A moment of pure silence hung in the white, infinite space. The two beings, the ancient light and the old soul in a young body, simply regarded each other.
Aurelion broke the silence first, his projected a single word.
"No."
The light pulsed, its colors swirling with a soft urgency. "My child, I understand your refusal, but if you wish for Zura to be healed, this is the only way."
A cynical amusement touched Aurelion's thoughts. "Corliss seems to love you. What about you go and place your will in his body."
"I cannot," the voice replied. "I cannot form a true connection with one who cannot see beyond their own mind world. The energy required, channeled alongside my consciousness, would kill him."
"A lie!" Aurelion's say immedietly.
"My child, truly, this is the only wa—"
"You have been trying to transfer your energy to me since the moment we began this conversation," Aurelion cut it off. "And now you use Zura as an excuse to transfer your will. I have researched Primordia. Not everyone receives your blessing. Not everyone is healed by your touch. And not everyone finds peace when they connect with you."
He pushed his thoughts forward, pressing his advantage. "You are not equal to all. And even though I have treated you with nothing but insolence since I arrived, you have not grown angry. You have only offered me unconditional, wonderful things. You are a good liar, but you cannot fool me, Primordia."
"Aurelion, everything I have told you is the truth, and you know this," the light insisted.
"Then why are you trying to heal Zura?"
"Because she is my chil—"
"Were the goblins not your children?" Aurelion interrupted again. "You claim you disrupted the balance, but are you not the one who decides the balance of this world? Am I not the one who is the true disruption here? The lizardmen were supposed to be ambushed and killed by the goblins while hunting the Gulper, were they not? But an anomaly appeared and changed the outcome. In the order you established, Zura was already meant to die. So why are you trying to help her now? Because she is your child? A lie. Would your child not have died if I were not here? Did you not bless those goblins so that they would become stronger?"
He paused, letting his final accusation land with the weight of a physical blow.
"You blessed the goblins to make them stronger, and now your interest has shifted to me, hasn't it, Primordia?"
The light pulsed, its form wavering. Finally, it spoke.
"Aurelion... I wish for all life in this world to become stronger. The things I did were for this purpose. Your appearance, and the wounding of the lizardmen, are all part of nature's order. You were victorious, and just as I try to do for all life, I am now trying to ensure that you, the victors, also become stronger."
"If so, prove it,"
The light sphere pulsed gently. "How do you wish for me to prove it, my child?"
"Heal Zura. Right now."
"Aurelion, you know I cannot do that," the voice replied.
"Either you do it," Aurelion projected, his mental voice dropping to a cold whisper, "or I will cut down that sapling when I get out of here."
The swirling colors of the light sphere trembled lightly. "I cannot heal Zura, Aurelion. The only way is to place my will into your body."
Aurelion stared at the Light, his patience worn thin. "Is this your final answer, Primordia?"
"It is the only way, my child," the voice replied.
The negotiation had failed. He turned his back on the light, focusing his will inward. He reached for the familiar sensation of his "nothingness focus," intending to sever the connection and return to his physical body.
But nothing happened.
A strange resistance, originating not from the outside but from deep within himself, held him in place.
He tried again, with more force, pushing his will against the invisible barrier. Still nothing. He was anchored here. He whipped his head back around, looking at the silent, watching sphere of light.
It wasn't holding him. It was doing nothing.
A cold realization washed over him. He looked from the silent sphere to the endless white expanse, and then inward, at the stubborn anchor in his own soul.
"So that's how it is," he thought, a bitter taste filling his mind. "It seems I can't just walk away again."
He turned and glided back towards the sphere of light.
"Aurelion?" the feminine voice asked, a hint of question in its tone.
"Fine, Primordia," he projected. "We'll do it your way."
A wave of relief seemed to emanate from the light. "Do not worry, Aurelion. This is the only way, and I will heal Zu—"
"But," Aurelion's thought cut through hers. "Make no mistake. If I sense any suspicious move, any action beyond what is necessary, I will destroy you. I don't care if you're part of an entire planet's will. If you try anything, you're finished."
The light trembled, its colors flickering at the raw malice in his tone. "My child, my purpose is only to heal Zura, nothing more. There are creatures of immense power on this world. I am not interested in your body."
"As soon as Zura is healed, you will return to the tree," Aurelion commanded, setting his final term.
There was a pause, a hesitation from a light.
"That... is not something we can do right now," the voice finally replied.
Aurelion simply look to the light. "Explain."
"When I transfer my will to you, the connection to this sapling will be severed. It is too young, too fragile. It will wither," the light explained. "I will have no vessel to return to. Until you find another World Tree, another anchor for my consciousness, I will have to remain with you."
