Tristan

The display was painted a bright yellow and clearly designed to catch the attention of tourists and visitors. It was full of brochures, pamphlets, and flyers for all sorts of exotic and interesting-looking destinations. It was enough to overwhelm Tristan, who had never really considered all the things Perpetua, the Ever-Growing City, might have to offer.

He quickly realized that not all of the places being advertised were in Perpetua, though. There was a flyer from a place called Ever After Farms promising "Platinum Now For Your Service After!" It looked like the sort of farm that might be around Woodsedge, but there were no pictures of any workers, which Tristan quickly learned was because they were all undead! The only undead he'd ever seen, he'd killed, again. Re-killed? But somehow these undead were being used to grow crops! He found that super interesting and made sure to remember the place as one he wanted to visit when he could give it his full attention.

A slightly larger, bright red "TIER 3 TOURNAMENT" pamphlet pulled his attention away. Knowing it was something he planned to enter, he grabbed one and slipped it into his [Endless Bag of Secure Holding] for future reading, then got back to browsing.

There were advertisements for restaurants, bakeries, and taverns. There were a few flyers for crafting shops, some of which even included discounts or promised free items to any first-time buyers. There was a pamphlet for the Dojo of the {Inheritor} Stormfist he'd passed by before the raid. There was even a flyer for a "Traveling Carnival" that, upon further reading, he learned never actually left Perpetua, but it regularly moved from one district to another, making an annual rotation of the city.

Just how big must Perpetua be for it to do that?

He was browsing through the brochures for famous monuments and parks when one practically jumped out to him, and he picked it up immediately.

Its cover was dominated by a picture of an enormous statue in the shape of a tree. Not just any tree, either, but one he'd recognize anywhere and remember for the rest of his life. A tree that, even in this stone memorial, seemed to be burning.

Cinderbark.

As he read more, he learned that the statue was the centerpiece of a park near one of the older sections of town. The more he looked at it, though, he knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with just the pictures in the pamphlet. He needed to see it in person.

Well, it's a brand new day, he thought, flipping to the back where a local area map showed the park's location. When Sophie gets back, this is the first place I want to go.

Almost as if she'd been summoned, the astralist walked through the door with Sneakers perched on her shoulder, which surprised him since she'd said she left with Mister Biggs. Almost as surprising was the bag of something sweet-smelling in her hand.

"Hey, Tristan! I'm glad to see you're done already! How'd it turn out? I got us some treats from a bakery I found thanks to one of those," she pointed to a pamphlet with a spread of pastries that looked absolutely delicious. "I figured we'd celebrate if things went well... and since you're smiling right now, I can assume they did!"

Tristan chuckled. "Yeah, there were no explosions, and see?" He held up the completed bag.

"Wow! 'Secure Holding' sounds pretty nice! And does the [Endless] property do what I... Oh WOW!" Sophie moved toward the nearest table and set her own bag down. "Congratulations, Tristan! That's incredible! And it looks great, too!" She opened her bag, revealing several of the pastries he'd seen on the brochure.

"Yeah, it's nice to finally be able to fully enjoy my prize." He couldn't pull his eyes away from the pastries, which smelled even more divine than they looked. "Though I think I'd rather enjoy one of those right now," he said, pointing at a doughnut. "Could I try one?"

"Of course!" Sophie answered, wrapping the indicated sweet in a napkin and handing it to him. "And now that we've got some yummy food, we should consider where we want to go next!"

Tristan took his first bite of the still-warm, fluffy treat, and it was like he was in paradise. It practically melted in his mouth! "Gods above," he managed to say in between bites, "this is amazing."

"I know, right?" Sophie turned and seemed to be listening to Sneakers, though Tristan didn't hear anything. "Yeah, so Sneakers says that since we've already gotten to explore a bit, you should direct our next excursion."

Tristan seemed a bit shocked. "Sneakers said that?"

"I'll have you know that Sneakers is a highly educated astral, Tristan, and he cares a great deal about etiquette and manners."

"R-right," he said. He imagined the little scout reading books or attending classes, possibly even wearing special bird-sized spectacles with a scholarly cap fitted to his curious little head. It was a silly enough image that Tristan had to choke back a laugh. He tried to mask the slip up by raising the last brochure he'd been reading. "How about here?"

In a flash, Sneakers hopped over and retrieved the paper from him before flitting back to Sophie's shoulder. The astralist took the brochure, opened it, and immediately gasped. "Oh, wow! It looks just like--"

"Cinderbark, I know!"

