A cool breeze blew across the open courtyard where Aenon was napping. The book he was memorizing was sprawled across his chest, while he was soundly asleep. It had been a long time since he did something like this. His earlier time at the library was merely to gain knowledge. But this task involved his full focus to ingrain the mountain of information. As he woke up groggily, the book slid off and fell to the ground.

"Aenon-Friend slept well?" Nocthrya asked cheerfully. It took a second for Aenon's mind to register that the tree's voice was audible, and not just in his head.

"Huh? You can talk now?" Aenon asked while rubbing his eyes open. He stood up and did some basic stretches.

"Yes," Nocthrya replied happily. "I am strong enough to manifest a voice now. Pretty soon I should be able to develop a body that would allow me to move around. Not a real body though, kind of like an avatar."

"That's great news," Aenon said with a smile. He was genuinely happy that the tree was growing in power.

"I didn't disturb you since you were exhausted from last night's study," Nocthrya continued. "But the dwarf-man was here to see you."

"Oh? Did he say what he wanted?"

"He said that he needs a few more things to complete the rings you wanted him to craft."

A vine crawled towards Aenon with an envelope in its grip. He took it and read the contents. Borin needed a bunch of different monster cores with specific affinities.

"Do monsters have cores too?" Aenon asked while scratching his head. The only creature he had seen that dropped a core were the Treants.

"Yes, they do. But they need time to develop one," Nocthrya explained. "The walking trees have one because they are an ancient race and are born with one."

"This can be problematic then," Aenon said with a frown. "How will I get this many cores? And that too of such a wide variety of affinities."

The affinity types ranged from common ones like fire, water, and air to some rare ones like death and time. The only affinities he could reliably obtain were life and space, since the Treants dropped those.

"Well, a fire core should be easy," Nocthrya said after some thought. "The ant bug dungeon is mature enough that some of the creatures would have developed theirs. Same goes for death affinity ones. Venge-Friend can get those from the undead."

"What about the other ones, like time and dark?"

"That you'll have to discuss with the dwarf-man."

"Guess I'll do that," Aenon said with a sigh.

He took one more look at the book but decided to do some physical workout instead. He started running at a slow pace—slow by his new standards. The feeling of the wind against his face felt nice. Nocthrya continued their conversation using their mental link.

"Why is Aenon-Friend learning how to cook?"

"Couple of reasons actually," Aenon responded while running. "It gives my body time to recover from the backlash, while also letting me practice some of my Spell proficiencies."

"So, it is not because you made a mistake?" Nocthrya asked cheekily

"It's not all bad," Aenon said a bit defensively. "I actually got a great idea after reading that introductory book."

"Oh?"

"There might be a way to actually use this Skill," Aenon explained excitedly. "The buffs from the prepared foods are insane, and their effects are stronger if I use it for myself. For example, did you know I can make a soup that grants heat resistance?"

"That might come in handy against the ant-bugs," Nocthrya exclaimed.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Aenon confirmed with a smile. "And that 'taste of light' riddle gave me another idea. Maybe I can experiment and use that ability offensively. You know, create illusions of some sort."

"But Aenon-Friend already has Light Manipulation for that," Nocthrya stated.

"Yes, but this will not consume mana. I can prepare the material beforehand and use it like consumable items," Aenon elaborated.

"It could…work," Nocthrya replied thoughtfully. "Ooh I can grow some plants and mushrooms that cause hallucinations. You can use that in your cooking."

The glee in Nocthrya's voice was a bit unsettling, but Aenon was onboard with the idea. Hopefully he could convince Mrs. Ashvein to go along with it.

As he continued his lap around Reality's Edge, he came across a clearing that was filled with dormant Treants. They looked like regular trees, but Aenon's Sovereign's Eye clearly identified them with ease.

"How long do you think they will take to recover?" Aenon asked as he placed a hand on one of the Juveniles.

"They have already recovered from the physical damage," Nocthrya said sadly. "But the soul damage from the Corruption will take time. Don't worry though. Walking trees are resilient."

Aenon turned towards where Nocthrya's main body was. "Your speech is improving quite fast. Is that a World Tree thing?"

"No. I am picking that up from our soul link," Nocthrya replied. "Not to mention the conversations I have with the Venge-Friend and Jenny-Friend."

Aenon raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known Jenny had gotten so close with Nocthrya. Nocthrya reserved the suffix of 'friend' for very select few—Venge being one of them. Others only received generic suffixes like 'man' or 'woman', and in some cases their race. He was happy that they were getting along though. He didn't point it out, changing the topic to something he had been trying to find out for a while.