The entity seemed to sense his silent fury, and quickly added, "Do not worry, my child. I will help you on your journey as much as I can. For the sake of Thera, I will need to return to my duties as soon as possible."
Aurelion floated in the white expanse, processing the terrible new bargain. He was trapped. Trapped by his own subconscious, and now, potentially trapped with an unwanted passenger in his own mind. He weighed the violation of his autonomy against the unresolved problem of Zura. His own internal logic would not let him leave until one path was chosen.
He extended his hand towards the swirling sphere of light.
His decision was made. His voice was a single, cold, projected command.
"Do it."
The light pulsed once, brilliantly. It surged forward, its radiance expanding to consume everything. The white, sterile space, the chaotic colors, Aurelion's own perception of self all were swallowed by a blinding, absolute light.
And in the dim, damp cavern, Aurelion's eyes snapped open.
His hand was still pressed against the glowing leaf of the World Tree, covering Zura's.
He stared at the small sapling before him. As he watched, it began to emit brilliant motes of white light, its form withering with each spark it released. The leaves crumbled, the trunk grew pale and brittle, until the entire tree dissolved into a cascade of fading light and settled as a pile of fine, gray dust.
A cluster of the brilliant white energy motes clung to the back of his right hand, a stark contrast to his pale skin. Instantly, his own golden aura flared to life, lashing out at the foreign energy, trying to annihilate it.
The feminine voice echoed in his mind, its tone now sharp with urgency. "My child, hurry! Place your hand on Zura before the energy is destroyed!"
A muscle in Aurelion's nose twitched in anger, but he didn't hesitate. He knelt, moving to place his hand on Zura's chest.
"What's happening?" Rez asked, his voice a confused whisper as he watched Rokar and Krum stare in stunned horror at the pile of dust that had once been their sacred tree.
Corliss spun around, his panicked gaze falling on Aurelion. "What happened to the tree? What are you do-"
"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"
Aurelion's voice was a raw, explosive snarl that cut through.
He turned his head, his single golden eye blazing with all the pent up rage from his ordeal.
"If another word comes out of your cursed mouth," he snarled, "I will fucking kill you."
Corliss recoiled as if struck, his words dying in his throat.
Aurelion ignored him, pressing his hand firmly against the center of Zura's chest. The white energy pulsed once and flowed from his hand into her body.
Her deep blue scales began to glow with a brilliant white light, illuminating her still form. For a few seconds, she was a beacon in the dim cavern.
Then, just as quickly as it came, the light faded, leaving her scales their normal hue.
The lizardmen held their breath and Zura's eyes slowly open.
Zura slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Her gaze fell upon Aurelion, who was watching the last of the brilliant white energy on the back of his hand sizzle and die as his own golden aura consumed it. She looked at him, then down at her own completely healed body, her expression one of utter confusion.
"I... what happened?" she murmured.
Rez was at her side in an instant, the others gathering around. "Zura! Are you alright? Does anywhere hurt?"
"No," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I feel fine. More than fine, actually." She looked around at her battered companions. "What happened? The last thing I remember, we were hunting the Gulper, and the goblins arrived..."
"We handled it," Krum grunted as he look Aurelion.
Corliss simply stared, his eyes darting from the living, breathing Zura to the pile of dust where the sacred tree once stood, his mind unable to reconcile the two.
Seeing that Zura was conscious and the chaos was over, Aurelion turned without a word and began to walk towards the cave exit.
"Wait," Rokar's voice called out.
Aurelion stopped but only turned his head, his single golden eye regarding the lizardman leader.
"You saved Zura," Rokar stated, his voice filled with a newfound respect. "And you saved us. We are in your debt. You are a strong warrior, and we wish to repay our debt to you."
"There's no need," Aurelion's voice echoed back, cold and final. "The debt is now paid."
He turned his head forward and continued walking.
"Wait!" Zura called out, her voice stronger now. "You saved us? If you come to our tribe, the elders will reward you greatly!"
Aurelion stopped again at the edge of the passage, but he did not turn around. "You saved my life," he said. "In return, I saved yours. That is all." He paused for a beat. "Our business is done. Go your way, and do not dare to follow me."
He then stepped into the darkness of the passage and was gone.
Zura's hand, which she had reached out with, remained frozen in the air. She could find no words. She looked from the empty passage to the faces of her kin.
"What... what happened?" she asked.
Corliss, who could only stare into the darkness where the boy had disappeared speaks.
"We... we don't know," he whispered.