Elijah was working at their group’s place and was washing the dishes when he heard a deafening groan. He felt something he could only have described as the space around him shuddering before he took a few hurried steps towards the door and stuck his head through the crack. There wasn’t anything amiss in the main area.

What was that? Elijah thought as he wondered if he had imagined the feeling because of his exhaustion.

A short glance told him that he was way past closing time, as always. The others wanted to hang out in their restaurant a few hours after work and Elijah couldn’t say no to the older members of their gang.

“And then everyone goes home and I have to clean up all the mess.” He grumbled as he returned to washing the dishes. While doing so, his eyes scanned the kitchen. He needed a few minutes to calm down again as the feeling of something being wrong didn’t leave him.

The light went out.

He suppressed an urge of annoyance as he dried his hands on his pants and grabbed into his pocket, wanting to activate the flashlight on his phone only to find them empty.

Left it on the counter again. His mood worsened by the second. He couldn’t deal with a power outage now. He was too tired.

Annoyed, he began scanning his surroundings with his hands. It was difficult to make anything out in the darkness but his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness around him as he tried to move through the kitchen one step after another.

As his gaze landed on something flickering in the distance, Elijah’s hand touched a rough, wooden texture. He needed a moment to process the fact that he saw something flickering in the distance despite him being in their small kitchen.

Fire? He stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before taking a few steps toward the light source. With each step, his surroundings became clearer, and Elijah’s wariness peaked when his eyes finished adjusting to the darkness, revealing trees and brush around him.

“What the hell?” Fear rose in him while he looked around. He tried to make something of the absurdity of his situation and decided to approach the fire in the distance.

A dream? The closer he got to the lights, the faster he became, until finally, he was running at full speed past trees and bushes. His heart was pounding against his chest. With each step, he could make out more in the distance.

Numerous men and women were gathered around a campfire. They were drinking and laughing so loud, Elijah could hear them from afar. Past experiences taught him to be wary of large organized groups of strangers. While that alone didn’t alarm him, the fact that almost all of them seemed to carry some kind of weapon supported Elijah’s decision to keep his distance for now.

He held his breath as he slowly retreated into the forest before anyone detected him. As he moved back to the edge of the forest, his mind was racing with questions. He didn’t know where he was and how he landed in a forest of all things. There were no forests around in their area.

Either someone drugged me and dragged me away or this is a dream. Elijah thought. Taking deep breaths, he started thinking about his situation. The only thing he could do for now was scout the surroundings and hope to find anything that would explain his circumstances.

Instead of wandering deeper into the forest, he decided to walk along the edge to avoid probable dangers lurking inside while having enough cover to not be noticed by the camp.

Elijah began his march around the camp, his steps careful and deliberate. The night was dark and cold, with only the faint glow of the stars and the flickering campfires to light his way. He would have wanted to distance himself a few more feet from the forest as he couldn’t see far inside but his fear of being found by the camp’s people was bigger. The trees with their massive trunks and branches looming over him like sentinels didn’t help at all.

While he walked around the camp, he had time to process the situation.

It’s safe to say that I’m not on Earth anymore. His gaze turned toward the forest. The trees are too huge. Compared to these, the trees of Redwood Park are dwarves. He traced the massive trunks and branches looming over him before his eyes landed on the few trees in between, illuminating their surroundings with their bioluminescent lights. If the humongous trees weren’t indicator enough that he was far away from home, the glowing trees were.

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Elijah looked up, trying to see the top of them, and even stepped back a few feet but even after he lifted his chin and looked directly upwards, he failed to see above the crowns.

What he saw instead were two crimson moons peeking through the leaves. One moon was significantly larger than the other, about two times its size. They shrouded the surroundings in a dim light.

Of all people, this happens to me. Elijah thought as he trudged forward. His eyes were constantly scanning his surroundings. Now and then, he imagined movement, the rustle of leaves or the snap of a twig. He couldn’t help but feel paranoid, knowing that danger could lurk around every corner.

