Arboris Mundus

==Prologue==
Juan Horado hovered in empty space. He wore his Mage of Time outfit- in various tints of red, with a hood and gloves in the same hue with yellow shoes and sleeves-and in his right hand was a black spear, one that seemed foreign to him.
Come... the voice of a young woman echoed in the darkness as something seemed to shift in the background.
You must assist... the voice of an elderly woman echoed as swirls seemed to surround Juan.
Time is running out... the voice of a middle-aged woman added.
Find the tree of Nine! The three voices echoed around him, as the swirls stopped.
In the darkness of the void, a silhouette began to glow. Starting at the top, it spread down until it formed the appearance of a tree. Reaching the base, nine large roots spread out from the trunk, wrapping themselves around the void. Looking around, one of the roots almost seemed close enough to touch, as if it was trying to reach out.
He attempted to reach out, but it seemed just out of reach, even when reaching out with the spear. Suddenly, a loud "YARK" echoed around. A massive squirrel silhouette appeared behind the tree, and many smaller squirrels were running all around the tree. They travelled from the top of the tree down to it's base, travelling onto only one root.
As Juan watched them run along the branch closer and closer to him, the massive squirrel opened it's mouth and moved to take a bite out of the tree...
==Chapter 1: A Special Quest==
Juan awoke safe in his bed, looking around, he saw his familiar room of the Manor Ascendant. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing over at the window to see early light streaming through it. “Maybe something in the Warehouse can get me a good night sleep...” he muttered. With that, Juan stood up and grabbed the Mjolnir pendant from the nightstand and got dressed.
A short while later, Juan got out of his car at the massive iron structure that held Warehouse 13. Juan punched in the access code to the front door and walked down the Umblicus, yawning as he did so. Entering Artie’s office, he waved a hello to Mr. Nielson. “Mornin’ Artie.”
“Good morning Juan. You look tired...”
“Just a rough night, bad dreams, y’know?”
Myka sat at the desk, scratching her head. She looked about as tired as he did. "I can feel that rough night. Artie's had me here helping him track down possible artifacts. But we haven't had anything that rings for sure yet."
"I'm telling you, there's a connection," Artie replied from the computer. "I'm sure of it."
"Artie, perhaps you really should-"
"We've discussed this, Myka. I'm not going anywhere."
Myka sighed. "Anyway... Juan, are you okay? It seems like you've had a few bad dreams lately."
“Yeah... always the same dream though...” Juan replied. “A massive tree with nine roots spreading out into the void. One root... reaches out to me, and I reach back.” As Juan spoke, he held out a hand as though to touch the root he described. “Then a squirrel calls, and more swarm out from behind the tree, all of them giant and biting into the bark, and then rushing down the roots to me. One opens its mouth to eat me, and... then I wake up.”
"What a strange dream," Myka said. "It's strange that it's always the same thing."
"I'm sorry, you said a tree with nine roots?" Artie spoke up, turning to face Juan. When he nodded, Artie began musing.
"Hmmmmm... A tree with nine roots... No, it couldn't be. That's not real."
"What's not real?" Myka asked, confused.
"The World Tree. Better known as Yggdrasil," Artie said as he turned and began typing on the computer, pulling up a Warehouse file.
“The Yggdrasil?” Juan looked at the file. “I thought that was just a... cosmogeny model of the Nine Realms in Norse mythology, not a, like, literal tree I could go out and touch!”
"It is," Artie agreed. "Well, probably. The Warehouse has had several reports over the centuries of trees that people claim to be a World Tree all over the world. I went on a trip to New Zealand once because of that, but it was nothing. It's considered mythical."
"Don't we have many artifacts that are from mythology?" Myka asked, crossing her arms.
"We do," Artie acknowledged. "But as far as giant trees go, there's never been any proof of even one in the world. Therefore, by even our standards, it's mythical."
Juan clicked his tongue. “Well, do we have anything here that’ll make the dreams stop?”
“I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head, but artifacts that do that can be massively dangerous,” Artie answered. “I’ll look into it in my spare time, but for now, let’s finish up here, shall we?”
Juan nodded in acceptance before heading out into the stacks. Leaning on the railing, the sight of the impossibly large Warehouse interior never ceased to amaze him.
"Hey Juan!" called a voice coming up the stairs. Megan was coming up the stairs, yawning as she approached. Her hair was messy, but pulled back into a ponytail. Despite that, she didn't appear to be tired like everyone else.
“Hola Megan!” Juan smiled and nodded. “What brings you here so early?”
"Ah, actually, I was here late," she replied, scratching the back of her head and looking away while smiling sheepishly. "I was in the Library, and I fell asleep. I'm sure Artie's going to yell me again if he sees me, so I figured I'd sneak out before he gets up."
“He’s already here,” Juan commented. “Him and Myka were doing something important in there.” He jerked his thumb back at the office and yawned hugely. “‘Scuse me.”
"Oh, great," Megan sighed as Juan yawned. "You don't look like you've gotten a lot of sleep. Were you up all night doing something?"
“Nah, couldn’t sleep... this dream I keep having.”
"A dream, huh? Is it a good dream, or a bad one?"
“I honestly don’t know for sure,” Juan admitted. “I guess... mostly bad? This... tree with nine roots kept telling me to find it, then a bunch of giant squirrels started attacking it. Artie thinks it’s Yggdrasil, the world tree, but according to him it’s myth. Even to here,“ he gestured out to the shelves, “it’s a myth.”
"Perhaps it's not a myth after all," a voice spoke. They both jumped and turned to see Mrs. Frederic standing just outside the doorway to Artie's Office.
"But... Where...?" Megan stuttered, but she simply shook her head. There was simply no use trying to figure out where she came from.
Juan patted his chest to calm down. “Holy Thor...” he muttered.
Juan would never get used to Mrs. Frederic effectively materializing from thin air. He suspected Aden knew how she did it, and was refusing to tell in order to keep up the mystique surrounding the Caretaker.
“What do you mean it’s not a myth, ma’am?” Juan asked, tilting his head. “Artie said he tried looking for one but never found it.”
(Somewhere else... Aden: sneezes "Someone’s talkin’ shit.")
"It's true that no one in the Warehouse has ever found one," she acknowledged. "And there have been many attempts. But you have had these dreams for awhile. Perhaps it is a sign that you will be the one to find one, and possibly save it."
Juan looked intrigued. “Save it? From what? A-and where would I even begin looking? Yggdrasil could be anywhere in the world!”
"From the squirrels, most likely. As for how to find it..." She glanced out into the Warehouse stacks, "I'm sure you'll be able to find something to help you." There may have been the faintest of smiles on her face, but it was impossible to tell for sure.
“If you say so...” Juan just looked more confused. “But-“
“Juan, I was doing a little more research,“ Juan looked over at Myka as she left the office, “and I think I may have found something to help with your dream problem.”
“Thanks Myka, I was just talking to Mrs. Frederic and she...” he turned to look back at the Caretaker, but she had vanished, as was her wont. “...is gone, apparently. Man, that’s creepy.”
“Very much so,” Myka answered. “What did she say?”
“The tree’s real, and it needs help,” Juan answered.
"Well, let's go, then!" Megan said, her voice getting excited. "I can't wait!"
"And how exactly do you plan to find it?" Myka asked.
"Simple!" Megan answered quickly, but didn't say another word. Upon a stare from Juan and Myka, her face started turning red. "I...might have said that before thinking it through...eh heh...heh..."
Juan facepalmed. “Okay, first let’s see if there’s anything out there we can use to find the Yggdrasil first, and go from there. If Mrs. Frederic wants us to save the tree, then I guess we have to go save it.”
"I don't understand. If this is a myth, then why is Mrs. Frederic so certain it's real?" Megan asked.
"It's Mrs. Frederic," Myka answered. "It's best not to think about things like 'how' with her. Now, come on. Maybe Artie knows something that can help."
Juan followed Myka back into the office after another glance outward.
Megan followed nervously behind. Artie was already looking at them, and immediately focused on Megan. "Megan. Seriously? You were here overnight again?"
"...Yeah," she admitted nervously.
Artie sighed, rubbing his eyebrows. "I'll deal with you later. What are you guys doing here? I thought Myka had found an artifact to help you sleep?"
Juan explained what Mrs. Frederic had told him. “So apparently the tree does exist and we need to save it,” he concluded. “Apparently there’s an artifact somewhere here that can give us a general direction?”
"An artifact for general direction..." Artie mused. "Let's see... Probably the best artifact would be Ogier Busbecq's Compass. It won't tell you where to go directly, but it will trigger a gust of wind in the direction you need to go. It's in..." Artie typed on the computer for a moment, "Depraeter-27F. And don't open it in the Warehouse." 
“Thanks Artie,” Juan bowed his head before leaving the office once more.
Myka and Megan followed him into the Warehouse, travelling through the stacks. A short time later, they finally found the aisle, and a short search later found the artifact on a lower shelf. They returned to the office right after, only to walk in on a flustered Artie.
"Ah, you're back," he sighed. "Mrs. Frederic appeared here just after you left. Apparently, she wants all three of you are going."
"All three of us?" Myka asked.
"Yes," Artie nodded. "She wants you two to accompany Juan on his journey. And she said you each may take one artifact each for help with fighting."
"Fighting?" Megan asked. "But don't we have Tesla's to avoid fighting?" "She said you'll definitely need them," he answered. "So, take a look at what you want to use, and remember not to pick out anything you might regret."
Juan looked at his hand, allowing the red-amber energy of his time powers to flicker in his palm. “If she says so,” he muttered, more to himself.
