POV Colossus:

This lava feels quite refreshing. It’s much more bearable than the cold air ravaging this mountain. Now, I must find the right position. At least this lava lake is big enough to hold my entire body. Even with my eyes closed, this isn’t that hard. Ah-ha! Finally found the right place. I guess my intuition wasn’t misleading me.

Why is it becoming harder to move? It feels like the already dense lava is starting to harden around me. Oh no, the water that my body generates is cooling the lava! I need to move faster. While struggling against the lava, I finally position myself over the volcanic tube, sealing off the volcano’s lava flow. With the continues flow of lava cut, the lava cooling process around me expedites rapidly.

I keep concentrating on the cooling process. This feeling of being entombed isn’t much different than my second evolution. It looks like the cooling process has finished. How long did it take? Twenty minutes? More like thirty minutes, but that’s still a short amount of time. I generate this much water?

I keep my eyes closed. The suspicion that something big is going to happen, grips me. Suddenly, as if on cue, a notification appears in front of me. I stare at it wide-eyed, the reality of the situation finally settling in.

Volcanic master Title granted for calming a raging volcano and stopping the flow of lava. Colossal Dream Requirements met... evolving. Completion time 1000 years.

It’s time for me to slumber again. I feel guilty for leaving Zohn behind. I can’t sleep yet, I need to talk to Zohn just one more time. An intense feeling of sleep is gripping me, and it’s only getting tighter. I struggle to open my drowsy eyes and I stare at my entombed body. Volcanic rock has completely encased my whole body, only leaving the top of my shoulders and my head free.

I turn my head, looking at my shoulder. I spot Zohn starting at me with a confused expression. Mustering up enough strength, I manage to speak, “Zohn, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay awake, so I’ll speak quickly.”. A concerned look surfaces on Zohn’s face. Zohn’s mouth opens as if he wants to say something, but then I quickly stop him.

“We don’t have enough time to argue, so please just listen. I can’t explain everything right now, but know this is not without good reason. I’m about to enter my evolution sleep. For the next thousand years, I’ll be unable to wake up. I need you to watch over me during this time. I know this is unexpected and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I was scared that you'd leave me. I know a thousand years is a long time, but I hope you can forgive me for lying,” I manage to say, my voice getting weaker with each word.

“I need you to stay strong during this time. The world around you may change drastically. My body will also change during this time, but I hope our friendship will remain unchanged. We are companions, are we not?” I manage to add, still feeling guilty. With those final words, I close my eyes. Entering the evolution sleep.

POV Zohn:

Why didn’t you tell me this was your reason for coming here? I wouldn’t have objected to it. You were probably afraid that I would leave you, weren’t you? When I made that vow, I did mean it. When you told me that you needed titles to evolve, I found it strange, even with the unique trait that you possess, but it wouldn’t give me a reason to abandon you. Were you afraid that I wouldn’t wait for a thousand years? We are companions, now and for eternity. A mere thousand years is nothing to me, compared to the bond that we share. I would have stood to watch over you even if you didn’t ask me.

Strengthening my resolve to the absolute level, I make a silent vow that no harm will come to Col while I watch over him. With the vow made, I shift my gaze to the surrounding landscape. The air up here is thin, making this the perfect place to train. I’ll be strong enough to stop anyone from harming him. When Col wakes up again, he won’t be able to compare my skill now to my skill then.

There is still one other thing that I need to address first. I examine the surrounding landscape. The lava that hardened around Col, entombing him, made the top of the volcano flat. The ground is made of coarse volcanic rock, leaving an unpleasant sight to behold. If I’m going to stay here for the next thousand years, then some changes need to be made.

I have enough food in my house to last me for a long time, but not for a thousand years. I turn my head to the spot where I planted the seed a couple of days ago. I walk closer and I inspect the spot with more scrutiny. A smile appears on my face, a small sprout is sticking out of the dirt. Looks like I’m it’s possible to cultivate plant and trees on Col.

The barren landscape is a very unpleasant sight. I’ll just need to terraform it. It would usually take generations to terraform a landscape or plant a forest, but I have all the time in the world. I’ll make the volcano’s peak look like paradise on earth. I just need to stay determined. If an individual is isolated for a long time, then they will go insane. I will need to strengthen my mind and have a clear goal. The only thing that I truly need is strength and if I keep striving for that goal, then I will have a chance at sanity.

Don’t worry Col, when you wake up, you wouldn’t be able to even recognise a single part of this mountain top. With my goals set, I walk to my house with a new fire burning in my eyes.