I used to live in a village called Eliya—a piece of heaven on earth people would say. It was small and quiet, surrounded by hills and fields that rolled on endlessly, because it was a small village everyone knew each other like family. I lived there with my mom and two younger siblings, happy and content, though I sometimes dreamed of leaving and seeing big cities, it wasn't that I didn't like my life in the village but I just wanted to experience something new. My uncles would tell me stories about life in the city, about the lights, the sounds, the endless opportunities. I wanted to experience it all. But I had responsibilities—my siblings and my mother to take care of, the fields to tend to—and I couldn't bring myself to leave Eliya.
Life was simple until the day the sky changed colors.
I still remember that moment as if it happened yesterday. The sky lit up in colors we'd never seen before—swirls of green, red, and gold that danced like spirits above Eliya. People stepped out of their homes, faces turned upward in awe. It was beautiful, magical even. We couldn't know then that it marked the end of our peaceful lives..
As time passed we noticed other changes. The air felt fresher, richer somehow, and the crops grew faster, taller, bursting with color and life. Scientists reported that new elements were discovered in the soil, and oxygen levels had increased. it seemed like a miracle. people felt stronger, healthier. Some people who were suffering from illnesses that would kill them normally recovered better than ever. It was as if global warming had reversed itself overnight, and the world became a paradise.
But nothing ever comes freely or without consequences!
After three years of studying the cause, scientists made a chilling discovery. They revealed that our dimension—"Astiriya"—was colliding with another which they called "Crasiyana". They warned that when these two finally collide with each other their collision will destroy both dimensions or the worlds in them. I remember hearing the announcement, watching as fear rippled through Eliya. Some people thought that it would take a long time a few centuries or so, But the Earth felt different the next day we saw two suns or some other planet or star that was a bit bigger than our sun. But what happened after that? My memories feel like fragments of a fading dream, and I can't quite piece them together.
Now... I feel like I'm in a dark, heavy sleep.
Did the world end? Am I dead? why does it feel like I'm underwater? And why does my body ache like this?
I opened my eyes and blinked against the dim light. I was in shallow, icy water, in a place that looked like a cave. Cold stone walls surrounded me, their surfaces slick and damp, and long, tangled roots stretched from the roof of the cave, digging into my arms and chest. I could feel them under my skin pulsing like veins.
"Oh! What the hell is going on here?" I muttered, my voice echoing softly of the cavern walls. "Why are these roots growing in my body? And how am I alive? It doesn't hurt as much as I'd expect, but...how did I get here? where am I?"
As I tried to pull the roots free, pain shot through me. They seemed to be fused to my muscles, like a second set of tendons, each tug felt like felt like tearing away a part of myself. After a few attempts, I slumped back panting.
"Oooh! It hurts it hurts so much," I groaned taking a deep breath. if pulling doesn't work, maybe I can find something sharp enough to cut them"
My hands fumbled in the cold water checking the edge of the stones with my fingers, until my fingers closed a stone with a jagged edge. Gripping it tightly I began sawing through the roots. It was a slow, agonizing process, and with every cut, a fresh wave of pain coursed through me. At last, after what felt like an eternity, the roots released me. As I was lying in the water I couldn't cleanly cut the roots, they were poking out of me, which made standing or moving hard and painful as I was about to try to stand.
I suddenly felt a sharp searing pain, that shot through my body and the roots that were poking out of me started going into my body. It felt like every bone in my body was shattering at once. I yelled and out cried in pain until I couldn't take it anymore, collapsing onto the floor, the world spinning and everything went dark.
When I finally woke up, my head throbbed, but the pain was gone, and so were the roots poking out of me, leaving only a faint black mark that looked like small roots on both my arms. I pushed myself up and tried to walk my steps were shaky and I felt weak but I could walk now. A glimmer of light caught my eye, seeping through a narrow not too far from me. Hope surged within me, I began to move toward it, stumbling at first then breaking into a run.
As I reached the exit, the light grew brighter, until I was standing at the mouth of the cave, looking out into the world beyond.
I stepped out of the cave and blinked against the light, my eyes adjusting to a world that looked like nothing I had ever known. towering majestic trees that surrounded me, their trunks thick and twisted reaching heights I could barely fathom. the forest stretched endlessly, a vast and breathtaking landscape that seemed to pulse with life. it was a view I couldn't even dream of.
Turning back, I stared at the cave I had just left. It was nested I the roots of a massive tree—a tree unlike any other. I felt a jolt as I took it in, my heart racing . the tree soared above the forest, its trunk as thick as a mountain, its branches spreading out like an ancient guardian protecting the land. Its bark shimmered in shades of green, silver, purple, and blue, shifting as if alive. I realized, with a mixture of awe and disbelief, that the roots piercing through my body had come from this very tree.
I hesitated at first but then, I reached out and touched one of the roots by the cave entrance. the moment my fingers brushed against it, a strange warmth spread through my hand, traveling up my arm. Memories flickered in my mind—images that felt ancient and comforting. the warmth was like an embrace, and deep, unshakeable feeling filled me, as if this tree... this being...knew me. It felt like we had a bond, a bond between a mother and child.
you raised me, I thought a sudden certainty washed over me. you protected me, gave me life.
The sensation was overwhelming, like finding a piece of me that had been missing. My entire life, I had never felt this rooted, deeply connected to anything. Standing here, under the tree's shade, I felt a quiet peace settle within me, as though I'd found my place in this strange new world.
But as much as I wanted to stay here, I knew I couldn't. Something called to me from beyond the trees—a pull, drawing me forward. With a reluctant sigh, I let my hand fall away from the root. Turning to face the vast forest ahead, I felt the tree's presence lingering in my heart, a silent promise that I was not alone.
"Thank you, " I whispered, stepping forward, letting the world tree's gentle strength guide me as I walked into the unknown.