Breaks:
[L1,2 or 3] represents the beginning of a flashback to one of Elena's past lives. There is more than one past life, which is why they're numbered. Though, these memories are usually told as she sleeps and Elena herself cannot remember them.
[/L1,2 or 3] represents the end of a flashback to one of Elena's past lives.
[P] represents the beginning of a retelling of a memory in Elena's current life.
[/P] represents the end of a retelling of a memory in Elena's current life.
~3~ is just a timeskip
AN: Hey guys! Enjoy the story!
So early in the morning, everything was quiet. Which was why I had moved to the room with the spare chests to watch how the rain fell in sheets from the sky. I focused my attention on the sound of the raindrops that pocked against the window and the way the early sun was barely able to make it's presence known through all the water. Every now and then I'd spot how a stark streak of light would jaggedly cut through the sky then listened to the abrupt crackle that shook the Summit Tree a little more with each replication.
I hadn't actually gotten much sleep at all. I'd woken with a sharp panic in my system that had careened me out of the bed. I'm still not sure how Yugo hadn't woken with how closely we'd slept together. After I'd slipped out from under the covers, I grabbed all my belongings that I'd need and portaled over to the room with my plants.
I'd been rather frantic as I gathered things and put them in my bag. I'm still not sure how much time passed before I woke enough to realize that my actions were ludicrous. While the panic was still there, I was able to manage it enough to wonder at why I'd gathered a bit of all my medicine in preparation for a trip.
Eventually I managed to leave that room, though I couldn't bring myself to not bring my medicine with me. That's when I went into the room with the spare chests. Which is where I stayed in my attempt to finally calm.
One of the spare chests were pushed closer to the single window of the room. I'd sat down atop the lid to lean my arms on the sill with my chin rested on my wrists. A faded blue blanket had been fished out so it could be wrapped around me for mild warmth. My leg bounced. Extra energy coursed through me, giving me the desire to at least pace across the room. But I forced myself to stay still, knowing that if I paced it would be easier to give in to this panic that had nothing to do with the present.
From time to time this happened. Where I would wake with strong remnant emotions from one of the many dreams I could never remember. There was nothing to be done about it except to wait it out, let it go away on it's own. If the remnant emotion were easy enough to quell- like hunger for example- I'd do so. But for something like panic and fear or anger and deep sadness... all I could do was search for a place that felt safe and let it gradually fade. Nothing could quell it and giving in to those strong emotions tended to make them last longer than I was comfortable with. Gradually allowing the emotion to fade was the best option.
While I wasn't sure how long exactly I'd been here, I knew it was long enough for the sun to gather the strength to show itself. Bully it's way through the thick clouds as though it needed to remind everyone below that it still existed.
When I closed my eyes for too long that panic I'd woken to would bubble right back up again. There was an insistent sense that I needed to go and check on someone. Over and over I asked myself who. Who was I to check on? All my mind could conjure in answer were azure eyes.
Of course, there was only one person I knew who had azure eyes. But checking on him didn't make sense with the panic that I had felt when I awoke. He'd been asleep right beside me after all. What was there to be fearful of? Why had I been certain that I needed medicine on hand? There was no way that I'd know if Yugo had actually caught a cold while I slept.
Perhaps I should simply go make sure everyone was alright even though I already knew this. I'd already tended to them after all.
Mostly I just wanted to go back to bed. Be near Yugo in general. But I was far too anxious for sleep. On top of it, if Yugo had been about to catch a cold like I had suspected yesterday then, it was best to let him get lots of sleep. Whatever it was could be gone by the time he'd wake up.
I pulled my blanket closer, letting it get pulled down from atop my head to land on my shoulders, and gripped it tight. My chest hurt from how fast my heart was still beating. It made my breath short and painful. All I wanted was to jump up and follow the urge to check on everyone. Instead I ended up stiff in my effort to stay still where I was. Tried to push the thoughts away and focus on the storm.
Gently I let my forehead fall to my blanket covered arms. Blocked out all sight and focused on the pressure the position put on my eyes. My heart was still beating much too fast. I pressed on my eyes harder.
Calm, calm, calm. Be calm my heart.
The fabric ear of my hat twitched in time with my real ear as my hearing picked up the noise of a door opening elsewhere in the Summit Tree. I hadn't planned to move, in no proper state to really investigate. Someone could just be thirsty and with the amount of rain that fell from the sky any cup put out the kitchen window would fill within seconds. Though that didn't mean I stopped listening.
A few steps in the hall. A pause where there was no sound. More steps, a little louder, closer. Another pause.
Perplexed, I froze. Why would anyone need to stop so often when simply walking down the hall? All those whom were here already knew what the rooms were used for and what was inside.
More steps sounded. Even closer than before. They stopped just outside the room I was in.
My head slowly lifted, that panic in my chest growing all the more. My mind supplied me with an answer almost immediately. There was someone here who wasn't an adventurer. A villager. And that villager was looking for something. Or someone.
