Chương 29: 28-Memory of the Tree

[Monday, 10: 17 AM: 2026/01/05] LYSANDRA: {We're walking for a little way, as I keep a close eye on my daughter. Same scenery, same sounds (no deer, unfortunately). … My poor baby, she's paler than I remember, weaker too.: (… Sorry if I'm not talking much, but… I'm honestly at the point of tears with how my daughter is. Her behavior… her physical health. All the work that me and Carla did, was it for nothing? Should I cry now? Or should I just scream at how my daughter has regressed so far that she looks like a-?!} ELLIE: [My daughter observes my discomforted pace and begins to see I'm feeling complicated emotions…]"Uh… mom? Are you okay?" LYSANDRA: [I stop and quickly turn to her, forcing a smile to not to alarm her]"It's nothing to worry about! Just that your mother was SOOOOO excited for all the things we'll do when we get home! Just your mother being an 'airhead'!" [I try to keep my smile while worried] ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"Okay…?" LYSANDRA: {Still can't read emotions well…} [I let out a deep sigh and relax]"The tree is up ahead. It's a very big tree that is as old as this forest itself. It's got plenty of shade underneath it, just in case you need to relax. I think you'll like it." ELLIE: > SOFT SMILE"Okay." LYSANDRA: [I nod at her and motion her to follow me as I walk (which she does)] ELLIE: [My daughter walks a little, then pauses]"Hey mom?" LYSANDRA: [I stare at her, a little confused]"Yes, sweetheart?" ELLIE: [My daughter rubs her left shoulder a little as she stares at me, a little worried]"Was I always abrasive to you? I mean, like earlier?" LYSANDRA: [I shake my head frantically]"No, you weren't, sweetie!" > SIGHS"You swore a lot, but you were nicer than how you acted in the Receiving Room." ELLIE: [My daughter looks away, a little-] LYSANDRA: [I put a hand on the shoulder she is rubbing her right hand on, concerned]"Ellie, try not to think so much. You don't remember a lot of things, so just move on, okay?" ELLIE: [My daughter stares at me before nodding] LYSANDRA: [I smile and walk away as Ellie follows me] LYSANDRA: [We walk a little longer (no time skipping as it has been about 38 seconds. Our ascent slowly becomes a little more vertical as we climb a shallow hill. As the canopy clears for a little more sunlight, I nearly trip over a big root, slightly tearing my hakama. I pause for a moment and see how big it is: enough to cause my daughter severe physical exertion. I hold out my hand to her, gesturing to the root, and she grabs my hand. I help her over the root, making sure to make no sudden movements] ELLIE: [My daughter smiles and nods at me]"Thanks." LYSANDRA: [I smile back]"You're welcome, Ellie." [We continue to walk as the treeline begins to clear up a bit. I briefly glance over my daughter, inspecting her progress as she stays close behind me] {Maybe she remembers how she didn't like being far from me?}"How are your legs?" ELLIE:"Okay." LYSANDRA:"Good to hear…" [I smile at her]"'Okay', you always loved using that word a lot; glad you still do." > SMILE FADES"Well, aside from your legs, isn't this better than that 'place'…?" [I sneer towards a tree] mumbling "… Which we will not name…" ELLIE:"Pretty good…" [My daughter seems to pay no attention to my tone, as she analytically stares at the canopy that is opening up as we walk]"For a digital world, why does everything look so real here? All the leaves seem organic, and none of the trees seem pre-generated. I know you said it was complex mathematical equations, but it couldn't have been just that, right?" LYSANDRA: > CONTENT SIGH"Because my creator, your grandfather on my side, wanted this place to feel real, and he spent so much time doing that." ELLIE: [My daughter turns her focus to me and cocks her head]"Who then? Who was my grandpa?" LYSANDRA:"Well, if I told you, I think I may cause your lungs to burst!" > GIGGLES"That's a story for another time, but I will say though he was a very good man, and I wish he was here to see you." ELLIE: > LOWERS HEAD SLIGHTLY"Oh." [My daughter looks away, ashamed]"Sorry I asked." [My daughter returns her focus to me, a bit confused]"But if that was enough to cause an asthma attack, then-" LYSANDRA: [I stop and I stare at my daughter, concerned]"Ellie, there's nothing to be sorry for. I'm not 'him'." [I smirk and roll my eyes]"That guy, he would go on an hour-long tirade over just what flavor of tea he likes and complain that you didn't brew it right." > GIGGLES ELLIE: > SMIRKS"Yeah, I forgot he hates when people forget his favorite flavor of tea of the week." LYSANDRA:"Well, it is January…" [I scratch my chin before snapping my fingers, smirking at Ellie]"… And I think I know what it is!" ELLIE: > CHUCKLES"You do?" LYSANDRA: I believe so! > SNICKERS [I run up to a tree, take a piece of bark, and transform it into cinnamon sticks]"I believe it's cinnamon…" ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"It's not midday." LYSANDRA:"You're right!" > SNORTS"I know what he really likes…!" [I delete the cinnamon and look for a pinecone, picking it up triumphantly, and show Ellie]"Pinecone tea so that bastard can stop complaining!" ELLIE: [I see my daughter struggling not to laugh for a moment, but the dam breaks. She laughs hysterically, with me following as well] LYSANDRA: [I continue to laugh for a bit until I stare at the pinecone and remember CARLA'S PRANKS >: (]"Well, probably not as good as Carla's…" [I yeet the pinecone far away from us] Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ELLIE: > CURIOUS"Was she good at making tea?" LYSANDRA: > NODS"Yes. Yes, she was…" > FROWNS"But we are definitely not having pinecone tea; that's reserved for 'you-know-who'." [I gag a little in my mouth as the memory of my wife's pranks comes back to my mind]"If Carla were here, she would brew some pinecones just to pull a prank on both of us as an 'energy drink'." ELLIE: > CURIOUS"Mimi was a prankster?" LYSANDRA: [I stare at Ellie with an awkward smile and twitching eyes] mumbling She was a comedian. ELLIE: > SMIRKS"Did I help her with her pranks?" LYSANDRA: [Struggles not to frown]"A few times, you did." {She helped her WAYYYYY too much!!! >: (} ELLIE: [My daughter's eyes widen, a bit alarmed]"I'm probably not going to ask…" LYSANDRA: > RELAXED SIGH"You're fine, sweetheart… You are perfectly fine…" {Just focus on getting her to the pine tree; don't let her ask more about her pranks…} [I turn and look at the pine tree behind me. I study the circumference to see how close we are to it]"We're close. ELLIE: [My daughter walks up to me, curious]"How close?" LYSANDRA: [I turn and smile at my daughter] Really close, about a few more minutes. ELLIE: > COCKS HEAD"Why did you seem uncomfortable with the mention of my mim's pranks?" LYSANDRA: [I drop my smile, struggling to find an excuse]"She went overboard a few times." ELLIE: [I see my daughter beginning to open her mouth, and like before, I press my finger on her lips, stopping her from speaking] LYSANDRA: I'll tell you later, but it won't be for a while, okay? ELLIE: > NODS LYSANDRA: [I smile, let go of my finger, and walk towards the direction of the oldest pine tree in the forest with my daughter following me] LYSANDRA: [A minute goes by, and I make sure I keep my pace slow. My daughter is struggling, and I'm doing everything to help her get to the tree. The canopy is becoming much clearer with the sky above being much clearer. A gentle, pale blue, with a few white clouds that are illuminated by the Sun. I wonder… does Ellie remember the Sun?} ELLIE: [My daughter looks at the sky, slowing down as she takes in the view] LYSANDRA:"Beautiful view, isn't it?" ELLIE: mumbling "A digital world… producing something real…" LYSANDRA: [I smile and sigh contently as my daughter appreciates the natural beauty of our home. I return my gaze forward, seeing the tree up ahead… along with the cliff-side. I turn to my daughter, slowing down as I drop my smile]"Ellie…?" ELLIE: Yes mom? LYSANDRA:"We're here." ELLIE: [My daughter lowers her head, seeing the old pine tree near the cliff-side, along with deer that just noticed us, and runs away] > ALARMED"Mom! That was a-!" LYSANDRA:"Deer." [I smile and nod at my daughter]"And we got a glimpse before it ran away." ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"You programmed that deer to be here on purpose, didn't you?" LYSANDRA: > SHAKES HEAD"No, Ellie, some of them come and eat the pine cones for the winter. This tree produces very nutrient-rich seeds." ELLIE: > EMBARRASSED"Oh…" > EYES WIDEN [My daughter stops to take in the sights] LYSANDRA: {As for all of you, let me tell you what we see:)} [The pine tree is thankfully not too close to the cliff-side, far enough where its roots go deep into the soil to remain healthy and strong even after 230 years. Much of the overlooking cliff-side shows a vast forest, stretching into small, Ozark-like mountains with a few hints of orange and red amidst the green. Flocks of birds are off in the distance, as their calls ring out for miles] ELLIE: [My daughter's mouth opens agape in pure awe]"How on earth is this all within a digital world?" LYSANDRA: > JOYFUL SMILE"Your grandpa loved the outdoors and spent so much time making HammerForge as real as possible." ELLIE: [My daughter walks a little forward, still blindly staring at the view, before I stop her from walking over the cliff] LYSANDRA: > NERVOUS SMILE"Though… Try to keep your eyes to the earth, Ellie." ELLIE: > EYES WIDEN Sorry… LYSANDRA: [I giggle a little, switching to a cheerful smile]"Well, better for you to be distracted by nature and not something digital!" [I drop my smile and turn to the pine tree]"Speaking of which…" [I walk up to the pine slowly, inspecting it for any likely signs of diseases (which thankfully it doesn't have any:)). I stop before its base and rub the palm of my right hand against it]"This is the oldest tree in this forest, and we planted it 230 years ago." ELLIE: > CURIOUS"Was I there?" LYSANDRA:"Yes, you were…" [I turn to my daughter and nod, smiling while keeping my hand on the tree]"And Carla was, of course, there when we were seeding this forest. You loved the trees so much ever since we began raising you; always climbing up them just to see the birds flying off in the distance. You always wanted to make friends with them, especially the crows. We, of course, helped you up to the branches, where your little friends would wait for you…" [I sigh softly while looking down]"The problem was, there were not enough trees around to have all the birds have a nice, safe place to land. So we all planted quite a few; this made the forest a lot bigger than it originally was, and for your friends to meet you. And we also wanted a few animals to live here, nice and peacefully in a place like home." [I struggle not to cry as look at my daughter with a pained smile as my hand withdraws from the tree]"Do you remember what the trees felt like, Ellie? Do you remember the crows?" ELLIE: > SHAKES HEAD"No, mom, I don't." [My daughter sighs, defeated]"Was I friends with them? The crows?" LYSANDRA:"You were…" [My smile disappears as I turn to the tree, trying to figure out a way for my daughter to remember. Then my eyes widen as an idea fills my head]"Go ahead, feel it. Maybe you'll remember a few things, and maybe a few of your friends…" ELLIE: [My daughter stares at me suspiciously, hesitant. She eyes the tree, though a glint in her eye she becomes both curious and nervous as she walks up to it. She reaches out to the pine tree and turns to me a bit worried] LYSANDRA: [Though I am watching in anticipation, I smile, nod at her, and touch the tree briefly before withdrawing my hand]"It's perfectly safe; no tricks." ELLIE: [She nods at me and slowly presses her left hand against the bark of the pine] LYSANDRA: [I stare at her a bit worried, as she is almost frozen, but also because I sense a surge of data from her] {She's remembering…} [I relax and pray in my head she'll remember more than I will expect] {By the way, I'm letting her talk to you here, just so she can relive this moment. I want her to remember… But this is the only time she's allowed to talk to you with my permission. … I'm probably keeping the conversations private as there are some things that, let's just say, are very depressing to remember. Ellie was far worse when she first came to HammerForge} ELLIE: > LOOKS UP LYSANDRA: {Hold on, let me do something so you can tell this is a flashback Ellie is experiencing…} {ADJUSTING TRANSCRIPT FORMAT… DONE} //BEGIN LOG TRANSCRIPT// ELLIE:"I don't know, but I think I hear laughter. I think it's mine, along with Lysandra's, and