If it's not the Bija that's malfunctioning, then considering Aether's connection with Dainsleif and the Abyss Order, the "escape" and "hate" in the Aranyaka seem to point toward that war which caused the Aranara to lose their home.
The most recent war that tragic, and one that matches the time of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's passing—five hundred years ago—was undoubtedly the Khaenri'ahn War.
Brother… what role were you playing… what did you even do…
Lumine lightly bit her lip, her eyes full of confusion, and finally asked, "How much damage did that disaster bring to the Aranara?"
Arama then answered:
"As I said before, this old self has lost many memories. Later I heard that at the time, many children had not yet grown into Vasara Trees and instead returned to the Sarva, and the destruction of old Vanarana was also very troublesome.
But the most important thing was the appearance of Marana's Avatar.
As for this matter, Nara Varuna and Arana later told this old self everything in detail, so I can relay it to you now.
Marana's Avatar is extremely dangerous. It continuously injects poison into the land, into the Sarva, until all greenery turns yellow, until flowers wither and streams stink, until everything dies.
To seal Marana's Avatar, Aramuhukunda, Aradasha, Araji, Aramaha, Arayama, and many, many Aranara joined forces with Nara Varuna and suppressed Marana's Avatar.
And then Aramuhukunda grew into a Vasara Tree and directly suppressed Marana's Avatar from above.
Araji, Aramaha, and Arayama, after leaving behind inscriptions of the seal, also grew into Vasara Trees. While resisting Marana, they also produced the Vasoma Fruit needed to create the Bija.
Aradasha disappeared after that.
"o us, growing into a Vasara Tree is normal. So those children who failed to grow into Vasara Trees and instead returned to the Sarva—those are losses.
But everyone will meet again in the Sarva. Even those who grow into Vasara Trees cannot avoid this. And everyone's efforts were very effective—Marana's Avatar hasn't appeared for a very, very long time."
Arama spoke calmly, but Lumine's heart was anything but calm.
Sarva—although Victor Wang hadn't said what the word translated to exactly, since the passing of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is described by Arama as "returning to the Sarva," it likely refers to ley lines—which is to say, "death."
The "escape" and "hate" in the Aranyaka must have been written because Nara Varuna did something terrible to the Aranara. If the sin had already been committed, then helping the Aranara afterward would be an act of atonement—that interpretation felt more coherent…
Noticing that Lumine looked a bit down, Paimon didn't know why, nor did she know what to say. After turning her little brain for a long time, she finally squeezed out one sentence: "What's a Vasara Tree? What's the difference between it and the Tree of Dreams? And why can the Aranara turn into trees?"
"The purpose of the Tree of Dreams was explained before. This old self only became a Tree of Dreams by using the Bija—otherwise, I could only have become a Vasara Tree, because we are seeds born from Vasara Trees. As for Vasara Trees, they are just very normal big trees."
"You're actually… seeds?"
"Yes."
Arama nodded.
"If Paimon wishes to hear more, this old self can explain. First, it must be said that the oldest Vasara Tree was not called a Vasara Tree—it was called the Ashvattha Tree.
In times so ancient that Aranara cannot see them, the Queen Aranyani once sang at the place where the Ashvattha Tree sprouted. At that time, she had just left the desert. The forest was far less lush than it is today, and there was still much sand on the ground.
Queen Aranyani was stronger than all Aranara, because her song was closest to the 'Sourcesong.' Thus the Ashvattha Tree responded to her call from the Sarva and grew rapidly.
Queen Aranyani told the Ashvattha Tree that there were many Nara in the forest—smart, beautiful, yet lonely. So, the forest needed more children to become their friends.
The Ashvattha Tree then produced a pomegranate—beautiful and full. Inside the pomegranate were many, many seeds. And the first seed to grow was Aramuhukunda.
Later, all the seeds grew up and became Aranara. Aranara are still seeds; once they grow again, they become Vasara Trees.
Vasara Trees are wonderful, only like real trees, they can no longer run around.
Arana, because she loved Nara too much and loved the forest too much, never wished to become a Vasara Tree. If she became a tree, she could no longer play with Nara."
Paimon said with a grimacing frown, "How could it be like this… Aramuhukunda, Araji, Aramaha, Arayama—they all turned into Vasara Trees and lost their freedom… That's definitely a kind of loss too, right?"
This sentence made the atmosphere completely freeze. Paimon's mind couldn't keep up at all, and she had no choice but to secretly poke Victor Wang, hoping he would help.
Some of the matters between Nara Varuna and the Aranara were things Victor Wang had only just learned. From Lumine's earlier question, he could more or less guess what she was thinking.
He said, "Maybe it wasn't him."
Lumine answered, "The handwriting… looks familiar."
"Even if it was, if he came specifically to make up for it—maybe he didn't do it intentionally."
"…."
There was nothing more Victor Wang could say. Aether had indeed stood on the opposite side of many. The crimes of the Abyss Order were no fewer than those of the Fatui. Even if he bore the lofty cause of restoring his nation and resisting the Heavenly Principles…
But he was still Lumine's family. What could outsiders say?
Only Lumine could decide. Only Lumine could bear it.
After a few breaths, Lumine finally reacted. She asked Arama, "Marana's Avatar—Nara Varuna could only seal it?"
"Marana's Avatar is only a manifestation. The true source of Marana should be deeply hidden within the Sarva. We cannot eradicate it—only seal it."
"Only seal it…" Lumine sighed. The idea of helping the Aranara completely eliminate Marana's Avatar had to be abandoned. Thinking a moment, she added, "The Varuna Contraption, the Vasoma Fruit, and the places Nara Varuna visited—I want to see them myself."
"This old self can mark the locations for you."
"Thank you."
Although Paimon didn't quite understand the conversation between Victor and Lumine, it seemed to have some effect, and she felt much more at ease.
As Arama marked the map, she recalled something and curiously asked, "By the way, Victor—what exactly are you here to help with?"
"I have special means to sense Withering Zones. Some places the Aranara find inconvenient to reach, or where the Withering is hard to detect—I can help scout them."
"Oh, that! We heard Tighnari mention it—it's really impressive!"
"Mhm. Since the places Nara Varuna visited were all important, we naturally need to check them as well. This time, we can do it along the way."
After this long talk finally ended, they stepped out of Arama's little hut—only to find a crowd of Aranara gathered outside, all curious about the Nara and the Golden Nara.
The sight stirred Arama's emotions. "Since long, long ago, this old self could only walk within the dream of Vanarana… Since you are going to retrace Nara Varuna's steps, why not call all those Aranara outside back here as well? It has been so long since this old self last met with them."
===BREAK===
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