The next day…
-
Today was the big day!
The Center Plaza glowed softly beneath the spiritual energy entangling around the roots of the Emerald Ghost Tree. The entire space, more than a hundred meters across, was carved with an enormous world map, each line etched with an obsessive precision, and illuminated by the accumulating light.
Petra stood in the center.
Before her towered the repaired crystal core she had taken from the ruins of the Void Walkers, clear and pulsing, like a slumbering heart just waiting to be restarted. Ethereal runes stretched up and down, barely visible, connecting it to the rest of the territory in an unseen network of magical threads.
Behind her stood Lilly and Luna, Nebula, and the three head maids, Rose, Mell, and Wind. Further back were Soryn, Bell, Dorothy, and the others. Beyond them, Levy and Elli watched silently from the side, and behind them, was an army…
Hundreds of servants, workers, and warrior ants filled the plaza!
Petra's eyes flickered.
Her small chest rose with confidence, and in a voice far more domineering than her size should have allowed, she declared, "From today onwards… this place will be called the Verdelith Castle!"
Shuuu—
A soft wind rippled through the leaves above…
The plaza hummed—
Petra stepped forward, placing her tiny hands on the surface of the colossal core crystal, no, the new 'Castle Core!' A pulse of light surged through her palms, and the core responded—
BOOM!
A blinding Radiance exploded outwards, blooming like a lotus in the sun! Rays of multicolored light stretched out in sweeping arcs across the plaza like a dancing aurora.
Hoooooong—! Kong! The world map beneath their feet came alive, defined by the light and illusion.
Streams of light raced outwards, tracing mountain ranges, coastlines, rivers, seas, and breathing life into the engravings. At the same time, the crystal's light climbed upwards like a shooting star, reaching towards the Emerald Ghost Tree at a terrifying speed!
The moment the light touched the trunk—
Gnnnnn!! The entire tree trembled, shaking the world! In that instant, everything came alive! Dong!
Vitality flooded out, stretching to everything, the inner garden, the farmland, the poison garden, and most abundantly, the Emerald Ghost Tree! From underground, roots curled inwards, shifting and tightening as if responding to a long-forgotten instinct.
The Castle Core and the Emerald Ghost Tree were connecting.
The 'integration' had begun—
And with it… the awakening of the dormant Plant Spirit!
Petra's expression hardened.
Her lips pressed together as her fingers curled slightly against the crystal core. The air thickened with spiritual energy at an unbelievable rate, pushing back the surrounding onlookers, and producing an overwhelming sense of suffocation. Even for Dorthy, who possessed a seemingly endless well of mana, found the density of this spiritual energy suffocating!
Petra's clothes billowed in the wind. Her mental energy sharpened, her hair lifted with static, and her heartbeat matched the rising rhythm of the core.
Rumbel! Everything trembled!
Behind her, the girls held their breaths, struggling to withstand the building pressure. The ants lowered themselves one after another, overwhelmed and unable to hold on.
The plaza's light reached a blinding peak, and then—
- Silence…
The world… paused…
Petra inhaled slowly.
Then—
With a flick of her mind, her mental energy detonated and resonated with the Castle Core!
HOOOOONG!!! Something in the unseen world trembled.
A shockwave burst out and up, rattling the tree, shaking dust from the root-formed ceiling, and sending spiritual energy surging outwards like a storming tide! Something ancient was stirring…!
Petra could feel it, that 'slumbering spark!' The Verdelith Castle took its first breath, and with it—
Boom! Petra's consciousness exploded forward!
* * *
Time held still…
-
- The world was dark
A formless figure drifted in the void...
It turned, as if looking over its shoulder, but it had no face. It was tall, brave, and carried a heroic aura.
It held something, a hollow tube? No, it was a spear…
No…
What was that weapon in 'his' hand…?
- It turned away...
It stepped—
The screen cracked and everything shattered!
- Black
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
- The scene changes, time turns back
This was… a long time ago…
The sea, an endless expanse of blue.
The sky, an endless horizon of white.
The void ripped open, and something fell…!
- Black
It was a disaster!
The sea ignited!
The sky solidified!
Friend turned to foe!
The world distorted in impossible ways!
Screams filled the world as everything turned to Chaos!
The 'seal'—
Then, only darkness…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
Time pressed on like a river...
The 'darkness' thinned, and 'light' pushed through the cracks.
A faceless figure crawled out from shattered stone, no, from a shattered tomb… it's own tomb?
Why…?
'It' looked around…
Fatigue soaked its soul...
An overwhelming sense of persistence bled out, overwhelming the despair, unwilling to break or fade. The faceless figure, despite lacking a face, ignited with eyes that transcended time and space!
