The base of the Hypercone tree, where the thick plates of bronze agates that make up the tree's bark give way to the glittering adamas of the Diamond, is a place of silence and serenity. Leaves of the thinnest diamond form a veneer of shining beauty, and, far above, the home of the Norns soars up, taller than can be seen, disappearing into the ocean of endless possibility above.
I walk up to this massive living pillar looking morose. I stand, looking up at the Hypercone Tree. I look at my paper crow, Lester. Then:
"Norns, I wish to speak with you. I have traveled far and wide, and I have lived many lifetimes. I have watched and listened and tried to ignore the world falling apart around me. I have seen suffering, and I have seen pain. And I don't care about any of it.
"I drift about. I observe, just as I have done for my entire life. I rarely interfere, I even more rarely make friends. I stand and watch from the sides as others put their very existences in danger just so they can help. But I don't understand. This is the question I ask you: What is the point of helping? Why should I put myself in danger, when all it will do is prolong life? All ages end; nothing endures. So why try? If everything just gets stripped away, what's left?
"To be brief, I need a purpose. How do I find it?"
@the Steep Norns