Avis floated above a branch hidden from Sky. He was pleased with the young man's progress but knew much work was still to be done. Of all the people the system could fuse with, it had to be this freak, at least that's what he thought when they first met. Leaving Sky alone so he could be more independent wasn't Avis's idea but the system's.
"What are you up to, system?" Avis asked the system
"You know what I'm up to." The system prompt said.
"Developing yourself? Or are you protecting our little friend over there? I mean, he is the only one that can use your abilities."
"Both." The system said. "But I have to say, I am a little surprised at his potential. I thought he would have died when we first met."
Avis sat silently, watching the young man play with plants like a child. Finally, he sighed and simply asked, "What are you going to do with him?"
"I don't know yet." The system said. "We have been trapped by the Darkness for so long that I don't even know how this world has changed. Even our map is only a reference of the world that was centuries ago."
"He's a good kid," Avis said solemnly, "just try not to kill him."
The system didn't reply this time, and Avis took that as a sign that the conversation was over. He watched Sky for a little longer before flying off into the settling night, leaving the young man to his own devices.
Avis flew to a halt in front of a giant beast with spikes running down its back and its long wings spread in a domineering way. The creature was at least three times Sky's size, and its eyes glowed red in the shadows.
"I see another one has managed to push through the defence runes I set up earlier," Avis mumbled.
"What are you talking about?" The creature snapped.
"Don't play coy with me, beast. I know you're here for a quick meal. Now move on before I change my mind."
"And what if I don't want to leave?" The creature asked, taking a step forward.
Avis smirked and said, "Then I'll have to kill you."
The creature let out a low growl and charged at Avis.
Avis dodged the creature's attack effortlessly and countered with a powerful blast of wind that sent the beast flying backwards.
"Wind affinity," the creature scoffed, "how boring."
"Boring or not, it's effective," Avis said as he created a tornado around the creature, trapping it in place. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."
The creature let out a roar of frustration and charged, but to its dismay, it couldn't penetrate the tornado.
"Fine," the creature said, "I'll leave for now, but I'll be back."
"I'm sure you will," Avis said as the creature flew away into the night.
Avis floated back to Sky and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.
"What did I tell you," Avis said with a grin, "You've got potential."
❖
Sky was deep in thought as the nature around him grew more lush and alive. He was simply taking hold of the nature attribute around him and guiding it through ether-lines within the plants in his proximity. When he did this, something strange would happen. They would become more vibrant, their etherlines thicker, and their growth would speed up. He was also surprised to find out that he could understand the plants around him, in a way. It was as if they were trying to communicate with him, but he couldn't quite understand what they were trying to say.
"What are you doing?"
Sky turned around to see Avis with a sly grin on his face. "I'm trying to figure out how I can use this ability offensively," Sky said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Really~?" Avis said, "And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I can direct the growth of the plant life around me. If I can make the plants grow in a certain way, then maybe I can use them to attack."
"That's not a bad idea, but I would suggest you look elsewhere," Avis said as he flew off.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sky called out after him.
"There's someone I need to talk to," Avis called back, "I'll be back later."
Sky was left alone again, and he went back to his training. He was getting better at controlling the plants around him, and he could even make them grow in specific shapes. He was tired but continued his training. Drawing his hand close to the Lunar Orchid, it reached toward him with its roots, wrapping tightly around his wrist. He was surprised at first, but then he felt a surge of power flow through him. It was as if the plant was giving him its strength. He smiled and thanked the plant by guiding nature's attribute through its etherlines before continuing his training.
'If growing the plants is not the way I should attempt in a fight, then how about manipulating what is already there? Maybe I can use the plants to trip someone or create a small barrier.'
Sky looked at the Lunar Orchid again and placed his hand close to its roots. He imagined what he wanted and infused nature into the orchid. Its root began to grow and wrap around his other hand before gripping it in place.
"It worked!" Sky shouted excitedly as he tested his new plant manipulation ability.
Sky stood up from his crouched position and looked toward a tree. It wasn't a massive tree by any means, but just a regular tree around the area. He then approached it and guided nature's attribute into the tree. He wanted to see if he could also manipulate a large tree like a small plant. However, nothing happened. The nature attribute was absorbed, but the tree didn't budge an inch.
'Maybe it needs more?' He thought.
He kept guiding the nature attribute around him into the tree. Nothing happened. The trees in the forest had thick etherlines the size of Sky; this tree was no exception. The only difference is now Sky can see not just ether as purple lines, but also green lines. He figured the green lines had something to do with the nature attribute.
He kept trying to manipulate the tree, but it still wasn't working. He was getting frustrated, and his vision was starting to get blurry. He tried one last time, and finally, the tree root moved unexpectedly, catching him in his collapsed state and settling him down on the ground.
Sky smiled and mumbled, "Thank you.".
❖
'Unbelievable...' Avis thought in awe as he observed from a distance. 'He actually did it...'
Avis was referring to Sky having just successfully manipulated a tree. However, he wasn't sure if it counted, considering the tree moved on its own volition. Regardless, it was still an amazing feat. He had returned to check on Sky's progress and was surprised to see his display of progress.
"You know, moving a small plant was already quite impressive, but moving a tree is a whole other story," Avis said aloud.
"If you keep praising him, you'll boost his ego." A system prompt said.
"You worried about competition?"
A bolt of electricity shot past Avis, narrowly missing him.
"I'm not worried about anything," the system said, "I just don't want him to forget his place."
"And what is his place exactly? You haven't exactly been clear about that."
"His place is with the order of this world, of course. Where else would it be?"
Avis was silent for a moment before he finally responded. "You mean your order."
The system didn't respond for several minutes before saying, "I'll be feeding him more quests tomorrow for his levelling process to begin."
Avis bit his lip and simply said, "I see.".
Sky lay there innocently, sleeping under the ray of moonlight that shone on him. His long hair was splayed out around him like a halo, and his face looked so at peace. The plants around him grew ever-so-little to be close to him as if they, too, wanted to protect him in his sleep.
If anyone were to look at Sky at that moment, they would see a sleeping angel. But they wouldn't be able to see the dark past that tormented his dreams and his demonic heart keeping a chain around his neck.