It roared—
Then split…
Nine shadows were torn from its body before it crumbled into dust.
The darkness returned…
-
- A faint green light flickered to life in the void
-
"Who…?" The wordless words echoed in the nothingness…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
- The lantern whose glow illuminated the world.
- The unending bamboo whose back never bent.
- The thorny sister with a prickly personality.
- The patient hunter whose traps never failed.
- The swaying grass who refused to run.
- The endless field of mushrooms, wandering in sorrow.
- The greedy vine with an empty heart.
And—
The tree that dreamed…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
- 'Fear of death!'
- 'The cracking of unity!'
- 'The fall of an empire!'
Countless scenes flashed past …
Greed, despair, helplessness, a broken dream, all swirling together into a cloud of memories and pain.
-
"Why…?" Again, the wordless words echoed in the nothingness…
* * *
[Bu-dump!]
-
The green light dimmed.
The drifting visions faded.
Darkness crept in, swallowing the edge of the dream.
The flame flickered—
Weakening…
-
"This feeling…" 'It' trembled.
'It's the same as back then, no, wait…back then?'
"When…?" Once again, the wordless words echoed in the nothingness…
-
A 'light' appeared far ahead in the void, and the 'unformed observer' slowly reached towards it…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
Flicker—! A woman appeared, tall and strong, wrapped in the grace of a sovereign and light of nobility. Her 'roots' stretched outwards, touching the corners of the world.
The observer paused.
Its mind trembled as it looked from afar…
"She's… familiar?"
The observer felt a great sense of awe, "But, who is she?"
-
[Bu-dump—!]
* * *
A 'hand' stretched for her, trembling, but the image shattered like fragile glass before it could touch.
"So fragile…" The whisper disappeared into the void.
-
[Bu-dump…]
-
The darkness returned—
But this time, it was deeper, like an all-consuming abyss…
Pain mixed with sorrow as the unseen observer began to tremble.
Tears that didn't exist began to fall…
'I'm scared,' the wordless whisper echoed.
'I don't want to die.'
'Why did this happen… why?'
- The world twisted as if responding
Swoosh! A sprawling green empire rose from the horizon—
And burned!
It collapsed, again and again, no matter its 'direction'.
'Why…!'
- The scene flickered
Nine shadows argued, then scattered.
Their unity cracked.
Not from species, not from culture, no, not even from misunderstanding...
No…
It was something deeper...
Something they couldn't understand…
What was it?
A figure, ethereal and erased, flickered. It was tall, brave, and carried a heroic aura.
Crack! Then—
- Darkness…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
- A new scene formed through the veil
A 'faceless figure' ran in terror.
The 'observer' observed…
The faceless figure, it stumbled, fell, and rolled despite its immense strength.
Behind it, the sky darkened.
A shadow expanded overhead, forming a hollow wave of unending vines crashing down, a tidal wave of green greed, swallowing everything beneath it in a red rage.
The 'observer' felt fear, raw, soul-deep fear, something that had been burned into its existence for a long time… It was a fear of death that gnawed at the bones.
- The figure fled
Escaped…
Cried!
It hurt!
It was lost…
Why did it come to this!
It didn't know what it was doing anymore…
So—
It hid! It wrapped itself in countless shields, and sank into an eternal dream, never to return…
* * *
[Bu-dump!]
-
- Time passed, and countless years slipped away like sand
-
[Bu-dump...]
-
[Bu-dump...]
-
[Bu-dump...]
-
The 'dream' was perfect, an unending cycle of 'happiness'…
But something went wrong...
The protective shell shattered, and its safe haven was discovered. A corrosive presence slinked in through the cracks. There was a battle, or a misunderstanding…?
It didn't matter...
It hurt!
It was unnecessary!
Pain!
Stop!
Help!
Unfair!
Why!
Please!
- Everything ended with silence
- Everything scattered like a dream collapsing
Then—
Only darkness remained...
It was—
- Silent…
- Still…
- Empty…
- Lonely…
- Painful…
* * *
[Bu-dump…]
-
The 'green flame' flickered out, leaving only a faint trail of smoke to linger in the nothingness…
* * *
[Bu-dump]
-
But just then, at the precipice of returning to the [?]—
A tiny light appeared, flickering at the end of the everything within the nothingness. The observer, that which should have long returned to the [?], felt a pull, no, it felt, for the first time, the 'tether' that allowed it to remain this long…
The unseen observer…
No, the tree…
No, the sapling…
No-no-no, the bud…
The seed…?
No, the…
The…
What was left?
There was nothing…
Absolutely nothing…
* * *
[Bu-dump…]
-
It was the end.
