Timin and Selby

timin awakens in the cave.  he takes a moment to understand where he is and what happened.  he remembers vaguely a great love, an ineki that held his heart, yet he finds himself alone.

timin stumbles upon a tunnel filled with giant crystal structures.  he follows the tunnel as it grows narrower and narrower, until it finally opens into a large cavern with a huge, glimmering wall. as he approaches, an image of selby, still stone, appears.  he feels compelled forward and continues on.

after what feels like weeks of trekking through tunnel after tunnel, and befriending a kind bat named inkcap, timin finally finds selby.  she’s exactly where the crystal showed her, and he wraps himself around her, only to discover he is standing face-to-face with the sacred tree.  he stares in awe.

a mysterious drasilis, key, appears from the base of the tree and approaches timin skeptically.  they speak at length, timin introducing himself and detailing his journey to find his lost love.  key, warming up to the intrepid explorer, explains that there is a terrible frost monster who has been targeting the tree and damaging the sprouts.  key and a small committee of cave residents have been acting as guardians of the tree.  timin offers his assistance in return for them trying to help him awaken selby.

the monster shows it’s face.  though it’s much smaller than timin expected, it takes it’s toll on the sprouts blooming upon the tree, leaving frost and ice in it’s wake as it is chased off.  the group of guardians are overjoyed for the victory - however temporary it might have been.  but they are then faced with the devastating realization that they don’t know how to bring selby back.

inkcap appears carrying a chain of foxglove, woven together with care.  the group protests, knowing that foxglove can be poisonous if ingested, but he drapes the flowers around selby and timin’s heads - tethering them together.  for a moment, nothing happens.  then, suddenly, a sprout at the base of the sacred tree begins to spread it’s petals.  as it opens, selby’s eyes begin to flutter.

timin, selby, inkcap, and the sprout all set off to begin their new lives together - overjoyed at the reunion of the two lovers and the expansion of their small family.