1 The celebration of first life.

Mark watched as an elderly man walked onto the platform in the middle of the village. the old man then continued over to a table. laying on the table were various items, of different shapes and sizes. The man moved to the center of the table where a box lay covered by cloth, he then rested his hands on the sides of the box and started to speak. His voice was deep and soothing, with a kind gentle tone. "Today we start our celebration of these fine people; of our loved ones, of our friends, of our family members." The tribe chief stretched out his right arm and waved a line of people forward onto the stage. "Let us spend these coming days with joy, happiness and sorrow. But we shall bring them gifts and mark them with their wishes for the father tree to read and grant!" He held out a necklace to a woman. "Come receive this gift I have made for you my wife, I hope it brings you great joy in your next life." He said as loudly as he could while holding back tears. His wife stepped forward and bowed her head, he then lowered the necklace on to her and then hugged her. "May the father tree grant your wish..." he said and broke down in a small sob, the couple held each other for some time before he pulled away from her. "Come now bring your gifts to all up here, let us start!"

A man walked up with a doll that he had made and he stood in front of a little girl. "I made this for you" He said while he kneeled down to hand it to her. "I'll… I'll miss you so- very much." He choked up on tears as he talked with his daughter. "I even placed your wish in it... so the father tree can see it." The little girl hugged him and cried. "I don't wanna go... I wan-wanna keep liv- living this life with you and mama. I don't wanna be sick any more!" She cried into his shoulder. "I kn- know, one day- one day I'll join you..." He said as he stuttered over his words and tears, he took a moment then continued. "We- we will live long happy lives together then."

"What is this?" he asked while looking at the villagers handing out gifts to the line of people, he then turned to look at Vea, and continued. "What is the Father Tree?"

Vea looked back at him, her eyes were red and full of grief. But Mark saw something else too, there seemed to be a hint of joy, of relief.

"They are about to go on a journey 6 days from now." she said.

He looked at the ground to regain his composure, after a moment he returned his gaze to Vea`s face and asked. "Where will they go?"

Before Vea could replay, a loud cry came from the stage, it was an older woman that had melted down into a sobbing fit, she had her arms around a young man's body.

"I don't wanna lose my baby!" The woman shouted as if this fit of great pain and out rage would fix his condition, and then kept crying on the young man.

"They will be taken to the Father Tree, the God of rebirth." Vea replied back finally after a few moments.

Mark turned to his double and looked at it, it looked back. "Where can we find this Father Tree?" Mark`s double asked.

Vea turned to face this machine that stood behind them. "I don`t know, only a few are allowed to know where the great father is located."

"Why?" Mark said sharply, this got Vea`s attention back on him.

"The shattered wish to be whole, or that's what the Legends of the Great Mother say."

'Haven't we heard that name before?' Mark asked his double.

'Yes, the Great Mother supposedly helped to build this world.' The double replied.

'Has command found any leads to its whereabouts?' Mark asked.

'Negative.' the double quickly stated.

"You two are talking with each other again are you." Vea interrupted. "Why do you talk to each other inside and not out?"

"Ah, yeah sorry… bad habit." Mark said with a shy-ish tone and a bit of gelt, he then changed tack and asked "none of these people seem fit for a journey, and it doesn't look like they will be in any better shape six days from now.-"

"How are they going to get to the Father Tree?" Mark's double quickly finished Mark`s sentence.

Mark turned and gave his double a glare.

"The guardians of the Father Tree will come to take them to it." Via answered, then she waved Mark and his double forward to her side. "Let us go and give gifts to the first passers." she said as she started walking down the hill carrying her gift in her arms.

"I don't understand." Mark said following her to the platform, as he started to check for something that could be given out as gifts.

"Don't understand what?" Vea asked while turning to look at him briefly.

"why can`t this people be healed with magic?" Mark`s Double answered.

"It is-" Vea started to explain.

'Why didn't you prepare gifts after the old man`s speech?' Mark`s double asked.

'because I didn't think we would be giving them gifts, and dude she doesn't like us talking in our heads around her." Mark replied, but as soon as he was done thinking and sending his thoughts to his double he had realized that via was in mid explanation as to why magic wasn't being used to heal these people.

"-that is why we don't mark." Vea finished as went quite as she stood a meter from the steps of the deck.

'what did she say?' Mark asked in confusion.

'you need really need to pay more attention to what's going on around you.' Mark`s double replied.

'But isn't that what you're for Marker? to be the smarter me, to be my robotic twin.' Mark said in a cocky tone.

'That is enough! Focus on our mission for now and I will inform you later as to what Vea had said." Marker snapped back in annoyance.

Mark watched as vea walked up to the first passers and started to hand the gifts to each of them, he then looked down to the small desk shaped items that he held in his hands.

'Marker do you think these will work?' Mark said while holding a palm out to Marker.

'I think they work perfectly, they aren't a bad idea at all.' Marker said while gazing at the items.

"Mark its your turn!" Vea called, she waved an arm for him to come up.

He started his way up the steps to the stage. he walked over to the line, the first person he saw was a young girl, about no older than 16. Her face was red, her eyes looked a little raw and sore from crying.

"Hi there." he said with a wave. the girl waved back to him, and responded with quite "Hello."

"I uh... have something for you. I think you`ll like it." He said as he held his hand out, with one of the small disk shaped objects.

The girl reached out with both hands and picked it up, she started to examine it when she asked "what is it?"

"it's a good luck charm." he said with a smile. "it'll keep you safe."

"Thank you, it's very kind of you." she said with a smile.

"Good luck to you and may your wishes come true." he said to her before moving to the old man that stood next to her a few steps away.

He held a disc out to the old man and said "take this it'll bring great luck to you in your next life."

The old man turned his head to look up at Mark, he looked into marks eyes for a moment and then at the disc the man looked confused but he simply said. "May the gods bless you young man. thank you" he then reached out with his left hand, it was old, his skin showed the marks of years past with scares and folds along the knuckles of his fingers. Mark watched this old hand, this man's hand reach for the disc and a thought hit mark, 'this is one of the last things this man will ever grab and hold... this disc shouldn't be the last thing he grabs though, it should be the hand of a daughter or son or grand child. not this disc.' The man's fingers pinched the disc, his hold felt firm on the disc. His hands shook a little from age as he reached to take the disc from Mark's fingers.

Later after all of the gift giving the celebration kicked up to dances and parading each of the people around the center of the village, where they would be painted by a hand print somewhere on the body.

"whats with the hand prints?" Mark asked Vea.