Author: Seraph of Enigma
Challenger: TalyorMan2274

Spirit of Life

A breeze rustled the dry leaves on the trees, summer had been hard that year and most of the trees had suffered because of it. Their foliage had shrunk back to reveal naked twigs in areas. The tops of the taller trees looked scorched and yellow against the dull green of the rest of the canopy. Brown, cracked leaves already decorated the forest floor as if fall had arrived. In truth it was still just over a month away.
A lone figure, dressed in a hood with a flowing cape, drifted through the cooler understory of the forest. The forest was quiet, only the most hardy of the animals were active during the scorching hours of the day.
A twig snapped and the hooded figure whirled quickly with a hand over the belly to look behind them. A large feral cat with two thin tails moved through the underbrush. Its graceful head came up and slitted golden eyes watched the cloaked figure. Large ears topped with pointed tufts of fur swiveled around to better hear the cloaked person and a wet nose worked furiously to test the air. The cat lost interest and once again lowered its head to shoulder level to stalk through the trees after something unseen by the cloaked individual.

The individual remained still for a while longer before resuming their sojourn through the wilting forest. Not everything was in a sorry state, plants closest to the ground seemed to be doing better. They could collect the dew in the mornings easier after all. But the streams that normally fed the low lying areas had all but dried up. Winding paths of rock and silt were left behind like skeletal remains and a memory of water. A booted foot crunched into one such dry streambed and slipped out of it in the next step.
Slowly the forest began to thin and the sweltering sun hammered down in stronger rays upon the covered individual. A grunt came and was followed by a bit of cloth taken from a pocket under the cloak to mop at the hidden brow. It was tucked away just as easily and the figure broke into a light jog to further their progress.

Almost randomly, or perhaps in a planned fashion, a portal opened and without missing a beat the cloaked figure trotted through. It was blessedly cooler on the other side; still summer temperatures but at last bearable. The plantlife too looked better; foliage was a healthier green and the tops of trees and shrubs weren't scorched. Or perhaps the state of the plants was due to the effort of the Life Skylanders and Life Portal Masters. It was the Isle of Light after all.
The sun was no longer brutal and the hood came down to reveal a human face with a mane of golden hair and pale blue skin. While the paleness of the skin often meant the individual was of the Undead element it wasn't the case for the woman in question. Around her neck hung the purple energy burst of Magic, her proud display of her element. She smiled warmly at the nearest figure, a silver scaled dragon of the Earth element, posing as a statue in the middle of the fountain that took up the majority of the square the blonde figure had emerged into.
"Another lesson in patients, Chrome?" the blonde asked the dragon. He didn't budge, his eyes remained closed and his chest barely moved with breathing. The blue skinned figure rolled her bright green eyes, Chrome's smart mouth and fiery temper were better suited for a Fire element. But he at least could soldier through his punishment when it was doled out. "Next time they'll have you stand on just your back legs, you know." That elicited a grunt from the dragon but nothing else.

The fair skinned woman's feet moved briskly over the paving stones of the square and carried her along the path up to the citadel. Various Skylanders passed her along with the mabu workers that staffed most of the facilities on the island.
"Portal Master Seraph was looking for you," a little yellow gremlin squeaked. He was short even for a gremlin and his ears had to be bigger than him. They gave him the illusion of height, at least until one looked hard enough at him.
"I know Pyrite. I'm on my way to see her now."
"She gave me those crystals you found for me, thanks a bunch, Mysteri!"
Mysteri chuckled and waved back at the tiny gremlin, "No sweat, Py. They were easier to find than I thought! You get enough?" The furious nod and ear flapping that followed threatened to make Mysteri break down into peals of laughter. "Let me know if you need anything else," she giggled before the gremlin bounced off. Hopeful she wouldn't be held up again Mysteri picked up speed to send a message she was on a mission and to get others to move out of the way.

