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Roots and Ashes

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums

Feb 20, 2025

I heard the last howl of the wolf before it faded into the night. My calmness bored it, and as always, it left when there was nothing left to feed on.

The autumn wind was cool, but the rush had made me sweat under my sweatshirt. The street vibrated beneath the soles of my feet with every push of the skateboard. Suddenly, I reached an island dividing the road, in the center of which stood a gigantic tree. Its branches, blackened and twisted, stretched out like claws in a dark offering, defying the sky.

I got off the skateboard and walked closer, leaning my back against its massive trunk. It emanated an ancient melancholy, filled with the secrets and tragedies it had witnessed. Its rough bark felt firm, unyielding. Among its scars, I found a peculiar vision: the silhouette of a young girl fleeing from an imminent danger.



Her blonde hair flew around her like a storm. Her steps were erratic, desperate. Suddenly, she tripped and fell to the ground with a scream, a sound that echoed through the white stone island, fading between the roots of the old tree. I tried to reach her, locking eyes with her, so terrified that it burned into my mind, like the eerie photograph of a corpse in a horror movie. I stretched out my hand to hold her, but there was only air and the ashes of what once was. I couldn’t save her because she was a memory of nature. How long had it been? Her body began to convulse, and on her face, something impossible to describe began to happen. Her eyes turned white, empty, as if the light had gone out in them. And then... her mouth opened unnaturally, as if her jaw was about to detach.

The girl's scream was harrowing, her soul being torn from her body. Darkness wrapped around her, devouring her, and as the young woman's energy faded, her eyes remained locked on me—empty and pleading.

I stood frozen, watching as that energy slipped away, as the girl lost everything that made her human. What was happening? I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene.

Then, from the shadows, I heard a wailing cry, a voice fractured with despair: "Where is the guardian?"


Terror rooted me to the spot. I turned, and the tree loomed over me, vast and unyielding, its rough trunk etched with cracks like dry rivers filled with memories. Then, from deep within, a golden energy pulsed, glowing through its sap.

I pressed my hand against its coarse, living bark. Its essence slid toward me—not hostile, not warm—just the impassive judgment of an entity that had seen too much. Yet, it did not reject me.

Its scent was damp earth laced with a withered sweetness, its shadow deeper than the mere absence of light. This was no ordinary tree; it was a witness. Once, blood had been spilled upon its roots, and throughout its long existence, it had watched lovers walking hand in hand—until time turned them to ashes.

But it was also peace. Its energy was a promise that time flows, that all things heal, even if scars never truly fade.
The Old Oak. Its name echoed in my mind, vast and ancient. For a fleeting moment, I had touched its memory, glimpsing the fate of the blonde girl.

I clung to the tree’s quiet strength and climbed onto one of its branches. From there, the town stretched out beneath the night, a tapestry of warm lights flickering softly, as if breathing with the wind.

Beyond, the streetlights illuminated the hollow, barely tracing the ghostly outline of the old train tracks. On the other side, the forest loomed like a dense shadow, a wall of darkness without a single fracture.

And then, in the darkness, a silver glow shimmered between the trees, like a pool of water reflecting the moon. For an instant, I felt a current of magic ripple across my skin.

Immediately, I pulled out my phone, desperate to capture it, but in the blink of an eye, the light vanished. Only the dense forest remained, indifferent, as if it had never been there.

Curiosity jolted through me. I climbed down from the tree and walked along the wide streets stretching toward the woods. My heart pounded with a fierce rhythm.

The shadow wolf appeared once more. Sometimes, it would salivate at the scent of my emotions, savoring them with cruel delight, as if crushing one of my bones between its fangs. But this time, there was something more.
Nature pulsed with an intense yet warm force, like a veiled warning. A good omen? A bad one? Nothing is absolute. What some see as a blessing, others perceive as a curse.

Before reaching the forest, I came across a hill, and something beckoned me to climb it.
—Go to the top —the wolf whispered in my mind—. I will follow… and I will feed. But when you fall, no one will find your body here. You will be just another shadow on the mountain.

A shiver ran down my spine, but I ignored it. The glow I had seen from the tree was still too far away. I changed course, gripped my skateboard against my side, and began to climb.

The night closed in around me. Despite the starry sky, darkness devoured everything. The path twisted beneath my feet, the ground treacherous. Then, I tripped over a hidden rock.

The impact tore a strangled cry from my throat. The hill spat me backward, and I tumbled down, stones and dirt scraping my skin, striking me without mercy.

The world spun along with me, and when I finally stopped, oxygen burned in my lungs, and a dull pain throbbed in my elbows and knees. I slowly pushed myself up, brushing the dust off my trembling hands.

