From the journal of Irsorth, Primus of Arrenth and Leader of the Blessed Guard

Is this truly the reason why we were all taken? If so, I must no longer affix Genesis the blame of untold genocide. I, more than any other, understand that the needs of the many must sometimes outweigh the needs of the few. If Bine is correct, then the many are infinite and the few are miniscule. But where does that leave us?

The battle over, I finally allow the notifications to appear in front of me. It is interesting that they wait until I am ready, hanging in the periphery until I make it clear that I am able to view them. If they rely on a mental cue by me, does that mean that Genesis is able to read my mind? A scary thought but one that I can’t deal with at the moment.

You have reached Lvl 31! Attribute Points Available: 21

The other notifications let me know that I gained 7 levels in Freezing Beam, 4 in Effortless Presence, 3 in Mana Infusion, 2 in Pain Resistance and Sprint, and 1 in Climbing. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get a unique notification for Effortless Presence, as it reached Lvl 13, but I’m not surprised. It seems that the higher rank the ability, the fewer the big changes caused by Skill Level.

I swipe away the notifications and begin jogging back to the novice zone, drained of Mana and too low on Health to fall back into Effortless Presence. I cross the boundary a few hours later and begin walking to my tree, snacking on nuts and berries on the way back. My thoughts wander while I jog, focusing on the combat and trying to figure out ways that would have allowed me to escape any harm.

For the first time since I defeated the Alpha, a Hunter crosses my path and completely surprises me, the lack of sightings leading me to believe that they had left the novice zone. My hands conjure up two Mana Bullets but I pause when I am caught completely off guard. Instead of growling or attacking me, the beast turns around and runs back into the forest. Keeping an eye on it, I keep my Mana Bullets waiting at the end of my finger and slowly back away, watching it until I’m sure that it is no longer around.

I stare at the place that it ran towards in complete shock. Is this what happens when you defeat the Zone Leader or is this some sort of benefit due to the Hunters pack nature? I shrug my shoulders, scratch at an inch on my hand, and continue onwards to my tree, knowing that only time and trial will be able to answer most of my questions.

Finally reaching my tree, I climb up to my branch and enter Effortless Presence, opening up my Status screen. I look at the 21 Attribute Points and decide to allocate them now, the influence of those points too significant to let them sit doing nothing. The first 6 points go into Perception, raising it to a total of 20. The change is immediate, the colors in the sky becoming more vivid, the hardness of the bark increasing, the smell of the fresh dirt becoming stronger, the leftover taste of the berries amplified, and sound of the wind in the pines becoming sharper. The senses from my Field are also amplified, taking a tiny step towards the near omniscience I felt when first unlocking the Skill.

I then put 2 points into Physique and Recovery. My little scare during the battle rattled me more than I’m willing to admit. I’d come close to death during Faul’s training before but never against a real foe. A little more Health also gives me more of a buffer zone for using Effortless Presence.

Intelligence gets 10 points, increasing my Mana Well by a significant amount. With more in the tank I’ll be able to cast Freezing Beam longer, a necessity for fighting against Albasalas’s creatures. The last point goes into Willpower. Now that I know Willpower is necessary for me to form mental images, it has become far more important to my growth. Not only that, I suspect that it affects the control that I’m able to exert over my own creations.

Satisfied with my allocation, I slip into Effortless Presence and focus on my image creation, feeling myself get closer by the day.

I open my eyes to see a soft yellow sky, white clouds floating in a peaceful dance. Despite my unfamiliar setting, I don’t feel worried or frightened. A feeling of calm seems to radiate around me, filling me with a sense of peace that I’ve never felt.

I finally manage to sit up, unsure of how long I spent staring. It could have been seconds or it could have been eternities. Time has no meaning in this place. What is time but a construct that we use to box out and control our lives? In this immense feeling of peace, I have no desire or need to control anything.

A soft cough distracts me from my musings and I turn to see a strange creature sitting on a tree stump 10 feet away from me. Appearing female in build, the creature is comprised entirely of branches and leaves, spinning and weaving together to form limbs, a body, and a face. The branches are a stark white while the leaves are a light pink, their contrast creating more beauty then either could achieve alone. Her eyes are made of two budding roses, their red petals drawing the eye in wonder, and she appears to have no mouth, making a little voice in my mind wonder where the cough came from. Before I can question it further, words seem to emanate from all around me.