Some time later, Juan wandered the shelves, hunting for an artifact to use, before a familiar sight caught his eye. “Hey, I remember you!” He smiled and gently removed a pocketwatch from it’s box. “Hello again, Timekeeper’s Burden. I think you’ll come in real handy!” Satisfied with his choice, Juan lifted off the ground and flew back to the balcony.
Myka walked through the aisles, somehow making it to a shelf full of artifacts created from comics. "Huh. A Green Ring... Well, at least that will be easy to get through TSA." She grinned as she took the Ring, checking a nearby computer to confirm it had no serious downside. "Oh, Pete is going to be so jealous when I tell him what I did!"
Megan walked through the aisles, trying to figure out what she wanted to use. After a bit of back-and-forth with herself, she grabbed the Omnitrix, making a note to bring batteries as she walked back to join the others at the balcony.
"Are we all ready?" she asked the others.
"I am," Myka nodded. "Juan?"
Juan held up the watch. “I’m good!”
"Perfect!" Megan said, her voice rising in excitement. "Well, let's get outside! I can't wait to find out where we're going!"
As they walked to leave, Artie spoke up. "Be careful, guys. And Megan, I'll figure out what to do with you when you get back." She sighed, having forgotten about that. She glanced back at Artie before following the others outside.
Juan pulled out the compass from its static bag and opened it, releasing a blast of wind.
Myka looked in the direction it blew. "That's northeast, definitely. But I guess we don't know where to go, exactly."
"Northeast... Maybe eastern Canada?" Megan offered.
"Or it could be somewhere in Europe," Myka thought aloud. "How do you want to proceed, Juan? This is your dream we're following, after all."
“Under normal circumstances, I’d ask Aden, but he’s in the Duat for the day...” Juan commented. “But if we’re dealing with Yggdrasil, my money’s on Scandinavia.”
"Scandinavia?" Megan asked, tilting her head. "You mean, like Norway and those other two countries there? Why there?"
"Well, that is where Norse mythology is centralized," Myka explained. "They do have mythology about the World Tree, so if one is anywhere, it's probably there."
“Scandinavia it is then.”
==Chapter 2: Ratatoskr and the First Assault on the Tree==
A very long flight and drive later, during which Myka and Juan refreshed their knowledge of the Eddas, figuring the myths would at least help, the trio stood in an empty field.
"Alright..." Megan said as she placed the Omnitrix onto her wrist. "So, where do we go from here? Should we open the Compass again? Or do you two have an idea where we're going?"
In response, Juan opened the compass.
"Northward," Myka said. They continued to drive north, stopping on occasion to check the Compass. After many hours of driving and checking, the wind turned east, and they had to leave the car and walk when it directed them where there was no road. The weather was brisk for the season, with the temperature in the mid-forties, but it wasn't super uncomfortable.
Juan led the way, glancing this way and that. He could feel a slight tugging almost in his mind before he saw something that baffled him: Mrs. Frederic sitting beneath an apple tree, a cup of tea in her hands.
“Uhh...”
"Wha...?" Megan and Myka said at the same time. They were all at a loss for words.
"Ah, so you did make it," she said after taking a sip. "Busbecq's Compass, then? Definitely a good choice."
“I know you’ve been asked this a couple hundred times, but... how the hell did you even-?!” Juan asked.
"Another time, Juan. Right now, you, Myka and Megan need to get ready." She took another sip of her tea. "Before you continue, though, perhaps you'd like a cup of tea? This is a nice local blend. You won't find it back in America."
"Sure!" Megan said, taking a freshly poured cup that was offered.
Juan hesitantly accepted a cup for himself. “So Yggdrasil does exist?” he asked. “Which means the squirrels I saw were...”
“Ratatoskr, the sly messenger, yes,” Mrs. Frederic replied. “He and his ilk have been attacking this World Tree for centuries now.”
"But wait," Myka said. "If the World Tree is actually real, then why is it in the Warehouse files as a myth? And why did you bring us here indirectly instead of telling us where to go?"
“Because the World Tree named Yggdrasil isn’t the only one of it’s kind, Myka,” Mrs. Frederic explained. “They’re extremely rare, and their roots spread all across the planet. But as the centuries comes and goes, that already small number grows smaller. Yggdrasil is among the oldest of its species. It knows things that humanity has long forgotten.”
“And if it dies...” Juan added in realization. “A major node of it’s network, and the knowledge it carries will be lost forever.”
(meanwhile in the Duat, Aden is following the ghost of Thoth around, unimportant here tho)
"Precisely," Mrs. Frederic nodded. "The trees can only be found by select people. As the Caretaker of the Warehouse, I, along with other Caretakers, are some of the few. Juan, your dreams have signaled that you are chosen as well. More specifically, you're the one chosen to help the Tree."
"And...what about me and Myka?" Megan asked. "Neither of us have had dreams about Yggdrasil. So, why us? Why not Pete, or Steve, or Felix?"
“Myka, because you’ve also read the Eddas,” Mrs. Frederic replied. “As for Megan... the rule of three is a very old rule.”
"I feel like that means I was just added as an afterthought..." Megan said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I assure you, Megan, that it was not accidental. If you were not meant to be here, you would not be here. You will serve a purpose in saving the tree, just as much as Juan and Myka." Mrs. Frederic took a final sip of her tea before standing. "Now, I will guide you the rest of the way myself, if you are all ready."
In response, Juan set down his empty cup a d pulled out the Timekeeper’s Burden with a determined expression. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Myka put on the Green Ring and nodded, while Megan held out her arm with the Omnitrix attached. With that confirmation, the three followed Mrs. Frederic. The trees began to appear more varied as they walked. Soon, they began to hear strange sounds, which only got louder as they walked.
After finally reaching a break in the trees, a beautiful yet disturbing sight greeted them. A massive ash tree, easily over eighty feet tall. There were many branches with green leaves that almost seemed to shimmer with a faint glow. Unfortunately, a terrible sight plagued the tree. Many giant squirrels - the Ratatoskr - covered the tree from bottom to top. They were decently larger than the standard squirrel, and they seemed to be nibbling the tree to pieces.
"Oh geez..." Megan said in shock. "There's gotta be over a hundred squirrels on that tree!"
“Odin help us,” Juan muttered in horror. “I think I’m gonna have nightmares about this for a very long time.” He stooped and picked up a long branch lying on the ground.
Myka looked on in disbelief. "Are we really going to able to take them all out?"
"Sure!" Megan said, activating the Omnitrix and moving through the selections. "I'll knock them down with XLR8's speed, then you two can knock them out!"
She slammed down on the selection, ready for actionut , bher skin turned a light shade of red. As the others stared, she waved it off. "On second thought, I can just smash them with this increased strength! But we should probably go in with a plan. Juan, what do you suggest?"
“We need time?” Juan’s eyes flashed a solid amber yellow as he held up the Timekeeper’s Burden. “I’ll give you all the time you need.” His voice echoed with power as the watch popped open, releasing a wave of gold-amber-red power.
"Perfect," Myka said. "Let's see if listening to Pete for all these years has given me any skills." Raising her hand, she shot a beam towards the nearest squirrel, frying it right away. She couldn't help but smile as she made her way closer, firing beams at the squirrels closest to the base.
Meanwhile, Megan charged in, using her increased strength to slam nearby squirrels into the ground. "You know, I always wanted to go squirrel hunting! I just always thought I'd be using a gun. But this works, too!"
The rest of the squirrels took offense to the attack and began charging forward toward the trio. Juan stood firm, his bright red Time Aspect shirt moving slightly in the wind. His eyes were closed as he listened, not to the wind, but to a pulsing TICK... TOCK... TICK... TOCK...TICK... Juan pressed his thumb down on the clock face, stopping the second hand. The world began to redshift... TOCK. As time for the squirrels, but not Juan, Myka, or Megan, slowed to a glacial crawl. “Get them! Can’t hold time still forever!” Juan called out.
"CAN DO!" Megan screamed as she smashed a two in one punch. She continued the ground assault while Myka turned her focus towards ridding the tree trunk of the squirrels. But as many as the killed, there seemed to be even more higher up.
Juan gritted his teeth as a headache formed in his skull. “It’s... starting to hurt!” His thumb slipped and time SNAPPED back into place. TICK... TOCK... tick... tock... The echoing ticking faded as the Timekeeper’s Burden slipped from Juan’s numb fingers. “Gah!” Leaving the watch behind in the grass, Juan charged forward with his stick.
More squirrels ran down the tree. Myka did her best to try and get them, but many got through, and they ran towards Megan and Juan.
"Watch out, Juan!" Megan shouted as four ran towards him. "These buggers have sharp teeth! UGH, GET OFF!" She managed to grab the one that was on her back by its tail and slammed it into the ground.
“We need to find the biggest one!” Juan shouted. “Take it down and the rest should follow!”
They all scanned the tree, looking for the biggest one. Finally, they spotted it near the top. "YARK!"
"Alright, I got this!" Megan said. "Cover me, Myka!" But just before she could start climbing...
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEP
he red tint faded from her skin. "Crap! That's not good!" she said as a squirrel ran towards her.
“Ratatoskr, the Sly Messenger...” Juan muttered darkly, before swiping at the squirrel going for Megan.
"I'm going to be out for a few," Megan said, pulling out a small screwdriver to change the batteries. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"It's too far away to get with this ray," Myka said. "We either need to get it down, or find a way to get up there!"
More squirrels came down; one would swear they were just multiplying at the top and working their way down, as the bodies began piling up at the bottom.
