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canopies-of-gold-and-evergreen · 3 months ago

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These Ancient Canopies Ch.3- A fantasy AU

The Third (newly re-remastered)

Colours were slightly altered to match the aesthetics. Source. Credit.

Summary: a new guest is invited to the forest and learns the ropes.

Warnings: light swearing. Deep dive into some psychology. Some uncomfortable truths.

Taglist: @saatmans @twodogs-twocats @thevimonsterinyourcloset @magdalenamiira @galaxy-tacos @thewayyoulay @piscesintherain @caius-red04 @music-lover23 @xzero01 @lowkeyrobin

note: Ci Hunllef: Welsh for nightmare hound. Pronounced: ci (key) hūn (like hook mixed with pool. a slightly longer oooo sound) llef (hshe-V. think sid the sloth saying SEV)

Word count: 4920

what changed? minor edits to maintain the proper tense and to clean it up a bit. you shouldn't even notice the difference. cleaned up the repetitive "in front of him" stuff in the beginning.

ao3

Taglist 🍂 Description 🍃 Ch. 1 🍂 Ch. 2

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For eons this is how it remains, until suddenly The First hears a cry from the edge of the void asking for somewhere safe, somewhere steady, constant. A place that was reliable. People that could be trusted. A home. As He approaches the edge, He begins to sense waves of absolute chaos. Bursts of diversion and distraction. When the void splits in front of Him, He is able to see the source.

A tall thin man is frantically pacing, his thoughts projecting out of him at an alarming speed and volume. They crash into The First, and the impact causes Him to lose His grip on reality for a moment. He pushes further into the space and attempts to make contact with the mind of the other man. Every time He almost reaches the thoughts of the other, He is violently pushed back by another wave of chaos. The First knows that this needs to be done differently than before.

He steps out of the shadow of the void and into the view of the other man. The other man freezes and for a brief moment the waves of chaos halt. The First uses this opportunity to make contact, reaching out to the edges of the mind of the other man. You are safe. I am not a threat. This is immediately met with a series of bursts, and The First must brace Himself against them. He pushes further towards the other man, fighting the onslaught thrashing against Him, only for the other to match His every step forward with one of his own away. It becomes clear to The First that it isn’t simply chaos, distraction, or diversion rolling off of the other: it’s potent fear. The man is a caged animal lashing out. When He finally stands within arms reach–and not without struggle–He reaches out towards the face of the other, faltering for a moment when He sees His companion flinch slightly. Sadness floods through Him, but He pushes further, gently touching His first finger to the center of the other’s forehead. He projects images of His forest into the other’s mind, fully wrapping the images and sound around the man's mind. The sounds of the wind, the birdsong, the soft rush of a nearby creek. The shifting of the trees, the footfall of creatures as they pass by. The gentle squish of moss underfoot. The warm swell of the magic as it surges through the ground. Instantly, the waves of chaos cease. Peace is possible. Safety, security, constancy, reliability, trust; they are all attainable. This place I have shown to you, it is real. If you come with me, I can give you all that which you seek. He pulls His hand away, slowly pulling His thoughts away as well but keeping them hovering on the borders of the other’s mind. He watches his companion carefully.

The man sags into the wall behind him, a heavy sigh falling from his mouth. He slides to the floor and clutches his head, hands scrubbing his face with overt exhaustion. His breath is unsteady; rapid and shallow. His hands are shaking. And yet, this reprieve is temporary; The First can feel the chaos and fear building inside the man’s mind. With a steadying breath, the man meets the gaze of The First, his eyes bloodshot and cheeks tearstained. His chin wobbles slightly. His voice is panicked. “Please. This won’t last long. I can’t take it anymore. Bring back the forest. I could breathe. I could—I just—” His eyes close briefly, tears rolling down his cheeks as his voice shifts to a broken whisper, cracking on the single syllable. “Please.”

Take my hand and you will be there. Come child, safety and peace awaits you. The First barely pushes His hand closer and the other man takes it.

In a breath, they are among the trees, dwarfed by the vegetation. Immediately the newcomer’s mind is quieted, and he wraps his arms around himself as soft sobs shake his frame. His thoughts are no longer plagued with constant what ifs, would’ves, could’ves, and should’ves. No more rehearsing conversations, dreading reactions, and replaying mistakes. For the first time in longer than he can remember, his mind is quiet, still. He can breathe. If he wanted to, he could think, but he doesn’t. He just needs the silence. He craves it. He peers at The First, who is now kneeling in front of him, His head tilted slightly to the side. The newcomer can feel the sympathy emanating off of Him. He takes a deep breath, and asks “What is this place? How can it do this to my mind? How is this possible? I’ve tried everything— nothing takes away the noise.”

