Chapter 6 -- The tree ritual

AIO: I've been thinking about the concept of 'getting lost in the words' which can mean a few different things. To me, I consider how I get especially immersed in writing. So much so that it's difficult to remember each little detail I've written! With the exception of the plot, I have the memory of a bluefish.

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Tomo: "Greenland of Envy: New Beginnings?"

Thorn: So that's what this village is called.

Shile's grin stayed persistent.

Reach: The manipulation of trees...

Reach: "Shile, was it?"

Reach: "Is that a disease you have?"

Shile released his clapped hands.

The two small trees submerged back into the ground.

Shile: "Not quite."

Reach: ?

Shile took a more relaxed stance, his body language welcoming the three visitors.

Shile: "Come. Let us walk."

...

Reach: "Okay."

Thorn: ...

The three followed in suit - through the hollow pentagon-shaped fixture.

Reach: "This old man is a bit eccentric isn't he?"

Tomo: "I can't blame him, look at this place!"

The three glanced around, walking between the ridiculously-sized trees that seemed to go up forever. Their thickness even more breathtaking at close distance.

The inner village revealed much smaller and diverse trees, unnoticeable from the outside.

Leaves of green, blue, red, purple...

Dark wood, light wood, blends, and mixtures...

They came in all shapes, colours, and sizes.

Shile: "It's almost a representation of humanity, is it not?"

Reach: ...

As the three entered further, they saw multitudes of people living in harmony with the trees.

Mothers, children, happy families... The feeling of peace was overpowering.

Tomo: "H-How is everyone here so happy?"

Tomo: "Striker, don't you know there's really bad people nearby?"

Shile: My name is Shile...

Shile: "Fear not, young man. The dangerous are not welcome here. "

Shile: "These trees are much stronger than you think."

Tomo: "The trees are?"

Tomo approached one of the trees - perhaps 40 metres in diameter.

Placing his hand on the tree, he felt a pulse.

Tomo: "Oh, wow..."

Thorn: ?

Thorn joined Tomo in touching the tree.

Thorn: Hmm.

Thorn: I can feel a unique energy. These aren't normal trees.

Thorn looked at Shile.

Thorn: "What are these made out of? Your average swordsman wouldn't be able to make a dent."

Shile: "They're simply wood, nothing mo-"

Shile: "Hm? Did you say 'your average swordsman'? Are you suggesting you could make a dent?"

Thorn: "...No."

...

Thorn: "I could cut the whole thing in half."

Shile: ?!!

Thorn grinned.

Thorn: "And I meant to say this before, but..."

Thorn gripped one of her blades, walking up to Shile.

Thorn: "How do you know I'm not dangerous?"

...

Shile: W-Who...

Shile: ...Who is this woman?!

Reach contributed to the conversation.

Reach: "Thorn, relax..."

Thorn: ...

Thorn expelled the competitive smile from her face.

Reach too, touched the tree.

Reach: ...

Reach: I see. What is this feeling?

Shile exhaled to calm his nerves.

Shile: "Th-These are the biggest trees in the world. Not only in mass, but in energy."

Reach: Energy?

Shile: "In this village we are one with the trees. They live with us, and we live with them."

Tomo: ...

Tomo glanced back at cheerful villagers in the distance.

Tomo: One with the trees...

Tomo noticed that many trees were somewhat domesticated.

Doors, windows, furnishings... They each appeared as their own place of home.

One villager slowly approached a tree.

Tomo: ?!

The tree morphed, creating an opening for the villager to enter through, which closed shortly after.

Tomo: "The trees... Can move?"

Shile: "Indeed."

Shile: "The trees here are alive."

Tomo: "Aren't all trees alive?"

Shile: ...

Shile: "A different kind of alive."

Reach and Thorn observed villagers high in the air, walking across a branch.

The branch extended to meet the tree next to it, acting as a bridge.

Shile: "The trees change shape and react to the bonds we establish with them."

Tomo: "That's beautiful."

Reach: "And it's not a disease, you said?"

Shile: "Not my disease, at least."

Reach: ...

Shile guided the group onto a grassy path that winded between countless trees.

Shile: "Come. I shall explain."

Thorn: ...

Thorn: "Why bother with us outsiders?"

Shile looked up to the mostly-blue sky as he walked. Hands comfortable behind his back.

Shile: "You three seem... Interesting."

Thorn: "...Is that right?"

Tomo: ...

Tomo: He must be talking about me.

They passed by several villagers on the path, each offering a kind smile to Shile.

Tomo, at the back of the pack, exchanged smiles with a mother and daughter.

The daughter - small and young, stared at Tomo.

????: "Big head!"

Tomo: Eh?

????: "Now, now... Don't say things like that."

The mother kindly attempted to correct her daughter's behaviour.

????: "Besides, his head is only a little big."

Tomo: Oi...

The young girl lifted up her wooden toy, presenting it to Tomo.

It appeared to be a tiny human.

Tomo: "Ah, oh... Isn't that nice..."

The tiny human had a horizontal slash across both its eyes.

Tomo: It's a bit creepy.

Tomo: "I like what you've done with it..."

