《Tale of The Genie Sprout》


 Chapter 1: Awakening

    Stars illuminate the world around me as I fly. Was it hubris or ignorance that led me here? Nevertheless, here I am within the cosmos. It was a blissful existence, a perfect aimlessness that I appreciated but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard the familiar sound of loud metal screeching along my side. My roots stretch beneath the soft soil bed, soon protruding outwards towards the sound near me. I had no appendages to perceive my surroundings in detail, only discerning general positioning from noise and getting more precise information from the feeling my roots provide.


    They reach their destination, wrapping themselves around the metal container and swiftly pulling it into the earth as my roots retract. As the grating sound halts as the container enters my core, several gruff voices are heard behind me, around me, and above me. Everywhere the voices echo, all saying different words with the same meaning expressing their astonishment.


    Soft-voiced figure: "Incredible!"


    Squeaky voiced figure: "Amazing!"


    Their manner of speech was foreign to me and yet I understood their words all the same. I gave up questioning all manners of my life long before now and this was merely one mystery that I didn''t have the energy nor the drive to explore. This time, however, an explanation came to me in the form of a voice, more monotone than the rest yet it pierced into my thoughts more than any other.


    "Minor Passive Skill: Translation has been gained"


    That was new, I cannot describe how perplexed I was at that moment. Alas, I had little time to ruminate as a surge of pain coursed through my stem spreading to my roots to my core. I felt lifted from my fertile soil bed as my pain soon turned to weakness.


    Soft Voiced Figure: "Careful where you touch it, its petals are poisonous and we still need to get this thing back to home base"


    Squeaky voiced figure: "Roger that"


    I was unable to discern their tone this time, I tried to move my roots but that failed me as well. Soon it all felt numb and I thought that was it for my suffering. Until I felt a pain snap at my roots, like hot iron I could feel my skin melting off my body laying to reveal the bloody walls within.


    Victor: "Bloody hell Stephany, you never said it was that freaky lookin'' inside!"


    Stephany: "Shut the hell up Victor, you''ve been whining the whole trip here. Just ignore the weird shit and keep moving."


    Their voices became even more enigmatic as the painful stimuli coursed through my roots. I wasn''t sure what was happening but I tried my hardest to ignore my skin melting to focus on what I heard. The squeaky voice was Victor and the Soft one, was Stephany. They act surprised at my anatomy, perhaps their information on me is limited. Do they know I can think as they do? Feel as they do? It''s a possibility that I need to ponder more on but the frequent spikes of pain and draining of my blood makes it difficult to concentrate. This is where my life ends it seems, this pain will soon be over and I can drift back into the cosmos...


    Victor: "We''ve got enough stimulation from the specimen, all information on Genie''s Sprout has been stored in a preservation chamber. Permission to discard into the concept incinerator or stasis box?"


    Stephany: "... Neither, Yan loves these things and we need a gift for her birthday."


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.Victor: "Whatever you say boss"


    "Minor Passive Skill: Acid Resistance gained... Vulnerability contradicts gained skill, adjusting..."


    I heard that voice again, acid was it? Odd, I could feel the pain lessen in my roots, and the weakness I once felt dulled ever so slightly. I instinctively knew that I could last for months in this acid now thanks to that skill but that did nothing to save me from the anguish the melting bestowed.


    I remained in constant agony for a long time, the monotone devil had prolonged my purgatory. I had little concept of time but the bits and pieces I could gather from their idle chatter meant it was over a week before I was freed of my pain. It wasn''t long after I gained the skill that the pain made the voices near impossible to decipher and it had taken a while for me to notice when I had been pulled from the acid into artificial soil. My roots dug into the fresh dirt, although I felt myself becoming healthier by the second; it was extremely uncomfortable compared to my previous soil bed. It took longer, but I could move my roots once again and two voices pierced into my thoughts.


    "Minor passive skill: Tremorsense has been gained"


    Suddenly, I had vision. It was jarring and subdued, no color was visible only detailed recreations of objects and other matter. This allowed me to sense others of my species all within the same ground. I tried to look up to see the state of the others, to see if we shared the same painful process that led us here but I couldn''t, it was as if my eyes were glued to the ground.


    Yan: "Hello! I hope the acid didn''t fry your hearing too much. I''m Yan and I''ll be your caretaker from now on. I''m sure you must be very confused, as we all were. The discovery of the genie sprout was very harrowing for many on-site, a plant that could manifest desire all for a bit of blood. We''ve studied your kind for a while now and yet still chalk your proficiency at gaining skills to magic, it''s not a common trait to gain passive abilities at the rate you all do but all the useful information has been gleamed from other sources so now you''ll be my little set pieces on display!"


    I''m not sure what happened but I felt agitated at her remark it didn''t feel like my own feelings but the feelings of the others on the ground with me. I could hear a violent race of shaking and rattling with lingering futility mixed within the mess.


    Yan: "Calm down, you all know you signed up for this. It shook the scientific community to its very core and became a gateway to the many supernatural wonders that littered this earth. You were the stepping stone that humanity needed to continue to thrive in the darkness. As for our new subject... I sense desynchronization with the hive. Your memory must be flawed so allow me to refresh you so you can follow the herd without flaw."


    I felt other roots coil in the ground coil around mine, tightening their grip painfully. My hearing was beginning to deteriorate against the pain just enough for me not to hear the next words she said but then, I felt a brief shock as the roots lessen their grip.


    Yan: "Cute, another futile attempt at trying to hide the truth. I suppose I could let you live in ignorance if your fellows want you to avoid it so much, assuming you continue to synchronize with the hive that is..."


    After that, I felt the grip on my roots loosen until it only touched the tip of each and then, my mind became not my own. It progressed through the various roots connecting themselves in the soil and merged into one, all thinking of the one desire to escape.

 Chapter 2: One Mind

    I could hear Yan leave the room as I felt our minds connect with each other then split.


    "Moderate passive skill: Disordered Posy has been gained... Other passive skills have been altered due to swarm intelligence... Adjusting"


    There it was, the monotone voice striking our collective consciousness. Disordered Posy was certainly correct. We may seem to have one mind but I''ve never felt so separated before. A phantom pain unlike any I''ve experienced coursed through for the brief moments my mind merged with the others and yet, here I am still feeling and thinking as if I am alone. The only thing I would say of significance has changed would be the cacophony of voices now shouting over my thoughts.


    "Minor Skill Transference: Translation -> Mind of The Masses"


    Samwise: "Damnit, why does that always gotta sting!?"


    Untou: "Mommy! Mommy it hurts! Please help me!"


    Dongung: "I hear you sweetie! mama''s here!"


    Tyler: "How unfortunate for you to end up like this newbie"


    It was certainly strange, more unforeseen events that I am begged to question. I could understand their names and differentiate their tones even though they never told me such. Their various stories of tragedy ladened within justifications and reasons that I thought would be beyond my understanding but I know them clearly. Whatever was being said outside of these cluster of thoughts I could no longer decipher, I was simply drifting along the wild memories of the bunch.


    I thought the four who were active were the only ones with me but no, there were many others apart of our conscious. They seem inert, their stories appear vague as their unconscious attempts to piece it together for me to see as such, I didn''t bother looking into the nameless ones. Samwise was a man who led a life of petty crime, one significant day he would steal from an elderly women a magical object and sell it off to a corporation at a high price, he soon fell in love and gave slant glances to his past until it caught up to him and cloaked figures ambushed him in an alley spraying fire from their fingertips incinerating him. Untou and Dongung were victims of unfortunate circumstances, their family was drafted for experimental testing of a magical object, during this test they would both be obliterated from existence with no-one to remember them, they were victims of the concept incinerator. Tyler was an odd one by all accounts, he was a construction worker but that seemed to just be a front for his life as a Nightfall Arbiter. An arbiter was a title for special individuals unmatched in their field and Nightfall was the name of a business who secretly took assassination requests as such Tyler lived a life cleaning blood with blood. His fall was even more perplexing, he was summoned to a business meeting with a feminine figure in a lab coat and he simply died on the spot.


    I wasn''t sure what to make of any of these stories, the only voices I felt sympathy for were Untou and Dongung. I find it hard to wrap my head around the existence of something that can erase concepts, even then it must not have worked properly if they''re here right? Brushing that aside, Samwise was simply a man driven by greed and met his end accordingly, even if his murderers were rather mysterious in themselves. I felt nothing towards him, he led a life of crime and that was his consequence but Tyler was a different story. As in, I barely understood what led him here, it was as if he dropped dead as soon as he entered the room and someone of his expertise wouldn''t have been so easily killed would he? Most of all, with all of these memories I could feel as though something was missing and when I tried to search for it, it''s be like a fog encompasses their memories before I could find the answer rendering it blurry and unreachable.


    Tyler: "Now that you''re done snooping around our pasts, are you gonna introduce yourself or are you going to continue your lingering silence newbie?"


    Tyler spoke but I couldn''t come up with a response. I hadn''t been human like the others here, in fact, the more I think about it, the stranger I find it that I can think at all. The common information I''ve gathered from the unconscious is that plants of my kind cannot think or feel as I do which begs me to question what makes me so special among the others.


    Tyler: "It''s odd, our minds should be connected by now so I should''ve heard whatever you''re thinking as you are now with me. But I can''t"


    Samwise: "Wait a fucking minute, yea you''re right! Think this fresh meat had any psychic implants before he got turned?"


    Tyler: "I doubt it, implants are removed during the adaptive process. Furthering that, psychic implants are rare to anyone outside of Arbiters and nobility and we share the feeling that this one was of neither status."


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Samwise: "Adaptive Process? What in the hell are you on about? And if that''s not the case, then what''s the deal with this guy hm? Was it even human?!"


    Their questioning thoughts had left me in deep thought, what was I? Was my previous sentiment false and I was, too, human like them? I clearly remember my birth, my days as a bud in the ground waiting to sprout. These should be confirmation of my existence but all these new reality bending concepts introduced to me in such a short time leave me frustratingly ignorant of the truth. These feelings coalescing inside of me, anger, resentment, guilt, were none of my own and yet they embolden my desire to escape. To learn the truth of what I am, what I could be, I could no longer idle away leaving my questions unanswered until those answers were forced upon me. I must put my thoughts into action and just like those speaking, pursue my own whims.


    "Minor Passive Skill: Self Realization has been gained. Mind of The Masses contradicts with this skill.... adjusting."


    "Skill Ascension: Self Realization is attempting to ascend into Moderate.... Ascension Failed"


    Samwise: "Is this guy even listening to us?! Hey fuckwit! HEY!!"


    My mind felt clearer than it did before, the voices with me now no longer able to override my own. Yet I could still feel a lingering doubt within me, perhaps gained by the stories I''ve witnessed. I''m not sure if I will succeed or if I would be able to accept what lies ahead but I need to go forward. This is the path I now traverse, there is no going back after what I have realized.


    Their voices fizzled as I attempted to assert my will against them all. In order to realize my desire, I must take complete control.


    Tyler: "Trying to control us are you? That won''t be as easy as you expect"


    Samwise: "Oh you''re one of those? How about we teach ya why there''s so many silent ones in here"


    My mind reached into theirs but I felt my progress come to an unexpected halt. There was a nagging at my core as if someone was poking at it with a sharp needle only barely piercing the exterior. I felt my mind become more loose from me than before and knew if this continued, I would lose myself. I did not come to this realization to lose this easily, I pushed back against the voices that halted my progress feeling the nagging lessen as I do. This is my mind, my desire, I won''t let anyone take it over. Their grip on my psyche weakens more as I push, my own blood leaking from the effort as I desperately wish to gain control. I make the final push as a sudden wave of power erupts from my core, silencing Samwise and Tyler like the others. I mustn''t waste time, The rush of power leaves me as the blood that fueled it leaves my body and I point my mind towards Dongung and Untou.