The First hesitates for a moment, when He speaks, there is slight uncertainty in His tone. I created this place to be a home for myself. Somewhere safe from the cacophony of my own thoughts. Somewhere I could have peace without effort or struggle. It has lent these favours to you. You will keep these things as long as you stay here. If you choose to return to your old life— He is cut off.

“Return?! Why would I ever want to return to that? You saw how I was. You expect me to live like that any longer? You’re mistaken. I am never going back to that. That was not living. I was barely surviving.” The newcomer rises to his feet, though a touch unsteady, and walks past The First. “Tell more about this place. How does this work? What happens now?” He turns back towards The First, an expectant expression on his face. “What do I need to do first?”

The First rises to His feet, and steps closer to the newcomer. Frustrated tension builds within Him, His voice sharpening to a fine point. First, you must understand the results of acting with haste. If you do not take into proper consideration what changes are ahead of you, if you do not fully understand the gravity of the choice you are making, there will be dire consequences. If you choose to stay here, you will never be able to return to your old life, whether you want to or not. You will never again see any of your loved ones, never again return to any hobbies or interests. The people around you will miss you. There will be a hole left in your life where you once stood. There will be nothing you can do to change that. He pauses, scanning the face of His guest, seeing only bored apprehension. I am aware of how life was like for you, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can go back and you can change things. Life can be better, calmer. Safer. I am urging you to think about this–

“And I’m telling you, that I choose to stay here. There is nothing you can say to me that will make me change my mind.” The newcomer meets the gaze of The First, and with a stubbornness unmatched by even The Second, says “I choose to abandon my old life and to stay here. Regardless of what happens next.” His words echo with a finality, a heaviness that lingers in the air. “Now tell me: what will happen next?”

The First heaves a sigh, but acquiesces. Next, I will show you the way in which I see this realm. The peace being given is not the only gift you will find here. He moves behind the newcomer, placing His hands on the other’s shoulders. Relax your mind. Don’t push me out. This will be strange to you, it will only last a few moments.

The newcomer tries to keep his mind relaxed, to keep the storm contained. He struggles to even find it. What little control he could’ve had is lost when he feels the strange brush of The First on the edge of his consciousness. Without warning, a large blast of his chaos rolls out, sending shockwaves through the trees around them. The First is physically pushed back several feet, and falls to the ground in a dazed heap. The birds go silent, the wind itself ceases. Thick vines shoot out of the ground and surrounding trees and wrap around the newcomer’s ankles, holding him firmly to the forest floor, while more vines wrap around his arms keeping them in a T-pose. One more wraps around his throat and tightens only slightly. He hears a heavy rustling to his right, and his stomach drops to his feet as he watches a monstrous beast slowly walk out of the shadows.

A huge hellish creature stalks towards him, its mottled brown fur dense and curled, front legs tipped with cloven hooves, back legs with dog-like paws armed with menacing claws. A long straight tail hangs off its hind quarters, shifting from side to side. A medium length neck. Its head however was the most terrifying part: droopy ears like that of a sheep, large downward curling horns, eyes with sideways pupils, and a maw bearing sharp teeth designed to rip flesh from bone. From its chest, a deep terrifying growl emanates, growing louder as the beast steps closer. The newcomer is overcome with raw potent fear, his heart hammers in his chest as the garish creature comes to a stop in front of him. He is dwarfed by it; its shoulders coming to at least 10 feet on all fours. It lowers its face to look him dead in the eyes. He gulps and stutters out two words, “OH SH-SH-SH-SH-SHIT!” The beast takes a deep sniff of the newcomer’s scent before licking over its large canines. It opens its jaws further and looks like it's about to pounce, when a shorter man steps out from behind a tree.

The beast turns its head towards the smaller man, its demeanour changing instantly. The growling stops, it stops snarling, and it begins to act more like a puppy when its master comes home; its tail wagging and excited whines included. The small man caresses the beast for a moment before waving it off. As it stalks off into the distance, the stranger turns his attention to the newcomer. His eyes are piercing, carrying an intimidation that matches the beast. He gazes at the newcomer for a few seconds before glancing back at The First. The stranger turns his eyes back on the newcomer, the vines around his arms wrapping tighter and pulling outward, and the one around his neck looping tighter. The newcomer watches as the stranger walks closer to him, and when the smaller man is directly in front of him, he hears a booming voice reverberate inside his mind.

