Off We Go

A day has gone by since Wyatt left his responsibilities to Sunny and he's now fully rested. He can't really remember what happened yesterday although a new voice in his head appeared claiming to be his guide.Strangely enough, Sunny seemed to have disappeared as well, being completely replaced by this guide. He thinks it's just as well that Sunny isn't around even though it is a shame that he left right after accepting his role.Wyatt then started following the new guide almost unquestioningly as he believed it to be the will of the tree, brought to his mind.It even had some interesting ideas leading to a few strange scenarios.

Flashback

"Hello Cassie, how might you be doing on this fine day?""Oh I'm doing great Wyatt, by the way, what's that on your back?"Sure enough, a half filled sack can be seen draped over Wyatt's back."These are seeds. I promised my services to the tree in exchange for all the benefits it gives us and the tree was kind enough to provide me with work."Cassie is jealous that only Wyatt is working for the betterment f the tree."I wanna help, I wanna help."'[Your Holiness, is there anyway she can help?]''(Of course, she can give you the precious water memory she has so that you can use it to water me. Make sure to get the rope as well to aid your arduous climb up the trunk.)''[Sir, what about her staff, the one made out of wood? Are you sure you want another piece of wood stealing your glory?]''(No I don't. You know what, just take whatever you want, don't forget to be thankful to me.)''[Of course sir, I live to serve you.]'"Good news, you can help by giving me the water memory you have and the rope memory as well, the tree said it would help me serve it better.""Are you sure it needs my memories?""Oh my, are you questioning the tree. Speaking of trees, give me that wooden staff of yours too. Its presence is an insult to my tree.""My apologies, here you go."

[You have received a Memory: Endless Spring.][You have received a Memory: Evertwine.][You have received a Memory: Zephyr Staff.]

"Thank you Cassie, this'll be put to good use.""Of course, anything for the tree."'(Consume the seeds.)''[Huh? Not to question your order great tree sir, but are you sure?]''(I am sure, now stop questioning my orders.)''[My apologies.]'Wyatt then started to swallow the seeds like pills, washing them down with the water from his newest Memory.Over the course of an hour Wyatt finishes eating all the seeds. There were around fifty seeds inside the bag, most were collected from the upper portion of the tree making them more valuable due to the tree attempting to hide the best fruits higher up. Most seeds in the bag have the equivalent value of two Soul Shards with a few even giving four. At the end Wyatt checked his runes to see how many Soul Shards he had.[Soul Shards: 172 ].'The tree is so generous!' Wyatt thinks with a smile.

End Flashback

For the next few days, his schedule of climbing the tree, collecting seeds and then eating them continues, Wyatt refrains from eating the fruits, instead sustaining himself off of thousand year old egg yolk.For the next week nothing much changes until his guide comes back celebrating saying how he only needs to eat one more seed and the tree will reward him. Wyatt follows along, eating the seed and for a moment he feels bliss at fulfilling the tree's orders.The moment doesn't last however as he suddenly collapses on the nest in horrible pain. The pain continues for so long that Wyatt is afraid that the screams will attract creatures from the Forgotten Shore. Finally after an eternity, Wyatt gets back up and notices something strange. Not only is there the shadow that has never yet left the armor, there is also a new shadow at his feet. The shadow doesn't stay at the feet for long before it arrives at the armor and joins the first shadow. The moment it does, Wyatt feels a brief moment of clarity only to lose it the next second.When asking his guide if this is his reward, the guide almost gleefully answers yes, and then the guide tells him to check his Shard count.

[Soul Shards: 854 ].

He gives the guide his gratitude although he feels it's proper to show his growing concern for the tree. These last few days, he notices a few of the branches have started to wilt, and quite a few leaves are falling off. The guide is quick to state that this isn't something to be worried about and congratulates his swift growth saying how "you'd make a great worker for the tree." This compliment causes Wyatt to tear up and he gives his thanks to the guide.Two days later when swallowing the tree's seeds, Wyatt notices a voice in his head.

[Soul Shards: 1000/1000]

[Forming new soul core.]

'A new soul core? Is there a problem with my current one?'With barely enough time to have that thought, an all too familiar pain reappears causing him to almost fall off of a high up branch and onto the ground. Fortunately, while he wasn't prepared for the pain, he is able to understand that it's the same thing he felt earlier and that it will go away. Trying his best to hold in his screams with mixed success, he finally starts to feel better after a minute or so of the hellish pain that brought him to his knees.The voice of the Spell then comes back to congratulate him.

[New soul core formed.]

[Soul Shards: 0/2000]

