Ep.21: A Land of Ash, Part 1

The land of Apo: home to millions of species, all unique in their own right. It’s truly a sight to behold when witnessing the creatures living in harmony. With the Deep Jungle spreading over ten million square kilometers, it’s considered majestic and is one of the seven wonders of Tiesa. My father once told me that this land is a land of healing, a place of recovery. That the Deep Jungle is a home for all creatures across the universe searching for sanctuary from the cruelty that this universe has to offer. This is the land of Apo; our home.

“What has happened here?” I question as I begin to get up off the ground.

“Umm… this is a lot worse,” Maka rolls over to get a better look at the area, “than I originally thought.”

As I brush the ash off of my clothes, I ask, “How can this be happening?” I look up as Ramsey walks past me, concern plastered across his face. “Ramsey?”

“This isn’t some natural disaster. Someone is messing around with the natural order of things. Whoever did this, I’ll never forgive them!” Ramsey declares, his voice rising as he punches the ashen soil.

I walk up to Ramsey and put my hand on his shoulder. “Then we better get down to the bottom of this. Right?” I ask with a smile.

“You’re right, Fukai.”

“Then let’s get going, guys.” Maka says as he walks up right beside us.

“Oh! By the way, what was up with the ground being all soft back there?” I ask flippantly while walking away.

Ramsey looks over his shoulder at the ground behind us. “Yes, that was strange indeed.”

“Maybe the ash is really soft…” I say, pensive. “Or maybe…”

Maka touches the ashen ground with the tip of his finger. “It feels pretty solid to me.”

“Really? Huh. That’s weird.” I continue to think for a second, then decide to ignore the question niggling at the back of my mind “Oh well! Let’s get going then!” I start walking with my hands behind my head, whistling along the way.

“Leave it to Fukai to lose interest so fast,” Ramsey quips as he walks past Maka. “Let’s go, Maka.”

“I’m right behind you, Ramsey.” Maka says and smiles.

Continuing our investigation, I am aware of a feeling like we’re being watched from the shadows. Almost as though this new ashen jungle is still somehow alive and aware of our unwanted presence. As we progress further into it, I can see how it must have slowly spread its reach into the untouched jungle, like a parasite, devouring everything it touches. The trees are all tainted by a grayish yellow color. When I reach out to touch one of them, it crumbles in front of me, leaving nothing but a pile of flaked ash. Looking up, I am distracted from what was once a tree by the ashen bodies of the living creatures that were unfortunate enough not to have made it out. Turning again to survey the edge of the surrounding areas, I can see the Ashen is still spreading.

“What could have done this?” I mumble to myself. I can’t help but feel a little disbelief begin to crawl up my spine as we watch our beautiful jungle turn to ash. “Dammit,” I growl to myself as I try to hold in my anger; frozen in place by the sight that surrounds me.