I was blessed with the Blessing of Wood.
Amongst the many blessing a living being could get on our planet, it was considered a decent one, focused on healing, nurturing and communication with nature.
That is, a totally useless ability in fights, or so I first thought.
After all…watching my entire village die, as I ran away, constantly healing myself, and asking the forest to slow down my chasers, my blessing seems feebler by the moment.
I hid away, deep inside the forest, covered in grass, moss, roots and branches.
Animals brought me food after I communicated with them, and I drank the dew off of the leaves.
I stood unmoving, for days, letting my rage seethe inside me, until it was way past control.
As it erupted, the forest raged with me.
The leaves of the trees became sharp blades, their and the plants’ roots came thrashing out from underground, and the animals tore at each other, blinded by my rage.
When I came to myself, all things around me were in chaos.
Broken trees, roots, leaves everywhere, dead animals, beasts, mangled beyond recognition everywhere.
I healed the one’s that survived, then left, crying and laughing.
“No offensive power…”
I murmured, leaving the forest, as the forest…leaving with me.
The forest grew alongside the path I’ve taken.
It grew over the plains we’ve run, the farmland we farmed, the village we lived in.
It grew over the path towards the border, creeping its way into the enemy kingdom.
For I knew whom was my enemy.
I remember the armours, the flags, the seals on their everything, while they toyed with the women, and killed the children and men.
I knew the target of my rage.
The forests between them and me also welcomed me with open arms.
The trees, the animals, the insects, the flowers and herbs…all of them had a score to settle with the warring kingdom.
I rose the tenacity of the trees, enraged the animals, beasts, and unleashed nature’s wrath upon the kingdom that slaughtered my village.
A decade.
An entire decade of walking, healing, speaking with the elements made me more into one of them, than a human.
The kingdom at this point was a forest, and nothing more.
The ground was watered with the blood of the soldiers of the kingdom, while the villagers and innocent…I have let them flee.
At least, most of them.
I then started arranging the forests of this kingdom, dividing them properly, ensuring that each had enough place, and nutriments.
Lakes were formed by the roots of the trees, which were filled by the rain water.
Mountains joined our cause, their spirits awakening from their slumber, starting to communicate with me.
Then, I heard the news.
A party of heroes set out from the surrounding kingdoms, even my own birth one, to subdue me, the Evil Queen of Nature…
I chuckled.
Why?
Because the leader of the group was a necromancer…
Released and pardoned in order to deal with a greater danger…me.
A being of evil and darkness was now the hope of the continent.
And me, someone whose powers are that of light, of life, of healing…is the monster.
I laughed.
“It only matters how you use it…You were right, mom…”
I murmured, sinking into my dreams…