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Agni smiled. “I remember your story of this place. I never imagined it would look this beautiful.”
The water below their feet reflected the tree’s blue light, illuminating their surroundings.
They walked next to its roots and stopped.
“Touch them,” Vartan instructed Agni.
He nervously laughed and reached out his hand. Before making contact, he stopped.
“I feel like you are tricking me into something,” he told Vartan.
Vartan laughed and smiled, “No, bud, why would I do that?
Remember what I said happens after you touch it?”
“Okay, fine.” He finally decided. He reached out again and pressed his hand against the glowing bark. His mind was immediately filled with flashes of his memories.
He saw himself resting near the cold lake overlooking the home he built. He heard the faint giggles of his adoptive sister as she ran around while he attempted to catch her.
It continued to show him people who had influenced his life for the better: His mother, Vartan, Kerrigan, and even his father, Indra. The tree continued with the memories until Agni found himself on a calm flat land. He saw himself sitting among the grass, with the wind caressing his face. He looked slightly older, with a long scar across his cheek. The older Agni sat still as a woman sat beside him and lay her head on his shoulder. After looking carefully, he realized the woman was Annie.
Each memory surrounded itself with the cold and gentle aura of the tree until he found himself back to reality with Vartan.
Agni stood there in silence. He hadn’t realized that a tear was slowly falling down his cheek. He quickly tried to wipe it off and looked at Vartan. “What was that?”
Vartan smiled back at him, “That is the power of the Primordial tree.”
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“How did Helia manage to create that?” Agni asked Vartan. They had moved away from the tree and sat nearby on the cold grass. Vartan chuckled when he heard Agni’s question.
"Ha! Helia wishes she had built this!”
“What do you mean?”
“This tree was once part of the primordial world, dating back to Eldur, with its roots spread far across Arosia. Shortly after Helia acquired the power of her God Soul, she waged a war against the tree’s protector and imprisoned her.” Agni continued to listen as Vartan retold the story of the war. He looked at the ground they sat near, wondering how many lives had been lost to secure ownership of the Tree.
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“A dear friend tried to reason with Helia and stop her.” Vartan continued.
“What was her name?”
“Henley.”
“You’ve mentioned her before,” Agni realized. She had been one of Vartan’s closest friends and a Scholar. Vartan continued his story as the Tree faintly glowed in the distance.
“Helia had tasked Henley with learning about the tree. After the tree’s protector encountered Henley, she took her as her apprentice and taught her the unique methods of healing sorcery.
To this day, Henley is the only being beside the protector to learn of such power. Henley didn’t realize that Helia had been using her to gain knowledge of the great tree. She convinced King Therum to attack, and all creatures were eradicated.”
Agni looked in shock toward Vartan. What could the tree have that Helia wanted so badly?
Vartan patted Agni, “It’s old history, Agni. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
Afterward, they relaxed on the grass, admiring the tree’s aura. Agni had heard about Henley before but had never wanted to ask about what had happened to her. He finally decided to question Vartan. After he sighed, he looked up at the tree.
“After the Ancients began attacking our people, We immediately met up. We had each been tasked with traveling to a Spire by Kaito, but after he disappeared, Henley and Sciama had no choice but to travel to the most dangerous one: Argus.
After she set off, I never saw her again.”
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Agni quietly practiced away from Vartan while he slept. Although he was close to reaching the mountain, he was still unsure if he could fight against the monster. He remembered what Calisto had told him. Could he become strong enough to set the world ablaze? It worried him. He wanted to become strong enough to defeat the Ancients, but Calisto’s words worried him. He decided not to dwell on it. He set his things down and stared at the tree before he drifted off. The next morning, they were awoken by a tremor violently shaking the ground.
“What’s going on?” Agni asked Vartan while gathering his things.
Vartan looked around. He walked to the point where they had entered and flung his hand outward. “Something is happening out there,” He said before he ran through the portal. Agni followed along and was instantly blinded by the sun. Outside of the portal, the earthquake was much worse. Both tried to balance themselves but fell to the ground. After a moment, the tremors began to subside. Vartan got up and scoured the area.
“What was that?” Agni asked. Vartan helped him up and took a deep breath.
“Anemos was right.”
“Huh?”
“The Ancients will soon escape their imprisonment.”
They continued their journey. Agni had asked how Vartan had known the Gods had caused the tremors, to which Vartan replied, “ King Therum has done this before. It happened first when he fell to the Abyss.”
It reminded Vartan of Henley.. right before she had disappeared alongside Sciama.
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They traversed the cold tundra, the mountaintops full of snow. Agni reached out toward the ground and melted the snow with his fingertips. They walked endlessly, nearing the mountains with each step. The sun stood brightly over the clear skies, making navigation easy.
Vartan suddenly stopped Agni after the roar of a beast echoed through the land.
“ Eyes up. He could be anywhere, “ Vartan instructed Agni, who unsheathed Scorched and carried it close.