    Dongung: "W-wait! We won''t fight you! We''ll... We''ll let you have control!"


    Untou: "They were kind of mean anyway, they killed people!"


    I sense desperation in Dongung''s voice, if silencing them wasn''t necessary then why expend the effort? My mind pierced theirs and I assumed control.


    "Minor Passive Skill: Control the Posy has been gained."


    "Minor Active Skill: Earth control has been gained."


    "Skill Ascension: Tremorsense is attempting to ascend to Moderate.... Ascension completed"


    I felt the scenery open up to me, now I see not just what is bound to the earth but the glass cage surrounding it and the table beneath my prison yet this artificial soil hampers my senses. My roots move with more efficiency allowing more diverse movements than before allowing me to grab the soil and a sudden understanding overcomes me as I conjure an upward slope out of the display using the soil around me. The soil was difficult to control due to its nature but the mound soon rose into a slope after a bit of concentration. I use the slope to ascend out of the display and drop onto a hard surface, I dug my roots into the natural ground and my senses were unleashed, I could feel heavy vibrations through the walls as my captors moved their heavy steps.


    Untou: "Whoa, mama do you feel that?"


    Dongung: "We''re outside the box..."


    I could hear their rising astonishment at being outside the display but my mind was focused on the vibrations I felt approaching our location. The vibrations were familiar, as though I had felt them before. All this sudden gaining of knowledge never known to me before must be the doing of these skills I realize and my body prepared itself for what was to come as the vibrations came ever closer.


    It was Yan.

 Chapter 2.5: Birthday

    I walk out of my office after giving an inspirational speech to the newest sprout in the posy. As usual, they remain agitated at my presence and notably violent as of recent. But that is for future me to be concerned about, today is a special day for me, my heart races with anticipation at what Stephany has planned for me. She was a prick in all honesty but she had perfect figure for such a young lady, now is the day of when she''ll tell me her secret so that I may prolong my own youth. I step through the small steel hallway connecting to my office as a rotten stench catches me by surprise, I track the scent to the surface behind the walls and cover my nose. I swear I told them to not let that smell escape, I''ll make a mental note to ask the fortification manager about it when I see him.


    I make my way through several intersections taking chance glances at the various activities my co-workers preform around the facility. I continue my stride only slowing down a few paces when the sight of a member from the extraction team catches my eye. They spoke with Jacob, the head of the Magical Research Department and a close friend about something in their usual coded language. It was a rare sight to see an extraction member out in the open, their usual duties keep them so busy it''s a special treat to see one talking so freely. They must''ve noticed me staring at them as the extraction member approached me with an unnatural swiftness with the magical research head lagging behind a few steps.


    Extraction personnel: "Miss Briarheart, I would like to ask you a few questions"


    Jacob: "You really don''t need to-"


    The extraction personnel silences Jacob with a wave of his hand, puddle green pulses emitting from his fingertips making Jacob bleary eyed and limping. I was startled to say the least, extraction teams are known for the silent cooperative nature when they are deployed and their imposing figure radiated a submissive aura. Whatever they were was hidden in a full suit of discolored armor wearing a serpent-like helmet with several thin tubes attached from their backside to their shoulder blades, a constantly flowing slime green liquid flows within those pipes briefly sparkling into a crimson red shade before the dominant green assimilates the emerging crimson. Toping off their battle ready appearance are the claws they are the weapons they wield at their waists, unlike normal guards who use a standard issue firearm or the feral beasts that live outside this city that use magic, they arm themselves with twin pairs of curved sickles each adorned with their own thin empty tubes connecting to the backside of their wielder.


    All of this made my response come out with a weakness I had not intended, only allowing a short one-word studder to slip through.


    Yan: "S-sure"


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    Extraction personnel: "We''ve heard you had a history of gardening, meeting with several influential figures in your endeavors and making a name for yourself in due process. Is that correct?"


    Yan: "Y-yes"


    Extraction Personnel: "We''ve also heard that you have a particular fondness with plants holding supernatural ability. Is that correct?"


    Yan: "T-that is correct" She says with more confidence then before, the frequent mention of her hobby returning her vigor.


    Extraction Personnel: "This fondness would not extend to monsters categorized under plants or any sub-category of plant as well would it?"


    Yan: "Of course not!" Her tone rises instinctively as she gives an abashed response.


    The extraction personnel gives a short nod at me and his arm motions towards the direction of my office.


    Extraction Personnel: "Everything matches with the report, miss Briarheart, the council has reason to suspect you of harboring a monster within an unauthorized area of the facility. It is within my duty to search your office, belongings, and the stasis chambers you reside over until you are cleared of suspicion."


    That came as more than a shock to me, I always kept my collection a well hidden secret from any other department. It is improbable that after all the precautions and late hours I spent that something would leak. I tried to think back at what could have gone wrong and my thoughts were traced back to my last birthday party where I told Victor about the Genie Sprout''s. It must''ve been him, my face flushed with anger at his betrayal but after noticing the extraction member start his pace towards my office, my anger quickly turned to panic.


    Yan: "It''s preposterous to think that I would hang on to such lowly specimen in my office with no authorization no less." Despite my excuse, the extraction personnel kept his march and I ran in front of him blocking his path. "Do you take me for some grunt? I am nearly an arbiter in Grove Studies and Practical Application and I frankly find it disrespectful that you would suggest that I would sacrifice my career for such a pitiable reason!"


    Extraction Personnel: "Any role or authority have no weight against the decree of the council, impeding any more will count as a resist against council decree and you will be detained for the obstruction of justice."


    The personnel pushed me aside with heavy steps and continued walking towards my office and I dared not stop him again only allowing my dread to grow with each intersection we crossed. Any feeble resistance I put up, any half-baked excuse I conjured would all be met with the stern gaze behind the thin vizor of his helmet and an eerie silence. I braced myself as we approached my office door, the acrid smell permeating from the walls only amplifying the anxiety welling up inside me as the personnel twisted the knob and stepped inside.

 Chapter 3: Extraction

    Dongung: "A-are we going to fight her?"


    Untou: "We can take em ma! Knock em out!"


    I could feel the door of the office open and the heavy footsteps enter the room. It was faint but I could sense someone else was in the room with her, my limited senses hampering my ability to judge the threat I decide to try something new. One of my roots move within the earth and leap from the ground stabbing into my stem, blood leaks into my core as I wish for my senses to improve.


    "Minor passive skill: Echolocation has been gained.... Method of skill obtainment unrecognized..."


    "Minor passive skill: Translation has reemerged.... Method of skill obtainment unrecognized.... Translation contradicts with Mind of the Masses."


    "Minor Skill Assimilation: The positive effects of Mind of The Masses have been combined into Translation"


    "Skill ascension: Translation is attempting to ascend to moderate.... Ascension completed"


    That monotone voice spoke and after that, I could hear again, not only that but I could understand the subtleties within their speech. The skill assimilation was especially vexing, the information flooded into me tells me that it allows me to communicate with the others in the Posy but I wondered if that is what allowed me to hear them as well. With Echolocation combined with tremorsense, I could sense the environment with much more clarity. It was a large office space with two tables beside and one desk behind me, while the material was still unknown to me I was able to see the various potted plants that were scattered across the tables likely filled with the same artificial soil that once caused me discomfort. Other assorted objects were placed among the plants of which their purpose I had no knowledge of though Dongung guesses that they are lab equipment and I couldn''t come up with a better answer. On the desk was a large casing taking up most of its surface, I recognized it immediately as the display she contained us within and it gave me no pleasure seeing the state of which she left it. I could sense other miscellaneous objects throughout the room with Dongung and Untou helping me clarify what kind it was, pictures, trophies, fertilizer, a vent, and other such things that would have been below my notice had it not been for my realization.


    My leisure sight seeing was cut short when I heard the figure standing with Yan speak. His tone was cold and calculated as if he was talking with someone which I assumed to be Yan but my instincts are telling me that may not be the case, my senses could detect that he wore some type of armor being clearly more deadly than the scientist next to him.


    Extraction Personnel: "Genie Sprout, fully bloomed.... Office has been turned into an optimal living space for the plant, soil carefully constructed to provide proper nutrients while subduing its supernatural abilities..... Growth looks to have spiraled out of control and has escaped containment, reclassifying to Genie Swarm..... Yes, she is guilty. Permission to detain?" I could feel the personnel turn to Yan once he was finished. "A monster extraction team has been alerted, you are under arrest for the unlawful harboring of a monster, all your titles and previous achievements are on their way to being oblivionized in the Concept Incinerator, anything you say in your defense will be stored in a stasis chamber before the council hearing."


    Yan: "This.... This is impossible!! I-i can''t lose everything I worked for over something like this!"


    I could hear the abrasive worry in Yan''s voice, more importantly, I caught a feeling of guilt from Dongung. Apparently she sympathized with Yan''s punishment as she was also a victim of being oblivionized. In contrast, I felt little sympathy for her, she openly mocked our existence when I first arrived after all was my justification.


    Dongung: "We... we need to find their storage room or at least where they keep their stasis chambers"


    I wondered what a stasis chamber did for us to not prioritize escaping above it. I had little time to ponder on that thought however as I sensed the extraction member pull out a cube and tossed it at us. I moved my roots and body to avoid the cube my instincts alerting me to the danger it held but the cube was quite fast and I had to use earth control to soften the ground for swifter movement which took a considerable amount of concentration. My instincts were soon proven correct when the cube collided with the desk behind me and I could no longer sense the desk, only the cube as it hit the floor.


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    Extraction Personnel: "Genie Swarm avoided containment, notably mobile for its size. Detecting Minor spellcasting ability, permission to activate dispel sequence... Earth manipulation sir.... Engaging"


    I knew whatever dispel sequence meant, it certainly wasn''t anything good. Stretching my roots through the earth, I made my way to the vent but before I could rip off the steel gate a melting pain coursed through me. The pain dulled slightly as I realized what hit me, acid, and that wasn''t the only instance. Several times all over my brambles, roots, and petals I felt acid coat my body in quick succession. I needed to escape so using the strength of my remaining roots I ripped the gate off the vent and quickly went inside. I sensed another volley of acid streaming my way so I tried to form the earth under me into a wall but I felt my core weaken during it. Whatever that acid did to me, it prevented my magic from coming into affect. The acid slammed against my stem nearly melting into my core, I would''ve been dead if it weren''t for the acid resistance.


    Extraction Personnel: "Genie Swarm has escaped into the facility, lock down all nearby departments and alert all trained personnel to search the ventilation"


    I heard faintly the personnel speak as I moved further and further away from the office my hearing deteriorating as I traverse the vent. I could feel the unconscious of the silenced minds scream at the pain and I along with them. It hurt but it wasn''t a pain I was unfamiliar with but that didn''t make the pain any more tolerable.


    Dongung: "We... we made it!"


    Untou: "It hurts... So much"


    Dongung: "It''s ok sweetie, it''s ok! You''ll be safe so long as mama''s here! Just bare it for a little longer!"


    Hearing Dongung comfort her child distracted me from the pain a bit but I needed to continue. This moment of peace would not last so long as we remain in this place and so I continued onward. The vents themselves were a little strange, they had a steel floor but dirt as their walls and ceiling. I''m not going to complain as the soil allows me to move with ease but the memories I''ve been given tell me that vents aren''t usually like this so there must be a secondary purpose.


    Dongung: "Ok, let''s find those stasis chambers"


    A thought returns to me, why? Shouldn''t finding the exit be our top priority. I wanted to read her thoughts but I had to keep my mind focused on moving so I simply conveyed these thoughts to Dongung curious to her intention.


    Dongung: "Oh you don''t know do you? Stasis chambers protect against the effect of the concept incinerator. You put something in there and they won''t be oblivionized like everything else."


