Oh Hunter My Hunter

The two men rested in the fruit, seizing this moment, even if a fleeting one. They had been given the opportunity of rest and it was the first one that they had in the last few days.

Amais looked at himself. He breathed and felt his heart. Yet, he no longer needed it. It was so natural in his being that even knowing that absence of it felt unnatural. There was still a beat sometimes but other times it was absent altogether. Even when he felt it, it was strange because of this now-alien body of his.

"I-I still can't believe this," he admitted, his voice laced with disbelief.

Tobi looked at him,, nodding in understanding.

"It's similar to phantom pulse in amputees. If you lose an arm or a leg, you can still feel it, even though it's not there. In your case, you can still feel your heart and even use it, just like you can still breathe, but there's no real need for it. You're already dead. But don't worry; it'll feel natural soon enough. This weirdness will fade. You're still human regardless. Your body regenerates infinitely, meaning it can't decay and hey, you won't age. You still have access to all your functions, so you can eat, sleep, and other things, kind of. So you're the same but... also different."

Amais nodded, processing Tobi's words as suddenly the world around them had faded to black.

Both men were confused as they stepped out from the fruit, their instincts on high alert as they found themselves in an alien landscape. The ground beneath them was covered in grass. But... weren't they on top of the tree? How could there be grass?

Amais wondered if the shadow had returned and glanced at Tobi. He had never actually seen him fight. He didn't even know if Tobi was strong. He hadn't realized that today, he would get his first glimpse.

Tobi raised a hand to summon fire, but before the flames could manifest, the tree itself began to glow. Flowers bloomed across its surface, their petals unfurling with a radiant, beautiful light. The serpent-like branches which had once writhed, now stood still as they intertwined to form a massive dome of wood that engulfed the men. More branches sprouted from them, each adorned with glowing flowers that shined a golden and white hue. The men stood amidst an otherworldly vast expanse, and before them was a luminous forest that felt like it had been suspended in time. The very ground was now covered in soft grass, fungi, and trees, all emanating their own gentle glow. It was breathtaking, with above them the flowers resembling stars.

Something significant. No, something monumental was about to happen.

Tobi felt perplexed as he watched the scene. What's happening? he asked the Lord of Flames, hoping for an answer.

The god simply laughed; anticipation had dripped from his tongue as he could feel the lord's excitement.

Then, the fruits began to rot at an unfathomable speed, each one turning black before disappearing entirely and completely, all to create a singular small bud at the very peak of the great tree. And then... people emerged. They climbed out from the earth like zombies, but they paid no attention to Tobi or Amais. Instead, they ascended, their focus solely on the apex of the tree, where a single, unopened bud remained. Something shimmered in it, a radiant, golden light. And now men, women, even children are all climbing towards it and vanishing into the swelling bud, causing it to grow.

"Why are they going to that thing?" Amais muttered, which echoed Tobi's own thoughts as he looked at the bud.

The Lord of Flames let out a manic laugh, his excitement uncontainable. The scene made Tobi weirdly nostalgic and nervous.

I'd seen this before.

A memory from his past. There was a being of perfection which had been formed through the collective essence of many different kinds of creatures to form a single god in its most primal and terrifying form and it was the embodiment of perfection. Tobi's eyes widened as understanding dawned. And then, in a single breathtaking instant, the bud bloomed.

A radiant being emerged; its form was a dazzling fusion of beauty and divinity. It rose into the air in all of its divine glory, a celestial godly entity of incomprehensible grace. It was like an angel Its head, shaped like an intricate blossom, that sang a soothing and loving hum. Its presence alone enough to inspire awe and demand worship. Its body was akin to a man but it was anything but. Standing at ten feet tall, it gazed down at them with an unreadable expression as it stood at the apex of the tree.

Tobi clenched his fist, summoning the strongest flames he could create and struck at the dome, trying to burn a hole through it, which would serve as their escape route, but the wood was too dense and worse, it repaired itself almost instantly. There was no way out. But that didn't matter. Because while he didn't need to escape, but.

Amais

"Amais leave," Tobi said simply as he looked darkly at the being in front of him.

Amais hesitated, but something in Tobi's tone had silenced him. He turned and ran, running as fast as his body allowed him. His instincts screamed at him that this was something beyond his understanding, beyond his place. He had no role in what was about to unfold. But as he reached the middle of the tree and he saw the all-too-familiar staircase, which would allow him to leave. He glanced back one more time.

And what he saw was nothing short of divine. Tonight was a great celebration. For a new god had been born and Amais would be a witness to it and all its glory, as a clash of heavens had occurred: a supernova of flames clashed with the radiant sprout of life. It was a battle of creation and destruction. The air crackled with power as the hunter faced off against the newly born god, their conflict shaking the very world. Amais had no part in this. This was beyond him. He turned away and continued down the staircase, escaping into the unknown.

In his head the Lord of Flames spoke.

You'll die, mortal. Are you a fool? Do you not fear the end?

The hunter said nothing as he flew, unsure the world was frozen; he had not anticipated this; neither had he experienced this in his past. He was at a dead end. He wasn't sure how to win but it mattered not for he was the hunter and he would see it to its end.

Perhaps I will die, and be unable to reach my goal but that means my will weak and I will not allow that for her, He uttered simply.

The god let out a thunderous laugh at the remark as the battle continued to rage.