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After Tyler got impaled on the tree, he didn't feel entirely like himself. It was almost like there was an external force taking control over him and his actions sometimes.
The other Savannah Kids did not initially question when he began to act particularly standoffish. This was Tyler, after all. He wasn't exactly known for being nice.
But, as time went by, his attitude got worse and worse, distancing him from the rest of the group, even his own sister.
This all came to a head when he got into a particularly bad argument with Ashlyn during the daytime, which led to him angrily storming off that night in the Realm to blow off some steam.
This proved to be a terrible mistake, though, as he was almost immediately caught by Phantoms.
To his surprise, though, they didn't kill him.
No, they instead brought him to the tree he'd been impaled on.
He felt a deep connection upon seeing it, and the strange force that had taken over his mind suddenly made sense.
"I see you've finally come back" the tree spoke to him. He wasn't sure if anyone else could hear it, but the Phantoms still weren't attacking him, so he supposed that they at least also understood that the tree had power. "Come with me, Tyler"
He did not argue or fight as the Phantoms carried him up on top of the tree.
He expected the pain of being impaled again, but instead he was suddenly falling through a void, watching as the Phantom Realm (and, by extension, his home) faded away.
But he wasn't scared.
No, the tree would keep him safe.
He just knew it.