| Nature affinity |

| Rapid hand movement |

| Gentle hands |

| Hide presence |

| Energy regeneration |

| Energy shield |

| Empower: Eye |

| Empower: Hand |

| Empower: Feet |

| Empower: Leap|

| Strength and dexterity increase |

| Body enhancing|

| Energy compression|

| Empower: Smell|

| Naturai sprite |

| Water affinity |

| Fibrous affinity |

| Rejuv |

| Soil affinity |

| Cen edge |

| Cen platform |

I’ve been reading some of the abilities descriptions, some of them have a tiny bit of the description changed. At least as far as I can remember, it used to be a bit more snarkier.

It seems almost neutral at this point but some of them still seem like they're there to keep me humble.

But the new abilities… they felt awkward. Are you sure you want to hear this?

Cen edge

Congratulations!

How amazing, you finally managed to achieve something that I believe to be absolutely impossible for you to achieve!

You compressed energy to a point where you could use it as an arrow, an edge of a sword or even a spear.

Great job!

See what I mean? You can taste the sarcasm, the condescending attitude is virtually spitting in my face. The other one isn’t much better although bearable.

Cen platform

Another example of concentrated energy being condensed into a certain form, not exactly innovative is it?

Well, we’ve come to expect this attitude.

I’ve made something. It’s extremely strange, it is just a small pebble, a tiny little rock.

I’ve been playing around with small rocks whilst contemplating some things and I’ve formed a habit to channel energy into whatever I have at hand.

I’ve taken to carrying a satchel of small pebbles to channel energy into and experiment with. It feels a bit different than just directly manipulating energy into one form to another.

Right. The thing I made? It’s pretty amazing in my opinion. It just floats in the air. No floating isn’t the right word here is it?

It seems not to be attached to this world anymore. I can move it around but if I am not actively pushing it, it will not move. So it’s just sitting there, mid-air, it has no other function as far as I can tell.

But it’s pretty interesting right? I've thrown things at it and it moves when hit but the instant the kinetic force of whatever was propelling it dissipates, the pebble stops moving.

The problem is, I’m not entirely sure how I even created this abomination to the natural laws, and actually a lot of what I’ve been doing directly defies the famous laws of physics.

As exciting as that was, I’m not really sure what to do with it but I’m taking it with me. I’m currently carrying a bit too many spears on my back, it’s just like a bundle of sticks.

It’s not exactly great for agility but I’ll be making use of them once I get closer to the Naturai tree, I intend to throw them into the tree and use them to climb the tree quicker. I really can’t run the risk of being stabbed in the back by something hunting me.

That and I’m instantly throwing barrages of these bad boys if anything crosses my path from here and to my destination.

Despite the traumatic experience of dying, reviving, forgetting I died and then being yelled at by an ethereal being, I still feel alright.

Also, apparently I may be being watched at the moment. If that sprite is to be believed, I must be some sort of star right now.

I do remember computers and the way it allowed me to watch some extremely strange things from my. From my. From my? From my what? Where did I live? Ah. Well that sucks. From the place I used to live works, I guess.

The thought of forgetting things is very… It’s actually not that bad, it’s hard to be aggravated by something you can’t even remember you forgot.

At most it feels frustrating that I can’t remember things, at least my vocabulary isn’t in shambles. Shambles, meaning, it isn’t being messed up and I can still easily communicate. Right? I’m not being incoherent right? Anyone?

I wonder if I already have groupies, I must have. If we take a short time to revisit my former glories and a bit lewd actions, I can’t see how I am anything but incredibly popular.

Shouldn’t I be getting some sort of compensation for my star role in this action adventure movie? Theatrical displays aside, I'm getting rather close to the Naturai tree and I can’t help but notice how loud the ambient noises are becoming.

I still haven’t seen anything I could classify as being in my way or even a possible threat. But that doesn’t mean something isn’t filling the air with toxins or whatever.

I’m still a bit bitter about how I died earlier. At one point I thought I might have just forgotten how I died but the recordings clearly just stopped abruptly.

The plan was to throw the over thirty spears I´ve managed to strap on my back towards the tree and use them to quickly climb the tree with the spears that get stuck into the trees as a sort of flexible platform.

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That was the dream anyway. But, since I can’t even see anything in the nearest surroundings and the tree is already covered in vines that are virtually strangling the tree, I don’t think getting up fast will be a problem.

The next issue on hand is finding out what lives in this tree. And whether or not it can be reasoned with. Let’s climb the tree fast but not too fast, we have to have some time to react if something jumps at me.

This tree looks about the same size as the other Naturai tree but the colors of the vines that wrap around the tree seem a bit inconsistent. It’s not that they're going from gray to green but rather they look as if they have been stretched to the limits at certain points. I’m not sure what to make of this.