The voice of the Spell isn't the only thing to come back as his guide returns soon after, this time with orders.'(Augment the armor again.)''[S-sir?]''(Now.)' The voice demands.'[Yes sir.]'With that Wyatt puts his efforts towards the armor, making the armor even more powerful. With the shadows now amplified again, the armor's enchantments are four times stronger. Granting increased protections from physical attacks, and a now noticeable protection from minds attacks.At this point the guide asks a question with extreme urgency.'(Do you know who you are?)'A now disoriented Wyatt is trying to understand the question.'[I am Wyatt.]''(And who am I.)''Umm, isn't that the guide, or maybe it's Sunny? Come to think of it they sound the same. But why...''(I've come to realize something. As much as I hate having a true name, it does have uses. Make sure to remember yours, Fate Breaker.)''[...]''...Fate.. Breaker... Fate Breaker. Fate Brea-!!!'In that moment when Wyatt remembered his true name, almost everything came to him instantly. How he wasn't some obsequious servant of the tree. He was far more than that. He was Wyatt Johnson, someone with a Divine Aspect, someone who would use his knowledge to bring this fallen world back on its feet, so that he could build back everything he lost.He wouldn't be able to do this with brute strength but that's okay, he had a plan, or at least the beginnings of one.'Next stop, Weaver's Mask.'Back to reality he now has an advantage that he gave up. His mind. With his regained intelligence, he grins as he responds to Sunny.'[Sunny, did you know that this tree is an Awakened Terror. I have to say, it's the most helpful ally we may find in this pit of despair that people call the forgotten shore. Cassie for damn sure isn't giving me a thousand Soul Shards.]''(Good to have you back, any other plans that you should fill me in on?)'A maniacal grin slowly makes it way on Wyatt's face.'[Well, it's good manners to finish your food, so I think it's only proper we finish up all the spare seeds this tree leaves behind.]'.'(I couldn't have said it better myself.)'For the next three weeks Wyatt stays in control of Sunny's body as he searches all over the tree in search of more seeds. When the awakened level seeds near the top have run completely dry, he goes lower and lower to find the far more common dormant seeds. Although the gains from eating a dormant seed mean that each one is worth only one Soul Shard, the relative ease of finding each seed offset the rate at which their growth slowed down. That is until they finally reach a tipping point. For the last few days, changes could be noticed in the way Nephis and Cassie behaved. With them seeming less passive and also more actively going after the trees fruits. From Wyatt's birds eye view, he notices them seeming less and less satisfied with their fruit, today even going so far as to spit it out.Looking back at the tree, Wyatt can hardly blame them, it's a far cry from how it looked when they first arrived with more than half of the leaves already fallen and the other half turning brown. The branches also seems to be weaker than they used to be, with Wyatt almost falling after stepping on one that used to be able to support his weight. Sunny however, is staying paranoid and hiding within Wyatt to keep himself safe in case the tree still has enough power to enthrall them again.At this point it's the middle of the night and Wyatt chooses to check his Soul Shard count.

[Soul Shards: 1468/2000]

'Wasn't Sunny struggling to reach this point even after arriving in the Chained Isles. Say what he might, this tree is the best ally we may ever find here. It's a shame it might not live. But not that much of a shame.'Wyatt walk up to a small cluster of fruit on a branch and picks one, he figures he should try one out just to see how heavenly they were supposed to taste.Holding it up to his mouth he takes a bite and after savoring it for a few seconds...he spits it out.'So starchy, it taste like a mix between a potato and a watermelon. No wonder they spat it out.'Not wanting to waste any more time he digs the seed out of the fruit, and swallows it with a swig from his water bottle. He repeats the same process with the second fruit except this time he hears the voice of the Spell in his ears saying something he didn't expect.

[You have slain an Awakened Terror: Soul Devouring Tree.]

'Wait, does this mean no more free soul shards.'

[You have received a Memory: Pliable Leaf.]

Wyatt's jaw drops as he realized he got a new Awakened Memory of the sixth tier. He quickly pulls out the runes for his new Memory, excited to see just what is can do.

Memory: [Pliable Leaf].Memory Rank: Awakened.Memory Tier: VI.Memory Type: Charm.Memory Description: [In a time long forgotten, a seed was planted in the center of a bloody battle site, meant to act as a symbol of peace. The seed chosen was from a rare class of tree that could soothe all that saw it. But over thousands of years, the tree absorbed the blood of the former combatants within the earth and grew stronger than anyone could've imagined. It eventually went too far, not only turning enemies into allies, but allies into slaves.]

'That adds up.'

Memory Enchantments: [Pacifist], [Steadfast Supporter].Enchantment Description: [Enemies within the surrounding area will become less hostile.]Enchantment Description: [When activated, those in the surrounding area will feel a compulsion to serve the wielder.]

Pulling out the Memory, Wyatt finds a golden leaf the size of his hand. Sunny becomes quite curious when he sees a new Memory being summoned.'(Is that... an Awakened Memory... of the sixth tier.)' Sunny asks, completely shocked when he looks at the Spell Weave of the Memory and realizes just how powerful it is.'[Fresh from an Awakened Terror. Say, I'm considering becoming a gardener, I've developed a new appreciation for the hobby.]''(I'll pray for any plant that has you as its gardener.)'"Haha"'[In all seriousness, we need to leave before any monsters realize the previous master of this territory has developed.. a mild case of getting eaten alive.]'(So back to the labyrinth?)''[The labyrinth? I have a timeline to stick to. Spending another month there isn't in the budget.]'A realization seems to dawn on Sunny as he says in an apprehensive voice.'(So, the only other way to travel is-)''[Time to put those boat making skills to use, luckily there happens to be the carcass of a shelled demon creature right by us. You'll have until tomorrow night if we're lucky.]''(Crazy, I have two crazy people pushing me to my death.)''[On the bright side you can augment yourself instead of your armor, no need to keep the mental resistance strengthened anymore. You can even keep my Memory out, it makes enemies less hostile, so that should be useful, anyway I'll leave it to you.]''(WAIT!)'With that, Wyatt relinquished control and left Sunny to deal with the consequences of their actions.

End Chapter 12