“Gotta be something, gotta be something...” Juan muttered to himself.
"I could try using Stinkfly," Megan said, finally getting the back open and switching the batteries. "But that transformation will only hover; I can't actually fly, so I don't think that'll be much help."
"Uhhhhhhh...guys?" Megan said slowly as she looked at the ground around them for the first time since the assault began. "There's...other skeletons here."
Taking a second to glance around, there were many skeletons around the tree. A few animals which much have been freshly killed identified them as likely to have been birds and deer.
(I'm including this here so that we at least have that, but it's possible they would have noticed that first, unless everyone was so eager to get the squirrels that they didn't notice the skeletons.)
Juan looked around and paled. “Oh sweet Odin, how are we not dead?”
"...If we weren't trying to save the tree, it might be safer to nuke the area," Megan said, finishing putting the batteries back in.
"Ratatoskr must be the reason," Myka pondered. "It must be controlling them. They shouldn't be attacking the tree otherwise."
“I think I have a new phobia now,” Juan stated simply. “And I’m going to be having nightmares about this for a very long time.” He looked up at Ratatoskr. “Why is it not trying to eat us?”
"That's a good question," Myka pondered. "Perhaps it's smart enough to realize that we're a very real threat to it?"
"But if it's smart enough to realize that, then we need to outsmart it, right?" Megan asked. "Otherwise, we're not going to be able to kill it."
“In the Eddas, it knows every insult, from the amusing to the hurtful,” Juan explained. “They say words won’t hurt you, but not when it comes to THAT THING!” He pointed at Ratatoskr, who appeared to have the audacity to pull a “who me?” expression.
"Sooooooo... maybe it's smart enough to understand insults?" Myka mused.
"Let's see..." Megan thought aloud. "HEY! GIANT SQUIRREL! I'M SURPRISED THE TREE HASN'T SNAPPED UNDER YOUR WEIGHT! YOU ARE THE FATTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!"
Ratatoskr appeared unimpressed, and simply let out a scathing “YARK” in reply.
“Fat jokes? Really?” Juan also appeared unimpressed.
"I'm...not really good with insults..." she replied, turning slightly red.
"Pete would be better for insults," Myka commented. "How are you with them, Juan? Please tell me you're better than Megan."
“What human insult could we use against a SQUIRREL?”
"Perhaps we need to use an insult designed for animals?" Megan suggested. "Like what, calling him a wolf?"
Myka raised an eyebrow.
“Useless fucking stupid rat...” Juan muttered.
Ratatoskr looked offended and snarled. “Yark.”
"Hey, that seemed to work," Megan noted. "Well...it is pretty dumb. And it's certainly useless! It probably can't even hold it's own in a fight!"
"What are you doing?" Myka murmured softly so the squirrel couldn't hear.
"Trying to provoke it," she replied quietly. "We need to get it down, right?"
“Lives on the Tree of Ultimate Knowledge...” Juan added in a casual tone as he buffed his nails against his shirt, “... and it’s still scraping the bottom of the barrel in the brains department.”
"YARK!" Ratatoskr glared down, a fury starting to emanate from it. It was a frightening look to see on a squirrel.
"Well, we decided seem to have gotten its attention now..." Myka murmured.
"YARK YAAAAARRRRRK!" Ratatoskr cried out, repeating the call two more times.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Megan said, selecting an alien and pressing down. Small crystals grew from her skin as she looked up.
"Do you hear that?" Myka asked. A low rumble began to echo around them, and the ground seemed to shake slightly.
“We... need to start running away.” Juan stated, backing up and snatching his artifact from the grass. “We need to start running NOW.” From all over the tree appeared more squirrels, all looking rather peeved.
"Yeah, definitely," Myka said, exasperated. As she turned to run, the squirrels started to come down. As they ran, Megan shot a stream of crystals from her hands, creating a barrier that held back the pursuing squirrels. After several minutes of running and no sign of pursuit, they finally stopped to breathe.
“Oh great Aesir we almost DIED!” Juan yelled in exasperation.
"How are there still so many of them?!" Myka exclaimed.
"The situation is much worse than I expected," a voice appeared behind them.
“CRISTO!” Juan jumped a foot in the air as the Caretaker seemingly materialized behind the group. “With all due respect Mrs. Frederic, STOP THAT we nearly got eaten!” he shouted. “Did you know squirrels eat meat? Cuz they ATE four deer and an eagle! I betcha 50 bucks there’s a giant lizard skeleton under Yggdrasil.”
"It appears that things are more difficult than I anticipated they would be," she answered, almost more to herself than others.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Frederic, shouldn't we consider getting help?" Myka asked. "I'm sure if we talk to Artie, or maybe the Regents, we could-"
"We're not getting anyone involved," she answered sternly.
"Okay, well, you're either going to have to give us more information, or help us," Megan said as she timed out, the crystals retreating from her body. "Or both."
Mrs. Frederic sighed. "Very well. The World Tree contains knowledge from all of the world. Everything from many eons worth of time. Everything you could ever want to know about the Earth and its history is contained within the tree."
"But why do you not want us to notify the Regents?" Myka asked. "After all, the Warehouse does, as Artie puts it, 'Snags, Bags and Tags'. Isn't our job to keep things safe?"
"Our job is to keep the world safe, that is true. However, this is a different case. The depth of knowledge is far greater than any artifact could ever provide. And the danger to the tree is far greater than anything the Warehouse can handle. And part of that is the Warehouse personnel themselves."
“No wonder Odin had a fascination with knowledge, if he found this tree,” Juan commented.
"But wait, what do you mean about Warehouse personnel being part of the danger?" Megan asked.
"In 1280, just a couple decades into Warehouse 8, there were rumors of the World Tree. One in a city you may have heard from mythology - Midgard."
“Midgard?” Juan asked. “But-that was the name the Norse gave for the world of mankind. It was a city?”
"It was, although few know of it's existence today. It was in an area east of here, a city which was, for a time, known as a jewel not seen since Rome. It was also home to an Eternal Serpent, as well as Odin himself."
"But that doesn't make sense," Myka said, shaking her head. "If it was a real city, why aren't there any records of it's existence?"
"Because of Ragnarok. The apocalypse. And the Warehouse. Six of the Regents of Warehouse 8, led by Berthilde Blomgrens, decided that this knowledge should be kept by themselves. Not the Warehouse, but just between them. Taking many artifacts and hiring a mercenary force, they went to Midgard to force the city - and the Tree - to give them the knowledge."
“First came Fimbulvinter, then, ‘An axe age, a sword age, a wind age, a wolf age’” Juan recited. “Yggdrasil quakes-probably the tree waking three powerful creatures in a last ditch effort to defend itself? Loki, Fenrir, and Jormungandr? That would make this Regents in particular the Jotuns...” Juan’s brain was working overtime as factoring in Ragnarok to an assault by the Regents made a staggering amount of sense.
(slight problem-Odin lived in Asgard, not Midgard. Asgard is a seperate city in and of itself)
“Which would make the field we were just in... Vigridr-the place where battle surges oh my Aesir we were walking over the bones of the gods.” Juan’s jaw dropped.
(Ah. I'll cross that line out, then.)
"It was, in a way, successful in its defense. All six of the Regents were killed...by the first Caretaker of Warehouse 8, Till Dreidel."
(Interesting fact, Till is a German name that means "Trickster"! Heh, that was more coincidental, though - I used a random name generator.)
"The Caretaker... killed Regents?" Myka asked, shocked.
Mrs. Frederic nodded. "Till had visions of a tree engulfed in flames - not so different from yours, Juan. But by the time he arrived, the Tree had already suffered massive damage from the siege. In an attempt to save it, and as punishment for their actions, he killed all of the Regents who were a part of this. Unfortunately, the city was decimated, and the Tree did not survive. However, just before it died, the Tree thanked the him by gifting him a piece of itself, as well as a seed. Since that time, only the Caretaker - and only a select few Warehouse Agents - have been made aware of their existence. And this knowledge shall never reach the Regents again."
“Then the Jotnar march on Asgard from Niflhiem, Muspelhiem, and Jotunhiem, and meet the gods in combat...” Juan remarked. “Whatever that means in actuality.”
"There were mercenaries who survived the destruction of Midgard," Mrs. Frederic explained. "They made an attempt to discover the other lands, believing them to also be cities that housed a World Tree. However, Midgard was the only such city. As such, there was little need for concern regarding the safety of the other trees, for they were long ago destroyed."
"So, what happened to the seed that Till was given?" Megan asked. "Is it in the Warehouse?"
"No. That seed was planted. Till removed all signs of the existence of Midgard, then planted the Tree further away, so as to not be found again. The Tree you are attempting to save now is the seed from back then."
"So, the Midgard Tree...was it this one? Or I should say, is the new Midgard Tree this one?" Myka asked.
"No. The original Midgard Tree was in Greenland. This Tree is the Asgardian one, and could very likely be the first World Tree."
(I’m just gonna imagine they’re all now sitting at an cafe outdoors)
Juan nodded and touched the stick he had brought along. “This is still incredible...” he muttered aloud. “We were walking in the footsteps of the Aesir.”
"Unfortunately, I don't think we're succeeding very well," Megan said, stroking her chin. "Unless Asgard gets destroyed in the end, in which case we're right on track."
“If this is after Ragnarok then yeah, Asgard’s totally abandoned with most of the gods dead,” Juan replied. “So our main issue is the tree rat... is there an artifact that can scare ‘em off, kill ‘em off or just trap them all?”
