"Wow!"
Raphael stared in stunned silence. His hooves trembled, not from fear, but from sheer awe at the spectacle unfolding before him. He felt like an insignificant speck in the presence of a being this ancient, and this powerful.
The energy emanating from it was so potent yet so calming. He could feel his own Solar Essence, usually a chaotic jumble of shadow and flame, becoming still. It was as if the very tree before him was harmonizing his inner chaos.
"Such a place…"
He had never encountered anything like it, not even those stories of the ancient realms he'd devoured in his human life could rival what those starry glows showcased. This tree resembled a miniature galaxy! It was a vision of unimaginable wonder.
"I…I'm Raphael." He managed to croak a reply. His voice seemed strangely small in this grand space.
"Raphael…" The tree spoke his name. And then, that imposing face at the center of her trunk grew clearer as her star leaves twirled and her roots pulsated.
"I am Thienika. A very ancient tree of the Draconic Star Lumber lineage. Regrettably… I am the last of my kind." Her voice resonated. It flowed through Raphael's very being like a calming yet sorrowful melody that made his heart ache with an empathy he hadn't known.
"A… Draconic Star Lumber…? I've read about it in the ancient records, but they…" He wanted to say '…They are supposed to be extinct', but held back, for this being before him was very much alive, and truly a terror to gaze upon!
"Hmm, those records…" A sad sound emanated.
"My memories are longer than those brittle parchment you speak of. I've witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations. I've seen empires turn to dust and gods weep before my very roots! I've been worshipped by mortals! Calamities bowed before me! But now…." Her voice faltered, "….Now, I am but a shadow of my former glory. Old age has taken its toll."
She paused, then continued. "This form you perceive, Raphael, it's but an illusion, possible only within my 'Lumber Star Domain'. My true form, that which exists in the physical world… it's shattered. Withered. I'm nothing more than roots, branches, leaves. I stretch across this entire swamp now, slowly returning to those very elements I was born from. Soon… this entire gorge will become… my burial ground."
Those words hit Raphael like a blow! He was now seeing the grotesque swamp in a new light.
He stiffened. "This… entire place…? But… why are you… Why give up?" He was baffled.
Wasn't she a powerful being capable of miracles, capable of bending reality itself? Surely she could find a way.
"Can't you simply consume a rare medicine?"
She laughed a melancholy sound that sent those star-like leaves into a mournful spin.
"Trust me… I've tried countless options over the ages. My injury is too grave. The wound lies deep within my core, a gift from a careless god's laughter. It's a poison that cannot be cured with mere earthly remedies, not even those celestial dews or those dragon hearts in Fol Ash are potent enough."
She continued, "The only hope of restoration might be the… blessing of the Void Emperor Sindoll. But I'm too weak, far too weak! My body… this vessel, it won't withstand those trials. I've attempted several times before, but I always perish… long before the finals even begin."
Raphael listened to her heartbreaking tale with his hooves now trembling not from pressures of gravity but something different, something… familiar.
'So she's…dying?' The thought shook him as memories of his own desperate struggle to survive flooded back. It resonated deep within.
'The rift… That poison…' He'd cheated death! He'd been given a second chance! Couldn't she also?
An idea sparked.
He blurted out with determination, "Don't worry, Grandma Thienika, I'll get you that blessing!"
He realized he was shedding tears, a sensation so strange in his stolen, monstrous form.
"What do you mean…?" She'd heard those words before, from others who claimed to love her beauty, others who'd sought favor and power. Such promises, so easily broken, so painful.
"Don't speak falsely. You are brave Raphael, but the Great Divine Tribulation is not child's play."
Raphael felt that skepticism deep within his heart. "I am serious! I WILL participate. I've been invited. I've made a promise, Grandma Thienika, and I intend to keep it. Don't worry. The Great Divine Tribulation is a couple of months from now. I have plenty of time to get stronger. You'll be able to dance again. We'll turn your 'burial ground' back into the majestic forest it used to be, hahaha!"
Raphael's monstrous laughter bounced around her domain before trailing off into soft sniffles.
Thienika's heart, so battered, so broken, felt a flicker of warmth that she hadn't experienced since those gods of old had feasted on her essences, but wasn't this foolish? Such recklessness in a bull's voice, surely…
"You misunderstand, Raphael. I saved your life, not for reward nor… favors. This kindness, it comes from my heart." She wanted to say more, then she realized, how hopeless it all seemed.
"Your heart, Raphael. It's good. But don't you understand. It's suicide."
"No. I've made up my mind. I'll do it."
Her attempts at swaying him were failing. This bull's determination, it rivaled hers when she'd faced annihilation from those who'd challenged her very existence.
She smiled softly. How delightful.
"Alright, alright. Settle yourself down."
"Ok!" Raphael quickly nodded his head.
Then the surrounding lights dimmed. His wondrous trip through Thienika's Lumber Star Domain ended abruptly. The star-leaves began to vanish along with those roots that pulsated like those of a dragon. They slowly faded before him, returning back to the crevices and walls.
THUD!
He tumbled off that leaf and was once again greeted by the damp walls and smells.
"Get some rest, Raphael, you need to stabilize your essence."
He could still hear her voice echoing all around.
"Thank you. I won't let you down!"
A chance to repay a favor had emerged. He would bring Grandma Thienika a Void Emperor Calamity's blessing.
It was now his true objective.