A vast forest stretched under an eternal night sky, lit not by stars but by the soft glow of nature itself. Tall, twisting trees pulsed with bioluminescent veins, casting gentle hues of blue, violet, and green across the ground. Giant mushrooms, some as tall as houses, shimmered with faint light, their caps dripping with radiant dew.
Crystal blue waters wound quietly between roots and stone, reflecting the glowing life around them. The air was hushed, calm, and heavy with ancient magic, as if the forest itself was dreaming. This strange place was the home of Alex and Sophi, where an important conversation would take place.
Alex: He leaned back against a tree high up, closing his eyes before hearing Sophi call his name from down below. "Yeah!?"
Sophi: She cupped a cone around her mouth, "Can you come down here!?"
Alex: He appeared next to her, startling her a little bit, "Yeah?"
Sophi: She cleared her throat, placing her hands on her hips while staring up at him, "I need to talk to you about what you said, about me not being able to help."
Alex: He stared down at her, narrowing his eyes a little bit, "I'm not having this conversation." He tried to walk past her towards their small hut, but she grabbed his hand tightly.
Sophi: "Yes, we are having this conversation! You can't expect me to sit by and just let anything happen!" She held his hand tightly but gently.
Alex: "That is exactly what I expect." His shoulders relaxed a bit from her touch, but his tone remained stern.
Sophi: "Alex..." She took a deep breath, "You know me, this is what I do."
Alex: He turned his body to face her completely, still allowing her to hold his hand, "Yeah, I do know you, but I also know how everything works and how dangerous things can be, more than you apparently."
Sophi: She let go of his hand, his face dropping a little bit as she crossed her arms, "You know how everything works, so then you should know that what I do is important, just think about how you felt before I came along."
Alex: His eyes narrowed, placing his hands in his pockets, "I remember how I was, how shattered I felt, but that doesn't change the fact that the world out there is a deadly place."
Sophi: She softened herself a bit, pulling his hands out of his pockets to gently hold them, rubbing the top of his hands while staring deep into his eyes, "I know the world is a scary place, but I have you."
Alex: His eyes widened a bit to a more relaxed state, looking down into her eyes, "I-I...I'm just afraid that I won't always be there to help you. I've seen the horrors out there firsthand, and the thought of you freely roaming around for anybody to take scares me."
Sophi: Wraps her arms around him, looking up, "Trust me, baby, I am just as scared as you..." She let out a deep sigh, "Do you think there is any way I can still do what I need to and you be more comfortable?"
Alex: He stared down at her as she hugged his waist, standing on her tiptoes to try to hug him as high up as possible. He thought for a moment before rubbing her on the head, causing her cat ears to shiver before folding back, "I suppose I will try to be a bit more lenient. I will allow you to open up portals from here out to where you need to aid people like Monse, for the time being at least."
Sophi: "Thank you, baby...thank you." She hugged him a little bit tighter, "Finding a way to still help while making sure you are comfortable is the best. Thank you for hearing me."
Alex: He kept petting her on the head, watching her slowly lean into his touch and close her eyes, smiling down at her, "You know, your determination to help others reminds me of someone I used to know."
Sophi: She perked up to look at him, curiosity behind her eyes, "Who does that remind you of?"
Alex: He sighed, slumping down a bit, "His name was Star."
Sophi: Her gaze weakened at the word 'was', pausing for a moment before speaking, "Would you like to tell me about him?"
Alex: He smiled weakly; the shift in his emotions was immediately recognizable. "He was...a very close friend of mine. Good ole Embodiment of Positivity, helping out anyone that he could, even if it sacrificed his own life in the process."
Sophi: Her hands pulled from around his waist to hold onto his hips, firmly but not enough so to cause pain, as she shifted back to look up at him with curious eyes, "Embodiment of Positivity? Like how I am the Embodiment of Love or whatever?"
Alex: "Kind of? It was always confusing the way he explained it. To be honest, none of us actually knew what exactly he was. But we at least thought so."
Sophi: Her eyes drifted off for a moment, lost in thought, before returning her gaze to his eyes. She gently tugged on his jacket to bring him down to her level, cupping his face with her soft hands, "Baby...You seem to be in the mindset that he is gone forever, but look..." She placed her hands over his eye sockets, showing him a vision of another world.
Before his eyes lay an open field of purple colored flowers with orange stems. Children of different species were playing in the open land, laughing, tossing a ball between each other; their joy filled the air. "See? They aren't afraid, they aren't threatened, they aren't angry. The flowers still bloom, the children still laugh and play. If positivity were really gone, do you think all of this would be here? Do you believe we would still be feeling it?"
Alex: He watched as the children played amongst each other and the wind blew through the flowers, "I suppose you have a point..."
Sophi: She slowly pulled her hands off his eyes and took his hands into hers once more, "I'm not sure what exactly happened, but I understand how you feel. You are confused, scared, and in pain, but we will get this all figured out together, I promise." She looked up at him, her eyes filled with hope, the same look that the Star he knew once gave him.