some other woman's (I think it's Carla's)? I can barely make out what they are saying, but I think I hear being a bit frustrated. I lost a race. … I still can't make out what they are saying, but it sounds like Carla is teasing me. Lysandra is berating her for nearly "ruining a picnic"? I can't really make it out, but it sounds more like playful teasing, and I seem to enjoy it. … It's getting clearer to hear. They're talking about this tree, about how big it has grown, and that I really want to climb it. … Wait, why would I want to climb a tree that close to the cliff-side? Isn't that dangerous? … Lysandra is complaining that the tree is probably unsafe with the wind blowing about (can't blame her), and- … I see a figure, Carla. I can't make it out though, there are pixels all over her (thanks Ned, you fucking asshole). Well, I think I see the tail of a wolf that's brown. Can't make out her clothing; it's all blurry. … She's climbing up the tree and she's mockingly saying it's safe while- … Wait, that's me? The girl, wearing those jeans, that green flannel, along with those hiking boots. It's kind of weird for me to wear something like that (I prefer something more loose-fitting). Though I think it was made to be comfortable and not constantly itch my skin. … Why do I have a raccoon tail and ears? Weird. … I thought mom said I was clumsy? It doesn't look like I am; I'm climbing up the tree just fine. It's like I've done this several times before as I'm digging my boots into the deepest crevices of the pine, firmly gripping the tree as I secure myself with the holes and limbs. I'm doing so rather flawlessly. Was I this active? Because the more I climb up the pine, the faster I go. … Mom's now worried. She's telling me to take it slow, but my mim's jeering is making me pick up the pace. Though I don't seem to lose my grasp and footing as I catch up to her. Speaking of which, was Carla really this rude? … Right! The race. I'm climbing up the tree with Carla, and she appears to be winning, though barely as I'm slowly beginning to- … WAIT! She slipped a bit! She appears to be okay, but I'm outpacing her now at a rapid pace. I'm definitely going to win, though my mom is even more concerned as she stands underneath the pine and forms a large stack of pillows from a data cube in case we fall. Carla does not seem to mind. Yet, why do I feel Carla was this reckless? Why am I having feelings I've become uncomfortable with-? … I WON! … Sorry, I have no idea why I was excited right there (maybe that feeling I had right there synced with my mind), but I definitely won. Carla is playfully congratulating me (and teasing me, of course). I can't really make out what me and Carla are saying, but I definitely hear Lysandra telling us to come down as the wind is picking up. She is also telling us about the pillows she made, though my mim says that it isn't as fun climbing back down (I would probably take my mom's advice, lady). … And now Carla is trying to challenge me to race down to see who will drink pinecone tea. My mom is mad and notes that the wind is really kicking up. I think I'm the sensible one here, as I feel the wind as well, and I tell my mim I'm jumping down because I'm afraid of being flung off the cliff. My mim is very hesitant, though I ignore her as I fall down. … Mom is frantically inspecting me, making sure I'm not injured, and as she does, Carla goes down as well. Mom is somewhat stern with her for "suggesting something reckless". Though she's laughing it off, and because she's the loser, she'll have to drink pinecone tea to "get her joints loosened". … Mom is suggesting we go deeper into the forest to shield us from the wind. I agree with her (can't believe I was this sensible). Carla protests, though a stern look from my mom stops her, and then she agrees to do so. She then giggles and says she'll get mim a tea kettle for her to brew pinecone tea (jokingly). We leave the tree as the wind kicks up, though mim seems to be a bit-" //END LOG TRANSCRIPT// ELLIE: [My daughter's eyes widen, a bit in disappointment as she wanted to see more of the memory (and Carla drinking the pinecone tea XP)] mumbling "I wanted to see Carla drink the tea…" [My daughter turns to