Does life truly end with death? What lies beyond the final breath, in the realms where the living cannot see? These were the questions that haunted my thoughts, especially when I lay in bed, pondering the mysteries of existence.
Before all of this, I was simply human—ordinary, unremarkable, and unaware that my very life would soon be ripped from me. The moments before my death were blurred by pain, followed by an eerie emptiness. I didn't know where I had gone or what had happened, but now I was here, somewhere… strange.
This place, this void, was an expanse of endless blackness. No walls, no ground, just darkness stretching infinitely. My body was gone, reduced to nothing but a fragment of consciousness floating aimlessly.
It was unsettling. A kind of emptiness that gnawed at the soul.
Then, like distant beacons in a starless night, two lights appeared: one a deep emerald green, the other a tranquil shade of blue. They flickered in the distance, barely noticeable yet undeniably there. The green light pulsed with an intensity that seemed to call to me. The blue one, in contrast, gave off a gentle, soothing aura.
I had no body to move, but my awareness instinctively gravitated toward the lights. The blue orb beckoned me, calm and comforting. But just as I moved closer to it, I felt a pull from the green one—a whisper that tugged at my essence, a soft but powerful prayer. The language was foreign, but its meaning resonated deep within me, filled with longing and quiet despair.
I hesitated. But curiosity overpowered my caution, and I shifted towards the green light. The moment my mind made contact with it, the world trembled. I was flooded with images, feelings, and memories that weren't mine. They crashed into me like a storm, and I was helpless to stop it.
A vast land stretched before me, untouched by time. A massive, ancient tree stood at its center, its roots plunging deep into the earth, its trunk an unyielding pillar of strength. Surrounding it were figures—tall, graceful, their ears pointed and their eyes filled with wisdom.
"Elves…" The word surfaced in my mind, its meaning clear but strange.
Before I could grasp the full scope of this revelation, the green light surged forward, pulling me into its core. The world around me blurred into nothingness.
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A New Beginning
When I regained my senses, I wasn't alone. A world of vibrancy stretched before me. The air was thick with life—the scent of lush forests, the hum of distant rivers, the rustle of wind through leaves. Yet everything seemed… off. It wasn't just the foreign landscape; it was the sheer size of it all.
I looked down at the ground, expecting to see my human body, but instead, I was met with a massive trunk, rooted deep in the earth. My branches stretched out like great arms, and above me, a canopy of leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
I wasn't human anymore.
I was the World Tree—Grandézil.
The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. I had been reborn, not as a person, but as an ancient, powerful being, whose roots were entwined with the very fabric of this world. I was the source of life, the heartbeat of the land, the divine force that had nurtured and shaped everything around me.
But something was wrong. My body, though vast, was dying. The once-vibrant leaves were withered, the branches brittle. I could feel the decay deep within me. I was a tree on the brink of collapse, with no strength left to hold the world together.
Yet within me, something stirred—a force older than time itself, powerful and ancient. It was a surge of vitality, waiting to be awakened.
I focused, and instinctively, I reached deep within, channeling this power. The world around me responded. A small, dying tree nearby began to bloom as if touched by magic. Its leaves sprouted fresh and green, its branches swelled with life.
But the effort was costly. I felt the energy drain from me. It was like I was pouring my very essence into that tree, and in return, it was taking a piece of me with it. My divine power depleted, and I stopped before it consumed more than I could afford.
The tree, now brimming with life, began to shift. It grew taller, its bark thickening, its limbs twisting into something new. It transformed into a towering treant, a being of living wood, standing proudly before me.
It looked up at me with reverence and knelt, its voice booming with gratitude.
"Oh, Grandézil, the Mother Tree. I thank you for your favor. Please, grant me a name."
I felt a strange warmth inside me. The connection between us, forged in the very heart of nature, was undeniable. The tree had come to life because of me, and now, it awaited my command.
After a moment of silence, I whispered, "You shall be called Titan."
The treant's eyes gleamed with pride, and it rose from its knee, its form standing even taller than before.
This was just the beginning. I, Grandézil, had awakened as the World Tree, the eternal force that connected all life in this world. But as I looked around at the vast landscape before me, I realized that my journey was far from over. The path ahead would be long and filled with challenges, but I was ready.
For I was not just any being—no, I was Grandézil, the World Tree reborn. And this world, Saigües, would soon feel the full force of my power.