Agony. Whenever Aden came to, all he could see was darkness. His body was wracked in pain, burning from his skin to his bones. The only reprieve was the short time when he could no longer feel parts before their feeling came back, and when what felt like drops of the most soothing aloe slowly trickled through him as if sap leaking through gravel. Try as he might, he could not move. It was as if he was jello sloshing against a wall, he would never be able to go anywhere.
Agony. It must have been years far beyond his lifetime. Aden had awoken to the pain once more. He stretched, pushed against his confines and yawned. Liquid surged down his throat and pooled in his lungs.
“AHK AHK Ahk ahk ahhhhhhhk” Aden coughed, then inhaled once more. A new pain. Drowning.
Oh god this is like the time I went div- oh. Is it!?
Quick to adapt, Aden stabilized himself, finding calmness. He felt within, and breathed firmly.
Opening his eyes, he found he could finally see something. What a way to wake up. A faint dance of purple and green aura in the darkness. Then he blinked, and a very familiar screen appeared before him, one he perused for 6 years.
Status Overview Health 100% Mana 100% General Stats Name Aden Wiles Constitution +0 Age ??? Strength +0 Race ??? Agility +0 Stage ??? Acuity +0 Karma ??? Intelligence +0 Primary Attributes Corroding Bloodsap of Vitality
Death Affinity
Fire Affinity
Greatly Enhanced Constitution
Greatly Enhanced Regeneration
Innate Divinity
Life Affinity
Lightning Affinity
Phylactery
Undead
Oh, of course. I get it now. The egg means the goddess managed something, and this screen means the techno god managed something. Arms? Four. Nice. Legs? Oh, bipedal. I think I’m humanoi- Oh, wings! Well, I’m sold. What’s with my skin though? It's like scaled manzanita bark with fur. Ah, right, werewolf fused with tree dragon. I can unfurl my wings in here, so damn cramped. Wait, what about the mimic part? Although, how would I even test that? Maybe the golem or slime? I should be able to- sort of….I’m like a stretch armstrong toy… shifting some mass around too though. That dim purple is shifting with my concentration…and it feels the opposite of the green…which is most concentrated in what seems like sap. It seems counter to the green, but more like the other side of the same coin. Must be death and life, so the 3rd god managed something, and I guess the goddess did something with tree stuff giving me life.
Why did they not give names? Gods seem rather rude. Oh. They killed me, didn’t they? Well, I squandered my life just to hit #1 in a game, maybe the techno god didn’t kill me directly. Although I got backstabbed, It didn’t kill me in real life. So, I guess the angry god didn’t either. Then I started dying to some sort of brain thing. Like a brain clot or something. Maybe the 3rd god did that, seemed like a god of death. Then what was clearly truck–kun hit me. I was inside my home, and it still hit me. No way that was legit at the same time as a deadly medical incident. Although I don’t know which god that would be because the 4th god was totally the lightning.
Ah, right, “celestial lightning body”.....I don’t know how this works. I might need the art to go with it, or to awaken the constitution, or it got mixed up too much with the other changes, or he didn’t manage to give it to me….He may have hit me with lightning, but that was probably mercy at that point, don’t see any reason to hold a grudge against him.
Who the fuck hit me with truck-kun though? Wait. Ah. The gaming god gave me a brain stroke. The angry god got me backstabbed. The death god sent truck-kun. The cultivator struck me with lightning. Did the goddess do anything? She was nothing but nice……but we all know that trope. I can’t think of anything for now, so I will just assume she is benevolent but expect that she is evil. Truck-kun though…
Right. How do I get out? This egg has no give. There is nothing to feed on in here, so this should be about the time I hatch…mmmmmm…the shell has that dim green to it. I see there are veinlike paths throughout for the green magic. In the bottom of the egg, out the top of the egg. Ah, a little sap dripping from the top. I guess I live off that and not a yolk? Am I in a tree? I’m in an egg inside a tree. That goddess really didn’t take any liberties, she just went with what I said. Really defeats the purpose of leaving it up to her to figure it out.
I suppose, with death counteracting the life, I could try cutting my way out.
STOP
Ah, another telepathic, eh? Is it a problem if I cut my way out?
You will injure me, child. I did not realize you were finally awake.
You a tree? Pretty neat. How’s that like? You enjoy it?
Your behavior is as peculiar as your form. Life as a tree has been…chaotic.
Oh? How so? I thought living as a tree would be peaceful.
The mortals seek to take from my body. Their kind are short lived but plentiful and endless. Few times have they ceased in the eons.
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Aaaaah, right. You a world tree?
That is what they call me. What does it mean to you?
While we did not have any where I am from, we had different concepts of them. One of them spanned multiple realms, connecting them together.
That is indeed something I do.
No need for an intro then. So what now? Have you been raising me? When am I gonna hatch?
I do not know. I am unfamiliar with such things. Your egg appeared within me and contained the power of many gods. It became one with me and took in my sap. I have not dared to do anything that would bring the ire of gods upon me. The mortals do enough.
Can I get out? I don’t really plan on living like this for the rest of my life.
I do not want to anger the gods. If they trapped you within me, then that must be your fate.
No no no, It was part of a deal I made with a goddess. I suggested being born from a tree or egg as part of my wish, and she did both. I was trying to reduce the difficulty of granting by wish by giving me a less developed lifestage to start with.
Aaaaaah, I see, I see. Yes. That is a wise decision. You have taken much sap from me to fulfill your growth. Your inexplicable form makes more sense to me now. Why are the traces of so many gods upon you, though?
I don’t know why, but there were 5 gods trying to get me to choose them. They all went ahead at the same time in the end though. I think I got something from all of them.
That is…peculiar. Though I dare not question the gods.
