You and the Devil sit down for a game of chess. If he wins, he takes your soul. If you win, you take control of Hell. As the Devil prepares his first move, he simply smiles and knocks over his king. “You win.”
The world was quiet.
The stars and moon shone brightly above, their gentle light filtered through the branches of the trees. The cold air warmed around me as I walked, my bare feet making no sound as they pressed on the soft grass below. My hand reached out, touching the branches around me, leaves forming instantly as I passed on energy. The world slowly turned green, waking up from the cold of winter, I smiled, feeling the life that surrounded me. Animals crept from their burrows, their eyes gleaming in the darkness, watched me solemnly, pressured by my existence to stay in hiding, no matter their curiosity.
This was my Spring Walk.
I was the Spirit of the Forest.
I paused as I saw a gap in the trees ahead. The forest should extend at least a few more miles, but it ended abruptly, with nothing living beyond. I held the trees, feeling their trembling of fear, wondering if they would be the next to be destroyed, and tried to comfort them. As they calmed I lowered my gaze, unwilling to stare at the death and destruction of the trees ahead. To be honest, I was scared too.
I was the Spirit of the Forest.
And I was dying.
Each year my realm got smaller. Trees were slower to wake up. Fewer animals born each Spring. The forest depended on me to survive, and I was the same. As my trees were destroyed, I felt myself slowly fading away.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
“Hello, friend.” A low, gentle voice called out to me from the darkness ahead. “Why don’t you come join me?”
I hesitated, unsure of what power the being ahead would hold that he could sense my presence. Perhaps he was speaking to someone else?I hid behind a tree, the natural greens and browns of my form blending in with the foliage.
“Little Spirit. Come here.” The voice called out again.
Feeling compelled, I stepped into the clearing, clenching my fists nervously. I was out of my realm, my source of power. I needed to be careful. Filled with wariness, I stared at the being in front of me.
A man, robed in black, sat on a stone table, his form seeming normal while overwhelming suffocating at the same time within the night. Dark hair barely covered pitch black horns that grew from his head. His features were almost immaculate, beautiful, but poisoned. His would provoke a sense of despair in mortals, a feeling of perfection just out of reach. He smiled at me, and I stared back, unsure of what brought such a powerful being to my doorstep.
The Devil.
