TOL ~ 2/7

Maine slowly learned to move at will—an almost entirely novel concept—speak, learn, and experience the world with a variety of new senses. He had long since grown used to feeling the kiss of starlight on his leaves, but now he could roll over and enjoy it twice as much by exposing his underside to it. Swimming was an absolute joy, as was learning every possible method he could use to turn fire elementals into steam or smoke Eidolons by mixing them with earth or water.

He had never felt concern/desire not to burn/remain tree, before seeing his first forest fire, and spent several years after then extracting trees and all manner of plants from the ground and replanting them far away from his first body. Now his main body was a lone, central figure with a vast, empty area around it. When his work was done, the tree happily congratulated itself by noting, “Now I have a higher chance of living through a fire.”

It was only after the first few years, which it had used to teach Parting of its forest, its tree, and separated itself from the forest as a whole, that Maine found one of the limits of his new body. The roaming concept of Duality wanted to teach him about oceans, mountains, deserts, and volcanoes—which were apparently mountains filled with fiery stone from deep in the world-elemental known as Eather. As they left the forest, Maine frowned as energy seemed to seep from his branches, his leaves started to dull, and even fall away in places.

“What's happening to me?”

“Oh…” Parting let out a heavy sigh. “I had hoped for something different, but… your concept is too tied up in your existence. You won't be able to exist away from your body, your tie to life. I'm sorry to say, I’ve been here too long already. I need to go. Don't worry, I won't be gone forever, I'll come by whenever I can.”

“You’re going to leave me… alone?” Maine felt a new, strong, unpleasant feeling welling up within himself. He didn't recognize this concept, and for a few days was distracted by the information which filled his mind as the concept made itself known to him. “I feel… betrayed.”

By the time he got the words out, Parting was long gone. Maine didn't know what to do for a long time, so spent a few years on his tree; practicing the things his distant companion had taught him. Then, one day, the tree perked up as its roots felt a slight trembling in the distance, movement across the surface of the world. His secondary body raced out of the forest, hoping to find his companion returning… only to be met with a mix of disappointment and excitement as he realized this was something else. 

{Motion/kinesics/shifting/progress. You are greeted by life/animation/existence. I am Maine.} The conceptual sending reached the strange entity which was traveling along the ground, and the Eidolon turned and came toward Maine, never slowing, but moving to circle him again and again as it sent thoughts of its own. The tree had never been happier—he had found another sentient concept! 

#Motion must motion.# The jubilant tenor voice swept into Maine’s mind, filling him with hope… until the concept leapt into the air and shot away, a thought reaching back. #You move. You matter. Excitement! I cannot stay. Happiness fills me having met you. I will return.# 

The tree watched the odd swirling entity until it vanished into the distance, disappointment and bitterness filling its mind. “I have met two others… and both have been able to freely roam. Why can I not?”

His sensory organs dipped down in sadness, facing the surface of Eather. Then he paused, looking at where he was standing. Slowly, his eyes traveled across the ground, finding the small, unintelligent stone which had marked his rapid withering years ago; the moment when he and Parting had separated. “Dozens of feet away? But…”

Before his confusion could mount any higher, the tree wiggled his limbs, sinking slightly into the dirt and realizing his roots had extended further over the last few years. With slowly growing hope, Maine stepped beyond his extended roots and immediately felt his leaves lose their luster. “I have to be near my tree… any part of it!”

Having the patience of a tree served Maine well, as he embarked on a centuries-spanning quest unlike anything he had ever before considered. Devoting his growth to his roots, he slowly wove himself through the fabric of the planet, eventually covering the entirety of the continent in a thin layer of roots. Over the years, he found ways to bundle his roots in certain areas, nodes, so as to grow a smaller version of his main tree. This allowed for new offshoots of root expansion, without taxing his ability to keep his main body healthy and functional.

In his journey through the world, Maine encountered such a vast variety of creatures—but only twice more did he meet beings of sapiens who looked upon the world with wonder, their minds alight with questions and longing for companionship. The first, unfortunately, was a greater fire elemental who was seeking ways to stay alive after he ran out of fuel. Maine could only watch on with sadness as the Eidolon faded away until it turned into a simple smoke elemental, only to be blasted apart and consumed by a passing wind.

The second, happily, was a boulder who had been trapped in one space for uncountable years, and they quickly became fast friends. Maine grew a tree directly adjacent to the boulder, so his new friend would know he wasn't alone. Unlike the others, the Tree of Life would never abandon those who had a proper mind. Whenever the boulder sent a conceptual message, it always reached Maine through his root network nigh-instantaneously. 

After many years, Maine did for the stone what the concept of Duality had done for him long ago, coaching and coaching until the stone suddenly Bloomed with not just thought, but life.

When the boulder moved on its own for the first time, life fully understood that if stones could weep, this one would have: from sheer joy. It took until Maine had finished his expansion over the continent before Durability had full control of his new body, and by then, the tree was happy to show him around what was his entire world.

Understandably, Durability had a fear of deep waters, which suited Maine perfectly. The boulder-turned-moving statue walked slowly, ponderously, accruing moss and other features when he sometimes paused for months to consider a question Maine proposed to him. He had held still for more than a full year after the most recent inquiry; a throwaway frustration the tree had been trying to find a workaround for.

|If you are stuck on a large Rock/tectonic plate/Eather section… why not simply float to the next, or burrow so deep the waters don’t impede you? Or, failing that, I’ll help you go across the top.|

It had been so long since they had the discussion that Maine needed a few moments to understand what Durability was getting at. Then, his leaves spread wide as the three options presented to him opened a fourth one. 

“That’s… a fantastic idea. Instead of making us do all this tedious work, why don't I push the mindless elementals to do it for us?”