Seconds from springing to my feet and casting a portal, magic not of my own suddenly flared to life right behind me. It flooded my senses and sent a powerful flush of relief through me. Instantly I sat up to a sharp inhale of breath that had matched my own.
"Elena."
My eyes prickled with tears. In my chest, my heart still pounded hard enough to leave bruises on my ribs but not because of panic any longer. I'd whipped around at the quiet call, already half way off the chest in attempt to stand, only to be engulfed in a warm embrace. Recognition zipped through me just as the panic that I'd felt ever since I'd woken finally slipped away completely. I held Yugo just as tightly as he did me.
"Yugo."
If the panic I felt had been a person, then it had froze, let out a sigh, and then portaled away to wherever it goes until it's needed again.
A soft weight fell on my head, just before my ears on my hat. With how I was tucked to his shoulder I assumed he'd let his chin rest there. He let out a content breath. Tension in him seemed to melt away. I did my best to try and get my tears under control, even if that task was made infinitely harder with the extra warmth that came from this hug.
With my head tucked under his chin it was easier to simply focus on what I felt in the moment. That gentle rhythmic thud Yugo's heart made near my ear. Each breath that filled his lungs. How his body subtly rose and fell with each one taken. The way in which he held me close, as though braced for a storm.
Before I'd known it I had already relaxed, a calm that was still both foreign and familiar settled over me. Familiar because I'd started to notice how this always seemed to happen with hugs from Yugo. Absolutely foreign because I wasn't anywhere near used to this. While calming, it also set my heart racing in my chest. I didn't really... understand it.
Overall I felt more... stable. Secure even.
Against my closed eyelids I saw the flash of light that lit up the room for a split second. The Summit Tree shivered under our feet at the sound of thunder that followed.
Simultaneously, we slowly separated. Arms still around one another. As though he was just as reluctant as I was to part. So I reached down to grab the blanket that hand partially fallen into my lap then I offered an end of it to him in silent invitation to sit with me.
He sat, wrapped his end of the blanket around his shoulders. We squished together comfortably and held the fabric closed under our chins. A soft sigh of content left Yugo while we both stared out at the desolate morning. The sound had something in me feel light. Almost proud. Mostly, I just felt content as well.
I was also glad to be free of the panic and the muddled mind that brought on.
"...are you okay?"
"Me?" For some reason he sounded incredulous.
When I looked away from the wavy sheets of water and the mesmerizing way it fell down the window, it was to meet Yugo's azure gaze that was already on me. A flash of light lit up his features in sharp relief. Then the Summit Tree trembled at the boom that followed. Yugo tensed until the reverberation ended and the Summit Tree was still.
"You disappeared." Yugo stated quietly, solemn.
Suddenly guilt snapped at my insides like how fish snapped up insects from the water's surface. I didn't quite understand why I felt guilty, but I ducked my head to get away from his searching gaze anyhow. He leaned forward to catch my attention again. Yugo did not allow me to hide.
"Are you okay?"
My eyes closed. Throat closed up. Why did it simultaneously hurt yet feel so nice to hear that question...? I'd ponder that later. Now wasn't the time for it.
"I... this is... what upset you?" I questioned tentatively, not even sure if I actually wanted to hear the answer to that.
"You disappeared." Yugo restated like that was all the answer that was needed. It was not. I shook my head. "Elena, you're my-" he stopped himself. Eyes widening slightly he looked away. With a breath, "-my friend." he completed, as though it were difficult to say. I wasn't sure how that made me feel.
Happy? Upset? Excited? Terrified? How the group of travelers- a group of friends- behaved among one another seemed to differ from how groups of friends in the village seemed to behave.
What really jumped out at me was how quickly I was going to loose this new and refreshing bond that I had managed to create between myself and all the adventurers if... if I decided to stay on the island. But if I left, I'd leave my bond with Moon behind. A trade off I still didn't want to decide on.
The repairs to their schooner were complete. Despite this rain, the storm would pass. Come calm waters, Yugo and the others would board their ship and sail away. With- or without- me.
I was torn. Leave Moon... or let Yugo leave me. The decision needed to be made. There was no more time left. Having both Moon and Yugo was not an option, no matter how blissful that dream might be.
If I left... everything would be new and uncertain. There'd be nothing familiar to anchor myself. No place I could go to where I'd know I'd be safe. But... I'd be able to be with Yugo. Discover new things with him. Help him find his family. Enjoy more wondrous hugs together. And maybe... maybe we could learn how to keep one another safe.
While, if I stayed, everything and nothing will have changed. I'd still know the entire island by memory. Botan may try, but I'd still stay away from the village that still wanted nothing to do with me. My days I'd spend like all the others; gathering my plants and making what I would need from them- be it for medicine or for clothes and bandages. Moon would still be with me, occasionally adding mischief to my life and generally keeping me company. And all that would be normal.
