#mind maze

Encarta 96 "Mind Maze"

1996

Designer's Reflection: Spring Forest

Obtained: Mind Maze 5 workshop

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Gold/Elegant

Awakened Suit: Autumn Forest

Story - transcripts from Designer's Reflection

Chapter 1 - Spring Wind of Past

Chapter 2 - Small Town's Spring

Chapter 3 - Cool Breeze

Chapter 4 - Verdant Spring Wind

Story - summarized

Fei was only a young boy when disaster struck his hometown of Banyan. Now that he's grown up, he wants to pay a visit to the remains of that town.

The weather used to be perfect: sunny all the time, slight breeze. And everyone was happy, not a single care in the world, no suffering. As a boy, Fei loved sitting under the Great Banyan Tree in the center of the town.

One day, he found a girl already under the Great Banyan Tree. She was lost and couldn't remember where her home or family was. All she could remember was her name, Yexiao. But she wasn't scared or distressed. Instead, she calmly painted alongside Fei.

The two became fast friends, and they met every day under the Great Banyan Tree to paint the leaves and flowers. Everything was perfect - until heavy rain swooped in.

From that moment on, Banyan was no longer a paradise. Turbulent weather, more accidents, even Fei's Grandma fell and injured herself. Despite the family's best efforts, she died soon after. As much as Fei wanted to stay, his family knew they had to leave before they themselves got hurt. But Yexiao was staying behind.

Many years have passed since then, but Fei still wonders about her. Everyone in Banyan either died or went missing, and he never heard from her again. But on his trip to the old remains, he passes by a greenhouse, with a large tree that reminds him of the Great Banyan Tree.

And inside, painting the leaves and flowers, was a girl who looked exactly like Yexiao! She even had the same name. But this girl looked too young to be his old friend.

Nevertheless, after their encounter, Fei was at peace. Even if he couldn't return to his old hometown, he could at least hold onto the memories.

Connections

-Yexiao has always loved painting nature. In her Reflection for Flower Tune, she reveals she's entranced by even the paths flowers take when they fall from trees. No two paths are the same, depending on the season and the weather.

-Although no one knew why Banyan suddenly suffered and disappeared, Yexiao explains that the town of Banyan was very close to the Ocean of Memories. So, while the Ocean's power originally gave the town longevity and peace, it eventually "flooded" the town and destroyed it.

Fun Facts

-Despite not being a recurring character, Fei has an avatar sprite for when he's a child. You see his picture during the discussions between him and Yexiao.

Combination of German krautrock motoric-beat rhythms, angular New York post-punk attitude, 60s spy soundtracks, psych, rock, jazz, and 70s synthesizers and vocoders. There is also a cosmic spatial awareness to their sound; both personal inner space and galactic outer space, as well as a wilful pushing of sonic boundaries.