Welcome to Gaia! ::

Room 4: The Reflection Pool - This gallery feels strangely intimate compared to the others. Rather than towering skeletons or impossible machines, its displays are filled with ordinary things, each carefully preserved beneath crystal glass. A well-worn sword with a cracked leather grip rests beside a child's wooden toy. Nearby, a faded wedding dress stands upon a mannequin, opposite a pair of spectacles folded atop a handwritten journal whose pages have yellowed with age. A chipped teacup, a musician's instrument, an embroidered blanket, a half-finished carving, pressed flowers, letters tied neatly with ribbon--none appear remarkable on their own, yet each has been displayed with the same care as the museum's grandest treasures. Their placards are sparse, often recording only a name, a place, or a single date. These things would have been unremarkable in the hands of their owners, yet time has rendered them extraordinary. Somehow, each survived when countless others did not, preserved long after those who treasured them have been lost to time.

There is a quietness to the room unlike anywhere else in the museum. Those who linger near an object may find themselves overcome with the faintest impression of its history--not visions so much as feelings, fleeting glimpses of laughter, grief, triumph, routine, or love, as though the memories that shaped these ordinary possessions had never quite faded. Whether these impressions are the work of ancient magic or simply the imagination is impossible to say, but visitors often find themselves lingering far longer than they intended. In the center of the room is a strange fountain, with silver liquid that runs like water, but looks like mercury. Despite the miniature waterfall, the water is still, creating an almost perfect mirror.

A placard says 'Reflection Pool', but there's more to it than that--and anyone who looks within it will find out why. The pool has a hypnotizing effect, drawing the viewer into an old memory. Guests may accompany them into this memory, but it is a deeply personal experience. The magic will pull them into a defining moment of their life where they experienced a critical failure or other impactful moment that lingers in their memory. Through this magic, they have the opportunity to confront this experience again, as they are now instead of as they were then. Though this is a hallucination, it is incredibly realistic and can last for a few minutes. Though it forces conflict, it can result in a great catharsis. The reflection pool can only give access to a memory you have from your present life, so no past life memories, forgotten side swapped memories, or memories you haven't unlocked. This can be used as a battle requirement, regardless of the memory; the character simply needs to confront a difficult moment in the past. Your character does not need to be powered in this memory and does not need to engage in real physical combat. This memory is an illusion and can distort wildly. While the past cannot change, the illusion can reveal an alternate future if the path had been different. The illusion will only last for a few minutes; if visiting as a group, each may experience their own individual illusions, or they may be sucked into one person's illusion together, or they may arrive in a combined illusion formed from each of them. A person cannot be harmed in this illusion. There isa warning posted by the pool that cautions against looking too deeply, but below that is a note: We are all defined by the small moments in our lives.