You confuse me little manling. How are you resisting me? Why do you not fall under my control?

I stare at her in confusion and slowly feel my mind begin to coalesce, previously scattered under the influence of this strange place. It takes a few seconds but, finally in control of my mental facilities, I look at her, truly, for the first time. She is not as beautiful as I first though, her legs fusing into the stump and causing it to be covered in fungus. All around us fall little spores, coating the ground and occasionally leading to the growth of fungus.

I look around and notice repeating motions, the same spores hitting the ground and then reversing in time to fall down once again. The same flowers budding and then curling back up. The same clouds repeating in an endless cycle.

“We are in a dream aren’t we? You are Albasalas”

And you are the little creature killing my Butchers and trees. Why do you do so?

I hear her words emanate from all around and I consider them. Her tone almost seems inquisitive, curiosity overriding defensive instincts. I don’t know if the effects of this space are still affecting me but I decide to answer her honestly, to take responsibility for my actions.

“Because I need to kill more Zone Leaders”

Why do you need to do this little manling? Why not just return to your home and avoid this conflict you seem to seek? If you swear not to come into my Zone again I will swear not to infect you.

If I weren’t negotiating with a strange plant creature who is able to pull me into dreams, I’d chuckle. She’s trying to bluff me, hoping I didn't process her question as to why she couldn’t control me at the beginning. Her power to take over creatures must fall under mental control, the very thing that Indomitable Spirit saves me from. Thank god for the Way of the Hopeless.

“Going home is my goal, it is the only reason I do this. I can’t stop.”

I caution you. Do not stand against me and hope to live. I will destroy you before you are even able to find where I rest. This is your last warning.

Her voice holds anger and, to my surprise, just a hint of fear. I look at the world around us and, for the first time, see small inconsistencies in the dream. Little tears that stop the smooth cycle of her world. Her emotions seem to be toppling this place. Well, let’s see if I can exacerbate that.

“You are afraid of me aren’t you? Am I the first person to discover your weakness?”

You dare say that I am afraid? I pity you little manling, you are nothing more than an insect in my path. I will crush you under my Butchers and they will feast on your body.

Her face tightens up at her words, the soft leaves above her eyes curling downwards and giving her the appearance of angry looking eyebrows. I may not be the one in control of this little mirage but that doesn’t mean I’m powerless. The little tears seem to grow, inconsistencies in the patterns growing larger and larger. Conjuring up a controlled Chilling Wind over my open palm, I look back at her and smile.

“You can’t keep me here.”

With those words I cast the Wind out at her stump, watching as frost begins to form around her and the tree. Her face tightens even more and her voice comes down from all around, filled with anger.

You dare try to freeze my home? I could destroy you with a spare thought, do not try my patience!

I send a few more Chilling Winds into the dream construction, watching as the tears grow larger. If she could do anything she would have already done so, not threaten and waste pointless words. Ignoring her, I continue destroying until the sky above begins to crack and fall down.

Her screams of rage follow me as blackness replaces the dream.

I wake up with a gasp and look around, only relaxing when I see that I’m on my tree. I raise my hands up and my eyes focus on a small spot in between my second and third fingers, the spot that has been itching since the fight. Reaching down with my other hand, I pick out a spore of fungus. It must have gotten onto my hand when I climbed the tree during the battle. I hold it up in the air and douse it in Fire Mana, watching as it shrivels up and dies. Albasalas must use the spores to take control of the creatures in her domain, bringing them to her dream world and bending them to her will.

Staring at the night sky, I consider my future. All the beings I’ve fought up to this point, with the exception of Faul, have been beasts whose intelligence has been negligible at best. That has just changed. Am I truly okay with ending the life of another thinking being?

I consider this issue for a few hours as the stars twinkle in the night sky, finally reaching my verdict. Somewhere, among those stars that seem so close that I could reach out and grab them, is my home. The place where my loved ones are. The place that will face countless enemies and untold trials. I may not be the only person that can help them but I know that I need to be there and protect all that I can. If killing an intelligent being is the only way to do that, then so be it.