I can’t hear any noises or movements up above in the tree but I'm about to reach a nice branch, I’ll use that to situate myself properly. I can’t have something charging at me from behind.

Huah! Alright, not bad. This branch isn’t too big but I can easily see the edge of the platform from here and what is below me. The ambient noises and rhythm has been changing a bit since I entered the Naturai’s tree sphere of influence but that is normal procedure.

I can’t see anything following me, they’d have to climb the tree to get to me at this point, I don’t think they’ll be able to catch up to me.

Oh! Why didn’t I use the Cen platform thing to jump up here? That could have a far more eloquent way of traveling rather than pulling my way up here like a savage. I really lack proper decorum for a step-demigod.

At this point, we can all agree that her heavenly greenness has taken me under her wing and into her loving embrace, making me her step-son. Good, we all agree.

Question is. Shouldn’t I have practiced my Cen platforms? I feel like they are very useful. Even more so than the Cen edge, which is just a pointy edge that I fit on the edge of my spears.

Not that the energy platforms are more profound but their utility seems to be far more expansive. No? Anyone? Okay. I’m going to do a quick lap around the tree, see how hard it is to do this at some speed and whilst making turns.

It’s not as if I haven’t used these platforms before, I mostly used them in tandem with my glider through, which felt really comfortable. I may have just taken them for granted whilst I was practicing my control over energy.

Whatever. Let’s see if they can hold my weight in mid-air. Alright platform has been formed hastily a few meters from me, slightly more elevated than I intended. I did this near unconsciously before but when I actually started to do it intentionally it turned out to be a bit harder.

Or, did I ever try to make them appear so far away from me before? No, thinking back, I created them really fast just before I was about to land on them right?

Okay, I’ve fastened a long piece of rope around myself and firmly tied it to the tree. I´m about to jump off the branch and then, whilst in mid-air, I’m going to try and create a solid but thin platform of energy in the air so I can use it to continue my momentum and almost walk on air.

This is surprisingly exciting. I know, I know. I am supposed to be conquering this tree, there are assassins hunting me and so on. But walking on air though. No more stalling, I’m doing this.

Okay. Okay. First platform was alright, next. I’m still learning a bit forward, right now there is nothing below me other than a sea of trees.

I quickly focus on the energy in the surrounding and force it to congeal in a rapid pace. It’s extremely unstable, I can feel it, it’s even hard to control to an extent but it happens really fast once you create a point where energy gets sort of sucked in from the surroundings.

How can I explain this? It honestly just feels like breathing or lifting my arms. Granted it’s like lifting an arm that is slightly numb and I have no feeling in it but still, like moving something that is a part of me.

In fact, this is so easy to do at this point that I don’t feel any explanation is needed, you just do it.

A quick lap around the tree didn’t last long did it? This is surprisingly easy. It also felt less magical than what I hoped for.

It’s incredibly useful but lacking in a certain charm. I wonder if I can make energy wings or a stable enough platform that I can just stand on it and make it fly through the air.

I know I can’t do that right now as the platforms nearly instantly destabilize and fade away unless I continuously and forcefully try to hold it together. And even then it just descends as if I were free falling if I stand on it.

Alright, I got sort of lost there. Let’s climb up the tree. Just have to strap the enormous amount of spears I have to my back.

Don’t ask, I can’t create platforms that allow me to jump higher into the air, they aren’t strong enough to hold my weight, and they can barely stand my forward momentum and extremely light weight.

With the spears on my back, there is no chance of repeating that as eloquently. At most with this sort of weight, I’ll be able to prevent a free fall, if I’m lucky.

I´m steadily making my way towards the top of the platform, the ambient music is clearly increasing. There are no noises outside of the ambient noise. At least not something in my ear, even with my empowered senses. Should I wake up son?

“Son. Wakey.”

“Eh?”

Heya buddy, have a nice meditation session? I’m about to fight, most likely. I need you to stay alert for me.

“Uuuuuuuh, okay. Roger that.”

He’s been a bit odd since I, ehm, re-summoned him? We didn’t really talk too much, he gave me a look and started meditating as soon as he popped back into existence. I felt extremely guilty about it for some reason.

Back on point. I can feel Son has sunk into part of my unconscious mind. Tiny bits of extra information about the things in my nearest surroundings are creeping up on me.

Huah, it’s like opening your eyes after a long session of meditation, everything is far more brighter. Not really brighter though. This new information streaming into me isn’t helpful at the moment though, it’s reassuring but usually pointless.

Oh, that was strange. Did the Naturai tree just send out some sort of pulse? What is this? I’m almost at the edge of the platform but I clearly felt something from the tree.

Could this be the tree’s pulse? I do remember the recordings talk about the breath of the tree or its pulse. So this is what I was mumbling on about. I clearly stated that I needed to adjust to it.

