Entering the hut, Finn heard the door close with a quiet click, leaving him alone. At least, that's what it seemed like.
The air inside became thick and heavy, each breath was difficult for the boy, and he didn't dare to step closer to the center of the room.
"Don't be afraid, young man, you have nothing to fear here." A firm but calm male voice sounded from the opposite side of the room.
The darkness that reigned inside the hut began to dissipate, giving way to the warm light of an oil lamp. The lamp was made entirely of wood, and its base did not ignite when it came into contact with fire.
"Sit down, we have something to talk about." A hand, emerging from the remnants of the shadows, pointed to a rocking chair next to Finn.
Finn didn't argue with the mysterious voice and humbly sat down in the chair.
"Will you tell me about yourself?" The voice from the darkness sounded soft, but there was persistence in it.
"I... Finn... That's all I know about myself..." His own voice sounded quieter and more uncertain with each word spoken.
Silence fell, which the boy occasionally broke with nervous fidgeting, making the chair creak pitifully. After a couple of minutes, another creak was heard—this time not from Finn. The mysterious figure rocked forward, towards the light, revealing its appearance.
It was the face of a young man about twenty years old, but unusually smooth, as if carved from marble. His eyes shone like a blue sea, and his hair was snow-white, the color of marble chips. The strangest thing Finn noticed were his ears... They were long and pointed. The boy's mind frantically searched for any rational explanation, but in vain... He had never seen or heard of such people, if they were people at all.
"And my name is Adam. Nice to meet you, Finn!" Half-closed eyes and a slight smile lit up Adam's face. "Finn, would you like something to drink?"
After asking the question, Adam, without waiting for an answer, raised his left hand as if beckoning someone, and a moment later, a wooden pillar with a large mug filled with a slightly yellowish liquid appeared next to Finn's chair.
Finn flinched in surprise and simply looked at the mug for about half a minute, but then cautiously took it and brought it to his lips, trying to catch the scent. Smelling nothing but the aroma of damp wood, he took the first sip.
The drink was cool, but not so much that he had to drink it in small sips, sweetish, but moderately, and also—very rich. After the very first sip, the boy's consciousness came to complete calm, losing its usual tension.
Finn relaxed. He felt a sense of peace; the chair stopped creaking, settling into a perfectly comfortable position.
"What is this?" Finn asked after the second sip.
"It's nectar from the tree we live in."
Finn said nothing, continuing to empty the mug. He greedily took large sips, trying to sate himself with the drink, after which he put it back on the pillar. Gathering his thoughts, Finn had already opened his mouth, but with his peripheral vision, he noticed a change—not in the mug itself, but in its contents... It was slowly refilling with a new portion of nectar that seeped through its bottom.
"Don't be shy, Finn," Adam's voice gently encouraged him to drink more.
However, Finn was already about to do so without his words. To empty the second mug of nectar.
After it, he felt a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body. His gaze became more focused, and his thoughts—crystal clear.
"You're probably wondering where you are?" Adam leaned forward slightly, and his marble face caught the reflection of the light from the lamp.
Finn nodded silently, his fingers still clutching the empty mug.
"You see," Adam stood up from his seat and took a few steps towards the center of the room, "we are inside something incredible. This is the Tree of Inversion, as we call it." He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. "Imagine a tree, but not an ordinary one. This tree grows... in reverse."
Finn raised an eyebrow, his face expressing a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.
"Yes, yes, exactly," Adam smiled, noticing the boy's reaction. "Its roots, mighty and ancient, reach high into the sky, as if trying to touch the stars. And the trunk and crown... they are deep underground, creating this amazing world we are in now."
Adam waved his hand, and a part of the wall seemed to dissolve, revealing a view of the vast cave space. A golden core hovered in the center, emitting a soft, warm glow.
"See this radiance? This is the heart of the tree, its life force. It gives us light and warmth," Adam sat on the armrest of Finn's chair. "And the nectar you drank... it's the purest essence of the tree, its lifeblood. It flows through the vessels of this great creation, nourishing everything around."
"But... how is that possible?" Finn whispered, his voice barely audible.
"And how is everything else in this world possible?" Adam smiled mysteriously. "Here, deep underground, we have created an entire settlement. My... let's call them comrades," he said, "live around a fountain that flows upwards."
Finn stared, mesmerized, at the view that had opened up. In the distance, one could make out many lights – windows of other dwellings built into the living wood.
"The Tree protects us, just as we protect it," Adam continued, his voice deepening. "It gives us everything we need to live. The air here is special, filled with the power of the Tree itself. And these vaults," he pointed upwards, where huge wooden arches disappeared into the semi-darkness, "they support tons of earth above us."
"But why does it grow... like this?" Finn finally dared to ask the question that had been tormenting him since the beginning of their conversation.
Adam stood up and walked to the wall, running his hand over the living wood, which seemed to respond to his touch with a faint glow.
"A long, long time ago, many epochs ago, a divine essence breathed life into a sprout that was meant to die, filling it with new strength." Adam turned to Finn, gesturing towards the wall of the dwelling.
Finn noticed a ripple run across the walls, as if the wood were living water.
"Tell me, Finn," Adam gently broke the prolonged silence, "how did you end up here? What do you remember since you woke up?"
Finn took another sip of nectar, and his gaze clouded over, plunging into the recent past.
"I woke up in a cave..." his voice became quieter, like an echo of memories.
...Consciousness returned slowly. The first thing Finn felt was the cold of rough stone beneath his back. Opening his eyes, he saw the low vault of a cave, where every protrusion cast bizarre shadows thanks to a strange light source.
This source was a sword lying nearby. Its blade, forged from metal resembling solidified moonlight, emitted a soft glow. The hilt was wrapped in the finest lines, forming unfamiliar symbols. At the crossguard, a strange crystal pulsed in time with an unheard rhythm.
The small room, more like a natural pocket in the rock, was barely large enough to lie down in full length. The walls of raw stone glistened in places from dampness, and the only exit was a narrow crevice through which a person could barely squeeze.
Finn tried to stand up. Every muscle ached as if he had been lying there for days. His mind was blank – no memories, no understanding of how he got here.