Tree of Wishes

Clan Challenge Climax: A Cypress Perspective

The legend says that when the seed of Lagdrygis was planted by the ancient, forgotten gods as a gift to the humans, there were three powerful clans who wished to claim ownership of the tree. The three clans fought a long, bloody war with no end in sight, leaving countless causalities in their wake. Those blessed by the tree rained down lightning and hellfire upon its victims, while floods and earthquakes swallowed up everything whole. It didn't matter if you were innocent or cruel, young or old, intelligent or foolish, as everyone caught in the clash would meet a gruesome fate.

At first, the gods were amused by humanity's ambitions, even hailing some warriors as heroes rivaling the gods themselves. Yet once the battling devolved into senseless violence, they grew disgusted and chose to intervene. Thus, the clan challenge was established.

The rules are simple. The clans will have one match where the winner takes ownership of the tree. It must be at the top of the mountain the gods created to keep the chaos away from unsuspecting bystanders, and the match must last from sunset to sunrise. Similar to chess, each clan will choose one person to serve as the 'king'. The goal is for the other clans to take down the king, and the last remaining king is crowned the victor.

However, there are some restrictions. First, no use of outside clans, thus modern equivalent groups like the police or the military are useless here. Second, if more than one king remains by sunrise, they must square off in a duel using the same weapon. In this case, no one else can get involved, and anyone who does will automatically disqualify their clan. Powers can't be used either after the duel has begun. Lastly, once the match is finished, the challenge cannot be brought back for another one hundred years.

"Lagdrygis will be the referee to this event, so we don't have to worry about the Darkners cheating," I explained to Anubis and Eddie. We were sitting around in a circle trying to plan out our best course of action for the upcoming battle. Even with so much time to prepare, it felt like we would never be truly ready.

"What happens if they cheat exactly?" Eddie asked.

"They will be converted into light and destroyed."

Eddie grimaced from the thought, which hopefully discouraged him from getting any bright ideas. "Ouch..."

"I have a question!" Anubis said while raising his paw like a child in a classroom. "How will we know which one's the king?"

"We'll both be marked by Lagdrygis," I said. "We'll stand out like fireflies in the night."

"Oh, right. You're better off being the king since you can't fight," Eddie said. "I'm surprised the tree's gonna count me and Anubis as part of your clan."

"Blood does not bind a clan," I said, then gestured towards my chest. "But rather the heart they share."

Eddie rolled his eyes, unamused. "Classy. So? What are we gonna do? Just keep you alive until sunrise?"

"Correct. It's unlikely Lilith will let you kill her, so I'll have to do it during our duel."

Anubis bounced a bit from excitement, his eyes gleaming as he said, "Ohhh, that sounds cool! How are you gonna do that?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," I said, rubbing my chin while in deep thought. "I'm not sure what weapon she'll choose."

"Depends on whether she goes for classy or modern," Eddie said. "Based on what a little birdie told me, she's packing a lot of heat, so I'm betting on her pulling a cowboy on us."

"That's a very high possibility..."

"Will you be okay?" Anubis asked, his ears lowered from concern.