me, raising an eyebrow]"You said I was clumsy?" > SMIRKS"I went up that tree just fine." LYSANDRA: {Only from 118 years ago; Nedri's and Onarius's filter must not affect the good memories… … … It's still something} [I walk towards my daughter, worried about telling her about her "condition". I give a soft smile, trying to hide the pain over those memories…]"Well, you were at first, but you got better." ELLIE: > CHUFFS"Too many video games?" LYSANDRA: [I force my smile, as I really do not want to tell her about the first 100 years (especially the first 50)…]"Yeah… you were out of-" [I sigh and drop my smile]"-You were messed up." ELLIE: [My daughter stares at me suspiciously]"'Messed up'? What do you mean?" LYSANDRA: [I turn to the pine, to try to hide my sadness]"Ellie, the memory you saw, that was only a recent memory from 118 years ago. Whatever memory filters Nedri and Onarius put on you…" [I turn to my daughter, terrified]"They probably would have resulted in a negative feedback pulse that would make you sick." ELLIE: [My daughter walks up to me, studying my face as she walks up to me]"Is there something else?" LYSANDRA: [My eyes droop in sadness]"Yes, but with how your filter is, I'm not sure if it is a good idea to tell you about what you have, as the memories for that are very old." ELLIE: [My daughter nudges her face close to my view, very suspicious]"Well, what is it?" > SOFT SMILE"I'm pretty sure it's not that bad, right?" LYSANDRA: [As she says that, tears let out from my eyes] ELLIE: [My daughter stares at me, worried]"It was that-?" [She grabs her head in pain and collapses to her knees] LYSANDRA: [My eyes flare open in complete alarm]"ELLIE!" [I kneel frantically to my daughter and quickly form a water bottle. I then take the data cube containing Ellie's medication, get the ibuprofen from it, and take two pills from the bottle]"Ellie, please take this!" [I open the water bottle and hand over the pills and water to Ellie, who weakly takes them] ELLIE: [She slowly takes the pills and drinks all the water. My daughter drops the bottle, weakly trying not to fall over] LYSANDRA: [I delete the bottle and grab my daughter as she nearly slumps over face first into the dirt. I stare at her worriedly, as her face has become very pale]"Ellie… how bad is your headache?" ELLIE: [My daughter rolls her head as she blankly stares at me with tired eyes]"Really bad…" [She groans, struggling to form words] mumbling "I feel awful…" LYSANDRA: {Onarius you-! … I need to get my daughter home…} [I look at my angel, horrified as she is about to drift off into slumber, and snap my fingers]"Ellie, please look at me." ELLIE: [My daughter does as told, and stares at me with pained eyes] LYSANDRA:"I'm going to carry you home. You don't need to walk anymore, okay?" ELLIE: > NODS SLOWLY"Can't you just form…" [My daughter grasps her head with her right hand as tries to speak]"… A bed here?" LYSANDRA: [I shake my head furiously]"Ellie, I'm not going to do that. You're experiencing a data backlash from a memory filter, which means if I created a bed here, it would make your headache even worse." [I help her stand up, and then turn my back to her and crouch down. I turn to her, still terrified over what had happened]"Climb on my back, Ellie." ELLIE: [My daughter lurches a little towards me, but pauses an inch from me]"I don't know if I'm too heavy for you to carry…" [She rolls her head, slowly dozing off, then jolting awake to stay on her feet] LYSANDRA:"Believe me when I say this, Ellie, your mother is a lot stronger than you think." > SOFT SMILE"Now, climb on my back; I'll get you home." ELLIE: [My daughter, though reluctant, goes to my back and slumps over it. She wraps her arms around my neck, dropping her legs to my sides as she slowly dozes off] LYSANDRA: [I bring my daughter's legs to my front, grabbing them slightly above the knees and stand up slowly. I inspect my daughter's face, who is now unconscious. She is pale, though she doesn't look like she is about to puke. Though with fear on my face, I walk slowly from the cliff-side, going back to the forest as I head home with her] {I'll talk to all of you later. For now, I need to get my daughter home} {SKIPPING FOOTAGE… DONE}