Only... I'd probably also find myself wondering just what Yugo and the others were up to. If they had found Yugo's family yet or not. Occasionally I'd probably worry if any one of them had gotten hurt, if they got proper treatment for the injury so no infections could fester into a lifelong ailment. And I'd started to get used to the routine of eating with others... I'd probably feel the loss of it every night.
As painful as it was to acknowledge it, Moon was my main reason as to why I'd choose stay. All the other things this island gave me... I could probably find them somewhere else. But Moon? There was only one Moon.
What if he got hurt while I was away? Who would be there for him when he cried because the other monkeys were mean? When would I see him again? Would he look up to the stars and wonder where I'd gone? Wonder why he'd been left alone? How would he take it when I didn't return right away? Will he assume that I was dead or just hate that I chose to stay away? There was no way to properly explain to Moon that I'd be able to come back later and one of the last things I wanted was for him to feel like I had abandoned him. He'd stay in the Summit Tree, alone again, without me here.
Could I live with myself if I did that to another being?
(Something that had been done to me by others, something I had hated. Something that had hurt. But something that had been mollified for me with Moons presence. Something that no one could mollify for Moon.)
A shiver of dread went through me at the thought. Not wanting to contemplate it anymore I leaned over to my friend, closed the few inches between us so our shoulders touched. Again the word sent a flurry of emotions through me, mostly pleasant ones though.
At the touch he'd gone stiff. Immediately I thought that maybe I had gone too far- seconds into finding out I had a meaningful bond and I'd gone and ruined it- until a gentle pressure touched the side of my head. From our reflection in the window I could see how he'd leaned his own head against mine. Relieved, I relaxed against his side.
My mind circled right back to how comfortable this was. How I wanted to do this more often. Was it okay to ask for hugs randomly throughout a day, now that I knew we were friends? What about snuggles like this? I sure hoped it was... I didn't want to only get this treatment when I was upset.
"You're my friend, Elena." Yugo repeated softly. For a minute he leaned on my head a little more, as though to give a semblance of a hug. "Of course I'll worry if you disappear. Especially when I don't expect it."
Stunned, I felt the start of tears pickle at my eyes again. My insides felt like mush from how warm I was. At the same time that guilt from before seemed to eat said mushy insides like I was a fresh kill.
Head turned to his shoulder, my words came out slightly muffled against his neck. "Sorry," I replied softly, immediately feeling ashamed. He shivered like my words unsettled him so I closed my eyes and drew strength from the comfort he always seemed to provide for me. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just..."
Eyes shut even tighter, I spat out the words, hyperaware of how stiff Yugo had gotten in under a few seconds. "I had a bad dream." When he didn't say anything right away I let out an inaudible sigh, "I think... I can't exactly remember."
"...n- no?" Yugo sounded both uncertain and... almost curious?
"No." I confirmed, "I... I don't usually remember any of my dreams. But," eyes opened I turned to the window and watched the water fall down the pane once again. "Sometimes though... I wake with strong emotions from whatever I'd dreamt about... Most of the time they go away pretty quick, but sometimes... those feelings stay a long while."
Proud of myself for finding the words I looked up to Yugo.
Despite how the shadows in the room kept him mostly in the dark, I knew that he already gazed back. From where I was his hat couldn't hide his eyes nearly as well as it usually did. Their azure color almost seemed to glow in the weak morning light. And something that I thought might be understanding was there in his eyes. Once again I couldn't help but silently marvel at how much can be relayed within the eyes alone.
Gaze slipped away, Yugo looked down to his left for a moment. An old pain began to seep into his posture, "I wake at night because of that too, sometimes." Yugo admitted softly, almost too softly to hear despite our close proximity. "Dad did his best to help where he could, but he could never quite..."
Still leaned against him, I brought up my legs so they were sideways on the lid of the chest. With barely any detectable movement I shifted over until I was completely pressed against Yugo in assurance. Then Yugo's side of the blanket was tugged on and he shifted close enough for our hips touch too. Sufficiently comfortable, I patiently waited for him to gather his words, like he so often did for me.
"...never quite make it go away." A soft sigh left him at that, eyes closed. "Not completely."
When Yugo opened his again, they were distinctly sad. What he'd said troubled him. I looked back to our reflections, upset and a little hurt all of the sudden. One of my hands went to the strap of my medicine bag that crossed my body. The weight of the bag itself seemed to dig into my hip.
A stray thought passed as I took in our postures; I wished that I could do more than simply lean on him, I wanted to help him like how he was able to help me so naturally. However, I had no starting point. Where would I even begin to try something like that? What would that even look like? This wasn't something that could be solved by searching the island for the right plant and preparing it. If that had been a viable solution I would have tried it on myself long ago.
"...not like you can."
Eyes widened, I took in a sharp breath as my gaze snapped up to meet his. The gaze he gave was heavy, and maybe even... searching? I wasn't sure. His head was tilted curiously at me, brow barely furrowed.