"I wish we could contact Artie," Megan sighed. "He knows everything about artifacts."
Mrs. Frederic cocked an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting my knowledge is less than Mr. Nielsen's?"
Megan realized her mistake, waving her hands as her face turned red. "No, no, not at all! I just...haven't really seen you much, and Artie seems to know everything, and...I'M SORRY!"
"Arthur has extensive knowledge of the Warehouse and it's contents, it is true," Mrs. Frederic agreed. "But as the Caretaker, I know just a little bit more, even if I don't need to show it."
"So, you know what to use?" Myka asked.
"I will return in two hours with an artifact. You may meet me where we met initially. Until then, steel yourself for the next battle."
“Understood.” Juan calmly wound theTimekeeper’s Burden-more out of a way to keep his hands busy.
"Sooooooo..." Megan said, smirking. "Since we have a few hours, why don't we go check out that city they uncovered a few decades ago?"
"You mean the ancient Viking city that some claim might be the real-life Asgard?" Myka asked.
"Yeah! It probably isn't the actual Asgard, of course, but it's only fifteen minutes away from here! And it's pretty cool, regardless!" Her eyes were bright with excitement.
(Am I missing text here? There's a weird gap here.)
"Awesome!" Megan said, running to the car. "I CALL SHOTGUN!"
Myka rolled her eyes as they got into the car.
==Chapter 3: Asgard and the Hunter==
A short time later, they were walking around the site.
As Juan passed through the gate of the site, his eyes were drawn to a figure standing nearby. He paused to look again, not believing what he was seeing. Shimmering with a red aura, they appeared extremely pale to the point of albinism. Their hands rested on a large axe as they stared out into the distance, but what caught Juan’s attention the most was the large war-horn at the figure’s waist. “H-Hiemdall?” Juan asked softly. “It can’t be...”
Juan approached cautiously, staring up at the man. Stretching his hand forward and watching it pass through the figure, Juan confirmed his theory: This wasn’t Hiemdall the Vigilant... at least, not anymore. Juan pulled his hand back and looked back up into the figure’s face solemnly.
"Ummmmm...Juan?" Megan asked after noticing him staring into space, waving his hand in front of himself. "Is everything okay? What are you waving at?"
“Hmm?” Juan blinked and looked at Megan. “Oh-sorry, that happens, especially around... important places. I saw... Hiemdall-the warchman of the Aesir... or what WAS Hiemdall centuries ago.” Juan sighed and looked back at the red-tinged specter for a moment.
"You can see...ghosts?" Megan asked, confused.
"I think he means images of the past," Myka suggested. "People who were important to certain places. Like seeing George Washington at Valley Forge, for example."
“Yeah! It’s like an echo that a moment leaves behind. Right now, I see Hiemdall on watch duty, always keeping his eye on the horizon for danger,” Juan explained, before leading the way into the city proper. “I guess that means that the rumors of this place being Asgard are true!”
"I guess that explains why the place is destroyed," Megan said, staring at the bridge before following Juan. "But then again, it almost looks as though there was some sort of battle here."
"It could have been anything," Myka said. "If Midgard was destroyed, then it's possible those mercenaries just continued on, destroying anything that they thought had a connection to the Tree."
“Ragnarok affected more than just mortals-it was a war for the gods as well,” Juan replied. As he walked, he pointed out visions he saw. “Odin and Frigg, making a bet on some king.” The echoes of a man with an eyepatch and a raven on his shoulder conversing with a woman. “Loki messing with Thor,” A red-headed strong-looking man and and a more slender man chasing each-other. Eventually, Juan stopped at a large burned out building. Juan’s eyes could see the faint lines of the structure as it was in its prime. “If I had to guess, this was the main hall,” he commented, before stepping inside.
Juan walked past the ghosts of countless Einherjar as they laughed and feasted and sparred, his eyes on the throne. Upon reaching the dias, the warrior echoes vanished from his sight, and on the throne sat a much older-looking Odin, decked out in ornate armor.
The one-eyed man stared directly at Juan, looking tired. "Who are you supposed to be?" Odin asked. "You wear strange clothes..." 
Juan blinked. “You can see me?”
"Of course," Odin said, a sparkle entering his tired eye. "You seem rather faded...so that means you're probably a mystic person yourself. One who has discovered the hidden power of some objects, yes?"
"Uhhhhhhh...Juan?" Megan asked, seeing nothing but the burned building they were in. "Care to fill us in on who you're talking to?"
“Odin. I’m talking to Odin,” Juan answered, before taking a knee before the throne. “He left an echo just for me.”
Looking back at Odin, Juan nodded. “Yes, I know of the hidden powers.”
"Interesting..." he mused. "But you are clearly not here to kill me. Not like the others. So tell me, why are you here?" 
(I'm not entirely sure where...ahem WHEN this is happening, so I'm placing it a little after the destruction of the city, just after the opposing enemy has left. Just so you know where I'm thinking.)
(a little bit before Odin leaves to fight in the god half of Ragnarok. He SAYS he’s talking with Mimir’s head for a bit of last minute advice)
“The Yggdrasil. Ratatoskr is killing it.”
"Yggdrasil, you say?" Odin pondered. "Hmmmmm...that didn't seem to be a problem when I was there. But perhaps you know something I do not. And perhaps you also lack something you need?"
“I need to find something that will stop Ratatoskr. I thought one of your ravens could help?”
"One of my ravens? So, you seek information. Hmmmmm..." He closed his eye for a moment, seeming in deep thought, before finally opening it and smiling lightly. "Alright. Though I will only leave you one of my two, upon my leaving. You may retrieve it at your leisure.from beneath my throne. Remove the stone, and you will find a Brooch shaped like a raven. As a user of the hidden powers, I'm sure you will be able to figure out how to use it."
“Thank you.”
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a fight to get to." With that, Odin stood up and stroked one of the Raven pendants on him three times. With that, the Raven came to life and flew off. Turning around, he removed a stone from beneath the throne and placed the other pendant inside. As he walked past Juan, he stopped for a moment. "I wish you luck in your coming battle. Should I find a way, there will be one other thing waiting for you in the compartment."
With that the echo faded back into history. Juan slowly stood up and approached the throne.
“He said there’s something in here,” Juan commented aloud, opening the compartment and reaching inside.
"A secret compartment...?" Megan asked, completely confused.
"I doubt anything would still be there, Juan," Myka said as he felt around. "This site has been here for a couple decades. Surely they would have discovered this compartment and removed anything in there."
Juan reached inside and pulled out a raven amulet. “Odin’s the god of Wisdom and magic for a reason, Myka,” he commented, before pulling something else out: a sharp spearhead that shimmered in the sunlight, engraved with a vegviser runic wheel. “The head of Gungnir... wow...”
"How's a spearhead supposed to help?" Megan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do we even know what it does?"
"As long as it doesn't affect us, it's still a spearhead," Myka noted. "If we put it on a stick, then it will still work as a weapon."
“As far as I can tell, Gungnir lost its own power when Odin died,” Juan explained. “But I wonder if...” Juan picked up his walking stick and attached the spearhead to it. The runic wheel responded with a dull flicker of red light, which didn’t escape Juan’s attention. “I wonder...” He lifted the spear and slammed the butt into the ground. In an instant, ghostly red flames spread outward. In their wake, the grand hall seemed to age and burn backwards until it looked like new. 
\\
"Woah!" Megan exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked around. "This is incredible! It looks like new!"
"Did the area just go back in time?" Myka asked Juan. "Or has the area been restored to it's prime condition?"
“A little of both,” Juan answered, self-pride in his voice. He released a breath and the effect faded away. “We can... play with the ramifications of that later. For now... we’ve got an artifact to find. Ladies...” Juan held up the raven amulet. “Meet Muninn-Memory.”
"Muin-Memory?" Megan asked, tilting her head. "Wait, what artifact are we finding? Aren't these two artifacts?"
"Perhaps there's something else to find here?" Myka asked. "Did Odin leave you something else?"
“Just the spearhead and this one of the ravens,” Juan answered. Maybe the Warehouse has the other?”
"So this is where the other half of the Raven has been hiding?" a voice spoke behind them. "I'm glad I brought it's companion, then."
Juan flinched at the sudden voice. “One of these days, I’m gonna figure out how you do that..” he commented. “But yeah...” Juan held up his Raven amulet.
"Seriously, can you wear a bell or something?" Megan asked.
"I thought you were meeting us at the Tree?" Myka asked.
"I was, until this Amulet starting acting up. I thought it may have found it's partner, and sure enough, it has. And now we can use them to gather the information we need."
"What information?" Myka asked as Mrs. Frederic took the Raven amulet from Juan and placed it together with hers.
"An artifact which might be in the area that could help us... Orion's Club."
"But why do you think it would be in the area?" Megan asked.
"The last time it appeared was in this area of the world, in 1864. It's possible that it could still be in the area. These Ravens can help us determine that."
Juan took the second raven and sat down on the throne. He took a deep breath and focused, closing his eyes for a moment. The amulets flickered, and the illusion of a pair of ravens manifested on Juan’s shoulders, croaking. When Juan opened his eyes again, he didn’t see the three people in front of him. Instead, Juan saw stars. In front of Juan hovered the Orion constellation, clearer and brighter than he’d ever seen it. He saw flickers of the great Hunter and Artemis the divine Huntress. He saw Orion stung by the monster that would become the Scorpio sign, and his club falling to the ground as his body became starlight. 
"What do you see, Juan?" Megan asked. "Anything?"