"How did I not see this before?" she asked Sneakers, whose head began to tilt this way and that, though making no sounds.

Tristan smiled. "So you see why I want to go?"

Sophie nodded. "There's no question. We're absolutely going."

Sneakers loudly agreed, or that's how Tristan took his call, especially when combined with the nodding of his beak.

"So, how do we get there?" Tristan asked. "I can't really tell from the brochure how far away it is, though at the bottom it says we can 'take a portal' or something?"

"We could," Sophie replied, "but they tend to be expensive."

"Oh, then hopefully that won't be necessary. How far...? Ah, right there. It says 'The Protector's Memorial is located in Ring 4 NNW.'" Tristan scratched his head. "How far is that from where we are now?"

"Well, we're in the City Center," Sophie began.

"And it's only on Ring 4, so we're pretty close, right?"

Sophie pulled back. "I don't know about that. Remember how Opie insisted we teleport to get here? Perpetua is huge, and only getting bigger."

Tristan dismissed her concerns with a toss of his hand. "It's only on Ring 4. It'll be fine. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine! You'll see."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

- - - - -

Four hours later, they were finally standing at the entrance to the Protector's Memorial. Tristan glanced over at Sophie, who had been silently dragging her feet for the better part of the last hour. It was clear that she hadn't found the walk as refreshing as he had. He wondered if the reason she hadn't been excited by any of the sights and sounds was because she was more used to them. I really should ask more about where she's from, he decided. Of course, it also could be that she was just tired, and since she hadn't been cooped up in their suite for the better part of a day, she wasn't as ready to embrace the aptly-named City of Endless Growth.

"Never again," Sophie said, straightening her back and grunting. "I don't care what it costs, we're spending the coin next time--no, every time--in Perpetua from here on out."

"Oh, I didn't really mind it," Tristan said. "I enjoyed the sights. But I guess I do have a lot of Endurance. Still, carriages and portals work for me going forward." The whole time they'd been traveling, they'd gotten closer and closer to the base of the mountain that loomed over one side of Perpetua. So the moment they'd turned that last corner, and the ridiculously tall buildings were no longer blocking his view, he knew they'd arrived. All of his worries and tiredness had just melted away.

It was strange that a place he'd never been before felt so familiar. Sure, it was different from how he'd experienced it in the raid, but it was the same in many, many ways. Just seeing the tips of the stone memorial over the park's treeline rekindled his memory. There was also the way it was framed by the mountain behind it. The line was slightly less severe, its slope a bit softer, like it was worn down over the passage time... but no matter the wear, Tristan knew this was the right place.

No, somehow, this was the same place.

Tristan held out a hand and stopped Sophie. "Look," was all he said.

The towering gate was open before them, with the twisting branches of the sculpted monument reaching out and grasping for the sky behind, trying to burn, but frozen forever in stone.

"What--?" It took Sophie a few moments before she visibly reacted. By the way her eyes widened and her face drooped, Tristan could see that she was experiencing a bit of the same sadness he was feeling. "It's... It looks so much like Cinderbark."

Tristan nodded and kept his reply a quiet whisper out of reverence. "The exact same."

Except this one is long gone, unable to protect anything.

He tried to shake that somber realization as they walked through the tall gates. Tristan never took his eyes off the memorial. In a way, it was both beautiful and sad. Despite being formed from stationary, unmoving stone, it managed to perfectly capture Cinderbark's radiance, warmth, and majesty. The craftsmanship was so fine that he wondered if a divine artisan had sculpted it.

There were fewer people around them now, which Tristan found both comforting and sad. It wasn't entirely rational, but part of him wanted this place to be packed with people recognizing and remembering the Burning Willow, mourning it. He wanted everyone to experience its brilliance.

He shook his head, clearing away the growing melancholy. For something that he'd only just been introduced to--and then lost moments later--Cinderbark had left a deep impression on him.

"Welcome to the Defender's Memorial," a quiet but oddly serene voice said from nearby. "I can sense that you, too, have been touched by the majesty of the lost Defender."

Tristan looked up as a shaven-headed man in long, flowing robes of incredibly deep crimson was slowly approaching. On his face was a smile that struck Tristan as both incredibly honest and also strangely compassionate.

"We just came from Cinderbark's Fall," Sophie explained.

The man nodded slowly, his smile deepening. "Many come here after their experiences in that raid."

"We tried to protect the tree," Tristan blurted out, almost feeling the need to justify himself, "but we couldn't."