W H O A R E Y O U ? The words echo against the inside of his skull, the sound akin to stone grinding on stone. Agony ripples through him. His vision fades to black and his ears ring. Waves of panic roll through him, though they only add to the agony. He tries to gather his words but finds none.

Enough. He is our newest guest. He does not have a name yet. What you felt, that burst, that is his gift to the forest. Release him. The newcomer recognizes this as the voice of The First, a soft summer breeze compared to the hellfire of the stranger. The First’s voice sounds tired and unsteady, but final.

The vines around the newcomer retreat and his senses return to him. The agonizing echoes go quiet. He drops to the forest floor on his knees, panting, trying not to panic. He looks up at the stranger, and with stark exasperation asks, “Who am I?! Who are you?? And what the fuck was that?” His wrists burn slightly, as does his neck, and he rubs at the skin, coughing a couple times to relieve the ache.

The stranger kneels before him, glaring deep into his eyes, his voice slithering through the newcomer’s mind. I am The Second. I am the guardian of this realm. That was the Ci Hunllef: the nightmare hound. You’re lucky The First intervened or you would’ve become the forest’s next meal. He stands and walks to The First, helping Him to His feet. The Second places a hand on the arm of The First and the two share an odd moment, before The Second’s hand falls to his side as he steps past his companion. He takes a few more steps before turning to look over his shoulder at the newcomer. Come. You have much to learn.

The newcomer scrambles to his feet, stopping beside The First. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I didn’t do that on purpose. I swear. I wanted that to stop more than anything.” He is desperate for The First to believe him.

Yes, I know. You are forgiven. We must do this differently for you. Go with The Second, he will show you our ways here.

Pleased with this outcome, the newcomer quickly follows after The Second and the two make the journey through the dense forest.

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After what feels like hours of walking in silence, they finally reach a tree that differs from the rest. It is just as giant as the others, however it has whole floors carved out of it. A warm white halo—emitted by the mushrooms speckling the bark—softly glows around each open window frame. A wide staircase wraps around the massive trunk all the way to the top, and The Second immediately begins ascending it, the newcomer following closely behind. They climb almost halfway up the massive tree, the silence continuing, until The Second finally walks into a large area, empty save for a bed.

The Second turns to the newcomer, and with notably less animosity in his voice announces, This will be where you will stay until you can control your abilities better. My room is above this, The First’s above mine. I will get you a blanket, and give you some time to rest. Then the lessons will start. He goes to leave but hesitates before he reaches the entrance, and turns back. I do apologize for earlier, however in due time you will come to understand my reaction. I know The First promised you safety, but strange things have been happening here–dangerous things–and it’s my job to keep us safe. With enough time you will grow to join me in that…IF you can control it. If you cannot, you will be cast out and left to the void like the others. With this he turns and leaves, heading further up the stairs. He is gone for only a few minutes before returning with a thick plush quilt and a pillow, which he gives to the newcomer before descending.

The newcomer makes the bed, and then goes to explore the space. There’s not much to see. The room looks as though someone carved off the outer portion of the tree leaving only the center intact, but everything is still covered in bark. While circling the room, he notices a door in the wall of the central column, which–upon closer inspection–appears to be sealed shut with…roots? Something to that nature. He tries to break some off to open the door, but they might as well be made of steel. He gives up after a few tries and takes a few moments to look out at the forest around him. Again, there’s not much to see. Just more big trees, and if he squints hard enough, he can spot The First and Second walking together on the forest floor. He catches other creatures meandering through the underbrush elsewhere. Higher up in the air, birds swoop from branch to branch. Something like a hummingbird buzzes past him and drinks from a small collection of liquid from the cup of a small mushroom before flying away again.

Having exhausted all of his options for entertainment, he decides to finally sleep. His dreams are feverish at best; flashes of nonsensical images of his family and friends, his pets, his hobbies, memories from his old life. His rest is fitful, incomplete, full of tosses and turns. The longer he sleeps, the more unstable his dreams become; harbouring more and more nightmarish things. Car crashes. Natural disasters. Famines. Plagues. Monsters from myth and legend. Explosions. Hellfire and brimstone. Him hurting the ones he loves, or abandoning them. The waves of his chaos left uncontrolled and untethered, leaving nothing but destruction in his path. He wakes in a cold sweat, jumping slightly when he notices The Second standing a few feet away from his bed watching him with an unreadable expression. “What the fuck? Were you watching me sleep?” He scrubs a hand over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

The Second rolls his eyes, and turns away, sending a thought to the newcomer as he walks to a window overlooking the forest. Prepare. Your first lesson begins soon.

