The Tree of Light - I
A faint whisper stirred in the void.
Welcome.
Darkness.
Then—breath.
A slow inhale, crisp and cool, filling his lungs.
Subra woke up.
The first thing he felt was softness beneath him. Grass. He was lying on grass.
His body was numb. He couldn't see, smell, or even move properly. It was like his senses had been turned off. He just lay there for a moment, breathing deeply, waiting for his body to wake up.
Nothing can be worse than what I've already been through, he told himself.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first. Then, little by little, it cleared.
—-------------------------
The sky.
It was a deep purple. The sun was setting. But something was wrong.
Two moons hung in the sky.
Subra frowned. His mind, still foggy, struggled to process what he was seeing. He blinked. Once. Twice. But the moons remained.
"What…?"
He pushed himself up, his arms trembling from exhaustion. His body still felt heavy, but he forced himself to sit.
And then, he saw it.
Light.
Not from the sun. Not from the moons.
A tree.
No—The Tree.
It was larger than anything Subra had ever seen. Bigger than any building. Bigger than a mountain. Its massive trunk pulsed with golden light, like the heartbeat of the world itself. Its roots stretched far, glowing faintly as they disappeared into the ground.
Its branches… They weren't made of normal wood. They were golden, glowing threads, woven together into something that looked like a second sky.
No, it was the sky.
The peak was impossible to see. It disappeared into the clouds, stretching beyond sight, as if it touched the heavens themselves.
Subra stared, unable to look away.
No tree should be this vast. No living thing should be this massive.
It was like a monument. A titan. A god of this world.
And yet, here it was.
It towered over everything, its presence an unchangeable fact of reality.
Then—a pull.
A faint tug inside his chest. Strange. It wasn't painful, but it was… calling to him. A silent force, urging him forward, whispering without words.
His fingers curled into the grass.
What is this?
He didn't know. And he didn't care.
For now, he ignored it.
—-----------------------------------
Subra finally looked away from the glowing tree, scanning his surroundings.
Grassy plains stretched endlessly. A small forest of normal trees rested at the base of the Tree of Light. And not far from him…
A stream.
His mind went blank.
His throat was dry. His body screamed for water.
His muscles tensed. His body tried to stand. His legs gave out.
Before he could react, he tumbled forward.
The world spun around him. His vision blurred as he rolled down the grassy hill, helpless.
His heart pounded as he saw it—
A boulder.
If he hit it—
SHIT!
He twisted, arms flailing—barely missing the sharp edge—
And crashed into the cold stream.
SPLASH.
—----------------------------------------
Subra hit the water with a force that sent droplets flying in all directions.
For a moment, he froze.
His body tensed. His breath caught in his throat. The shock of cold rushed through his skin, his nerves, his bones.
He wasn't ready.
He coughed, sputtering, as his arms clawed against the water.
Then, with effort, he dragged himself to the grassy bank.
His thoughts finally caught up.
I… almost died.
He sucked in a shaky breath, wiping his face. The idea sent a shiver down his spine. He had no control. If he had hit that rock, he would've died instantly.
He sat there, body still dripping, heart still racing.
Then, finally, he cupped some water in his hands.
The moment the cold liquid touched his tongue—
Relief.
He drank greedily. Desperately.
Forgetting everything else.
—---------------------------------------------
Then, he saw his reflection.
A young man stared back at him.
Black hair with white streaks.
Dark eyes, once filled with quiet determination, now brimming with exhaustion.
A gem that had never been polished.
A flower that had never bloomed.
Just another forgotten soul in a world that never waited.
Subra didn't know how long he sat there, staring at himself.
What the hell is happening?
His mind raced.
Am I dead?
Is this the afterlife?
Or… was he about to die?
He remembered reading about a man who had lived an entire lifetime in his mind after an accident. A family, children, decades of love and loss—all of it real to him. But then, he noticed something. A lamp. A strange lamp that didn't belong there. The more he stared at it, the more the world around him changed, shifting at the edges like a dying dream.
And then—nothing.
He woke up.
The life he had known was gone, erased as if it had never been.
A lie.
Was this the same thing?
Maybe this was just his mind's way of protecting itself.
Or maybe… this world wasn't real.
Or maybe, he thought bitterly, this is just another nightmare.
He sighed, shaking his head. There was no point in thinking about it now.
That's when he noticed something strange.
His body felt different.
Stronger.
Better.
More alive.
Just minutes ago, he had been weak, exhausted, barely able to move. But now, he felt refreshed. As if all the pain and hunger had disappeared.
How?
He exhaled slowly. He didn't understand it, but… for now, he accepted it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sound.
—-------------------------------------------
SPLASH.
Subra froze.
Another splash.
And another.
His heart pounded. His body tensed. His instincts screamed at him to move.
He quickly backed away from the stream, crouching low. His breath slowed. His ears strained.
The sound continued.
Water splashing. Something struggling.
Is it an animal? A person?
He hesitated.
A normal person would've run. It wasn't his problem.
But Subra wasn't normal.
A bitter smile crossed his face.
I'm basically already dead anyway.
It didn't matter if this was the afterlife or a dream. Even if he somehow managed to return 'home,' he would still die. Either way, he had nothing left to lose.
Slowly, carefully, he moved toward the sound.
Step by step, he approached. His body low, his breath quiet.
He peeked around the trees and saw—