"Indeed, no one can," the man responded, "but I greatly respect the desire to have done so. The Defender was an ancient and wondrous force of nature, and its loss is still being felt today. Still, this monument's pale reflection is more than luminescent enough. It remains inspiring, as you can well see. This is why so many flock here, feel compelled to return, and devote themselves to her, as I myself have done."

Tristan's eyes scanned across the memorial grounds, taking in the people, their clothing, and their actions. More than half were wearing shades of red, and of those nearly all were in some sort of contemplative position. Some were openly praying to the stone memorial.

His attention shifted back to the strong stone branches that reached skyward. "It's not the same though."

"No, my friend, it is not the same, nor will it ever be again. But this is what remains, and it shall stay here for as long as The Sovereign deems its presence worthwhile." The man sighed as his eyes briefly went toward the memorial. "Perhaps this is too forthcoming, but I feel a kindred spirit in you, so I am inclined to share this insight: Some say, and I myself am blessed to be among them, that they can still feel the heat of the Great Tree within this otherwise cold monument." His eyes returned to Tristan. "If you wish, I could guide you through some of the traditional prayers..."

Tristan suddenly became very aware of Sophie beside him, and Sneakers shifting slightly on her shoulder. He cleared his throat. "No, but, um, thank you. I don't think I--I mean, I just need a little bit of time. I just wanted to see for myself--"

"Of course," the man said with the same soothing tone as ever. "If you change your mind, my name is Matthias. I shall be here all week."

From the way the man said that, Tristan didn't doubt he was being entirely literal. Still, he and Sophie excused themselves and walked closer to the tree.

"Well, he was certainly devoted," the astralist said.

"Yeah," was all Tristan said. He wasn't really thinking about the monk-like man at all. His mind was elsewhere, and Sophie seemed to understand and follow his lead. They'd only walked about a quarter of the way around the trunk before Tristan stopped, or rather something stopped him.

A resonance.

It didn't take him long at all to recognize why.

This is almost exactly where I was standing when I challenged that demon general.

He remembered the fear that he'd felt in that moment, but also the unquestionable rightness of it. He'd stood his ground, and with the help of his friends, he had protected the Defender.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

No sooner had he realized that than a warmth began to blossom in his chest. This wasn't like the radiant heat of a forge, though, nor like a cooking fire. This was something inside him, almost but not quite like the stirrings he'd felt when using his Source for enchanting. With that, though, was also this tingling that was reminiscent of a healing spell, with a brightness and compassion that he had lots of experience with. Yet even that wasn't quite right. No matter how he tried to explain it, this sensation was new and different.

Tristan closed his eyes, trying to focus on the new feeling as it spread outwardly from his scar, down his arms and torso, up his neck, until it seemed to fill him entirely. He felt light, and warm, and closer in that moment to any sort of divinity than he ever had before.

He wasn't sure how, but he felt like the spirit of the Burning Willow had seen him, recognized him, and possibly even blessed him.

Reopening his eyes, he found he'd received a notification, and it filled him with all the confirmation he would ever need.

You are now refreshed.

You have gained the title: {Protector}.

He no longer felt tired, and checking his Status, he saw the new title had indeed been added to the list, right before {Soulscarred}. Expanding it, he found that it granted him +1 to both Endurance and Wisdom!

He smiled, because this was much more than he'd ever expected from this visit. He'd merely felt a calling, and he'd wanted to see the memorial as a result. Now he had gained something tangible--something permanent--and he was beyond thankful. {Protector} wasn't exactly a rare title, as there were tons of different ways to earn it, but it was still respected. Had it not been for his {Student of Jamal}, Tristan might even have put it on.

"I think I'm ready to go now," he said quietly. "Did you get a...?" Looking over at Sophie, he could see from her expression that she hadn't had a similar experience.

The girl and her astral were standing quietly, but they weren't exactly lost in their own thoughts as he'd been. And while they were looking up at the tree's memorial with slight smiles on their faces, they weren't the kind that said 'Hey, I just got a new surprise title!' like Tristan had received.

He wondered about that, and why he'd gotten {Protector} while she had not. Maybe she just wasn't as affected by the whole Cinderbark experience as he had been.

"Yeah, alright," Sophie replied. "It's a beautiful monument. Just a shame that we couldn't see the real tree again."

Tristan agreed, though he also wondered if there wasn't still some part of the 'real tree' within that monument. Based on what he'd felt, and what the man at the front gate had said, he wasn't sure.

As they left the park, the bald man from before silently smiled and inclined his head toward Tristan. Was there a knowing twinkle in the man's eternally calm eyes? Tristan might never know.

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