"...me?" I questioned, not sure if I'd heard that right. My heart beat sped up again.
At my question his eyes widened with realization. My stomach flipped. A dark red colored his cheeks.
But then... he gave a shy nod. In that moment his gaze was not at all dissimilar to Moon's, when my monkey friend was injured and held out his injury for me to take care of. Trusting. My body warmed.
Somehow I felt pleased and humbled and awed and even relieved from the notion.
Right after alarmed washed in, directed at my own reactions. Why do I react this way physically? Was I the one who was sick? Had I caught some sort of stomach bug? While the feeling itself wasn't bad, it wasn't exactly normal either.
The Summit Tree gave another mighty shiver and we both flinched from the sudden unexpected boom from outside. It sounded like the worst of the storm was now right over the island. I hadn't even noticed any flash of lightning that had proceeded the thunder.
"Yugo," I drew his attention when we recovered, as a realization had occurred to me. "The feeling I woke up to today? It only truly went away after I saw that you were in the room with me."
This time my words had pulled a small smile from Yugo. While he didn't quite meet my gaze I didn't miss how his eyes had lit up. Though his posture was still somewhat shy. Yet I could spot how he was pleased too.
Oddly enough the sight didn't induce the instinct to retract what I'd said. Rather, it felt nice to tell him. Relieving. And not just in the sense that I was glad the panic I'd woken to was (finally) completely gone. It drew a smile from me and made me glad. Perhaps I should make a habit out of telling him how I felt.
Light flashed through the window, nearly blindingly. We both closed our eyes against the suddenness of it. Then a deafening crash resonated through the Summit Tree. It's strength reverberated up through the tree and into my body as though I'd just been sucker punched. Trembling, I hadn't even realized how Yugo and I had grabbed onto one another for support until the blanket fell away, dispersing the bubble of warmth we'd been in.
Another crack resounded through the Summit Tree, except I knew this one did not come from thunder. It was followed by the distinct groan of broken wood slowly breaking away from itself. Alarm rushed through me even as I tried to regain my senses enough to simply see.
Gasping, I did my best to focus when my ears were ringing and all I could really focus on was my sense of touch. One hand had flung out to the windowsill to grip the wood tightly. My other had grabbed Yugo's forearm with just as much strength as he'd grabbed mine. After a moment Yugo came back into focus, just as wide eyed and narrow-pupiled as I no doubt was.
His mouth moved as though to say something but all I could comprehend was how muffled his voice sounded. Which only spoke to how loud that crack of wood must have been. With a shake of my head at him, I pushed myself off the chest and swayed somewhat once on my feet. If it weren't for Yugo's hold on me I might have fallen. I didn't bother to let him go.
"We need to check on everyone!" I shouted at Yugo, barely able to make out my own words. By the uncomprehending look in his eyes it was dubious how much he'd understood from it.
With a tug I pulled Yugo to his feet after me. Made a gesture for him to follow but still didn't loosen my hold of his arm. He didn't seem to mind and made no movement to let my arm go either.
We went to the door of the room, where I tugged it open- only to have it be shut quickly again. Yugo had pulled me back when black dry smoke spilled inside and stole the breath from my lungs, he'd slammed the door shut at the same time.
"Are you okay!?" Yugo's voice still sounded muffled, though I could just make out what he said now. I nodded my head as I blinked the sudden dryness away from my eyes while I coughed.
Outside, the storm seemed to have only gotten worse. Flashes of light lit up the room every other minute, the rumbles that followed them were felt in my entire being- though none seemed to be as bad as the one that had just hit the Summit Tree. Because that's what had happened wasn't? The Summit Tree had been hit, and now it was on fire.
"The tunnels," I told Yugo as soon as I was able. "You remember where the entrance is?"
"Yes." He nodded with understanding in his tone. "I'll get Dally and Ruel!"
As he moved to make a portal, I stopped him. "Wait!"
From my bag I pulled out several pieces of cloth. Opening a set of portals of my own I reached inside with two of the cloths in hand, only to pull my hand out a second later. The cloths were now soaked. I handed one to Yugo and tied the other around my face so it covered my nose and mouth. He followed my lead and I nodded, handed him two of the four left over cloths. For a second I was almost positive Yugo said something else to me but I had only caught the sound of my name. Then he was gone, his portal winked closed behind him.
My hand went back into my bag and I pulled out my mask. With it securely on top of the wet cloth, I won't have to worry about said fabric strip getting loose. Prepared, I opened my first set of portals and jumped through.
Something small, brown and furry darted from the basket in the room and jumped up at me. Breath was forced out of my lungs at the impact from a type of attack I hadn't been expecting. I slid back until the backs of my knees hit the bed and sat down on it heavily.
"Moon," I rasped, barely able to form the word.
Said monkey stayed still in my arms only long enough to determine that I wasn't moving around. Then he was up, crawled around and on me in both visual and verbal inspection. I did my best to catch the quick creature so we could move on.