"This will not be a fast process, Megan," Mrs. Frederic said. "It might go faster now that both artifacts are together, but it will still take time. He must traverse much knowledge and time to find what he wishes to know."
"But...what about the Tree?" Myka asked. "Do we really have the time to wait?"
"I placed Edward Abbey's Wrench on the ground near the Tree. It should be fine, at least for the moment."
“I see Orion... the great hunter’s final moments...” Juan muttered.
As the club fell, so to did Juan. He could see...a lot. The Club's use, it's effects, how it was lost and rediscovered and travelled to many places over the centuries. It was fascinating, until finally it seemed to be near the end, if Mrs. Frederic was correct, as things began to look more modern. A woman held the club, taking it hunting across Africa, then heading into Europe. The woman continued to travel north, hunting many animals, until she ended up at a broken bridge, with a bear behind her. Trying her best, she was unable to stop it as it landed a bit, plunging them both to the valley below. The club fell from the woman's grip on impact, falling further down before landing with a splash below.
Juan gasped as he came out of his trance, the ravens slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor. “Under the bridge... the club is under the bridge!” he shouted. Juan made to stand up but immediately sat back down. “Whoa, dizzy...”
"A side effect of the Ravens," Mrs. Frederic explained. "Stay seated for awhile; you've been experiencing visions for over an hour."
"I'll go look for the Club!" Megan said, standing up and running towards it.
Myka sighed. "If you're going to stay here with him, Mrs. Frederic, I'll go help Megan." Seeing her nod, Myka walked after Megan.
Mrs. Frederic looked back at Juan. "How do you feel? You must have been experiencing a long history."
“Odin did that every day? How on earth did he handle that?” Juan asked.
"Some people can get used to the downsides of artifacts if they use them often enough," Mrs. Frederic explained. "It's not nearly as common as it used to be since we can track most artifacts immediately, but in the past some people adapted to the downsides so they could continue using the artifact. My guess is that Odin is one of those people."
“Maybe this is why he took out his eye,” Juan commented. He reached for and grabbed his staff/spear, using it to help him stand up
"If you're doing better, let's make our way to the bridge," she said. "Once Megan and Myka have found the Club, we'll get going."
“I’m good to go.” Juan began walking out.
The pair walked to the old bridge and looked down, seeing Megan and Myka down far below, looking around. After several minutes... "I think I found it!" Myka shouted, digging beneath some stones. Megan came over to help, and the two dug out an old club made of bronze. With surprisingly little effort for it's size, Myka managed to lift it up.
"It must be able to adapt it's weight," she commented as she held it. "I don't feel any stronger."
Juan approached, looking a little tired. “You guys find it?” he called out.
"I do believe this is it," Myka said as she reached the top. "It's far too light for it's size."
"Then it likely is the correct object," Mrs. Frederic mused. "Juan, does it match the appearance of the Club from your vision?"
“Yep, that’s it.”
"Then that means we can head over to the Tree, right?" Megan asked, popping up from the side.
"That is correct," Mrs. Frederic nodded. "I will meet you guys there."
"You could come with us, you know," Myka said. "If you're just going to meet us there."
"I haven't been in a car for many years," she answered. "So, I will decline. Besides, I have one other thing to do before I meet you there."
“Alright then...” Juan cracked his neck as he pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. “Let’s go turn the Sly messenger into a fur hat!” With that he slipped the glasses on.
==Chapter 4: Second Assault==
One car ride later... The three met Mrs. Frederic in the same area as before. Myka chose to wield the club, based on her weapons training that the others didn't have. They approached cautiously, hiding behind nearby trees to observe. Ratatoskr was still near the top, while several squirrels ate at the Tree. They could see a wrench on the ground, glowing softly as it kept the Tree from getting damaged further.
"Okay..." Myka said as she looked on. "Looking at it now, this place is a bloodbath waiting to happen. Remind me how we didn't die the first time?"
"Luck and magic, basically," Megan answered. "We need a strategy. The Club can take out Ratatoskr, but we have to force it down or find a way up. And if we insult it too much, we'll probably be overwhelmed by squirrel reinforcements like last time."
Juan said nothing, clutching the spear nervously.
"Okay," Myka said confidently. "Megan, do you have a transformation 
that can create barriers?"
"I could use Cannonbolt," she answered. "That
 creates a barrier if I run, and if I curl up."
"
Okay, you'll be the 
first attacker, then. Run in there and knock as many of the squirrels 
from the base of the Tree as you can. Juan, you can use the watch to 
slow time once I get to the base and keep it secure with the spear. 
Then, I'll work on climbing the Tree with the grappling hook Mrs. 
Frederic brought, and hopefully I can reach Ratatoskr and kill it before
 time runs out. Does that sound good to you guys?"
Megan nodded.
"That 
sounds good to me." 
Juan pulled out the watch and rubbed his thumb across the lid. In his
 mind, he could feel the mild fear of the power inside it, the same 
power that had been bound to his blood. Can I really do this? he 
thought. This is Time I’m messing with. The Aspect of Destruction... 
"Alright, let's do this!" Megan says excited, selecting and 
transforming into Cannonbolt. Running down from their perch, the 
momentum built up, and she plowed through the squirrels at the base of 
the Tree, running around it.
"Alright, let's go!" Myka told Juan, as she
 ran down to join the fight, using the Ring to begin clearing the Tree 
trunk.
Juan exhaled and cleched the watch. “STOP.” And in an instant, the squirrels froze as though air had become molasses. 
"Okay, perfect!" Myka said, smiling. Scanning the Tree, she spotted 
Ratatoskr near the top. "Gotcha!" Raising the grappling hook, it only 
let her hook a branch partway up, and she began climbing.
"Finally, 
we're going to win!" Megan sighed with relief as she looked up at Myka. 
"We make a great team!" 
“Meg, do me a favor and knock on wood real quick?” Juan called out. “Last thing we need is a jinx!”
"Oh, don't be such a worry wart," she replied, smiling as she knocked on the base of the Tree.
Juan swung the spear into the squirrels as he approached the tree. “I see him!” With his spear, he pointed 
up into the branches, where Ratatoskr sat staring down at them.
"I think I like him better this way," Megan remarked. "Now we can call him a dumb rat without having to worry about him sending others to attack us!"
The squirrel gave what could be best described as a flat look before scurrying down at a frightening speed.
"Juan!" Myka shouted as she swung out of the way. "I thought you 
slowed the time in this area!" Much to her sudden dismay, Ratatoskr 
wasn't aiming for her; instead, it reached the cord on the grappling 
hook, snapping it in one bite.
"I've got you!" Megan shouted, running 
underneath her. She did her best to catch her, though they both yelped 
in pain. As more squirrels approached, Megan curled up in a fetal 
position, creating a barrier around herself and Myka.
“I DID,” Juan snapped back.
"Just how fast is that rat bastard?!" Megan growled, anger filling her voice. "I wish I brought an artifact to just explode that furskin off the face of the Earth!"
Myka sighed. "You've been watching far too much anime lately."
"I have not!" she snapped from below. "I've been watching the perfect amount!" 
Juan snarled and pointed his spear. He inhaled and breathed out slowly. “Odin grant me wisdom and strength. I serve at your side as a loyal follower.” Energy gathered at the spear’s tip, the slowing effect being drawn into a sphere of power. “I cast your enemies from the great World Tree... and plunge them into the abyss!"
There was a SOUND, like that of a war horn and the roar of some incomprehensible beast, as a blast of power shot forward and slammed into the Ratatoskr’s face.
"What just happened?!" Megan shouted, unable to see much from her 
position.
"It looks like...Juan blasted Ratatoskr with...a time blast," 
Myka said, looking on. A crack appeared on Ratatoskr's tooth, and it 
chipped and fell to the ground. The large rat shouted a "YARK" in 
surprise.
Juan fell to his knees, panting. “Roar...of...Time...ardilla estúpida,” he said. (Translation: Stupid squirrell) 
"Did we kill it?" Megan asked. They all looked on, but it seemed 
Ratatoskr was more irritated than not.
"I wish it did," Myka said, 
disbelief on her face. "But it does have a nice, chipped tooth now."
Megan poked her head up from her shell. "Juan, watch out!" Ratatoskr 
eyed Juan with a terrifying glare and was readying to launch itself 
towards him, as Megan ran towards him to try and reach him.
"Oh no!"
As the Omnitrix began beeping for its timeout, Megan continued running. At the last beep, she shoved Juan towards the Tree as Ratatoskr slammed into her, sending her flying at the time out and rolling across the bodies. She let out a cry of pain on impact.
Juan’s back collided with the trunk as he let out a gasp. In an 
instant, an image filled his head: A length of rope stretching out and 
growing ever-longer. Then, the rope looped back on itself, before 
continuing onward.
“Of course... I got an idea!”
Juan slammed the spear 
into the ground, amber-crimson-dark red energy manifesting. The universe
 seemed to flicker, one of its most common laws twisting in on itself.
The next instant, Juan was being pulled to his feet...by another Juan, 
who bore a somewhat proud smile. “Took ya long enough.”
“Callate boca, 
never done this before!”
“Basic Time Player Skill, and it takes you 
years.”
“Who do I look like, Dave?” The first Juan snapped back. “Now 
SHUT UP and FIGHT.”
"What...?" Myka asked, unsure of what she was seeing. "Are there two 
of you?!"
