The great soultree and its guardian

We are heading to the temple. The gazes of insect folk make me feel a bit uneasy. This place is even weirder than it looked like from outside. Buildings are built in ground and walls. They are made from a material I have never seen. And in the chasm there are more buildings hanging on the walls and ceilings.

We cross a huge bridge carved from one of the roots of the great soultree and it shines bright. After we cross the bridge we are told to bow in four places before we can enter the temple. I simply followed the instructions Maq'at gave me and followed the way Aktor did things.

Then we finally went to the temple and we saw one of the Scales. She spoke to us.

- So these are the travelers that have gained the attention of many eyes in our peaceful respite. Do tell this one the reason to enter this sanctum?

Aktor answers.

- If we might be so bold as to ask for your assistance to greet the Watcher. This friend of mine has a special soul, you see, and he isn't even a year old yet.

A moment of silence before the Scale speaks.

- That is indeed something our lord might be interested in. This one asks for the young one to come before this one and let this one appraise your soul for truth.

I start walking towards the Scale and right before her I bow down just in case.

- This one sees a young one who knows how to act before this one. This one is pleasing. Now wait a moment.

She starts casting spells at me. It tingles a bit.

- This one thinks that you are of interest to our lord Watcher. Please, this way.

We started to walk and I noticed that Aktor wasn't coming with us.

- Wait. Can he come as well?

- That one has not been permitted to meet our lord Watcher. He has already visited our lord Watcher, and he was specifically asked to not see our lord Watcher again.

- But...

Aktor speaks loudly.

- Don't worry about me. I came here fully expecting this. You will be fine without my babysitting.

- I see. Well if you're fine with this.

We start walking again for a while and I notice we have to climb a big hill in front of us. I sigh and out of curiosity ask the Scale.

- So why are you called "Scale"? Does it have any meaning?

- The ones who receive a part of our lord Watcher's body are called Scales. These parts contain a lot of energy and they are symbols of our lord Watcher's trust in us. This one is one of the eleven Scales and this one just happened to be free of duties. This is why this one is accompanying one who is of possible interest to our lord Watcher.

- Why do I have a feeling you are just ditching your duties to do something less cumbersome.

*Silence*

- I see I hit the nail.

*Flustered*

- This one simply found something else to do, is all. This one would never lie to anyone in the holy place. This one thinks you should be grateful to be in this one's presence and to be permitted to see the glory of our lord Watcher.

- Then I humbly apologize for my rudeness to an honorable Scale.

- This one accepts your apology.

We continue to walk this steep and long hill, until I finally see the end. Finally!

Then I see a tall figure. The figure had no clothes, but it also didn't have any genitals either. It had long white and silky hair that was dragging on the ground and it was shimmering like thousands of tiny crystals. Then I noticed how the figure's eyes were covered by crystal like horns and because of their shape, it was impossible to see its eyes. The horns were like a cup in front of its eyes.

And then I felt its presence. Of all things I had felt, I have never felt something this powerful. I feel like I'm going to faint. Now I can see why these people venerate this creature like a god. Its presence is like you are in front of one of the gods. I could barely keep walking forward.

Then I notice that the Scale has stopped.

- This is as far as this one goes. You are the one who needs to continue forward to talk to our lord Watcher. Our lord already knows of your reason for coming so there is no reason to bother introducing oneself. Do not talk out of line or there will be consequences.

I could see that her face was looking a little pale for a second and then she started to walk back. It is like she ditched me. Though it could be that she received instructions to leave me, I wouldn't put it past her.

I keep moving forward. It is getting harder to take each and every step but I keep moving forward. I fall down and the guardian talks to me.

- Is that all?

I push everything that is in me to stand up again and I somehow manage to stand up again. I'm starting to get closer to the guardian. I feel like throwing up. I still take each small step forward.

Each

.

.

.

Step

.

.

.

Forward

.

.

.

I somehow get right in front of the guardian and say.

- Is this enough.

*Silence*

The air starts to get easier to breathe and the immense pressure dies down.

- It is. Welcome. Young one.

I am sweating and out of breath.

- So it was a test.

- It was.

- So did I pass?

- It was to evaluate your inner strength. There was no possibility of failing.

- So how well did I do?

- You have walked the longest way any mortal has ever walked during my test. Your inner self must be very strong. For one as young as you to make this far is quite astonishing.

- Thank you. Then I guess you know why I am here.

- I do. Please, walk towards the tree.