It was five floors up to reach the main balcony of the citadel. Mysteri knew Seraph would be there. She almost always was now. Mysteri ascended the floors quickly with the help of a magic powered lift. She walked out of the cool shadows of the large rumpus room the lift had delivered her to and into the sun again. Seraph was at the low stone wall that circled the balcony. The Portal Master was seated on it, her legs draped to one side and the long green robes she wore flowed gently in the breeze. Long golden hair, streaked with silver, had been tied back and braided into a rope that nearly brushed her ankles when she stood.
"You wanted to see me, Grandmother?"
The fair skinned woman turned around, her features placed her age in her early forties at most even if she was almost twice that in reality. She smiled at the Skylander, a sad sort of smile that didn't touch her brown eyes. She opened her arms when Mysteri rushed in to sit next to her and hug her fiercely. "I just wanted a little company, dear. How are you holding up?"
Mysteri buried her face in her grandmother's shoulder and fought back the tears that stung her eyes. "Better. It still hurts." She closed her eyes as her grandmother checked her health out with a simple spell.
Seraph ran thin fingers through hair as golden as hers and bit her lip, her own eyes burned. "It will, sweetheart. How is your father? He hasn't returned my summons, I worry about it."
"Dad mourns in his own way. Like he's done for everything else," Mysteri sniffled. "He misses Grampa even if he tries to be strong."

Barely two weeks ago Seraph had buried Enigma, Mysteri's grandfather. He like every other Skylander of his time had retired. Many of the shorter lived species had passed away years ago. The longer lived individuals had more or less faded into obscurity to live the rest of their lives in peace and let the newer generations of Skylanders shine. The Portal Masters however endured; once they reached a certain age they seemingly stopped aging. Hair went silver and white but their faces had become ageless. It was a testament to the magic each wielded, impressive and terrible at times. Their lives would stretch out far beyond any normal human but they weren't immortal. One day too they would fall into the endless sleep.
"Cherub was always the difficult one. Why he couldn't be more like your aunt Oracle I'll never understand. But variety is the spice of life," Seraph chuckled softly.
Mysteri pulled away and scrubbed at her eyes; a few fat tears had managed to leak out despite her best efforts. She barely saw her grandmother delicately dab at her own eyes with a bit of cloth she held tightly in one hand. "How come Dad didn't become a Skylander like Aunt Oracle? He was proud when I became one."
"You said it yourself," Seraph replied as she straightened Mysteri's free hair, "he did things his own way. He thought being a Skylander would tie him down. It wasn't what he wanted to do. He always did accuse us of smothering him. Youngest child syndrome, I suppose," Seraph sighed.
The younger of the two women tucked her loose hair behind her ears. "Oh but he sure could keep me on a tight leash," she huffed. "And now he keeps telling me how I should eat, how much sleep I need and wants to know how each of my doctor visits go." She placed a hand on her belly briefly before she clasped them both in her lap.
"Your father loves you, dear," Seraph said softly. She took Mysteri's pale blue hands in her fair tan ones. "Come with me. Your grandfather left you something. Ever the crafty one, the spell just expired this morning. Imagine my surprise when I found it!" the Portal Master smiled, full of warmth that time.

Mysteri loved the Portal Master wing of the citadel. While the Skylander wings had the feel of college dorm rooms the Portal Masters' had an apartment building vibe going for them. It was tidy and decorated with artifacts of importance or perhaps just nostalgia. Paintings depicting adventures all of the Portal Masters and their first generation of Skylanders had been through hung in alcoves and above pedestals of small items. Mysteri was fascinated by how tiny the dragons were in those paintings. Spyro was the one she was most familiar with and she knew him as a huge, magnificent creature with a head bigger than she was.
Seraph's feet made barely a whisper on the carpet that lined the center of the hall, her long robes swished with each step and her trailing braid bounced on the backs of her calves with every stride. She had tucked her hands into the sleeves of her mage robe, a style she and most of the other Portal Masters had just recently adopted. It was more like a uniform than anything else. They had come a long way from their days of looking like tourists and common folk of Skylands. Not a single one of her peers didn't hold themselves with respect and dignity. They could still play around and be lighthearted but age had mellowed everyone tremendously.
"Your aunt has already come to gather up the items your grandfather left for her and your cousins."
The Skylander nodded as she looked over a painting depicting the destruction of Cloudcracker Prison and the founding of the Skylander Academy, where she had been a student. She smiled fondly at it for the moment it was in her line of sight before she moved along after her grandmother.

