256. Libertree

256. Libertree

Year 257

I collected demonic mana from all my demonic hybrid trees, and began manipulating them. Ive practiced with demonic mana in the past, and even went as far as attempting to mold them. I once used demonic mana to coat my beetles, and made them appear as if they were demons, but inside they were still normal beetles.

But Ive never tested creatures made with demonic mana against other demons.

So, concurrently, on some secluded location on Lavaworld and Mountainworld, I began to shape one of my Giant Attendant Trees into a spawning pool from all my experiences taking over demonic spawning pools on all the various worlds.

Lumoof, naturally, sensed and understood what I was doing.

"Aeon, this is the path where we have to walk carefully, lest we become the monsters that we fight. A small step here could lead to depths we cannot foresee.

"I know." I was worried, but I had to push on. The fate of Treehome depends on it. "If I stray, my dearest Avatar, tell me. Let the domain holders know of my plans to create my own demons."

I felt the risks were reasonable. The domain protected my soul, and the demons energy would change only the creatures I created. I wanted to create a puppet demon.

The Giant Attendant Tree transformed as I allowed the demonic energies to transform it.

Lillies was wary. The fury of the multiple worlds may descend on you. Transacting excessively in the demonic energies might create a curse.

The tree transformed slowly, as I replicated the forms Ive seen in the spawning pool. I had ideas about the spawning pool, because I always wanted to create a champion like the demons. I studied them excessively hoping to create champions of my own.

Each time, I tried to use the concepts but made entirely out of my own mana. This time, I tried my best to stick as close as possible to the original recipe of the demonic spawning pools. With demonic ingredients.

The demonic energy caused my tree to turn into this hard, rocky structure, with spikes and jagged edges quite like the demonic spires Ive seen. This was the natural form of the demonic energy, and suggested that the demonic energy itself came from a rocky world with such features.

The tree was ready and then it died abruptly. Insufficient demonic mana.

I tried again. Repeatedly, tweaking and tweaking the mana. As weird as it sounded, each demonic spawning pool was surprisingly specific about its energy requirements. It needed resources from the surroundings, the right intensity of mana throughout the spawning process, and the structures had to be formed carefully.

I couldnt just play with one demonic giant attendant tree at a time. If I wanted this to work, I needed an entire farm of spawning pools, each with slightly different configurations. That would allow me to test what works, and what doesnt.

So, on Lavaworld where it still overflows with demonic mana, and there are still local demonic spawning pools, I started a large-scale demonic experimentation facility.

A thousand giant attendant trees, each a slightly different configuration. This would allow me to test which configuration worked better with demonic mana. I also tried using the demonic mana from the Comet itself, absorbing it through my roots.

Mana of all forms carries the intent of its controller. It was this intent, embedded with mana, that allows mana to function and do things. Mana without will just floats around without purpose.

Each mana absorbs or carries this intent when it emerges through the Soul Spring.

It is why when my mana encounters another mana, whether it resists, passes it by, or absorbs each other, is because of the intent that is tied up with that mana. Intent, from the mage, shapes the mana into form. Into spells. Into abilities.

Demonic mana that seeks to corrupt carries within it, the intention to corrupt. While, my mana, seeking to protect myself, will therefore clash and fight with the mana that resists.

This is why its often a battle of wills, because intention within the mana is the one thats driving the resistance, and refining how ones mana resists the intentions of other forms of mana is how I got better at fighting off demonic mana.

This is why, intentless demonic mana, like those generated by my hybrid trees, can be possessed and manipulated. My soul can impose my intention onto these blank motes of demonic mana, because there was nothing there to resist it. The ability to project intention comes from the Soul Spring. The Soul Spring is a printer, the device in which the code is injected into each mote of mana.

However, if these two intentions do not conflict, they can coexist. This is how groups of people manage to work with each other, and overlap their spells, or even bless each other.

But at the same time, this is also a vulnerability. Intentions can be changed, but luckily, a souls ability to control the intention of mana usually ends once it leaves its body. In short, the manas intention is usually fixed the moment it exits the body, as the soul can no longer interact or pass on its intention to the mana, or even if it could, the range of interaction is usually limited.