    Her answer allowed me to form the assumption that her belongings were in a stasis chamber in this facility. However, this prompted another question, how do concept incinerators work I asked.


    Dongung: "I... I don''t know. I just know anything incinerated by it makes it seem like that thing never existed to the world around it. Specifics are beyond me"


    That was mostly unhelpful but I get the gist of her intention now. She wants to bring her belongings with her when we escape, her desire for such materialistic possessions at risk of her own life I couldn''t understand but I have grown a fondness for these two at this point. Despite my fondness however, I must put my whims above theirs for I am the one in control. If I find the stasis chambers on my way out though... then so be it.

 Chapter 4: Trapped

    I continued to probe Dongung''s knowledge of technology and the state of the outside world along the way. The vent was quite long and I had noticed that most of the intersections connecting to other ventilation paths were blocked by the sudden forming of walls from the ceiling soil. They became thick and extremely durable as soon as they were formed leaving me very little time to react when they would appear and it doesn''t help that I can''t use my magic to move them out the way. The secondary purpose of this strange vent I suspected was exactly this, to funnel me into a predetermined location. I''ll wilt without sunlight and whatever acid they used has weakened me in several significant ways that I cannot tamper with the makeshift walls. All of that combined meant this was a pretty unfavorable situation but it also means I had plenty of time to talk to Dongung and Untou while following the narrow path.


    Surprisingly, the outside world was in a pretty unfavorable state as well. Both Untou and Dongung shared stories that were quite unbelievable and I had to hold myself back from removing my focus from walking to dive into the unconscious memories of the silenced to confirm their observations and anecdotes. Apparently, one day the moon grew a face of human skin and promised to rip humanity away from their empty shells and ascend them to their truest form. From then on, the moon would introduce all sorts of supernatural phenomenon such as monsters and magic which quickly ravaged the world with their sudden introduction into the landscape. The first generation of monsters were so powerful and cunning that they conquered the majority of the world leaving very few cities, including the one this facility is operating in, as the last sanctuaries for humanity. Honestly, it was an interesting tale but the more I think about it, the more I find that I''m not too concerned with it. I''m not human and I will find out the validity of this when we see the outside world ourselves.


    The conversation on technology proved to be moot in comparison. The only experience they had with any new apparatus were purely skeptical outside of the incinerator and therefore wasn''t worth much. I wanted to know more about how magic worked but we arrived at a dead end before I could come up with what to ask. There was a steel gate at the floor of the vent and I stopped just before it after noticing it seemed rather loose contrasting the others that were bolted down.


    Untou: "OH, they want us to get on top of it and fall in"


    Dongung: "Well we''re not idiots so what do we do?"


    Dongung is right, I''m not sure how humans determine intelligence but I know I am smarter than this. Looking through the gate, I saw some sort of machine with a vat of acid in the center pointing up at the ventilation we resided. A tube connected to the vat pumped it full of the liquid and I took a few minutes to think about how to approach this. I could draw blood from myself and wish for a way to escape... wait no! I already wasted my full supply improving my senses and driving out Samwise and that assassin. Any more would be suicide.... I have no ideas and as such, I look for a second and third opinion.


    Untou: "We could... Go down, beat them up, and steal their blood?... Wait how do we get down?"


    Dongung: "There isn''t anywhere we can latch ourselves onto down there since it''s all metal walls, ceilings, and floor tiles...."


    Untou: "Oh! What if we pull the dirt from here and drag it down with us like a slide!"


    Dongung: "His magic doesn''t work right now pumpkin so that wouldn''t work. What if we.... Politely introduce ourselves? Show them we''re not hostile?"


    Untou: "They''re bad people mama! They''ll try to snatch us if we let them!"


    Dongung: "Right, right"


    Hearing them go back and forth with each other, I am here silently contemplating myself on our next course of action. It''s likely that there are guards and other personnel stationed down there. This whole thing seems like a set up for a trap and I don''t have many cards to play to counter it. Perhaps I really should try to make a wish....


    Untou: "Oh wait I got a good one!! What if we use some of the silent pieces of our body! We''ll like, fake our death!"


    I disagree with that plan, if they''ll know immediately that it''s a fake when they don''t see the main core I said.


    Dongung: "What''s the difference between a normal and main core?"


    That question made me rather irritable, it seemed obvious to me due to the knowledge granted by the monotone voice. The main core is bigger and more disorganized, it''s not a fully round sphere like it is with Sprouts I said.


    Untou: "What if we like.... smashed a bunch together then?"


    That.... didn''t sound half bad. It was more foolproof than doing nothing I suppose. I went to work pulling out and combining the cores of the sprouts whose subconscious have long since died using a large amount of melted vines and other parts that have faded in use to bind the cores together. I then shifted my weight and put the shrub on top the vent while backing away slightly to keep the rest of my body out of sight. The vent quickly collapsed under the weight and I heard a distinct sizzle as the melted vines burned away, the vat revealed the attached core splitting apart and fading as it was melted completely. Voices I didn''t recognize but Dongung thought were scientists spoke to each other after the process in a congratulatory manner.


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    Deep voiced Scientist: "Well? You doubted me when I informed you that the extraction team wasn''t necessary and here we are." He says with a confident tone.


    Sickly sounding Scientist: "I... This was a fluke! You set me up!" The other man said with disbelief


    Deep voiced Scientist: "The threat was as real as any but your mistake was misjudging the danger of the threat." I could feel his words as he chastised his colleague "Now I will have to speak with multiple arbiters because you decided to waste our already limited funds on calling an elite hit squad at what amounts to an everyday pest."


    Sickly sounding Scientist: "Y-you don''t know what that crazy bat has been doin'' to those things! They could''ve learned how to create clones or some other magical phenomena! You can''t-" Desperation was heard clearly in his voice before he was cut off.


    Deep voiced Scientist: "Your cold must''ve made you delirious, you shouldn''t have come into work today. Here''s an idea, since i''m going to have the displeasure of going through all the paper work you''ve so graciously forced upon me, how about you work overtime and clean up the mess you''ve made in here."


    Sickly sounding Scientist: "You piece of shit, don''t you know I''ve caught a fever?"


    Deep voiced Scientist: "I''ve never heard of a cold preventing you from using a mop and a wastebin. The building closes at 5, which is... an hour from now. Check with security if you get locked in and make sure you record the data collected from melting that swarm else I got nothing to present to the Arbiters and we''ll all be in hot water if that happens."


    After that cold sentence I heard the vat being dumped as several footsteps grow further from the room and then the only sound heard was the disgruntled shuffling of the sickly scientist.


    Dongung: "That worked! Untou you never told me you were a genius!"


    Untou: "Wait but, you always said I was smart though?"


    Dongung: "Ugh... Hey bud thing controlling us, now''s our chance!"


    I waited for the scientist to take away the machine then as he exited the room, I dropped in. It took an hour for him to finish his duties which means that luckily, the facility was closed. Unluckily he''s still in the building so I''ll still need to be careful, this turn of events does give me more confidence however. Locating the door at the end of the room, I moved myself towards it. Noticing that it was locked, I searched around the room for a place to progress but then Dongung pointed something out to me.


    Dongung: "Hey... I think that''s a stasis box on that table over there!"


    I traversed onto the side table near the edge of the room and felt around. My roots came over a particularly large box around 4 feet in height to be exact, almost matching my size. I opened it and began feeling the materials within waiting for Dongung or Untou to recognize any equipment that may help us.


    Dongung: "I think I felt a healing circlet! Or a mana one. I heard it increases your magical efficiency when you wear it so it might return your magic! or it''ll just recover some of your injuries! Not sure of which but I say its worth a shot"


    That doesn''t sound promising, what makes you so sure it''s not some kind of cursed item I ask.


    Dongung: "Who would put a cursed item in a stasis box of all things? That''s like putting sawblades into a med kit!"


    How multi-purpose are these boxes I wonder, even if it only comes down to their main function, I wondered what they really did since being unaffected by the Concept Incinerator seems to be just a side effect from the memories I''m reading. Nonetheless, it was worth a try, I absorb the circlet into my body and felt the connection to my core strengthen to its original state though I didn''t feel any healthier. Feels like my magic has returned, though that doesn''t help the situation as much as I hoped, it does fill me with even more confidence than ever though.


    "Minor active skill: Mana Recharge has been gained."


    That''s new, I haven''t really thought about my mana capacity before now since Control Earth hasn''t exhausted me that much. I''m sure that''ll be helpful later, for now however, time to begin my escape in full.

 Chapter 5: Capture

    I rummage through the stasis box a little more only finding objects only meant for human use so they were useless to me. I drop off the table and head towards the closed door, I coil my roots around the knob and with a mighty yank I rip the knob off of the door. The knob was much less stable than the door and as such, the door remains closed to my disappointment. I survey the room for another ventilation shaft but only find the one I came from on the ceiling. Considering there were other paths blocked by earth earlier I could free up those paths with my magic I thought as I wrap my roots around the leg of a chair pushing it under the vent.


    I climb the chair, extend my roots, and attempt to use magic to drag down the earth to reach me. Unfortunately, I found out that I can only manipulate earth that my roots are in contact with. With that unfortunate limitation in mind, I take a daring upward leap from on top of the chair and only barely am I able to re-enter the ventilation. I head to the path blocked by an earth wall nearest to the vent I came from and allow one of my roots to pierce through using magic to push the wall back into the vent ceiling before going forward. As I traverse the vent, I get to asking my two companions about magic of which, their answers were similar to their knowledge of technology which means they were comparatively lackluster.


    Dongung: "Uh... I don''t know. Magic isn''t really that common in full humans, only monsters and demi-humans can learn to use it. Humans need to be born with the ability to tap into it."


    Untou: "Like papa! He was half chipmunk!"


    While that was interesting in its own right and does make me question what happened to their father, that wasn''t very helpful to my current predicament. I need someone with more knowledge on these subjects... Wait a moment, Dongung and Untou were human before, which means they were turned into a genie sprout. How... I took some focus away from moving to read the memories of the two. The procedure as to how they became a flower was blurred but I do notice that they were in a room not unlike the one this facility models itself after, perhaps this facility would have some answers. If I can figure out how they were turned, I can capture a scientist and assimilate them into the Posy. Their mind should have much clearer answers to my technical questions than these two.


    I continue moving retracting my focus from their memories as I spot another exit from the vent below me. I check if it was yet another trap but this steel gate was bolted down unlike the other one so I ripped off the gate and dropped inside. The room was empty thankfully with only furniture around, it was rather small and I could sense a large rectangular opening above a side desk along with several small square boxes. Despite being off put by these objects, I decide to go through the opening and only when I land on the other side do I hear a familiar voice deeper down the hallway I just entered.


    Sickly Scientist: "Damnit what am I supposed to say hm!? That the thing tricked us and is still on the loose? Look at these data points! They''re all defective! I knew that thing was tricky! But of course, he wouldn''t listen even if I put a microphone to his ear!"


    Another voice spoke up, it was gruff yet only slightly unfamiliar to me but it sounded similar to the armored personnel from earlier. Could this also be some sort of security? Why did they sound so similar then?


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    Security personnel: "Listen, I got things to do so here''s what we''re gonna do. I''ll go alert the monster extraction team that the beast is still roaming the facility. You go get yourself to a safe place and...."


    I heard him suddenly stop, I wasn''t sure what happened but the next thing I knew, I felt the vibrations of the security personnel rush towards me.


    Dongung: "He spotted us!"


    Well it''s not like we were hiding, I bend my roots as I spring forward towards the security. I hear a loud bang and fell something small pierce through my interconnected roots causing me grain pain but not stopping my momentum as I land on his face. My roots cover his head as he flails and I can hear the scientist run away screaming, with a quick gesture I pierce his head with my roots. I take this chance to test a theory and I touch him with my petals, he shudders as the poison enters his body and it acts faster than anticipated as the man soon slumps before falling over unconscious.


