Chapter Seventy-nine: The Elder tree

We drearily walk straight towards it, or at least it’s remains. I keep my eye on Elijah, who I can tell is upset just by seeing it again. As we near it, all we see is the surrounding area burnt to ash. We see the ash rise and fall softly each time a breeze comes by.

We get to where the once tall entrance gates stood, seeing them half crumbled to the ground. Elijah takes the lead, pushing through them. He looks at what looks like a small podium on the ground, falling to his knees.

“This is where I saw them last. Where I left them and survived.” He starts to sob, and I feel his sadness create an emptiness in his soul. I feel a tear rolling down my own cheeks, which in my thoughts was displaying the love I hold for all the people who perished horribly here.

I take a breath and exhale slowly. I know he still needs to grieve properly, but we need to keep moving. I walk up towards him and gently place a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Elijah, I really am. This was your home, your whole life started here. Your family and friends. I am so sorry this happened. We will grieve, but for now, we need to go. We need to go and do what we came to do, and that was to put an end to the evil that destroyed your home.

If we don’t succeed, then he will destroy everything. More homes, more lives, everything we know that exists.”

He exhales heavily, and starts wiping the tears from his face. He stays silent, but nods in acceptance and gets up.

We walk what once used to be a lively place, bustling with life and happiness. Not, all we see is ash and burnt trees which once used to hold up homes. It’s not long before we see the remnants of the Elder tree. It had been burnt and had crumbled, the remains of it lying around it’s trunk, the houses and branches that used to tower into the skies scattered around the floor below it. I hear Elijah crack as we continue to walk around the remains and I can’t help but stifle a sob as well.

“I’m really sorry guys. I can tell this place was sacred to you Elijah, but I can see it meant a lot to you too, Wolfie.” Nuria says in a small voice.

I sniffle. “I found a home here when I had been wandering mostly for months. Elijah was the first elf I had met as he was a ranger on patrol at the time. I learned about their home, their beliefs, their medicine, a lot of things were taught here to me, and I loved them for it. The Elders were ancient beings, holding a lot of knowledge and passing it down to the next generation…..there were children here that should have lived for years upon years. I shake my head not wanting to dwell on it further.

We make it to the trunk of the tree and see the once bright entrance, now hollow and without a grand door. I look at Elijah who looks to the door but I turn him round to me, taking his attention away from the door.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I start, looking at the tree which doesn’t necessarily look very stable. “Even if you managed to get through the door, I’m not sure there’ll be anything you want to see in there.”

He looks back at the door longingly, but he knows I’m right. I don’t know what he’d do if he saw any remains of anyone.

“I know. I wish I could enter just one more time. But I won’t as you’re right. I suspect I’ll see something that will break me. Without Lottie here, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it on my own.” He says with sadness.

“I do however want to give a Missa defunctorum, if you don’t mind giving me a few hours to do so.” He asks, looking at both Nuria and I. I stand there a bit unsure as to what that means.

He understands my confusion but before he follows up, Nuria speaks. “It means to give an offering to the dead. It’s to allow the repose of the souls lost for all those who died here. It’s basically a mass funeral, similar to the Moon funeral you had done for the wolves who had died the night the creatures invaded.”

I understand. I look back at Elijah. “Is there anything you need from me?” I ask, hoping I can make myself useful.

He smiles sadly. “You can pray for those that died here. I hope their souls may rest. The only bright side here is the onslaught that killed them left the sacred trees still rooted, instead of uprooting them. Even though they’re burned, they’ll still be rooted in the ground for generations to come. I guess it just means that the elves that lived here will be forever remembered by the remains of the trees we cherished so much.”

He turns away and walks towards the Elder trees’ trunk, kneeling not too far away from it. He lifts his hands up and turns up his palms. He starts chanting what sounds like the start of a hymn and I hear the beautiful rhythm he makes with his voice.

I look up to the sky. I pray to the Moon Goddess that she watches over the elves who lost their lives here.. I know that she created them, or at least that’s what they thought, but I’m not actually sure. In any case, I pray that she watches over their souls.

Nuria takes a seat on the floor not too far away from where Elijah is conducting his ceremony. “Can you please watch over him? I’m going to have a short walk.”

She looks up at me, a bit unsure but she can probably tell it’ll do me some good. “Of course. Just don’t go far and shout if you need us. Who knows if my Father’s left any spy’s or the like behind.”

I nod, agreeing that he could leave something behind, watching our every move.

I start walking towards what looks like a large branch that potentially had fallen from a great height, so probably something from the top of the tree. As I near it, I hear a rustling coming from the other side. Curious as I am, I walk towards it.

I peek over the branch and smile as I see a small birds nest, bustling with tiny hatchlings. I look all the way over at Elijah and hope he knows that where life has ended, new life will always begin.

I walk past the nest, not wanting to disturb its inhabitants. I continue on a few meters until I feel a pinch of energy.

I feel Athena perk up at it too. “Did you feel that?” She asks.

“Yes. What was that?”

“I’m unsure. It didn’t feel bad though.”

I look around, unsure what caused it. I feel a slight pinch when I look back towards the Elder tree. I take a few steps towards it, and feel a slight buzz of what I can only describe as electricity.

“Fuck it.” I murmur under my breath, and I head towards the tree. I feel the humming of electricity running through my veins the closer I get to the trunk of the grand Elder tree in front of me.

I finally reach it, after feeling like I had been walking towards it for a long time. I look at the roots, some of which are above ground. I continue to walk till I reach the actual trunk, seeing it’s brown bark entwined with the burnt, black bark. At this point, I feel a surge coming from the tree, as if it’s trying to reach out to me and summoning me forward. I place my palm against the tree, instantly feeling a power I’ve never felt before coursing through my veins.

I stand there, one hand on the tree for what seems like a thousand years. I look up at the remainder of the tree which still stands several meters tall. I feel the power revolving around the tree, as if there are wires within it, still connected and circulating. As soon as I touched the trunk, I feel like I’ve interrupted the connection. I close my eyes, and I feel the immense power crashing into my body. I try to open my eyes and remove my palm from the tree, but it’s useless. My hand is stuck to the tree, absorbing the power located inside.

Finally, I feel what I can only describe as a zap, and I find myself flying several feet into the air, away from the tree. I land on my ass, hard, causing me to yelp in pain. I open my eyes and look down at my hands to make sure they’re still there. I open and close my fists, curl my toes, just make sure that everything is still working as it was before.

I look up and I can see Nuria standing there, and I can see she’s crouched into a defensive pose. I stand up and brush my knees down, removing the ash that had collapsed on me when I flew back. I stretch out and look at her again, as she still looks like she’s looking at a stranger.

“Is something wrong?” I ask her.

She stands up normally, and walks a bit closer, albeit hesitantly. “Aliana? What’s wrong with your hair?”

I frown and furrow my brows at her. What is she on about?

I pull my hair round from my back and stand there in shock as I look at it. My hair is an illuminous silver and is moving, as if I there’s a breeze causing it to gently tumble down over and over. It reminds me of Selene’s hair when I saw it, as if a continuously moving waterfall.