"So much has been given to me I have not time to ponder over that which has been denied."

― Helen Keller

“Here you go,” Ven dropped a key into Lyra’s hands and gave her a wave. “I’ll send word when I’ve found the next planet!”

He jumped into the air and blinked from existence before she responded, transported into a sea of stars. That was the tenth world, with two more planned. It took little time to find habitable worlds, the entire realm was connected to his very soul. Life worlds shone like beacons in the dark, productive lighthouses that enriched the space around them.

“Which one next…” Ven let his thoughts drift through the web of life, one planet to another, until a difference appeared. “Hello there…”

He traced the pulse of warmth, a halo in the darkness that brought life to the worlds around it. Nestled in a cluster of habitable planets, Ven discovered a continent. Suspended in space, lit by its own luminous glow, the shelf of stone tumbled on a slow journey through the stars.

“A flat earth…” Ven laughed as he descended toward the vibrant world. “I wonder if the Earth has humans who still believe in such things?”

The landscape of the continent varied. Oceans, plains, mountainous ridgelines that stood higher than most planets. Animals thrived, the first he’d seen within the realm. Jungles filled with the sounds of life, birds in the air and whales at the surface of the seas. Tribes of apes roamed the forests, kings of the evolutionary ladder of their world.

“Beautiful…except for this place…”

Ven drifted to the centre of the bizarre landmass, focused on a dark, barren mountain, topped by a single, sickly tree. The desolate rock sat, face turned to a sister peak that was covered in the largest forest he’d ever seen. Mighty redwoods, wider than a city block at their base. These great trees seemed small, compared to the giant that crowned the second mountain's top.

“It’s like yggdrasil, a tree of life,” Ven settled onto a branch that rivalled a four lane highway, lit by a white light from within. Small, white fruits hung from the tip of every broad leafed branch, more like berries compared to the plant’s size. “They smell delicious!”

Ven salivated as he stripped a dozen apple sized pearls and settled down on the smooth bark. One after the other, they flowed into his mouth, swallowed whole and wrapped by the shadows of his aura.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Ahhhhhh…”

Ven lay flat, bathed in the glow of the unusual wood. Warmth spread through his mental projection, a heat that tingled under his true body’s skin. He resisted the urge to leave his realm and focused on the lifeless mountain across the way. It too held a tree, but this one stood no taller than an average plant of Earth.

Narrow yellow leaves, held toward the glow that barely reached its shadowed home. It also held fruit, a pair of red skinned pods that floressed in the gloom. A slither of movement drew Ven’s eyes to the branch above the luminous display. Hidden in the dark, coiled around the trunk with its gaze lined up on his, was a huge snake.

“Lucifer?”

Ven raised an eyebrow and shifted closer. The snake watched in silence, tongue extended to taste the air. The Devil was out in this new multiverse somewhere, but the serpent shouldn’t be anyone else. He waved his hand and called out to the snake, still at a safe distance.

“Hey, Lucifer, is that you?”

“That’s his first body!” Dante popped into existence and gawked at the scenery. “It’s just an animal without Lucy inside to pull its strings, but I’d be careful…” the devil’s eyes flicked to the two fruited trees, drool on his lips. “May I sample a few…”

“Banned!” Ven shook his head and pointed at Dante’s nose. “If a single one goes missing, I’ll dump you back into the greater multiverse and leave you to rot.”

The light from his system was abundant, the devil could feed on that. Who knew how productive these trees were, but the ones he’d picked hadn’t returned. Dante snorted, face the picture of misery.

“Greedy!” The devil chided, still focussed on the largest tree’s many fruits. “You have so much… spare some for a starved traveller!”

“Starved my ass,” Ven rolled his eyes and gathered his aura into a vast storm. “You’ve eaten more system energy than anyone, so keep your sneaky hands to yourself.”

“Fine-fine,” Dante huffed. He turned to the smaller tree, a glint in his eye. “Be careful with those ones, that ancient trap still has thorns beyond the serpent in its branches…”

Ven frowned. If the bigger tree was the Tree of Life, then this one should be the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It changed humanity, or at least one version of them, into something forbidden from the garden. A shift away from the animal origin, the birth of self awareness.

A wave of his hands erected a barrier of runes around both the mountains. Seals and wards that would keep those within his inner realm from reaching these trees and their fruit. The serpent roared at the rush of light, its shadowed body recoiled to the depths of the withered branches.

“There we go,” Ven dusted his palms with satisfaction as he eyed his work. “This stuff can stay locked up, until I’ve studied it a bit mo…”

A darkness slammed into the runic script, hungry for the delights within. Ven’s giant raised its fists, twin voids that chipped at the durable barrier. Ven moved to calm the beast, but was met with the back of a hand. Locked onto the breath of the Tree of Life, it pushed Ven aside and continued its assault.

“Hey now…” Ven picked himself from the jungle floor and squinted at his rebellious subconscious. “If you don’t play nice, I won’t either.”

His aura was useless against the Giant, but his runes had some effect. If not, the creature would be in the trees, arm deep in fruit. A slow stream of air passed his lips, exhaled into the wind. He reached out and seized the remainder of his stored system energy. The condensed star of power he’d saved to forge new keys.

“It’s time we had a nice, long chat, you and I,” Ven raised his hands, countless runes in his eyes. “House guests should follow the rules and respect their host’s property!”