Tyler was frozen, as if nothing had changed. He felt himself being dragged away, but couldn't move, see, or speak. His body was skidding upon dark muddy earth, which tattered his clothes within every step.

Despite his trance, Tyler pondered on what was going to happen to Josh, Jenna, Kai, and all of the Banditos. Whoever was doing this to him, he prayed to the maker of this world that they wouldn't be harmed.

At last, when he found himself again, he opened his eyes, but did not recognize where he was. He was able to barely make out his surroundings, which appeared to be mountain, smoke, and fire.

He thought that maybe what he was experiencing was a dream, that he was never taken from the spot he was at. He started calling out to Josh; hoping he was nearby, and could hear him.

"Josh? Josh, where are you?"

No response of his lover's voice came to him. Instead, he heard the faint high pitched voice of a woman.

"Finally, our little flower is awake!"

Tyler was horrified.

"W-What? W-Where am I?"

The unknown woman appeared from the shadows of fire and smoke.

"You have nothing to fear, little flower."

Tyler had to look closer to see who this woman was. When he did, he saw that it was Wren. She was dressed in a black hood, and she no longer showed her pregnant belly.

He was confused and terrified.

"I don't understand, why am I here?! Where's Josh?!"

Right as he said this, Ender also appeared from the shadows, and kneeled down to the poor child; lightly caressing his cheek.

"My dear Tyler, I'm afraid you'll never see Josh again."

The boy felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. He didn't want to accept what was happening in front of him.

"W-What?"

Wren then kneeled down to the sweet child. She examined his flowered brunette curls, and his stemmed skin.

"My boy, look how much you've grown." She said. "It's almost as if you've never grown at all."

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked; heavily confused and afraid.

Ender grabbed the child's chin and lifted him towards his face.

"Tyler, darling, I think it's time you knew the truth."

"T-The truth?"

The boy watched as Wren rose to her feet and began to reveal the truth, which would shake the poor child to his core.

"Over a year ago, there was a young woman. She was poor and had nothing, but the only thing she had was a babe resting in her womb."

Wren turned away and looked into the distance of fire and smoke, while continuing her story.

"When the time had come to give birth, she was afraid of what would happen if she kept the child."

"Why was she afraid?" Tyler asked.

The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It was unknown to her family that she was a spy for Dema, and her master had told her to get rid of the child once it was born."

Tyler started making predictions on who Wren was talking about when referring to her unborn child, but he didn't think that this story had happened so quickly.

He needed to know what really happened to that baby.

"What did she do?"

Wren turned back to the boy. She was surrounded by the smoke that covered her black figured cloak.

"After she birthed the child, a beautiful baby boy was resting in her arms, but instead of keeping him..."

The woman leaned in close; looking directly into the eyes of the helpless child in front of her.

"She cursed him."

When Tyler heard this, he was frightened.

"C-Cursed him?"

"Yes." Wren replied.

What she revealed next would send shivers down the poor child's spine.

"The beautiful baby boy transformed into a seed, which was planted into the soil of flowers in the garden, where she birthed him. Then, she disappeared and never saw her baby boy again."

Wren reached out and touched Tyler's cheeks.

"And now, here we are, 15 years later. I am looking down at the son that I never got to raise... until now."

Tyler felt as if he was frozen. He felt the scales of stems peeling away from his flesh. He could see the petals fall from his curls. He was shocked.

He now knew the truth, that his human life was taken away from him. He was cursed to become a flower, to not know his human form, and to live every day as a walking and breathing plant.

This curse that he was forced to live with, was caused by the hands of his mother, Wren Bondarenko.

The child looked into the woman's eyes, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"M-Mother, y-you cursed me?"

"Yes." Wren replied. "But, you can fully regain your human form..."

She let go of his cheeks, and looked into the poor child's eyes, then to his soul.

"If you join me."

~

As this was unfolding, Josh and Kai, who had discovered Tyler had gone missing, tracked down his footsteps, and found where the flower was taken.

Within the fire and smoke, they saw Wren and Tyler, staring face to face at each other.

Josh wanted to run over there and grab his beloved, but Kai held him back. It would be too dangerous to try and attack.

They watched as the innocent child reached out his hand to touch his mother for the first time.

"Mother? Where have you been?"

Wren, with the menacing look of lust and wickedness, stood back to her feet and reached out her hand to him.

"Come with me, my son."

Then, as the child was at her mercy, the woman raised her other hand; reaching towards her back to grab a weapon.

"NO!!" Josh and Kai screamed from the distance.

The two Banditos raced into the fire. Kai jumped on top of Ender and Wren, while Josh grabbed Tyler and blocked him from the attack.

Tyler, who was watching Kai restrain his mother, kicked and screamed from behind Josh, who was holding him back.

"Get away from her!" The man shouted.

"Josh, stop!" The child pleaded. "That's my mother! That's my mother!"

"Stop looking! She's trying to kill you!"

Tyler fought harder and harder to stop Josh and Kai from killing his mother.

"Josh, stop! No!!"

As the child desperately tried to save his mother, the restraint of the man's force, combined with Ender and Wren's power, caused him to lose his balance from the edge of the cliff behind him.

