A towering green-barked tree stretched toward the canopy in front of us. Marcus's pets sat patiently at its base while I continued to marvel at the monstrous plant.
It was so wide, I doubted even five of me linked together could wrap our arms around it.
But what really caught my eye was near the top. A small balcony wrapped around the trunk, carefully built around the branches that jutted outward. Even from down here, I could make out what looked like cloth covering what had to be a window, probably leading into a larger, hollowed-out section.
"This way," Marcus said, walking forward with far less caution than before. The tree's roots bulged from the ground in places, shaping the terrain into small, rolling hills.
I still copied his steps carefully just in case. No way I was trusting this place just yet.
The dogs seemed even less aggressive as we approached. They barely lifted their heads before lazily standing, tails giving a few relaxed wags. Marcus gave a couple of them affectionate pats on the head. Honestly, they didn't look so threatening now.
"You live up there?" I asked as we rounded the trunk.
"Yeah." He gestured toward the side of the tree, where I saw how he got up. Not by climbing, but with a bit of wilderness ingenuity. "We should all be able to get on safely."
A large wooden platform sat at the base, waist-high walls supported by four thick, braided vines running from each corner to a central point above. They trailed upward, disappearing into the peak of the trunk.
There had to be a pulley system somewhere.
I glanced up, then back at him. "You're confident?" I asked, stepping onto the platform with mild skepticism as the dogs hopped in after us.
"Well…" He grabbed the rope and gave it a tug, lifting us all smoothly off the ground. "If we fall, nothing should bother us."
I was more worried about the fall than what would greet us at the bottom.
'You've been quiet lately,' I said to Luna. Her silences had seemed to be getting longer recently.
"I'm thinking... plus, I still have to concentrate on our intruder," she replied.
Oh, right. That was still a thing. Probably should figure out what to do there. 'What are you thinking about?'
'I want to move, but really move. Not like now, not like... me,' she said, trailing off.
I think I understood.
Honestly, my heart skipped a beat. We'd already grown so close, it was hard to think of her as anything separate, but I got it. That drive to move, to be more, to experience the world directly.
If I'd met someone who could take me across the stars... wouldn't I have followed too? Hell, I kind of already was, just with a deeply buried trauma... I shook my head, releasing the thoughts.
'We'll figure something out together,' I promised. 'Maybe your transformation can help.'
Her response came after a long pause, barely a whisper in my mind. 'Maybe.'
We kept rising until the lift slowed to a stop. Marcus tied it off and stepped onto the balcony. "This is home, or has been at least."
The creatures hopped off next, leaving me as the last one on. Marcus stood at a doorway, holding open a flap of animal pelt. "Come on in."
It was modest inside, but honestly impressive given the environment. A table, a chair, and a pile of pelts lay in the center of the circular space. Everything looked hand-carved, the craftsmanship rough but functional. Rustic, but clearly lived-in.
"Why can we get so close to this tree?" I asked as I stepped in.
"I think it's dead. Or dormant." He gave a few absentminded pats to the dogs. "Either way, I only found out when these guys weren't afraid to approach it."
"So beasts still approach it?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Not often. Most probably still consider it dangerous enough to avoid. But it's not like I can tell what they think."
He moved to the windows, pulling back a few flaps to let in some light, then opened a circular wooden hatch in the floor. "Down here's my storeroom. If you want privacy, feel free to stay in. But—"
"Don't take without asking?" I cut in.
He gave a brief smile before disappearing down into the basement. "Exactly," he called up.
I heard the sound of rummaging from below while I nervously eyed the other residents. Still not totally comfortable around them. Too much muscle, too many teeth, and still a bit monstrous.
I took the chance to look around more and noticed another rope hanging from a similar circular panel in the ceiling. This place must've taken forever to build.
Marcus leapt back up, landing with a casual thud, catching my gaze. "Still working up there," he said, brushing off his hands. "Just using it for firewood right now."
"Ah. Got it." I didn't push further. My attention was fully fixed on the handful of dried fruit, meat, and roots he carried. "Edible?"
"Plenty of plants out there. You just have to know which ones to go for," he replied, then nodded toward the dogs. "If they don't eat it, I don't."
Honestly, hard to argue with that logic.
He turned toward the door, food in hand. "I'll make something, but I gotta head back down."
"I'll help," I offered, but he shook his head.
"No need. I'll take them with me, don't want to attract more attention than necessary. If you hear anything weird, just climb down."
That bit of authority in his voice sealed it. I wasn't about to argue. Safe zone it was.
I found a spot and sat down as they all disappeared through the flap.
'I know you want to focus on Body Refinement, but I think I need to prioritize repairs first. Maybe you could try forming all three structures?' I suggested.
'That's fine. I was planning on doing that too anyway. What do you think, start each stage separately, or go for all three at once?' she asked with some building excitement.
"I think you should do it all at once." Completely forming a singular system would net her the same situation I was in. Forcing her to find some way to damage her own energy pathways.
"Then let's figure out how to make those circuits," Luna said, fired up.
I pulled the book from my waistband and flipped it open.
"Alrighty… Sensing World Force… absorption…" I muttered, flipping through pages. The manual went into a surprising amount of detail. 'Seems a bit much to spend a whole page on not popping.'
'I mean… your explanations were pretty lacking,' Luna shot back.
I ignored her and turned to the next section—finally getting to the heart of the technique.
"The true purpose of the Pathway Technique is to train one's body to expand its Spiritual Sense, to identify the composition of Natural World Force, and to inherently align it with one's spirit."
My heart thudded as I scanned the words. I read the line over and over, handwritten and deliberate. I continued.
"Once complete, you will have a far greater chance to progress past the stage of Core Shattering. This transformation allows for the development of true Spiritual Sense."
'What's going on with you?' Luna asked, clearly catching the excitement pulsing through me.
"This… this is what I've been looking for." I wasn't totally sure if Spiritual Sense was necessary for my path forward, but just knowing I could reach it made everything I'd gone through feel worth it.
'Great. Sooo?' Luna prompted.
'I think these three paths fall into different categories. My Grand Channel increases the volume of energy I can hold.'
I wasn't completely certain, but after experiencing Kaz's younger self firsthand, I was more convinced than ever, my capacity was definitely above average for someone at or around my level.
'So then the roots are for speed?' Luna asked.
I shook my head, an automatic and unnecessary gesture, considering her being wrapped around my arm. "Not exactly. I think they're about power. More circulation—"
'—means more diffusion,' she finished for me.
"Exactly. And now we've got the third path. Spirit."
'So what does Spiritual Sense actually do?' she asked, her excitement blooming with a flicker of rainbow across her grass-band form.
"No idea," I said cheerfully.
She immediately dulled back to her usual blue. 'Ugh. Just read, please.'
I flipped to the section marked for Spiritual Sense. The instructions began right after the statement of purpose, and I eagerly skimmed the page only to stop, frowning.
'Nothing,' I sighed. The writer had either assumed this was common knowledge… or just didn't feel like explaining. There were no details on what Spiritual Sense actually was.
'Well, whatever. Doesn't matter, right? Let's just try it out!' Luna encouraged.
I still didn't know what lay beyond this stage, but I was convinced. The fusion of the three systems, energy, power, and spirit, was my ultimate goal.