Its the equivalent of programming codes going live, free to interact, coexist, or fight other codes. To change it, wed have to upload or send a new set of codes.

Mana themselves have certain natural properties. Just like how star mana was the equivalent of coding with radioactive nuclear fuel, demonic mana felt quite like coding with poison, core mana felt like coding with stone and rocks, and void mana is like coding with some kind of thick black oil.

In its raw, base form, demonic mana and energy is naturally slightly corruptive and wanted to change everything into itself. It wanted everything to take its usual shape.

Its a familiar sensation, my own mana has the tendency of warping things into trees or plants.

Every soul changes the mana they produce slightly, even if its not enough to be considered a whole category of its own.

Very well. After so long, everyone knew of it, but no one dared stop Colette. Despite her calm appearance, everyone could sense as if there was a maelstrom swirling within. It seemed as if the threat of her fury was enough.

I gathered the energies from throughout Treehome. With my expansion on the Demons Comet blocked by the rivers of demonic mana, there was nothing much else I could do. Colette dipped into my [Soul Forge], where I would apply the weight of my domain and my energies against her hero class.

I entered into her soul spring, and found the cracks on the vast marble spring had gotten much larger.

Your soul-

I feel as if my soul and the [hero] class are at odds with each other. She repeated, our minds linked through my vines wrapped around her body. Ever since the day Hafiz died, and that conversation we had, I felt as if something weighing down on me. Its holding me back from remembering and reaching into- into something.

Cracks.

About a hundred and forty years ago, I tried to suppress the hero class for Mirei, to lift the curse within. Today, I looked at the cracked hero class around Colettes soul spring, and wondered whether the hero class was the curse.

Power flooded my soul-vines and appendages, and it wrapped around the stones that formed her souls spring. I knew I could do it. The power I had in my disposal was no less than what Harris and Gerrard provided to me, and not just that, I was much more powerful.

This entire thing was the [hero] class. It is the means that translate their intent into power.

It didnt even take much of my power to lift the white stones of her soul spring. Her very soul resisted it. It felt as if the ground itself pushed against the stones, and all I had to do was give it a hand.

Her soul had grown stronger, the core part of her soul now wanted to shed the class that sought to impose itself on her.

It wouldnt be too far-fetched to think she might have been able to suppress her hero class, with enough time.

Unlike Mirei, who found it extremely painful, Colettes unconscious body relaxed. As if she was in a long, peaceful sleep.

She was in a dream.

A long dream, as I held the hero class as long as I could. With her soul itself resisting the hero class, I- I didnt even have to spend much energy to do so. I took this chance to look closer at the stones that made a hero, a [hero].

There were severe damages into the structure of the hero class itself. Parts of the stone were worn out, hollowed from below, likely from the souls resistance.

There was accumulated damage in the structure of the spring too. Gaps and holes where they probably should be none. Cracks and scars. Chips in the rocks.

Was this caused by the natural weakening of the hero class? Actually, could it be that due to the forced nature of the hero class, the soul itself struggles against the hero class, and so inevitably it would decay over time? The symptoms we see might be just the side effect of prolonged wear and tear, as the soul grew stronger over time.

I could mend the hero class, but I realize it may not be what Colette wants.

The floating vase of star mana in the sky continued to pour down into her soul, but nothing.

Suddenly, I felt a rumbling. Her soul vibrated and yet she looked peaceful. The rumbling came from where the actual waters of the spring surged out. Like a wave, it blasted outwards.

Then, I felt Colette awaken after hours of sleep. I felt joy.

You can stop. She answered.

The hero class is damaged. Do you want me to fix it?

No. That wont be necessary. I gently placed the stones back, and then just as suddenly, the rocks began to move and reshape itself. I can do it.

Just there and then, huge waters poured out of her soul, and flooded the [hero] stones. Encased in the waters of her soul, the rocks themselves vibrated and then glowed dimly, as if they were stones around a very hot fireplace.

This lasted for an hour, while ripples of energy whipped through the valley.

When it was done, her words answered all my questions. The gods control me no longer. Colette said, as we all felt the change in her hero class. I am now a [Liberated Hero].

Spaizzer

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