Chapter 236 Testing Me

The rest of the night, we all sat around in the pool and had drinks, but when the night was over, everyone went home except for Amy and me, who were still soaking. Both of us were drinking a smooth apple grape cider that I had aged by fluke with Galliadra's system. I had just wished that I could age it a bit more, and a blue field surrounded the wooden cup.

The problem was that it had aged, but so had the cup, and it broke the cup the first time with the wine spilling out. Still, Calishora had praised me for my accidental discovery, but like she said, accidentally or not, this was me now partially understanding how it worked. The more I learned, the easier it would be to counter the girls when they came, but they weren't on my mind right now.

"Do you remember when we first met?" I asked, and Amy shuddered from under my arm beside me.

"Don't remind me. I had felt so lost and scared since nothing was working and almost all the power had gone out. It was cold, and I didn't know where I was, but then I saw you. I still feel bad about calling out to you, and you get hit, but I would do it again, considering what happened after," Amy said, and I kissed the top of her head.

"Why were you so trusting of me?" I asked curiously, not having asked the question before this.

"The better question is, why were you so trusting of me?! I had a switchblade, bear mace, and a taser in my coat and purse. If you had tried to do something that I didn't want you to do, you would have been in trouble, not me. My father might have been a horrible person and a loser, but he made sure that I could defend myself. I just never wanted to have to do that, and you healed me, and that carried me to your home when I had nowhere to go or anyone to ask for help. The fact that you allowed me to become part of your close life now is something I can only look back on with the warmest of memories. You are my life, Daniel, and I love you for sharing yours with me," Amy said and cuddled into my side after taking a drink.

I hugged Amy and then kissed her, keeping both arms wrapped around her as I looked out over the forest that was filled with even more lights than ever. This place was about to go through its own Growth Spurt, and I was excited to see what grew up from it. As much as I wanted to guide it or restrict some things, I would trust in Dawn to help guide things.

"I am just glad that you are all flourishing and growing into your Systems. Even with the immense power that I wield now, I am still just at the tip of my potential, and there will be even greater forces that we will have to contend with. While the fight between Alpha and Tiamat could destroy the universe, that is a very, very, very long way from being able to happen. There are things like the Shalgoth that just want to consume or destroy. Not everything thinks the same way that we do, and the more power something has, the less reason they tend to be," I explained, and Amy sighed.

"I just wish that there were more people like you in the world. There are some good people, but not enough to make up for all of the bad. I am sure that things will get better with time, though," Amy said optimistically, and I nodded.

"Yeah, they will. Things always have a way of evening out in the end," I said as we both took another drink and then got out of the pool to go inside, and I said goodnight, but after that, I said goodbye to Amy. I needed to go see Dawn.

I jumped from the hundred-foot-tall Great Tree and then used my gravity engine to take me to the strange grove that I had created during my Growth Spurt. Dawn was down there waiting for me, and her arms were crossed. Not really a good sign, but for a woman that was the entirety of all trees on earth, she did seem to have a moody personality.

"So, did you enjoy your party? Did you tell everyone how close you were to losing everything because you left me down here?" Dawn demanded as I landed, and I put my hands up.

"Dawn, I am sorry that I left you down here, but you have to admit that I have a lot going on. I can better process all my tasks now, but I was not the same before. I am doing the best I can, and you should have been there to remind me. Where were you? Why didn't you show up to help?" I asked as I walked over, the trees starting to move and the ground rumbling as I walked.

Best

I stopped and took a deep breath, bringing my emotions back under control, along with my surroundings. This new power was unbelievable with how in tune the world was with me, but it was also terrifying. Start Child had told me that this would be dangerous until I could control it, so I would have to work extra hard to keep my cool.

Dawn was looking at me with a satisfied smirk, and I narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"You are starting to understand the true scope of your power, and it is both exhilarating and frightening. The key is to keep a level head, as you are starting to do now," Dawn said, walking over and placing her hand on my cheek.

I leaned into her touch, grateful for the comfort that she always seemed to provide. "I just don't want to screw up. I feel like there is so much riding on my shoulders now. Not like it wasn't before, but I really don't need you testing me right now. I made a lot of mistakes, and you're right; things were extremely tight."

"I was visited by someone last night, the same one that visited you, and he told me that I would not be enough to help you. It was my choice to come, but the person bathed in light told me that it was my job to keep testing you because I am the only one that can withstand your power. Your power is partially me, meaning I am the only one that can restrict you if something happens," Dawn said to me as she took her hand from my face and looked up into the night sky.

I copied her and looked up as well.

Even with the light pollution, the skies above us were clear, and the night sky was beautiful. Looking up at it made me wonder what it might look like from one of the millions of other inhabited planets?

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, just that we need to be ready," Dawn said, and I nodded.

"Interesting that he visited you, but he must have also stressed the importance of not mentioning his name, so we will just call him Child Star. He is the one that created me and planted me here," I said, and Dawn nodded.

"I know; he talked to us then, knowing that we would be your greatest ally in the future. We, of course, didn't really understand what this meant at the time, but then you were killed and then brought back to life. That time from the first visit passed in nearly an instant, but the moment that you were, times slowed to a near halt as we all waited to see what would happen. Then you returned to life, and like a pulse, we finally understood the... Child Star's words. Daniel, I hope that we can always stand with you, no matter what you do. One of the most touching moments was when you helped a potted tree grow and you called us friends. It was strange to think that such a small moment has been engraved in my rings, but it is a treasured memory of all trees to be finally understood and heard," Dawn said as tears rolled down her green cheek.

I gave Dawn a hug, and she nuzzled into my neck. "Thank you for understanding me and for not giving up on me. I will get better at this, I promise."

"We believe in you," Dawn said as we pulled away from each other, but we stayed close as we looked out over the forest that was blooming with life even more than before, thanks to my influence. Things were going to change drastically now that so many systems were awakening to their true potential because of me, and it would be a long road ahead full of challenges that seemed insurmountable at times, but what else was new in my life?