The Museum

The city of Axium was the location of the Gaiasphere Museum & Garden. Siren was to arrive at the city by air, and drop right upon the center dome. She was warned in advance and prepared for the buildings defenses which lay automated throughout the building. The structure itself was massive and over 12 stories high. One time ages ago the tree was worshipped and those same people would fall ill if they saw the tree and it's facility today.

The outside of the building was still impressive despite the age and disrepair. A giant sphere lay at the center with four rounded half cones emanating from the sphere itself. The entire facility resembled a four point star with a sphere at the center. Most of the building was feint blue crystalline glass supported by arcs of stone etched in runes from a time long lost.

From outside the building one could look into the crystalline glass and see a mass array of flora. Despite the dust cloud that seemed to be hovering within the plant life seemed very much alive. Vibrant colors from plants of all shapes and sizes encircled the tree as if drawing nourisment from the souls within. Siren found it difficult to believe that this one plant housed the souls of a planet, in fact most believed it to be but a myth. This was probably why the facility was abandoned so long ago. Abandoned aside for the groundskeeper, who was rumoured to still maintain vigil and defense over the sphere.

Her mission dictated that she would enter from the roof, drop down by rope, test the sample, then leave immediately and quietly. To facilitate her entry to the building she was provided with a small hover unit known as a lifter, a plastic vial of toxic acid, and a sticky powder concoction. First she attached the lifter to the crystal. Slowly and cautiously she traced a circle with the powder around the lifter before unstopping the cap on the vial. She then poured the contents of the vial onto the powder. A light crackling popping sound began slowly at first and then intensely as the chemical compound ate through the crystal. She activated the hover unit which then emitted a quiet hum as it began to tug at the glass. Finally the mixture ate through completely and the hover unit did it's work. A cylinder of glass was pulled out of the top of the dome and hovered before Siren. She gently pushed it to the right a couple feet. She then secured her rope and made her way down the cylindrical hole through the glass.

As she entered the museum she was hit by the thick taste of dust upon her lips. She decended and was aware of the size of the facility and the gargantuan size of the Gaiasphere. Looking around she could see the ruins of paintings, sculpture, and the fruits of other assorted artistic endeavors. She could scarcely recall seeing anything more intriguing in her lifetime. Standing atop the Gaiasphere was like nothing she ever felt. As much as she hated the part of her that was human she could not deny the draw upon her soul from the tree at her feet.

She took in the scope of the scene and in doing so noticed a hooded figure on the eastern side of the building. It was readily apparent he had made no notice of Siren and yet her curiousity got the best of her. Using her cybernetic optics she zoomed in upon the being. It was Graven! The foe who had thwarted her attempts to get the eye time and time again. She did her best to keep her composure as he passed from view. Siren did her best to remind herself to focus upon the mission, to test the substance and then evacuate the facility.

As she did two vines from the Gaia tree began to crawl up her legs and wrap around her waist. She took a small laser scalpal from her utility belt and tried to saw through the vines to no avail. It was all she could do to not scream as the air began to leave her lungs. She cursed her human need to breathe. Finally she remembered the purpose of her visit. She quickly took out the vial and poured it upon the vines. Immediately the vines recoiled and let her loose. Siren gasped for air with every fiber of energy she could muster.

She caught her breath and then tested the rest of the vial upon the tree itself. The area began to glow a bright green but there was no apparent weakening effect. The test had failed other then to pacify the native defense system of the tree. She had to leave to report the failure to CEO Peyton and Dr. Feinburg, but there was Graven and the 'Eye' just a few stories below her, unexpecting of her presence.

* * * * * *


Almost a year had passed since the death of Gaia and already the forest had began to show evidence of the Gaiasphere's influence. The trees with their black-ish blues and reds were purged of their darkness and brought into the vibrant green glow of Gaia. The forest went from an ominous place of eminent danger to an accepting homage to what they now worshipped as the earth goddess. For a goddess Gaia had become. The tree itself already had become almost celestial in the minds of the Etherians that called her shadow home, beyond magical. The tree was spoken of in reverance and all celebrations and ritual were conducted in her vigil.

Not just the forest had changed however but it's people. As they drank from the Gaia tree daily so too did their ashen skin become smooth, pale, sensitive and fragile. Their talons became replaced by remnants. Their etherial veins were no longer visible upon their skin for they had retreated under the protective shell of skin. The eyes on the Etherians no longer burned with the colors of their Ether but with the colors of the elements; tones of greens, browns, blues, and all the other colors of the earth and sky.

Graven and the other three original members of the community were the only ones unaffected by the change. Their unchanging image reflected not only their elevated place in the community but a reminder of Iboga's curse and how close they all came to imminent death. Though they were no longer immortal they all knew their place in the afterlife was assured. Coral had promised them that upon Gaia's death.

Gaia's funeral never did sit right with Graven but he did move on, no matter the diffculty involved in it. He tried to focus on helping Coral guide the community but in actuality he was little help. He was so consumed with what had happened he just could not find a reason to feel anything beyond Kalyx, he found motivation in nothing other then her eyes. His life had become nearly empty and his ether was even beginning to lose some of it's cobalt hue.

Adahn approached Graven with an idea to build a dome around the Gaiasphere, in respect and homage to it's namesake. He presented Graven with the plans, and his response was not something Adahn had anticipated. After all these months trying not to think about her he found himself sincerely fond of the idea of honoring her memory.

Work began at once. Adahn had divided up the entire complex into interlocking pieces which it was Graven's job to replicate. So large and intricate were the pieces that it sometimes took a full day just to create a single part of the structure. Graven's summoning was at the peak of his ability. Never before had he exerted his will in to so exact a form.

While Adahn and Graven were at work on the structure Coral, along with the help of Veyn and Syrka, coordinated the community works. All manner of public sculpture and art were to occupy the individual levels as well as gardens beyond anything they had ever seen. In addition to providing a haven for creativity the building was meant to be a conduit to harness the energy of Gaia herself and spread it to the far parts of the world.

Emanating from the sphere were four half conical sections which were to be lined in runes which perpetuated the flow of energy beyond the forest itself. The idea being to let the world share in the grace of Gaia. So it was with the ultimate creation of the Museum that the world began to change. Eight people were chosen to spread the message of Gaia and explain the changes to come. They were sent in the four primary and secondary cardinal directions; N,S,E,W,NW,NE,SW, and SE.

At the opening ceremony four years later Coral appointed Graven head groundskeeper and protector of the Gaiasphere Museum & Garden. The title was merely a formality for it was well known that Graven would see no harm come to the tree for the span of his life. Graven still being an Etherian that would possibly be a very long time to come.

* * * * * *

Siren removed her rifle from her back and loaded a tranquilizer dart. She considered for a moment the repurcussions involved in activating the security system of the Gaiasphere and paused before she pulled the trigger. Her eyes turned in attention to the turrets scattered about the area, obviously built at a later date then the original structure itself. Along the ceiling also dangled rune bombs, set to activate upon any threat. Thus far her movements remained untracked, the motion sensors were used to the movements of the ambient flora and fauna and she was indistinguishable thus far.