As she stared, Ratatoskr lunged at Megan. The Omnitrix beeped 
loudly as it sensed the danger, switching to green and popping up. She slammed the dial down 
without looking, and her legs merged together as she began to levitate a couple inches. Closing her eyes tight, her body seemed to become translucent. The giant rodent flew through her with its teeth open, then
 stopped on the other side, confused as to what just happened.
“Hi, I’m Juan from the future,” the second Juan replied. He then proceeded to slam the spear down on Ratatoskr’s head.
"T-thanks for that..." Megan said, her voice raspy from the 
transformation. "I've never had to use the emergency transformation 
before."
Ratatoskr yarked weakly, though it wasn't able to move. The 
squirrels around them stopped attacking, looking from Juan to Ratatoskr.
 They seemed to be waiting.
The second Juan said nothing, simply looking at the first Juan, who 
now pointed his spear at the squirrel, the tip already swirling with 
distortive ripples of power.
“Your time’s done, tree rat,” Juan said 
coldly. “Get lost, I better not see you around here again.”
"Ya..." it answered weakly. It made an attempt towards Juan, but the 
light faded from it's eyes, until it collapsed. Only the distorted 
ripples could be seen in the reflection in its now-dead eyes.
"Did 
we...?" Megan rasped.
"Is it over?" Myka echoed the sentiment. Around 
them, the squirrels were spreading out, with none returning to 
Yggdrasil.
The two Juans relaxed.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEP. With the danger past, the Omnitrix timed out, losing its color and appearing like the toy it was.
"So, does that mean we now have two 
Juans?" Megan asked in her normal voice.
"No, I doubt it," Myka answered. "My guess is that 
one of them will have to disappear at some point in order to go back."
The first Juan looked to the second. “In about 25 minutes,” the 
second replied. “Give you time to catch your breath. In the meantime, I 
think Yggdrasil has something to show you.”
T
he first nodded, and walked
 to the tree, watching as sunlight streamed through its branches. Juan 
knelt before it, placing his spear on the ground in front of him. 
Standing back upright, Juan pressed his hands against the tree. 
Juan's vision filled with visions, running through the root system.
He saw glimpses of many locations around the world - a rainforest, a 
more isolated tree on the edge of a desert, even one inside of an 
inactive volcano! As brief as the visions were, they were complete and 
beautiful, as if embedded into his memory in beautiful panoramas. He 
even saw strange sites: a tree in what appeared to be an underground 
cave, with a large man whom he somehow knew was named Warden Zagreus 
praying before it, and a view of Aden flying above what had to be the 
Duat. Then, visions came that must have been from the past. Sights of 
wars fought across the world, long ago; some merely viewed, some 
occuring around the Tree. Areas deforested, or burned, or covered in ice
 and snow. Memories of Trees no longer alive spread throughout acrosss 
time revealing sights unseen by any present-day human: ice ages, heat 
waves, meteor strikes, dinosaurs, the Stone Age...... It was both 
overwhelming and yet not beyond comprehension, as they were merely 
images in time.
After what felt like eternity but was probably only seconds, Juan 
stumbled backwards away from the tree. “I... yo entiendo...” he 
muttered, awestruck. His face had an expression of reverence, like he 
hade made eye contact with a god who had smiled upon him in return. 
“Dios mio... is this what omniscience feels like?” Juan asked aloud.
"What did you see, Juan?" Megan asked.
"I think I know what he saw," a
 familiar voice answered, startling them for the billionth time, with the exception of the second Juan, who seemed to know it was coming. They 
all turned to see Mrs. Frederic walking towards then, a ring in her 
hand. "Although I would like to hear it myself."
"Wait, Mrs. Frederic," 
Myka asked, her eyes widening at the familiar artifact. "Isn't that-"
"All in good time, Myka," she answered quickly. "I believe we're all 
curious to hear Juan's vision."
“I saw...what I can only describe as the history of the plant 
kingdom...” Juan said after a moment of thought. “From the moment trees 
first evolved out of the Panthalassa...meteors striking, dinosaurs 
hunting...the ice and stone ages...” Juan plopped to the ground. “I saw
 the Duat, with a man I think was who we call Thoth writing in a book to
 Aden flying around in there...a cave with some guy I...somehow know 
was named Zagreus?”
“The current ruler of Hades,” Mrs. Frederic 
explained. “It does exist, as real as the Duat.”
Juan nodded. “I...I 
think I know how to time travel now. The reason I’ve been so scared of 
using my powers was because I didn’t understand HOW to without breaking 
some important thread, but now... I get it.” Juan chuckled. “I really 
get it!”
“That’s great! Cuz... it’s about time for you to head back,” the second Juan commented, checking his watch. 
As one Juan disappeared, Myka stood still, wrapping her mind around 
everything. "Sooooooo...you're telling me that these trees have been 
around since the beginning of...well, trees?"
"It's difficult to say 
whether they're simply retaining plant memories or whether they formed 
then," Mrs. Frederic explained. "And before you ask, yes, Hades does 
exist, although it has not had any direct connection to the Warehouse 
for millenia."
"But then how do you-"
"I know much about the world, 
Myka. There are some things that Warehouse Agents don't need to know 
until it becomes relevant to them. And right now, that knowledge is 
not."
Megan added on to Mrs. Frederic's words. "As Artie once said to me, 'Someday you will know all answers to 
all questions. But that day is not today'."
"Huh," Myka grunted, 
recognizing the words he had once said to her years ago.
"Anyway," Megan
 said, turning to Juan, "does that mean you have full control of your 
powers?!"
Juan, formerly the second Juan, nodded. “As close to full control as I can get,” he replied. “I’m on Aden’s level of power now. As we should be, seeing as we’re opposite Aspects. Him, a passive Space, and me, an active Time.” Juan paused and stared at his hand for a moment, as though seeing it for the first time. “Is this what he feels like, all the time? So much power...”
"Just don't go all power-hungry or crazy on us now!" Megan joked, smiling. "After what we've just gone through, I don't think I'd have an easy time fighting you!"
“All I’d have to do is put you on “pause” and fly away,” Juan replied with a matching smile. “But no, I’m not interested in fighting people with these. That would make everything boring.”
Even Mrs. Frederic broke a smile - well, a very small one. "I'm sure you're all exhausted and ready to go home. However, there's one more thing we have to do." As she held up the ring for them to see, Myka tilted her head in confusion.
"That's the Count of Saint Germain's Ring. But didn't Paracelsus ruin that by taking the stone out of it? How is it back to the way it was?
"It took time, but I convinced the Regents this was the safer option," Mrs. Frederic explained, saying she started the process years ago. "No one but those involved in the incident is aware of their connection, and in the future only the Caretaker and Regents will know. It adds a level of safety to the Stone that we can't normally have with artifacts without damaging them. And it restores another artifact back to its full power."
"So, it works normally?" Myka asked.
"You'll see. Juan, you have the ability to fly. Take this ring, and fly up to the top of Yggdrasil. Slide it onto one of the branches." Juan did as he was told, then drifted back as the ring sent pulses of energy into the tree.
"It's... actually working..." Megan said as she watched in awe.
It really is impressive watching it on a large scale like this," Myka agreed.
"It is quite a grand sight," Mrs. Frederic added. It took several minutes, but the sight was so beautiful as the Tree healed, they watched it in its entirety.
Juan kneeled respectfully at the tree’s base. “It’s beautiful...” he murmered.
As the healing process finished, Mrs. Frederic grabbed the Wrench from the ground and placed it back into a neutralizer bag. "I think it's safe to say that the Tree is safe," Mrs. Frederic nodded. "Excellent job, all three of you."
"This was fun!" Megan said happily. "We should do this more often!"
"I'm more concerned about what we'll say to Artie when we get back," Myka pondered.
"You'll tell him that you went on a personal request to locate Odin's Raven and Speartip, of course," Mrs. Frederic replied. "And none of you can mention Yggdrasil to anyone who doesn't already know."
“Understood. And along the way, we also located Orion’s Club?” "Correct," Mrs. Frederic nodded. "That one is the reason the mission took an extra few days to complete."
“Gotcha! But...” Juan looked at Yggdrasil. In his eyes he could see Odin kneeling on the ground, examining twigs that fallen from the tree into patterns. Patterns Juan recognized as being the Norse runes. “What are we going to do about the tree?”
"The Tree will be fine, as it has for millenia," she explained. "Any time it feels threatened, as it did with Ratatoskr, it will reach out with its network to find someone who can help. There won't likely be anything to worry about for a long time, well after we are all gone. However, Yggdrasil always offers two gifts to those who are successful in saving it. First, as you saw, the visions. And second, a part of itself to plant wherever you please." Juan held out a small seed, bearing the winged design typical of the ash tree.
"Sooooooo...I guess it's time to head back, then," Myka said.
"It's a shame we won't be able to talk about this with anyone," Megan said, slightly disappointed. "But at least we did a good job!"
“...” Juan stared at the seed for a moment, then looked up and around. Without a word, he raised his spear and slammed it down. As in Odin’s hall, a wave of power rushed outward.
==Chapter 5: Ragnarok==
"W-what's happening?!?!" Megan yelled as the area around them transformed into a battlefield.
"It's a vision?" Myka thought aloud. "No...it looks more like we're seeing it in person." She noticed Juan looking at two people in particular fighting. "Juan, what are we looking at? Do you know those guys?"
"We're watching Ragnarok, aren't we, Juan," Mrs. Frederic said. She wasn't asking, so much as confirming confidently.
“Yes.” Juan stared as a one-eyed man threw off his opponent then turned to stare at an oncoming wolf.
"So, this must be Odin's fight with Fenris," Myka said as she watched the wolf charge the man.