"Your grandfather was very apt at hiding things," Seraph began as she opened the door to the apartment she had shared with Enigma until recently. Mysteri hadn't been inside since his death and she hesitated on the threshold. "Come inside, dear," Seraph said softly. The sadness was back in her eyes again and it pained Mysteri. "I felt the same way at first but you know what? I can feel him when I'm here. His essence is so strong I can almost believe he's still with me. Or perhaps that's simply my sensitivity to such things," she smirked. "Then again his name was Enigma." She moved away from the door and left it open for the younger woman.
With a pale blue hand held up before her eyes Mysteri smiled, her skin tone was handed down from her grandfather. Her father was just as blue as him and her aunt had Seraph's skin tone with freckles the color of Enigma's skin. Mysteri was proud of her lineage, Skylander and Portal Master magic ran through her veins. While she herself couldn't wield portals there was a distinct possibility her children would be able to. The pale blue woman stepped into the apartment with a deep breath and closed the door behind her. Seraph had spoken the truth; Mysteri felt at ease suddenly and could almost hear the laughter of her grandfather and cousins as she played with them as a child.
"Have a seat, Missy, I'll be right back," Seraph said softly before she vanished into the hall.

The Portal Master's living room had a distinct Earth flare to it. Mysteri could recognize instantly the pieces of furniture that came from Earth and those that were native to Skylands. It was like stepping into a whole other world each time the Skylander had visited her grandparents. And it was fitting, Enigma himself wasn't a Skylands native. Mysteri had just sat on the cream colored couch when Seraph returned holding a highly polished wooden box.
"He had tucked this away in a pocket dimension. I was making breakfast when I heard a terrible crash. The box had apparently re materialized over my flower vase. I lost the flowers but what I was given instead took my breath away." Seraph sat down carefully next to Mysteri and opened the box slowly. Her granddaughter leaned in to watch every move. Her eyes widened when she took note of the crystals nestled within the velvet fabric interior of the box.
"Memory shards," Mysteri said in awe. She reached out to touch one of the three then withdrew her hand. She looked to her grandmother for confirmation.
"This one," Seraph smiled warmly and pointed to one that physically looked no different from the other two present. There were slight indentations from other crystals, four more to be exact, but no other signs of the crystals.
"How do you know?"
"Enigma locked each of them. Go ahead, touch this one," she pointed to the right of the one indicated as Mysteri's.
The Skylander's fingers brushed it and when they lifted she nodded. "Dad's," she said simply. "Is yours unlocked?"
"Yes but you might want to see yours first. He tailored events within to you after all."
The Skylander's pale blue hand gently took the crystal left for her. It felt light as a feather and she could feel the magic within waiting for her to allow it to fulfill its purpose. "I don't know if I'm ready yet," Mysteri said thickly. Emotion had begun to choke her again and she wasn't sure if she could stay there with her grandmother in the place that felt so very different without her grandfather present.
The box clicked shut and Seraph laid a gentle hand over Mysteri's clasped ones. "Go home for a while then. Take comfort in Baylin's arms. He's there for you as are the rest of us. Or go to that spot by the beach you love to hide at. Make yourself comfortable, Mysteri. View it when you're ready. I was only supposed to give it to you. Not make you view it. That's up to you."
"Thank you, I will," Mysteri squeaked as she stood. A great sniffle followed and she accepted the hug from her grandmother before she retreated quickly.

Seraph remained standing in the middle of her living room alone. She had heard only the first few steps Mysteri had taken when she ran down the hall but they had long since faded and left Seraph in a deafening silence. She closed her warm brown eyes and sighed softly before she seemingly melted into the couch again. The Portal Master sat the wooden box in her lap and stared at it. She ran her fingers over the cover and smiled, Enigma had touched the wood enough times to leave an imprint someone as attuned to Life as she was could feel. Seraph could almost feel the tips of his fingers against hers.
"I miss you, my love," she whispered. As softly as it had been spoken it shattered the silence and sounded terribly loud in the stillness. Seraph opened the box again and inhaled deeply of the fragrances of the crystals, velvet and the lingering memory of her husband. She gently, reverently, picked up the memory shard Enigma had left for her. With extreme care the Portal Master closed the box again, sat it to the side and sat back on the couch before she closed her eyes and brought the shard to her heart.

