35. Hyx

Ican feel Libby trembling as I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I kiss the top of her head, taking in the sweet scent of her hair.

"He died an Ishani in the end," she whispers.

"I'm so relieved he managed to fight the corruption," I reply. "I will never forget his sacrifice."

I stare at the mess that was my friend to the end. I want to honor him somehow. It feels wrong to get back into our ship and fly away without marking his passing. I find, on instinct, I know exactly what to do.

It takes me a few minutes to prepare. "Come," I say to Libby. "I want to remember that he was Ishani."

I lead her to the center of the explosion. There is not enough left of Elyzin to give him a proper funeral, so Libby and I kneel in the center of the crater, the epicenter of his spectacular demise.

"May your Ishani spirit grow strong, so that when we meet in the next life, we will meet as brothers."

The air around us takes on a golden-orange hue and is shot through with bright sparks of light that twirl in a mesmerizing pattern. A gentle breeze tugs at our hair, bringing with it the scent of the forest.

My heart feels light and open to everything around me. A mass of butterfly-like creatures emerge from the surrounding forest in a plethora of colors. They flit about us and land in our hair and on our arms.

Libby looks at me with wonder in her eyes. "I think maybe your prayers worked," she says in a hushed whisper.

All I can do is laugh. Never have I felt such joy.

"Well done, children of light," an ethereal voice echoes through my mind. I can tell by the expression on Libby's face that she heard it, too. "You have defeated this Bargaron. But be warned, there will always be more. Their power grows by the day, and you must be on your guard."

"Who are you?" says Libby, her voice tinged with awe.

"Follow the path to the south, and you will find me," says the vibrant voice.

I look around the clearing and notice for the first time a clearly marked path disappearing into the forest beyond.

Hand in hand, we follow the winding trail until we arrive at an enormous tree. Its lower branches have been decorated with ribbons and beads. There must be wind chimes somewhere in its leafy boughs because their sweet melodious music drifts down to us on the breeze.

"It's amazing," says Libby. "Look, the path continues through its branches and right up to its trunk."

We have to bow under the lowest branches as we enter the clear space around the magnificent tree's enormous trunk. I would not like to guess how wide the girth, or how tall the crown of this incredible tree, but one hundred men stretched arm to arm would not be able to reach around it.

We are the Hivemind Tree. We protect all those who live here on Jwoon III. My roots go deep and connect to all living things that dwell here. You have saved your friend from Those Who Oppose, but there is still opposition. Stay here on Jwoon where you can live in peace and regain your roots.

"That's amazing," says Libby, looking up through the branches. "So we are actually on Jwoon III? It's the most beautiful planet I've ever seen."

I have to smile. I guess destiny took a hand in getting us here.

"I feel so much peace here," says Libby, her eyes wide as she gazes up through the branches above. She lets out a contented sigh.

Then stay. Here, you can be all three people you did not get to be out there.

I look to Libby, holding her head. "It feels… weird. Like I hear three voices in my head responding to the tree."

My apologies. In time, as all those versions of yourself become one, this will be easier. With your Ishani lifespan and your shared life force, you'll have plenty of time to adjust.

"Ishani lifespan? We share a life force if we stay?" I clarify. I don't even know what that means.

If you stay, you'll return to your roots, yes. Your basest, purest essence.

I glance at Libby, not sure what that means. Then again, we haven't had much luck staying together out there. If a tree is offering us safety and shelter, shouldn't we take it?

Or maybe it's a sign that I've completely snapped. Our ship crashed and I've just been hallucinating all of this as I lay bleeding out in a pile of rubble.

"Sure. We'll stay," I agree, not really thinking it matters if I've come completely unhinged.

Libby turns to me with a shocked expression, but she doesn't get a chance to say anything before the tree grows us a house. Like, it actually grows. It sprouts up from the ground about a quarter mile away somehow, unfolding like the biggest, strangest flower I've ever seen.

For some reason, all I can think is to wonder if this tree's roots actually reach all the way out to where the house springs up. Then I shake my head, wondering why the hell that would be my question in all of this.

When we reach the house, I can't help but think it's more like a mansion. In all my lives, which are already getting clearer and easier to recall, it's the biggest house I ever lived in.

A wide veranda winds around the outside of the building using the natural curves of the round wood support beams. It gives the structure a wonderfully organic look.

Inside, it is bright and airy. There's one central living space, a large kitchen, a den, and several rooms going off around the outside of it. The second and third floors are set up similarly, with a large common room in the middle surrounded by bedrooms.

"This is amazing, it really is. It feels like the home I always wanted but never knew," I tell Libby in amazement.

Libby looks at me with just as much astonishment. "Is this really happening?" she asks. "I feel like I'm in a dream. How did it come with furniture? I mean, how did it come at all?"

"I feel the same way," I tell her. "I love you so much. It really feels like we might be able to make a future here."

She throws her arms around my neck and pulls me into a deep and sensual kiss.