philae

...You don't need to stay that far away, even if you didn't want my water.

Did you come from the desert? Do desert folks not drink water from the forest?

N-No, it's not that...

Hey, are you sure you don't need something, food and water? You look like you could collapse at any moment.

The long journey through the desert has been exhausting.

Head priest, little did I expect that I would face such trials when I decided to set out on my 'journey'.

Physical pain I could endure, but how do I answer questions like what this girl was asking me?

No, I'm fine... you'll get hurt.

What?

(Shakes head) I hurt the things that I touch...

Why? Are you a poison shaman?

No, it's not really poison... just something really troublesome...

Figured. You look more like a priest than a poison shaman. But your horn... you're sick.

Sick people need care.

Thank you... I just need some rest. I won't disturb you...

Alright... hey, you can come back for the water later if you're thirsty! The bugs haven't gotten to the water here yet!

I guess this is the furthest tree from the village.

Let me just pop my tent down here... phew.

Ugh, the path's so barren. I had to make half a ration portion last for days...

I should get some water later. I've been in control this whole way... I wouldn't dry the well up, right?

I wish I was like everyone else...

Maybe I'd be one of those who protect the living, if I didn't know these Arts and didn't have this evil power...

But why did the River of Life leave me on the side of the living?

Ugh, there were so many things that I couldn't figure out, even when I was at the temple. There are even more of these things now that I'm out here on my own.

I wish I was like everyone else, so that I wouldn't have to worry about this and that... phew...

I wondered all night if I was being too sentimental.

It's not like I never thought about how people might react when I first began my journey. I didn't come out here to make friends, head priest. I came to... find answers.

But my 'journey' doesn't have a clear goal. Is that how things are supposed to go?

Perhaps it was because of thirst, or hunger. Or perhaps it was the stone tablet I was clutching that made me think of the past, of everyone.

That night, like every lonely night on the journey, I mulled over the questions that came to me repeatedly. I put my arms around myself, and gradually fell asleep to the sound of leaves rustling in the night breeze.

The River of Life has been generous this year, head priest. It has been a long flood season.

This year's harvest will be a good one.

Wait, why does the River of Life continue to rise when it's already so high...?

Head priest! Something's not right with the river...

Forget the ritual! Get the people out of the temple! We need to get to higher ground, go up the hills!

You're still here?

Huh?

Did I wake you up? I didn't realize you were sleeping here. I thought you had left.

Oh, I saw you last night...

You remember me? I'm Aisha. Are you traveling? Where are you going?

...Uh, I'm Philae.

I... I don't actually know where I'm going.

How could you not know where you're going? Anyway, I would have warned you if I knew you were gonna spend the night in the forest.

What?

It's not safe in the forest, especially not for someone who's sick. There are locusts around.

Locusts?

Clack, clack.

Almost on cue, a strange sound came through the forest, rapid and fragmented.

It sounded as though something was carving wood open with sharp teeth. The sound was not particularly loud, but densely packed, like an eerie whisper that lingers in the ear.

Tsk. Those damned things are at it again.

Careful, they bite. Come with me to the village. Who knows when the next wave might come.

...Alright, I'll come with you first.

That sound just now... are those Originium locusts?

I remembered that I noticed the village yesterday because it seemed glimmer in the sunlight. It looked like an oasis in the desert to my dazed eyes.

I looked past Aisha's shoulder at the strange gleam that appeared in the forest.

Grey-white crystals began creeping up the branches, covering up the once-lush leaves. Bulging veins underneath the bark gradually grew, like some kind of lesion.

Several dead Originium locusts lay on the ground, covered in a thin layer of crystalline dust. They struck fear into my heart even without any sign of movement.

You ever seen it before? These bugs have been plaguing the ancestral forest for years.

They're no ordinary locusts. These evil things chew through steel, water sources, and the hearts of trees!

The locusts have been around for a while? Is there a way to drive them out?

We make pesticides in the village. I was spreading them in the forests just now.

We used to be able to kill plenty of bugs with it, but it doesn't work so well now...

Those things aren't afraid of fire. You can't chase them away, and they don't care if you're crying or praying.

Besides, we can't use fire in the ancestral forest... these trees are holy to our village, and we can't afford to accidentally burn them.

Ah, looks like the sunlight's getting brighter. I forgot to tell you last night, but it's not safe in the forest during the day. The village's this way. Keep up with me.

...The caravans all say that the ancestral forest looks like an emerald from a distance!

Besides, the ancestral forest used to be MUCH bigger than it is now! People wouldn't let their kids go into the forest on their own, because it's really easy to get lost.

Hehe, I was always a careless kid. The adults wouldn't let me out of their sight when I went into the forest with them, lest I do something to offend the ancestors and gods.

The ancestral forest watches over us, granting us food and water. We would not survive without its blessing...

But we hardly go into the forest anymore. There are Originium locusts about during the day, so we only go out at night.

Oh, but this path's safe, don't worry! I've walked it many times, and never encountered Originium locusts during the day.

(Whisper) Almost all the trees along the path are crystallized. The locusts got them... even the grass has wilted.

This area has been abandoned for a long time. It used to be stockbeast pastures, but the rocks that appeared out of the ground make it impossible for grass to grow.

People were forced to sell or kill their stockbeasts. I remember how the children cried for days...

How could this be... this place has been affected by Originium for so long...?

I looked down sadly at the lifeless twigs on the ground.

Poor things... they were choked to death by Originium crystals.

(Whisper) All things living should be allowed to live quietly under the sun, like how flowers bloom, how fruits become ripe, and how animals grow big... the Originium consumes it all.

They didn't even have the chance to refuse.

You're more sentimental than I thought. Are all priests like that?

I can see where you're coming from, though. It's the same for people in the village. It's not food that we're most worried about.

It's how the poor forest is being destroyed, and the living things that had been with us for so long are taken away, without even a chance to protect themselves.

(...If it was the power of healing that I had... could I restore the crystallized parts?)

(Or at least, alleviate the trees' pain.)

Why are you so far behind me? Keep up, we're almost there.

The crystallized trees... I'm not familiar with Originium locusts, but I've seen those crystals a lot.

The trees that we passed are dangerous. If you continue to live in this environment...

Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone outside?

The damage to the forest just keeps getting worse. We may not have enough food to last the year.

And we're running out of things to trade with the caravans...

I told you we should have increased the dosage of the pesticide! The amount we're using doesn't do anything!

It's a poison. Too much of it could harm the trees. The trees at the grove that I used to pick berries from have all died.

It was the locusts that did it, not the pesticide!

I don't even dare go near the berry trees these days. A couple of days ago I saw a nest of beastlings lying there. They weren't moving... my kid used to draw their pictures...

Friends... perhaps it's really time for us to leave.

The locusts have been getting worse each year. They'll devour the whole ancestral forest at this rate.

We tried asking nearby villages for help, but the locusts are so many and so fierce, attacking the people who came to help... no one wants to come anymore.

Wait, why are we talking about moving away?

Aisha! Wait—

And just abandon the ancestral forest? I'm not leaving. You want to leave, you can do it on your own.