He places his hand upon cold stone
Energy flows through his body, exorcised into the monolith
A sadistic apparition pierces his vision
Unable to release his hand from ancestral rock, all knowledge is violently removed
Omniscience flows mellifluent, like blood from gashed arteries
Tears of plasma stream down his face
A silent scream as the pain of millennia courses through his veins
Weeping and fetal in the clearing center
All that remains of the monolith is ash drifting slowly through the air to rest upon his withered body
He lies curled into himself, wishing for his mother's womb
Dreaming of a sanctuary from the horrors of the cosmos
"Fool," cries the ancient sequoia
"The hubris of these creatures saddens me
"Her roots spread throughout the forest and the furthest reaches of the Earth
"Fool," sighs the prehistoric cousin of Yggdrasil
"It was all a test and he failed miserably..."