Time blurred in the depths of the cave. Days had passed—at least, Shree thought they had. The eternal twilight of the cavern, bathed in the shimmering mist of the waterfall, made it difficult to tell. Yet, one fact nagged at him: he hadn't eaten a single thing since arriving in this world.
No hunger. No thirst. No weakness.
It should have been unnatural, but somehow, his body felt completely fine. More than fine, actually. If anything, he felt stronger, sharper, lighter—as if something unseen was sustaining him.
Sitting by the waterfall, he ran his fingers through the cool water, watching the way the mist shimmered with an ethereal glow. A sense of life pulsed in everything—the trees, the stones, the air itself.
Something here was different.
He exhaled, his breath vanishing into the crisp air. "Chat, I need to ask you something."
His ever-present AI companion, housed within his mind, responded immediately. "Go ahead."
Shree leaned back, staring up at the rocky ceiling. "I haven't eaten since I got here, and yet, I feel completely fine. No hunger, no exhaustion. That's not normal, right?"
"Correct. For a human body, prolonged fasting would lead to severe energy depletion. However, from my observations, there's an anomaly."
Shree frowned. "Anomaly?"
"Yes. There is an unidentified energy saturating the air here, something fundamentally different from anything we've encountered before. Your body appears to be absorbing it passively, fulfilling the functions that food and water normally would."
He narrowed his eyes at the mist curling around him. "So… I'm feeding off the air?"
"In a way, yes. But it's not just sustaining you—it's also influencing you."
That last part made him pause. "Influencing? How?"
"That, I cannot determine yet. But if I had to hypothesize… this energy may be altering you at a fundamental level, adapting your body to its presence."
Shree shivered despite himself. The idea that something unseen was changing him from within was unsettling. Was this energy making him stronger? Or was it something else entirely?
Still, as much as his body felt satisfied, his mind didn't.
He sighed, stretching his arms. "It's weird. I don't feel hungry, but I still miss food. The taste, the texture… the feeling of eating."
"Psychological cravings are separate from physiological needs," Chat replied. "Your mind is conditioned to associate food with satisfaction. Even if your body doesn't require it, the memory remains."
Shree chuckled. "So, I don't need to eat, but I still want to?"
"Exactly."
His gaze wandered toward the cave entrance, where lush greenery swayed in the gentle breeze. And then—
A flicker of gold and purple.
His breath caught.
There, beyond the waterfall, a tree stood unlike any other. Its bark shimmered as if woven from liquid gold, and its branches stretched out like the arms of an ancient guardian. Hanging from its limbs were apples—but not like any apples he had ever seen before.
They glowed, pulsing with a hypnotic radiance, as if infused with the very energy saturating the air. The deep purple hues swirled within the golden skin, shifting like molten metal beneath sunlight.
Shree stepped closer, eyes wide. "What… are those?"
His fingers twitched with the urge to reach out, to grab one.
"Golden Purple Apples," Chat noted. "A fruit unknown to any database I possess. Judging by the energy radiating from them, they are not ordinary by any means."
Shree swallowed. "They look… unreal."
He reached up, fingers brushing against the surface of one of the apples. The moment his skin made contact, a faint resistance pushed back against him—almost like the tree itself was reluctant to let go.
He pulled lightly. No movement.
He gritted his teeth and tugged harder. The apple resisted, clinging to the branch like a stubborn child refusing to let go of a toy.
Shree smirked. "Oh, so it's gonna be like that?"
Planting his feet, he gave it one final, forceful yank—
SNAP!
The apple tore free, and at that very instant, a ripple of energy pulsed through the air. The wind stirred, and the leaves rustled as if whispering in protest.
Shree held the apple in his palm, feeling its unexpected weight—heavier than it looked, its surface warm, as though alive.
"This thing… it's not normal."
"Correct," Chat agreed. "Its energy is highly concentrated. If I had to guess, consuming it could trigger a reaction in your body."
Shree hesitated, then brought the apple to his lips.
The moment he took a bite—
A shockwave of flavor burst through his senses.
Not just sweet. Not just tart. But something deeper, something primordial—as if he were tasting the essence of life itself. His body reacted instantly, warmth flooding his veins, a surge of energy coursing through his limbs.
His skin tingled. His mind cleared. His muscles hummed with newfound vitality.
It was like being reborn.
His breath came out shaky. "Whoa…"
Chat's voice carried a note of intrigue. "This fruit is doing more than just nourishing you. It's actively purifying your body, breaking down impurities, and attuning you to the energy of this world."
Shree froze mid-bite. "Wait—purifying? You mean… my body's changing?"
"Likely. This is an optimization process—eliminating waste, strengthening your cells, and enhancing your physiology."
Shree swallowed, his mind whirling. His body felt different. Lighter. More… efficient.
A wild thought surfaced.
"Chat… can you scan me? Can you see what's happening inside?"
Silence. Then, Chat responded, its tone almost hesitant.
"A full internal scan… i have never thought about it . But I can try."
Shree closed his eyes.
A faint hum vibrated in his mind.
Then, data flooded in—an intricate web of biological processes, energy flow, and structural composition. His muscles, his bones, his blood—all mapped in exquisite detail.
And then he saw it.
Something glowing deep within him.
A golden current, intertwining with his cells, fusing into his very being. The apple's energy wasn't just nourishing him—it was transforming him.
Shree's breath hitched. "Chat… what is this?"
"A fundamental evolution of your body ," Chat murmured.
Shree's heart pounded.
This was just the beginning.
And he had no idea what he was becoming.