<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/yBCX5xg.jpg)<br/>(art by Richard Szkutnik (https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Melting-Snow/730048/6185079/view))<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 15pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Start of Year Two. <br/>When it all begins again...</strong></span></span></div><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 13pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><em>It is the time of the thaw. The cold of the darkest nights of winter has come to an end, and the days are starting to get longer. Where the snow is melting little sprouts are starting to show again. Soon the world will turn from white to brown to green. What a happy time!<br/><br/>The camp of mortals has not only survived the winter cold and storms but thrived. Thanks to Agi's gift of fruits and warmth and the never-cold field he has provided, the people do not go hungry. Thanks to Aqua's plenty there is never any lack of clean water. Although the adults do not know what Rin has done, the young ones thrive, exploring and learning in the hidden caves from the story-telling fire. A few baby elephants have joined them, and a little bear cub that isn't sleepy yet! For now they are all friends! <br/><br/>And slowly, cautiously at first, a few mortals have even tried Wish's wind ride! And a few of them have even loved it! Thanks to the generous gifts of the other spirits, they do not have to fret so much about warmth, food, and water, and the mortals find themselves playing again, knowing that they are safe in Wish's gift. They will have even more to wonder about and play with when they find what Rime has built on the island as well, although none travel that far while it is still cold. <br/><br/>That is not to say that nothing sad happened. The Reaper has visited more than once, taking with her the souls of the weak, the sick, those who were too injured in the storm. For those who are nearby when she does come she greets you with kindness. There are also those mortals who are angry that the god of the island will not see them. You do not think they will ever be happy about it. It makes it hard sometimes for the others to trust you. <br/><br/>In the wilds, Cor knows that as the ice melts and the snow flows down the mountain and into the ocean again, the mortals will come looking, and they will take. But they will not take from his domain. The creatures here, the plants, the beasts, they are protected, protected and watched by a spirit who is more patient than the tides. The animals of the island are grateful for it.<br/><br/>And out there somewhere, Bubble has gone, on her own path, to her own future. <br/><br/>The Spirit of Blossoms has recovered from the darkness that nearly took her, or so it seems. She is always delighted to see you now, and true to her word, when you stop by to see her there are often little spirits there, and she always asks you to help her show them what it means to be a spirit, and to be happy. <br/><br/>And one day you find yourself with a moment of peace to pause, reflect, and think about what will come next. <br/><br/>What will it be, happy spirit? What does the future hold?<br/><br/></em></span></span><hr/><br/>This is the last prompt, and it is a rather open ended one. What is your spirit's goal for the future?<br/><br/>Will those who are still here stay on the island? For those who leave with what purpose do you journey? Will those of you who revealed yourselves to the mortals continue to interact with them? Will you accept or reject your role as god for those who wish it of you? Will you still visit the Colorful Grove? Will you encourage Blossom to leave it as well, or let her remain there? Are there more mysteries of the island you wish to discover? What will you do if more mortals attempt to land? But most importantly, what matters to you?