Despite his best efforts, he had only covered a couple of miles after two hours of walking. His legs were heavy and his feet were sore. He couldn’t remember the last time he had walked so much, and the whole situation was starting to take its toll on him.

As he stumbled over a protruding tree root, he realized that he needed to rest. His eyelids felt heavy, and his mind was clouded with exhaustion. He looked around for a suitable place to sleep before his eyes rested on one of the tall trees surrounding him. He wondered if he would manage climbing up and decided to try it as he wanted to have a better view from above.

Elijah walked over to the tree and found a foothold in a groove in the trunk after a moment of searching. Despite being exhausted, he began climbing up the tree. His muscles were straining against the effort but he was determined to reach at least one of the lower branches to have at least some amount of safety and pressed on.

With a last effort and a short but tedious climb later, he pulled himself towards a thick branch, which offered enough space for him to rest on.

A yawn escaped him as Elijah looked at his surroundings. He couldn’t help but feel excited. He was nowhere near the top but even from his branch, he had an incredible view. After enjoying the view for a few moments he turned around. His gaze landed on the camp.

It is smaller than I thought. Elijah’s breath was heavy as he sat down and let his gaze rest on the distant camp. Another long yawn escaped him and he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Tomorrow, I‘ll explore the forest while it’s still light. And maybe I’ll try taking a look at the camp at night. Elijah thought as he rubbed his eyes and laid down before sleep embraced him.

A cold voice woke him up a few hours later.

Sufficient amount of ambient essence absorbed. Trait awakened. Woodman.

Elijah’s eyes shot open as he jumped to his feet and swiveled around, looking for anyone. He forgot that he was on a branch and nearly fell off before he caught himself. The memories of last night slowly returned as the voice continued.

You are the embodiment of wood itself. You possess the raw power of nature and can manipulate it as you see fit. As you progress and evolve through the different tiers of your being, your density and mass will increase. You summon arboreal extensions of your essence to stand ready to aid you, serving as servants and extensions of your will. Together, you form an unstoppable force of nature's might and your unwavering spirit.

The voice was getting louder with each word, weighing heavily on his spirit like a weight dragging him down. He leaned against the tree for support as he tried to endure the pain it brought with it.

“Who are you!?” he shouted as he grabbed his head.

Unlocked Woodman’s Constitution.

Unlocked Innate Wood Manipulation.

Unlocked Summon Wooden Minion.

Welcome to the Multiverse, Elijah Oak, the Woodman.

The last words echoed in his head before the voice abruptly stopped. Elijah wanted to sit down but felt something inside him snap. He fell face-first onto the branch while an intense pain coursed through his body. Something inside him changed.

A stream of something flowed through his veins, bringing change with it. His body writhed in agony as his skin felt like it was being stretched and pulled, only to contract the next moment.

Elijah wanted to scream in pain as he looked down at his hands, seeing them change before his eyes.

What is happening to me? His skin took on a rough, bark-like texture, and his fingers elongated and twisted into gnarled wooden appendages. Elijah cried out in pain, his voice sounding different, deeper.

The process was excruciating, and Elijah felt as if his very being was torn apart and reassembled in a new, unfamiliar form. His thoughts were muddled and confused. He could barely focus on anything beyond the overwhelming pain and sensation of his body changing. Panic consumed him.

No! he screamed in his mind. He wanted to stay human. Driven by fear, he took his whole willpower and fought against the transformation.

He didn’t want to become some abomination of wood. He wanted to stay human.

He gritted his teeth as the change continued. His body obeyed his will. His hands, while still having a somewhat wooden texture, retained the same color as before. His hands returned to their usual form and his legs decreased in girth, reverting from the trunk-like form they had taken.

Amber tears of rage streamed down Elijah’s face as he slammed his fist into the branch he was on before his body gave out and he fell unconscious.

Transformation into Woodman successful.

Connection to the Nexus established.