"When belief takes root, even silence speaks."
Days passed, then weeks.
The grove pulsed with quiet vitality, every heartbeat in tune with his own.
He could feel them — the fifty-three beastmen who had made this place their home.
Their emotions had blended into the life of the forest: fear, hope, love, exhaustion… and above all, gratitude.
Each prayer whispered beneath his branches carried a faint thread of power.
Each laugh, each sigh, each spark of faith — fed him.
The Codex had long recorded the accumulation:
[Faith Energy: 1,245 → 2,983 → 5,412...]
The number climbed with every passing moon.
He didn't seek it, yet it came.
And then… something changed.
---
It began one dawn, when mist hung low over the grove and dew glimmered like glass.
The young girl, Liri, knelt near his roots again, small fingers tracing the rough bark. She didn't speak much — her words were soft and hesitant, like her heartbeat — but she always came.
Today, her voice trembled as she whispered,
"Mother said trees remember things… Do you remember us too, Great Tree?"
Her tone carried no expectation, just a child's fragile hope.
Something stirred deep inside him — not thought, not instinct, but recognition. A pulse of golden light rippled through his roots, spreading outward through the grove like a wave of warmth.
The Codex responded.
[Faith Energy Threshold Reached.]
[Integrating Faith Node into Domain Core.]
[New Function Unlocked: Blessing Resonance.]
The world held its breath.
For a moment, the grove glowed. Every leaf shimmered faintly, every petal swayed as if to unseen music. The beastmen awoke to find the morning filled with a strange light — gentle, sacred, alive.
The wounded felt their fatigue lift.
The hungry found the fruits of the forest sweeter and more plentiful.
The air smelled of renewal.
Even Rhaegor paused in disbelief, hand on the hilt of his blade. "By the ancestors… the Great Tree is awake."
---
Within, the MC felt something different than Mana.
Faith was not fuel — it was harmony, connection, trust.
He didn't command it; it answered him.
When his consciousness brushed against it, the entire grove responded. Roots thickened. Sap quickened. Streams ran clearer. Even the soil felt richer.
He understood now — faith didn't simply feed him; it resonated with him.
It made him more than a source of energy; it made him a symbol.
A center for life.
[Blessing Resonance: Active]
Effect: Converts ambient Faith Energy into passive regeneration for flora and fauna within domain.
Secondary Effect: Deepens emotional sensitivity and communication potential.
For the first time, he could feel them not just as shadows of emotion — but as distinct, familiar minds.
Rhaegor's steady leadership.
Thorn's restless vigilance.
Maera's quiet sorrow and resilience.
Kara's instincts sharpened by loss.
And the pure curiosity of Liri.
He found comfort in their presence.
"They… believe in me."
A strange ache filled him — warm, painful, human.
Fragments of memory rose like drifting leaves: a man standing before a small garden; a promise whispered to the wind; a feeling of wanting to protect.
It faded quickly, leaving only silence.
But now he knew — that silence was himself.
---
That night, as stars shimmered above the canopy, Rhaegor gathered his people.
He raised a carved staff toward the glowing trunk.
"The Great Tree watches, and the Great Tree provides," he declared. "Let us not only take from its grace — but live by its peace."
Fifty-three voices bowed in agreement, their chants humble and heartfelt.
As they spoke, faint streams of golden mist drifted from their hearts, drawn toward the great roots.
He did not devour it.
He embraced it.
And as the grove settled once more, the Codex hummed softly in his mind:
[Faith Energy: 12,000+]
[Domain Purity Increased.]
[Potential for Evolution Detected.]
The Great Tree's branches trembled under the starlight.
He could sense it — a new evolution, waiting just beyond comprehension.