<span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Silver</span></span></span><br/><br/>It was as if the scream of the silver tree had purged the remaining life of the city, by the stagnant silence that followed. I could feel the frustration within me overflowing from every pore, propagating my confusion to new levels.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Just what is going on... and what is <span style="font-weight: bold">this tree</span> doing in the middle of the city!?</span><br/><br/>At that moment, and for no particular reason I decided to approach it, drawing my L-Dagger from its sheath at my hip. The graceful curve of the blade was accented by a faint glow that lined its edge, causing it to shimmer in the sunlight. I reached the base of the massive growth, which was easily over the length of a football field in diameter, absolutely gargantuan to a human such as myself. I traced a finger slowly over the bark of the tree, trying to get a sense of its texture and hardness, but was surprised how smooth it was. From a distance, the tree had appeared rough and chiseled, as if it had seen centuries... or even millennia, of wear from elements, but as my hand passed over the seemingly striated features, I felt refreshed by its velvety, baby-smooth bark. As my arm moved from side to side, I could see that the light emanating from the tree was not the reflection of the sun, but a gentle iridescent white glow that appeared to radiate from the body of the tree itself.<br/><br/>Though my mind was surprisingly calm in the presence of this unusual being before me, my lips curved into a slight frown, while I raised my dagger to the unusual bark, the shimmer of the Lyte clashing with the bioluminescent glow. Just before I drew the dagger across the bark, I felt a sense of dread and foreboding wash away the peace from moments before. The next few moments passed by in a whirl, as a gust of wind curled around my body, forcing me to step backward and veil my face with my other arm. The gash left behind by my dagger, seemed to eat away at the wood slowly like acid, and caused an unexpected reaction in the tree. As if reacting to an unknown stimuli, the two sections of the trunk began move at a grinding pace, slowly unspiraling as if being wedged apart by a supernatural force. It was at this moment that I realized I made a fatal mistake.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">This... this is not good.</span><br/><br/>I stepped backward several yards, my dagger at the ready, as the minute opening at the base of the tree grew steadily larger. Then, once more, it came: Another blood-boiling scream rent the silence, forcing me to my knees once more. Just as soon as it started, however, the yell ended, drawing my attention to the newly formed archway ahead of me. Without warning, a drop of water glanced off my skin, shifting my gaze skyward. I hadn't noticed the new formation of deeply shadowed clouds that had converged overhead in the sky, sending spurts of dirt stained rain hurtling to the earth.<br/></span><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8040"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Erik Graham (Yfnan)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/>You stand in the midst of destruction and the world has been turned inside out and upside down. The particular street you are on, Harden Boulevard, is just outside the subway station, and stretches several hundred yards ahead of you to the square, which is now dominated by the silver tree. To your right, another road intersects with Harden, disappearing into a large shopping district adorned with buildings torn asunder. To your left, the same street extends to a small business cul-de-sac which now better resembles a crater. As you look out at the massive tree in the distance, you notice a sleek figure standing before the tree, as if observing it. You can't make out any details other than the color of the person's hair, which is a shimmering white.<br/>Suddenly, the Station begins to collapse behind you, as pillars left and right topple to the ground with immense crashing noises. <br/><br/>"Look out!" A voice shouts, and you feel the weight of another person plow into you from the side, just as a wall flattens the ground where you stood. You gaze up to witness a police officer lift himself from the ground, then brush the soot from his dark blue uniform, which is in tatters on his body. His face is gashed on the right side from his left eye to his chin, and he is missing an ear and his right forearm and hand. A makeshift tourniquet is cinched around his elbow to quell bleeding. He stretches out his other hand to help you up.<br/>"Hey, you alright?"</span><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #804080"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Andrea Luxington (Ristina)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/>The child in your arms looks up at you, and, as if sensing the hopelessness in your expression, begins crying hysterically. Soon, however, as the loss of blood takes its toll on his petite body, his sobbing grows quieter, and his skin begins to turn a pasty shade of grey. His eyes grow hazy and unfocused, and he begins to mutter nonsensically, as if lost in a trance or hypnosis. Around you, you see a small shopping district, which rests just outside of the shopping district. Most of the buildings are demolished, but there are several, including a convenience store and tailoring shop, nearby you. Jutting into the sky ahead of you, past a massive mound of rubble, is the giant silver tree, which looms over the town with its shimmering blue leaves. Somewhere in the distance to your left you hear the rumbling sound of another collapsing building, and a faint shout. The boy in your arms begins to shake and sweat uncontrollably, and you realize that he will die soon if you don't find help or stop the bleeding...<br/><br/>"L-la..lady?" He says in a barely audible whisper, "M-mom... mommy...?"</span><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #00BF40"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Karin Vogel (Sidgy)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/>"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. If you need help, please hang up and contact your operator. Have a nice day!"<br/><br/>As the message concludes, you hang up the phone, gazing around you at the desolation. You are located on the outer edge of the square, on the side opposite to the subway station, which you can see crumbling down in the distance. Ahead, there is a massive crevice separating you from the rest of the square, which seems desolate surrounding the silver tree. All that remains nearby is the wreckage of several parade floats, from which you can faintly discern the sound of pained human groans, most likely from injured drivers and or participants. Unlike most of the rest of the square, this area has few facilities, and is instead decorated with a small park. A majority of the vegetation, however, has been destroyed, or vanished into the abyssal fissures that line the earth like scars. Nearby, you observe a small group of survivors huddling together in a ragtag circle, appearing to be in deep discussion. The crowd is too far away for you to make out any faces, however.</span>