The here and now melted away instantly and Seraph felt like a disembodied spectator watching the memories Enigma had left behind for her. She was the crystal in that moment and everything that happened during that memory she could experience. Sights, sounds, smells; all of her senses were alive as if she were there.
Enigma himself gazed back at her. His hood was down and his face looked every bit as human as hers. There were only two differences; much like a reptile or amphibian Enigma had no external ears and possessed simple holes on the sides of his head. His eyes too were unlike any Seraph had ever seen before or since. The cosmos themselves seemed to swirl in their depths; far away worlds and heavenly bodies alike were reflected in his eyes like a window across the ether. The room was unrecognizable to Seraph, she had never been in it before. The walls were a soft cream color and gold crown molding ran around the top of it where it met the ceiling. A painting of a great sea ship at sunset hung over the Skylander's left shoulder and partially off viewing angle.
The Skylander was youthful again, like he had been when they met. And he was nervous, something only Seraph had ever seen and even then it wasn't often. The Portal Master smiled warmly, as she had viewed the crystal before she knew what was coming.
"Hello, Seraph. I decided I wanted to try something for memories. You've spoken about the home movies and photo albums people on Earth keep and I really liked the idea. Call this a Skylands twist," even his smile was nervous. "On this first entry the event is the day I ask you to marry me. I've never felt so nervous before!" he laughed meekly. "I mean, if a guy is ready to ask his lady for her hand he's pretty sure she's going to say yes. But that doesn't help alleviate anything apparently." Enigma ran his hand through the light grey hair he kept close shaven, it had always been such a color and was natural for his people he said. Their hair actually darkened with age rather than lightened. "I can't take the crystal with me and use it without you being aware. I want this to be a secret, for how long I'm not sure yet. But you remember the restaurant I took you too that specialized in cuisine from the Sand Sea region?" Enigma moved out of view and panned around in the room he was in. "Well this is the hall to the back office, I'm behind the employees only door. They let me step back here to record this. The other option was the bathroom. While nice I hardly doubt it's an ideal location. Um," Enigma came back into view. "I guess it's show time, then. Wish me luck," he smiled again before the image went dark.

When Enigma came back into view he was in his old apartment at Skylands Academy. His eyes swirled with nothing but bright colors, stars and planets alongside brilliant nebulas. Gone was the nervousness instead it had been replaced by exuberance and delight. "You said yes! Seraph you've made me the happiest man in all the universe!" he laughed and the image changed as he sank down into a seated position then again to show the couch below him as he stretched out on it. Enigma simply grinned for a long while. "I think I've said enough. I just don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said. Thank you," his eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "Thank you."
Such a deep feeling of satisfaction radiated off that memory that it brought Seraph back all those years to how she herself had felt. The only sour note was how barely half an hour after Enigma had asked her she had been summoned away on business. Seraph played with the ring on her finger all night and proudly showed it off to anyone that asked and some that didn't. She smiled at her joy over the event and reveled in it as if she were still there.