—You see? —purred the wolf—. You didn’t even have to reach the top.

—SHUT UP! —I shouted, my eyes filled with tears.

Around me, everything was still, but it wasn’t comforting; it was an aura of suspense that seemed to hold secrets, as if the landscape knew something I didn’t yet understand.

Among the tangled grass and the dust my fall had kicked up, something caught my attention. An unusual light was emanating from the ground. I approached the spot, still panting, and observed: a rock engulfed in flames, but the fire neither spread nor consumed it. It was a different kind of fire, contained, as if it obeyed the natural laws of another world.

Without hesitation, I took off my sweatshirt and tried to extinguish the flames. The heat was suffocating, but it didn’t burn, as if the rock were measuring my intention.

I watched, absorbed by this phenomenon, when the fire finally receded, revealing a surface that wasn’t an ordinary rock. Its texture was smooth and shiny, and under the faint light still emanating from it, I could see what appeared to be stars trapped in a deep, infinite sky.

The peculiar rock was beautiful, yet unsettling, and I felt as though a veil was being lifted before me, offering knowledge that challenged everything I thought I knew. I waited, holding my breath, letting the object cool.

When I finally touched it, the air seemed to change around me. An inexplicable, glacial current ran down my spine, and in front of me, a glowing figure appeared, about my size, or slightly taller than me.

—Hello… Who are you? —I asked, trying to remain calm, though my heart thundered in my ears. The figure wasn’t human.

Its skin was a canvas of stars, radiant and almost ethereal. Its golden hair cascaded like threads torn from the cosmos, and its smile seemed to hide secrets as old as time itself.

—Humans are charming! —he said, with a voice that was warm, like being near a campfire, but with a deep tone that brushed against my cheeks. There was a mischievous, magnetic undertone to it, impossible to ignore. He spoke in an ancient, resonant language, but I understood it as if his words were etched deep inside me.

—What’s your name?

He let out a laugh, as clear and free as the chirping of birds at dawn. It was the most beautiful sound I had heard in a long time.

—I'm Eridanus, though you can call me Erid.

—Juno… —I introduced myself— Or, if you prefer, "the girl who’s always where she shouldn’t be" —I joked, downplaying it.

He tilted his head, as if savoring my name.

—Your hair has the fire of your spirit —he commented, watching the orange flashes in my locks.

The warmth rose to my cheeks as I twisted a lock of hair between my fingers.

—Do you hear nature? —I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from my blush.

—Of course not. Does it talk? —he replied, furrowing his brow with genuine curiosity, as if I had just asked him the strangest riddle in the universe.

I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

—I'm dreaming… —I whispered, bringing my hands to my cheeks.

—If this is a dream, then we’re both sharing it —he said with a smile so wide it seemed to light up the place—. Although, if my father finds out that a human has seen me, I'll be in serious trouble.

—It’ll be our secret, Erid —I said, excited, as if I had known him my whole life.

—I trust you, Juno of the fire —he tucked his hair behind his ear—. By the way, that rock, "halonite," is mine, but you can keep it.

I clenched it in my palm as I gazed at his chrysanthemum smile.



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juliesaca10
JC

Creator

A tree that remembers. A wolf that whispers. A fire that does not burn.
The night holds secrets, the earth pulses with energy, and something—or someone—waits beyond the veil of the ordinary. One single encounter could change everything.

#ShadowWolf #VirewoodSecrets #fantasyworld #FantasyJourney #SurvivingTheDarkness #magicalcreatures #MagicalEncounters #newbeginnings #mystery #firstlove

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Roots and Ashes
Roots and Ashes

473 views1 subscriber

Juno is a 14-year-old girl with a unique sensitivity to the energy of nature. Her life hasn't been easy, marked by the shadows of a dark wolf that constantly stalks her. However, her optimistic attitude never abandons her, and it will be this very strength that guides her when she meets Eridanus, an attractive and strange young man whose essence is not human. An extraterrestrial? A magical being? Juno becomes trapped in a whirlwind of questions as she experiences a dizzying romance with this being from the universe. A love that defies the laws of possibility.

But the world she knows is changing. A devastating virus spreads, an unstoppable darkness threatens to destroy everything in its path, and the apocalypse seems ever closer. The question lingers: What is really happening in the world? Because the only thing we know for sure is that humans are no longer alone. Juno will have to discover what connects her fate to the survival of humanity, while unraveling the secrets of the universe surrounding her and facing her own heart.

This work is protected by Safe Creative with the registration number 2502130861257. All rights reserved.
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Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums

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