Tree of Darkness
After falling asleep next to the campfire, Guhin began to dream. He found himself wandering through mountainous terrain, his view obscured by a thick, impenetrable mist. It was so dense that he couldn't discern his path.
Guhin: Where am I? I can't see a thing.
Walking at a slow pace, he heard the distant tolling of a tower's bells. He turned towards their resonating echoes, and through the clouded haze, a path became visible. Guhin recognized it—it was the same dirt road that led to the entrance of "Aryan".
Following the newly revealed path, he arrived at the village. The large wooden gates that served as Aryan's entrance were closed, and an eerie silence pervaded the air. He wondered where the guards were; no one was standing at the gates, nor was anyone patrolling the walls. Just as Guhin was about to call out, another toll of the bell tower triggered the creaking of the gates. The chains inside rustled as Aryan's doors began to open.
As he stepped through the gates, the bell tower rang again, and Guhin's eyes widened in disbelief. The entire village was in ruins, with nothing left but the broken shells of abandoned homes.
Guhin: Ishu! Is anybody there?
His call echoed unanswered. Apart from the devastation, the village was empty. Not a single soul was in sight.
His second call for Ishu went unanswered. However, a slight rustling from a couple of empty fruit baskets on the side of the road caught his attention.
Ishu's four-legged friend, Ikaya, emerged from between the baskets and approached Guhin. The cat he had rescued earlier hissed at him in a screeching tone, showing her claws and baring her fangs. She seemed angry at Guhin, rather than afraid.
Guhin: Oi, What's got into you?
As Guhin attempted to approach Ikaya, a melodious voice, humming the soft tones of a song, resonated throughout the village. Ikaya's ears twitched as she turned towards the echoing song coming from the main plaza. She jumped onto the rubble of a broken home, purred, and sniffed the wood she stood on before disappearing between the rubble, following the direction of the song. The singing voice didn't remind Guhin of Ishu, but Ikaya's reaction suggested it was someone familiar to her.
Instead of following Ikaya, Guhin took the main road deeper into the village. Walking beside the broken homes, he noticed a pattern in their destruction. It was as if something had wrapped itself around each house, penetrated it, and ripped it apart from the inside. Worried that something might have happened to Ishu, he called out to his friend once more.
Guhin: Ishu. If you're out there, say something.
The further he followed the road, the louder the humming became. After turning a corner around a ruined corridor, he finally reached the main plaza. The source of the song was a woman.
A woman with long brown hair, white tarnished clothing, and bright blue eyes was playing with Ikaya. The moment she saw Guhin, she stopped singing, and a soft smile formed across her face.
Merin: Oh, looks like we have a visitor. A handsome one at that.
Guhin: It's you.
It was the woman Guhin had saved, the so-called "witch" named Merin.
Guhin: What are you doing here? Where is everyone?
Merin: What do you mean? Am I not allowed to be here?
Guhin: Answer me. Where is everyone?
Merin: Don't worry. Everyone's fine, they're in a better place now.
Merin's soft smile morphed into a smug grin as she petted Ikaya and resumed her song.
Guhin: Answer me.
Guhin's aggressive tone didn't sit well with Ikaya. She hissed at him again, baring her fangs, while Merin ignored him and danced to the song she hummed. Waving her arms to the side, she slowly turned her body away from Guhin.
Annoyed by her behavior, Guhin took a step forward. It looked like he was about to grab her and force her to talk, but as he got closer, Merin opened her hand and pointed at him. The ground beneath her feet shifted, and black roots sprouted from the dirt, crawling over her toes.
Guhin watched as the dark-colored roots grew, and before he had time to react, they shot towards him and wrapped themselves around his wrists! An excruciating pain traversed his entire body, and the weight of his amulet became so heavy that he was forced to his knees.
Guhin: What the hell is this?
Merin: Don't be afraid. It will all be over soon.
The pain was so intense that it prevented Guhin from speaking. Besides the pain, he could feel the roots absorbing his life force, draining him with each passing moment.
Guhin: It's taking my energy.
Merin: You should've known better. Wearing your curse for everyone to see. It won't be long now. He's almost here.
Ikaya sniffed one of the roots, and as her tiny pink nose touched its dark layer, an expanding branch wrapped itself around her body, draining her life force until she was nothing more than a pile of skin and bones.
Merin: Oh, you poor thing, your curiosity is only vanity, I'm afraid.
Merin's gaze shifted from Ikaya's remains towards the sky. She opened her arms as if she was about to embrace something. The veins in her body darkened, and the earth's crust behind her shattered!
Roots rose from within the earth, twisting and turning over each other in the shape of a dead tree. For a moment, the pain coursing through Guhin's body turned numb. His mouth opened slightly, and his eyes widened with disbelief when he got a closer look at the newly formed tree of darkness. Withering moans of agony emanated from within the tree, as the entire population of the village was entangled in its roots.
Among the agonizing groans, Guhin heard a familiar voice, prompting him to rapidly scan everyone entangled in the tree. His eyes darted from side to side until he discovered that Ishu was trapped at the crown of the tree. Squirming in pain, the poor boy managed to open his eyes.
Ishu: What's happening, someone help me Please.
Guhin tried to muster some strength to resist the pain and weight around his neck. The atmosphere around him twisted and turned at the sight of his friend screaming for help. He powered through and managed to stand up!
Guhin: Let him go.
Merin: I must say, you sure are persistent. Allow me to assist you.
With a quick motion of her finger, Merin increased the weight of Guhin's amulet even more, causing the roots around his wrist to grow tighter. It was too much for him to bear, and he fell back to his knees.
Merin: I told you.
She whispered and raised her hand towards the sky. As she did so, the tree of darkness began to move. It wrapped itself around everyone so tightly that it robbed them of their breath. The moans of agony dimmed, and everyone entangled in the tree looked at Guhin with a sense of despair. This was it, their last living moment.
Just hold your breath.
Moments before Ishu lost consciousness, he made eye contact with Guhin. With no breath to spare, the only thing he could do was move his lips.
Merin: He's coming. Release your breath.
Merin clenched her hand, and the tree of darkness crushed everyone trapped within! A wicked smile formed on Merin's face as she bathed herself in the raining blood of the villagers.
She walked over to Guhin and ran her hand through his hair before grabbing hold and pulling him against herself. Staring deeply into his weakened eyes, she whispered to him. The smell of her putrid breath washed over Guhin as he saw her teeth, rotting with every word she spoke.
Merin: Here We Go.
Guhin grunted.
The light blue color of her eyes faded away, and a blank stare of nothingness was all that was left of her once sinister demeanor. She let go of Guhin's hair and took a few stumbling steps back. As she blindly stared ahead, her lips began to twitch. Something was trying to get out of her, bulging her throat as some sort of "beak" protruded from her mouth.
Another toll from the bell tower broke the suspense before a flock of crows burst out of Merin! Hundreds of them, soaring through the ashen clouds, circling in the sky.
The image was reflected in Guhin's eyes as he watched them descend. Diving towards the tree, they dispersed the moment they connected with its roots. The blood from the villagers, still oozing out, seeped back into the shadowed bark.
The immense tree of darkness pulsated like a beating heart before it shrank and decompressed into a new form. The roots that were binding Guhin released him, leaving a black sphere where the tree used to be. When the bells of the tower tolled once more, a small crack appeared on the sphere, fracturing until it shattered completely. A being in dark, rusted armor rose from within the broken shell. Its black feathered cloak, horrendous beak, and bottomless eyes of darkness reminded Guhin of someone.
Guhin: Fukujin.
The clanking sound of the creature's armored boots resonated through the surface as it made its way towards Guhin.