The only source of light in the small tree house came from the moonlight outside, shining in through a plastic-covered window. The house consisted of a single room, made from plastic and metal sheeting, containing only the barest of necessities. Two beds, a food preparation area, storage and little else. It was one of many temporary accommodations spread out through the temperate forest, made by previous tired hikers and adventurers who had passed through the area on their travels. Made for ease of access, rather than any form of real comfort.
Because of this, Arkay couldn’t sleep.
He’d been awake for a few hours, tossing and turning in the straw bed, before giving up and heading outside, sitting on the almost non-existent balcony overlooking the forest.
The young Rethan didn’t really understand why he was even there. It wasn’t like Arkay didn’t have a home, he had multiple, far more comfortable places he could have stayed. He could have stayed at his mum’s home. Or his dad’s home. Or his brother Elkay’s home. Elkay’s place was super nice anyway and had like twenty beds in it. He could have gone home to the Dessaron HQ, which had his name on the lease (shared with Elksia and Retvik), and slept in his actual bed!
But no. He was sleeping on straw in a forest. For a silly family thing that Arkay also didn’t really understand. On the other hand, it all made Kayel feel better, so Arkay was willing to put his feelings to one side. For now.
Something creaked behind him. Arkay didn’t react at first, as the tree house was pretty creaky in general. But the second crack that followed suggested that someone else was awake. It was probably Kayel, getting a drink or something after having a bad dream. Arkay got up and headed back inside. If it was Kayel, maybe he could mention staying somewhere else. Would help Kayel sleep better.
But as Arkay got inside, he realised that the creaking wasn’t caused by someone he knew. Something Rethan-like was standing in the middle of the room, staring at where Kayel and Psivee-En were sleeping. And to make matters worse, they were holding an overly large axe.
Arkay silently reached for his dagger, then cleared his throat loudly, so the creature would turn around.
“You… The Monster…”
“That isn’t very nice,” Arkay tutted. “My name’s Arkay. Who are you and what are you doing, looking at my parents while menacingly holding a large weapon?”
The creature grunted. It was clearly related to the Rethans. Arkay hazarded a guess that maybe he had hybrid parents. Part Standard-type, part Threan-type.
“Well, got an answer?”
“I am here to kill you, Arkay.”
Arkay rolled his eyes. He didn’t move, there was no need to. The being took several steps forward, lifting its axe into the air. After its fourth step, it disappeared. Clearly, the creature was unaware that Arkay could move things with his mind, and Arkay had subtly removed the floor underneath his aggressor’s feet.
With a small smile, Arkay peered down the hole he’d made. The being was clinging on to a branch for dear life, his axe lost in the undergrowth below. Being a tree house, they were a good 30 metres in the air, and falling from that height could easily break one’s legs.
“Why are you here to kill me?” Arkay finally asked as he watched the creature struggle.
“It was the prophesy. I could live forever if I killed my brother’s hell-spawn. Kill them, lest they kill me.”
“That’s very, uh… specific…” Arkay replied. “Psivee-En is your brother?”
The creature glanced downwards then regretted it. “N-no. I no longer have family. He was my best friend, my blood-brother, until he betrayed me for the Trehavok…”
Whoever this being was, they were clearly insane.
“You know the Trehavok are dead, right?” Arkay asked. “And you know trying to kill someone is a great way for them to kill you in self-defence, right?”
The creature nodded, then lost its grip slightly, panicking and it held on even tighter around the thick branch. The flash of fear in their eyes hit Arkay harder than he expected. He felt sorry for this being who had just attempted to kill him. A delusional fool, lost in his own madness.
“What’s your name?”
“Ayvee-En…”
“Alright, Ayvee-En, I’m going to help you up. But I want you to promise me that you won’t attack anyone. You will sit and listen to what I have to say, understand?”
“I understand.”
“You promise you won’t hurt me?”
Ayvee-En glanced downwards at the inky nothingness below him, then back up at Arkay.
“I… I promise…”
Arkay smiled slightly, then closed his eyes. He telekinetically reached out to Ayvee-En, and lifted him back into the tree house. As he put Ayvee-En down, he closed up the hole in the floor, and sat Ayvee-En where the hole used to be.
“Why did you save my life?” Ayvee-En finally asked.
Arkay shrugged. “I don’t like the idea of killing. I’ll maim and brutally injure anyone who threatens or harms me and my family, but killing makes me as bad as you.”
Ayvee-En stared at the floor, not sure how he should feel. Arkay noticed this, sat down next to the lost Rethan and continued talking.
“It’s a shame you got tricked into a stupid prophesy, really. A real bullshit one as well. It’s not like I have some sort of magic power to make you immortal. Heck, I’ve only been alive for twenty five years.”
“You have?”
“Yep. Which puts a gigantic hole in your prophesy…”
Arkay paused, allowing Ayvee-En a moment to think to himself. He sat there in silence, tears forming in his eyes. Eventually, he spoke, but his voice was broken.
“I am such a fool. How many lives have I ruined? So much death and destruction. And evil. I… I once called Psivee-En evil. I called you a monster. But I am the monster… Maybe the prophesy was right. Maybe I was meant to die by your hands. Not as purity and good being destroyed by evil, but evil being vanquished by good…”
Arkay sighed loudly. “I’m not going to kill you… But maybe… Maybe you were looking at it wrong? I’m not saying your stupid prophesy is right or anything, it’s fucking retarded. But perhaps by death, they didn’t mean real death, they meant a change of heart?”
Ayvee-En wiped the tears from his eyes, and turned to Arkay. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you can finally turn your life around. You’re free from your insanity. You can live a new life, however you want to live it. Preferably after you’ve visited a centre for medical health, because, no offense, you’re missing a few nuts and bolts…”
Behind them, Kayel and Psivee-En were beginning to stir. Arkay dropped his voice into a low whisper.
“You should probably leave. You’ve caused a lot of pain to them. But I don’t want you all to fight. I want everyone to be happy. They don’t need to know you were here. Go, live your new life.”
Ayvee-En stood up. The malice in his voice and thoughts was gone. It was as if he was a new being. He bowed, then silently left, disappearing into the night.
Arkay’s eyes remained where his would-be killer once sat. Part of him felt nervous. As if Ayvee-En would come back for him later. But as time passed, Arkay slowly felt more comfortable. Maybe he really had changed Ayvee-En’s mind. Maybe he really had freed Ayvee-En from years of pain and insanity. Either way, he was gone now, and he didn’t seem to be coming back.
Satisfied and feeling quite tired, Arkay got up and went to bed, wondering what tomorrow would bring.