From under the door I could see the start of red flames licking at the wood on this side. It left behind chard marks on the door and produced billowing black smoke that gathered more and more on the ceiling. Even though it was only a few flames, the heat it radiated was still felt from all the way across the room.
With one hand I held Moon still against the back of my head as I made another set of portals. The moment I did Moon went still, as though realizing what I was doing.
I nearly regretted jumping through my portal seconds after I landed on the other side. Heat blasted against my skin like the noonday sun in the middle of the Heat season. The roar of high flames met my ears, dry wood violently crackled and popped as it was eaten away. Cold wind swirled around me, contrasting painfully with the heat of the flames. Fat drops of rain were carried on the howling wind. They hit my skin like small needles and made the fire hiss with annoyance. In seconds I was both soaked and entirely too hot. Moon gave a whimper and held on to me tightly, hid himself as much as he could under the tail of my hat.
The room that Amalia and Evangeline had used was ruined. Where once was a wall where the window resided there was now a giant hole where the wind and rain poured in. That hole spread across the entirety of the wall and seemed to even infringe upon the next room over- where Dally and Ruel had slept. Cracks and splinters split through the wood where the wall had been. Fire used those fissures in the wood to creep inside and do more damage, greedily eating at the insides of the Summit Tree. Crimson flames had claimed most of the floor, crawled across the walls and made it's way out of the door into the bedroom hall. The beds had been aflame for a while now, their remains being the few pieces of the frame that were thicker than the rest and slower to burn. Hot black smoke billowed up in thick plumes, choking what was left of the little air that was available.
With how large the flames were, I was glad for my mask and the protection it provided for my face against the heat. Still my eyes burned, despite the damp fabric over my nose and mouth- which only just helped with the dryness of the air.
There was a mighty crack and my gaze darted above even as I lifted a hand to block against the red hot cinders that drifted down to me. Part of the roof above had begun to cave in where the heat alone was enough to catch the wood aflame.
I swallowed as I forced myself to look away from the danger. Where were Amalia and Evangeline-? There!
A ball of thorns had been erected near the hole in the wall. It was in the middle of the inferno. New plants constantly replaced the ones that caught fire and burned away. There was no way that I'd be able to jump inside of that ball of thorns. Besides, I'd have a rough guess as to where to put the portal without injuring the two inside. (I hoped both were in there. I couldn't see Evangeline but Amalia most certainly was using her magic to summon those plants.)
I braced myself. Made sure that Moon was as covered as he could be. Then I created a portal so I'd appear directly on top of the ball of thorns.
The heat that had been assaulting me before felt like a mere breeze compared to the blistering temperature that hit me from the new position. I bit back a curse for the intensity of it. If I hadn't already been soaked through thanks to the rain I was certain that, my clothing at least, I would have caught fire in that moment.
Those few seconds I needed to set up my portals felt like a piece of eternity. Directly below the ball of thorns I created an entry portal big enough to encompass the entire thing. In a blink the ball fell into the portal and I fell in after it.
My portal lead to outside, midair on the side of the mountain. Rain pelted me, causing my body to hurt from the abrupt change in temperatures. More lightning flashed above. Between the thunderous booms in the sky and Moon's whimpers I might have been able to just make out the sound of two high pitched screams. Though it was most likely just the wind in my ears.
In an instant I created more portals and maneuvered myself with the ball of thorns towards the root caves down by the base of the mountain.
When we reached the bottom, I allowed the ball of thorns to land first. Then I made a separate set of portals between myself and the top of the prickly plants, seconds before I would have landed on top of them. Instead I landed beside the ball of thorns and listened as two different voices groaned from within.
Abruptly the thorn ball fell apart, in a similar manner as to how a flower bud bloomed. A green faced Amalia crawled away, one hand desperately over her mouth, while a prone Evangeline simply rolled over to expel the contents of her stomach. Amalia didn't get far before she had given in to the same urge.
While I was glad that I had managed to get both of them on time and was worried for the red marks I could see on Evangeline's arms, I couldn't help but look up. Dark clouds still poured their burdens onto the island and blocked out the sun. Lightning jumped between the clouds and highlighted the world for a few brief seconds at a time. Thunder still boomed, the sound loud and able to drown out all other noise but it was no longer deafening. Seemingly in the middle of it all, the Summit Tree stood tall on the mountain as it burned brighter by the minute.
"E- Eva-!"
I glanced over at the sound of Dally's anxious voice. The red head had appeared from within a tunnel, his eyes set on the blonde, but had to stop to expel his stomach contents after only a few steps. Still in the tunnel I could make out the outlines of both Yugo and Ruel.
"We- we're fine..." Amalia panted between bouts of sickness, just loud enough to be heard over the rain.
