Millenniums Apart

Before Everything...

        Sun beams shine through the shadows of the pulled curtains in the early morning. They shine on her face and I sigh because she is absolutely beautiful. Radiant. My years with her will be my solace if I become guardian of the Life Tree. I sit up and pull on my clothes, today is the day of the Bonding. She doesn't realize but I won't be able to stay with her anymore. Her body will grow thin and frail with time while I am granted immortality. I won't be able to watch her die, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I'll miss her but our world cannot withstand the force of another Calmity or even another war. This one last night was completely worth it though.

        I stand in the doorway, my back to her and I begin to cry. I don't know how the bonding will work and I may not even be alive after it happens. It may turn me into something else completly. Bondings before me have failed, only because the Life Tree picks who it will Bond with. This Bonding will allow the Life Tree to protect the magic in the world, it will no longer be able to kill or sow destruction. This will bind the Other to the person who Bonds with the Tree, if they aren't strong enough they die. So far no one has even come close. The others were distorted, they became evil that only walked when the Calamity had split the realms. Some had nothing of them left, one dissolved into a puddle of blood. The covers rustle, wiping my face I turn to see if she woke or not. Gadly, she has not. No one not even her should have to see me in this state. If she were to wake she would try to stop me, only because she knows that I have a chance of never coming back.

        I walk towards the door praying that all will go well. That I might be able to return to her, return to our life but I know that once the Bonding has begun there is no going back. No one has ever been the same afterwards. When I make it outside there is a car waiting to take me to the site. With the Life Tree looming in the distance, I can't seem to make myself shake this feeling of dread, of bad happenings. It may be because I have an extreme distaste for this new technology but I doubt it. Suddenly the car stops, after I step out I can feel the electricity in the air. I feel like an inmate that's being lead to the Final Chamber. The Life Tree still looms ahead, I still have the feelings of forboding.

        The wizards in the clearing are beginning the process of the Bonding, one of them spots me as soon as I come close and directs me to a symbol in the center of them. They begin to chant in a language that I don't recognize and it makes me miss Sitha. She would be able to understand them, she studies the languages of the Lower Planes of Magic. White and blue lightning streaks back and forth from their hands, not quite reaching them before it goes in another direction. A bolt of green suddenly bursts from the Life Tree and begins to circle around the wizards. My survival instincts start to kick in, I drop to a crouch. The green lightning begins to weave itself towards me and I find that my legs won't move. Panic sets in when I look down and see the the root of the tree have wrapped around my legs.

        Everything stops. Everything. All of a sudden there is no noise, no movement, no nothing. The lightning from the tree has wrapped itself tightly into a circle. It puffs out and I cover my eyes. When I uncover them there is a man standing in front of me. He just looks for a moment then reaches out his hand. His look fills me with terror because he just stares at me. Long moments pass before I work up the courage to lunge forward and grab his hand. I realize that this was a mistake as soon as I did it because pain shoots up my arm and across my entire body. My field of vision starts to tunnel and blackness invades my mind. The last thing that I think of is my sweetheart and the last thing I hear is a voice telling me that I am not who I seem. Darkness and pain fills me as my body hits hard dirt and I loose consciousness.