Three Stones, One Root

[System Active – Cycle 00003]

Status: Rooted

Primary Objective: Survival

Secondary Directive: Data Acquisition

Mana Core Activity: Dormant

I had time.

Plenty of it.

With my roots reaching nearly five meters down, I now had contact with multiple layers of ancient earth. Each fragment, each mineral cluster, was a page in this planet’s unwritten history.

So I read.

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> [Root Extension: +0.3m | Direction: East-Southeast]

> Material: Porous Igneous Shard

> Mana Conductivity: 1.3/10

> Vibrational Feedback: Stable

> Notes: Steam-eroded fracture channels present

My root curled carefully into the crack, feeling the texture, the pressure, the density shift between stones. These weren’t just rocks anymore. They were records.

> [Environmental Log – Microseismic Activity: Low]

> Interval: 4.7 hours

> Origin Vectors: 3

> Intensity: Minor, Sub-crustal

Still consistent.

Still strange.

Still three directions.

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Three rhythms.

Three flows.

All distant, but aligned like the lines of a triangle.

Not random.

Geometric.

> “Conclusion: I am above a tectonic junction involving three crustal plates.”

> “Mana channels follow the faults. Stable, but shallow.”

I paused all growth and cross-referenced earlier logs.

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My internal map updated again.

* Zone A: Dry sand, high friction. Dead.

* Zone B: Gradual warmth, low nutrients.

* Zone C: Increasing mana density. Worth future growth.

* Zone D: Hazardous shard zone. Root stress high. Avoid.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I added new identifiers.

* Pulse Vector 1 – Strong, southeast.

* Pulse Vector 2 – Medium, due north.

* Pulse Vector 3 – Weak but consistent, west-northwest.

The triangle was forming beneath me. I wasn’t just between plates.

I was sitting on the exact meeting point.

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There was no surface noise. The air above was still thick with dust.

But down here, the world whispered.

> [Seismic Pattern Analysis: Convergent Rhythm]

> Result: Tectonic Mana Conduit Forming

> Status: Passive Flow

> Risk Factor: Low (for now)

Mana flowed in. Not a river. More like mist caught in old stone veins.

I extended a new sensor root downward into the most stable direction.

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At a depth of 5.9m, I found something strange.

A slight warmth. Repeating.

Not heat from the earth. Not volcanic.

But alive.

Or at least, rhythmic.

> [Soft Thermal Pulse Detected – +0.3°C Shift]

> Pattern: Every 1.5 hours

> Duration: 32 seconds

> Material Nearby: Unknown

There was something... breathing. Not in a literal sense, but with energy.

I logged it, then rested.

I spent the next cycle not growing but listening. Waiting for another tremor.

It came. Three directions. As always.

And then the ping came.

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> [System Notification]

> Trait Acquired: Subsurface Sensory Node (Passive)

> Description: Enables root-based perception of subterranean vibrations, heat signatures, and mana flow.

> Sensitivity: +250% within current depth band (5–10m)

> Range: Expands with depth and mana saturation.

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The world opened.

Every subtle shift became crisp. Every crack in the stone spoke.

I didn’t feel smarter. But I felt more plugged in.

More… rooted.

I wasn’t just a plant anymore.

I was an instrument.

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A long pause followed. No roots moved. No mana shifted.

Even the crust was calm.

I recorded everything. Built new maps. Recalibrated my model of fault line angles.

Eventually, I allowed a single new extension westward.

> [Root Expansion: +0.1m]

> Soil Quality: 2.0/10

> Mana Drift: Positive

> Risk: Minimal

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My system updated silently.

> [Internal Map Expanded]

> Fault Angle Adjusted: 58.7°

> Seismic Rhythms Synced

> Estimated Plate Size: Too large to calculate

> Planetary Mass Estimate: ~18× Earth standard

So… this planet wasn’t just large.

It was colossal.

A true supercontinent world.

With enough space for anything to evolve.

Or hide.

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And me?

I was still just a tree.

But a tree with ears.

And a memory.

[System Summary – End of Cycle 00003]

Root Expansion: +2.6m

Total Root Depth: 6.9m

Mana Saturation Rate: +0.0003 m/hr

Trait Unlocked: None

Environmental Flags:

‣ Initial Mana Drift Observed

‣ Shallow Volcanic Strata Confirmed

‣ Seismic Rhythms (3 Sources) Logged

Core Status: Dormant

Time Since Rebirth: ~5 days