“My name is Harvoth Mantleroot, brother of Root and son of Dezore and Esselor Mantleroot. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I said it as respectfully as possible, trying to convey a sense of power with my words. Clearly, Spore didn’t like me, so I wanted to present a strong presence to prevent her from immediately attacking.

“Hmm, Root is Mantleroot, yes? A properly stupid name for a stupid creature, one that can’t be touched and floats around talking too much. Well, it doesn’t matter either way. Once I defeat you, I will gain more power and finally be able to consume that annoying tick anyway.”

Root floated in the middle of us, facing me as he chimed in.

“She even tried to eat me when all that was left of her was a soul. It was like a baby rolling around!”

“I am NOT a baby, nor do I act like one!” Spore screeched at us as she tried to hit Root with her legs, unable to do so because of his soul body.

Her body was completely made out of fungus, but I could sense two kinds. Ghoul fungus was the colony and parts of her body, but the rest was a completely different kind. The spores from it floated upward, attached to extremely thin strands of webbing that swung around, trying to hit and attach to Root. Doba snatched some out of the air, and they clung to him. He gently picked them off and began placing them in the pit, prompting Spore to start yelling at him. They continued to argue, the soul of a troll, a mushroom spider, and a pit elemental, all somehow conversing.

“Now that I think about it, how are we all communicating? Is it because Root saved their souls and made them followers, that it doesn’t matter the language we speak out loud? It could also be that since Spore is partially made out of ghoul fungus, which I had some experience communicating with in my childhood, my Worldspeech counts her as such. If that’s the case, Doba can be communicated with since he’s made up of soil, fungi, and moss - all of which I can communicate with in a rudimentary way. It could also just be all of these things together or something entirely different.”

As I watched the actions of Root, Doba, and Spore and kept thinking to myself, I began moving the knowledge I was acquiring into my Soul Library. Pages of notes began to form in my mind, compiling all that I was learning. Expending some mana, I converted them into motes of knowledge mana, which began to be channeled into the back of my neck. During my time developing my abilities, I discovered what the scars on my body were for. They began to glow a pale white, very softly, only in the scarred outlines, and the mana channeled from my neck down to my shoulders, then to my arms and wrists, where the tips of the roots were. Unlike how a tree normally draws nutrients from the soil, the scarred roots on my arms were giving nutrients, knowledge, to the soil, my soul.

I had discovered something new when working on my innate abilities: my secondary Origin of Self had already been chosen during my coma. Originally, I had wished to specialize in the mind for at least my secondary choice, but now it would have to be my third. The tree scars on my arms showed that my body was my secondary specialization. I had guessed that the soul core was mimicking the Tree of Knowledge’s specializations, soul and then body, or that my mind couldn’t be altered due to the coma, so it chose the body to affect next; either way, it was frustrating. Discovering that almost pulled me mentally down into the soil, but I realized it didn’t stop me from using my mind and gathering knowledge in different ways. Instead, it helped inspire me to form one of my sub-abilities, Info Dump.

Info Dump allows me to use mana to send information into my Soul Library. The amount of mana required depends on how much information I want to store and where it comes from. Physical experiences, like fighting or farming, require less mana to store because of my body's specialization, and these can be stored almost automatically. When I directly use my soul to record something, it also works, but it carries greater risks because the soul is delicate.

To test Info Dump, I channeled mana into the ghoul fungi, which let me gather detailed data—such as efficiency, energy flow, visual, and texture information. Storing physical data used very little mana. However, moving knowledge from my thoughts or observations required more, since it had to be transferred from mind to body to soul. Especially with abstract information, the mana cost grew much higher. Even with the higher cost, I still could use my mental abilities, though their scope was limited by my energy.

The scars on my body served as a new natural function, engraved on me, allowing me to channel mana to empower them—a practice that aided the process. It was possible to empower my brain, as it was part of my body, but this was much harder since it belonged to the mind’s domain. That was risky: a wrong move could cause serious damage. I planned to attempt it eventually, but for now, it would have to wait, as even if I succeeded, it would not be as powerful as using a mind specialization.

When I transfer information using Info Dump, motes of knowledge mana flow from my mind through the scars, which act as channels, into my soul. This process causes the sapling inside to brighten and grow roots—each new fact is like a page in the Tree of Knowledge within me, expanding its rings. With Info Dump, I can access this stored information any time. Importantly, if I need to save information immediately but lack enough mana, Info Dump lets me deposit it temporarily, creating a 'mana debt.' I must repay this debt soon, or the knowledge will be lost within the Tree of Knowledge.

If I acquire a large amount of information but lack enough mana to store it immediately, I can use Info Dump to temporarily deposit it in my Soul Library. This creates a 'mana debt.' I must pay the mana cost within a set time, or the information is absorbed by the Tree of Knowledge and becomes inaccessible. The more valuable the knowledge, the higher the cost and the shorter the time I have to repay the debt—both increase with use.

Returning to the present as I finished my experiment, Spore had calmed and stopped chasing Root. Doba watched as new spores rooted, forming a small mycelium patch. Seeing this, I knew I had to address Spore's predicament, so I tried something else to catch multiple fish with one worm.

“Mistress Spore, you said that you were the final gatekeeper and protector of the grove, correct?”