And yet, that 'nothing', that extinguished green flame, that last fragment of something, refused to die. It reached out its tiny 'hand' towards the distant light, towards—
The flickering green star…
* * *
As the 'hand' took hold of the 'light', the 'observer flickered'.
There was a pull…
Woosh! She was consumed by the light. The tiny light wrapped around its formless body, and the shadows peeled away like melting wax. Then, within that glow, that green star, no, the white light, something appeared…
It was a small black twig.
It floated gently in the void, wrapped in spiraling motes of multicolored light that spun faster and faster around the unseen observer. Soon, the countless points of light compressed inwards, molding themselves into the faint outline of a small child.
Memories surged into the 'observer's mind' as it reformed.
Fragments of that 'valiant figure' returned like the drifting wind.
A stance!
A voice!
A will that refused to bow! Roots that refused to yield! She single-handedly carried everything!
'She' was unstoppable!
-
Along with the memories of her eight sisters, the forgotten pieces of 'herself' reformed, trembling with recognition as her small body solidified.
And yet… it wasn't enough…!
Like sand pulled together by the trembling fingers of an elder, the fragments slipped apart one grain at a time. The forming silhouette wavered, its edges beginning to dissolve into smoke almost immediately after they appeared. The little black twig pulsed, trying desperately to bind the spirit together, but the 'damage' was far too great.
The tiny body flickered.
The shape thinned.
And the spirit started to unravel like mist.
Just as the last remnants of the figure were fading…
Woosh! Another light ignited in the distant darkness! It pulsed once, twice, like a heart awakening.
The spirit was overwhelmed by a sudden sense of loss, yet this new light seemed to be offering something else.
The small child's silhouette turned, clutching the black twig to her chest. Her dim outline trembled, but even as her form loosened into threads, she still reached out again. There was no fear in her movements, only that instinctive refusal to disappear, to [Persist], and as her fading fingers touched the next light—
- The void shuddered
The light expanded, and the 'dream' shifted.
The small figure continued to reach out.
One light appeared after another, and another, like a ladder rising through the void.
Each light became a foothold, condensing, solidifying, and rebuilding her body just a little bit more each time. Stability and memories came in waves. With every step, her strength returned.
Faces of unknown figures emerged from the flickering glow.
No! Not unknown, she knew them!
"She…?" 'She' was confused by the self-address.
-
- The lantern that lit the path and walked away.
- The sword that forged its own path.
- The jumpy little brat that hated everything.
- The silent snake whose dagger was always drawn.
- The field of grass that never cared.
- The endless mind that devoured knowledge.
- The greedy traitor that placed itself above the others.
And…
- The Dreamer
The tree that only wanted to explore the endless world, the cursed existence fated to remain forever rooted in the earth. A being condemned to gaze at the endless sky… but never touch it!
- A [Tragedy]
The small figure stopped at the 'final' light. She stared at the 'Dreamer', searching the remnants of its memories. Slowly, painfully… 'she' awakened.
"This is… me…?"
Her small voice echoed through the empty world…
"What… happened? Why am I…?" Her body had stabilized, but she had 'sunk' far too far. She was trapped with no way out, suspended in an 'ending' that 'never ended'.
She let out a bitter little laugh.
This was worse than death, wasn't it?
Just as the faint light in her eyes dimmed, another glow erupted on the horizon! Woosh!
She turned her head and stared at the distant light. Then she stepped towards it, driven by her unconscious instincts alone.
As she approached, her eyes trembled.
A colossal tree stood in the void, formed from light. It was magnificent even as it withered.
"Who are you?" the small figure couldn't help but ask in a weak voice.
Her voice was unanswered, but she accepted it, because she understood why…
This broken thing…
It was not the 'Corrupted World Tree'… no, it was the 'True World Tree', or at least the unfinished creation, or its spirit, formed by the High-Elves. Its core was stripped, and its memories were poured into the branches that Petra had 'stolen'. She didn't even realize what she had taken, but even with this, it still wouldn't survive. It was like a broken product, glorious on the outside, but failed on the inside. Even if it could be saved, even if it could be completed, even if it could escape the corruption, it had no hope, it would never be a true 'Plant Spirit', no matter how 'perfect' it was.
It flickered like a dying star, despite its grandeur…
It was fading, flickering like a mirage.
The 'small figure' could see this at a glance…
She gazed at it, its body half-formed, half-ethereal, clearly incomplete, and yet, still trying to live.
They were the same. Broken things, lingering things, things that refused to disappear, things that were somehow cursed to [Persist].
The World Tree shifted and stirred…
Its shadow rippled with flickering silhouettes, apes with pointed ears, strange ancient beings, tools too complex to imagine—
That was what the small figure—the small girl, thought.
