In the beginning, I reached out and grasped the life that was handed to me as the sunlight bathed my naked skin and the trees shook with delight. Beneath the soil, my existence had formed and sprouted up like a beautiful flower. The forest had given birth to me...breathed into me, and I was something special.

Incapable of devastation, I gave life to everything. Flowers bloomed, Animals gathered, and all things flourished around me. Even mushrooms seemed to be taken by me; whispering their secrets in my ear. My existence was beautiful... My existence was pure... My existence was a terrible burden to myself alone. I just didn't know it yet as my footsteps led deeper into the forest; losing my animal friends and watching the flowers close for the night.

I wasn't afraid, nor was I content. The forest was huge, but that's all it was. Trees, trees, and more trees as far as the eye could see. Even the sky was hidden by them. Looking up to try and make out some stars, I didn't notice the figure moving closer until we collided and I fell on the ground, "Ouchie!"

"Damn. That hurt."

Looking up, he met my eyes and I met his, and in those seconds we pulled in each other. The colors he had were so different from anything I've ever seen. Black and purple... The colors that were set apart by the green all around us. It was so foreign, but so very intriguing. "Where did you-"

"There's people living..."

We were clearly both surprised to find the other in this dense forest. It was the first time I had ever seen a "human" like me. Overwhelmed, I didn't think to get off the ground but he did as he offered me his hand, "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"I... No.. It's fine." Reaching out to take his hand, my senses jump started. The warmth, the feeling, and the familiarity was so wonderful. I just wanted to hold on forever, but I let go instead. Needing to get a grip, I made a little distance between us. "W-Where did you come from?"

"I'd... like to ask you the same question."

"I live here."

"Really? I didn't know anyone lived here."

"Well, I'm the only one. You, though. Where did you come from?"

"Fair enough, I suppose." Turning his head around, he caught sight of a rock he could take a seat on before answering, "I came from The End."

"The End?"

"That's right." Sitting down and pulling out his pack, he reached in and pulled out a bottle of water. "It's the complete opposite of this forest."

"The complete opposite?..." My mind was boggled trying to think of what such a place would look like. There would be no trees, that's for sure.

"Correct."

"Is it dark?"

"Very"

"Who all lives there?"

"No one... now."

"Why did you leave?"

Turning his gaze to meet mine, he chuckled, "You sure ask a lot of questions."

I looked away, "Well, I'm curious. I've never left the Twilight Forest... This dark place you speak of sounds very..."

"Sinister?" He suggested.

"Dead."

His eyes widened a bit before sighing, "Well, you're not wrong. You could say that's why I came to this Forest of Twilight. Still, you know I didn't expect to run into another human being here."

Looking back, I watched him gulp down his water, "Yeah, human... Is this really the only place that's alive."

Throwing the empty bottle back in his pack, he shook his head, "Of course not. There's a whole world out there between the light and dark. It's like nothing you've ever seen. This place, though... It's easier to breathe here , and there's a certain feeling that's very reassuring."

I smiled, "Almost as if the forest is alive, huh?"

"Yeah..."

Distracted by the conversation, time had passed pretty quickly. The sun was falling behind the trees and the light was disappearing. Though only I could hear it, the forest whispered to me to come home. Stepping back, he noticed that I was going away, "Scared of the dark?"

"Nah, I've just got to get home. I'll come back tomorrow, alright?"

He smirked, and shrugged me off, "Sure, I'll still be here."

Waving goodbye, I turned away and returned back. I wanted to giggle and laugh almost immediately. I had found him all on my own; a human who knew of the outside world, and brought something new to my mundane life. He was proof that there was more than this out there, and from now on I could learn all about it, but only I seemed to be happy.

The forest was angry... angry and scared. Their frantic whispers filled my ears after learning of the boy who came from darkness, "This boy... He brings ill will into this place... You need to drive him away..."

My voice was full of confusion, "I don't understand..."

"That boy was born of darkness... He will only hurt you... He will only corrupt you."

"You're wrong... He's just a boy. There's no way he'd ever hurt me."

"He is a stranger...

The whispers fell silent, and I was left with a feeling of loss. My screaming would do nothing. I had no proof that this was true, but I couldn't see any reason the forest would lie to me so the next morning, I went back to the boy with their words swimming in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to chase him away until I had good reason to, no matter how much they could be telling the truth. "So... besides dark, what was The End like? What was all there?"

"Nothing really," He answered, setting up his tent that he had neglected to do the night before, "There are these monsters that are called Endermen who are relatively harmless until you look them in the eye, and then there's the Ender Dragon, but it only attacks those who come after it."