Since you are a world tree, you must have a lot of knowledge. You know anything about the celestial lightning body? How would I see if I have one?
I am not familiar with mortal matters. I have learned much over the eons, but I am still a tree. This celestial lightning body…I do not know it. The words themselves…do mortals normally have a calling to lightning? Your body yearns for it. I have been struck many times since your arrival.
Ah, that might be it. Sorry ‘bout that.
It is not a problem. You hold no malice. I need not forgive where there is no grudge.
Mighty kind of you, tree. Well, I’m gonna check out my system real quick, I forgot to do that what with everything going on.
What is a system?
Can you see through my eyes? Or can you see images in my thoughts?
Hmmmmm…Yes…your mind is open. I have never seen this system before. You are inexplicable.
I’ll take the compliment. So, yeah, I just think “menu” or “status” and one of these pops up like in a game I used to play. Like this. On, off, on, off, on…..off. This is my status, it shows everything about me. Well, I guess you can see that. Just read the words and you get the idea.
These words are foreign to me. I do not know them.
Wait, then how are we think talking? Have we just been pushing concepts at each other?
Close. I peruse your most prominent thoughts. I send my intent to you so that I may speak.
Ah, so it's one way but for 2 different functions, I see. Could I do those things?
I do not know. You are inexplicable.
Right…so yeah, the status. I'll just think what each part means extra loudly so you know what the words mean…I don’t know what is going on with my race…I suppose a bunch of question marks makes more sense. Ah, it’s clickable now. Holy shit a new menu, this must be where the doppelganger and mimic stuff went. Oh shit, how did hydra get in there? Phoenix…Divine Demon Dragon….Werewolf…These gods are lazy, aren’t they? Not sure of the mystery section.
Races
Races:
Deva, Divine Demon Dragon, Doppelganger, Dragonborn, Golem, Human, Hydra, Lich, Mimic, Phoenix, Slime, Werewolf, Yggdrasilian
???:
I would not speak ill of the gods.
No no no, you don’t understand. I gave the goddess control of my wish, full trust, and she just stuck by what I had talked about with her previously. This time, I am looking at this race menu and seeing the races of what I had eaten in the game….uh, its a simulated world that you feel with all your senses…
Incredible-
Yes, yes, but anyways, these are just the races I had eaten. That god offered me a player body, user interface, and a game world. My in-game character was a werewolf cultivator, not a hydra, phoenix, or divine demon dragon. Although I asked the goddess for something dragon related, I can see that dragon in a different slot. This divine demon dragon was specifically in my game. I swear that god just grabbed my character and everything connected to try and recreate me.
I…dare not speak ill of the gods…
…Thats ok…I'll speak ill of the gods, you can listen. So yeah, they seem lazy to me so far. Looking at this dropdown, I got quite a few starter races. Deva, Divine Demon Dragon, Doppelganger, Dragonborn, Golem, Human, Hydra, Lich, Phoenix, Slime, Werewolf, Yggdrasilian…I don’t know where Deva came from…That death god probably gave me lich…Should’nt I be bones right now? Where Is my phylactery?
Your existence is becoming more portending.
Yes yes, me strange scary being. Where is my phylactery? It is what holds the soul of a lich so that the body is immortal.
I see your soul within you. Look within, child.
Ah, that looks like neidan. Mmmmmm, cultivation body combined with lich…and this neidan phylactery vessel looks to be composed of my odd flesh…this seems great! Sketchy, but I might be skipping a bunch of cultivation stages. Do you have cultivators here?
Yes. Those things are what seek me the most. They are endless.
That makes sense, they would be crazy greedy for a tree like you. How often do they come?
They are here now. They attack without relent. Their forces only cease when a more pressing matter concerns them.
Wow, that seems like an important problem. Something a little time critical I should have known about? I guess they are like ants compared to you, but enough will certainly hurt. Is this an emergency? Where is “here”?
I am everywhere, but you are within my trunk. They are attacking many parts of me, and the trunk is their most sought after. It has been many billion of their years.
Ah, serious, but not THAT serious. Speaking of years, how long is a year, and how long have I been here?
A year is 365 days. You have resided within me for 9 cycles.
Is a day 24 hours? How long is a cycle?
Yes. A cycle is the birth and death of existence. The beginning and the end of the cycle of reincarnation.
I am just going to assume that hours, minutes, and seconds all line up how I expect them to. Thank the goddess for some normalcy. As for these cycles, I’m not going to question how I lived through them. What happens at the end though?
The world is brought to true darkness and all the mortal souls are reformed.
So I don’t have a mortal soul?
You do. The lingering presence of the gods on you prevented such a thing. The presence has faded greatly at the dawn of your 10th cycle. You may not survive the next one unwashed.
I see…I suppose that means I need to make my mortal soul an immortal soul? Is that it?
You must transcend the rules that govern this world.
Oh boy, that sounds fun and easy. NOT. I guess I have a good jumpstart though. Do you know cultivation stages? How strong am I? Give me some comparisons.
I do not know the stages of cultivation. They are either strong, or weak. The attackers outside my trunk could not be harmed by you. Many of those that attack my roots and eat my leaves are beneath you.
I guess I need to squeeze out from the bottom then. Speaking of which, I hate to leave ya behind, but I really don’t intend to spend this life sleeping in here.
I can cast you out. I will be fine, I have been alone for cycles.
Excellent, plop me out in one of your root worlds, and don’t worry, I'll come visit.
I do not worry. Goodbye, Aden.
Wait, I didn’t tell you-
Before Aden can think further, a new space consumes his egg, slipping him through into another world with a pop. A dim, red night sky lit with stars and a white crescent moon stretches out to the horizon.