I kept thinking about Green well after I left the hedge behind. Something about the way he had acted, the way he'd talked to me. It made me think of Aiouei, a transdimensional cube who had visited every now and then. He'd been conceived in an artificial reality almost as a joke, but had eventually escaped. He'd always seemed fragile whenever I talked to him, as if he was about to break and dissipate into nothingness at the slightest impact. I'd never considered the joke particularly funny.

Part of me wished I'd asked Green for advice on what people were supposed to do here, but if I went back now it'd just be awkward. The forest was interesting, sure, but I wasn't sure what to do now.

With a sigh, I expanded my psionic perception to include a good chunk of the forest. I could detect two other minds, both of which abruptly vanished the moment I saw them, but I couldn't find Green, although there was a strange feeling that wanted me to head back towards him. Interesting. Along with that, I could sense a strange, slow presence. An undercurrent of generic, placeless will infusing the entire area. It didn't feel malevolent, but... it was more like curiosity. Curiosity and caution.

Interim scouting mission completed, I started looking around for a good area to make a place where I could stay. I didn't feel like breaking any more trees. I still felt bad about the one I'd broken earlier, even though I'd fixed it up as best as I could. So I needed to find a place where there weren't any trees, like a mountain or a cave or something.

Looking down, I briefly considered hollowing out the grass and the layers underneath it, but decided against it. If there were any more things like the angry brown animal I'd encountered, I didn't want to bother them. No, I needed somewhere that didn't have any life. The first place to come to mind was Green's clearing, but I didn't think I should live there. Something told me it wouldn't end well.

I ended up just wandering around, stepping over tree anchors and pushing through bushes. I ran into two more animals, both of which were significantly larger than the squirrel and looked nothing alike. One of them was broad-shouldered, a tough-looking creature with razor-sharp claws and a wide face-hole with a lot of jutting white things sticking out of the top and bottom. It'd had six legs and a thick coat of shimmery black fur, and had been quite a bit larger than me. The other was basically just a giant noodle with a face-hole, which seemed to be a requirement for living things here. Whatever the case, both had run away from me when I got close, the noodle sprouting a pair of unnervingly muscular hairless legs and sprinting away with surprising speed.

Pushing through a patch of bushes, I took a confident step onto nothing at all. My foot met thin air and I keeled forward. However, this was not the first time I'd taken a misstep, and my fall turned into a slow somersault as I drifted downward. I still couldn't quite get the hang of how complex physical matter was in this reality, so grabbing every individual part of myself and simply holding myself aloft wasn't an option. I'd figured out a handy workaround where I made a mobile pocket of reduced gravity. I wasn't going to be flying around anytime soon, but at least I wasn't going to be clumsily tumbling around.

Awkwardly rotating to a standing position, I pulled the gravity down to nothing and oriented myself correctly. To my surprise, I floated above a barren valley, a rough triangle of cleared-out space measuring about half a square mile. I could see tracks in the stone that looked like tree-anchors had vacated the area, pulling all of the grass and dirt along with it. There wasn't anything unusual about the clearing aside from the fact that it was - well, clear. Trees huddled along the side, more cramped than I'd seen anywhere else in the forest. In fact, it almost looked as though-

I paused. Extending my perception again, I searched for that strange undercurrent of will I'd felt earlier. I found it a moment later. It was slightly more focused than before, and I could locate it densely packed around the trees. It wasn't in the valley at all.

I wasn't all that great at communicating with larger entities. Sometimes Grandpa got too big to talk to reasonably, but at least I had some practice. Taking a moment to collect myself, I radiated a simple thought into the space around me as far as I could manage. Thanks for the place to stay.

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No words were said. No mental link was established. But I saw leaves twitch, and I saw trees straighten.

Having given my gratitude, I turned my attention to the space I'd been given. I could do a lot with this.

First off; optional gravity. I was constantly blown away by how detailed the creator of this reality had been, and I could definitely appreciate the work he put into the flawless gravity. Everything was affected by it at the appropriate speeds, velocities and accelerations, but at the same time... well, I missed being able to stand on the ceiling whenever I wanted to. I put a pocket around the whole valley and relaxed the pocket I'd put on myself as I did so. Rocks and pebbles started to drift upward and sideways, but I wasn't done yet.

The next thing to go was conventional space. One foot always being equal to one foot was just as impressive to pull off. Factors like gravity and energy could easily mess up measurements like that, and the designer's proficiency there was just as perfect as the rest of his work. I would have started getting artist's depression if I hadn't already come to terms with the fact that I just wasn't built for techniques on his grade. Whatever the case, my square half-mile tripled and quadrupled in size before it just sort of dropped out of measurable levels. Taking a single step could move me across the whole area... or not at all. It was a constant, enjoyable mystery. I was confident I'd get used to the nooks and crannies. It was all just a matter of time.

Finally, I made a chair out of stone and put it in the middle.

This was a good place to stay.

Dusting my hands off, I looked over at the nearby forestation. So, who are you? I've never talked to a forest before.

The trees moved slightly, almost as if the air was moving again, but I could tell it wasn't. Response was slow to come, but when it finally did, it made me think of hundreds of voices speaking simultaneously and in perfect harmony, each one deep and thick. I... the Forest. Never... named.

I felt my forehead wrinkle. You don't have a name? You can think and speak, much the same as me. I mean, you don't move very much, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed call yourself something.

The Forest gave me a distinct sense of muted amusement. Seem... offended.

I folded my arms. Okay, so maybe I am. But- I froze as I remembered the tree I'd broken. Wait, I injured a tree a while back. That didn't hurt you, did it?

The humor was all but gone. Yes.

I flinched. Sorry. I was running a bit too fast, and I guess I ran into you.

The Forest seemed to ignore my apology, growing a little frostier in tone. What... you?

I thought about it for a moment. Well, my name is Shold'ler. I've been called an Old One since I got here, but I'm really not all that old, so I don't know what that tree was thinking. Green never asked what my species was called, so... eldritch, I suppose. I don't really know the difference between what you're called and what you call yourself, but I've never asked. I recalled Green's words and scratched the back of my head worryingly. If you don't mind my asking... you're not planning on making a contract with me, right?

The Forest had been gradually growing more active as I spoke, and the trees began moving more frenziedly. When it spoke to me again, its voice was a roar. Vile skeleton! Life-thief! No part... weakening... roots...

I could feel the Forest's anger towards something, but it wasn't directed at me. Even as it grew furious, its stamina drained until its voices fell away, and all that was left was a lone whisper. Lack... strength.

Walking out of my valley and accidentally coming out the wrong end, I went over to one of the trees and sat down next to it. It's okay to be weak sometimes. It doesn't feel great, but it lets you stop and think. I don't know what skeleton you're talking about, but I'd be happy to help you out however I can. First though, what should I call you?

The whisper was barely audible at this point. I... Forest.

I patted the tree sympathetically. I'd been drained before, and I knew first-hand how hard it was to talk under those circumstances. Okay, look. I'm just going to call you... Dioda. I cringed mentally. Sure, my naming skills weren't top-notch, but that was the best I could come up with? Grandpa would have bound me to a void for a few forevers for that one.

The gently swaying trees paused, and then I heard the whisper again. Slightly stronger this time, as though Dioda was slowly recovering. Dioda. I... Tree Mother...

She trailed off slowly, and I gave the tree another pat. You should probably rest for a while. Don't push yourself unnecessarily.

Dioda managed one final comment before her voice faded entirely. Shold'ler... ally.

It felt quite nice to know someone had my back.