The next morning, the sound of angry voices wakes me from my otherwise restful sleep. I yawn and stretch my arms out. No dreams of mushrooms, sentient or otherwise. Perhaps I'm becoming a Sumeru native.
Pulling open the door by just a crack, I see a small group of strangers huddled outside our cottage. They wear the heavy robes of the Akademiya – more ornate than most – and their angry voices rip through the cool night air. Tighnari stands between them, hands crossed.
"Think about it Tighnari," one of them says, "refusing to join is tantamount to burying your head in the sand! As Sage Khajeh clearly stated, your presence and guidance in Sumeru City is pivotal in finding a cure for Irminsul. How could you possibly refuse!?" He waves his arms at Tighnari and an older sage.
"Keep your emotions in check, Ghulam," says this Sage Khajeh. "Let's at least listen to Tighnari's reason for declining. We're here to invite him to the Akademiya, not to cause a scene."
"I am honored that you came in person," Tighnari says calmly. "However, I must still decline your invitation. I am only a Forest Watcher, and the great minds of the Haravatat have no need of someone like me."
Sage Khajeh sighs and seems to try another tactic. "It turns out that your refusal letter had some implications on your master's reputation. He is a renowned Sage of the Amurta, after all. So now, I've come here in his stead."
"Oh?" Tighnari raises his eyebrows. "I figured that, given his temper, my master would come here and berate me personally."
"Tighnari, your master is an integral part of this effort, and now he requires your assistance," says Sage Khajeh.
"And what exactly does my master need of me, Sage Khajeh?" Tighnari asks.
"You will know once you've arrived at Sumeru City," Sage Khajeh says evasively.
"How long will I be required to stay?" Tighnari shoots back.
"There's no definite answer as of now," says Sage Khajeh.
"Do you mean to tell me that, despite coming all the way here to Gandharva Ville, you still can't answer the questions I laid out in the letter to my master?"
"Tighnari!" Sage Ghulam exclaims. He raises his fist in indignation.
Sage Khajeh shakes his head. "So be it. Come, Ghulam," he says, gesturing towards his companion. "Let us take our leave." Sage Ghulam opens his mouth in protest, but then decides against it. Sweeping his long sleeves around, he storms down the road past us. The rest of the party follows in his wake.
As the dust settles, Tighnari slips inside the cottage and smiles. "I thought I heard you get up while the sages were brewing in discontent. I take it Haypasia is doing well?"
"It was quite the eventful trip, but she is safe and sound," I say. "She provided us with some decent information."
"What was that all about though?" Paimon asks, gesturing towards the road that the sages had taken.
"It was nothing," Tighnari says, scratching his ears. "It seems there's a major project underway at the Akademiya, and my master has also joined the effort. Some people from the Akademiya wanted me to go to Sumeru City to assist them, but I had to refuse on account of all my responsibilities here. I can't afford to leave Gandharva Ville now. Things are not going well here in the rainforest, and Collei needs someone to watch over her. Besides, I never was one for all the pomp and circumstance of life at the Akademiya."
"Are you sure it's okay to refuse?" Paimon says. "Those sages looked scary."
Tighnari shrugs. "Given that my master hasn't come to give me an earful personally tells me that my presence is not as sorely needed as they make it out to be. In fact, the letter he sent to me was uncharacteristically polite." He takes a long breath. "Anyways, now that Lumine has made a full recovery, there shouldn't be any reason for you to tarry here longer. I assume you will be heading to Sumeru City, correct?"
"Yes, but are you sure you don't need our help?" I say. Tighnari seems to be under a lot of stress, managing the rangers all by himself.
"I have everything under control here," he affirms. "As for Sumeru City, if you take the main road northwest, you will arrive at the city gates by sundown."
"Understood. We want to meet Lesser Lord Kusanali and ask her for advice," I say. "Do you have any idea how we can find her?"
Tighnari shakes his head. "Unfortunately I don't know anything about her."
"Do you at least have any contacts we can ask in Sumeru City?" Paimon asks.
"My trips to Sumeru City have been fairly short, and most of my acquaintances are researchers." Tighnari contemplates over our question for several moments. "How about this? I'll write you a letter of introduction that you can give to a researcher I know. He's from the Amurta Darshan and is adept at gathering information. Asking him might prove worthwhile." Tighnari bends over his desk and scribbles on a sheet of parchment.
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"Thank you," I say. Any lead is useful when we're starting from a blank slate.
"Also, when you enter Sumeru City, you'll probably end up receiving something like this item here," Tighnari says, extending a small device towards us. It's shaped like an earpiece, and it glows a light blue in the evening darkness. "I'm not sure if it will contain the information you seek, but you can give it a try."
"What is it?" I ask. Now that I think about it, I saw the sages wearing a similar device.
"It's called an Akasha Terminal. It's a tool produced by the Akademiya that utilizes the legacy of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Some say that this very item is the basis of Sumeru's reputation as the City of Wisdom."
"How powerful and cryptic," I mutter.
"Needless to say, this device and its usage fall under the Akademiya's expertise, so I'll leave it to them to show you how to use it." Tighnari stows the device back into a pocket and out of sight.
"Great!" Says Paimon. "Next stop, Sumeru City!"
"But before that," I add quickly, "we ought to say goodbye to Collei. Is she doing better now?"
