The Begining Of Life
Rooted in Resistance
[System Active â Cycle 00009]
Status: Rooted
Primary Objective: Survival
Secondary Directive: Data Acquisition
Mana Core Activity: Increasing
The plants I noticed weeks agoâsmall flickers of presence brushing my root-edgesâare no longer faint. Theyâve surged. Grown. Not like me, slowly burrowing deeper and wider, but with speed, abandon. Their roots twist in tangled webs, overlapping each other in a frenzy of competition and curiosity.
I canât see them. I still donât even know what âseeingâ truly means. But I feel them. Their mana trembles when I stretch my awareness. Their tiny coresâif they even have themâare like fireflies, dim and jittery, flickering around the dense warmth of mine.
Theyâve grown, yes. But so have I.
My own root net has crept outward another dozen meters. And with each pulse of mana, I meet less resistance. The stones yield more readily, the soil carries sound further. Even the mana in the air drapes itself differently around meâthicker, like mist soaked in purpose.
Iâve begun to sense patterns in the other plantsâ growth. They arch toward me, though Iâm buried. Their tiny mana flows shiver when mine expands. Some even pause entirely when I shift my internal channels, like theyâre listening. Or waiting.
The thought unsettles me.
Itâs been months since my rebirthâ10, maybe more. Time is fluid in the dark. But something is gathering weight now. Something that isnât just growth or mana accumulation. Itâs pressure.
And pressure means change.
47.1%.
Thatâs where I am. Nearly halfway. And with that number comes a certainty that I didnât have before.
Saturation isnât just a measure of fullness. Itâs a threshold. A tide inching toward flood. The mana inside me no longer sloshes chaotically. It rests. It waits.
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And when it moves, the world listens.
Even now, the smaller roots of nearby flora quiver when I flare outward. Some wrap around my own tendrils and simply stay. The connection isnât parasitic. Itâs reverent. Symbiotic.
Are they drawn to me?
Or⦠am I drawing them?/
The moment comes quietly. No lightning. No rupture. Just a sudden, quiet shift at my core.
> 50.0% Mana Saturation Reached.
> Trait Unlocked: Lifesong Pulse
>
> A rhythmic ambient pulse radiates from your mana core, harmonizing nearby plant-based lifeforms. Passive influence increases cooperative growth, alignment, and synchronization. Stronger effects in low-interference environments. Cost: 0.5 mana per hour.
My mana core begun to feel... deliberate. It no longer passively stored power. It breathed. When I concentrate inward, I feel it contracting and expanding, slowlyârhythmically. Like a heartbeat.
The message barely registers before I feel it. My core contractsâtightlyâthen releases in a slow, radiant wave. The mana doesnât surge outward violently. It sings. A deep, rhythmic thrum begins at my center and radiates through my entire root system.
The other plants respond instantly.
Their scattered pulses fall into sync with mineâfirst in flickers, then like a forest of drums all beating to a single tempo. Some lean inward. Some tangle closer. I donât command them. I donât even intend it.
They choose it.
The pulse continues, soft and slow. It doesnât drain me. Not directly. But I feel a whisper of expenditureâperhaps five percent of my capacity ebbing into the atmosphere like dew off a leaf.
And yet, I remain whole.
For the first time, I understand the idea of influence without domination. Control without command. This isnât a push. Itâs an invitation. A song that only the quiet can hear.
And they are listening.
[System Summary â End of Chapter 00009]
Root Expansion: +29.4m
Total Root Depth: 112.3m
Mana Saturation Rate: +0.08 m/hr
Trait Unlocked: Lifesong Pulse
Core Status: Active (50.0%)
Environmental Observations:
⣠Local Flora Growth Surge (43%)
⣠Mana Alignment Detected
⣠Rhythmic Core Pulsation Active
Time Since Rebirth: ~11 months