2 The Will of the God-Tree (1/2)
When the Spirit took its first steps away from the tree, following a trail left by pilgrims, it began to feel something tug at itself... as it stepped further, now out of view, the feeling became more precise : it was hunger. But hunger for what? The only thing it had left was the leaf of the God-Tree, consuming such a treasure would be a waste! So it ate some scraped-off bark, a piece of bush, blades of grass, some fallen fruits, anything it found. But the feeling got stronger, and nothing could satiate it.
At this moment, the Spirit made its first encounter with a creature. A daring snake ignored its instinct pushing it away from the Stalwart Oak, baited by the power of the leaf. It lunged at the little Spirit from a branch, only to fall flat on the leaf, crushing the Spirit underneath. Confused at not finding its prey, but greedy, the snake prepared to swallow the leaf immediately. The Spirit reformed itself in front of the snake, opened a glowing white, jagged mouth-like rift under its eyes, and screamed in anger ; the snake only saw its prey reappear, and had no time to move before it felt as if a mountain crashed upon its head. Feeling the greed in the stunned snake in front of it, the Spirit was furious and grabbed it with its tendrils. Activating a power it did not know it had, leftover from the power the God-Tree created his inheritor with, the snake began to hiss and flail around. But it was to no avail, and it could only bite through its foe, enduring pain as magic began its cruel work. The Spirit's power fueled its magic and the snake began to turn into plants! Blades of grass covered it, its body turned brown and hard like a discarded piece of wood, and flowers bloomed where its eyes were.
Once it calmed down, the hunger came back haunting the Spirit, but with it also came fear, fear of losing the leaf. Crumbling under the gripping feelings, it decided to eat the leaf.
--
As soon as it finished swallowing it, the Spirit fell asleep.
In the dream, the first thing to appear was the Stalwart Oak, who began talking to him :
”So you ate my leaf, little one... I created you to bear my last will and my heart, and through this leaf I will give it to you, satiating your hunger for eternity. It will grant you powers, and it will also let you recognise my friends if you accept to meet them. Now watch, learn, and remember!”
Scenes began flashing by the Spirit's consciousness.
The Spirit saw itself screaming, and creatures falling to the floor around it.
It saw itself turn weak or injured creatures to inanimate plants.
It watched as it crawled into a helmet, using it as a shell, then as it slid into a dead bird and took flight.
It learned, as it gave its power to a gem, and a golem was born of it.
It understood, as it helped nature grow, that it could feel the will of every plant around it helping it back.
”My friends, they are asleep, they have been for so long that I can no longer remember... But they are Gods, and they share their dreams and mind with mortals they choose, the Children of the Gods... This is the last thing I can give you, little sapling. You have no roots to shackle yourself with, so go freely into this world of the Three! Look at them, as I remember them, feel them, and maybe you will find them.”
Then, slower, after the last flash went off, three figures appeared. The first looked like a mummified elven corpse, two meters tall and emaciated, with its characteristic long ears and silver hair, dressed in rags and sitting against a gigantic tree. Next to him stood a pint-size grass doll, barely coming up to the elf's knee, pouring power into the same tree. The third was a human-like mass of everchanging power, with a ball similar to a miniature sun where its head would be, at shoulder height of the elf.
The Spirit felt itself drift off to sleep, digesting all that he saw in those few moments...
--
At the same time the leaf was consumed, the Three who were woken up when the Stalwart Oak died, opened their eyes and took over their Child of the Gods to think.