The root-sealed doorway opens a handspan wider. Seris slips through first, followed by Vael, while the amber chamber holds its rings of suspended memory in silent balance.
Seris
The surviving wardens are securing the record hall. Sylvariel cannot permit an unexamined Authority archive to remain solely in your hands.
Seris keeps to the threshold, silver-leafed gauntlet raised near the living roots. Her gaze moves from the journal to the recovered spheres, careful not to cross the innermost ring.
Vael
There. That sphere bears Yggara’s mark. Do not remove it. The chamber may be using its memory as a hinge.
Vael
If that anchor breaks, the archive may lose more than a single recollection.
The marked sphere pulses beside the memory of Coco beneath Yggara. Fine roots tighten around its amber shell, and the journal’s fresh ink begins winding toward it.
Seris
Coco, this archive has answered you, but it is not yours to command without witness. Tell us what you intend before the roots choose for you.
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve the archive’s Yggara memory anchor
“"I want memoryies back what my connection to the Ashen Knight and why was I here before"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
The journal’s ink reaches the Yggara-marked sphere and forms a green lattice around it. The amber shell opens without breaking, releasing memory into the chamber.
Seris
Witnessed and preserved. Let the record show that Coco seeks understanding, not possession.
The first memory settles into view: Coco stands beneath Yggara beside the Ashen Knight, both younger, facing a root-veined map of Avaris. The Knight’s armor is already ash-dark, but his hand rests openly against the living wood.
Ashen Knight
The roots are drawing your memories toward the Silence. I can sever the channel, but you must choose what survives.
A second memory follows. Coco places his journal into Yggara’s root and asks the tree to preserve his identity if the Ashen Knight’s severing erases him. The Knight accepts the burden of guarding the route, not Coco’s memories.
The final image clarifies Coco’s earlier visit: he came seeking the source of The Wish, discovered the roots feeding an Eidolon channel, and chose to return without awakening it. The Knight opposed that choice, warning the channel would eventually find him.
Vael
Your connection was an alliance shaped by disagreement. He guarded the path, you entrusted the record, and both expected memory to become the battlefield.
Quest Complete
Reveal what Coco chose to forget during his erased visit
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Preserve the archive’s Yggara memory anchor