With a fortifying breath I reached back to Moon behind my head. He still gripped my shoulders tightly with his hands and feet, tail looped loosely by my collar with his hammer held by said limb so it was within his grabbing reach if he needed it. At my touch Moon made a noise but didn't move. I carefully extracted him from his position and received a confused noise for the action, especially when I had set Moon on the ground near the unwell Amalia.
"You stay, Moon." I told my monkey friend firmly, even showing him my palm to state how serious I was about it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw how Yugo tilted his head. I put the action out of mind as I instead focused on what I needed to do.
I opened a portal and went through it, again and again, until I was back inside the Summit Tree. The heat was sweltering. Flames had already spread down the bedroom hall and had eaten at each room door that it passed, left flames behind to continue the destruction inside as the main body kept it's steady spread down the rest of the hall. Already crimson tendrils licked at the walls closest to the fireplace, steadily made it's way to the table.
The sight made my heart hurt. That nostalgic feeling I'd always gotten from the Summit Tree pulled to the forefront of my thoughts. I couldn't quite believe how quick the fire spread, readily causing so much damage. It felt as though I were loosing something that was more than just a place I lived in.
Opening an entry portal outside, I used it to catch as much rain as I could as I directed it's exit portal at the fire in front of me. It hissed and sizzled but only seemed to slow marginally where the wood was wet. The fire was too hot to be stopped by the little water I was able to direct.
"No, no-!" I chanted desperately, needing this to work.
Slowly I was backed towards the entrance of the Summit Tree. The smoke and red ash in the room was blinding. My skin hurt from how hot I was. Again and again I opened a portal with torrential rain falling through. Around me the Summit Tree gave an ominous creak as the flames ate away at it's walls. Coughing, I slid back some more and glanced upwards. Dread built in my gut as the Summit Tree gave another groan- everything above seemed to shift to the left.
My breath came quick and dry in my lungs, sawed at my skin, as another realization dawned on me. The direction the tree had just shifted- the village was settled at the bottom of the mountain in that direction.
I couldn't- I needed to fix this!
Once again I lifted my hands, summoned my portals. This had to work. There was nothing else I could do to stop it.
I trembled along with the Summit Tree.
The table was gone. Flames had spread towards the kitchen despite the wood already being doused.
From under my mask I took the dry cloth away from my face to increase my oxygen intake. It was still difficult to breathe.
My back was up against the doors but I didn't want to leave.
Splinters spat across the room as fissures broke their way up the wooden walls with violent snaps. Again the Summit Tree groaned. The wood had started bend as it grew thinner on the inside while the weight above hadn't changed. It was going to topple.
There was nothing more I could do.
That knowledge sent a hot knife to my chest.
A portal suddenly appeared before me, one not of my own. From it came a familiar hand. It grabbed my own arm and yanked me through to the other side where I was immediately engulfed in his arms.
I could still hear the crackle of burning wood and the roar of hungry flames. My eyes landed on the outside of the front doors, a shattered window providing perfect view to the flames that raged inside.
"Y- Yug- go..." I coughed at the sudden fresh air that was dragged into my lungs. The cool wetness of it made it painful to inhale.
His skin burned with how cold it was against my own. Yet I still leaned into his embrace as exhaustion hit me. My head rested on his shoulder, mirrored to his, as my arms came to wrap around him loosely on reflex.
"Elena!" Yugo hissed, tone a mixture of worry and anger. If I had the energy, I would have tensed. He held me tighter than he'd ever had before, "you could've-! Why would you-?! What were you thinking?!"
My eyes burned from how dry they were. I forced them closed and tried to shove away the pain I felt. Now wasn't the time.
"...we can't stay- stay here...!" I managed to cough out, voice raspy from the smoke. Reluctantly I pulled away from him, pointed towards where the Summit Tree now clearly leaned towards. "The vill- village."
As though in warning, the Summit Tree gave another groan. The wood cracked and snapped louder than the fire within it's heart. Loose leaves and branches from high above fell down with the heavy rain.
"They'll be crushed." I finished, breath easier now as my lungs readjusted to the fresh air.
As I went to step forward, ready to try and do something that could help, I realized that Yugo still held on to my forearm as I held onto his. When I looked back to him, his head was bowed just enough to hide his eyes from view.
"Yugo?"
His grip on my forearm tightened somewhat at the sound of his name. "You're-" The rest of his words were cut off by the sound of thunder. Yugo didn't seem to notice though, as a great sigh left him. Resigned. His head lifted and I saw a renewed determination in his eyes as his azure gaze locked with mine. "I'll help."
With a loud high pitched creak, the side of the Summit Tree finally caved. It fell in on itself with a crash that forced us onto our hands and knees. Then the tree began to slide. Momentum at first at a snails pace, quickly increased.
No more words were needed to be exchanged.
My portal opened beneath me, let me fall into it, then out in the middle of the air. I appeared just below the falling tree where I could assess what needed to be done first. For a few seconds I rose up thanks to the power of my portal. Then, with my back to the ground, I began to fall.