The newcomer scrambles out of bed and spends a few minutes waking himself up. When he feels he’s ready, he tells The Second, who then walks to the sealed door in the center area. When his hand touches the wood, the pieces keeping it closed recede allowing him to open it. The newcomer follows him through into a dark circular room, the only light coming from the swaths of glowing blue mushrooms adorning the walls. The Second shuts the door behind them and goes to sit on a mound of moss on the floor gesturing to the newcomer to sit opposite him on a matching mound. As he sits he peers at The Second gasping at what he sees.

“Whoa! Your eyes are glowing!” The Second gazes back at the newcomer, his usually normal blue eyes now glowing a bright phosphorescent hue, one that matches the mushrooms around them, only more brilliant. “They haven’t always done that, have they?”

The Second heaves a sigh. Why is it always the eyes that they ask about first? He sits up straighter, and levels his gaze on the newcomer. Enough banter, it’s time to get to work. The next seven days here will determine if you are a good fit for this realm. You and I will spend time every day in this room working to build your control of your abilities here. This will not be easy work for you. You will struggle, you will stumble, you will make mistakes. If–by the end of the seven days–you do not succeed more than you fail, then you will not be allowed to stay here. For the purpose of preserving the sanctity of the forest, and the wellbeing of myself and The First. Do you understand the severity of this?

The newcomer can sense the weight of The Second’s words, and it does not leave room for negotiations. “Yes, I understand. I will do my best to learn to control it, no matter how difficult.”

Excellent. Let’s begin with your dreams; dreams work differently here. They act as a reflection of your fears, and your fears are the key to your abilities. If you understand your fears, you understand how to utilize them, what to do with them, how to turn them into strengths. Your dreams also offer a window into your psyche, and they demonstrate the way you existed in the old world. That in turn will affect how your abilities work here. The Second pauses for a moment, and seems to consider something. Your dreams consisted of you abandoning your loved ones, of hurting them in some way. Of wreaking havoc on your family and friends, destroying everything you touch. You feel as though disaster follows you everywhere you go. You feel as though you cannot be trusted to love someone without hurting them. So you push everyone away. Keep them all at a distance. You believe you are something akin to an atomic bomb, destined to detonate and leave nothing but a crater of ash and ember. Because of this, you became isolated from everyone, and you became lost. To them and to yourself. You grew accustomed to this and now actively enforce this. You create chaos around yourself to remain hidden from those you wish to avoid…or yearn to connect with. You are afraid of hurting others, so you elect instead to hurt yourself. You believe you are not important and disregard yourself entirely. You wish for peace and safety, but recoil from it when it is given to you. He pauses again. The silence is deafening. You are afraid of the very thing you crave. Yourself. Do you deny this?

The newcomer is stunned–and slightly ashamed–at having his innermost thoughts thrown back at him. “How do you know all of this? And how is it that you can be in my head but when The First even attempts to, I immediately explode and push Him out?”

That is because mine and The First’s abilities work differently. Where you push everything outwards and avoid it all, He cuts straight to the emotional truth, the core of any matter. And to you that feels like an attack. I, however, internalize everything. Which means that I am already inside your mind before you even sense it. You don’t have a chance to push me away, because if you do, you would push yourself out at the same time. And believe me, you don’t want to do that. This enables me to build walls around the perimeter of your mind blocking you from your own senses, and locking your abilities inside. He pauses again, and something like a small laugh echoes through the newcomer’s mind. No, I did not plant any fears into your dreams. I cannot create fears–or any thoughts for that matter–in the minds of others. I can only bring to the surface what is already there, whether good or bad.

The newcomer is left reeling from this last statement. He wasn’t even conscious of the unspoken question until The Second had answered it. “Okay. I guess that all makes sense.”

When we rest, our defenses are brought down. For you that means that whatever truths you are usually trying to protect or keep hidden are projected outwards. Every mind in this forest now knows your truth…which you will grow accustomed to over time. In fact, that is the goal of this. He pauses yet again. In the core of everything in this forest, flora and fauna, there is a concentrated vein of the magic here. That is why we are in this room. That is why you can see the blue of the mushrooms and the glow of my eyes, when outside you could see neither. We will be utilizing this to aid in your training. In this room, it is much easier to form a connection with the forest and its inhabitants. Now that I’ve explained the basics, let’s move on to the main lesson. The Second explains further that the core of magic is present in the newcomer too, though buried beneath the rubble of his old life. Its light is hidden. This same magic is in both The Second and The First as well. The idea here is to dig up all of these fears and see them at face value. To decide if there is any truth to any of them, and to then relinquish them to the forest. First, you must find the thread that connects you to this realm.