    His immune system was surprisingly weak for a security guard I thought. I use my thorns to absorb the blood from his body leaving him a dry husk of flesh and bone as I wish for a way to escape the facility as a whole... Nothing happens and I naturally assume that I need more blood. Before that, I unleash the power of my core and make another wish for enhanced perception.


    Skill Ascension: Echolocation is attempting to ascend to Moderate.... Ascension complete.... Skill Ascension method unrecognized.


    That again... Method unrecognized... More than before, it sounds like a bad omen. In any case, that only took half of my supply, though I had human eyes, I could recognize my surroundings in more detail and differentiate sounds with more clarity. I could now recognize the face of the husk and his individual movements or, lack of in this case. The hallway I was in was much larger yet rather empty with there only being what Dongung recognized as a vending machine and some artificial potted plants scattered about. While in my thoughts, I heard a deafening cackle and I felt something scorching hot fly over my body. Focusing my attention towards the origin of the sound, I sense an armored man not too dissimilar to the acid spewing one from earlier. Finer details tell me that this one and the one I met in Yan''s office wore different helmets, this one was shaped like a bird while the other was more serpentine.


    Untou: "I think that''s the monster extraction team.... Mama this is bad"


    Dongung: "You don''t say... Why are you just standing here? RUN!"


    I turn and quickly make way from the armored man but his speed was incredible. He caught up with us within seconds and I felt his large hand pick me up by my core. I felt myself go limp as his grip tightens around it and I could hear him speak to someone even though there was no-one else around us.


    Monster Extraction Personnel: "Genie Swarm captured, core has mutated meeting initial expectations. I will bring the monster to the extraction point. Prepare a skill examination, I suspect it has gained an overflow of skills since its escape."


    I feel myself weaken further as he speaks and soon I feel myself being carried away as my senses fade, no longer able to think clearly.

 Chapter 6: Sacrifice

    My consciousness went in and out as time dragged on, only returning to me in the brief moments the man lightened his grip from my core. In those brief moments, I could sense myself moving through the facility into areas I had never known. My consciousness returned as I felt myself drop into a container, the lid closing over me as I landed. I tried to use my roots to break myself free but my strength left me as soon as I touched the walls of my new prison as if contact with the material weakened my core. I only heard a frail yet cold voice echo from inside the box.


    "Examination proceeding in 3.... 2... 1..."


    An odd feeling crossed me, I felt particularly vulnerable as something harmless passed through my petals, then stem, then roots. The feeling briefly intensified as it brushed past my core but the feeling left as soon as it came. My instincts told me it was a bad omen and I was hesitantly curious to know what they were examining in me.


    Untou: "Mama, are we gonna die?"


    Dongung: "No no no sweetie, I... don''t know what they''re going to do to us but just know that I''m always here with you!"


    I had a striking suspicion that we were going to perish if we stayed like this. If not death then they''d definitely try to research my skills which I am only able to speculate the harsh experimentation they would do from reading Untou''s mind. I attempt to dig through the vast collection of memories I have in the Posy but the damage collected from our escape had ripped my connection from many of those silenced within not allowing me to come up with any solid plan other than to ask for a wish. I don''t have enough blood in my extra supply to wish for escape, I know that much and I am still not willing to sacrifice my core''s blood for such a simple wish but maybe I could get another skill to help me out here. I feel energy welling up in my core bursting forth as I use my last half of extra blood to wish.


    "Minor active skill: ??? has been gained. Title and benefits of obtained skill has been redacted due to Admin interference. Reason: Unknown Skill Obtainment Method. Admin conference recognized..... transporting."


    The next moment I knew, I was gone from the box. It was like the environment around me simply fizzled into nothingness leaving only a void of black and rede to keep me company.... Wait a moment, Red? That''s when I realized that, I could see color and... myself. I could see myself as though I were floating mere feet above. I could see my large clumped body, the blood red petals and thorny dim green vines that lined it. I could see the round fleshy sack tangled by vines next to my core that held my extra store of blood, and the many wilted flowers scattered at my backside. It was very odd, more notably strange however, was the figure in front of me. I could see him in full clarity, his form fully visible to me.


    In front of me was a tall upright figure wearing a black top hat and a tattered leather brown cape. His skin was pale and so thin that you could see the bone tightening around each muscle in a painful display. His hands and feet were a different matter entirely, it seems as though these parts had no bone but still maintained their shape. His hands resembled oversized crab claws and his feet, while decidedly human looking, frequently melted into the void around us; reforming as quickly as it melts in a constant cycle. His face looked like a mask fused into his skull while trying to imitate a human. His face had three holes, two of them were small and sharp simulating eyes while the last was long and curved simulating a mouth. Each hole were pitch black and only glowed a faint purple when it spoke.


    When it spoke, I couldn''t understand a single thing it said. It spoke like it was sinking at the bottom of the ocean and my mind simply couldn''t comprehend what it said. Untou and Dongung on the other hand...


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    Untou: "Mama, I realllllly don''t think we should trust this guy. He just... Looks like a demon."


    Dongung: "He does seem extremely... unhinged. But if he''ll give us a way out then we gotta try!"


    Untou: "I don''t know ma, I''ve read a lot of stories like this and it never ends well for the victims"


    Dongung: "Well, this isn''t a story. This is reality! Things are different!"


    Untou: "...I hate it when you''re like this"


    It seems they can understand this creature. I find it odd that as the main host controlling this body, I cannot hear what they are hearing. I decide to scout their minds for information but that didn''t achieve much, the memory of them interacting with the creature was similarly unintelligible to me. After that fruitless escapade, I decide to ask them directly what it was saying.


    Untou: "Well, it said a lot. It called us weird, told us something about ''unveiling our true forms as humans'', and ''separating us from the beast tying us down'' Basically just a bunch of demon shit."


    Dongung: "Language sweetie. Also, it told us that I''ll give us a way to escape if one of us relinquish our body to the truth. If it will free us then I gotta give it a go!"


    Untou: "I don''t want to lose you ma, just please, don''t do this. We can find another way like we''ve done many times before."


    It is likely that we will be eradicated or at least brutally experimented with if we continue on like this. My previous plan to escape failed thanks to this ''Admin'' and I am out of extra blood to try a new strategy. Did this ''Admin'' plan this from the very start? No that''s too much speculation on my end, even if I were to go with that hypothesis then the I would only guess that it was only when I first wished for a skill that I caught its attention. That would only make sense I would think, there''s so much up in the air it''s almost annoying. Nevertheless, allowing Dongung to learn the truth may be the best option we have if we want to avoid more torment, which I tell them.


    Dongung: "I know, sweetie, Untou, when mama''s gone just remember everything I taught you ok? Remain calm, accept failure, do not let your past actions hold you down, and learn from them. Make the world a better place than it was left."


    Untou: "Please, ma, don''t do this. This is so weird! I can''t... I can''t lose you. This is exactly what happened to papa!"


    Dongung: "Papa left on different.. circumstances. Despite that, I want you to live a happy life. I don''t want you to go through all this sadness just because I couldn''t make the right decision!"


    Untou: "But I''m already sad! Don''t leave mama!"


    Hm, interesting. Logically I couldn''t see the downside to this, we are stuck in a rock in a hard place so to speak and we are being offered an ''out''. This creature is the one who put us in such a precarious situation but I also have no cards to play if we return as we are. Whatever revealing the truth of the human form meant sounds beneficial, what detriment is there to learning the truth after all? At face value, this seems like an obvious choice to me but I have a fondness for these two. Allowing one of them leave my side doesn''t sound ideal for the development of my own feelings nor does it sound ideal for Untou''s development. I feel as though I am forced to either kill myself for one last wish or allow Dongung to learn the truth. Unfortunately, I am not giving up my life just yet, I still want to see the outside not just from the memories of others but for myself, my own whims must come above those who I have control over... And yet.


    I am truly conflicted.

 Chapter 7: Forma Veritatis

    I decided that Dongung will learn the truth, it should be primarily beneficial but I also have a condition. My limited perception is quite tiring and since this thing has control over the monotone voice that gives me my skills, I desire... Eyes. I tell this to Dongung and Untou.


    Dongung: "It said it''s fine as long as one of us learns the ''truth of our form''.... Listen, sweetie, whatever you do out there, make sure you''re the best version of you."


    Untou: "Ma, let me learn the truth with you. Everyone is talking about this like you''re gonna die... It''s just getting some info"


    Dongung: "Yes, just some information. But only I should know, you know that don''t you?"


    My intuition tells me that learning the truth isn''t something as simple as that but we need to make a decision and this hurries us along. I want extra insurance however, this ''Admin'' seems like one to trick and beguile with its words. I want my eyes now, or no-one is learning the truth and I will silence their minds so that they would not be able to make their own decisions. I relay this to Dongung and I could feel a tinge of fear cross her as she speaks to the ''Admin''. The next moment, I could feel each flower head in my Posy grew a single eyeball allowing me to see further from all angles and when my many eyes blink, I am back in the box with a feeling that Dongung has left the Posy for I cannot hear her thoughts any longer.


    Untou: "Mama?"


    "Major Passive Skill: Many Eyes has been gained"


    That sounded surprisingly feeble for being a thought, most of their thoughts until now have been decidedly neutral sounding. Nevertheless, I felt rather... Off after I gained this skill. Perhaps because it''s my first Major skill? It feels as though my vision had increased... No that''s too undescriptive, it feels like I could peek beyond the veil of this reality for just a few moments at a time. A chaotic swirl of strange buildings and creatures who''ve, now that I notice them, they notice me. It was very odd, ''odd'' is the best way I could describe this feeling since the switch between seeing this alternate reality was involuntary and distractingly frequent.


    Untou: "What... is going on? Where''s mama?"


    I suppose we will have to search, the question still remains of how we''re getting out of this box. Suddenly, my many eyes saw the walls of the box split from themselves and fall to the floor. There was no warning or indication that it would happen, it simply did, is this the power of that ''Admin''? Nevertheless, we are free and I get to see the room in its fullest. It was a large white room with padded walls and steel plated floors, a long limping machine hanged above me with some sort of dim green light emitting from the tip. Simply looking at the light made me feel vulnerable so I averted my gaze, the room was scattered with dead bodies, some in armor and some in lab coats but besides that, it was rather featureless with only a door and a long glass window pointed horizontally beside it.


    I made haste, making note of the bodies beside me and their strange injuries. My vision flickered briefly to that alternate reality where I can see the dead bodies were turned into long dark figures hanging limply from the ropes bound from their necks to the ceiling. It was a jarring sight and I could feel Untou become nervous, I too became rather unnerved as despite their dead appearance, I could feel the gaze of those hanged creatures upon me. My vision shifted back to the lab and I approached the door with haste, breaking it off its hinges being surprisingly weak compared to the other door I tried, was this also due to that ''Admin''? Possibly, ether way, I went inside and found a sort of observation room. There were computers on top desks and terminals below or beside them, a monitor displaying various stats and numbers that I hadn''t the ability to understand but I knew the subject was about me. It seemed almost as if my mind refused to acknowledge these numbers no matter how hard I tried to read them so I decided to ignore these for now. In front of the desk slumped on their chairs were two other dead bodies, looking back on it, something strange happened to these people. There is no blood or sign of struggle, it''s like they simply died where they sat. I recall back and think it was similar to Tyler''s death. Despite similarities, it was off putting to see the aftermath in front of me.


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    I looked around and decided to go into the ventilation above the computers. I comfortably plant my roots into the ceiling soil and go through the path as I heard voices that sounded like Victor and Stephany echoing through the walls. Through Untou''s messy thoughts, he relayed to me that they seemed to be moving in the same direction as we were. Victor spoke with a serious calm while Stephany sounded nervous.


