There is no proof, of course, but there is no proof of magic's existence either. As more and more of the science of the universe was discovered, fewer and fewer people believed that magic could possibly exist until any who did were considered insane and delusional. Powerful magicians, mythical creatures, unexplained phenomena of the world; all of the works of magic were naught but myth and legend, not forgotten but no longer believed in by the general populace.
Until one day.
It was a city, no different than any of the others that dominated the earth. Most signs of nature were eradicated from the planet, with only nature enthusiasts and specified areas such as parks remaining as signs that the world was once full of greenery. The city had one such park, but it was lackluster, maintained by those who cared little for its contents.
The routine of the caretakers was a simple one, and it rarely changed. Water and trim the wilting plants, make sure that none of them had been damaged by unnatural causes, and otherwise perform general maintenance. It was an easy job, with few surprises.
Then the tree appeared.
There was no warning to its arrival. Nothing existed in the spot but browning grass one day, and the next day there was an immature sapling in its place. On the first glance, the park caretaker barely took note of the new addition.
Then the sapling grew again, going from an immature sapling to a nearly full-grown tree. The caretakers were suspicious - how did such a tree get there? But they had no answers, and simply reported its presence. The report got no immediate response.
The next day, the tree was on par with the others in the park, other trees that had been growing for decades to reach their full potential.
Each day, it grew and grew, and within a single week it towered over everything in its vicinity, branches reaching out to cast shade over the entire park. Scientists came in to study the tree, but had found nothing in those few days. It quickly became a tourist attraction, and one historian named it the "Iei Tree".
Despite the unsettling nature of its appearance, those in charge of the city relaxed. It wasn't significantly damaging the other parts of the park, and it was bringing tourism to help the city. All was well.
That was when the Iei Tree began to truly work its effects upon the world.
The park caretakers woke to find that the animals living in the park had an unsettling intelligence, watching them do their work. Citizens of the city began to notice that their electronics were failing at random intervals, or giving false readings.
And the entire city noticed when the first dragon appeared, bellowing rage and flames down at the weak creatures that dared to exist near it.
It was chaos. One dragon was followed by another, and another. It seemed an entire family of dragons had come forth, and the city burned. Everyone fled, leaving behind anything they couldn't live without as draconic fire ravaged the city behind them.
Only days later, after the city and thousands of people were long lost, did anyone make the connection that the Iei Tree might have been a cause of the event instead of just another symptom. By then, the former city was ruled by dragons, chimeras, and all manner of creatures long thought to be mere works of imagination.
Even as the military planned to make their way back into the dragons' nest, the Iei Tree continued to grow. It grew higher than the buildings, higher than the skyscrapers, higher than everything until it towered above all else. Nearly the entire continent could see the edges of the Iei Tree's canopy. And with the shadow of the Iei Tree came the creatures of myth and legend. Not just the more exotic creatures that legendary adventures centered about, such as chimeras and dragons, but also animals with intelligence, the gift of speech, and even magic of their own.
The world eventually organized their group of soldiers and scientists, picking only the best and most resilient to go on what might very well be a suicide mission. But the grim prospects seemed to be simply paranoid, as the group managed to sneak through the mythical land overcast by the Iei Tree, picking their way across the ravaged ruins of the city until they finally reached the trunk of the tree itself.
It was a massive structure, the Iei Tree having long since consumed the park in which its life had begun. All of the group found themselves staring in awe before they snapped themselves from their daze and began their work.
Had the situation been less dire, they might have tried to make sure that the Iei Tree was the cause of the myths coming to life before attempts to kill the tree were made. But too many had died, and would die, for them to risk taking that time.
Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work.
Attempts to chop down the tree resulted in the wood regenerating before their very eyes. Poison simply vanished with no effect, as if it had never existed. The Iei Tree seemed impervious to flames as well, with no part of the massive tree even burning for a single instant.
The group was ready to give it up as a lost cause. Days had been spent trying to take down the Iei Tree, but it proved to be an unkillable foe.
"You're in quite a hopeless situation, aren't you?"
Guns swiveled to aim at the voice, only to find a small grey bird. It ruffled its feathers before speaking once more.
"Do you truly wish to do that? I mean you no harm, but the same cannot be said for any others who will hear you kill me."
