Yggdrasil (Afina, Moore, Jaela)

[Nephrite]

"This... entire scenario seems unusual to me, but perhaps it isn't..." Moore shakes his head. "I received the directive to go here from a seer in Celestia... no one from this realm even seems... concerned about this at all." He shakes his head again. "Or perhaps there's a connection between here and Celestia I simply cannot yet see."

[Anastasia]

The party walks on. Ahead light follows, the shadow of the tree vanishes. Before you the Yggdrasil appears in all of its massive glory. A tree so large you can hardly comprehend it. Branches stretch to the stars themselves and beyond, wider and broader than entire mortal cities. From here you can see most of the tree - still far away and yet able to somehow take it all in, in defiance of perspective and space.

Countless. Countless beyond all measure, for the souls are all around. The souls of fey, flying to the branches and to the tree, taking ghostly form and wandering. Thousands? No, such would grossly understate it. Millions? A pale shadow to all you see.

Afina's vision buckles, as if unhinged. Walking amid the beautiful snows, basking in the cold. Defending your tree against the filthy human with a saw. Inspiring the artist you love so dearly, his child growing within you. Playing in an endless series of child-like games with your family and friends. Men (and some women) coming to you by the score, pronouncing love as they kneel before your pond. A strange wandering through ruins, defending the nature that has grown within. A - sever. Fire, fire all over. Fire burns it all away to ash, leaving only Afina behind.

Moore's vision unfocuses, but all he sees is light. Light overwhelming, light all consuming. He isn't sure, but...but...but...he feels a strange absence from the tree. The light. It's the light. They escaped, he realizes. They did it. They found the way home.  They broke - and you feel a moment of peace. The chilly hills as you wandered Erathaol's domain, the calmness of that time returning to you.

Jaela can see Crystal sink to her knees, overcome as she gasps. Queen Ilsenine bows her head, lost completely in her own thoughts.

[Nephrite]

It's been a while since he had a reason to cry -- he's been so consumed with his mission and his role that he never stopped to think about it -- and as he reaches up to touch his face to feel the tears that are flowing out without even realizing it, he smiles. Of course they did -- of course... they must've.

He closes his eyes (to block out the light? No... that's not quite it) and smiles, letting his sadness ebb away into happiness. For this brief moment, he'll let himself be happy and not worry about anything else.

[Ebiris]

Afina is wide-eyed and almost insensate for a moment as memories rush through her... until fire burns them away and she can only wear a melancholic expression. The Cycle was important to her, it was the greatest of all things and she treasured her place as but one actor among many to take the stage. But she chose to weigh an entire world above the Cycle, and it's not a choice she can find fault with.

Still, she's allowed to mourn, as much for the locked memories of her previous existences that have no future past her, as for her fallible beliefs that the Cycle was in fact the sum totality of fey existence. An outsider became that first fey, countless aeons ago that would one day have its soul become Afina and stand outside of things once more. She hopes they'd be proud of her.

[Anastasia]

"I remember," Crystal says in a weak voice, "Oh, I remember!"

Ilsenine rises her head and grasps the stick, "As do I," she says, voice ragged. "We must continue. We have to continue."

[Nephrite]

Remember? ...Wait, they all saw memories? So... ...

He shakes his head. Now isn't the time. 

He nods to the other. "Yes, let us finish what we have started and put an end to this suffering."

[Ebiris]

"Yes, we must," Afina agrees, no more memories showing themselves to her, allowing her to simply appreciate the sheer physical grandeur of the World Tree.

[Anastasia]

The stick leads all of you on. It takes you into the air, the party flying to follow. The great Yggdrasil is soon before you, leaves bigger than Hanna pushed aside and branches wider than city streets walked along. You go along so many ghostly fey, lost in their own recollections.

As you all go, stabs of memory (save for Jaela) assault you regularly. Images of past incarnations, nuggets of memory.

Afina remembers being named Nara, protecting her tree. It was the most important thing in the world to her. Even her daughters were a distant second to it.

Moore remembers the light. Her name...she always helped you, always healed your hurts. Until...

Afina remembers the cool waters of her spring. She remembers the music her friends played, the pan pipes echoing in her mind's ear.

Moore remembers the light. Her name...L...you dimly recall how she loved magic so.

Afina remembers the glory of winter, dragging down those that would oppose it into a numbing death. How, when at last he came, sword of fire unavoidable, that you...

Moore remembers the light. His name. He always protected you and fought on, even when...

Afina remembers him. His face. His art. The overwhelming love. The cool caress of cold iron when age finally stole him.

Moore remembers the light. His name...he...he escaped and...he was the one...

Throughout all this, Jaela can see the pixies becoming less and less aware. They fly in a seeming trance, lost in things only they can see, just like the fey spirits all around you.

[Nephrite]

Of course. Of course -- he'd never forget them. They... they were his friends he met in the middle of... before all the...

Then they went to that wonderful...

Amidst the light, another light -- no, this one isn't the same, it's... the seer... the seer's words --

"Ill...senine." Moore stammers, mumbling (to himself?) "...will... power to resist." He stammers out again.

Ah, he misses them so -- even in that light-scourged world, they all...

[Ebiris]

Well perhaps not appreciate the physical grandeur after all, if the memories make a resurgence after fire had its say she's happy to let them. She did feel like she was close to a breakthrough on exploring her past selves before she took a different path. And it's nice, seeing all the lives she'd led, even if she can't always relate to them they're still her and deserve recognition.

No one else will remember them, after all.

[Corwin]

"Still with me, guys?" Jaela speaks up, clearing her throat. "You're losing focus, here, sorta like most people get at Elysium after a lot of exposure."

[Anastasia]

Crystal barely stirs at all, dragged along and silent. Ilsenine blinks and shakes her head, "I...I am," she says, "Focus." she grasps the stick anew, "We have a mission ahead, we are not here to reflect and reincarnate. It's not any of our times."

[Nephrite]

Illsenine's voice calls him back to reality -- but it still looks awfully familiar.

"Yes," is all Moore says as he grasps the stick as well.

He'll have time for his memories of them later.

[Ebiris]

"Hmm?" Afina blinks and shakes her head. Right, they have a job to do, she shouldn't be so self indulgent. Focusing herself with thoughts of the elements that now make up her totality, she does her best to ignore the siren call of nostalgia.

[Corwin]

Jaela reaches out to shake Crystal's shoulder, as she is the only one not to react visibly to her words.