A woman stood at the edge of the forest, peering in to the dark greenery before her. She contemplated on whether or not to step forth. What awaited her in the forest? Was it death? Would the Zruids kill her before she could fulfill her task? There weren't a lot of options left; she didn't have much time to spare. She was growing older and her request was more important and worth the risk.

Her husband turned into a tree, and became one with the forest. The thought of children was always a dream for them but she was not granted the construct of holding a child full term. The despair and loss of every child they conceived just seemed to add for them, no matter how many times they tried. The woman no longer wanted to be responsible for the death of her unborn children, and the dream became unreachable. They both fell into a void of darkness; one always mourning, no one to comfort the other. It was hard to see other happy families in the city, when they themselves could never feel that happiness. The husband decided to get enhanced by the forest and dedicate the rest of his life in rebuilding the ruins that they called Neutral City. The woman could not go past this hardship in her life. She continued to dwell on the past. She barely noticed when her husband began to grow roots from his arms and slowly die. It was another death to pile on her endless list. That was when she was done. She would go after her dream at any price.

The first step into unknown land is always the hardest. It takes a lot of courage, and for a brittle scared woman, was a miracle. She found that for her it took just as much courage as the first step to keep going into the ever-growing forest. She had no sense of direction, and relied completely on fate to guide her to her destination. Rustles in the trees made her flinch, afraid that the Zruid were going to kill her for entering their sacred land.

She treaded the mossy wet lands for what seemed like days, but for an old woman, she was sure it was only mere hours. To replenish her thirst, she sucked on the dews of leaves but didn't dare touch the fruit of the forest. Death would follow shortly after the first pluck of the juicy sweet nectars of the forest. Her feet grew sore from walking barefoot on solid ground, and decided to take a rest in a crevice of a tree. She closed her eyes and drowsiness swept over her.

Little did she know that the very tree she leaned on was the tree she was searching for. It was the tree of life. The Mother/Father of the forest. The tree began to shine a heavenly soft pink glow that embraced the elderly woman. The warmth engulfed her very soul. She felt very much at peace. When she opened her eye, she saw herself looking at the glowing tree surrounded by water. Despite being in the water, she did not feel wet nor did she have a problem breathing.

"What is it you desire?" came the squeaky breathless voice of Berui, a peach colored hair girl with olive-green skin and blood-red eyes.

"There is always a price." said the twin-spirit Zerui, a burgundy colored hair girl with a pair of eyes to match.

The woman said in a soft and whimsical voice, "My deepest desire is a child. Please grant me the wish to bare a child."

"Child." They repeated together.

"There is always a price." (Zerui)

"The wish can be granted at a price." (Berui)

"Your life must be given to the forest. You will become one with the forest. We take life, but we will give life." They echoed. Their limps that were melded into the tree, stretched around the woman.

"I am old. I will not live long. My life is yours. Please let me be with my child." The woman then closed her eyes as the spirit-twin's touch gave her the ability to bare a child. She felt her body become over whelmingly hot as her feet began to take root. Her limbs stretched out and thickened as she herself became one with the forest. On one of her branches, a green fruit grew. She stretched that limb out into sunlight so that her little one could bath in the same warmth that was consuming her. Over the course of a day, she watched as the fruit became bigger, and finally cracked open to reveal a silver-haired baby girl. A tear escaped her eye at the sight of her beautiful daughter. When the child opened her eyes, they revealed a forest green eye with the other, a deep-sea blue. She wished nothing but happiness for her child. No words were exchanged between the two, but their locked eyes, told a different story.

"Moriko." The woman called out as her body and soul became one with the forest.

The girl named Moriko, ran through the forest, playing with the Zruids. Since her birth, the forest has taught her to speak, to walk, and to control her enhanced abilities she was born with. The Zruids created clothes for her, out of giant tree leaves and would entertain her like any family would their child. They kept her at the center of the forest, away from the humans. She was to be protected at all cost. Unlike the spirit-twins, she was a human that was born from the forest. If she were to die, the forest would die too. She heard the cries and felt the pain of the forest when the attack from the girl, that the twins called Toola, and their mechanized weapons came for the forest.

The closest interaction she ever had with a human, was the time she watched from a safe distance as a boy asked to be enhanced with the forest. He was very beautiful. He had oceanic blue eyes with hazel brown hair. He was strong spirited and perfect to receive the blessing from the forest. Moriko was infatuated with him. She was unsure if the infatuation was due to the forests feelings or her own. As he took in the gift of enhancement, his hair turned a similar silver to her own and his eyes turned into a forest green. His muscles became more defined and his spirit became even stronger. He left with the motive of saving the girl, saving the forest. He did just that. The forest became calm again. The spirit twins were reborn.

Everyone thought that it was the end of the war between humanity and the forest, but that was not the case. Some people cannot get over the past no matter how hard they tried.

Just an idea that popped into my head.

I don't own Origin: Spirits of the Past.