There was a war raging on and on for years. A boy found a place that acts as his makeshift sanctuary, in the forest untouched by the battle. There he made a small tree house, along with his friends who also lost their home. Because a lot of their family either died or went to the war themselves. 

“What is that?” a younger girl pointed at his necklace, with a gem that had a clear color. He unconsciously reached out for the stone that dangled just above his heart. 

“It was a gift for my birth, that father gave me,” he answered, remembering that the gem has been with him all his life. He treasured it deeply, as it was home. Just as much as he loved his time with his friends. 

“It suits you. You’re too nice for your own good,” an older teen interjected. 

He knew everything wouldn’t last, he discovered that when he saw the plants he took care of, wilted. There was nothing he could do. Just the same as when he lost his paradise as he grew. The forest will eventually be eaten by the never-ending war. 

The friends who pledged to be together forever, soon drifted apart. Either finding a new goal, or dying as they fought towards it. He stood there, underneath the tree house, amidst the destruction of what was once a peaceful place. He needed to fight to protect what he valued. So he cast aside his gem, burying it in the place he calls home. The boy discarded that mantle and decided to try and be a man. 

He doesn’t know how he got accustomed to the smell of blood nor the cry of the soldier. The smell of ashes and the sound of gunfire. The scent of sorrow and the sound of desperation. He went numb and as the tree fell, the houses broke, he felt something crumbled inside of him. 

So he listlessly trotted towards nowhere, because he didn’t find the point to continue or give up. He ended up standing underneath the treehouse, which had decay, yet not completely destroyed. He looked up, feeling a raindrop trickling down his cheeks, slowly making a downpour. 

“As if this could wash up all of my sins,” 

His knees buckled and hit the ground. He sat there for a long time, with an emptied mind. Until he remembered that he had buried something there. So he dug beyond the mud and opened the chest.

There he could see how the clear gem reflected his face. All he did was stare at it while the sky cried for his unshed tears.