My eyes fly open as I gasp and whirl around. My hand automatically clutches at my chest, pressing against to keep the blood from trickling out—but there was no blood. I whimper in fright and yank my shirt down, peering at the space just beneath my collarbones where Chaser's blade had pierced me. No blood, no cut—not even a scar.
I swallow and whirl around. The sky around me is pitch black, save for a few glimmering stars in the distance. When I look down, there is no ground beneath me. My heart pounds in my chest as I sink to my knees. The ground ripples for a moment beneath me, almost as if I am walking on a pool of water reflecting the night sky.
I yelp as I begin to sink, falling deeper and deeper into the starry black nothingness. A warm, tingling sensation numbs my limbs. My struggles slow, and then stop. The water—if it even is water—feels so warm, so soothing. My limbs feel heavy and my body completely relaxes as the water rises to my neck, to my nose, and finally over the top of my head.
I can hear a low murmur in the distance. Part of me wants to open my eyes and look up to see what is making the noise, but the water is too peaceful, softening the sounds until they no longer bother me. I close my eyes and smile peacefully, letting myself drift.
A low glow breaks through my eyes, spreading warmth over my skin. I open my eyes again, and my jaw drops.
"It...it's you!" I exclaim.
The old man from my childhood sighs with a small smile and moves forward, placing his hand on my cheek. "The way you see me," he says softly.
I look around. "Where am I?" I ask. "What happened to me?"
He chuckles softly. "All this warmth, all this...well, this!" He gestured to the starry sky above us and the nothingness all around. "Where do you think we are?"
My brow furrows. I felt weightless, as if I was underwater, but how could I breathe? How could there be stars both above and below me? But if I wasn't underwater, how could I be floating?
I swallow. "Am I dead?"
He rolls his eyes. "They always ask that," he mutters. "Why is it always that question?"
"Well, am I?" I urge, my eyes never leaving his face.
"You've done what everyone does when their time has come," he replies. "You've returned to the place you were made. This warmth, this peace—it only comes from one place."
My eyes widen. "I'm... I'm inside Life Tree?"
He smiles and clicks his tongue at me. "Good girl."
"But what about the Guardians?" I say, moving forward. "What about—what about them? They... they..."
"What? They need you?" He shakes his head with an exasperated sigh. "Lina... The Guardians are just children compared to us. Silly boys wrapped in silly games over who gets the shiniest toy. They need to learn to work together, to stop fighting. They have to take responsibility."
"Is that what I am?" I whisper. "The shiniest toy?"
"Oh, don't be silly," he growls. "You are no toy. You were meant to be with them, yes—but they don't seem to be learning the lesson they were meant to."
"Lesson?" I was more confused now than ever. "What are you talking about, old man?"
His expression softens. "Chaser was wrong about you," he says quietly, glancing up at me. He smiles and beckons me closer. I watch, amazed, as he reaches up and plucks a vibrant star from the sky. He holds it in his palm and stretches his hand towards me.
