17 Mother
The human group known as the collectors had made great advances in their research.
And unlike the Amrita located in the glands at the base of the Tulkun's brains, which was capable of stopping human aging altogether.
The discovery of the researchers of the collectors was located in the tendrils of the soul trees.
They, on a mad expedition to a Na'Vi village, which did not end well for the natives, the researchers pruned a soul tree, and it was with the help of the tendrils of this, that they found a way to return a human to their youth, but it did not stop aging, it only cured you of any injury or fatal disease you had after your youth.
If you already had a disease, that had been with you since childhood, that disease would not be cured, and it did not stop aging, it only brought you back to your physical prime.
In addition to that, the researchers discovered that if the tree was cut down completely, the result would not be as expected, so the tree needed to still be planted so that when the tendrils were removed, the results of the 'potion' of youth would be adequate.
"So, the sky people are taking away the voices of their ancestors," Aleyx commented to the Na'Vi who was giving all the important information.
"Not only that, they have our spirit tree surrounded by what they call explosives, with which they threaten us.
"But what does that have to do with them attacking other tribes?
"Their spirit tree, they can't attack the tribes, unless they want the tribes to join in an alliance to wipe out the sky people, that's why they send us, to wipe out the tribes, so they can use their soul tree without the threat of their people".
"Oh, by Eywa," Aleyx commented, he hadn't expected the subject to get so complicated, especially since they were talking about a large human settlement, one that had no problem taking on the Na'Vi at the first opportunity.
"Are there still warriors left from your tribe?" asked Aleyx, changing his conflicted countenance to a serious one.
"There are approximately six hundred warriors left in the tribe, the rest are children, women, and elders."
"All right."
"Sume'y, stay here with the warriors who followed us, I will go to my father, it is time for this group called the collectors to see their hell gods."
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"Absolutely not!"
"But father! Are you listening to what you are saying, the people of heaven are slaughtering the spirit trees to satisfy their greed and avarice, you know how precious they are to us, the bridge that links us to Eywa, we can't just sit by when they are taking that from us," said Aleyx, trying to convince his father to gather the warriors and take down the collectors.
"There you are wrong, they have not taken anything from us, they did it with the Mate'yia tribe, a tribe that is hostile to us, we have no reason to fight for them, I have no reason to fight alongside them, not after they killed my people in their act of cowardice, preferring to kill their brothers instead of rebelling against their slavers," exclaimed Sukai angrily to his son.
"Father, you think I don't know that? I understand and understand your decision, but I don't accept it, not after knowing that those people in the sky will not stop until they wipe out as many soul trees as they can before they are stopped, and if you won't fight by my side, then I will fight for them, for Eywa, which I know is the right thing to do." was the last thing Aleyx said, and then left his father, leaving him with a hard decision on his hands.
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Aleyx stood beneath the great tree of souls, looking for help far beyond spears and bows.
"They killed their mother, and they will do the same here" Aleyx began, as he linked his neural tail to the tendrils of the great tree; "In my memories, you will see that there is no more life in their home, they took it upon themselves to end that life, wrapped up in their greed and evil, they ended up killing everything that made them human".
Remembering how humans had been polluting the planet since the age of industrialization, how they always wanted more, more power, more land, more blood, more wars, it was in their DNA, it could no longer be changed.
"I don't know the reason why I came to this beautiful place, and I don't really care about that anymore, now I just want to fall more in love with its beauty, its balance, its people, all that you have to give me, I just ask for wisdom, wisdom to know how to proceed from now on, that's what I need the most".
Just at that moment, Aleyx's vision became blurred, with a bright white light right in his eyes, forcing him to close them, after a while, he opened them again, but he was no longer in front of the great tree of souls.
No, he was now in what was his room in the place where he grew up, the orphanage where he grew up, a simple room, with a single bed facing a window overlooking a meadow, with a bedside table next to the bed.
A small desk, where there were several pictures of the once Aleyx, formerly known as Daniel, a twelve-year-old boy, holding a life science trophy in his hands, while behind him stood a mature woman, already with several gray hairs and small wrinkles on her face.
Aleyx took the portrait, and at the same time that she let a few tears come out from her eyes, that trophy was the first one she won in the long way of her life in the world of Zoology, she remembered that she was so happy that during the whole day, she forgot that she didn't have parents.
Just then, the door to the room opened, revealing the woman in the photograph, holding a tray in her hands.
"Little Daniel, I've brought your breakfast," said the woman, with a clear tone of affection in her voice, like a mother waking her child to get ready for school.
"Nana?" was the only thing Aleyx could express, seeing the woman who watched him grow up.
"It's me, little boy... What's wrong with you?" the woman asked as she saw the tears rolling down Aleyx's cheeks, worrying, then setting the tray down on the small nightstand and sitting on the bed, right next to Aleyx.