"Umm, do you know what this Corruption is?" he asked cautiously.

"Its bad stuff," Nocthrya said in somber tone. "How to explain this. Umm…You know affinities have pairs? Life-Death, Water-Fire, and so on?"

"Yes?" Aenon said with a nod, unsure where this was going.

"Corruption is the antithesis of souls. Can't call it anti-life because that is what the undead are. Corruption is far more vile and detrimental to all life though. Basically, anything with a soul can be infected."

Aenon frowned when he heard that. "And why can you feed on it? It's not going to harm you, right?"

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"It has no effect on me, so don't worry Aenon-Friend," Nocthrya assured him. "Regular trees breath in bad air and make it good for you, right? Same way, World Trees can feed on the Corruption and convert it to soul form."

Aenon assumed Nocthrya meant regular trees converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. He wasn't sure what soul form meant and was about to ask when a vine sprouted from the ground. It held a tiny spherical black pebble. He recognized it instantly—soul ore.

"That is how soul ores are made?" Aenon asked.

"Sadly, yes," Nocthrya said glumly. "Soul ore is formed by harvesting Corruption. Which means someone or something must lose their soul in the process. That is why the System wants it purged."

"But wait. That would mean…," Aenon trailed off as certain things started to fit together. The presence of a nature elf with World Tree seeds in an area that seemed to have higher than normal presence of Corruption. "Are the elves of Glendwyr somehow linked to this?"

"I do not know Aenon-Friend," Nocthrya replied. "World Trees pass on some knowledge to their seeds. But the information is more like distant memories and feelings."

Aenon sighed in defeat and turned towards the dormant Treants. Getting a sudden idea, he located the biggest one of them all and placed a hand on its bark.

The next instant he was flung into the foreign soul space of the creature. It looked remarkably like Nocthrya's. The space was a mix of green and colorless, like life and space wisps. He focused on his surroundings to find the inner soul space of the entity and moved towards it. What he found there shocked him.

The outer walls of the soul space were horribly corroded, like decaying fruits. It was recovering slowly, but the rot was horrible. He placed a hand on it and recoiled in disgust. The oily feeling was just that repulsive.

"Is there anything I can do to fix this?" Aenon asked softly.

"Not really," a boyish voice spoke from behind Aenon.

When Aenon looked back, a young boy was standing there, completely in his birthday suit. The only indication that he was not human was that the skin was green.

"Nocthrya?" Aenon asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Aenon-Friend," the kid replied with a smile.

"And you are a boy?"

"Yes, that is the gender I have chosen. All World Trees decide it at some point."

Aenon didn't know how to respond to that, so he ignored it. Instead, he decided to teach the kid some basic etiquette. At the moment, only Aenon could see his form. But he didn't want any social gaffes when the boy finally developed an actual body.

"Umm, it's considered rude to appear before others with no clothes," Aenon instructed politely.

Nocthrya looked down at his body, confusion clear on his face. It was apparent that the tree had never come across this scenario before. With a wave, he grew leaves to cover his modesty but remained exposed otherwise.

"Is this better?" Nocthrya asked innocently.

"That will do for now," Aenon nodded before turning towards the injured soul space. "So, nothing I can do about this?"

"I'm sorry Aenon-Friend," the boy replied sadly.

Aenon placed his hand on the healthy parts of the wall, trying to feel anything from within. But there was nothing, almost like the creature was in a coma. He dejectedly withdrew his hand and was about to turn back when he recalled something.

Unfettered Soul | +75 all stats | ???

The Title had no description as usual, and its associated Skill, Soul Authority, was also an unknown. He outstretched his hand again to try something, but hesitated. There were a lot of mysteries here, and he was not sure what the backlash could be. He was already reeling with a debuff, and didn't want to risk another one. He put down his hand.

"Good decision," the System nurse's voice chimed in. The draugr was standing next to Nocthrya, who had an inquisitive look.

"How did you get here?" Aenon asked neutrally.

"Because your consciousness is here," the Nurse replied simply. She ignored the curious boy and looked around. "I hate dealing with the Corruption."

"And you think I am not strong enough to try purging it," Aenon asked with caution. He really wanted to help the Treant if possible.

"You could," the Nurse replied. She looked him over as though analyzing him, "But it will be risky. Are you up to it?"

Aenon stayed silent for a while before asking, "What are the risks?"

"Good. You are finally learning to look before you leap," the Nurse replied with an appreciative smile. The smile vanished as she got more serious though. "The Corruption has existed since time immemorial. The System was created to destroy it, and hence its primary directive has always been to develop strong life forms. It is basically trying to raise an army to fight it."