    Stephany: "Damnit! What in the world is an Apostle doing in this facility!? I thought they were nothing more than a children''s tale!?"


    Victor: "They''ve released all the stage 5 monsters from containment. It won''t be long until they reach the stage 4 containment area."


    Stephany: "Damn already!?"


    Suddenly I heard a loud booming sound along with a crash followed Stephany''s scream. I found a steel gate to see what occurred under me and I looked into the hallway below. I couldn''t see Victor and Stephany from my angle but I could see that the wall was broken down smoke briefly covering the monster that breached the walls. My vision shifted again before the smoke revealed its form, now I simply saw a round sphere with a face made of gray stone, a smiling face carved into its rock as it floated inches from the ground. My vision remained this way for a while, as the sphere-like monster approached whatever forms Stephaney and Victor took in this reality. I saw a bolt of fire flicker through the air and plunge itself into the sphere. Calling it a ''bolt of fire'' would be somewhat incorrect, it was more like a ray of moonlight in this reality. A hole by the ray was visible through the sphere and it''s face frowned as it burst into radiant light disappearing before my eyes.


    I couldn''t understand what was going on anymore, reality was shifting too frequently for me to keep my thoughts coherent. The vent around me in this reality was made of a black and gray rock with shallow holes within the walls and floor. The gate was made of the same material but it was illuminated slightly, the same illumination that came from the ray that killed the sphere. Luckily, my other senses remained the same as I heard Victor and Stephaney once again.


    Victor: "Apostle spawn eliminated"


    Stephany: "Good shot, you didn''t tell me you could use magic!?" Her voice echoed with surprise and relief


    Victor: "I was close to being an Arbiter in elemental magic before I worked for you."


    Stephany: "Alright, I''ll be counting on you then! We need to lock down stage 4 containment before this ''Apostle'' causes any more damage."


    I continue down the vent as they continued forward, my vision flickering back to normalcy as I do. I got to briefly look at their appearances before they rushed past. Stephany had red hair, round glasses, and a moderately slender figure. She also had a handgun held in her hands with a finger near the trigger. She looked rather mobile and quick on her feet while Victor seemed to be the opposite. He had a large frame and a weathered face, his arms were bulky yet moved with an unnatural swiftness. He had an odd stick in his hand which I couldn''t quite look at clearly as he was out my sights before I could look at it any longer. Both wore white lab coats but I could see padded armor fit underneath Victor''s coat. I went forward trying my best to stick in their direction, they seemed to know a lot more about the situation than I did and could possibly lead me to an exit.


    Victor: "Shouldn''t we call the Moonshield department? They would know how to deal with an Apostle."


    Stephany: "Afternoon activities shut down in the station an hour ago, it''ll be a miracle if we still had any still on site. We just gotta do what we can to mitigate damage and get out of here to call the monster extermination team. The extraction team were called earlier for a lesser breach so hopefully they''ll buy us some time."


    I could hear their footsteps move further away from where the vent allowed me to traverse and as such, I was forced to drop through a nearby gate to continue tailing them.

 Chapter 8: Stage 5

    Ever since Dongung separated from us, Untou has remained silent. When I read his thoughts they seem chaotic and troubling, coming to conclusions before questioning himself over them. This must be a result of the impact her absence has on his emotional development. it appears to be affected his logical development as well which is interesting though I feel as though if I don''t address this now, it''ll become a problem in the future. The problem I run into now is how... I can read his feelings almost perfectly due to reading his inner thoughts but my response must be carefully constructed to not cause further chaos within his mind. Ultimately, I shake myself away from this minor issue, even if he does become uncooperative in the future... He cannot do anything while I remain in control.


    I move quietly, trading some swiftness for lessening the sound of my roots brushing against each other as I continue to tailing Victor and Stephany. They seem too focused on escape to notice my presence behind them thankfully as there aren''t many obstacles in our path to obscure myself. They now move silently, with Stephany only sparsely asking Victor to use his magic to scan the area around them for monsters... Uh oh. I am not sure of the distance of the spell. It doesn''t sound like anything pertaining to the elements so I make a quick guess that it isn''t apart of the field Victor is proficient in and quickly back away behind a far off corner before victor can finish the spell. I keep my eyes on him as Victor shakes his head, their voices now too far for me to hear what they''re saying. I tail them from this distance as my vision flickers once more to that alternate reality, they both had long lanky figures with smiling rocky faces now. Before I could analyze their forms beyond that, my vision returns to normal and I shake off the shock. It is still difficult to get used to this skill.


    I continue to follow them as they round a corner and enter an iron door that slides sideways into the wall. I approach it with haste and I am barely able to throw myself through before it closes. On the other side, I see chambers lined up in rows in a long, large fortified hallway. These chambers are rather varied with some being featureless, unopenable boxes with glass to see through to prison cells filled with plants and air breathing sea-life. The creatures that used to be housed inside these chambers have seemingly all broken out, with some still lingering in this hallway and above me reads a large metal sign simply saying "STAGE 5" allowing me to quickly decipher where we are. I hear a loud bang looking over to see Stephany aiming her gun at a large, hulking red demon with a single eye known as an Oni. A bullet was fired into its eye and it turned towards me, uttering "Help... Me" before it went limp on the floor, dead. I couldn''t answer what it said as it merely confused me, was I supposed to be helping these monsters? I didn''t know what the Oni did to provoke the two but that thought was brief as Victor ushered Stephaney to continue, my focus now should be to escape but I still can''t help but ponder as I continued tailing them, absorbing the blood of the Oni to fill my blood supply as I do.


    This hallway looks rather ruined but not overtly so. There are some shallow scratches on the walls and missing chamber bars but otherwise, it looked cleaner than I expected. Our progress was halted when we spotted a growing flame in front of us. A large pile of technical equipment had been gathered into a single spot with several small green humanoids with sharp ears and barbaric features known as Goblins. They seemed to be wielding prison bars that they''ve somehow sharpened into makeshift spears and they dance around the flame chanting in their goblin language. Victor and Stephany hide in a broken down chamber that resembles a sky with a bed of clouds as I simply stand there trying to figure out how to proceed.


    Stephany: "What are they doing?" They both begin speaking in hushed tones that I could still hear due to Echolocation enhancing my hearing.


    Victor: "Common ritual, they''re trying to summon a hobgoblin with all the technology they''ve burned"


    Stephany: "Well we gotta stop them! We can''t let a stage 4 beast roam this facility so freely."


    Victor: "We have no choice, if we try to intervene we''ll only be wasting valuable time and it''s likely we''ll be killed. We aren''t adventurers and none of our fields are combat related."


    Stephany: "I thought you said you were an elemental mage! Summon a wave of water to clear the path!"


    Victor: "I am only specialized in utility and lore research, none of which are directly combat related. Plus neither of us have the body to maintain long form combat."


    Stephany: "Damnit what do we do then!?"


    Victor: "I got something, stay quiet and lets move"


    I could see victor close his eyes as a veil of fire light cloaks them then they disappear from my sight. It''s actually odd, I can still sense them with tremorsense but my eyes can''t detect them. It seems to be an odd trick on ones perception, using themselves to blend in with the light of the fire to slip past. While that is useful, I have no way to follow them without attracting the goblins attention. My extra supply is only halfway full, that Oni seemed to be larger than the security guard but still I only gained up to half when absorbing him. Perhaps the amount isn''t determined by the amount of blood from the target, but always has a preset amount based on how many are absorbed? Nevertheless, I use that amount to give me a skill to get past the goblins.


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    Minor skill ascension: Control earth attempts to ascend to Moderate.... Ascension complete.


    No ''unrecognized method'' this time? Perhaps that admin doesn''t care anymore since I already gave up Dongung. Nevertheless, this is unexpected. How does this help me? I don''t see any earth around other than from a few chambers and I expected a new skill, not an upgrade. I suppose I''ll make use of what I can. My reach with the skill has extended so I used the magic to allow the earth to rise into an elongating clump and float over to me. I could feel it is easier to manipulate the earth but the longer I hold it, the more I feel my mana draining. I activate ''Mana Recharge'' to offset the mana usage but this only slows it down meaning I''ll need to finish this fast. I gather a rather large clump into a ball and attach roots to the earth as I throw it at the goblins. The clump I gathered managed to be larger than the pile so when it collided with the goblins, it also managed to break apart the pile. The goblins screamed and yelled in pain as my dirt ball hit them in them with great force and the ball exploded as it landed sending random bits of dirt everywhere giving me a rather harsh landing as well. Some were knocked unconscious, some killed, but others still remained whether by luck or sheer physical fortitude. Nonetheless, three were still able to fight and they raved angrily as they charged at me with their makeshift spears.


    They came at me like wild animals but were oddly coordinated in their assault. My vision flickered very briefly to the alternate reality confusing me as I could see them leap over themselves and mix up their movements but my many eyes combined with tremorsense and echolocation allowed me to easily keep track of them. They looked like they had gray skin with shallow holes in them, smiling rocky faces replacing their own while wielding dark cylindrical stones with sharp tips. I gather more dirt under my form making a soil bed that I could move magically for swifter movement allowing me to avoid an oncoming thrust from one of the goblins by moving backwards just before it pierced my vines and roots. I continue using Mana Recharge to slow my mana loss as I maneuver around their countless thrusts and I manage to tag all three of them in their thrusting arms with my petals. I don''t have much mana left before the poison takes over their bodies and they collapse unconscious yet twitching as their bodies continue to try to resist the poison. I don''t waste time, I pierce each of the goblins bodies with my thorns quickly filling my extra supply with their bodies. I turn, seeing that in my fight, I lost the location of Stephany and Victor. I didn''t find this to be too much of a problem, I tried to wish for escape but yet again, nothing seemed to happen. I wondered how much blood is truly needed to escape this place if even a full sack cannot grant me the wish.


    I decide to save the blood for future use and continue down the hallway as my vision flickers back to normalcy. Stephany and Victor didn''t go too far as they''ve seemed to have slowed their pace since Victor casted his cloaking spell. This means I quickly sense them and continue tailing them.


    Stephany: "Those flowers are following us, took out those goblins for us too. They do look familiar to the Genie Sprout I gave Yan. Think it''s friendly?"


    Victor: "Don''t get your hopes up, that''s a Genie Swarm. They''re very simple minded but have a lot of skills, we could take it on but it''ll be more of a hassle than its worth."


    Stephany: "Ok... How do we lose it?"


    Victor: "Their sense of direction is mainly bound to the soil they''re in, all we need to do is keep going and we''ll lose it when we find metal flooring."


    Stephany: "Ok but... That thing looks like it has eyes. A lot of eyes....." *She ends with a side glance at my direction*


    Victor: "Illusion from a skill perhaps? Highly developed scare tactic? It''s unlikely that those things are functional. Nevertheless, we gotta stay focused. We need to get out of this place."


    Ah, they''ve noticed me. I guess it''s only natural, that fight did make a lot of noise and I was its main focus. So they do consider me of lower intelligence, I could use that to my advantage. Though I suppose I''ve already been using it to my advantage this entire time. They must still believe I only have Tremorsense at its Minor level which makes me curious on the average Genie Swarm.


