressed his claw hard and sure against Dipak's neck. Blood pour from the wound and Dipak's eyes went wide for a moment. Then his body collapsed, lifeless, and Gytha felt a profound emptiness take hold of her.
Dipak was gone.
For a moment, everything was still. Then, Raven’s voice cut through the silence.
“I will look for you in future lives, Dipak,” he said, smoothing the hair from Dipak's face. “Return to the Life Stream.”
And in that moment, Derrex understood. Dipak, the Life Spark who had suffered through endless lifetimes, was now free. His journey had ended, and his soul would flow back into the Life Stream, awaiting its next incarnation without the burden of remembering.
Raven took Dipak from Gytha and went back to the Life Tree, disappearing into the large trunk.