Alone, the sheer bulk of the Summit Tree could be mistaken for the summit of the mountain it resided upon, especially from afar. It's width could easily surpass three schooners placed bow to stern one after the other. It's height was five times it's width at the least. That didn't even take into account it's many massive branches that reached in every direction and grew fuller as the height of the colossal plant ascended, nor the totem that topped all of that.
Now, with it's trunk aflame, the Summit Tree fell down the side of the mountain it once ruled over. If I didn't move fast enough the village below would be crushed. The forest below could even catch aflame if I wasn't careful.
This was terrifying.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Yugo appear out of a portal in the air beside me. At once I was both frightened for him and thankful for him. By no means did I want him to get hurt from this ordeal yet I could think of no one else whom I'd rather have at my side for it.
I circled both of my hands in front of me, palms alight with my magic. Before me, the biggest portal I was capable of creating flared into existence. It was merely three times my size, barely a quarter of the size of a schooner. Not nearly large enough to comfortably take on this problem.
Still I let the portal eat a chunk of the falling Summit Tree and spat it out somewhere over the forest where it shouldn't hurt anyone. Yugo did the same, his own portal barely twice his size. Together we made pockmark holes in the surface of the Summit Tree, leaving behind the smaller pieces that would do little to hurt anybody.
Rain fell through the holes that were made, soaking me sporadically. Thunder made up all sounds. Frequent lightning blinded my vision.
Then the main trunk of the tree caught on a cliff that jutted out of the mountainside. The rock crumbled under the blow, most of it joining the tree in the fall towards the village. With a mighty crack, where the tree had been filled with holes thanks to Yugo and my efforts, it snapped apart. Both halves of the tree began to spin in different directions. The top of the tree quickly moving to face downwards. Which meant that the branches were headed straight for us.
(At least the fire would now have the chance to be extinguished.)
My hand went out and caught a branch that would have hit me. Rough bark tore at my palm and a jolt of pain crawled up my arm. The momentum of the branch pushed me back and I bent my arm to roll over it rather than continue to get pushed. Another branch made itself known, whipped towards my feet. I grabbed a different branch that passed by at the same time, which allowed me to volt over the one that would have caught my feet.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Yugo in the same predicament, doing his best to not get hit by the many swaying branches. My feet touched down on a thick branch, which allowed me to make a split second decision on deciding where I needed to go before I pushed off again. I spun in the air, doing my best to ignore how the smaller branches caught and cut at my skin, and continued to use my portals to dismember the Summit Tree while I fell with it.
Yugo and I needed to get just enough for the bulk of it to miss the village- at the very least. We were getting too close to the ground for my comfort.
With a portal I managed to catch myself- along with a few stray branches- and appeared in the small clearing at the center of the village.
The villagers were shouting at one another. Most of them were on the ground, hands on the trees. Bark lit up with green magic where the villagers touched and branches that held the suspended huts were manipulated to move said huts out of range. Thankfully this was also in the direction opposite as to where Yugo and I had sent the wood from the Summit Tree out of our portals.
"You!" I heard someone yell especially loudly as I took a moment to concentrate on redirecting boulders headed down the mountain faster than the tree. They would have rolled right into the forest area where the villagers were moving the huts towards.
The Summit Tree loomed down on the area ominously, completely cutting off any light that had reached this area before. Not to mention, how it's speed had only increased from the long fall. I could see Yugo's bright portals flickering in and out of existence alongside my own, breaking down the tree bit by bit.
When I could, I concentrated on the branches around Yugo to give him the space to concentrate on cutting at the tree itself. He was somehow able to move faster than I was in that respect. From my position on the ground, it was easier for me to see the bigger picture. So, while puzzling, I only had the capacity to allow myself to calculate where he needed to go to continue the task. My heart had gone to beat in my throat the longer we kept it up- it looked like we were going to make it.
"You-!"
Suddenly I was tackled from behind, eliciting a shriek to leave me on reflex. The sound was cut short as I hit the ground roughly. A knee pressed painfully into my back between my shoulder blades, which forced me further into the ground. Then something sharp was pressed against the side of my neck.
Through my mounting alarm, I did my best to see what was happening through the dark. "What are you doing?!" I yelped, both angry and panicked as well.
This was not the time to be attacked. At the same time I couldn't help but reprimanded myself for having not expected something like this to happen.
"You did this!" I heard the villager hiss, voice distinctly male, right near my ear. The words didn't even register to me as cold anger in his tone had me freeze. "I will not allow you to get away with this attempted murder of the entire village! This time you will be burned with your mask, Demon!"
A vein jumped along my throat with how tightly I clenched my jaw. Dirt gathered in my stinging palms with how I dug my fingers into the ground. My vision went red with the seething anger the words gave birth to in me.
I didn't bother to answer. Instead I allowed a portal to open directly below me. The exit portal opened in the air, spat us both out sideways. A noise of fear had finally left my attacker and I turned midair as I felt both the pressure on my back and the blade at my neck be removed. The light of my portal illuminated him starkly. Immediately I recognized him as the colorless hunter who had been part of the group that brought everyone to Botan.
