Legendary Stories

 

The stories from old are written here.

Remember them well, and pass them down to the next generation.

While truth does not change, every day does.

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Story 12 – The Ancient Tree

 

The Huge Tree of the Northern Forest

 

On the northern outskirts of Green Continent, there was a deep and wide forest called the Northern Forest. There was no famous place here save for the beautiful waterfall, but in spite of that, the reason that travelers went there was because of the great tree called “The Ancient Tree.”

Various people came to receive the wisdom of the Ancient Tree. The Ancient Tree, freely giving wisdom and who watched over the people protectively, was the senior of the world that everyone recognized.

 

The Young Tree Setting Off

 

When the Ancient Tree first sprouted from the ground, it was a normal tree. Spring, summer, fall, winter…year after year, the tree just reached out branches to get the light, and spread roots to get nutrition and water.

At some point during that, the Ancient Tree…was just a young tree at the time…he was dug out by humans and a big rock was placed underneath him. Or rather than being placed, the Ancient Tree’s roots seemed to be wrapped by rock, and earth was placed on it again. The people chanted something inside a temple, and when they finished the ceremony by drawing a rune, they left.

The young tree that was left wasn’t out of the ordinary. Even sticking out his roots, he couldn’t reach out freely behind him. And to make matters worse, the rock from underneath began to speak to him.

“Hey, what can you see from there? Can you tell me? I want to be helpful to everyone, and so will become a magic rock.”

The tree, being spoken to familiarly by the rock, was surprised and at the same time offended.

“I’ve nothing to tell a rock who hinders my roots.”

As he said that, he was surprised again. The tree was now able to speak.

According to the rock’s explanation, in order to make an ordinary rock into a magic rock, he wrapped around the young tree’s roots and after the ceremony, it was necessary for that tree to grow. As the tree grew larger, by telling the rock of his knowledge, the rock’s magic power and wisdom grew. In order to give that knowledge, the tree also came to be able to speak.

The young tree came to know about the outside world through his conversations with the little birds and the fairies, and he couldn’t help but begin to want to go on a journey. Eventually, he shook his own roots, and made the gap bigger. Though everyone tried to stop him, he didn’t give up. While little by little he was shaking his body every day, at one time, there was a loud crack, and the young tree, whose roots had become short, came out of the ground. Eventually, he swung his body, and when he found out how to walk, left behind the forest with which he was familiar with.

The rock, looking lonely, showed out the tree.

“Young tree, return here at times and let me hear the stories of your travels.”

“Mm, okay,” the tree answered gently as set off.

The rock couldn’t become the magic rock he so yearned to be, which he thought pitiful, but in that time, but he wanted his own dreams granted.

The young tree who went on a journey came to learn much wisdom throughout the world. He met with dangerous situations many times, but in those times, he suddenly stopped moving and pretended to be an ordinary tree, or conversely started flailing about recklessly and startled his rivals.

 

The Promise with the Rock

 

In storms, in blizzards, inside deep caves, even crossing oceans, the tree continued his journey. Then sometimes, he would meet trees who were traveling like himself. They were chosen just the same by magic rocks, and he knew that the other abandoned a rock to go on a journey. Among them, several got lost in deserts, broke when they couldn’t stand the piling snow, and seemed to wither.

So one day, the young tree noticed that he would very soon be unable to move. It had no relation with delicious water or bright sunlight. Even trees who withered in deserts or fields of snow couldn’t move on some days. Now, even the young tree knew that.

Incidentally, during that time, the tree remembered his promise with the rock. To return sometimes and tell of his journeys. Since the young tree had too much fun journeying freely, he completely forgot about the rock.

“I should go home. If I am unable to move like this, I should, at the least, go tell stories to the rock.”

Deciding to do that, he went to return to his home forest.

As he was dragging his roots that were trying to stop now, the tree, who struggled to get to the rock, was surprised. The rock who was supposed to become a magic rock was mistaken for a regular rock, broken, and taken somewhere. All that was left in the forest was a very small fragment. However, the tree told of the life of traveling.

The rock was happy to hear of them.

 

From There…

 

The tree, who finished telling everything, thought that it would be fine if he were to wither sometime, but miraculously, he noticed that since he arrived home, he became healthy. Well, originally, the reason he could walk was the same reason he could talk: because he was near the magic rock. As the magic he received via the rock began to be lost, his legs were being unable to move. The nice seeming trees he saw on his journey lost their strength before they could return to their rocks.

The little rock and the now not-so-young tree became best friends. The tree placed the rock in a cavity and told him his knowledge and wisdom. The two sometimes went on journeys together and deepened their knowledge all the more. In the end, by the tree’s returning from his travels, the stone, rather than becoming just some magic rock, obtained even deeper wisdom.

From then, long months and years passed, and before they knew it, they received respect and became known as “The Ancient Tree” and “Teacher Rock.” Along your journeys, if there’s a time that you need true wisdom, then you would do well to visit the two in the Northern Forest.