"Attacks it?"

"Yeah... I've seen it throw so many people into the void. That is why it's called "The End"... So many find their way there only to die..."

I felt my skin crawl at such a thought. Falling from the darkness into nothing must be the worst way to disappear. "And you... Are you harmless?"

He turned to me, holding the tent in an awkward position, "What?"

Clenching my hands, I tried again, "Are you like them?"

His eyes widened before turning back to fix the tent, "Would I be here if I was?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out... Your home was dead... That's what you told me. You had no choice but to come here, right?"

"Well, I... The End has always been dead. Nothing has changed there since the beginning, but I guess I changed. Being in darkness your whole life can drive someone crazy."

"Even if you were born from darkness?"

"Of course. Wanting change is a common thing for anyone, anywhere. You've probably felt a feeling like that too."

Unclenching my fist, I realized I did know that feeling, but for a totally different reason. I didn't know darkness. I didn't know pain or ever see monsters that brought harm, but I knew peace. Mind numbing peace. The forest sheltered me, and through the years I began to grow tired of it. I wanted an adventure. I wanted the change he talked about. "Yeah... I have. So... You really haven't come here with any ill will?"

"Of course not. Anyway, how does this look?" Letting go of the tent, it finally stayed in place. It still looked really uneven like it could fall at any time, but it would work.

"Looks good enough to call home."

"Thanks." He smiled warmly. "So, since we are being honest, what is the change you've always wished for?"

"Hmm?"

"What kind of change would a girl who's never left this forest want?"

For some reason the question caught me off guard. No one had ever asked me anything like that. No one had ever been around to. Who would even care about me enough to ask? A strange boy from a land of darkness, apparently. "Oh, I... I've always wanted to get out of this forest. You know, there isn't much to do here, but I didn't know there was more out there until you came along. I guess, I'd like to see the world that is between the light and dark you spoke of."

Looking at me, he smirked, "Is that all? Sounds pretty simple. I'd be willing to take you to that world if you really want to. I'll warn you though, it has its own horrors and safety is never guaranteed."

My eyes brightened in excitement, "Really?! You'll take me out of here?!"

"Y-yeah. If you want to go, and I can take you, why would I deny you that?"

After years of wanting out, and wanting something more, I would finally get it, "Thank you!"

The happiness was real. For once, I was so, so happy, but that made the forest angrier than ever before. It was almost a split second later that darkness fell and the trees began shaking altogether. Through the start of the chaos, I suddenly felt my heart thump painfully and I fell from my feet towards the ground. My ability to stand was taken.

Rythian barely caught me just in time, "W- what's happening?!"

Looking up at his face with the forest screaming all around us, I slowly shook my head, "I- I don't know..."

"You have overstayed your welcome, boy."

He looked around for the source of the voice, but he would find no one there, "Who?! Who are you?!"

It was so strange. The forest had never spoken outside my awareness, and yet, he could clearly hear it. For some reason, I felt like I wasn't so different anymore, "It's the forest... I think it's angry... Still, I don't know why..."

"The forest?..."

"No longer can we stand by and watch you corrupt our lifeline."

"Corrupt? Lifeline? What are you going on about?"

"The girl was born in this forest. She keeps us alive. Without her, all life within this place would wither and die, so we cannot allow her to leave."

My heart hurt. The pain was so much to bare. He looked towards me again, "Is that true?"

I could never deny my power. It had always been with me, but I never knew it connected me to the forest in such a way, "It's true that I can give life, but even I didn't know the forest relied on me..."

"We gave birth to her. She only exists to keep us alive. Though we never saw reason to tell her, she has continued to fulfill her purpose without fail."

Picking me up in his arms, he looked towards the trees, "I think I understand, and what I understand is you're keeping her here even though she's unhappy."

"Unhappy? Irrevelent. We protect her, and she keeps us alive."

"But she doesn't want that protection anymore. She wants to leave."

"Irrelevant."

"Stop saying that. She has every right to go."

"No."

"Yes! She is a living, breathing human being! You didn't always rely on her to keep you alive, and I know for sure, you don't need her now. Even if I take her out of here, I know you won't die."

Looking up at his determined face, I was overwhelmed by his will to help me, "You..."

"How can you be sure... How do you know we won't die without her?"

After a short pause, he shrugged, "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"You-"

Turning his back, he began to carry me away and surprisingly, my heart was starting to feel better. "Come on. I'm gonna get you out of here."

As the trees faded by, I smiled, "Thank you... You know, I never got your name..."

"It's Rythian."

Closing my eyes, I waited for the pain to completely fade, "I like that name... You can... You can call me Zoey."