>>6153321Some of these crystals still contain some mana - there's even a few that are still fully-charged. You figured Craig could use one, so you hand one such undrained mana crystal to him. Of course, you nab a couple of the half-drained ones, just in case you'll need them later. If anything else, they could fetch a pretty penny somewhere. Speaking of crystals...
"This data crystal... I'll hand it to you, but I'd like to know exactly why, Millie."
A shade of gloom rolls upon Millie's face. Like a sad secret that can no longer be hidden.
"...Well, this is going to sound weird... and a bit personal. Sorry in advance, Rosa, Craig..."
Then you feel that foreign thought intrusion again. Only this time, it's more powerful. Instead of just communication, entire memories are laid bare onto you and Craig's mind - you can sense him, in this condensed moment.
The memories flow in. Of a universe that fell to the Singularity. Of a girl who hid under the bed where her mother was gunned down. Of a horse, the horse, who took the name James Baxter. Of strange things that occurred in that universe, of bifurcated timelines that overlaid each other as the Singularity approaches. Of one such time where the horse mourns the girl. Of another time where the mouse and the horse was happy, even if it was brief. Of them escaping their doomed universe using a machine dreamt up in visions. Of them arriving in Gongalla, and their eventual third death. Of their minds crystallizing into engrams inside data crystals after.
Honestly, the psychic memory maelstrom was quite a show, one-way that it is. It might have even prompted a feeling to rise from the depths of your emotions...
>CHOOSE ONE>□ Sadness. Millie's been through a lot, and nobody should've gone through that.>□ Anger. She already got someone in her heart, and yet she still fools with Craig's?>□ Empathy. You've known how it feels to miss someone dear to you.>□ Disbelief. A girl that young, in a relationship with a grown-up horse?>□ Other (fill in) 