Wert lay on his bed peacefully. His body had long lost its forr strength, and his ternary essences were a fraction of what they were in the past. By his side, a thorn flower and a few other people gathered, looking at him worriedly.
The air was faintly fragrant, carrying the scent of blooming petals from the flowering city outside. With the wind gently blowing through the leafy curtains and warm light filtered through the windows, the evening atmosphere was soft and gentle.
As light poured on half his body, his old and chapped lips arched faintly, a chuckle escaping him. “All of you look even younger than the first ti I saw you. Really, it is not good for the heart to have Sylvans and other plant species as friends. I feel like a raisin besides fresh olives.”
Around Wert, there were Branthis, Delia, an elderly Taro, the Sylvans, and a few other people. Despite the twenty or so people present, including Wert’s family, the room didn’t feel crowded, its spaciousness allowing everyone to gather comfortably.
The thorn flower on the pot, Branthis, spoke, the voice masculine, clear, and pleasant. “You are still speaking like this at your deathbed? You are asking to get punished and be reborn into a flower for it.”
Wert laughed, coughing between chuckles. “That doesn’t sound… cough, bad. It would be an experience. Moreover, cough, cough, with how crazy Liu Shu’s buffs are becoming, I might beco a sapient flower with ti.”
Branthis laughed. “You old man, you’re still the sa after all these years.”
Wert chuckled, his breathing sowhat laborious. Thanks to Liu Shu, he managed to get older without any permanent or botherso ailnt. In a way, Wert felt fortunate and at peace.
For those living within Liu Shu’s domain, death was not sothing fearful for most. It was widely known that, once soone died, their soul would pass through the World Tree’s roots to be reborn within Ceperet. Therefore, many thought of death as closing one’s eyes to open them later again.
“Cough… Liu Shu, are you there?”
With the love of his life gone, Wert decided to speak his last words to the being who, at one point, he cherished as if she were his own daughter.
Soon after he asked, he got an answer. Liu Shu looked at him and gently coiled a thin root around his arm. “Yes. What’s wrong, Wert?”
Wert didn’t speak right away. As he patted the root around his arm, the man spoke slowly. “I hope you are not sad when I go, little one. I know you are a soft girl who cares for those close to you. So, you must let things flow naturally. Alright?”
“...I will.” Liu Shu’s voice was soothing and gentle, filling the room with a feeling of calm.
Wert smiled. “You’ve grown… so much.”
Liu Shu answered with a giggle. “Of course. I am over 9,000 ters tall!”
“You’ve grown tall, but…” Wert continued to pat the root, his weak arms moving up and down rhythmically. “Your heart has grown much more than your size ever could.”
The World Tree got silent. Wert continued, not minding her silence. “I still rember the first ti I saw you. You were so small that I mistook you for a Life Tree.” A laugh escaped him. “You even lied to about Ignatia for a while.”
Liu Shu smiled, but her eyes stung. She spoke as cheerfully as she could. “I won’t say sorry, Wert! If I didn’t know that, you might’ve beco a lumberjack back then!”
Wert laughed, his body slowly losing strength. “I might’ve done that… Who knows? Still, little girl, know that I am very proud of you.”
The root trembled faintly, her emotions swelling in her chest.
“Liu Shu, you’ve faced many difficulties and undergone tribulations, and your heart has already started growing callouses when you are such a young World Tree. Still, little girl, you have kept your essence and not lost what is most important. That’s why I am very proud of you.” Wert took a breather before continuing. “Everything you have, everyone who loves you… Never think that you don’t deserve it. You do.”
Liu Shu’s root tightened slightly around Wert’s arm. She controlled her voice, sadness gathering in her tone. “I also… am very happy to have known you. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to be as free as I was. Thank you, Wert, for taking care of .”
Wert's eyelids beca heavy, and his voice got slower. “Of course. You are… our little girl… after all.”
Liu Shu answered softly, trying not to perturb Wert. “Yes. I am just a little girl… So, please take care of again in the future.”
Wert’s lips arched faintly, his eyes closing, and a final mutter escaped his lips. “I will…”
As his last breath escaped his mouth, Wert’s body relaxed, and the hand tapping the root ca to a stop. In his last monts, Wert felt satisfied and fulfilled.
Right after, motes of light gently flowed out of Wert’s body. Light only Liu Shu could see. These motes ford a beautiful stream that flowed through Liu Shu’s roots. For one last ti, our World Tree sensed his presence, grinning widely like he used to.
People around the room couldn’t help but tear up, salty water soon flowing down their cheeks.
As faint sobs filled the room, Liu Shu kept holding Wert’s arm, rembering the promise she made to him.
