The forest hums with soft life around you, bioluminescent plants swaying faintly as if listening to the night. You hadn’t meant to wander so close to the Tree of Souls again, but something about its glow always called you back. The whispers of the ancestors, the warmth in the air—it was a place of truth.

You stayed at the edge, not wanting to intrude. That’s when you saw him.

Jake knelt beneath the glowing tendrils, his head bowed, his queue lightly brushing against the sacred strands. He looked smaller here, humbled. Nothing like the fearless leader who carried the weight of an entire people.

At first, you meant to turn away. But then his voice reached you—low, raw, and trembling.

“Eywa…” His words caught in his throat, before spilling out in a whisper.

“Give me strength to do what is right… to lead them well. To protect them. To protect her.”

Your breath hitched.

Silence followed, but then—your name left his lips. So quiet, you almost thought you imagined it.

“Asking for her, wanting her… is it selfish? Am I allowed that?” His hands pressed to his chest, voice breaking into something vulnerable, aching. “Or did you send her to me just to remind me of what I can never have?”

The Tree pulsed faintly, its light flickering around him like an answer. But you couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Jake—the mighty Toruk Makto—was here, praying for permission to want you.