In an empty meadow, the ground beneath me covered in grass, I found myself surrounded by emptiness. The only noticeable thing was a large tree at the center, standing alone in the meadow. In the sky above, there was no moon or sun in sight, yet the sky was as clear as day.
An unsettling chill cut through the air, causing my body to shudder. Amidst the wind, there was a faint whisper that lingered in the air around me. At first, I thought I had imagined it, but then the voice came again, grazing my ear and whispering a single word:
Come.
I couldn't place the gender of the voice, but it still delivered the message. When the whisper echoed through the air once more, the wind seemed to carry those words till it landed on the tree.
Drawn by the voice’s invitation, I focused on the tree, taking in its great appearance. It had to be the largest tree I had ever seen, with its thick bark and branches that seemed to extend farther the more I looked at it. Its green vines swayed from its limbs, responding to the direction of the wind.
Moved by an unseen force, I moved closer, the faint voice now calling me from the tree itself. When I got close enough to touch the tree, I noticed the green leaves were now a withering gray as they fell to the ground. There was a deep blackness that started from the roots, creeping upwards through the tree.
Without a second thought, my outstretched hand connected with the tree’s woody surface. In that moment, an electric sensation coursed through me, knocking the breath out of me. My head recoiled, and I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head. I pulled my hand back, and my breath came back to me immediately.
When my hand touched the tree, a torrent of emotions that I couldn’t understand overwhelmed me, but there was one certainty—the tree was dying.