In the depths of dark, deep woods stood a slightly swaying tall form of a man, his clothing ragged and stained with ash and blood. One of his hands clutched to a heaving chest and the other held a pickaxe with a glowing diamond edge, from where blood also dripped to the ground.
Strange, white eyes seemed to glow in the expressionless face, glaring down at the ground before him, where a tiny baby lay in the center of a circular space burnt into the ground. Wisps of smoke rose around the edges of the circle, while all around peacefully towered untouched trees, their leaves faintly rustling in the gentle touch of the wind.
Slowly, the man lowered his hand and the pickaxe in it vanished. The blank expression shifted to dismay, then a displeased frown, as he stepped toward the child and lifted him up along with the silky, white cloth that lay next to him, which he then carelessly wrapped around the child.
Small chest rose and fell with breath while the small being slept, unaware of the anger that dwelt in the white-eyed man's face as he considered the child in his hands.
His lips briefly twisting down, the man closed his glowing eyes and slightly bowed his head.
W-Whuzzt.
The sound buzzing through the air preceded the arrival of a skinny, tall creature with skin as dark as night itself. Purple particles slowly fell, dissolving, as lilac eyes turned in confusion and searched, until they met the strange man's critically narrowed white eyes as he regarded the summoned servant.
"Rrrur." The monster's croak held a cautious question.
The man's eyes narrowed even more and a wave of voiceless, stern command flowed from him, encompassing the young monster. Its body cowered and shook in the force of power that took over its mind. Then, unwillingly, it made a step forward and reached out its long, clawed hands to accept the tiny burden.
The man's gaze followed the sleeping child with regret, then turned harsh as he looked at the mob.
Another command went out, carrying voiceless warning, direction, demand. Tearing its puzzled lilac eyes away from the fragile baby surrendered to its hands, the mob looked at the man and hesitantly shifted from foot to foot beneath his impatient glare.
"Rrupt rrupt!" The monster finally responded and vanished, leaving more of the faintly visible purple particles that melted in the air before touching the ground.
The man continued to frown at the spot where the mob had left, annoyance giving way to a helpless frown, then sighed in defeat, his wide shoulders slumping. Turning away, he made a step and stumbled, his wounded body not responding to him. Scowling, he forced himself to walk from the burnt circle to the edge where blue sky shone calmly through the heavy trees.
There, on the edge of a cliff that fell off into the valley below, the man leaned his weight against the crooked trunk of the nearest tree and with a hooded look considered the valley spreading below him.
The sight was majestic. Endless woods spread as far as the eye could see, fresh and green under the brightly shining sun above. Bands of rivers made their way amid mountain crags that poked out among the softly rolling hills, framed behind by the insurmountable walls guarding sides of the valley. Scattered all along the quiet depths were tiny villages with wooden, single-story houses cropped close to each other for protection.
The man's white eyes swept indifferently over those villages before rising to the horizon, lost in gathering clouds.
A peaceful expression that almost settled upon the man's face suddenly morphed to that of pain, white eyes closing shut and one hand jerking to grasp his side, where it held, slightly shaking. His tanned face paling, he stood there, bearing through the pain with tightly clenched teeth, while all around his figure, air strangely warped, as if heat rose around his figure and obscured the image. The man's other hand, leaning against the tree for support, tightened its grip, sharp fingernails piercing into the bark of the tree and crumbling it.
Dry, blackened leaves crumpled and fell from rapidly wilting branches above, turning to ash that drifted down and settled upon the man's wild, tangled locks of dark-brown hair and on his torn, stained cyan shirt.
Nearly a minute passed before the man's locked breath released and he started to pull in shallow, weak gasps. White eyes opened in a dazed sliver, still tinged with fear and pain, which faded as coherent thought returned. Again, the man glanced at the small villages scattered below. Faint worry flashed across the man's expression, but almost immediately gave way to an angry, annoyed scowl.
Pushing himself away from the dying trunk of the now nearly leafless tree, he vanished, leaving behind same melting, purple particles as the mob did.
Reappearing elsewhere, on another small lawn somewhere deep in the woods, the man's knees folded and he helplessly collapsed to the ground. White eyes tightly shut in another bout of intense pain wracking across his body. A moan he could not keep back escaped past twisted lips.
W-Wuzzt.
The mob reappeared a few steps away.
Still faintly shaking, the man made an effort to lift his head and searched the being's gaunt form, finding its hands empty.
"You... did as I said?" This time the feeling that emanated from the man was more of hopeful question than a command. The voice echoed, not in spoken words, but within the mob's changing perception.
The mob made an uncertain, but affirmative noise, sending back images of forests, villages, woods, and human looking figures glaring at it in astonishment.
The white eyed being sighed and closed its eyes once more in exhaustion. Rasping breaths came with effort.
Another minute passed before white eyes opened again and found the mob still standing there, its posture betraying uncertainty. A faint smile ghosted its way to the man's face, then.
"You are... free to go." The unspoken words lacked their previous ire.
The mob shifted from foot to foot but did not leave.
"As you wish..." White eyes closed again.
A moment later, the man's figure folded tighter as yet another bout of unbearable pain tore a groan from him. He allowed it, no longer caring that the mob remained to witness this display of weakness. It was far too weak and young to cause him further harm at this point, even if it suddenly wished to do so. But it did not, instead appearing to experience something close to concern – unusual for a mob.
The pain increased, chasing off all thought. He clenched his teeth, pressing his shaking hands to his stomach, where dark fire churned and tore what remained of his being to shreds.
How much longer before it was over?
The wish for it all to finally end beat around in his skull until the agony once again retreated. The end was not yet.
The thought carried both despair and disappointment, until another thought suddenly appeared.