With a midair twist, similar to the way a bow meow twisted when they fell from high up, I opened up a portal only for myself. That portal exited right where Colorless would be and I used the opportunity to acquaint the back of his head with my heel.
The force of my blow both knocked off his mask and slammed the apprentice hunter into the ground face first. I landed in a crouch beside him. He let out a groan, rolled, and emptied his stomach. For a split second I felt shock at the sight of a brown plant instead of Colorless' head, realized that the brown colored plant is his head, then shook my own head to clear it.
Did all the villagers have plant heads? A sudden new rage grew in me at the thought- and they were scared of me because of the unknown of what's under my hat?!
The apprentice hunter panted for breath between bouts of being sick. Yet he still found the time to glare at me. I returned the look easily- albeit, no doubt, tempered thanks to my mask.
"Stay out of the way." I told him coldly, "I am saving the village."
Unfortunately, I didn't even get to see his reaction to my words.
There was a crash of thunder, the sound loud enough to be felt throughout my body. A rumble followed. When I whipped around to see, I spotted how the bottom half of the Summit Tree had hit the mountain for a second time. That piece of trunk had flown hard from the sudden change in trajectory and hit the top half of the tree. Both careened off to the side and away from the village. However the mountainside that had been bumped into had crumbled apart. A slide of muddy water and great boulders now threatened to plow down the forest where the villagers had moved.
With the help of my portals I arrived at the bottom of the mountain, where the landslide was headed, not a moment later. Yugo did too. Out of the corner of my eye I could see how he panted for breath, one arm up to cradle his ribs.
Guilt was suddenly added to the rage I already felt. Yugo had gotten hurt thanks to the villager's attack on me. Worst of all his own expression was dark. Anger radiated off of him as well.
"This never ends," I heard him tell me and I felt myself ease. Whatever he was angry at, it wasn't me.
We both readied our portals. Between the two of us, very little of the landslide would actually pass by to the village.
"That'd be too easy," I remarked, then blinked at where Yugo placed his exit portal. It was very close to the ground and angled downwards.
"Let's try to make a trench with the force of that water." Yugo explained then, "divert the water away from the forest."
Before I could give anymore than a nod in his direction the steady rumble in the ground from the water up ahead seemed to get three times worse. It was enough to have Yugo and I both stumble despite our steady stances.
Thick vines of thorns suddenly erupted from the earth, curled and tangled together, all in a line across the bottom of the mountain. A wall to protect the forest. With a glance over my shoulder I saw Botan up in a tree, staff aloft as he directed knelt villagers whom were scattered around the forest between the trees. Instantly I felt unease scale my spine. Botan nodded towards me, as though in acceptance. I wondered briefly if it was just another general 'thank you' or an acknowledgement in my and Yugo's efforts in helping the village. Either way I didn't want them behind me.
"Now!" Yugo called to me, snapping my attention back to the task at hand. (He must have seen how I hadn't been paying attention.)
The water roared in an entirely different yet similar fashion as the fire in the Summit Tree had. It crashed down the rocky terrain and took out what little plant life had managed to grow there.
My hands circled and portals appeared alongside of Yugo's own. Rushing waters surged into our portals eagerly then were ejected at the ground with such force it tore deep into the dirt. Being more land than water, chunks of stone and dirt did most of the work at digging up a trench for the landslide to divert to. Any excess of the muddy land that wasn't caught by our portals slammed with enough force to bend the wall of thorns in towards us. Where the wall bent more tangled thorns grew behind it for reinforcement.
In the distance several more crashes sounded and the ground shook dangerously from the impacts- the Summit Tree had finally hit the earth.
Somehow we managed to stay upright, our portals unwavering. We stood there for a while longer straining to keep the portals open for as long as they were needed. Slowly the initial rush began to lessen until the muddy water was nothing more than a rushing stream. With that our portals dissipated. Like Yugo, I wanted to sag with relief and take the moment to rest on the ground. For me that was not an option, however. The villagers were still present.
As my body shook for relief, I instead turned to face the villagers. Most had relieved postures, though those who were still tense and uneasy were just as easy to spot. I carefully moved closer to my exhausted companion.
"Can you stand?" I asked him, gaining his attention, without looking away from the villagers.
"May- yeah..." Yugo panted, looked from me to the villagers who gathered together within the shadows of the trees. That dark expression from before came back and anger flashed in his eyes. I extended a hand to help him and he took it with a grateful hum.
"Then let's get back to the others." I urged, not letting go once he'd stood. Somehow, I had the feeling that if I had let him go, it wouldn't have been a good idea. His hand squeezed my own and I took it as confirmation.
With my free hand I made an entry portal beneath us and an exit in the air far away from here. Then we were gone.
Posted: Mar. 23, 2024