This was a shocking new revelation that Aenon hadn't anticipated. It was also the first time anyone mentioned the creation of the System.

"Who created…," he began to ask but was interrupted.

"That is not important," the Nurse snapped.

Aenon had a feeling he was touching sensitive topics that very few people were privy too. He didn't want to press his luck, so he apologized and let the Nurse continue.

"The Corruption is like a virus. It doesn't think, doesn't feel, and is not alive in any sense of the word. It just exists in dormancy till it comes into contact with a soul. That is when it propagates to fulfil its purpose—to corrupt souls. What you see here is not the Corruption itself, but it's aftereffects," the Nurse said while pointing at the rot on the inner soul wall.

Aenon was silent as he absorbed this new information. If true, the Corruption was more like a disease than anything else. But instead of infecting the body, it affected souls.

"Why can Nocthrya absorb it then?" Aenon asked.

The Nurse eyed him for a moment, an internal debate going on behind her eyes. She finally sighed and explained briefly, "World Trees were created for that purpose."

"Wait, what?" Aenon asked with a frown. But the Nurse didn't explain further no matter what he asked. Aenon finally relented and got back on topic, "So, what is this risky method to help heal this wound?"

"The problem is…complicated," the System Nurse seemed relieved that Aenon wasn't pressing further. "Nocthrya cannot heal the damage, while you are as susceptible to the Corruption as any other soul. But together you can do what the other can't. The key lies in the runic knowledge that Nocthrya ingrained into you."

"You mean the mysterious lost language that Borin mentioned?" Aenon asked.

"Ha! It is not a lost language," the Nurse scoffed. "It is an advanced runic system developed ages ago by the same people who made the System. What the dwarf is doing is nothing short of wasting something precious."

"So, why can I use it?" Aenon asked curiously. If the runes were from a long-lost era, why did Nocthrya have it? And why was Aenon able to use it at all? Aenon had absolutely no idea what the symbols represented, and yet he was able to use it to hijack the containment spell aimed at Nocthrya.

"Sigh. You are…peculiar," the Nurse deflated in defeat. "Usually, it would take several lifetimes to even grasp the basics of the runic system. But you, or rather your soul, has an advantage that very few have. You are a creature driven by instinct."

"Instinct?" Aenon asked with a scowl. It seemed too simple an answer to write off all his accomplishments.

"Yes, instinct," the Nurse confirmed. "The instinct of a predator."

"That makes even less sense than before."

"Does a fish need to be taught how to swim?" the Nurse went on. "Or does any animal need to actively think about breathing. This is similar. But so much more."

"That still doesn't explain…," Aenon tried to argue.

"It isn't as simple as this, but I will still try to explain anyway," the Nurse cut him off. "A predator's instinct is to dominate, to consume prey. And those instincts allow it to gain skills to achieve its goal. Cats learn to sneak, spiders learn to stay still patiently, while you…you learn Skills and Spells at an exceptionally fast pace. You do not need to understand the runes to use it. You just need to get a feel for it. Again, this is an oversimplification, but it is the easiest way for me to explain how ridiculous your ability is."

Aenon started to reflect on everything he had done so far. His ability to grasp Mana Sense, the ease with which he learned new Spells, and the subsequent reactions he got from people who knew his accomplishments. It started to make sense why the Overseer was so interested in him, and why Faelira refused to believe that someone from his background could achieve Spell mastery so quickly. It was completely out of the norm.

"Is that why the System Admin is interested in me?" Aenon asked with narrowed eyes.

"That…," the Nurse hesitated. But her explanation wasn't necessary as a notification popped up in Aenon's vision.

No.

Just one word, nothing more. And Aenon knew better than to ask for clarification. He sighed internally while rubbing his temple. This was again out of his control, so he handled it the same way he always did. By shelving it for the future.

"So, I need to somehow combine my powers with Nocthrya's to fight this Corruption?" he asked the confused draugr.

"Uh," the Nurse shook her head to refocus. "Yes. But remember the risky part. If even a trace amount of the Corruption touches your soul, it will infect and spread. You might have resistance to it because of your link to Nocthrya, but you are not immune to it."

"Alright," Aenon nodded. "I need to think about this."

Aenon started to weigh the pros and cons of the risk. On the one hand, he would gain a veritable army of Treants to protect Nocthrya while also earning some Title for sure. But there was a significant risk of losing his soul to the malignant entity. Therefore, his choice was obvious.

"What say, my friend?" Aenon turned to Nocthrya with a smile. "Ready to build your own army?"

Nocthrya displayed the same eerie smile that Aenon got when he was ready for a hunt. His eyes flashed green as he said, "Oh yes."

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