He was extremely fond of nature, and nature overtook his body. His body is now possessed by nature itself, and the body carries around an orb with the old soul trapped within it. It is typically referred to as a he, but is genderless. He constantly has the orb, as it doesn't want the soul to be released. It is thousands of years old,at first it kept the soul to prevent him from returning to his body, but if the soul was released now it would disintegrate and the body would die.