Althea, Kyran, Arron, Sophia and the remaining elves were exhausted from the constant fighting and were struggling to keep up with the demons. But just when they were about to give up hope, the sky suddenly opened up and a blinding light shot down, enveloping the demons and even the elves. The light was so bright that it was painful to look at, and Althea and the others had to shield their eyes.
When the light finally faded, the demons were gone. The elves were confused and relieved at the same time. They didn't understand what had happened for a brief moment, but they were grateful for the reprieve. They looked up at the sky and saw a large, white unicorn descending towards them.
Althea and the others could see that Thomas was riding the unicorn. They were overjoyed to see that he had survived. They rushed towards him and embraced him, grateful for his return. Thomas dismounted the unicorn and hugged them back, relieved to see them all safe and sound.
***
When I descended down to where the elves were, I was met with applause, hugs, worship and so on. Many elves kneeled and prayed to me. The battle had left many dead, and a funeral would soon commence. I felt terrible for not being there to save the elves from the Great Tree's onslaught. I felt that if I were a better god, none of this would have happened. I vowed to become stronger and protect the people that believed in me.
The Great Tree's body had started to wither away and the roots had retracted back to the main body. The heretics were all killed upon the Great Tree's death. I assumed that they had made a pact that I was unaware existed. The Great Tree and its powers would forever remain a mystery to me. A mystery that I was glad to have uncovered and put to rest.
"I am so happy you are okay, Lord Thomas. Thank you for saving us," Althea said, hugging me tightly.
I could see the relief and happiness in her eyes, and it made me feel a little better about what had happened. I had managed to save some of the elves, at least.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't do more," I said, looking around at the destruction. "But I'll do whatever I can to help rebuild."
Althea smiled and nodded. "We can do it together. And we have our friends to help us."
"Thomas, " Benny interjected "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you need to leave immediately. You have ten minutes left before your body shuts down completely."
"I'm sorry Althea but it appears I won't be able to help much. I must return to my own home for the time being. I probably won't return for hundreds of years in your world's time."
Althea looked at me with sadness in her eyes, but she understood. "I'll miss you, Lord Thomas," she said. "But I'm glad you'll be able to rest."
I gave Althea a hug and then turned to address the remaining elves. I spoke in a clear and confident voice, telling them of my plans to return one day and to continue to protect them. The elves listened intently, their eyes filled with hope and admiration. They were grateful for everything I had done for them, and they were eager to follow me in whatever capacity they could. I told them about the other sapient creatures; the humans. That they must be treated with respect and as equals.
Finally, I said goodbye to the world and gave one last order to Benny.
"Benny, make time go fast. I want to wake up to see a thriving society of both humans and elves by the time I wake up. I will probably be asleep for a while." I ordered. Benny complied and sped up time in the world. It was time for me to say goodbye to my companions and to the world I had come to love. With a final wave and a sad smile, I closed my eyes and returned to my world.
As I entered my room from the Box of Dimensions, I could see that everything was just as I had left it. My bed was still messy and unmade, and my desk was cluttered with papers and books. Before I could do or say anything I laid on my bed and fell into a deep sleep.
I had dreams of the past couple of days in the other world. My adventures with the elves and my fight against the Great Tree.
I also dreamt about the future, of the world that I had left behind. I imagined the elves and the humans coming together, living in harmony and building a better future for themselves. I knew that they would face challenges and hardships, but I also knew that they were strong and capable. They would persevere and build a world that was better than anything I could have imagined. I was proud of them, and I couldn't wait to see what they would accomplish in the future.
When I awoke, a loud yawn escaped me and I stretched my body with a smile on my face.
"Benny, how long have I been asleep for?" I asked.
Benny replied, "You were asleep for two days. How do you feel?" I felt refreshed and energized like I had been sleeping for a hundred years. I got up and started to pace around the room, thinking about the events of the past two days.
Well, I'll save that for later. I went to the kitchen to make myself a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage. My parents were gone as always. I was somewhat used to their absence and was grateful that I didn't have to explain my absence from school the other day although they probably already figured out I hadn't attended for a few days.
I spent no more than a few minutes, —my world's time —in the Box of Dimensions but because of the modified passage of time, a few days had passed in the other world leaving me highly fatigued. I felt like I had fought a hundred battles and needed to rest.
I ate my food slowly and thought about the events of the past few days. I was still processing everything that had happened and was struggling to make sense of it all.
Once I finished eating, I cleaned up my mess and went back to my room. I decided to "log in" as I decided to call it, and check the progress of the Box of Dimensions.
When I looked down into the world, what I saw made my heart drop. The world was completely barren and destroyed.
"Benny, what happened? Give me recap of the history that led up to this," I said frantically.
Benny replied, "Of course, Thomas. Here is a summary of the major events that occurred in the world of the Box of Dimensions during that time.
The main event was the Great War between the humans and the elves. This war lasted for many decades and resulted in the near extinction of the elves. The humans, led by a single powerful leader, were able to defeat the elves and take control of their lands. The remaining elves made a counter-attack that took the humans by surprise and ultimately crushed most of the humans. Everything descended into complete calamity by that point. All sapient life had been wiped out."
I was shocked and devastated to hear about the destruction of the world and the loss of all sapient life. I couldn't believe that the elves, who had been so kind and peaceful, had been wiped out. And the humans, who I had hoped would coexist with the elves, had turned against them and led to the destruction of the world.
"What happened to the world? The Great Tree was right all along." I fell to my knees and began to punch the floor until blood dripped from my fists. A small line of blood also escaped my mouth while I clenched my teeth. I couldn't fathom how and why this happened. The humans were supposed to be the ones to coexist with the elves. I made sure to give them the capability to do so. What went wrong? I thought to myself. I couldn't understand why the humans would turn against the elves. I had made them with the intention of coexisting with the elves, but something must have gone wrong.
Then I realized the problem. The humans had no guidance. Because of my favoritism towards the elves, I left them completely in the dark not knowing or caring enough for their needs. They developed like barbarians, pillaging and killing everything they could see. It was truly a design flaw and spoke volumes about what kind of god I was.
I was truly pathetic and inept. I couldn't fathom what went wrong, but I knew that it was my fault. I had failed as a creator and as a god. I couldn't bear to think of what could have been if I had just done a better job.
I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at the floor and thinking about the events that had transpired. I couldn't believe that I had allowed such destruction and chaos to happen.
At that moment, I felt true despair.