"JOSH!!!"

As if time slowed for a moment, Tyler fell from the mountain, down into the lake below.

Josh quickly turned around and saw that his flower had disappeared. He looked down into the lake and watched as Tyler sank into the water; lifeless and unable to move.

"TYLER!!!"

Breaking free from Kai's grip, Wren looked down and saw where her son fell. She was horrified at what she had done, but couldn't let anyone know the truth.

In her eyes, it was better if her only son were to die.

As Josh jumped off the cliff in hopes of saving his flower, Wren took a magic orb and threw it into the lake, which turned it into ice. Then, she and Ender disappeared into the night.

Right where Josh landed, he winced in pain from his knee, then looked down and saw the ice froze the water in place.

Tyler was trapped inside; gasping for air and pounding his fists against the ice; fighting to stay alive.

"Tyler! Hang on!" Josh cried. "I'll get you out of there!"

The man pounded on the ice as hard as he could in hopes of breaking it. The ice felt rough, like stone, and was almost impossible to break.

However, after a few helpless punches, the ice broke through. Josh slipped into the water, but he did not sink. He swung his hands around in hopes of finding a body, but did not.

He looked down into the water, and saw that Tyler was no longer there.

He was gone.

Josh felt his entire body go numb, and he began to scream.

"TYLER!!!"

Kai, who had failed to take out Ender and Wren, looked down from the cliff and saw his master screaming in agony. He jumped down into the water and joined him.

"Josh, what happened?!" Kai asked.

The man kept screaming.

"Tyler! Tyler's gone!"

"What do you mean, he's gone?!"

"He was trying to stop me from killing Wren, and he fell, and now I can't find him!"

"He fell into the lake?!" Kai asked; panicking.

"Yes!" Josh cried. "He's gone! I don't know where he is!"

Kai grabbed Josh by his shoulders and tried to calm him down.

"Don't worry, we're gonna find him, and he'll be alive."

Hearing this, Josh felt himself being pushed back into reality by his most trusted commander and friend, and nodded his head repeatedly. He was shaking from his hands and knees.

The thought of losing the boy he promised to love and protect scared him horribly. But, there was no time to continue to process it.

He had to find Tyler before it was too late.

~

Josh and Kai searched the lake; checking everything around it. They called out Tyler's name, but heard no voice. They checked the streams, marshes, and nearby rivers, but there was no sign of the child.

With no other option, Josh and Kai decided to split up and check around other areas.

As Josh searched, he lamented to himself everything that had led up to this tragedy. He was the one who agreed to allow Tyler to banish Ender and Wren, which ultimately led to disaster.

Wren Bondarenko was Tyler's real mother, and he was given his flower form because he was cursed.

Wren wanted to cover it up by killing the only child she had.

Josh's mind was spinning. He questioned himself over and over.

"Why did I let him do this?"

"I could've ended it."

"What have I done?"

But, he couldn't keep on thinking about it. He had to find Tyler in order to make this right, or he'll never see him again.

After a few hours, Josh returned back to the lake. He began to retrace his steps; hoping to find any sign of his flower.

Then, he did.

Josh looked down and saw a yellow scarf hanging from a marsh in the water. He went over and picked it up. It was completely drenched in water and mud. It was almost as if it was placed there on purpose.

Then, he looked up, and his worst nightmare came true. Within a few feet from him, Josh found Tyler; floating face down in the murky water.

The man brought both of his hands to his mouth. Tears poured from his eyes. He felt as if a rock fell upon him and crushed his heart.

He found the body of his innocent flower, and he was dead.

Josh ran over to him; screaming his name and fighting the rough waters that separated him from the child's floating frame.

He lifted Tyler into his arms and looked over his face. He was limp and pale, his eyes were closed, and his lips were blue. He wasn't breathing.

The man started shaking him; hoping to see water come out of his mouth. He spoke his name repeatedly.

"Tyler! Tyler! Tyler, please wake up! Tyler!"

Josh tried everything he could to revive the poor child, but no matter what he did, he did not awaken.

At last, as rain began to fall, Josh hugged Tyler's lifeless body to his chest; wailing loudly as the rain fell from the sky.

Kai, who had heard his master's cries, ran over and saw the horrible scene in front of him. He saw his leader, holding the dead child in his arms.

As the rain fell harder, crashing thunder surrounded him. It was like the maker of this world was grieving with him.

Kai watched, with tears flowing from his eyes. He had watched his leader fight so hard to save the life of the boy he loved, and now he lost him forever.

Josh's sobbing eventually withered down to silent weeping, then he started to stutter and mumble, while still holding the limp and lifeless flower to his chest.

Kai listened, and could make out the sorrowful words that Josh uttered from his mouth.

love came, as it often does,
all smiles and fragrant flowers,
but when it left, it left behind,
the fallen petals of what was ours.

Then, Josh looked up into the sky, as the rain touched his weeping face. Kai lowered his head to the ground, as the water surrounded them.

All was lost, and now there was grief.

Tyler Joseph, the flowered child who bloomed, was dead.