Enigma left small entries here and there, simple things he thought she would enjoy at some later date. One was even from a night they had spent together when he had shown his playful side and drew all over her in marker when she fell asleep before he did. The memory made Seraph laugh but since he had drawn all over her nude frame she knew she couldn't exactly share it with others.
"And look at how bold I am!" Enigma said softly at the beginning of another memory. He held the crystal up to show Seraph seated at her kitchen table with Flashwing, "The self-appointed wedding planner has your undivided attention so you'll probably never even realize I'm right here."
"And this one," the white dragon was saying as her graceful neck bent to the side and she lifted a book carefully in her jaws to set on the table, "is venues from Earth. There are plenty of exotic locations there, Seraph, and with Portal Masters readily available travel expenses will be non-existent! If only the goofy groom would sit down with us," Flashwing said sharply without looking up. Seraph didn't either, she covered her mouth but her eyes betrayed her mirth anyway.
"I still need to see about a tux fitting," Enigma replied lamely and tucked the crystal away when Flashwing's elegant head began to turn towards him. The image was of the floor and Seraph rolled her eyes at how it had just so happened to land on a section of carpet a long strand of her hair was wound through. "I trust the two of you to narrow down the search before I weigh in."
"I will need to okay the tux," Flashwing sniffed.
"Yes," Enigma's voice was heavy with amusement, "Of course, Lady Wedding Planner." The memory ended there but Seraph could still recall in detail the events that followed and how they finally settled on a location and time in Ireland.

The next few entries after that were of places in Ireland they visited in the days before the wedding. They had opted to arrive early along with their bridesmaids and best men to ensure everything went smoothly. The bachelor and bachelorette parties were even held there in the Emerald Isles. Enigma made sure to show how much fun he had at his while remaining tasteful.
Enigma made another entry in which Seraph was sleeping. It was just a quick one, he moved in closer to her sleeping frame and slipped her hand out from under the pillow before he slid his, palm up, under. "Tomorrow," he whispered softly. There was only one ring on her hand, the one he had given her when he asked her to marry him. He thumbed it then ran his thumb in front of it to where the wedding band would sit.

Another nervous entry from the Skylander followed and came with a surprise.
"Hello, sweetheart," Seraph's father beamed at her. Seraph had lost him nearly thirty years ago, emotion welled up as she saw him smiling proudly at her once again. "So this is it, huh? Your big day. I'm so proud of what you've become, who you are. You've done your mother and I good. We could have never imagined how life would have steered you. And this guy?" he laughed and pulled Enigma in with one arm, "had better take care of my little girl. You did good, Seraph. I know at first I didn't like him but you'll have to forgive me; being the old-fashioned man that I am. It was hard to get used to humans not being the only intelligent life out there. But you found a good... whatever he is."
"She means the word to me, I'll take the utmost care with her, sir," Enigma said softly.
Seraph's father let him go and the crystal's view dropped again to the floor and the feet of the two men. "I know. And she'll take care of you."

Enigma had kept the memory shard in his pocket and while there was no image to go with it Seraph heard the final part of the ceremony and their vows to one another. She could smell the roses that had decorated the arch, the fresh air from the outdoor venue and heard the guests shift in the cushioned wooden chairs that sat in neat rows. The accent of the minister was native to Ireland and helped bring in such a worldly feel when Seraph thought of the Skylanders and Portal Masters in attendance alongside her family. It was a cultural experience for sure.
There was a flash of bright sunlight as Enigma's hand slid into his pocket to stop the crystal from imprinting any further once the two of them had turned to walk back past the guests.

Short memories from the reception and their trip through New Zealand followed. Enigma even made an entry for the move of his things to the Isle of Light to live with Seraph. Memories of all kinds followed; their first anniversary, birthdays, holidays. Their second anniversary.
Then one of Seraph's favorite memories. "I'm going to be a dad." Enigma said plainly. He stared blankly at the crystal for a while before his face split into a grin. "I'm going to be a dad!" he laughed. "Our first child!"
Everything that followed was all about the baby; doctor's visits, the gender determining, the shower and the moments before Seraph was whisked away to the delivery room.
"Look at her," Enigma beamed as he shifted so he could hold the swaddled infant in one arm and the crystal in the other hand. "Beautiful, just like her mother. Our little Oracle."
Oracle stirred, her soft pale skin already showed signs of freckles that matched her father's skin tone. Her ears matched her father's style but her hair was dark. Enigma let the shard down and it gave an angled view of his beaming face in the foreground with a slumbering Seraph behind in the hospital bed.

