Tree of Aeons

Year 169

I believe the knowledge of the demons will help us significantly more in the long run, at least, more than saving the hero. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive choices, so I am left with trying to ‘extract’ the parasite, and providing it with a suitable ‘environment’ to continue its growth. 

“We should tell them.” Edna said. “I think a bit of transparency will help.”

I stewed on the decision for days, and then I decided to go with Edna’s idea. I think I have natural ‘hermit’ tendencies, which have not always served me well. Perhaps Edna’s willingness for transparency would result in a better outcome.

“You have a parasite.” It was a fact.

“Yes I know.” Alvin rolled his eyes like he heard this a million times. Kei stood next to her friend. They were still friends, somehow, despite all the shit that happened between them. 

“The parasite, I believe it has a mind, and it talks to me every time I touch it. As a result, I’ve been really careful when dealing with it.” 

Both Kei and Alvin stared at each other, their jaws a little wide. I dropped a bomb. Kei immediately asked. “...is this why it’s taking so long?”

“Well, yes.” I answered. 

“Now, I’m telling you this because I still intend to heal Alvin.”

“Then? Spill it. What’s really causing the delay?” Alvin accused. 

“I’m hoping to extract it without killing it. This parasite may well hold the answer for how to open a gate to the demon world, and take the battle to their world.” I admitted it honestly. “I’m sick of letting this world be the playground of the gods, where they just stomp through and destroy everything. It’s time to take the battle to their world. That’s why I’m dealing with this carefully.”

“This is my life you are talking about.” Alvin accused, and I vaguely sensed some divine energies at work, as if it just glossed over what I said. “I’m not some experiment you can play with to win some bigger game.”

Kei was more understanding. “Aeon, dealing with a demon parasite doesn’t sound like a good idea. I highly doubt whatever a demon parasite says is trustworthy. It’s a demon, right, and in my world, demons only offer bad deals.”

Well. Yeah. That’s... true. It’s entirely possible that this parasite is lying to me and telling me crap. 

I reviewed what it said so far, and clearly none of it betrayed its true intentions. The parasite always spoke of taking the battle back against the Slavers, but we, the natives, are just expendable. That was the sense I got after I reviewed my conversation with it. 

After some thinking, I concluded I won’t sacrifice the hero to save this parasite. Yes, I agree that saving the hero is just repeating more of what has passed, but the demon’s trustworthiness is severely in doubt. At best, I should aim for an outcome where both survive.

“Yes. I’m aware of that, but I’m hoping for a mutually beneficial outcome. Alvin’s life comes first, and I will not hesitate to destroy the parasite.” I spoke to both of them. “But this is a rare opportunity to interrogate and understand the demons, and use their knowledge against them.”

Kei was deep in thought, her thoughts unmarred by any attempted divine influence. “Fine. But I want to be informed every step of the way. Alvin may not be able to think with the presence of the parasite in him.”

Alvin snorted. “Hey. I’m still here.”

“The parasite may influence you as it gets stronger.” Kei responded. “It’s pretty much the equivalent of a demonic possession. As you know, you can’t trust the words of someone you are about to exorcise.”

Alvin was horrified at the idea. “Ugh. Get it out. Now.”

“Unless death is certain.. Not yet. Not until we get more out of the parasite.” I responded. 

Kei nodded. “I want to know what his condition is at all times, and would it be possible to quantify the parasite’s state? I’m afraid your attempts to ‘extract’ the parasite may accelerate that thing’s maturity.” 

“That is a good point, but how do I... hmm... Wait. How about this, every time I try to do something, you enter the [biolab]. In my dream sleep state I can project what I see to you directly.” 

This was essentially using Patreeck’s mind-attack abilities and memory injection abilities to bridge visions. Kei paused. 

Alvin shook his head. “That makes both of us vulnerable!”

Kei thought... “Possible for you to project what you see, and what’s actually happening to Alvin’s body physically?”

“In the dream state... yes.” 

“Alright.”

Alvin shook his head like this was the worst idea ever.

-

Meanwhile... 

“How’ve you been, Arlisa?” Laufen tapped her head. They met up in Laufen’s home in one of the giant attendant trees in Freshka. 

“I’m alright, grandmother. Have you seen mom around?” Arlisa sat in a rattan chair. There was a  pot of tea on the table.

“Yes,. She’s busy with your brother, and that golem girl.” Laufen nodded. “Have you forgot to speak to her recently?”

“...kinda.” Arlisa shrugged. 

“Now what have you done?” Laufen sipped her fruit tea. Her role in the Valthorns have gradually reduced in the past few years, the social work she once championed gradually taken over by the Priests, and senior Valthorns that sought out less combat oriented roles. Still, she continued to work in the local social services. 