The young girl spoke again.

????: "I like her better this way."

An innocent smile came over the girl's face.

????: "She's different."

Tomo paused, showing a relieved smile.

Tomo: "Well, that I can understand."

Tomo waved goodbye as he caught up with the others.

The grass path continued, winding in and out.

Tomo: "Hey, Minestrone."

Shile: Hm?

Shile: Is he talking to me?

Tomo: "Do you capture a lot of Dines? I saw them from the entrance."

Reach: "Tomo, stop getting his name wrong."

Tomo: "Huh?"

Shile: ...

Shile: "We do not harm Dines here."

Shile: "The ones that gather atop this village are peaceful. They may attack in self-defence, but are generally passive so long as we leave them be."

Tomo: "O-Okay. I understand."

Tomo: Passive Dines... I wonder if I could ride one?

Reach thought back to when they first arrived.

Reach: "Shile."

Tomo: Shile?

Reach: "I haven't seen any dead bodies."

Reach: "What do you do with those who die of disease?"

Shile: ...

Shile lifted his arm as he continued to walk.

A small tree, supposedly one of the two from earlier, rose from the grass and travelled alongside him.

Reach: ?

Shile rotated his wrist and twitched his fingers. The small tree mimicked its movement.

Shile: "Many places congregate dead bodies and eventually burn them, out of respect."

Reach: ...

Shile: "Here, we return those bodies to the soil."

Shile: "They become the cycle of reincarnation, acting as life for the future."

Shile lowered his arm. The small tree returned underground.

Reach: "I see."

Reach: Burials... This village is all about connecting with nature.

...

Reach: It is... Tranquil.

Reach: I feel at ease here.

The path eventually widened to a large circular grass area, void of trees.

Shile: "Alas, this is the centre of the village."

Reach, Thorn, and Tomo inspected the area.

While deficient of trees, they noticed that an endless number of roots seemed to converge at this single point.

In the middle of the area stood a single wooden trunk, resembling a podium.

Its design signalled that it was not of typical handcraft.

Shile led the three of them to the podium-like fixture.

Upon closer inspection, the top appeared more as a sink made out of wood.

It had an open basin-esque shape with holes that descended below.

Reach: ...

Shile: "There was a disease-holder centuries ago who had the ability to birth magnificent trees."

Shile gazed at the encircled trees which varied in colour.

Shile: "Over there is the pioneer of our village. A symbol of potential, for both humans and diseases."

At the opposite side of the grass area, quite some distance away, stood the biggest tree yet.

Dark wood and dark blue leaves, a grand sight to behold.

Thorn's eyes went keener.

Thorn: The wood on that one seems even harder.

...

Tomo: "Incredible."

Tomo: "It looks as though it's at least 25% taller than the rest. We probably saw it back at that peak."

Reach: "So you remember the peak?"

Tomo: "Huh?"

The three meandered around the grass area.

Thorn attempted to analyse the dark tree's summit.

Thorn: "Hmm..."

Reach: "What is it?"

Thorn: "I probably have the best eyesight out of us three."

Reach: "Why do you say that?"

Thorn: "Well, first of all, your eyes look like they're exhausted all the time."

Reach: ...

Thorn: "And Tomo..."

Thorn glanced at Tomo, then back towards the tree.

Tomo: No comment?

Thorn noticed a brief, tiny shine from above - high on the face of the tree.

Thorn: "And second of all, can you see that thing?"

Reach: ?

Reach squinted, barely making out an object of some sort.

Thorn: "Old man."

Shile: My name is Shile...

Thorn: "On that tree, just before the dark blue leaves start. There's something mounted."

Shile: ...

Thorn: "It's... Light?"

Shile looked down at the grass.

Shile: There is much to learn... For all of us...

Reach removed his bag from his shoulder, preparing to jump.

Reach: "Maybe I'll examine it up close."

Shile: "Wait."

Reach: ?

...

Shile: "There is a proper order to events."

Shile: "That tree does not belong to anyone. It has been passed down through generations."

Reach: Belong?

Shile: "If it is yours, you need not climb."

Shile stood next to the podium-basin.

Shile: "As you know, the trees in this village do not behave like your typical tree."

Shile raised one arm above his head.

The small tree emerged once again. This time perhaps twice the size of Shile.

Shile: "Earlier I talked about bonds... Living as one with the trees..."

Shile rotated his wrist, moving his fingers in a cone-like formation.

The tree morphed to become a long, thin, sharp...

Deadly spike.

Tomo: "Wh-"

Shile: "Yet I did not talk about how to establish those bonds."

Thorn: ...

Thorn gripped one of her blades.

Shile: "Come. The resplendent podium awaits..."

Reach: ...

The three did not approach.

Shile: "How... How much..."

Shile smiled fanatically, showcasing his white teeth.

Shile: "How much blood... Will you spare?!!"

Tomo: ?!

Shile cackled vibrantly into the air.

Shile: "Do we dare begin..."

Shile: "...The tree ritual??!"

Thorn grinned, drawing both her blades.

Reach: Thorn... She's...

Reach: She's going to kill him!!!

[Chapter 6 -- End]