Oracle sleeping peppered many memories, sometimes in her mother's arms when Seraph had fallen asleep during a midnight feeding. There was plenty of Oracle's soft coos and reaching for her father as he spoke to her. Learning to sit up, learning to crawl. Eating solid food. Walking. The little girl was growing before Seraph's eyes.
Two and a half years later they were going through the same routine with Cherub. Again Enigma held the infant up, Cherub squirmed more than Oracle had and made a big fuss. Still Seraph was fast asleep, snoring that time, with Oracle cuddled up next to her. "Seventeen hours! I don't expect you to wake up for a while, my love," Enigma said warmly. Oracle blinked slowly, her pale yellow eyes didn't even focus on her father before they closed again.

The children growing took up most of the next memories. It was amazing to see them grow and learn. Oracle always had shown an interest in being a Skylander, Cherub had wanted to be a Portal Master but hadn't been born with the skill. Unlike being a Skylander it wasn't something that could be taught. Oracle went to Skylander Academy when she was old enough while Cherub remained in normal schools.
Oracle had just turned nineteen and been inducted into the Skylanders, Cherub's seventeenth birthday rolled through. Then a more somber Enigma came into view.
"This isn't really how I would have wanted to remember such an occasion but there really is no other way to do it. Cherub's a father. He didn't even know until his former girlfriend left the baby on the citadel's steps with a note. She abandoned the child, all we have is a name. Mysteri. You never did like Ellenore, we both had our reservations based on how she kept hurting Cherub. But the boy simply wouldn't listen to us. Now you're out with him and Ellenore's parents trying to find her. The note left with Mysteri said she was going far away and nothing else." Enigma picked up Mysteri, he was older than he had been the last time he held an infant but his face was no less warm. "We have a granddaughter, my dear. And she is beautiful. Look, she has your hair rather than her mother's."

Ellenore was never found, the elf had gone deep into hiding. Cherub at first had been distant and didn't want much to do with Mysteri. It wasn't until Cherub turned twenty and Oracle had married that Cherub finally took to Mysteri. He whisked the little girl away, moved off the Isle of Light and away from his parents to live his own way.
Memories of him visiting with Mysteri or them going to him followed. Cherub finally married when he was twenty seven, a golding woman became Mysteri's real mother. Oracle had her first child, twins to be precise, and then the memories focused on the grandchildren growing up.
There were trips to exotic location on Earth for each anniversary of Enigma and Seraph's wedding following his retirement from the Skylanders. Mysteri entered Skylander Academy and was tutored by her aunt and grandfather before one of Seraph's fellow Portal Masters, Mage of the Magic element, recruited her properly into the ranks of Skylanders. Enigma began to age significantly as the entries fell farther and farther apart. There were notes when fellow Skylanders died as age took them one by one.
Mysteri married, a Skylands human by the name of Baylin that owned a textile company.

And then Seraph's heart began to ache as Enigma's health declined, seen obviously in his entries. No matter what, no matter how tired he was the Skylander always had a smile on his face. He would speak more about his favorite memories as he had started to watch earlier events in the crystal's stores. He knew the end was near, Seraph did too. Her magic could only be stretched for so long. It couldn't stop death. All she could do in the final month of his life was ease his suffering.
The last entry came up. It was only a day before he passed away. Enigma's beautiful eyes were glassy and dull, they looked faded and fogged as if viewed through a dirty window.
"My dear," Enigma wheezed, "you know as well as I my time is short." He paused to drink and it took him several swallows before he could continue. "The children are here with the grandchildren. I want to hold on until Mysteri's child is born. She's not even showing yet. She only just found out yesterday. I am so happy for her and Baylin. We're going to be great-grandparents, Seraph," Enigma chuckled. He coughed and his face pinched in pain as he took a long while to recover. The elderly Skylander was in bed, propped up with multiple pillows and surrounded by flowers and cards of well wishing. "I want to be there but I don't think I can make it. It seems so very far away. And you, my beautiful wife, so young and vibrant still and you've stayed by my side through everything. Thank you, Seraph." He coughed again and appeared to be asleep. Slowly his eyes opened again and he took a deep breath of air. "My people see death as an ascension from one world to the next. I won't be gone even if I'm not physically with you. I will wait for you there, Seraph. But urge you to find someone to stay by your side after I'm gone. You will live for centuries more, that is a long time to be alone my dear." Again he paused to drink.
"I want you to live. You know better than I how much of a gift life is. Share your gift, lift someone else up as you have me. I love you with all my heart and don't want to keep you from sharing who you are with another. Your Earth vows stated until death do us part. Share life with another, when your life ends we can be together again in the next world. Live. Love. Laugh. I've heard so little of your laughter recently. That's my final wish, dear Seraph. That you continue to live and be who you are."