“...nothing.”

Their eyes met, and Arlisa turned her head away. “Well, okay. Tell me about your adventures! I hear from the initiates that you’ve been really active on the whole dungeon stuff.” 

Arlisa breathed a sigh of relief as her grandmother allowed her to change the subject. “Oh it’s tough.” Well, she was gifted, and finally she found some use for her natural talents for stealth, sneaking and tracking. But unlike Lausanne where her skills are augmented by a Court-level familiar, Arlisa only received an ordinary familiar, and her combat experience paled to Lausanne. Furthermore, she went on her adventures quite a distance from Freshka, where my ‘powerleveling’ and experience-related boosts are weaker. 

It’s tough, and she’s in the mid level 50s. The fact that she had to apply for the regular adventurer slots along with her team, also meant she couldn’t do it as frequently. Still, she had fun. Her companions seemed like decent people, a few lizardpeople, a centaur and a gnoll.

She also didn’t get to fight the hybrid demons in the Rottedlands, as that task is usually reserved for the local militia, or the nearest Valthorn keeps. 

Laufen just smiled at her explanations and her adventures. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”

Arlisa shifted uncomfortably. “...really? Do... Do you think mom’s disappointed? Are you disappointed, granny?”

Laufen thought about it for a moment and sighed. “Your mom, I think she doesn’t know what to do with you. Maybe she had an idea, a hope that you’d be this exemplary individual, no matter what you chose. She was willing to accept whatever you would be, as long as she saw that you worked hard at it. I think she wasn’t prepared to see you just... do nothing.”

Arlisa sighed. “I knew it.”

“You feel that there’s a lot of expectations on you, don’t you?”

Arlisa nodded. She was a little bit sad. To hear that her mom was disappointed in her. 

“That’s normal. Parents and their children are meant to be different.” Laufen tapped Arlisa on the shoulder. “It’s part of growth.”

“It doesn’t feel like growth though.”

Laufen just smiled and switched the topic. “One day, it’ll all make sense. Let’s not talk about such bitter stuff. Your brother’s cute.”

“Yeah.” Arlisa shifted awkwardly. “It’s weird that he’s my brother.”

Laufen laughed. “That happens with us elves, since we have such long lives that siblings can be entire generations apart. But in a few decades, it’ll be fine.”

Arlisa rolled her eyes. “A lot can happen in a few decades.”

“Exactly!”

-

What’s the point of extracting the demon parasite? I considered that the purpose of ‘saving’ the parasite is to have access to it’s repository of knowledge. As such, perhaps even if I did save it, I should not let it ever attain its maturity. In fact, if what I want is its knowledge, whether it remains a demon or not doesn’t matter.

Kei had a point that the demon was likely to lie. It had every incentive to, as I have its life in my metaphorical hands, so it would say anything and everything for me to keep it that way. 

Yet, I am so starved of information on the mechanics of what’s happening in the background, that I know I can’t let go of this opportunity.

I thought about it and concluded that I needed to ‘unmake’ the demon parasite. Perhaps, in the same way with the demon walker, I needed to inject and overwhelm it with my mana such that it would ‘become’ one of mine. 

I soon discussed the idea with Edna and my senior Valthorns, and then, brought the idea to Kei.

“So... wait. You plan to flood Alvin’s body with your mana, such that your mana overwrites’ it’s own mana? You can do that?” Kei was quite shocked by the idea. “I didn’t know it’s possible to take over a person by flooding it with mana!”

“I have never tested this ability on a person, only mindless demons thus far.” I had to first check whether the parasite had any mana in the first place. My checking soon revealed the answer to be yes. It has its own demonic mana, but it’s different. It’s a mix of demonic mana and star mana. Could my mana overwhelm it?

I... don’t know. I have never really been able to prove how [natural mana overwhelming] worked anyway. My understanding had been that my mana would take the place of the ‘blood’ that ran through the demonic flesh, and in doing so freeing the body from the control of the demons. Would it work if it has a soul?

No. As I studied it a little more, the parasite doesn’t have a soul. A soul should not be able to exist within the soul spring of another soul. It’s therefore more of an intelligent homunculus. 

What would happen if my mana enters the parasite? The parasite has some mana-consumption ability, as demonstrated by its ability to consume star mana. What if I unintentionally sped up its development? Wouldn’t I indirectly kill Alvin that way?

Still, if I wanted to ‘save’ it, then converting it to a non-demonic form would be the only way I can trust it’s words. As it is, even if what it said is true, I could not trust it to take any action. If these knowledge is not actionable, what was the point?