But none of that mattered…
Since they were both going to vanish, they might as well hope. The World Tree shook violently, its leaves scattering like emerald dust.
The entire void trembled!
Its trunk collapsed inwards, shrinking hundreds of times in mere moments, until its final embers dissolved, intentionally pouring itself into the small body of the little figure.
Woosh!
She staggered back!
The tree vanished entirely.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Silence washed over the world, and only one path remained… The little spirit did not pause, she walked forward, carrying the final embers of the unfinished world tree.
-
Time passed, and because there was no cycle here—
She stopped only when a small grey light appeared before her steps, almost as if it were waiting...
It was a rounded pebble sitting in the void.
No, not a pebble, a seed, a seed soaked in time and decay.
She moved without hesitation.
She reached out—
The World Tree had given her strength, far more than she understood. Unfortunately, it was this same strength that caused her to make a mistake.
This time, it wasn't that simple.
The grey seed's light entered her body, but with it came something else, a force, no, a gaze.
Something ancient, something… wrong—
BOOM! It hit her like a mountain!
Her form convulsed.
She dropped to her knees, her formless face twisting unnaturally. Disembodied whispers spilled out of her body like a storm and spread throughout the void, filling it with a building chaos.
The silence was stripped away, replaced by chaotic murmurs.
They rose slowly from the unseen depths, slithering like serpents across her mind and body! A chorus of scraping sand and static that resembled no language ever spoken screamed in her skull!
Chaos flooded her head!
The darkness grew darker, so dark it swallowed even the idea of darkness! Depravity and desires dawned and devoured, driving the despair and directing it towards an uncontrollable demand!
She screamed!
Something had been called—
Something far above any mere monster!
Hooooong! A presence like a god's gaze slowly turned its head towards her!
The void solidified beneath her feet…
Boom! The sky tore open!
A colossal eye appeared, splitting the void like a blade carving through the heavens. It stretched across the horizon, so immense the World Tree looked like a weed before its massive pupil!
Countless rings spiraled within the iris, each one like a century etched into time itself.
The eye twitched.
It scanned the emptiness, then its pupil expanded, contracted, and locked onto her. The simple act of being 'seen' shattered her body's stability, obliterating it!
Pain crashed into her mind!
The girl collapsed, trembling violently.
Hoooooooooong!!
The void roared in protest, responding to the eye's presence! Whatever this thing was, it wasn't something that should exist here.
"Am I… going to die…?" Her thoughts peeled away like dust in a storm.
Everything was fading…
Then—
In the instant between life and death, something else fell into the void, a feather-like branch of light. It drifted down and landed in the girl's arms as her tiny body twitched and trembled, disintegrating.
It was half white and half black—
A small fragment formed entirely from mental energy.
She hugged it instinctively, far tighter than she held the others. Her body, which was only the outline that remained from her innate glow, moved with an impossible desperation!
Something bloomed!
A new light erupted, white and black spiraling together in a single radiance.
The godly eye above the void trembled.
Its rings expanded and twisted like a monstrous telescope focusing on its prey. The pressure multiplied, almost as if it were trying to crush something that had yet to appear.
Boom—! The void cracked!
'Time folded!'
'Space crumpled!'
The eye felt something, how could it not!?
The circular iris slowly narrowed into the slit of a serpent. The gaze sharpened, dissecting her existence.
Then—
BOOM! Something beneath the girl opened! Rumbel—!
A second eye, just as colossal, no, perhaps even more, burst open below her failing frame! It ripped across the void like a newborn universe. It stared upwards, stabilizing the girl, anchoring her, and providing a new foundation for her existence to take root.
Her body dissolved again, but this time it wasn't destruction, no, it was…
It was transformation!
Unlike the countless rings of time above 'them', this earthly eye held a sea of stars within it. It was a cosmic expanse that swallowed half the void. Light sparked across its surface, forming nine unfocused constellations that flickered far beyond the most distant stars.
Then, the stars began to go out!
Swoosh! Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh One by one, they dimmed and disappeared until only darkness remained, but! It was a darkness so deep that there was no end to it!
The abyss churned behind the stars.
Something stirred...
Then—
A flicker!
A faint green spark formed in the heart of the abyss.
The small girl watched, frozen and rapidly reforming, as the green light grew, pushing back the darkness. It expanded, consuming the void, enveloping her in a blinding emerald light that devoured everything with an unstoppable momentum!
The serpentine eye above widened, then trembled violently.
A pressure far, far greater than its own erupted like a cosmic beast, swallowing its influence.
The colossal eye above curled inwards. Its slit narrowed, and slowly, slowly—
It disappeared…
Only the blinding emerald light of the growing green star remained.
* * *