Shadow Slave

Sunny saw a vast wasteland resting under a blue sky. At its heart, a young sapling struggled as it fought against the crushing pressure of soil, dreaming of light. Soon, it broke free of its dark, nurturing cradle and bathed in the radiance, absorbing the warmth of the sun and being caressed by the winds.

Eventually, the young sapling grew into a mighty tree, towering above the surrounding desert. Its roots spread far and wide, reaching deep into the earth;its branches stretched toward the clouds, swaying as they wished to touch them.

The tree bore wondrous fruit, and, attracted by their scent, creatures came from far away to taste them — gods and spirits, beasts and titans... and humans, too, dressed in furs and carrying tools made of flint, to satiate their hunger, and fill the emptiness in their hearts.

Time passed, and the wasteland was no more. Instead, a great forest covered its desolate expanse, full of vibrancy and life. Countless beings populated its verdant depths, living at peace with each other. There was no hunger and no strife, no discord or violence among those who dwelled in the Garden of Bliss — only harmony.

The tree had grown tremendously tall. Its roots dug deep into the earth, reaching the soothing darkness of the Shadow Realm;its branches stretched high into the sky, basking in the light of Heaven. The entire forest was born of it, and was part of it — the roots of all trees there were intertwined, forming a single, great being. And all was fine.

..Until the cold winds came.

Slowly, gradually, an eerie coldness encroached upon the forest from the west. First came the cold, then came the snow — and once the snow began falling, it never stopped. Soon, great mounds of it obscured everything in sight, the sky became hidden, and a relentless blizzard raged across the world, encasing everything in ice.

The leaves of the verdant trees froze and shattered, their bark blackened and cracked, and golden fruits did not grow on their branches anymore. The dwellers of the forest endured for as long as they could, but eventually, pursued by the relentless cold and hunger, they fled their homes and burrows, hoping to find salvation from the cold in distant lands, abandoning the blissful garden.

Eventually, the forest became frozen and empty.

The great tree at its heart was still alive, encased in ice, but powerless to break it. All it could do was dream of light, of warmth... of being young and strong once more.

That was when a beautiful daemon appeared, her eyes as blue as the warm summer sky.

The vicious cold was banished by her will. The icy carapace that encased the world melted. The long age of snow and hunger the eerie cold had caused came to an end, and soon, new saplings rose from the nurturing soil, brimming with green leaves, dreams of sunlight... and life.

Having been given the gift of repose by the beautiful daemon, the forest was restored and reborn. The great tree was rejuvenated. Since then, winter came every year — but it was followed by spring every year, as well. Life continued.

That was the vision Sunny saw... but he saw a different vision at the same time, as well. At first, it was largely the same. But then, its essence subtly changed.

The great forest still sprawled under the warm sky. Countless beings still dwelled in its verdant depths, and they still knew no hunger or strife — only peace. But there was no harmony in that peace. Instead, there was only stagnation and horror.

The numerous trees grew uncontrollably, cannibalizing each other’s roots and killing their siblings in a desperate competition for a spot under the sun. The ground was covered in myriad layers of dead branches, brown leaves, and fallen fruit, all of that endless mass rotting in the sweltering heat of the eternal forest.

The beasts and the humans who knew neither hunger nor strife propagated endlessly, but their minds grew weaker and more feeble with each generation — with no need to fight for anything, they had no need to strive and develop, and as a result, both their minds and their bodies gradually degraded.

Eventually, their numbers grew so vast that even the boundless resources of the great forest could not sustain them anymore. So, in their endless hunger, they turned to endlessly devouring each other, their blood and bones becoming inexhaustible fertilizer for the growing trees...

Their lives and deaths nourishing the roots of the great tree and satisfying its own boundless, frightening, insatiable hunger. Fueled by it, the great tree continued to grow, and grow, and grow... grow endlessly and hunger endlessly, forever.

Until a stunning daemon appeared, her eyes as blue as the cold winter ice.

A vicious cold was summoned by her will. It encroached upon the primordial forest from the west, followed by a raging blizzard. Once the snow began falling, it did not stop until the whole world was covered in it, suffocating the forest and encasing the great tree in a prison of ice.

With no warmth to find anywhere and no fruit to gather, the forest dwellers fled its barren expanse and scattered across the realms. The Garden of Hunger stood empty, devoid of life.

Only the great tree remained, covered in ice and suffering from hunger.

The stunning daemon then climbed its branches... and spoke to it.

After a while, the snow melted, and the ice melted as well. New saplings sprouted from the ground, and verdant life returned to the rejuvenated land. The forest grew anew. But ever since then, winter would always come, putting an end to summer.

And thus, the world would get a chance to rest from its hunger... from the boundless hunger of life to grow and expand.

Sunny swayed, failing to digest the jumbled mess of images that had assaulted his mind. He let out a pained groan, raising one hand to grasp his aching head. 𝔯á𝐍ỗ𝖇Εȿ

Then, he moved his fingers further along the threat of golden light.

When he did, a new vision revealed itself to him...

The vision of the great tree suffering from a dreadful curse.