Grudgingly, the guns lowered. While it was nothing like the human expression, the bird gave what could only be called a smug glance at the humans before continuing.
"Very good. Now, I am Kha Phreit. As much as it may surprise you, I am just as disgusted by the rampant deaths of your kind as you are. And so I will share with you a secret, a secret that might help you kill this monstrous tree.
"There lives a tiger in the branches of the monstrous tree. His name is U Khla, and he is the one who makes your progress meaningless. When you cut the tree, he heals it with his magic. When you poison the tree, he purifies it before more than a single patch of wood might be harmed. When you burn the tree, he protects it such that not even a leaf will be consumed by the flame. If you wish the tree's death, U Khla is the one you must take down first."
Message given, Kha Phreit flies off.
Behind him, the soldiers and scientists stare at each other. Believing in a creature brought into the world by the Iei Tree is difficult, but to do so would give them hope. It would give them a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and save the world for humanity.
They climb the tree, wary and ready for an attack. The further they climb, the darker it becomes, until the leaves of the Iei Tree block all light except their own.
From the darkness, echoing from all directions, a voice growls at them.
"So, that foolish bird has told you of me. You would kill me so that you may kill the tree, hmm?"
Guns snapped up, pointing in every direction, but the soldiers dared not fire blindly.
"Have you thought nothing of what the tree's death would do to us? All of our lives, all of our existences, are bound to this tree. With its death comes ours as well."
One soldier, temper frayed, replied. "Like your kind haven't killed humans! However many of you we kill, it's nothing compared to the number of us who have died!"
The voice scoffed. "Do not assume all of us to be so crude and cruel as the dragons. And do not assume that their reasoning does not exist. Do you not realize where we are from, where we have been summoned from? Creatures of myth - oh yes, we know of our status in your world - do not simply appear from nowhere.
"We were summoned forth from those exact myths and legends, from that long-forgotten past, where many of us - especially the dragons - were hated by humans, hunted by humans. When the dragons saw humans thriving, powerful and plentiful in a way they had never known, of course they would attack. They know of the dangers of humanity, and are terrified of letting your kind have the opportunity to kill them."
A hush fell over the group of soldiers. "Then what do you want? We can't just leave things be," the same soldier spoke. There was only silence from U Khla, for such a long time that the soldiers began to believe he had vanished. Then, he replied at last.
"I... do not know. But I- we, are willing to strike a deal. Not only myself, but all of our kind who do not agree with the dragons. Should humanity cease its attempts to kill the tree, should you agree to allow its existence to continue, then we shall aid you in fighting against any threat from those who the tree has brought forth."
They almost didn't agree. None of the soldiers had the authority, and many were still angry over how many had died due to the Iei Tree.
But despite their anger, despite the possibility of failure-
"We accept."
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Author's Note: The original tale, The Legend of the Iei Tree, is of a famously large tree on top of a mountain. The shadow of the tree is so dense that the sun can't get through at all, and the earth below it is barren. The tree keeps growing until people are driven out of its shadow, and it begins to threaten the entire world. A group of woodcutters gather and go to cut it down, but every night the damage they do is repaired. A Khasi wren, Kha Phreit, goes to the woodcutters, who laugh at the idea of the bird helping them. After chastising them, Kha Phreit tells the woodcutters that a large tiger, U Khla, has been licking the tree every night to heal the cuts on it. The woodcutters stick their axes into the tree, blades out, and U Khla cuts his tongue on the axes that night. Fleeing, U Khla never returns to the Iei Tree, and the woodcutters are able to cut the tree down.
When I was considering how to retell this story, I began by thinking of transitioning it into a modern setting. A massive tree growing in the center of a city, in an extremely modernized world, seemed like an interesting change to the story. Given the modernization, making the land barren wasn't as big of an issue, so I changed the Iei Tree's threat to bringing forth mythical creatures, which also allowed me to keep the characters of Kha Phreit and U Khla. Lastly, I changed the ending, since I like the idea of magic (the mythical creatures and the Iei tree) and science (the very modernized world with previously little nature) managing to find a way to coexist, even if it's only a tentative idea by the end of the story.
Bibliography: The Legend of the Iei Tree from Folk-Tales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy. Web Source
Image: "Giant Tree, St. Andrews University". Copyright Anthony O'Neil. Web Source
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