The newcomer is told to close his eyes, to focus on his breath, on his heartbeat. To sit in the darkness in his mind until he feels the single luminous thread at the center, and to follow it. To allow it to grow. To envision a rope of blue light emerging from the base of his skull down his spine and weaving into the tree below him. When he feels it join with the tree, a surge of energy rushes through him and for a moment he panics, fearing that this would trigger another burst. But his fear is for naught. This energy is warm and soothing, like a comforting hug, or a warm drink beside a bonfire. He relaxes further into it and can fully sense the pleased response from The Second. If he concentrates hard enough, he can sense The First as well, and the glimmer of approval from Him. Beyond that are more amorphous beings, which he assumes are the animals and plants.

Excellent work. You achieved this much faster than I anticipated, but this was the easy part. I will now be the one to shed light on each of your fears, and to show the truth behind them, if there is any.

For the next several hours, the newcomer is put through a true gauntlet of work. He is forced to face many of his fears, some having no merit behind them whatsoever, others having a real reason that was misunderstood or mostly forgotten by him. Only true phobias are given grace. There are many times when bursts occurred, but with the presence of The Second, they do no damage. These are the times when he struggles the most. To release his fears while in the midst of them. It is the hardest work he has ever done.

Only when he is nearly collapsing with exhaustion does The Second stop lessons for the night. Before leaving him to rest, The Second turns to the newcomer and with a resigned and impressed tone says You’ve done well today. There were many before you who could not dream of achieving what you did here. I do, however, have one piece of advice to help you move forward. You fight with everything. Every task is a battle to you. You’re making it much more difficult than it needs to be. I am not asking you to pick up a weapon and fight, I am asking you to put the weapons down. To let go of them all. All you have to do is open your hands and let them fall. Okay? Think about that. He places a hand on the newcomer’s arm and lingers for a moment. Now get some rest. You’ve had a long day and tomorrow will be no different.

And so as The Second ascends the stairs to his quarters, the newcomer walks to his bed and collapses in a heap, barely keeping his eyes open long enough to watch his teacher’s feet disappear from view. He falls into a deep dreamless sleep.

For the next six days, this pattern repeats. He wakes, has a few hours to explore and enjoy the forest, take a quick rest, and then hours of grueling work with The Second until he is nearly falling asleep standing. Followed by resting for the night. Each day he makes greater and greater progress, releasing more of his fears allowing the forest to take them from him. With each one he feels it slither through the tapestry of light through the back of his head and down into the tree. He feels lighter and lighter, with each one gone. He finds after each day, his exhaustion lessens, while also needing less sleep. He is kept so busy with practicing during the day that he doesn’t have time to even notice the lack of hunger he feels, the energy of the forest sustaining him just as well. Each day the glow of the plants grows brighter, the music in the breeze louder, the connection with his two companions stronger.

The morning after the final day, when all of his fears had been addressed, he is called to a small clearing near a creek. He senses them before he sees them and he finds The First and Second standing in the center facing him. They gesture to him to come closer, and when he’s standing in front of them, The First breaks the silence.

The Second has been keeping me informed of your progress, and we have come to the decision that you are fit to stay here. You have done the work to dismantle the remains of your old life. You have proven yourself to us. He glances down at The Second and despite both their faces being covered, the newcomer knows they are sharing a smile.

They both turn to look at him and in unison, he hears them. Welcome home, child. What shall we call you?

He hesitates for a few seconds, flicking his eyes between the two of them. He decides on a name that is simply just fitting. Replying with his thoughts alone. I am The Third. Can I give both of you names? They both nod. He points to The Second. You are The Teacher. And to The First. You are The Bringer of Peace.

And so it was.

He soon creates his own mask, and over the passage of eons, forms a stronger and stronger bond with the forest around him, learning how to utilize the chaos and diversion to redirect any beings banished to the void who had wandered in unwelcome. He learns that he does not inherently destroy all that he cares for. He learns that he is worthy of love, that he is not broken. He learns his own value. He grows to see his own strength. He is safe, there is peace, security. He can rely on this world and trust these friends.

He had finally found his home.

#These Ancient Canopies fic #sleep token fanfiction #sleep token au #sleep token offering #sleep token worship #sleep token vessel #sleep token ii #sleep token iii #sleep token iv #sleep token espera #Sid’s writing

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