- Is it alright? I know that the great soultree is really important.

- You don't have to worry. You couldn't damage it even if you wanted to. Rather you should walk toward it carefully. I don't know if your mind can handle it. But I have looked into your soul and I feel like you can handle it.

Reluctantly, I started walking towards the soultree. Again, it was massive. Bigger than anything else that I ever saw. Though I don't have many things to compare it to.

I get closer.

- Should I touch it?

- Yes.

Then I touch the soultree. I was immediately pulled in and I was surprised. I couldn't stop it.

Once inside, I started to feel something in me. I see memories I have never seen before. Some of them feel more familiar than others. Are some of them my past memories and some of them are someone else's.

I see the moment of my death, with someone looming on the side.

I don't understand all of these memories flowing through me. Some of them I can recall completely, but some of them are with me just for a moment. What is this?

And then I blacked out.

When I came to, I was lying beneath the soultree. I looked around and I was right where I was before I touched it. My head hurts.

- So you really are...

I hear the guardian's voice softly.

I get up and ask her.

- What was that?! What did you discover?!

- Calm down a little and focus. Focus on what you saw there.

I told the guardian what I could recall.

- I see. So you found out the truth of our world's creation.

- I... I think I did. So... are you one of the gods? God of mind and soul Iter?

- No I am not. My name is Siel'Kel. Part of the race vitreus. And only remaining vitreus left in the flesh. And don't mistake me for a god. While I may be powerful and my powers may rival a god, I am not one of the existences left to govern this world.

- So you are the people who... Who...

- We fuzzed ourselves to become this soultree. To fulfill our wish and end our lives the way we wish.

- And what way did you want to die?

- We only wanted to turn our souls into pure magica. No afterlife. No second life. Just pure magica.

- Why would you want that?

- We knew our purpose in life. To do things that interest our creator. But we lacked the inspiration to create anything in life as well as destroy anything. We simply existed. We could reproduce by combining two of our kinds souls to one to create a copy of two of our souls combined. We simply lacked the thrive to do so. So our race's consensus was that we should end our life thoroughly. And we came out with creating a conduit for our souls to enter and transferred the lives of all vitreus into this conduit. All except me.

- Why were you the only one left behind?

- We needed someone to ensure that the soultree would not be tampered with as our souls were turning slowly into pure magica. We knew that it would have to be there for a very long time and if left unguarded, it could be used to do unspeakable things. Things that could oppose the gods that govern this world. So there needed to be someone to see that the soultree was never used by anyone other than its guardian.

- So you use its power.

- I only use the souls that have turned into pure magica. I never touch the souls themselfs. The connection I have to the soultree is to only end when every last bit of souls has turned into a pure magica. Only then will I die and my soul might be blessed to be turned into a pure magica as well.

- So, one day you will be leaving.

- That is how everything is. Everything has its end. Even my wait will eventually end. Now back to your situation.

- My situation. Huh. Then tell me. What am I?

- You are a human who once died and was brought back to life by a fragment of the original power of soul.

- What! I already figured I died once. But a fragment of the original power of soul? Is that even possible? She's...

- She has been gone from this world for a very, very long time. I don't know the reason why, but you saw memories of her life as well as your own. That should not be possible for any other reason.

- But how? Why?

- I don't know the answer to those questions. Perhaps she planned this. Perhaps someone else has a hand on this. Or perhaps it is completely pure luck. All that matters is that it is.

- But. What should I do?

- Your fate is and has always been up to you. You don't have to do anything at all. You are simply someone with something that can't be found anywhere else. Well so is every other soul, but yours is fundamentally different.

- I can't believe this. I now know all this, but my memory of my past life is still hazy.

- Speaking of which. Now to the one that killed you. Come out will you!

- What?

I now notice Aktor. It seems he was standing right on our side the whole time.

- As expected of the great guardian. You noticed my presence. Now do tell me, did you only just notice or did you simply not care?

I feel intense pressure coming from Siel'Kel

- You! How dare you trespass where you are not welcome!

- I take it as the former. Now tell me Nor. How does it feel now that you know what I've done to you? Rage? Betrayal? How is it?

I answer a bit defeated.

- You killed me? Why?

- You don't remember?

- I only remember the moment you pierced my chest with your spear. Not anything before that. Or that everything is just so hazy that I can't recall. Tell me. Why?

Aktor gives me a sinister smile.

- Let me tell you a story.