Her recounts of the past slowly floated, like a feather, through the air, but they were gradually imbued with melancholy.

As she spoke, Ning Maner could no longer stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, lightly landing on the tree’s vines.

As she cried, she got tired and curled up her small body in the small groove in the tree roots, falling asleep with her slightly puffy eyes…...

On the barren land, the shriveled large tree and a curled up sleeping girl painted a mournful scene.

This scene seemed still, yet also seemed to convey the passing of time. In the past, every day, regardless of season, she would curl up under the tree. Now, falling asleep, she seemed to never want to wake up again, following the old tree in its slumber.

The Quiet Forest went silent. The skies were still empty, occasionally hosting an errant wind, but even that had no noise.

Wind and sand slowly eroded the last of the old tree’s husk.

The withered tree’s branches sluggishly waved under the pressure, letting out creaks as it gave up more of its dried leaves...