*climbs to perch on the Sacred Tree of Good and Evil* *politely clears throat* good morning, my pretties! i hope your slumber was deep and your heart still, for i am about to change both of those facts. today, we are facing a threat unlike any other we’ve seen before. the Forest is in grave peril!
What happened?? (also, please dont fall)
What is this threat you speak of? I have sensed naught but serenity on the wind for centuries
this is true. the Forest spirits have been kind and merciful, for eons, but there is a traitor among us, one of our own. we cannot trust one another. we must be cautious and silent as the quivering leaves that flutter upon our bare feet.
One of us? A traitor? I can't believe it. I refuse to believe it! You both are my own blood, my siblings. You are my family, just extensions of my soul. I trust you more than I trust the corner of my own mind. And even if it be my downfall, I shall trust you with my last breath.
Are you saying we are to betray one another? What a preposterous idea! The Forest would never act against its own kin!
one of us is lying. one of us is always lying.
Then we must find the liar! But how?
the answers you seek lie deeper within the Wood. take heed, my Children!
A series of trials probably awaits us. Treacherous trials. We must prepare thoroughly. Shall we meet again at dawn? Once the spirits of the night shy away from the protection of the sun?
Yes, that sounds like it should do nicely. But how can we prepare the trials if one of us might try to sabotage them?
Don't fret! The soul of the forest will prepare it for us! Only the ones with the purest souls may pass! But in order to, these trials will expose all our secrets and nothing will remain hidden. Are you willing to take that risk for the good of our home?
I can’t claim to enjoy the thought of all my secrets being laid bare, but I would do anything for the forest. Will the forest god be joining us in our trials?
I can't communicate with such powerful spirits yet. Yoshi?
Where is she? Has she been taken from us by the liar?
oh dear, kindly excuse my absence; i was attending to some unfinished business. i am so proud of you both, for you didn't even need my assistance in uncovering some of the Forest's best-kept secrets. the trials are as following:
the salty tear of a wanderer led astray
a thorn plucked from the Rose of Betrayal
the innocence you lost as a child
the ashen hair of a Forest nymph
a mirror; beware of the monsters that lurk within you
i shall indeed be facing these trials with you; i would be failing in my duties if i were to choose not to.
I have acquired the first! From a lonely man who lost all who he loved and ventured into the forest in order to keep from losing any more. I lured him from the path with lantern eyes and chased him in circles for seven days and seven nights, until he fell to his knees, weeping. I stole a silver drop from his cheek with fingers sly as the night and left him for the Forest to do as it willed.