7th December 2019

NOAH

While Renee had been floating off the ground, the Arbor Vitae had decided to unsheath its darkness, giving me a glimpse of the world we'd been stumbling through.

The first thing that hit me was the colour scheme of the place. The grass we'd stepped on hadn't been green, but rather a fiery orange, with red-tinged tips that moved with the breeze, almost like fire. The stone slabs that had led us up here were bright gold, gleaming in the white light of the Tree. They'd been embedded uniformly in the ground, arranged in a spiral fashion around the hill.

I turned my attention back to the Arbor Vitae, now swaying in the wind. The tree extended for miles above, almost neverending, making it impossible for me to see the top. The trunk was smooth and white, shimmering with a rare glow, reminding me of the liquid light that it had injected into Ren. While the roots shared nearly the same shade, the small leaves were an electric teal, shining beautifully in their light.

I stared, open-mouthed. There was so much beauty, but most of it was hidden from the external world.

"Why?" I asked softly, to no one in particular.

"Seek, and you shall know," Sang an ancient voice.

Hesitantly, my palm reached forwards, touching the bark of the tree, and realised that it was much rougher than what it had appeared to be. I closed my eyes, wondering if I was actually talking to the Arbor Vitae itself, or some other Spirit guardian of the tree.

Slow music filled my ears, the melody vibrating from highs to lows, as the memory came into focus. The tree was smaller here, surrounded by Spirit Guides, waiting to take the liquid light from it.

"It is my power that created the Enlightened," The Arbor Vitae explained. "Spirits learnt to harness it, and I let them, provided that they expressed adequate wisdom to handle it."

As I watched, Spirits who'd reached the tree turned into light sabres like Augustus, gleaming more powerfully than ever.

"They'd promised me that my power would only reach the ones who were worthy. They were bound by an oath, to protect this power from moving into the wrong hands." Arbor Vitae continued its tale.

"Then Augustus came," I heaved a sigh. He'd been the first person to misuse his power and keep it all for himself.

The Arbor Vitae seemed to pause at my words, before speaking.

"Lord Augustus has only done good to me," It said. "No, Noah Stark, I'm speaking about the countless other Spirits before their time, who'd grown greedy over my power. They used it for wrong, reanimated the dead, killed the living and destroyed the balance of the Realms."

I stared, speechless. I didn't know what was more unbelievable, Augustus being good to the Arbor Vitae, or that there were people worse than him.

"How exactly was Lord Augustus good to you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"He protected me. He hid my existence from the next generation of Spirits. He imposed restrictions on being a part of the Enlightened, making it almost impossible for my power to be misused. Making sure that only the worthy reached me." Arbor Vitae answered.

"So he hid the Enlightened and you because you wanted him to?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes," The tree sounded happy. "You see, Augustus isn't a part of the Enlightened. He didn't ascend Realms like Spirits usually did. He received his powers directly from me. And I named him as the Head of the Spirit Realm, Lord Augustus."

I swallowed.

It was hard for me to believe that Augustus wasn't driven by selfish motives. That he'd only carried out the orders the Arbor Vitae had given him.

"Lord Augustus was cruel in his methods," I started.

"Lord Augustus was kind," The Tree corrected. "Spirits deserve to be punished more for all the imbalance they've brought upon this world."

"He severed innocent people," I pointed out,  thinking about Isaac. "He stole inventions, and renamed them as his very own."

"Isaac Whitford," The Tree let out a laugh. "I'd seen what he was capable of, and warned Augustus against him. However, even I was against Isaac being severed. It was at that moment did Isaac truly turn to the evil side."

"So, Isaac is evil?" I asked immediately.

"He did allow countless Spirits to misuse my power, by leading them to the Enlightened, through the Astrascends. So yes, Noah Stark, has done evil deeds. And do not worry, for he will certainly pay for them." Arbor Vitae replied.

My eyes widened. I was finally beginning to understand why the ISA was against the Astrascends, why they'd been so secretive about the Enlightened power.

It was all about protecting the Arbor Vitae.

"Umm...how is Isaac going to pay?" I questioned, slightly terrified of the casual way this Tree was talking about punishing him.

"The Great Rift," The Tree beamed. "My ultimate plan is to restore peace and harmony!"

"What's that?" I asked, feeling the goosebumps rise on my arms.

"You shall witness it, Noah Stark," Arbor Vitae promised. "I shall not deprive you of the thrill of seeing it firsthand."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean? Am I supposed to enjoy seeing him being punished?" I called out worriedly.

"I cannot reveal the future, Noah Stark. However, I can assure you that some of your friends have known about it for months. And they are taking measures against it." Arbor Vitae answered.

I blinked.

Some of my friends?

What was this tree even saying?

"Farewell, Noah Stark. We shall meet again," Arbor Vitae sang.

"Wait, come back! I've got so many questions!" I called out.

But I was only met with silence.

Frustrated, I swore loudly, highly tempted to aim a kick at the Tree. Why did it have to stop talking so soon?

Why did it have to tell me all this?

Was I supposed to warn Isaac? Or was I supposed to enjoy the punishment with a bowl of popcorn in my hand?

And what was the whole deal about Augustus being the good guy?

Was I supposed to unite forces with him? Aid him in torturing more Spirits through the ISA?

But, was Augustus even torturing Spirits in the first place? The Tree regarded him as a hero, its ultimate saviour. The one who was kind, and just, and made sure that the Enlightened powers didn't reach the wrong hands.