Just like that the recordings had all been viewed. Seraph didn't bother to dry her eyes nor stifle her sobs. She simply let her tears flow and her pain pour. When her eyes at last couldn't shed another tear and had swollen fat she let go of the couch cushion she had balled up in her arms. The Portal Master rose to her feet and went on the search for a tissue to ease the condition of her nose. She washed her face with water and toweled it off before she stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red, her lids puffy and her nose too had reddened. She leaned on the bathroom sink and sighed deeply. The Portal Master closed her eyes and summoned the magic needed to open a portal.

Seraph emerged from the swirling vortex onto an island full of colorful trees. At first glance the trees looked like a random collection. Closer inspection showed they were planted in rows even if the colors themselves were random. Anyone familiar with the trees could see too that they fell into a narrow elemental category. There was the blackened bark that covered the trunk of the flaming leafed molten willow, the shimmering blue trunk and leaves of the aquaknot, the swirling and graceful turns of the white, grey and blue breezy ash and the red trunked and brown leafed marblewood. By stark comparison there was the bone birch, a sickly grey trunk topped by strange and shadowy leaves right next to a life larch that sported a rich brown trunk veined in iridescent green and yellow. The smooth pearlescent trunk of the amethyst leafed mage's token was just as different as the oddly metallic and hard angled mechanolia. In a far lesser number there was a tree not native to Skylands, a Japanese cherry blossom added a splash of pink to the rainbow of foliage. Rarest of all were the glowing yew and shadow spruce. There was only one of each for them.
The grove was full of trees that preferred different soil types, climates and watering schedules. It was a lot of work to maintain the eclectic grove but none of those responsible for its upkeep complained.

Seraph walked slowly down the cobbled path that wound its way lazily through the grove and branched off in several places. She kept her head down as she moved, as if she were in a holy place and walking with respect through the trees. She took a few turns until she reached her destination, a mage's token sapling reached up from newly turned earth. It was a fresh planting, the soil hadn't even resettled yet.
"I thought one of you might be here," Seraph said softly without looking up.
"One of us will always be here until the earth around the sapling has overgrown with green. Just as one of you is never far."
Seraph looked over her left shoulder to see one of her fellow Portal Masters. Araknid nodded to her. Araknid was of the Undead element and in a place such as the one both were in it wasn't uncommon to find Life and Undead working side by side.
"Enigma's tree thrives," the pale skinned Portal Master commented. Her short dark hair was kept in a neat little bob except for the white sections near her temple. Araknid had bound them up around a hollow form to produce curved horns that arched back over her head. The Undead Portal Master seemed to love spikes and horns, in all her years of service she had never removed the black spiked bracelets around her wrists. They had been replaced with new ones as older ones wore out but they were never gone for long no matter how else her style changed.

Seraph knelt at the base of the sapling and gently touched the earth. "He nourishes it well." The Portal Master's eyes flickered up to the plaque at the bottom of the tree with Enigma's name, element and title on it.
"It's beautiful, Seraph," Araknid said softly. She looked to her right and let her eyes dance over the plaques that shone at the base of every tree present. "From death comes life. The most beautiful graveyard in all of Skylands. I'm proud to have worked with you and your element to make this possible."
"We couldn't have done it without the Undead," Seraph said. She kissed her fingers then touched Enigma's plaque. "Sleep well my love. I will care for your tree as I have for the trees of every Skylander and ally that's passed before you. You are forever surrounded by friends."

Oops, I lied. I wasn't done with the last entry. I forgot to post this one. My bad.