Sky recovered from his injuries not long after the fight and continued exploring the forest. Thanks to the system, he had an incredible recovery rate. One which was abnormal, he was sure. He found several creatures while venturing around the forest. He believed he was stepping deeper into the forest from what he gathered. The trees were just as dense, but there were some paths which made him believe that it was the larger creatures that made them. He even found what he believed to be a nest of some sort, but he didn't dare venture too close. After all, he didn't want to anger the creatures any more than he already had.
Eventually, Sky made his way to the centre of the map. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find, but the last thing on his mind was a massive tree. The tree had a thick trunk and branches which towered over him. He couldn't even see the top of it. The leaves were a deep green, and they rustled in the wind, echoing outward like a whisper. He didn't know what kind of tree it was, but he could feel the great power emanating from it.
"This must be the heart of the forest," Sky muttered to himself. He walked up to the tree and placed his hand on it.
Rejection. That was the feeling he received when he placed his hand on the tree. It felt like the tree was rejecting him. He tried to feel the intent from the tree, but it was like he was being pushed back.
"I see," Sky said, understanding what was happening. 'It's rejecting my heart... nature's enemy.' He thought to himself. Sky stepped away from the tree, and out of respect, he guided nature's attribute through the tree. A warmth emanated from the giant tree, and Sky could feel the tension in the air dissipate. He wasn't sure what would happen if he stayed there any longer, but he figured it was best to leave.
"Thank you," Sky said before turning and walking away. He felt that he would be back, but for now, he had to leave.
"*ding*
"User Sky has completed quest: Heart of the Forest 1/3
"Rewards: +1 Level to Endurance
"*ding*
"User Sky has completed quest 'Heart of the Forest 2/3'
"Discover the Heart of the forest
"Reward: +1 Level to Nature Attribute
"*ding*
"Quest: Heart of the Forest 3/3 (25% complete)
"Gain the blessing of the forest.
"Reward: +1 Level to all aspects"
"Failure: Immanent Death."
"You want me to gain the blessing of the forest?! That tree practically rejected me!" Sky exclaimed in disbelief. He didn't know what he would have to do to gain the blessing of the forest, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy. He shortly summoned his status.
"Status Loading..."
Sky's status:
Ether Capacity: 1%
Health: 100%
Stamina: 100%
--
Strength: Lvl.5
Agility: Lvl.7
Endurance: Lvl.9
Ether: Lvl.7
--
Skills:
Ether's Eye: Lvl3
See the world from the perspective of ether.
Ether Manipulation: Lvl.3
Manipulate ether around you.
Strengthened by 'Ether's Acknowledgement'.
--
Titles:
A Heart of Darkness
Ether's Acknowledgement
--
Saturn's Relic:
Darkness: Lv.2
Nature: Lv.3
[Locked]: Lv.0
[Locked]: Lv.0
[Locked]: Lv.0
[Locked]: Lv.0
[Locked]: Lv.0
[Locked]: Lv.0
--
Sky sighed and started walking back the way he came. He had a feeling that he was going to be spending a lot of time with this tree. He simply approached it and sat by it. He could feel the tree's discomfort with him, but he didn't care. He was merely going to sit by it and work on his nature attribute.
Avis floated a distance away, clearly in view. He watched Sky as he silently worked on his nature attribute. After a while, Avis couldn't help but speak up.
"What do you need the blessing of the forest for?"
Silence followed for a while before a system prompt popped into existence in front of Avis.
"I don't. Sky does."
"Ah, I see," Avis said, understanding what was happening. "You're helping him? Are you sure you're the same system I met a millennia ago?"
"You think I would welcome an overly ambitious parasite?"
"That was quite a while ago. I like to think I've changed since then."
"You've changed, but not for the better. You're still too reckless."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Avis said, smirking. "So, what are you going to do about the blessing? I doubt that tree would give Sky a leaf, let alone a blessing. You'll end up killing him if you're not careful. I, for one, would prefer to continue living."
"I'll think of something," the system said with annoyance. "You just worry about yourself."
"That's what I always do," Avis said before disappearing.
The system was silent for a while before it responded, "It seems like I'll have to give the child a little push.".
"*Ding*" A notification resounded in front of Sky.
"Quest: A Slither of Darkness
"Develop control over your dark attribute.
"Restriction: Complete this task alone
"Penalty: -2 Nature Attribute Levels"
"> Yes
"> Yes"
Sky stared dumbfounded by the gall the system had. He didn't know what it was planning, but he knew he had to be careful. The two levels the system rewarded him would go to waste If he failed the quest.
He stood up and started walking around the tree. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but he had to think of something. He could feel the tree's awareness on him as he walked. He had talked to Avis previously about controlling the devil's heart. He concluded that it was possible to contain the heart with the nature attribute, so what is stopping it from guiding as well? Sky continued pacing and processing his thoughts and ideas. 'I'll need to practice first', he thought. He sat down in a meditative position and started to circulate his ether. He had been controlling the nature attribute so far by reaching out and guiding it. If he wanted to control the dark attribute within him, he would have to do so by controlling the nature attribute within him. Not just guide it, but control it. The way he could force raw ether into a destructive form, he will have to do the same and go against the nature attribute's will.
Sky took a breath and started to guide the nature attribute down his pathways. The nature attribute was light and spread out like a stream of clouds. This wasn't enough to control the dark attribute, and he knew it. He grunted and began to squeeze the nature attribute. The faint green light he visualised within him condensed and became more focused. It was still too diffused, so he kept compressing it until it became a dense thin stream. Sky was trembling with the effort. Not only was he struggling, but the nature attribute also resisted him. It didn't want to be forced into such a shape, but Sky was relentless. He kept forcing it, and the more he did so, the excruciating pain he felt increased. He gritted his teeth and kept going. The nature attribute was trying to disperse, but Sky had a firm grip on it. He was there for hours, sweat drenching his clothes and blood running down his nose into his mouth. He didn't let go. The nature attribute was relentless, but Sky noticed an apparent change from when he started. The nature attribute was slowly giving in to him, ever so slightly. It was a start, and he wasn't going to let go until he had complete control over it.