Tighnari breaks into a real smile this time. "Much better. After being confined to her bed all of yesterday, I thought a little walk would do her some good. Before the sages accosted me, I saw Collei making a head start towards the north gate. I'm sure she wants to see you off."
"She will be all right, won't she?" Paimon asks.
"Don't you worry about Collei, I'll look after her," Tighnari says gently. "I'll find a way to understand the relationship between The Withering and her disease."
"Thank you for everything, Tighnari," I say.
"Yea, Lumine would have perished in the forest if not for your timely arrival!" Paimon adds.
Tighnari laughs. "Farewell, and good luck to you both. Oh, and don't forget the letter." Tighnari tilts the piece of parchment to the light, checking that the ink is dry, before melting some wax over the stub of a candle and sealing the letter shut. I take the letter with gratitude, and with one last look around this cottage, we head out into the sun.
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As promised, we found Collei waiting patiently by the village gate. She waves enthusiastically, but when we approach, she blushes and stammers, "I– uh, well, never mind. I wish you two safe travels."
"Thank you for coming for us to see us off," I say. "We're heading to Sumeru City now. We'll be back to see you soon, so take care of yourself, Collei."
Collei smiles. "Don't worry about me. I'll be back on patrol again starting tomorrow. After all, I am determined to become a fully-fledged Forest Watcher! It's up to me and the others to protect the rainforest here." She looks down at her feet and starts fiddling with her thumbs. "And uh– well, sorry. I should have told you the truth about my condition when we first met, instead of disappearing off like that. I just wanted you two to treat me as a normal friend, not some girl that needs your sympathy. I guess now I understand that the most important thing is for friends to be genuine with one another."
"There's no need to apologize, Collei!" Paimon says cheerfully.
"We should be thanking you for trusting us enough to be your friends and sharing your past with us," I say.
"Yep!" Paimon agrees. "We're probably still going to worry about your condition, but that's because we're friends and we care about you!"
Collei blushes and looks down. "That means a lot to me." Then she stuffs her hand into her pocket and takes out a piece of folded parchment. "Uh, before you leave, I have something for you."
"Oh? What is it?" Paimon says. "Is it tasty?"
"I told you I would give you a copy of my recipe for Pita Pockets, remember?" She smiles and holds out the recipe. "Here. My handwriting is a little messy though, so please don't laugh."
I accept the recipe and open it up. Hiding a smile, I note that the letters were written with distinct character, and the legibility is questionable, but the warmth within them is undeniable. "We'll be sure to enjoy these scrumptious little pitas wherever we go," I say. "Thank Tighnari for us too. You said he taught you this recipe, right?"
Collei giggles a little. "It's hard to believe that Master Tighnari can cook, right? He just has a sensitive tongue and nose, so he prefers much lighter flavors. The last time I went a little too heavy on the spices for my Pita Pockets, Master started having a sneezing fit! Of course, I never heard the end of it after that!" Catching herself, Collei clears her throat and starts twiddling her thumbs again. "Anyways, I hope this food will remind you of your time here in Gandharva Ville," she says shyly.
"Of course," I promise. "We won't forget."
"Well then," Collei says, "I, Trainee Forest Ranger Collei, bid you both farewell. Please visit Gandharva Ville again. The rangers will always be ready to assist you here." She looks at her feet, then back at us. "Be sure to come back often, okay? Even though Master didn't admit it, I'm sure he wants to see you again." As if holding back tears, Collei breaks out into a big smile, waves dramatically, and breaks out into a run towards town.
"We'll miss you Collei!" I shout behind her. "We promise we'll be back!" Paimon yells. Collei looks back at us briefly and waves again. "Good luck on your travels!" She shouts back. Then she's gone.
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Gandharva Ville fades quickly into the countryside as we walk west towards Sumeru City. There aren't many travelers on this stretch of the road: few residents have cause to visit the city, and city dwellers have even less reason to leave their urban recesses. Still, the road is well-maintained and guided on both sides by lamps, like those we inspected with Collei the other day.
It's past noon when we near the top of a small hill, and I'm sweating from the humidity. I reach for a drink out of my water skin, but suddenly Paimon lets out a yelp from up ahead. "What's the matter?!" I shout, running towards her.
"Come quickly!" Paimon says excitedly. "Look!" She points to the north. Closing the distance to the hilltop in seconds, I look up and stop dead in my tracks. A thousand shades of blue and green paint the landscape I now see. Ahead of us, a fertile valley leads up to a tree of behemoth proportions, atop which glitter the glass domes of Sumeru City. To the west, the river opens up wide, acting as vital waterways throughout the teeming city. Finally, at the very top of this tree, we see the elaborate mosaic walls of the Akademiya, the de facto rulers of this land.
"We've seen lots of incredible trees on our journey, haven't we?" Paimon says finally, as if grasping for words. "There's our old stomping ground at Windrise, the Frostbearing Tree on Dragonspine, and the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma. But what is Sumeru's tree called?"
"I hear that people just call it the 'Divine Tree,'" I say. Tighnari had said as much, when giving directions yesterday.
"Sometimes, the most important things have the simplest names," Paimon observes. "I guess fancy names would be kind of inconvenient if you had to say them every day. Sumeru people are smart."
I smile and take my long-awaited sip of water. Tonight, we will sleep atop this divine tree, both at one with and away from the forest. Then we will find our Dendro Archon and ask her our questions. Soon, we will have answers, and I will be one step closer to finding my brother.