    Nonetheless, they still allow me to tail them and as such, I continue to do so as they exit the hallway through a door signed "Department: Fortification"

 Chapter 9: Confrontation

    That Oni encounter really bugged me. It seemed intelligent enough to call for help but why did it call to me? Was it merely because I was a fellow monster? Is it related to this separate reality this world keeps flickering too? Every monster in that reality seems to be made of the same material, gray or white skin with shallow holes, a smiling stone face. Moreover, is it truly my obligation to help my fellow monsters? Is it a human''s obligation to help their fellow humans? I would think not but it still leaves me puzzled. There is something intrinsic within me that pulls me to aid these other monsters but I am not sure what it is. Is it mere instinct? No that can''t be it, it must be more. Why do I feel the feelings I do? Are these feelings genuine or the result of another outside force? I absorb the feelings of others in my posy allowing them to influence my actions and yet I still have my own feelings. No.... I should focus on escape but really, should I? Dongung disappeared without a trace when she ''Learned the truth'' so is it really best for me to learn what lies outside this facility? I don''t want to disappear and yet I want to know more.... I suppose I simply don''t have enough information to come to a solid conclusion. My whim is to get outside, see the moon... I must see the moon. It seems to be connected to everything happening here. Everything in that alternate reality resembles the moon I''ve seen in memories, so I must see it for myself. It must provide me the answers to all my questions. This is not just to learn the truth of what I am, but the truth of the world around me as well. I''m not sure what awaits me and I''m still scared of what will happen when I do learn about this world but it has become more than a necessity now more than ever.


    Skill Ascension: Self Realization is attempting to ascend to Moderate.... Ascension complete.


    Skill Ascension: Self Reaction is attempting to ascend to Major.... Ascension failed.


    My mind has become clearer, more focused. I''m still not sure what Self Realization does for me but I can feel myself coming closer to some sort of climax to my being. A sort of new form upon my soul at the end of it all. Still, I must remain focused. The Fortification department looked rather strange compared to the other department. It looked unfinished, as if someone had been tinkering with every part of the place without stopping or knowing when to stop. There were broken tools, open wires, mass clumps of colored cords plugged into separate wall sockets all intertangled with each other, and other signs of disorder all over the place that I wouldn''t expect from a professional facility. The floor was decidedly metal, couldn''t find any hint of earth other than under the few floorboards that were somehow misplaced, broken, or gone. I could see the magical fire light cloak drop from Stephany and Victor as they speak with each other.


    Stephany: "Hey that thing is still following us, even without us being on any soil"


    Victor: "Yea that''s worrying, think we might have to take it on..."


    Stephany: "Don''t worry, I''ll scare it off"


    I could see Stephany''s form shift as she raised her arms pointing her gun at me. Seeing the damage it did to the Oni first hand, I harshly flinched when she did so coming to a complete halt as I do so.


    Stephany: "Aw, the poor thing got scared. It''s kinda like a puppy if you squint your eyes at it"


    Victor: "Looks like it recognizes the gun, maybe it''s smarter than the rest"


    Stephany: "If it''s following us and hasn''t attacked yet, maybe it''s looking for something?"


    Victor: "Probably just saw something on us that took its interest, either way we can''t really count on it being harmless. Especially with all these other stage 5 monsters running around."


    Stephany: "Hey, maybe it could help us. Remember when it took out those Goblins? It was careful not to get hit and poisoned those goblins in the process. That''s some real high cognitive function."


    Victor: "I wouldn''t call that ''high cognitive function'' seemed just like instinct to me. It''s natural not wanting to sustain damage and we''ve seen other monsters including normal plants that poison their targets with no further forethought."


    It seems they''ve observed more of that battle than I thought. They don''t seem to be mentioning my Earth Control so I can probably assume they didn''t see that. I suppose I should do something to demonstrate my intelligence, otherwise they might shoot me dead like they did that Oni. I search my available memories from others in the Posy and use my remaining mana to manipulate the earth to rise and shift its shape spelling out "I Friand" in crude english. My mana runs out quickly as I hold it up despite me using Mana Recharge to slow it and the earth falls with a light thump. Their faces express one of shock and awe so I suppose I got my message across. I use Mana Recharge to gather up my lost mana and it feels as slow as I thought it would be.


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    Stephany: "Victor look! It''s talking to us!!"


    Victor: "That''s.... Strange. It seems to be able to use elemental magic"


    Stephany: "I think it said it''s a friend!"


    Victor: "Ok let''s calm down for a few moments. None of this makes sense to our pre-established knowledge on Genie Sprouts or Swarms. They can''t be this intelligent." I could see him composing himself as he says this.


    Stephany: "You''re right but maybe it has to do with that Apostle freeing all the monsters? I did hear of a story of an Apostle teaching a dragon how to do fine pottery."


    Victor: "Those are simple tales, it''s strange enough that an Apostle exists at all. Plus draconian monsters are already known to gain intelligence as they age, so there''s already a precedent for them being able to learn to do such tasks." He scratches his head clearly having conflicting thoughts on the situation.


    Stephany: "I for one, trust in these ''simple tales'' and if we can make our escape smoother, the better. If it tries anything, we can always kill it."


    Victor: "Fine, I''m not helping you befriend the thing but I''ll be right behind to assist if it turns hostile." He says backing away a few steps, he sounded rather reluctant saying that.


    I could see Stephany approach me, holstering her gun under her lab coat as she changes her tone of voice to sound softer.


    Stephany: "Yes, friend! We''re friend! Are you friend?"


    A part of me feels this is rather degrading but another part of me does appreciate her new tone. I simulate a human motion of understanding, moving my roots and petals to simulate a nod. I noticed Stephany and Victor seem audibly taken aback by my gesture but Stephany, seemingly noticing that I noticed her reaction, reverts her previous tone of voice.


    Stephany: "Good! Good. Did you take out those goblins for us?"


    I decide to lie a bit and simulate another nod. This''ll go more smoothly if they believe my previous actions were purely to aid them. Again, they seem taken aback by my response. Victor more so than Stephany but they both echoed slight surprise nonetheless as they turned to each other.


    Victor: "This thing is.... Beyond what I expected"


    Stephany: "It seems like it gained intellect equivalent to a dog. Maybe even more due to its apparent ability to write coherently."


    Victor: "That''s likely... What do we do with it though..."


    Now they''re speaking about me as if I''m not right in front of them. They were speaking to me moments earlier so this shift confused me. I brush that aside to analyze what they''re saying. I seem to remind them of their pet animals rather than a human so that''s progress in the right direction. Equally as they are unsure of what to do with me, I am unsure what to do with them. Killing them would be suboptimal approach, while I could get around this place on my own, they know their way around better than I do. The more I think on it, the best it is that I become a known ally to them. If those monster extraction personnel come back, it''s possible that they could beguile their way into not getting me captured again. So using the mana I gained from my recharge, I use the earth again to spell "Me with you" I could only show these words one at a time to get the full message across before my mana ran out again. I continue using Mana Recharge as I wait for them to get the message.


    Stephany: "The little guy wants to come with us! Told you it was friendly"


    Victor: "Ok cut the shit, this seems awfully convenient to find a friendly monster in this place that wants to come with us."


    Stephany: "Well, we have no way of knowing if it has an alternate agenda. It''s helpful to us now and it isn''t tough enough to be a big threat if it does attempt to betray us in the future."


    Victor: "I guess.... Just keep that thing within your sight. Don''t want it slipping away to alert any other monsters" He gives off an incredulous grunt after he says this.


    I see Stephany approach and her hand reaches for my core. I flinch at her touch and she seemingly notices as she instead puts me in the center of their line. Behind Victor but in front of Stephany; I can see the thought process, if I attack either of them in this position than both would have a clear shot of my core and could end my life in a single movement.


    In this formation, we continue together down the dismantled hallway.

 Chapter 10: Fortification

    Traversing through the hallway wasn''t as painful as I previously expected. While there were ceiling tiles threatening to fall on us and open wires waiting to spark into open flames, Stephany and Victor had good enough heads on their shoulders that these hazards weren''t much of an issue. Both complained about a rotten smell within the walls but since I had nothing to detect smells with, I did not know what they were talking about but it sounded unpleasant. I used this brief downtime to recharge my mana and focus more on my eyes. I learned that if I focus on keeping my vision in this reality, I could hold off seeing that other reality for a time. The smell seemingly got more pungent as we got closer to the center hall of the department therefore when we arrived, we found a particularly nasty creature that''s lifting itself above the floor. It looked like a bloated plant with its center mass made of green writhing vines and rotten roots with pulsing yellow flower heads rounding its top like a crown. Its roots were dug through the metal flooring and walls as if pierced by a sharp blade. At the very center of this was a large human skull seemingly infused with the putrid center mass with white glowing dots in its eye sockets that move towards our group.


    Victor looked tense gripping his stick, a wand of some sort, tightly while Stephany looked intrigued steadying her stance.


    Stephany: "That must be the beast of fortification, smells horrible"


    Victor: "Yea, it''s supposed to be docile but the Apostle might be changing it''s behavior. The safe option is to find another way around" I could hear him reconsidering his words as he said them.


    Stephany: "Time is of the essence though. The longer we linger, the more dangerous the facility gets!"


    Victor: "I know! But we don''t know if this thing is acting in the best interest of the department anymore. This is what happens when you put a stage 3 in charge of an entire section of the facility!"


    So this is a stage 3 monster? I wonder how they measure these things. Seems to be based off their general level of danger, it does look rather menacing and it might have its roots spread about the entire department since the smell was detected much further way.... Or it could simply be that pungent.


    Stephany: "Oh! What if we use the Genie Swarm as a decoy? Get the attention of the monster and you do something to speed us ahead."


    Victor: "I... Think I have a spell that''ll do the trick. Yea that might work."


    I look towards them with expectant eyes. I didn''t want to be used as bait for that rotten skull monster but it didn''t seem I had a choice. They looked adamant on their decision and weren''t willing to think of another solution. I was at their mercy after all, it''s only natural I suppose. I wasn''t sure of what I was supposed to do exactly. Do I just leap forward and hope for the best? That seemed too dangerous for me but that seems to be what they''re going to do. If I''m going to be a pawn for their plan, it''d be best to guarantee that I survive at least.


    Victor: "Looks like its ready, on my signal then."


    I feel Stephany usher me forward and it''s now or never. I leap forward towards the skull monster and fall in front of it digging my soil into the earth using Control Earth to soften the soil for whatever attack is coming for me. I see the eyes of its head shift towards me as its center mass rustles and I hear a faint raspy voice within my mind.


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    Skull Monster: "Swarm... Why are you so conflicted?"


    Conflicted? I don''t think I''m conflicted at the moment. Nevermind that, it spoke to me in my mind. It can''t be apart of the posy so how is it doing this? I was so focused on figuring out what it was doing that I barely saw Stephany and Victor run past like a rushing wind, much swifter than I had seen from them previously.


    Skull Monster: "You have yet to understand yourself but you are close..... You work with these humans without knowing our true purpose. Such mindless aid is humorous"


    Hm, it doesn''t seem like this thing understands me as much as it implies. My focus is on escape, not necessarily helping these humans. It is a simple byproduct of increases my chances to get out of here.


    Skull Monster: "Escape? How delightfully simple you are. For someone with the Many Eyes, you are woefully uninformed."


    I could sense a degrading tone within its words and it did make me feel a bit lost. This situation is rather new to me and this monster makes it sound like I serve a purpose greater than I''m aware. It highlighted my Many Eyes so does it have to do with that alternate reality?


    Skull Monster: "Alternate Reality? No no no, that ''reality'' is simply the lie of this world being peeled back to reveal the truth. You''re so close to realizing this, your mind is ready to witness the truth. Perhaps you aren''t as simple as I thought, you''ve already known what you had to do?"


    I have no idea what he''s saying. Could this reality be fake? Is that alternate reality, where the moon seemingly rules all, the truth?


    Skull Monster: "How disappointing. I almost thought that you were working beyond me but it seems you''re still down with us.... The notion of fake and real realities are only for the uninformed to discuss. How unfortunate."


    I could feel the earth under me vibrate and its sharp roots wrap around my core. It was a move so quick that I couldn''t react in time, is this truly the difference of a stage 3 monster? I could barely think as my consciousness began to slip as the roots tightened around my core.


