<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb359/ninjawhitewolf/Aeryn_Vaile_by_raixhell-1.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><br/>Aeryn was a very powerful and loyal cherry blossom sprite that protected the village or Kururu. The various small trees scattered through out the village all gave her power.<br/><br/>To give thanks to her for protecting them, they offered up a sacred sake every full moon. It was said that it was the sacred sake they grew Aeryn's tree into what it was today by one of the elders of old. The offering was done during a festival that celebrated the day the tree was planted. Aeryn had always protected the village for years. That is until...<br/><br/>It was a dark and moonless night. Everyone was asleep, even Aeryn was sleeping peacefully inside the tree. However, malicious demons with evil intent. They snuck into the village and went straight to Aeryn's Tree. They stood before it, staring at its glory. The two black shadow demons then dove into the soil around the tree, poluting it with their dark energy. A curse was then put upon the tree, right under Aeryn's nose.<br/><br/>A week later Aeryn sat on a branch of the cherry blossom. She felt sick and was weak, she found that she no longer manage to protect the village with her barrier anymore. The warding scent of her petals filled the air no more. The village was now open to any attack.<br/><br/>"Oh sacred protector, Aeryn..."<br/><br/>She looked to the ground where the village elder stood staring worriedly at the tree. No mere normal humans could see her, only those with spiritual power. The elder patted the trunk and said,"You've weakened greatly during this week. Look upon your children trees, they have turned black and refuse to blossom."<br/><br/>Aeryn looked toward the small trees in the village and sighed. Indeed they were pitch black and no longer bloomed. It was all due to the curse on the tree and since she was the tree in a sense, the curse affected her too. Then the elder continued,"You've also refused to bloom. Not a single blossom will show... What is it that ails you so?"<br/><br/>Sighing she closed her eyes.<br/><br/>Not even a single blossom, she didn't even have enought power to summon up a single blossom.<br/><br/>Night approached and Aeryn could sense demons approaching the village. Aeryn jumped to the ground and then summoned up the last of her power to detatch herself from the tree and take up a human form. She gave the tree one last longing look before running down to the village where screams suddenly started erupting. The demons were on the attack, and she could no longer protect them in the form of a tree.<br/><br/>Hours and hours of fighting. By the end of it all, she collapsed. After the onslaught of demons, she barely found the strength to fighting them off. But it wasn't the end. For a single demon appeared to finish her off. The villagers looked away, they didn't know who she was, but they couldn't see the death of the one who had fought so bavely to save them.<br/><br/>When it seemed like the end, a blade interupted the demon. She opened her eyes and looked up to see a man with a blade inbetween her and the demon. With ease he fought off the demon.<br/><br/>All of the villagers ran over to them. The elder then said,"Thank you for coming. This young woman appeared just in time to kill most of them, but thank you for coming to our aid in her dire need... But the real reason I called for you is our guardian." He led the man to the withered, blossomless tree that rested ontop of a mountain that overlooked the village. Then he then continued,"This is our great guardian tree, Aeryn. As of late she had fallen ill. Please tell me that the spirit of Aeryn's Tree is still there and alive."<br/><br/>Aeryn had followed them and watched. Seeing if he really could sense that her spirit no longer remained or if he was just some fake.