I turned, searching for the voice that had empowered me, and saw only a mirror. In its reflection, I beheld myself, wreathed in flames, fierce and smiling. It had been me all along.
Now I stand as the tree’s protector, guarding it from the ichor and guiding others to find the power within themselves

I stood in my own power, expecting the tree to burn—but instead, it sighed, as though relieved, and began to renew. Green buds sprouted along its branches, and the earth around it burst to life. Animals returned, weaving nests within its boughs, making homes beneath its roots.