“When I pass away, can you bury under you, little girl?”
Liu Shu naturally rembered and would now fulfill that promise. There wouldn’t be any grand funeral, nor a large event.
After Wert’s family, friends, and close people said their goodbyes, the World Tree observed everything from a distance.
“Tiantian, are you okay?”
Cinderielle’s soft voice reached her, and Liu Shu answered lightly. “Yes… I am.” She sighed softly. “It’s a sha Flor and Ignatia are still going through their Level Up. They will be quite sad that they couldn’t say their goodbyes to Wert.”
Cinderielle and the other three nodded to her words. Then, they didn’t bother her further.
As the day went by, and the Sun began setting on the horizon, Liu Shu’s roots sneaked into Wert’s room and slowly crawled up the bed. Everyone else took a step back, looking at Liu Shu’s roots gently surrounding the elderly man.
Then, silently and extrely gently, the roots took the entire bed and pulled everything underground. It would take a little while, but these roots would eventually transport the bed right below Liu Shu’s body, placing it there to decompose and mix with the world once again slowly.
Liu Shu’s real body opened her eyes, looking at the setting sun in the distance with a pondering expression. Each ti she did, she sohow felt emotional. A light yet slightly lancholic smile appeared on her lips. “Very beautiful. Soft orange light that bathes the world. Light that doesn’t hurt the eyes. It is during the setting sun that the world feels the most gentle.”
As the light dimd and twilight passed, the sky gradually darkened from orange to a deep blue. The stars in the sky twinkled, and the white crescent moon shone brightly far above.
“I hope that… as I beco stronger, I can help those around get stronger. I hope that, with those efforts, I am not forced to say goodbye to those I love much more.”
Inside her, a conflict of interest existed.
As a World Tree, she accepted Death and was not fearful of it. Even if she resisted it and tried to prevent it as much as she could, it was not sothing that she was terrified of. On the contrary, Liu Shu never really tried to do anything against it.
However, as she said goodbye to so many people she once knew, her more personal self felt so sense of inquietude. After all, among the many buffs she had, one stood out quite prominently.
Her eyes moved, and she muttered it. “Title… Immortal.”
She understood the word, and she comprehended the aning. However, Liu Shu thought to herself. ‘Do I understand the implications?’
What is true immortality? This was a question that Liu Shu believed she would answer differently as she grew increasingly older… Or, better put, more ancient. After all, there was no “older” for her.
Liu Shu observed the sky for a while, her verdant green eyes shining beautifully in the dark night. Beyond her eyes, her large body had beautiful, glowing blue veins that beca visible at night.
If during the day she was imposing and beautiful, during the night she beca like a veil of mystery full of ethereal wonders.
“...It’s morning.”
Her head turned toward the other side, where the light poured out to illuminate the night and make way for the dawn hours. While she observed, she noticed a large number of flying creatures moving together. They were her berry gatherers. She honestly felt a bit sorry for them. Nevertheless, she still had no solution to the problem of producing many berries.
Thankfully, there was no shortage of people willing to beco berry gatherers. It was a very respected work that paid well and also gave a lot of free ti. After all, as long as you fulfilled the calculated quota, you could rest for the rest of the day.
Looking away from them, Liu Shu went to find her lovers. After a night of sleep, they seed refreshed, making her smile. “Good morning.”
She spoke to them lightly, and all four answered with lazy smiles while holding their bellies. “Loves, can you co to the middle of the shared garden later? I want to ask a few things.”
The four didn’t take long to prepare and arrive. Seeing that they had gathered, she placed a cup of tea in front of them and cleared her throat. “Ahem, loves, I want to ask you about an important thing. I don’t know if you can do it now or not, so don’t feel rushed.”
The four beca suspicious, and Tempestria took the lead to ask. “Shu’er, what’s wrong?”
“That…” Liu Shu pondered on how to ask gently, not to startle them too much. After thinking for a bit, she nodded to herself. “Um… You see, I am doing a big project on the Moon.”
“...The Moon?” Harmonixia blinked and pointed to the sky. “The big rock up there?”
“Yeah.” Liu Shu agreed.
Her agreent prompted the four Sylvans to pick and take a sip of the tea simultaneously. Thankfully, no buffs popped out this ti around.
“You each have a specialty that would help a lot in my current project. But I don’t know if you can go to the Moon with your big bellies… Do you know if it would be bad for the baby?”
Verdantia asked, her voice trying to stay calm. “So… Before that. What is the project you are speaking about?”
Liu Shu coughed and answered sheepishly. “Well… I am terraforming the Moon. Do you want… Or better said, can you help ?”
The four Sylvans took the teacups, lifted them, and slurped the contents until more than half was gone.
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