"Um...who exactly is Fenrir?" Megan asked, tilting her head as the man who had to be Odin fought the wolf.
"It looks like he's fighting an animal to me."
Juan pointed at the wolf. “That, is Fenrir,” he explained. “See how big he is?”
Odin blocked a bite with his spear, only for Fenrir to simply snap the shaft into pieces.  
"Things don't really look good for him!" Megan said, looking away.
"What were you expecting?" Myka asked, feeling a little squeamish as Fenris managed to get a bite on Odin's leg, who was still fighting back with one half of his spear. "Perhaps we can see some of the other fights? I wonder if Tyr and Surtr are fighting here as well?" 
“Go ahead.” Juan was unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of Odin. “But remember you can only observe.”
"Alright," Myka said before walking off. Megan and Mrs. Frederic went off on their own as well. As Myka walked, she eventually found whom she was looking for: a man wielding a sword that was on fire verses a man who only held an antler.
"You're not going to win without a sword, Freyr!" the man with the sword shouted.
"I don't need my sword to beat you, Surtr!" the other man retorted. With great skill, the two fought with a vengeance, Freyr not succumbing to the more powerful weapon. Even as he fought, he used the antler to kill several opponents around him who got too close. However, despite his skill, it remained an antler verses a sword. With great skill, Surtr disarmed Freyr before striking him down, flames engulfing his body and burning him alive.
The Vanir god barely had time to scream. 
Surtr huffed. “You fought well, Freyr,” he said, swinging the sword into a salute. 
Mrs. Frederic wandered the field, neatly side-stepping various fights around her until she came to see a one-handed man fighting against a ferocious-looking guard dog. The dog had a firm grip on his remaining hand. “Tyr and Garmr.”
Eventually, Tyr managed to slam his head hard into Garmr’s head, cracking the dog’s skull. However, in the process, Garmr managed to remove Tyr’s other hand, causing him to bleed out.
He turned to stare directly at Mrs. Frederic. 
“Valkyrie...” he muttered.
Mrs. Frederic’s eyes widened slightly, but she smiled and knelt. “Rest now, God of Valor,” she said soothingly. “Your fight is done.”
Tyr nodded and closed his eyes, exhaling for the final time.
Mrs. Frederic stood and began making her way back to Juan.
Megan stumbled around the field, looking for anything familiar. Unfortunately, nothing stood out to her; she wasn't very familiar with Norse mythology.
"'You're finished, Loki!"
"Loki?" she thought aloud. "Now that's a name I'm familiar with!"
As she made her way through the battle, she came across a man with a large axe hounding one who wielded two daggers.
"I'll kill you, Trickster!" the axe-wielder shouted, swinging his axe hard.
Loki, not to be killed so easily, deftly dodged. "And you think I won't kill you first, Hiemdall? You sound more confident than you should!"'
Hiemdall swung his axe, moving it as if it were as light as a stick. With their speed making them a blur, Megan found it hard to keep track. After several minutes, there was a decisive blow. As Loki launched himself behind Hiemdall, the man anticipated where his target was landing. With a perfectly timed swing, he cut into Loki's gut.
"Hahaha, that's it for you, Trickster!" Hiemdall laughed. "It looks like I won after all!"
Megan covered her eyes to avoid the gruesome sight, but she heard Loki laugh. What was so funny?
"I don't think so..." Loki answered, before being interrupted by coughing. "I think...you'll be dead before me."
"What are you talking about?" Hiemdall asked, confused.
"I have...one final trick..."
"...Your blades. Where are they...? Hahaha, a shoulder wound?! That's not nearly enough to kill me, Loki!"
"Of course not...but... where's my second knife?"
"Your second...knife...wait a..."
A thud reached Megan's ears. Cautiously, she dared to peek through her hand to see what had happened.
There lay Hiemdall, who had fallen face-first in front of Loki. The first knife was embedded in his right shoulder; the second, however, had found it's way through a crack into the armor and must have punctured his heart when he shifted.
"Ha...I told you...not to...be so confident..." Loki chuckled to himself. "I did indeed...kill you first..."
Megan retreated, unable to stand the sight any longer after glimpsing Loki's wounds, and worked to find her way back to the others.
Surtr stood upright, leaning on the fiery sword as blood dripped from a gash in his stomach. A man ran up to and kicked Fenrir off the bodyof Odin. In a quick motion, he pulled and twisted at the wolf’s neck until there was a wet-sounding SNAP! and Fenrir dropped.
“Vidarr, my son...” Odin said weakly. Vidarr knelt at Odin’s side. “You must take Gungnir’s head... and place it in the hollow of my throne... go now!” Vidarr nodded and snatched the spearhead before jogging away.
“It’s almost over,” Juan remarked.
(Elsa's Notes: It is highly recommended that the following this short instrumental be listened to as you read the following part in order to enjoy. Reading at a slower pace and visualizing the following events in your mind should allow the music to last until the end of the scene, as well as provide the full emotional experience. If you do not wish to possibly cry, read normally.)
“You may have me beaten, Freyr...” Surtr panted. “But if I’m.., going down... I’m taking... all of you...” 
He raised the sword up, it’s point aimed at the ground. “... WITH ME!”
With that, Surtr plunged the sword into the earth. 
“And Surtr shall raze the land and set it ablaze,” Juan recited.
At the point of impact, flames formed. They were small at first, as if the flames were resistent to the idea their owner had in mind. But their hesitation didn't last for but a moment; the flames began to grow with a furvor, quickly enveloping Surtr and those around him.
As the flames continued to grow, jumping from soldier to soldier as if gaining an appetite for them, the fighters closest to the flames began to realize that something had happened, as the screams of their fellow soldiers reached their ears.
The flames were actively attacking everyone. Friend, foe...there were no distinctions for the fire. The flames began to grow taller, and more and more soldiers were screaming.
Fear was increasing rapidly, as the growing screams finally reached every corner of the battlefield. As everyone realized the flames were growing, sheer panic overtook everyone.
The primal terror was palpable even to the temporal visitors. There was no more fighting; the only screams were of the dying and the panick-strikken flock, a terrifyingly deafening roar overwhelmed the roar of the flames. One by one, as steady as a raging river, the flames engulfed everything and everyone. It didn't care about anything but destruction.
Juan was engulfed by the flames first, followed by Mrs. Frederic, Myka, and lastly Megan. Despite being unable to feel the flames, it was still a very unpleasant experience. With roars of flames and dying soldiers surrounding them, they worked to try to reach the end.
Megan got out first, having been closest to the edge. She could see that the flames had stopped growing wider, and that the number of soldiers who had managed to escape without injury were few in number. Many who did manage to escape suffered severe burns.
As Myka got out, she saw that the divisions between the soldiers had fallen. No longer were they at war. Now, they were merely fellow humans experiencing a single tragedy.
As Mrs. Frederic calmly walked out, she could see artifacts forming in the moment. The terror of the event created several, some that she recognized. Even so, it was a terrible feeling, seeing the tragedy unfold.
Juan walked out, tears visible in his eyes, and looked around. The event any Norse pagan had nightmares about, and here he was at the epicenter.
Spotting so ething, he pointed. “Mrs. Frederic... look.”
Off in the distance stood two people, a man and a woman. Between them sat a chest of ancient Greek design. Nodding once, the pair opened the chest, releasing a deluge of water that flooded the region.
"Who is that?" Megan asked as she approached, wiping the tears away.
"That must be Bernhardt Rosenhain, the Caretaker of Warehouse 8."
"But didn't you say that Till Dreidel was the Caretaker of that Warehouse?" Myka asked upon approaching. Although she wasn't actively crying, it was clear she had been as well.
"Dreidel was the first Caretaker," Mrs. Frederic explained. "He died in an accident in the Warehouse, and Bernhardt took over."
As the four looked on, they watched as the water quenched the thirst of the flames, and it seemed to gradually wash the fear from the soldiers. As the water retreated, two bodies stood up. A man and woman, formerly enemies, limped their way through the charred bodies. The soldiers were shocked, both by the survival of the two and the comradere they were sharing. A few soldiers rushed out to help as the pair got closer.
"Sooooooo...did he know what had happened with the Regents?" Megan asked.
"Most likely. He was the same as Claudia; in the process of being trained."
They watched as Bernhardt and the woman next to him walked onto the field, searching. The sword that caused all of the destruction was collected, still stuck in the ground. No one seemed to notice them as they collected it.
"Then the young woman next to him is...?"
"Hilde Greenbergg, a Warehouse Supervisor - though at this time, she's likely just an Agent. If recollection serves, she was one of the most successful supervisors in a great many years in terms of field work, and rivals Artie in longevity."
“The earth sinks into the sea, and all goes dark,” Juan continued reciting as the last light of the setting sun vanished. “Soon, Sol’s daughter will take up her chariot, as the surviving Aesir meet to discuss what should become of Asgard’s remains, among them, a set of gold game pieces they once played with. My guess, they hide them away or give them to the Warehouse.” Silently, Juan thumped the spear on the ground again, and time accelerated slightly.
Stars whirled overhead, some blocked out by a new moon, until dawn broke and the surviving soldiers wandered onto the field to collect what artifacts remained.
“And thus, the twilight of the gods comes to an end, and with it, the age of the Aesir.” Juan sighed sadly.
"This was... incredible," Megan said, awe on her face. "Terrifying...but incredible."
"That was much more terrifying than I could have ever imagined," Myka agreed.
"Indeed, it was a spectacular showing," Mrs. Frederic agreed.