Startled, white eyes opened wide. He jerked his hand up and with an effort of will brought up something small and dark in his palm, immediately clenching his fingers around it.
Yes, good thing that he remembered about it.
Closing his eyes once more, the being concentrated, pouring the last of his remaining strength into this one action. Brows furrowed in effort and beads of sweat slipped down his forehead, his breathing speeding up. Would he be able to do this before the pain returned and robbed him of further thought?
He did it.
Pleased, fading glance held on his closed hand, then turned to the mob, still waiting there a few steps away. The Enderman's presence reassured. He would not be entirely alone when the inevitable happened. And that was... good. White eyes closed again as the man leaned his head down to the ground in surrender.
"Rrua?" The dark skinned monster's questioning noise remained without a response. The strange, frightening and wounded being remained motionless, only its rising and falling chest indicating it was still alive.
The mob hesitated, then made a step forward, only to freeze and cringe as strange hum began to build in the air around it.
White lightning struck the ground close to the fallen being's form, making its body arch as lips pulled away from his sharp teeth.
The air began to condense, wavering around the silently jerking form yet again, flashes of lightning dancing between wide-spread, clawing fingers. The hand that held something flew open, tossing away something small as it bounced and rolled into the grass. It was a common oak acorn. The being's body contorted, once again locked in unending agony. This time, no place for thought remained, only a fervent wordless wish for it all to end.
The mob fell back a step, then another, its head snapping about in rising fear, then cowered as another bolt of lightning struck the ground and familiar thunder rumbled directly overhead with an ominous threat.
Throwing its arms up to shield its head, the mob vanished in a flurry of purple particles.
The fallen being's agony continued. White streaks began to appear, displacing bits of its body. Its tightly clenched teeth could not hold back a silent scream that burst in an expanding wave that no one remained close to perceive. And then, filling with blinding light, his form vanished.
A wave of light blew out from the place in the grass, now empty except for a small dark seed that lay in the grass nearby. Leaves of the forest around the meadow rustled, disturbed by briefly raised wind that was already settling down once more.
White particles slowly melted in the air, settling down into the grass and fertile ground, vanishing without a trace. Some floated down and settled upon the seed.
Suddenly, it stirred. A small root burst from the thick shell, cracking it in half with a small pop, and timidly sunk into the ground. A fragile stalk appeared, quickly drawing up as it unfolded first leaves.
Up it stretched, growing faster, stronger. The green stem thickened, forming bark and became the trunk of a young tree that continued to mature. Branches spread and roots thickened, sinking deep into the nourishing ground.
The tree grew, in mere minutes rising tall as its bark solidified, cracking and thickening. More lush leaves appeared, casting shade on the empty spot where white particles continued to softly sink upon the straightening grass.
Whuzzt.
The mob reappeared and stood, lifting its head in confusion at the already enormous tree that towered in place where it just left the dying, powerful being. Lifting its chin up, the monster stared unblinking at the widely spread branches above it, thick with rustling leaves.
Another sound came from the roots of the tree, making its head snap back.
"Rrupt?" The tall monster questioned uncertainly before making a small step forward.
In the place that was empty just a moment ago, now another being lay, making prolonged, unpleasant noises as a wave of mindless unhappiness spread all around it.
The mob stared at it, recognizing it and not recognizing it at the same time. It had the feel of that other, who was and ceased to be. Yet it was much smaller, tiny, and the feeling of power that other one bore was swiftly receding from it until to the mob's perception it became no different than the other such being, whom the monster just carried away to where it had been commanded to take it.
"Rrup rrupt." The mob hopefully prodded. The tiny being quieted, its movements stilling as its chest fell into a shallow, quick rhythm, rising and falling with breath. Tiny hands with pink fingernails drew close to the small being, who did not make any response to the mob at all.
"Rrupt." The monster expressed its confusion and looked at the surrounding woods, still and quiet.
Its gaze grew forgetful. The mob stirred again and made a step forward as something in the woods gained its attention. Already, the tiny thing laying in the grass and the mysteriously appeared tree that still blazed in its perception, ceased to be interesting to it.
The mob made another step away and froze, cocking its head to the side as a sudden feeling that it had forgotten something important came to it. The feeling remained, undefined.
Dismissing it, the monster vanished, to reappear on a small cliff above the valley, where it stood once again and looked at the strangely burnt circle in the ground. Lilac eyes lifted and held on the leafless tree on the edge and a memory flashed, in which a figure stood, from which flowed a sense of power, pain, and a stern command.
The mob almost grasped on to the memory, but it slipped away. Making a displeased noise, the mob gave up the effort to remember and vanished, this time not to return.
The disheveled lawn now stood empty as did the trees on its edge, overlooking the valley. Below, in a tiny village, small figures moved as the residents of the village went about their ordinary lives, unaware that anything strange had happened in their world nearby.
And upon a lawn amid the thick woods near to a trail connecting two of these small villages, an enormous oak spread its massive branches, absorbing the sunlight as its roots continued to spread deep beneath the ground. A baby lay in these roots, alone and unknown to anyone that it was there.
From time to time, it moved its arms and legs and made a discontented cry, which remained unheard. Then, it quieted again, its sobs trailing off into huffing breaths and it drifted off into sleep, its cheeks glistening with tears. And when its eyes opened, strangely white so they almost appeared to glow, they held no comprehension or memory.
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So, starting to edit the first open-ended story and hoping it won't end up too cringe, since its not finished or even fully planned out yet. It WILL have a lot of physical and emotional angst like all stories that come to my mind, so a warning if you don't like that type of story.
Suggestions for comfort/fluff are always very welcome! Anyone who reads this story, your comments are very welcome! They can help shape this story, even though its direction is already tentatively set.