I awaken to darkness. I see nothing. I can’t feel anything. Am I hyperventilating? I think I might be hyperventilating; I’d know if I was if I could at least feel or hear my breathing.

I need to calm down, need to think. I’m not in pain, or in anything really but at least that means no pain. I don’t think I can move and none of my senses seem to be working. Well, I might have one still sense available.

I reach for that familiar part of my mind, it takes more fumbling than usual but then the world comes into view with a palpable snap.

[You have learned the skill Sense Vaki]

Light suddenly swathed unto the black canvas of my psyche. No longer blind I allow myself the brief reprieve of enjoying sight, or at least a form of it, once more. The Tapestry is said to encompass the world and vaki are the threads it’s weaved from. The academy I attended argued if vaki was just the will of things or the life of the thing itself. To me it didn’t matter, vaki was just another way to see the world. All living things have vaki within them, and it usually stayed there, radiating outwards minute amounts and interacting with their bodies; it’s what allows us the ability to use most skills. If you could see and influence the vaki without, you had the basic qualifications to be a mage.

I can currently see a white silhouette of the world with varying levels of brightness, this view won’t show things like rocks as they’re not vaki infused, but it’s enough. I could concentrate to see the ambient vaki but that requires some manipulation of your internal reserves and I don’t see a reason to risk tiring myself in my current position.

As I take in the white world around me it becomes clear I wasn’t moved, nor is there any living creature nearby. This means I can focus on answering some questions, especially one which I didn’t expect I’d have to ask. Why would the Tapestry tell me I’ve now learnt a skill I already knew?

Skills are crystallizations of vaki infused techniques aided by the Tapestry, the rationale behind their workings is still being better understood but we at least know that Skills, like Jobs can never be truly forgotten once they’ve been embedded into our very essence. Only, unlike Jobs, there’s no definite limit to them.

Come to think of it, what’s the state of my Jobs? I look inside myself to find… nothing? What?

How?!

WHY?!?!

I can’t have lost my Jobs, that’s impossible!

No, I need to be calm; I’ll make do.

Let’s look again, thoroughly.

I once more allowed my sense to permeate through my spirit, this time much deeper. It’s naturally easy to feel the difference between your own spirit and the parts touched by the Tapestry which include Skills and Jobs. Both allow for impressions and instincts to be gained which were never truly your own and in a certain sense could be considered as foreign to one’s self. I think it’s because of how ‘natural’ this particular Job felt that I missed the fact I actually still had one. Delving into it I feel an unfamiliar name emerge, Ya-Te-Veo.

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Lovely; I go from a peaceful life to not at all peacefully being beaten half to death and left comatose, then to wake up all but blind to the world with all my Skills and Jobs from before impossibly erased and now I’m laden with some unknown thing which does who knows what and came from who knows where; it better be damned good.

I probe at it cautiously to see what it entails, to only meet what could only be incomprehensible gibberish. I know I may have not the most knowledge on Jobs but never have I heard of one which speaks of acting like a plant. Sinking deeper into the impressions leave me with the sweet taste of the sun and the fresh feel of the loam underneath, the joy of spring rain brushes past leaving the quiet respite of a cool breeze.

I break free and feel the world begrudgingly start to turn once more. Not good. A Job will change a person’s inclination to a certain extent, but not to the extent of mentally crippling you! Yet my new ‘Job’ seems to do just that, and worse I think I know why. Along with the taste of nature came the understanding of what type of Job I now had, or more accurately what type of plant I was to be.

The Ya-Te-Vo was a roving meat eating plant and was apparently the same bramble patch I had found myself in. The largest problem is that these plants have specific periods where they actively hunt and thus behave more like a beast than plant. These active periods were not even controlled but instinctive, one dealt with pollination and the other with food shortages. Since I didn’t seem particularly desirous for male plant parts (if that’s a thing), I’m guessing it’s the food issue.

This in itself wasn’t problematic, what was is the fact that the plant would go back to being, well plant-like if it encountered better soil or, could not find meat. No meat would lead it to “hibernate” until resources came along. I can’t believe going back to my roots (heh) would end well for me, just the feel of the Job had been too dangerous; a plant would naturally survive but who knows how much damage this would cause to my already injured body.

Speaking of, I really need to get a better understanding of my physical condition. I can’t let myself forget what’s most important here, I can always sort out other details once I know I’m safe.

I refocus my ‘sight’ once more to the outside and see a body slumped underneath me. Is this one of the goblins? I’m pretty sur- wait. Oh Gods no.

Impossible.

How…

It’s me, I’m under myself.

I’m too tired for this crap; too tired to care at this point.

Well I looked pretty good for a person obviously losing their mind as they die, all things considered.

No, I take that back. Even I can’t admire my beauty when there’s a bloody stake driven straight through my head, my hair must obviously be a mess.

I get it now, the stake is mine. I’m the damned plant that’s killing me, or I’m just hallucinating as I die from a branch through the head; either way I can’t say I’m liking this.

Well if I’m dying, that’s it but if I’m the plant then maybe I could stave off my end, after all I literally have the solution in my mouth (or tuber?). I’ll eat myself, either I’m mad and nothing happens, or I’m now a sentient plant who now full, shouldn’t go into hibernation.

I force my spirit into the stake and I already feel a connection there, I can’t tell if it’s my head bleeding into the plant or vice versa, either way I’m going to widen this bond and hope for a miracle.

My spirit breaks through, and I feel it widening, inexplicably strengthening, it’s almost euphoric, ripping the link open and made me feel strength in a way I hadn’t in years. I swear the world stopped, or at least my mind did soaking in how delicious this all felt. It almost made me miss the sound of the Tapestry whispering in my soul.

[Awaken kin of Ouroboros. Die by your Transgressions and Live for your Atonement]

[You have earned the title Ouroboros’ Kin]