Edna, Lumoof and a few of the high leveled Valthorns were present, just in case things went bad. My hope was Edna would step in and fight anything that occurred. I also had the entire area rigged with bombs if the parasite was significantly stronger than expected. 

We prepared multiple biolab pods, all ready for the attempted mana flood. The idea was, flood Alvin’s body with my mana, and by extension, flood the parasite with my mana, and see whether it worked to ‘weaken’ or ‘convert’ it. If it goes bad we’ll stop. If it does go terribly, we’ll use my soul realm powers to forcefully extract the parasite from his soul. 

If the conversion is successful, I’d have insights into how it ‘ate’ star mana, which hopefully I can then recreate the effect. After that, is figuring out how to effectively weaponise it as an anti-hero weapon, though this part is left unsaid. 

I ensured all my potato batteries throughout the continent were fully charged, just in case I needed them. If this was a hybrid, I just had starcraft flashbacks that this was gonna be a lot more difficult. 

“So, what if it doesn’t work?” 

“I’ll destroy it.”

“What if you can’t?”

“I believe I can.” From my vines touching it, I was rather sure I could hurt it. I just wasn’t sure how it would respond to a flood of my mana. 

Kei looked at Alvin. “You think Aeon should have a go at it?”

Alvin just meh-ed. He was bitter ever since he came here, even if Kei did her best to cheer him up. The fact that her golem could shapeshift meant she could even make herself look like the old Kei. 

Kei paused and thought. “So, if we wait, you’ll die. Are there alternative healers you know of?”

Alvin shook his head. “Short of a divine miracle?”

“I figured.” Kei sighed. “Demonic curses are not so easily removed.”

“So, we have to.”

-

I went in for one last probing check. I touched the parasite crystal, and I could see it growing bit by bit. Its flames attempted to burn my vines but I was protected. 

‘Traitor.’ That was rich coming from a parasite. 

“You told me you can’t be trusted. I am merely acting on your words and performing the necessary due diligence.”

‘We told you much more than that. Why do you wish to serve the Slavers and the Puppeteers?’

If I managed to convert it, then we could have an honest conversation. But as it is, there was sufficient grounds for a healthy dose of skepticism. Was it goading me? In any case, I avoided the question and asked one of my own. “What happens when I flood you with my mana?”

‘We don’t know. But we will resist you.’

“Why don’t you leave his body?”

‘No. Puppeteer’s mana is key.’

“I believe the hero is innocent. If you leave his body, and he continues to supply you star mana, will you do it?”

It didn’t reply, but the silence was sufficient to seal the deal. 

“I hope to win you over to my side with my mana. Turn you into one of mine. I can supply you with star mana should you take this option.”

‘It seems the Kings have to reconsider their plans. The natives are fools. The natives are also just Slavers.’ That... that kinda stung. 

“Your nature requires the death of the hero. I offer you an option to leave without killing it, and still retain your access to star mana. And now you claim I seek to enslave you?”

It didn’t respond. ‘We will have the blood and mana of the puppeteers.’

This was when I knew it had to die. 

-

“So?” Kei asked, nervous. Like family members asking the doctors for status updates. 

“Let’s do it.” 

I thought about it. I wanted it out, where I can study it in great detail. As it is, embedded within the hero’s body, my ability to dissect the parasite’s abilities were not great. I believe the star mana it consumed also fed it, and gave it the strength to resist my attempts to probe further.

Everything was ready. Alvin slept in my soul forge. I called on the mana from all the nearby sources, and extended my vines into his soul. 

The parasite’s flames flared, huge, and yet, it did nothing to my vines. My vines, multiple of them appeared from the great beyond and into Alvin’s realm.

The vines latched onto the growing crystal. One. Two. Three. 

Eventually there were hundreds of vines that touched the parasite.

‘We will not be defeated. We are Legion.’ Oh great. Parasite makes jokes. ‘We will destroy you.’

My vines glowed from all the mana that passed through. The entire valley was suddenly thick with mana. Anyone with some magical sense could feel the huge pulse of mana that now pulled towards the Valley. 

My artificial minds helped to stabilise the mana, and assisted with all the calculations. I tapped on their computational power to help manage the thing.

The crystal throbbed. It shook. 

‘We will resist.’

The crystal glowed, and flesh emerged. It lashed out and fought with my vines. The flesh released shockwaves, and instantly Alvin was in pain.

“He’s in pain! Get it out!” Kei spoke whilst connected to me via Patreeck’s mind-projection. 

The crystal was soon surrounded by a strange flesh-like substance, a muscular object covered with thick purple goo. The flesh then formed appendages, tentacles that lashed out at all of my vines. 

