"Not all wars are declared with weapons. Some begin in silence, beneath roots and behind smiles."
Kael ran. His feet tore through ash and leaves, lungs burning, the distant screams still echoing behind him. The wind, heavy with smoke now. The scent of the tree … of Umoja burning. His ears rang from the explosion. He hadn't seen where it came from. Only the flash, the fire and the way the earth trembled like it wanted to weep. They said the tree couldn't die. That it was eternal. A lie.
Someone had betrayed them! The serpentine path twisted. Kael stumbled, holding onto a branch slick with sap and something slimy. His palm came away scarlet with hot substance. Not sap. Voices. Behind him. Sharp and mechanical. 'Celarians,' he gasped, holding his mouth. Then crouched low, heart hammering against the damp forest floor. His thoughts a mess, scattered like feathers in the air. Where was Father? Where was Taren and Lira? Had any of them escaped?
A light passed overhead, bright blue. Not a flame. A drone! Kael ducked deeper under a fallen log just in time. "Subject fled east," a voice crackled. "Blood trail confirmed."
They were tracking him. His fingers brushed the pouch around his neck. Inside the shard pulsed faintly, warm against his chest. He hadn't yet known what it was.Only his father had shoved it to his hands moments before the sky exploded yelling, "Run, Kael,Don't look back!" But he had looked back. And what he saw. He would never forget. Not this lifetime or the next.
His breath caught as the drone's hum faded into the distance. Silence returned, unnatural and thick. He pressed a hand to his chest feeling the shard's throb beneath this tunic.His mind begged for something else. Something before all this. Anything. And for a fleeting second he remembered…
****
The wind whispered through the emerald leaves, carrying the scent of rich earth and ancient wisdom.At the center of the village, towering above the hills and valleys of Elyssara, stood the tree of unity, *Umoja*. Its massive branches stretched to the sky,each leaf shimmering with a faint glow,as though the tree itself was alive with the power of the residents. Every villager, young and old, could feel its pulse like the beating heart of the land. And this very day, as it had for countless centuries, the tree stood tall and unbound by time.
Kael, a boy of sixteen summers, raced through the tall grasses, his laughter cutting into the air. His heart beat in rhythm with the land beneath his feet, the pulse of *Umoja* guiding every one of his steps. With a wide grin, he looked back at his two childhood friends, Lira and Taren, who chased him through the field. They always teased him but he never ceased trying to prove himself. Today was no different, they were the best of friends, and this land with its magic and mystery was their humble playground.
"I'll catch you, Kael!" Lira called out, her short hair flying behind as she sprinted, her legs strong as ever from years of running alongside the elders in the village. Taren, not far behind, laughed. "You'd better run faster or Lira is going to win again!"
Kael smirked, pushing himself even harder. He could hear their voices echoing behind him.He was now much faster, or at least he enjoyed to think so.The tree was just a few paces ahead, its ancient trunk looming and great roots sprawling like fingers of a giant reaching into the earth. He could almost feel the warmth embrace of the tree's magic in the air, sweeping around his lanky body.
"Catch me if you can!" he shouted over his shoulder. His voice, full of mischief. He darted to the right zig-zagging between the low hanging branches of wild fruits. His golden eyes were still fixed at the tree. Then the feeling of his feet barely touching the ground, as if floating overwhelmed him,his senses had been heightened by the energy of *Umoja*. But Lira and Taren were no slackers.With mastered effort, they split up, each trying to flank at him. It was a game they had played countless times, but today, something in the air felt different. As if the game was charged with the power of the land.
"Got you now!" Lira lunged at him with both hands outstretched. However, Kael was too quick and sidestepped, then ducked laughing his ribs off. With a mock scowl, Taren finally reached him, grabbing him by the arm. "Alright, you win this time.But only because we let you!" Kael, panting but wearing an ear- to- ear grin turned to face them."You always say that.But you can't catch me.At least not for today."
They all collapsed onto the soft, massaging grass beneath the tree.The cool shade providing relief from the burning midday sun. Kael stretched out his fingers brushing the smooth bark of *Umoja*. He always felt calm here, as if the tree knew of his thoughts ,feelings and desires.The tree had been here for centuries, long before his birth and it would stand long after his time.Its roots connected every villager to their ancestors and in its leaves one could hear the whispers of those who came before.
Lira lay beside him, her eyes scanning the branches above.
"Do you think the tree will ever die?"
Kael's smile faded slightly and he sat up brushing a lock of his wild hair from his face. "It has been here for as long as we can remember.I don't think it shall ever die."
Taren, who had been quieter than usual, finally spoke. "But what if it did? What if something happened? I mean, what would we do?"
"Don't think like that," Kael said with a playful shove. "*Umoja* will never die.It's our tree.Our connection to everything that matters.It can't just fade away.Not as long as we are here."
Lira frowned, but her eyes softened as she looked at him. "You are right.But sometimes, it feels like we're all just waiting for something to change.For something to happen." Kael didn't respond immediately.The air felt heavier now, as though the world itself had paused.The tree's leaves rustled gently in the cold breeze, as though acknowledging her words.The peace of the moment hung in the air like the fragrance of the flowers around them.
He looked down at the ground, lost in thought.His dream of becoming best hunter still burning within him, but it seemed like the elders had other plans for him.They wanted him to lead.To take on the mantle of leadership and responsibility for the entire village.It was an honor, obviously. However, to Kael it felt like a heavy burden he could not bear.He didn't want to lead.He wanted to hunt, to explore and prove himself in his own way.The thought of the future full of the placed expectations on him, filled him with a sense of unease.
"You are thinking about it again, aren't you?" Taren's voice broke through his thoughts. Kael looked at him, a bit surprised.
"What?""The leadership stuff," he said, his voice softer now. "You always get this look in your eyes when you are thinking about it.You don't have to do it, you know…"
"I know," he replied apprehensively, his fingers tracing the patterns in the bark of the tree. "But it is what they want.It is what my father wishes."
"Then make your own decision," Lira said, sitting up to meet his gaze. "You don't have to be what they want you to be.You are Kael. You can choose."
Kael thought about her words for a long moment.Was it that simple?Could he just choose his path,no matter what elders said?
The tree's rustling leaves seemed to sigh, as though it too understood his dilemma.He was young, but time was moving quickly.Change was coming and he couldn't ignore the feeling in his chest.That sense that something was about to shift in their world.But for now, as the three of them lay under the great *Umoja* tree, the laughter and chatter fading into comfortable silence.
He didn't have to worry about any of that. Here,in the heart of their village everything was perfect.For just a moment, the weight of the world was forgotten.The tree hummed softly above them.And in the distance, the sun began its descent, casting golden light across the mountains.
Elyssara was at peace.But not forever.