Unable to sleep, Gabriel rose from his bed. The cold and bitter nights alone filled him with remorse. He had no friends, and no family. All he had was his memory, and it was the stuff of nightmares. With a small sigh he walked from his room, running downstairs and out to his motorbike; speeding off into the night.

With a dull roar he rode on and on, the city lights slowly disappearing behind him as the landscape changed. The air around him began to glow, releasing an eerie light; as did the ground and tall, bare trees. It was the Forest of the Damned. Aptly named, he thought with a wry chuckle to himself. Ironic that his parents had chosen to name him after god’s messenger, when he himself had grown up in the devil’s land. Despite all that had happened here, Gabriel loved this place.

He skidded to a stop beside a small lake. Climbing from his bike he walked forward into the water. He sighed contentedly as the cool liquid slid against his skin. Leaning forward he dived smoothly, entering the lake with barely a splash, swimming deeper and deeper, to the bottom of the lake. It was deceptively large. His race lived here, deep in the murky depths. As he neared the bottom he veered to the right, his lungs already crying out for air. Swimming into a cave he started to move upward again, into a huge cavern above water. He surfaced quickly, his lungs bursting for air as he gasped and spluttered. He was out of practice; he used to be able to hold his breath for much longer.

He smiled to himself; he was back, even though he said he would never return. He turned, but the sight that met his eyes was not what he had expected. The city was in darkness, the only thing illuminating the place was the large glowing tree that grew in the centre of the cavern. What met his eyes was disaster. The fine buildings lay in ruins, the gardens destroyed and tattered. There wasn’t a sound to be heard except the faint dripping of water.

Pulling himself from the water he walked through the debris. This was his home, his true home. And now all that was left of it was rubble. As he reached the city square he noticed something for the first time; plants. They were everywhere; pushing their way through cracks in walls and paths. In the city of servants, it was a strange occurrence. Gabriel’s people had been slaves, but something had released them. Perhaps it was better this way. With a sad smile he walked back to the entry pool.

He smiled. He would sleep well tonight. Nature would reclaim the cavern. It would become a sanctuary again; perhaps for another fleeing race.