The star mana around the soul spring swirled, and his soul spring shook from the ripples and waves. It made Alvin tremble. The parasite seemed to be able to partially form a body in this form, and that was fascinating to me. Even as it attempted to swat away all of my vines. It... wasn’t doing a very good job. 

It was surprisingly weak in this aspect.

My vines managed to keep a hold on it, and it seemed to realise that it was losing this battle, so very abruptly, all the flesh just shrunk and retreated back into the crystal, and then it’s flames emerged again. It drained the star mana that poured out of the floating vases in Alvin’s soul realm. 

It glowed, and I had a bad, bad feeling. Kei seemed to sense it too. 

“NO! Take it out! Now!” 

My vines immediately wrapped around it, and I activated my [soul forge]’s gateway to transfer it out of the soul realm. The crystal’s tremors clashed with the energies of my soul forge, and it felt like I was trying to pull something massive out of a tiny hole. 

It glowed even more, the glow seemed to release a kind of wave that caused the soul spring to shake constantly. My standby sensor array was abuzz with readings. 

I pulled more mana from the surrounding environment. Perhaps I was too early. At a later stage, perhaps it would put up more of a resistance. 

“Get ready.” I signaled Edna and the team to prepare for combat. Once the crystal is out, who knows what it would transform itself into. 

It was yanked out, and the crystal exploded into a fleshy tentacle monster. 

Edna had been waiting for this moment. She had Lovis’s abilities all charged up, and in an instant, a rain of magically empowered spears skewered the parasite from all directions. It splattered, and the single red crystal in the middle crumbled. Edna wasn’t holding back.

Edna paused. “Was... was that it?” 

The parasite... was destroyed. 

We checked the surroundings, and at the same time I also looked back at Alvin. His condition rapidly stabilised, as his parasite no longer hindered the flow of star mana to his soul spring. Still, the shock of having the parasite pulled out of his soul realm meant he was unconscious.

Edna doubletapped the remains, stabbing each small piece with her spears. “That was... anticlimactic. I expected a harder fight.”

Patreeck quickly reviewed the data. “It’s energies were unstable and it seemed that the forced extraction weakened it significantly.”

“I see.” It made sense. Things were not made to survive such shifts. Not when it’s not ready. 

The only thing left was the crumbled remains of the red crystal. My vines quickly gathered it up and placed it in my lab for studies. 

At that moment, I felt a sensation pass through me.

Memories written in crystal form. It wasn’t hard for me to piece it together, Patreeck’s super fast cognitive abilities quickly helped reconnect the data across all the crumbled crystals. 

It started from where I was, and then suddenly it zoomed out. 

A large circular world, this world. Then, it shifted, as if a filter was applied. There were... tendrils that stretched out from the world, out into the nothingness. There were easily six of them, maybe more. Some fainter than the others. 

I felt like something was spinning in my mind. Patreeck and a few of my other artificial minds stepped in to help me untangle the strange messages from the crystals. 

Then, another filter was applied. I could follow those tendrils now, and soon, I was looking at some kind of... map. 

A star map. The tendrils were the ‘paths’ the demons followed. If I am right, these other places were the sources of the demon invasions. Of all of them, one of the tendrils seemed to be a little bit brighter and clearer. 

[....error. Error. Astral Domain not available. Incompatible domain detected. Skill downgraded]

[Skill obtained : Memories of the Starways]

[Skill obtained : Sensitivity to the Astral Forces]

[Special Tree Type Unlocked : Astreeal Monitor. Unlocks live monitoring of the starways]

I paused and I considered my options again. I gathered my senior Valthorns a few days after the incident, to plot our next move. 

“I believe I have received a skill that allows me to see the arrival of the demons. I will need to wait till the next demon king to prove it.”

More importantly, my sudden sensitivity to the astral forces immediately made me focus on the [daemolite]. I could now see a faint, wispy gas that seemed to ‘float’ out of them. 

The daemolites facilitated the starways. The demons used the starways to invade. If so, destroying the daemolites will help. No, with my ability to view these astral forces, I should hunt down the daemolites wherever they are. I also explained this new reality to them.

“Then we must hunt down the daemolite and destroy them.”

“No, if these things are the key to creating the rifts, then we may use it for our counterattack?”

“Aeon said there were at least six other tendrils, that meant there’s constantly at least 6 other worlds out there?” 

I wasn’t sure about the tendrils, whether they linked somewhere or not. Or what’s on the other side. I wasn’t even sure whether it’s a good idea to immediately destroy the daemolite. We’ll have to see what we can do. 

“In any case, let’s gather them up.”

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