She turned to me and pointed her head upwards in a haughty expression, answering me.

“Yes, I am. I make sure no unworthy forest dwellers make it into the sacred garden of the grove’s core. Though none are actually worthy…”

“So I would assume you would be best to show me the grove and its inner workings, or would Root be better?”

“I would be SO MUCH BETTER than that annoying wisp! He made it, and that is all good, but I actually understand it as I live in it. He just comes up from below and moves stuff around that shouldn’t be moved, giving me more work to do! Follow me, future servant, I will show you my kingdom that you will tend to by my discretion once I defeat you!”

She turned and made her way to the mossy tunnel leading upward. I winked at Root and walked on with Spore. Root smiled with his wispy face and glanced at Doba, who still stared at the new spores in the pit.

“Doba, do you want to come with us?”

“Mmmm…no.”

“Ok then, have fun!” Root said as he whisked himself along, floating beside me.

We followed Spore up a mossy, vine-choked tunnel that steepened until I had to climb. Luckily, I was used to it, having spent my childhood scaling jungle trees and cliffs. Even here, life teemed—the soft moss held countless creatures, vines crossed side to side, letting me swing upward like an emerald ape. At least, as I imagined, Grandpa had told me about them once. I had always wanted to see one.

Root had to simply float up, while Spore could climb very naturally; the hairy fungal ends of her eight legs allowed her to easily grip onto all manner of surfaces.

There were other branching pathways through the earth that probably led to other sections of the grove, and Spore led us along one of them. I assumed we would start at the center or outskirts of the grove, but I was fine with either one. I just wanted to see the sun.

After a few minutes of climbing, we reached the top, where a thick layer of moss blocked our path. Spore pushed a vine connected to an end of the cover and pulled it up, letting in a faint bit of light. I squinted as my vision adjusted, shifting from darkness lit by glowing plants and creatures to sunlight. Spore went through the gap, followed by Root, and I pushed the cover aside to fit through and surfaced.

My hands gripped the grass as I hauled myself up a vine, then rolled onto the ground. On my back, I stared up at the thick shrubs above, sunlight freckling through. I couldn’t photosynthesize, but sunlight mattered to Forest Trolls; even a little made us happier.

It seemed we were in a gigantic, thick bush that rose at least 100 feet, and as I looked to the sides, there was no end in sight. We were smack dab in the middle of a Curling Bush, one of the inventions of my people that surrounded our Sanctum to keep out any that wished to get inside. They were titanic in size, reaching hundreds to even a thousand feet tall, and would respond to those who planted it as they guided its growth with their mana over many years. All manner of traps and special plants could be placed inside, preventing anything unwanted from getting through. I could already see many here.

Needle Thorns, Grasping Grass, Tumble Vines, and Carnivorous Bulbs were some of the few plants I could see, all primed and ready for anything that would come by. I could even see, in the semi-translucent yellow belly of a Carnivorous Bulb, a large, partially digested gray squirrel. Many of these were other seeds from my village, but beyond that were things that seemed to be native to this area, and I could partially identify, at least generally.

With all the plants, it wasn’t just a boring green expanse, but a gorgeous work of nature and farming. The native plants, like flowers in light purples, blues, reds, and pinks, were scattered all around. Small berries dot the branches of the Curling Bush, decorating them, while lichen fills in the gaps. On the ground were pits of stone, gravel, moss, and mushrooms, all seemingly native to this area but working very well with everything else. It could be improved, but so far it's been great.

Off to my side was Spore, who was waiting for me, tapping her front right leg as she waited…patiently…and Root floating off to the side. Rolling to my knees and propping myself up, making sure not to hit anything, I looked to Root for him to explain. He looked at me and smiled, taking the cue to speak.

“This is a small Curling Bush I used to make the dividing parts of each section of the grove. This one we’re in now is one of the inaccessible areas that the “guests” can’t enter without being attacked. We’re close to the center where the garden is, so we can show you that, and then we have Spore’s main domain, which she always tries to expand when I’m not looking.”

“That’s because we would do so much better if I could cover more ground!”

“You’re already having trouble maintaining what you have now, yet you still want more. You’re only at Peak Gathering rank, which is great, but just barely enough to cover the area you have. Once you reach Formation rank, we can talk more about it.”

“Fine.” She said sulkingly.

It was funny seeing her be so obedient when it came to this, even after talking so much shit. Root turned to me, concern on his face.

“Harvoth, the garden at the center is where the main attraction for creatures to come to the grove in the first place. One of the followers, Sifter, works there and has been maintaining it for the past 5 years. He’s good, but we do need your help with structuring and expanding it further. We’re reaching a point where soon we won’t have more to offer as the creatures are getting stronger. While I have your memories, I don’t have the exact experience you do. Could you help me expand it after I show you around the grove?”

I smiled at Root, my heart warming with his request and my blood pumping with the idea of working on a project like this for the first time in a long time. For five years, I had run from my home, never staying in one place for too long. In that time, the urge to create something permanent and grand had never left me, especially a home. This was finally that chance.

“Of course, brother, I would love to. Show me the way.”

If you’re enjoying, please follow, it helps the story reach more people. Thanks for reading!