It is supposed to be helpful. The vines are so thick that I can literally take a seat on them, and that’s what I’m going to do. Let’s sit down and see if I can properly feel the pulse of the tree.

...

...

...

Woah, I really got lost in a trance there. I can feel that I have made a sort of connection with the tree.

I was wondering why I kept going on and on about this in the recordings, it really does extend what I can sense in the nearest vicinity of the tree, as if I was a small part of the tree. It's very similar to the feeling I get when Son dives into the unconscious parts of my mind.

It may be possible to do this with more than just these big Naturai trees. There may be need to further research this in the future.

I can sense at least three living things aside from the tree, they are a bit fuzzy but they are definitely large and exceedingly long.

I’m going to have to guess that these things are a type of reptilians, either the familiar snakes-esque fuckers that plagued me in previous Naturai trees or something close to it in ancestry.

I’ve got a strange unclear mental image popping up in my mind about their general location but it feels, what’s the word? Abstract?

Either way, we should be able to successfully sneak up to the top of the platform without being seen. It has to be said, these trees, these capture points or whatever, are really guarded poorly.

Alright, let’s crawl up to the top, see if we can somehow manage to quickly take out one of the creatures whilst they are unprepared.

There are just a few meters to the top from the location I’ve been sitting. Hmm, I’ve reached the platform but I’ve got an odd sensation, like something is crawling up my back. Did the air suddenly get heavier? This is strange.

I can’t see any of the creatures but I still feel like I know where they are. I´ve met plenty of creatures that are able to hide with near perfection but these reptilians really do far exceed the smaller animals I’ve seen. Actually, how would I know? Maybe I’ve missed a lot of hidden things.

Well, spear in hand and a rough estimate of a target, what else is there to do? I've only got four spears on my back now, the rest are lying to the side. I’m wearing my new leather outfit.

I of course had to create a new outfit after I died, I mean I respawned wearing this plain looking plebeian rags. It was a priority to make better looking outfits. Small stakes have been placed all over this bad-ass looking outfit. Sewing and leatherworking truly is a man’s passion.

The new reconfigured plan is to use my Cen platforms to retreat into the area around the tree. I can’t say I’ll be able to attack and focus on creating platforms to keep me stable in the air but I’ll be sure to give it a try.

I should have trained a bit more to be honest, but there is a certain urgency in the air, I´m feeling a bit impatient. I want to fight! It feels like a long time since I properly wielded my spears.

I’ve only got wooden ones though, no feather spears. Which is a shame, they are clearly far sharper. Their potential to pierce are far above these wooden things.

Slowly breathe in, hold it. And let it out. The rough pointy edge of the spear has been covered with a sharper Cen edge. It feels wrong but I’m about to throw my spear at what looks like a thick branch with thick vines wrapped around it.

As soon as I started congealing the energy on the edge of the spear, there was a shift in the tree, it was almost unobservable but I guess Son caught it and relayed the information to me.

Got to keep a decent form, I’m no expert but good balance is needed to not sway and miss my target, it’s enormous though, so it would be hard to actually miss. Problem is, how effective will it be if I just randomly hit whatever that is hiding there.

I stretch my hand back, the spear's tip is nearly touching my ears, and my left hand is for some unknown reason stretched forward as if to act as some kind of counter balance, no idea why, it just feels right.

Rapid hand movement starts up while I am mid swing, this is so I can more easily release the spear before I reach the apex of the swing. Rapid hand movement truly is fast and I almost release as soon as I activate it.

I instantly lose sight of the spear but again that strange sensation flows into me that informs me of its trajectory as if time had slowed down. If anything, we’ve established that time is relevant to a person’s mental state, I think at least.

Oh, it clearly pierced into something. Over half the spear has been lodged into whatever it is that was hiding there.

Oh shit, no, please no. I remember this. There is a pressure washing over me, oh, they are fucking lizard wizards or some sort of telepathic reptiles.

Back, back run backwards. Can I even guard against this? Pure energy might be able to do something, like a wall of energy. Go! Go! Son! Energy, wall. Go!

I’m moving backwards, ready to jump off the platform, I’m forcing the surrounding energy to gather, it’s messy, but a see-through film of energy is forming in front of me.

I don’t think making it thicker is going to help much so let’s make as many of these as we can.

The second see-through film of energy is already forming but the first one is already shattering into translucent pieces that scatter like broken glass in a torrent of water.

The second film shattered quickly after it was formed but the third wall of energy is already being created, Son must be helping here. Since the third wall is appearing, I’ll make the fourth.

This may actually work. No, it is definitely not going to work. I can feel a second and third wave of invisible power coming from two direction diagonal to the current one I’m facing. Once these merge I’ll definitely get bombarded. Son! We dodge. Fuck defending.

You make the energy platforms, I’ll focus on jumping and running and possibly throwing a second spear. Ready? No? Son? Ah, of course you can’t answer right now can you.