The One Branch of The Tree

Arka walked into the inn as if the place had been his from the start, Mira and I looked at each other before finally following him in.  The lower part of the inn was still bustling with guests, but strangely, no one seemed to notice us, or rather, they seemed unable to see us. I looked around warily. “Illusion?” I asked quietly. Arka nodded. “A simple layer of perception,” said Arka. “Simple by whose standards?” I muttered. We went up to the second floor and headed to a room at the very end. As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere of the room immediately became quieter and heavier. In the center of the room stood a round wooden table, an old bookshelf, and several rolled-up maps. This room was clearly no ordinary inn room, Arka sat quietly. "Sit down." said Arka. I sat on the chair across from her while Mira chose to stand near the window, my hand still holding the sword for some reason since the second fragment merged I felt uncomfortable letting go too far like there was a strange connection.  The sword was pulsing softly, almost like a heartbeat. I stared at it for a moment. It wasn't scary at all, it was completely normal. Arka was watching me. "You're starting to feel it," said Arka. “If you mean an unhealthy emotional relationship with this weapon, then yes,” I said. The old man let out a small sigh. “The more fragments you collect, the greater your synchronization will be,” said Arka. “I've heard the scary part,” I said. “The ‘losing identity and becoming a walking tree’ part sounds pretty self-explanatory,” I continued. Mira held back a chuckle, at least someone was enjoying the sarcasm. Arka was unfazed. He took a small crystal from his robe and placed it on the table. The crystal was clear with a faint green glow. "Touch." said Arka. I stared at the object. “Sounds like the start of a bad decision,” I said. “Just touch it,” said Arka. I sighed then touched the crystal with my fingertips, the next second a green light enveloped my palm, hot but not painful. A notification appears. Status Scan Initiated... Analyzing Host Compatibility... I raised an eyebrow. “Good. Now even the rocks are judging me,” I muttered. A few seconds passed, then a new screen appeared. Host Analysis Complete Synchronization Rate: 42% Corruption Level: 18% Mental Stability: Warning Class Evolution Available Recommendation: Immediate Stabilization Required I read the last part twice. Mental Stability: Warning. Mira watched and immediately frowned. “Your corruption is rising quite fast,” said Arka. “I saw that number too,” I said flatly. Arka folded her arms. “The second fragment speeds up the process,” Arka said again. “What is a normal number?” I asked. “Under 10%,” answered Arka. I stared at the screen at 18%. Good always excels in the wrong places. “What if it reaches 100?” I asked again. The atmosphere suddenly became a little colder, Arka answered briefly. “You’re dead. Or worse,” he replied. I looked at him. “I don't like there being a 'worse' option than death,” I replied. "Get used to it," said Arka flatly. An unhelpful answer. I leaned back in my chair. “Okay. So how do you get it down?” I asked. Arka knocked softly on the table. "There are two ways: First, natural stabilization. It's slow, safe, and takes time," said Arka. I nodded. “And the second way definitely sounds illegal. Almost.” he continued. I already suspected that. Arka continued, “You have to learn how to consciously control the fragments, not just use them in battle,” he continued. I frowned a little. “What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding. “All this time you've been using fragments like wild weapons,” he said. “You let instinct, emotion, and survival activate it,” he continued. I can't deny it because it's true. Most of my strength comes out when: Almost die Angry Desperate A very healthy way of life. “From now on, you have to access it without being triggered by emotions,” said Arka. I squinted. “So meditation?” I asked. "More or less," he replied. I stared at the ceiling, of course, of all the things I'd predicted after nearly dying in the ruins, meditation wasn't on the list. Arka stood up. "We start now," said Arka. “Now?” I said a little surprised. "Yes," he answered flatly. I pointed to myself. "I haven't eaten yet," I said.  “If you keep this up, you might not have time to eat much anymore,” he replied lightly. "Okay, I get your point," I stood up reluctantly. Arka led me to the back of the room, where it turned out to be a small, hidden chamber. The floor was covered in ancient symbols forming a large circle, with a single cushion in the center. I stared at it for a few seconds. “This feels like a spiritual trap,” I muttered. "Sit." he ordered. I sat down, Mira stood outside the circle, leaning against the wall, her expression clearly enjoying this, a traitor. Arka stood in front of me. “Close your eyes,” said Arka. I obeyed for a moment there was only the sound of my own breathing. “Feel the mana in your body, focus on the flow in the center of your body,” he said softly. I took a slow breath, trying to focus. At first, it was just darkness, but then I slowly began to feel something. A warmth swirled around my chest, but deeper inside, there was something else.  Cold, heavy, roots, I could “see” them, the mass of greenish black roots wrapped around my mana core, pulsing and alive, even moving slightly as I became aware of them, I tensed. “I saw it,” I said quietly. “Good. Now don’t be afraid.” Arka’s voice sounded distant. A bad sentence for a situation like this, the roots slowly moved closer to encircle my consciousness.  My instincts immediately screamed at me to retreat, to flee, to run, but I forced myself to remain still, cold sweat breaking out on my neck. The closer I got, the heavier it got, and suddenly, one of the roots touched my consciousness.  A flood of memories hit me, the sound of screams, fire, the sky collapsing, giant trees breaking, blood, human screams, and the sound of something enormous dying. I opened my eyes, gasping for breath. “HAH!” My body was wet with sweat, my heart was beating brutally, the room looked normal again, Mira immediately approached. “Raka!” he called. I raised my hand to signal that I was technically still alive, Arka looked at me seriously. “What do you see?” he asked. I caught my breath and then answered softly, “Collapse,” I replied. The atmosphere was silent, I could still feel the remnants of that sensation, it wasn't just a sight, more like a memory not mine but coming from fragments, I looked at my hands shaking slightly. “This fragment holds memories,” I said. Arka nodded slowly. “Yes. The deeper the synchronization, the more you will see,” he replied. I laughed dryly. “Of course,” I muttered. The additional trauma of the complete collection, Mira looks anxious. “Is it dangerous?” I asked. "If it sinks too far, yes." answered Arka. “The boundaries between fragmentary memories and one's identity can become blurred,” he continued. I looked at the floor so it was not just physical corruption but mental as well, complete premium package. A notification appears. Stabilization Training Complete Synchronization Control +3% Corruption temporarily suppressed Current Corruption: 16% I blinked. “Oh.” Not bad, a two percent drop. Small progress, but progress nonetheless. Arka nodded in satisfaction. "You learn fast," said Arka. “Too much survival experience,” I said as I stood up. My legs are still a little weak but my body feels lighter, my head is also clearer at least for a while, Mira smiled slightly. “Congratulations, you managed to not die today,” he said proudly. I looked at him. “Our standards are very low and so far it has been quite effective,” I said. It was hard to deny, I was just about to sit back down when a loud knocking sound came from below three times, heavy and regular.  Everyone in the room fell silent. Arka turned toward the door, his gaze sharp. I felt a sense of foreboding again as a servant screamed in panic from downstairs. “Knight of the kingdom!” he shouted. Oh good, I haven't even had a chance to enjoy the results of meditation yet. [END CHAPTER 28]