I sat upon the fiery grass, placing my head in my arms as I tried to contain my thoughts. The Tree had dumped information onto me, cleverly distracting me from the primary reason why I was here.

I wanted to find out where Melody was.

And now, I had four days left.

"Where is Melody?" I called out, hoping for an answer.

There was no reply. Of course, the Tree didn't care whether Augustus threw me in the Pit or not. It was only interested in revenge, in carrying out the Great Rift.

Very petty, if you ask me.

"Noah? You okay?" I heard a voice from behind me. It was Ren, her grey eyes filled with concern. She looked as normal as ever, with her crimson hoodie and black leggings, but there was something different that I couldn't place a finger on.

"Ren!" I exhaled, relieved to see her. "Are you okay? What did the Tree tell you?"

"I'm whole again!" She stretched out her arms, coming for a hug. "Oh Noah, I feel so much better now! The Arbor Vitae is truly amazing!"

I pulled her head against my chest, and I buried my face in her hair. It felt so good to see Ren this happy, and I was overjoyed that she was a Spirit again.

"Do you think your telepathy is back?" I asked, studying her face as I pulled away.

"I don't know, I haven't tried," She shrugged.

I stared at Ren, trying to reach into her mind, and pull out that thread of telepathy that had been deactivated in her. To my relief, I found it intact, and I called out to her.

"Ren? You there?"

"Yup! I can hear you!" She replied almost immediately, grinning in the process. "Noah, I can't believe it! I'm not severed anymore!"

I smiled, but I couldn't ignore the heavy feeling that settle in my gut as I remembered my conversation with the Tree. Things that had been thrown so casually, without any concern for the future.

And yet, the Tree had promised to restore the balance. Something that made me want to trust in the process.

We stood up, trying to search for some sort of exit to this place. Ren suggested that we head down the golden slabs, to reach the place where we'd started with. I merely nodded, still thinking about the Tree.

"Noah," Ren tugged on my sleeve, pulling me out of my confused thoughts. "Why are you so quiet?"

"It's a long story," I said, throwing an annoyed look in the direction of the Tree. I wondered what it might do if it heard me bitching about it to Ren.

"No more secrets, remember?" Ren reminded, slipping her fingers into my hands. "Did the Arbor Vitae tell you where Melody was?"

"I wish it did," I frowned. "But all I got was a huge history lesson on why Augustus was the greatest hero to ever exist."

Renee blinked.

"I can't tell if you're joking-"

"I'm not," I sighed. "The Arbor Vitae didn't want its powers to be misused further and appointed Augustus as its protector. That's why the ISA has been hiding the White Realm from us... Why nobody from the Spirit Realm knows about the Enlightened..."

Renee gaped at me.

"That's why they hate the Astrascends too," I explained. "They're endangering the powers of the Arbor Vitae and allowing everyone to reach the White Realm. Which is why the Great Rift is going to happen-"

"Great Rift?" Ren questioned immediately.

"Something that's going to punish Isaac for creating the Astrascends," I told her. "The tree didn't want to spoil the surprise or some rubbish like that," I rolled my eyes.

"But Noah, Isaac isn't heading the Astrascends anymore, is he?" She asked.

Oh yeah.

"Well, I don't think the tree cares," I shrugged. "It's only interested in carrying out the revenge-"

"What if something happens to the Astrascends?" She started worriedly. "I don't want Mike and Shay to get hurt..."

I looked at Ren, the true magnitude of the tree's words hitting me for the first time. And as it did, my mouth fell open, realising what the Tree had been on about.

I had to warn the Astrascends.

I had to get my friends out before something happened to them.

And if I had time, maybe I'd warn Isaac too.

*****

We were almost at the bottom of the hill.

Dark smog hovered over the valley, indicating that this was the place we'd exit through. Ren stayed silent for some reason, throwing me furtive glances and gripping my elbow more than usual. I wondered if that was her way of reassuring me, using touch where words didn't work.

Whatever it was, I liked it. It made it look like she was depending on me when it was the other way around.

"Ren?" I whispered, not wanting my voice to echo through the deathly quiet of the surroundings.

"Yeah?" She smiled up at me.

"Thanks," I smiled back at her. "You're the best."

Ren stood on her tiptoes, as she placed a quick kiss on my cheek. The swift moment left me surprised, and her giggles that followed made me grin like crazy.

"Thank you, Starky," She bubbled, tightening her grip on my arm. "You're the cutest."

"Starky makes me sound like a puppy," I complained.

Ren opened her mouth to retort, but at that moment, a loud burst of laughter interrupted us.

I stilled. It sounded like there were people nearby, who were heading up the hill.

"It's just that I love him so much. I can't stop thinking about him, his blue eyes, his raven hair, those strong arms, and his-" A voice rang through, soft and sweet and familiar.

"Stop, okay? I don't want to hear all your lovesick details," A harsh voice interrupted, making me pause in my tracks.

Was that-

"It's Isaac!" Renee pointed down our path, which revealed a lean dude with glasses. Next to him stood Melody, her frizzy curls in a bun and her large eyes gazing up the hill.

I froze.

As much as I wanted to find Melody Davies, seeing her as a Spirit made me want to run in the other direction. But before I could move, Renee gripped my arm, her sharp eyes noticing something that I didn't.

"They can't see us. They can't see anything, because they're walking through the darkness."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive," She answered. "And I don't think they can hear us either... They should've looked up by now, seeing the noise we're making."

A grin made its way up to my face. Now I knew why the Tree had been silent.

I didn't have to search for Melody.

I'd find her right here.

*****