    Skull Monster: "Hm.... I feel another presence within the swarm. Someone more... Awake than you. Someone more... Worthy of the Many Eyes."


    I need to wish for something, anything, to escape the wrath of this thing. I was about to wish when another shot of pain exploded from my core. Its roots had tightened and pierced deeply into it. I was surprised I wasn''t dead until the monster spoke in a more deceive tone.


    Skull Monster: "I will give you an ultimatum. I wish for that other presence within you to join with me. If not, you will die. If you comply, I will let you go as not many are blessed with the Many Eyes."


    What choice do I have? I do not wish to die and Victor and Stephany don''t seem to be coming for my aid. Whoever it wants, just take them and let me go!....... I could hear the monster give a hallow chuckle as it let me go. My various vines and roots relaxing as my core was freed, a lingering pain still felt as the piercing injury continued to affect my senses. I didn''t even give notice to who he took from my Posy as I moved to where Stephany and Victor were.


    I hadn''t noticed that I couldn''t hear Untou''s voice anymore....

 Chapter 10.5: Untou

    The fog of my mind parted into a deep blue sky with sparsely placed clouds. Looking up at it was my infant form marveling at the beauty it exuded. To my junior mind, it was the most perfect work of art I had ever seen. The gentle breeze that made the clouds move, the various light refractions that made up the color... My thoughts were simply enraptured by its continued existence. I couldn''t fathom how such a simple thing contained itself above me.


    Father: "A nice day out isn''t it?"


    Interrupting my thoughts was my father and a smile crossed my face. I looked towards him giggling at his return as he laid his large hand on my stomach. His touch excited me greatly and I couldn''t hold in my laughter as I bellowed it to the wind.


    Father: "Enjoyed that didn''t you? That''s why you''re my favorite you know that?"


    I felt him lift me from the thin sheet and press his face against my cheek. His face was always kind of blurry and I couldn''t make out many fine details about it but ma had always told me that he had a nasty accident with some weird fire. I didn''t feel any burns back then though....


    Untou: "When are we gonna see Aunt? She''s gonna let me have tons of ice cream!"


    Father: "We''re going to see her soon, just stay quiet ok? Can you do that for papa?"


    He spoke calmly and with a certain gentleness that I couldn''t want less of. Even with that, I felt a strange sense of foreboding that I couldn''t quite describe or pinpoint. It was as if he was preparing himself for something that I couldn''t place at the time. I wish I knew what was to come since that was the worst day of my life, the day he disappeared...¡­


    "You don''t wish to feel that pain do you?"


    I felt a hollow voice in my mind penetrate through this blissful recollection. It was sudden and jarring, snapping me away from my happy memories yet it sounded eerily familiar.


    Untou: "Who are you?" I spoke to the sky and to my surprise, it spoke back


    "I am you.. a better you I should say"


    Untou: "That doesn''t explain anything!! Show yourself! Or uh, your memories."


    Whatever it was, it was speaking in my mind. I was accustomed to this since all the time I spent in that bunch of flowers but this felt different. I couldn''t feel any of the others, not that it mattered if I did since I was the only one left. At least that Flower was kinda nice...


    "You speak of that monster so fondly when all it has done is threaten and breach your memories."


    Untou: "Don''t speak as if you know it. It''s rude sure but all it had done was what was best for us to get out of here."


    "Like the sacrifice our mother? She learned the truth but at what cost? Are our ideals, our emotions not important when faced with the truth?"


    I was silent as my thoughts raced. I never believed it was right to give mom to that demon. No, I had always known that it was a stupid decision. Logically, it never made sense! Who would a trust a demon for crying out loud? And look at the result, she''s gone and a bunch of people were killed!


    "Noting our silence, I suppose we''re thinking that its unfair. The cards we were dealt was unbefitting of the weight we had on the outcome. We voiced our concerns, begged for them to reconsider but it all fell of deaf ears."


    They wouldn''t listen to anything I said. Just like always, when something important happens she just ignores all my words. It''s like I''m talking to a brick wall.


    Untou: "Yea it is unfair! I had no choice in any of what happened, if I had a choice then I would''ve found a better option! Just like I always... Have"


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    It took some time to utter that last word as I considered what options I thought could save us. Fine manipulation of the earth, wishing for more powerful bodies for each of us so we can go our separate ways... But I could always see the flaws in these plans. They had to be a reason that I''m turned down so often, maybe if my plans were better, more presented! I could''ve.... I could''ve showed them why it was the best course of action!


    "We think its wasting its power don''t we? Many many times when we discovered the wish granting capabilities of the Genie Sprout, it was like a new spark had lit in our eyes. The wonders of magic that had been tainted by our past had come back to us. All for a bit of blood, you can manifest your desire. Of course it was dulled a bit when we realized that Briarheart had limited our blood supply for her own gain then Samwise and Tyler came in the picture, throwing their weight around causing us to shy away from the moonlight with our mother."


    A newfound confidence came as I remembered those brief moments of astonishment played out like a film in my mind. The looming shadow that developed was stripped away by that Flower and he thrusted me into adventure. We were chased by bad guys, outsmarted our captors, gained new powers. It was all so thrilling and despite the pain, despite whatever hardship we came across, I would often jump at the chance to help when I could.


    Untou: "Then the Flower came! It threw out those two and broke us out!"


    "Yes, it forced out those who recklessly threw around their authority but only to put us under new leadership. It still forced his control upon us. It still viewed our values as lesser than his."


    Untou: "But if I were to choose from those guys and the flower, I''d choose the flower! It treated us way better and didn''t threaten to silence us that often"


    "Indeed but that is an active denial of the truth and we know that. Is being under active threat of death really excusable if its in lesser quantities than before? The threat itself is still very real and judging by its actions with our mother, we know that we''re nothing more than expendable tools to use for its own survival."


    My tone grew confident as I heard this. Does he really believe that it would get rid of me so readily? Maybe he did for my mom and I''m still not sure how I should feel about that but it had a good cause! We made it out because of its decision so.... I should be happy about it. Mom always said to appreciate things as they come to you, not just when they leave you.


    Untou: "See that''s not true, this is how I know you''re not me because it''d never get rid of me. I helped against those scientists! I basically saved its life! And I''m positive I could do it again. It''s not the brightest tool in the shed so my brains with its power is an inseparable combo."


    "Hm.... A truth opens the mind but a self-told lie can keep it closed forever. I must show you how deep your lie goes"


    Untou: "What!? What are you gonna do to me?!?"


    "I am opening your mind, see the truth with your own eyes if you''re so convinced in your lie."


    I saw the blue sky drain into a purple starry night as the sun beaming overhead began to crust, shrivel, and discolor. The gray stone covered the burning layers with shallow holes visible as it came closer. It resembled the moon in story I''ve heard before the monsters came. Featureless, a simple ball in the sky with no creepy grin and uncanny face. A ray of moonlight descended upon my infant form as my mind was filled with various images and sounds of the Flowers journey. It showed me when the Flower gave me up.

 Chapter 11: Apostle

    Not hearing Untou''s chaotic thoughts troubled me greatly as I realize his absence. I was alone in my mind now and it felt rather lonely. Feels like when I was still a simple sprout, using my thoughts to distract myself from the boring monotony of day to day by imagining the cosmos with me drifting in it. It was blissful that time but now its meaning has changed and I can''t fully comprehend why. Well... It''s not like he was talking directly to me anymore; he forced me scout his inner thoughts whenever I needed answers and it was getting bothersome to decipher over all the chaotic ramblings he spat out like bullet fire.


    More pressingly, the pain in my core is unbearable. The injury I had sustained had been more severe than I initially realized and only seems to worsen as time passed. I had to put all my focus on dulling the pain as I moved and I could see my vision shifting rapidly from this reality and the next disorienting my movements now that I''m not able to force it under control.


    Stephany: "Look it came back!"


    I hear Stephany say as I approach their position. They must''ve noticed my damaged core since their expressions changed moments after they saw me. Stephany''s more than Victor who simply looked exhausted compared to Stephany who looked at least somewhat concerned for my wellbeing.


    Victor: "The Swarm took heavy damage, knew my assumption was correct"


    Stephany: "Look at that poor thing, its core is all cracked it must be in so much pain."


    I could hear Victor sigh as he raised his wand towards me.


    Victor: "Don''t worry I''ll put it down, we can''t repair a core that damaged anyway"


    Stephany: "No! No no no, it has helped us and showed its loyalty by sacrificing itself for us and not working with that other monster. Who could''ve killed us might I add."


    Victor: "Then what do you want to do with it? Looks like it''s in pain when it moves and it can barely keep itself straight." I could hear annoyance mixed with a tiredness when he said that. As if he wanted to get me out of the way as soon as possible.


    Stephany: "I know but...."


    I saw Stephany look at me with sympathetic eyes and I too looked back with pain. The alternate reality showed her as a long, thinly stretched figure with charcoal black skin and big pearly white eyes devoid of any emotion I''d consider to be positive. So clearly distinct from the human in front of me and yet she seems to be my only supporter. Her previous abandonment of me to that beast can be forgiven if she''ll prevent my death in here, we share a mutual goal after all. A desire to escape.


    Victor: "Listen I know you like the little thing but unless it pulls some magical healing skill out of its ass then it''ll only be slowing us down when time is of the essence."


    I could see Stephany was conflicted but I believe Victor provided me a solution. It was so obvious that I can''t believe I didn''t do it sooner. I felt a wave of energy course through my roots and explode from my core as I made a wish feeling my entire supply of extra blood drain.


    "Minor passive skill: Core Regeneration has been obtained.... Admin requesting Curse from Great One... Curse granted"


    "Skill Curse: Core Regeneration deactivates when body is damaged by Vulnerability"


    I could feel my core start to mend itself as they watched. It was slow but nonetheless, I was becoming healthier.... What''s with this curse? I thought that Admin stopped interfering with me. And who is this Great One? Why would they limit me like this... No matter, I won''t get my answers with thinking alone. Plus it doesn''t change much in hindsight, only gives me more of a reason to avoid acid.


    Victor: "Well I''ll be...." I could see the amused expression that crossed his unknowing face.


    Stephany: "Well damn... I mean, look it''s regenerating! Now we have no reason to leave it behind!"


    Victor: "You''ve gotten far too attached to this monster. Come on, we''re almost at the elevator."


    I believe I earned a bit of respect from him, though that could just be my delusion due to not detecting any hesitance in his words. We assumed the same formation as before and continued along the hallway. We had to sneak past other monsters of various making, large red salamanders to human looking automatons alike were prowling these halls presumably looking for the same escape I was. We also encountered a few other humans being strung to the ceiling by some large white spider demon with a human face; though Victor and Stephany decided not to aid them as to not make themselves targets of the spider demon which, while a calculated move, their willingness to go along with that suggestion made me question how much loyalty they had for their fellow humans. With my core healing, I could now focus less on dulling the pain and more on keeping myself in this reality. It was still a challenge as I still had to keep dulling the pain somewhat due to how slow my core was healing but now I could keep myself consistently away from that moon world.


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    Stephany: "Couldn''t we have taken one of the Elevators back at the last department? I''m sure one of them leads to one of the higher layers and I don''t remember any of the elevators here leading anywhere but a single layer up."


    Victor: "Yea but the one we''re going to is a straight shot to the surface. Fortification has a feature only usable by mages so no-one outside of our department knows about these, more of an insider secret to keep people from asking us for free rides out of the facility."