Juan didn’t answer. Instead he ended the time travel, returning the group to an empty field covered in grass, and dominated by the immense ash tree of Yggdrasil. Silently Juan walked over to where, centuries in the past but not many, Odin had taken his final breath, and knelt in reverence, head bowed.
After a moment of silence, Juan stood back up and turned around, wiping tears away. “Let’s go home. Too many memories here. Never like battlefields, and now I know why.”
"I doubt I'll be forgetting that anytime soon, either," Megan agreed. Myka nodded.
"I guess we're going to head out, then," Myka said.
"Then I will meet you back at the Warehouse," Mrs. Frederic said.
==Chapter 6: Aftermath==
One day later...
"Why am I the one who has to fill out all of that paperwork?" Megan groaned as the three walked through the Warehouse on their way to the Origin Circle.
"Well, you are the most creative person here," Myka said, trying to cheer her up. "So if anyone can write up a convincing collection story that didn't happen, it'd be you."
"I suppose..." she sighed. "At least there's not too much that's off limits, per say."
“All we have to do is not mention the giant ash tree or the army of squirrels,” Juan commented idly, now in a much better mood. Soon after arriving back at the manor, Juan had buried the seed he had been given, and applied just a touch of time manipulation for it to take root.
As they walked into the Origin Circle, a skeleton in a grass skirt approached.
"Hey, Old Bone!" Megan said, smiling. "How are you doing?"
(Per's Note: "[text]" = Spoken in Spanish)
“Oh my Thor-[where do you keep FINDING THOSE?!]” Juan asked, shocked at the odd-looking skeleton's attire.
"[Why does everyone seem so surprised?]" Old Bone asked.
"[I guess we're just confused as to why you are wearing it. You didn't wear much before,]" Myka said.
"I really wish I knew Spanish..." Megan sighed.
“[Because you keep GETTING MORE and you don’t seem to get that we don’t want to see... below your belt!]” Juan snapped. “[Please, go change!]”
"Ugh, [fiiiiiiine. I'll go change, but only while you're here.]" With that, Old Bone wandered away.
"Sooooooo... where's he going?" Megan asked, unaware of the conversation's details.
"Long conversation short, he's going to go change," Myka answered.
Juan shuddered. “Where is he getting those stupid skirts?” he mumbled to himself.
=
"That's...a good question, actually," Megan thought aloud. "I swear Aden burns them constantly. Artie even had to warn him about the size of the fire once because he burned a large closet of them."
"I remember that," Myka nodded, smirking. "Artie was in a bad mood trying to figure out how a fire had started without there being an artifact disturbance for twenty minutes before Aden walked in and admitted it without realizing that he probably shouldn't have said anything."
Juan strolled down the Hellenistic Aisle, stopping by Orion’s club.
"Ah, Orion's Club. That was a pain to get, wasn't it?" Megan said, recalling the struggle to get it.
"And in the end, we didn't even need it," Myka added. "Odin's Spear did all the work for us. And his Ravens."
“Yeah, it did. But at least we got it now. And we know why there’s so few Norse artifacts in here...”
"That's true," Myka said. "There were probably a lot that were destroyed during Ragnarok."
Just then, Myka's Farnsworth buzzed. Artie spoke before they could even speak. "Myka, you and Megan need to head to Wilson-37C. There's a disturbance in the aisle. Meet Claudia there, okay?"
"We're on our way," Myka answered.
As they turned to go, Megan stopped. "You coming, Juan?"
“You go on ahead,” Juan answered. “I’m gonna go check on the Norse aisle.”
"Okay, have fun!" she said, smiling. "Let's do this again sometime!"
Then she turned, running after Myka, leaving Juan alone in the aisle...
"I haven't had that much excitement since Mr. Frederic was around," came a familiar voice from behind, which held a surprisingly soft tone to it. "This is probably the best final adventure I could have asked for."
Juan prided himself on NOT flinching this time as Mrs. Frederic appeared behind him, instead removing and slipping his hand into one of Thor’s gloves. “Final adventure?” he asked.
"Yes. Claudia will be taking over very soon, and I will be retiring from the Warehouse." She smiled, her eyes showing a warmth rarely shown. "That was my final outing for a mission. And what a mission it turned out to be."
“Can’t argue with that. Finding Asgard itself... that’s a dream come true.” Juan smiled to himself, even as he felt the Iron-Gripper’s power in his hand. “This must be how Aden felt in Duat,” he added.
"And I must admit, it was a strange feeling, being called Valkyrie," she added. "It was surprising, but pleasant."
“I was wondering about that actually,” Juan admitted. “He shouldn’t have been able to see you - my powers aren’t that strong!”
"That is true," she agreed. "It's not a power of a Caretaker, either. And yet, it happened. I admit, even spending over a century in endless wonder never removes all of the surprise of what can happen."
“Maybe the Yggdrasil had something to do with it,” Juan offered. “But there’s nobody alive who can say. No Odin, no Thoth, no Athena...” He sighed. “Such a shame that not even the Warehouse, great as this place is, can be truly trusted with it. Knowledge is power, and power corrupts, as they say.”
"Just as no country or government is perfect, neither is the Warehouse," she said. "People are the most unpredictable factor in any group. Even if you have ninety-nine good employees, it only takes one bad one to bring the whole thing down. As Yggdrasil has shown, the fewer people who know of it, the safer it is. It's immense power could certainly have caused Tyr to see me in his final moments, perhaps as a gift to him. We will likely never know."
She walked down the aisle, motioning Juan to follow. "Speaking of a gift...did you decide what to do with the seed you were given?"
“I planted it at the Manor,” Juan replied, removing the gauntlet at trailing behind the Caretaker. “Eva says it should sprout sometime tomorrow.”
"That will be a safe place for it," she mused as she walked. "I feel assured that nothing will happen to it there. And I assume that you didn't tell anyone about the tree's true origins?"
“Eva knows it’s special, from her connection to Life, but if she knows the truth, she won’t tell.”
"Good, good. I'll leave the decision of whether to tell her, or anyone else, to you. You have sound judgement, and I know that you will continue to do great things with your powers."
After several minutes of walking, they arrived in an aisle that seemed to have some sort of plant theme. Moving down the aisle, she stopped in front of a small box, opening it and putting the Count of Saint Germain's Ring inside. 
ElsaRules!!!08/23/2020
(Gentle reminding boop)
experimentalDeity08/23/2020
(I uh... don’t know what to do with that. Juan’s just kinda... standing there, looking around)
ElsaRules!!!08/23/2020
(Yeah... I'm actually not sure precisely where to make the final transition...)
experimentalDeity08/23/2020
(Wave Juan off and we can do a time skip)
(Also, I had a slightly better idea for the spearhead: Odin and Thor make Juan’s spear themselves, which has the bonus making it far more... in tune with him, rather than it being a chunk of Gungnir. That in turn helps the Aesir artifacts we have calm down a little with Odin’s presence)
ElsaRules!!!08/23/2020
(Hmmmmm... that's a pretty good idea! We could do that in the post edit.)
"Now that that is settled, I'm going to see how Claudia is doing. You're welcome to join, but I'll leave that choice to you." With that, she began to walk in the direction of a faint bang.
Juan declined the offer, instead choosing to head home.
==Epilogue==
One Week Later...
“Juan... Juan wake up!” Juan opened his eyes to see Eva shaking him awake. “It’s sprouting!”
“Wha...”
“The tree, it’s sprouting!” Eva pointed out the window. In a flash, Juan dashed up to look out into the courtward. “See?”
The two wasted no more time, rushing outside to the small mound of soil.
A small tree had sprouted, though it was already past it's initial poking through the soil. Already several inches tall with three leaves, it had a light sparkle to it. It seemed eager to grow into a proper tree despite it's youth.
Juan knelt next to, gingerly reaching out to lightly brush the fresh growth.
It seemed to grow just by the touch, sprouting up another inch. An extra sparkle flashed.
“What exactly IS this tree?” Eva asked, kneeling.
“Can’t tell you.”
Seeming to react to her presence near, the sprout grew another two inches. It seemed to sparkle even brighter, shimmering in multiple colors as if a prism was shining on it.
“Oh wow!”
“This tree... Juan, this the Yggdrasil, isn’t it!”
“Not exactly... more like its child.”
“Oh my god...”
With another shimmer, more leaves began to appear as the tree continued it's steady growth up.
Juan gently took Eva’s hand, and brought it into contact with the sapling.
With a light flash on the contact, the Tree offered glimpses of its interconnected web around the world, both past and present. It only took a few seconds, but it was a lot to take in.
“Oh my god...”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too...” Juan put a hand on her shoulder.
As the Tree reached ten inches, the shimmering stopped. It seemed that it's initial growth spurt had finished, at least for the time being. However, it seemed to still radiate energy for the two people before it.
Juan stood up and bowed his head. Nobody knew when exactly, the first World Tree sprouted, all those ages ago. And Juan didn’t want to find out.
“Who knows what this young sapling will add to the World Tree’s knowledge,” he commented idly. “Maybe someday we’ll find out.”
Later that night, Juan had one final dream. Standing at the base of the Yggdrasil were three woman. One young, one old, and one in between.
“You have saved the Tree of Knowledge, Mage,” the young woman said.
“And brought it’s child into the light,” continued the elder.
“And for this, we thank you,” the middle-aged one finished. 
“You have earned your place in paradise. Rest well.” They all said at once, before the dream faded.
Category:Juan Horado
Category:Megan Wilcoxson
Category:Myka Bering
Category:ElsaRules!!!
Category:Per Ankh