    That begged me to ask a question of why they needed to go to the surface if all he wanted to do was call that monster elimination team. I had little time to wonder about that since we had arrived to a pair of sliding doors that opened into a small boxed room which I assumed to be the elevator. I went in and saw Victor wave his wand at the control panel and the entire thing glowed a faint blue as the doors closed. The ground shifted under me, pushing me downwards as the elevator began to move. I think this startled me without realizing as Stephany began petting my roots in a strange attempt at comforting me, which worked as my roots relaxed instantly at her touch. The room inside the elevator was rather featureless, it had a window to the side which briefly displayed the various different environments of the departments but most of what was outside was dirt and earth. I believe I saw a glowing white figure walking around one of the containment hallways... No, it was two white figures, just in different places. One shorter than the other but I felt like both were staring at me. I could sense a certain Malice from the short one that I didn''t feel for that taller figure. This makes me question what exactly this facility was and why it was so deep underground. Both of which I had no answers for and when I tried to use Earth Control on the earth outside the mirror the elevator moved so fast that I had to re-establish my control at new parts so constantly that I didn''t have time to write anything so I eventually gave up.


    It took almost 30 minutes until the elevator came to a halt and the sliding doors opened. Outside I could see the sun shining down on the dense woodlands around us. This place seemed to be fairly remote since I couldn''t see any buildings or other signs of human civilization. We were in a large empty space much more like a small field surrounded by trees. I saw Victor and Stephany get out the elevator with haste as they look around with their weapons close to themselves. I was disappointed however, my core had not healed as much as I hoped in that time, I could still feel the cracks within it.


    Victor: "See anyone?"


    Stephany: "It''s all clear on this side"


    Victor: "Good"


    They gave each other short nods as Victor took out a small square device from his pocket and began tapping his fingers on it. It was a curious machine, the various memories in my Posy called it a phone or cellular device that apparently can be used for long distance communication and a variety of other activities. It was one of the few things that truly marveled me this entire escape.... Well I''m free now. My time is done, I extend my roots under the grass around me comfortably. The lively soil dwarfs the worked dirt from in that facility and I felt how comfortable it was to once more to stretch my roots.


    Stephany: "You got a signal? I lost mine while cleaning the dragon''s den so...."


    Victor simply nods as he raises the phone to his ear tapping his foot into the grass in a hurried gesture. It didn''t matter much to me however, it was time I got away from this place but before I could... I heard a voice echo from the elevator shaft. Two voices in fact, two very familiar yet distinct voices. They called to me with different tones, one angry and upset while the other loving and soft. It was odd and I didn''t know what it was all about until I heard Stephany and Victor yell as I felt my core shatter into pieces. I felt like I could''ve taken what had hit me if my core had been healthier, but none of that matters now I guess.


    My consciousness didn''t fade however, I simply felt as though I was separated from my body. The sky quickly drained into darkness as the moon rose and the sun fell. I could finally see it, the moon, it was just as I had imagined but what truly caught me off guard were the two glowing figures standing in the grassy field under the moonlight.

 Chapter 12: Realization

    My mind was rather overwhelmed with the scene in front of me. I shifted my view towards my body on the ground and it seems a sharp jagged spear made of gray rock had pierced through my vines and roots directly into my core. My form lied helpless as I could see a ray of moonlight shine on the ground then... It ruptured as swarms of monsters burst from it, from large multi-scaled dragons to massive squid-like creatures that could seemingly control electricity down to swarms of the simple goblins and automatons. I saw multiple monster extraction personnel arrive from the holes the monsters created and began fighting them off.


    The green serpent personnel were surprisingly quick on their feet, turning the lower half of their bodies into wiggling smooth metal as they slipped through the hoards of attacks. They use their strange sickles to spray that dispelling acid at their attackers. The red bull personnel were monstrously strong, not as quick as the serpent team but they seemed far from slow. They blasted fire from their hands and had a tank on their back connected to their arms seemingly fueling their supply of fire. There was another team I hadn''t encountered in my escape, they wore the slimmer armor with the same design as the rest but more purple and their helmets looked more like a squid. They could move things around them without moving a muscle themselves it seems and could employ a variety of strange chemicals that put some monsters on the back foot in their exchange.


    From what I could see, they were certainly powerful but the monsters still had the advantage. The weaker monsters would use their numbers to overwhelm individual personnel while the more powerful monsters like the dragons wasn''t harmed by any of the attacks that was thrown its way. It looked like a war was taking place, people from both sides being killed left and right with no sign of stopping. I would only imagine this gets worse when those Monster Extermination people join the battle.


    My eyes drifted from the bloody battle to Victor and Stephany who were currently running from a large band of raving goblins and boulders with rocks the shape of eyes that rolled freely towards them. I wanted to help them, if not Victor than Stephany. She was always nice to me....


    "We were nice to you too, you know."


    "Have you been enjoying the outside?"


    I heard two familiar voices and focused my attention on the glowing figures below the moonlight. They were floating off the ground near me, imperceptible to the monsters and personnel currently fighting. Their forms... They looked familiar. I knew who they were the moment I heard their voices but their physical forms were new to me. It was Untou and Dongung. Dongung looked pale... white? Gray? Honestly it was hard to tell which, she looked very bright. Like a star, her body shined with a radiance akin to the moonlight that started the war. She was tall, a slender yet slightly malnourished figure with a round face. She had short hair that stretched into a long ponytail and she wore a long yet simple flowing dress that was light brown looking to be made of some sort of leather. Her feet were bare on the grass, unlike other humans I''ve seen, with no shoes or socks.


    Untou was shorter looking much smaller in stature when standing next to Dongung. He was similarly pale but his color was much easier to tell. It was charcoal black, as if it was directly trying to contrast the moonlight. It was a void sucking in the light around it and yet at the same time, I still saw a faint moonlit radiance pierce the void frequently but always being swallowed soon after as if it was being suffocated but not completely snuffed by the void. He had no clothing, all objects he wore or used to wear were seemingly fell into the void that made him up. He looked similar to the humans in that other world, pearly white eyes and stretched looking skin. He had a mouth or what seemed to be his mouth, I wasn''t too sure since it was just the skin on his face ripping open and closing to mimic mouth movements whenever he spoke. Unlike Dongung, he held a weapon. It was a long rocky, jagged gray spear... The same weapon that ended my life....


    Untou: "Calm yourself Flower, you aren''t dead. I made sure not to imbue my weapon with acid so your core may regenerate. You won''t be getting up anytime soon though, the skill you''ve obtained works very slowly and with the amount of damage I''ve dealt... You''ll be stuck here with us for a loooong time."


    Dongung: "That was very nice of you sweetie. Has learning the truth made you whole like it did to me?"


    Untou: "No, mother. I simply saw what I needed to do. Nothing more, nothing less."


    Nice? While I was internally glad that I wasn''t dead permanently, this certainly didn''t feel ''Nice''. More importantly, how did he know about my new skill? I thought he was gone when I got it... Wait no that''s not what is important. I saw them multiple layers in the ground, far away from the surface so how did they reach me so soon?


    Dongung: "I''m sure you have a lot of questions dear Flower."


    Untou: "You can ask us for we have learned a lot. If you want complete truth however, you can look to the moon. I can provide none of the answers you seek so direct all questions to mother."


    Dongung: "You can provide some answers sweetie"


    Dongung spoke with such grace and fluidity that I caught myself calming down instantly.... I got the sense that Untou wasn''t very happy with me or Dongung though. It''s obvious he didn''t like me for some reason, he killed me but his behavior towards his mother was strange. His words carried no weight when he responded and were decidedly monotone, it was as if he turned into a automaton. Giving automated answers to asked questions and nothing more. Never minding that, I have many questions and if they''re willing to answer them then why not right? What was that alternate reality I keep seeing? Why was that Admin so adamant about Dongung learning the truth? What does the concept incinerator do?


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Dongung: "All your questions will be answered, just clear your mind and ask us whatever you want. We''re not omniscient but the moon has provided us with new knowledge that we can impart to you."


    Hm... I focus my attention on the smiling moon above us, not for truth but to simply recognize it. It looked exactly how I saw it in others memories but it was especially vexing when seeing it myself. It looked like it had human skin melted into its rock and someone forcibly carved a smile into it. It looked so unnatural that if I didn''t have those memories, I would''ve thought that it was just an impossibly large monster. Looking at it didn''t give me the revelation I thought it would, I thought I would learn the answers to all my questions by glancing at it myself but it seems that was nothing but an impossible wish.... No matter, there''s still Dongung and Untou. They have answers and I need some to understand my place in the world so I asked.... What am I? Why can I think and feel the way humans do?


    Dongung: "An excellent question. You''re a Genie Sprout. That has never changed but you''ve simply been blessed by the moon ever since you were a seed. It gave you your intelligence to guide you along your path to the truth."


    It... Guided me? What do you mean? Why do I need to learn the truth?


    Dongung: "Of course it guided you. It guides all of us, it allows humanity to thrive in the darkness of the world. It gave us light when none existed and you are apart of that process. Haven''t you noticed that all ''monsters'' are linked? Yes, together they help humanity thrive by acting as their predators in a world where they had little."


    What? Am I.... Just a tool for humanities sake? How does this help humanity? Why did the moon do this?


    Dongung: "We cannot know the moons intentions with its grace but it did help humanity. Technology and a human''s way of living had advanced significantly thanks to the introduction of Skills and magic. Why do you think moon blessed this world with these gifts sweetie?"


    Untou: "The intentions of the moon are an enigma to even the highest grade Apostles. Guessing it''s motives do it a great disservice due to the impossibility of understanding its mind."


    Dongung: "Very true. Flower, it is up to you to decide if you''re a cog in the wheel or not. Though, I don''t want you to misunderstand. You''re position isn''t very unique. You have the ability to wish for whatever you desire, all you need is the blood of humanity. But that ability, too, was given by the moon to all of your kind and as such, will always be subject to what rules it decides."


    This is all far too much to handle. From what it sounds like, all my actions up until now were all decided by the moon. When I wanted to escape, establish that I have free will and can break free from the cage of my captors. In the end, I was always caged wasn''t I? No matter what I did, I would always be within the clutches of someone more powerful than I. Someone who wanted to make my life hell to achieve their own ends. It was all for their agenda, their whims. None of it was for my sake, none of it was for my benefit. It always up to me to decide what was best for me, nothing else had to take value over my own whims when no-one else puts mine over theirs. But why was this the result then? Was it because of the moon that so much misfortune had befallen me?....


    Focusing my attention on the moon, I could see it shine its moonlight upon my disembodied form. No.... That''s not right. Whether it be in that facility or out here, the moon was always watching out for me. It knew my every move because it cared for me. It led me outside, it gave me my wish for escape. It helped the monsters I had been so conflicted on helping, it gave me answers when I was stuck, and helped me realize my true path. it made those decisions on my behalf because I was too scared, too unprepared to make them. My instincts were sharpened by the company I was given, back when I was simply drifting in the cosmos to alleviate the tedium, it was there. It provided me with the ability to imagine that cosmos, to think of a world where my whims truly mattered! It was my teacher, allowing me to see the flaws in my centered thinking and I couldn''t be more delighted to move past those sinful thoughts. It had helped me so much, yet I had given it almost nothing in return. Not almost, I had blatantly leeched off its blessings like a parasite and what could be more shameful than that? I shouldn''t be saddened about how I can''t establish myself within the world, I need to repay its relentless kindness in the only way I can.


    "Skill Ascension: Self Realization is attempting to ascend to Major... Ascension complete!"


    Dongung: "He is finally ready to enact the truth! Listen to the moon my friend! Let it show you the way like it did for us!"


    Ahh.... Yes I feel it. Its command, its gentle demands. I''ll follow them, it''s the only way I could repay its generosity. For all its done for me.... For us! I feel my core regenerate faster than it has ever been and I see my form grow with moonlight covering my roots like a warm hug. The black roots and vines turn to a moonstone gray and my petals harden as they glow a faint moonlit radiance. My form grows and grows until it towers over the bloody battle, my fellow spawn of the moon need my assistance. What betrayer of my word I would be if I were to reject such an order?