It took me two whole days to finish the trek around the grove, including eating, converting more bees, and resting. I had seen more examples of prey being attacked by predators of varying strength, and I realized I needed to better prepare myself. I grabbed some vines, seeds, and various other plants I could grow and manipulate, but that wasn’t enough. I had been viewing myself as better than the creatures of the forest, and while it was true I was stronger than anything I had seen in the forest so far, it wouldn’t necessarily hold true forever. With invasive species entering the area, the risk of attack was higher, and even if it was just Gathering rank beings, enough of them could tire me out, resulting in injuries. I needed a weapon.

I, of course, could always manipulate the vegetation around the forest to assist me, but I also wanted an option besides that. Luckily, my family had taught me to use one extensively in my youth, and I had gotten actual experience after leaving the village, there were even times I was close to losing my life. Still, I would never claim to be an expert, as others in my village and family had honed skills with various weapons over many years.

Even some villagers who weren’t proficient in strengthening their Origins of Self were much better than I was. They were extremely hardworking and dedicated to training as guards of the Sanctum; additionally, they were assisted by the saturated environment of our village, which gave them greater strength within. I was lucky enough to get a few chances to train with them under the command of Falldren Mosscry, a once-powerful Forest Troll who had gotten injured and lost his ability to gather mana, but retained their experience in fighting. He’s a true master. Besides my grandfather and a few other elders, I was most confident that he would still be alive.

During my hike halfway through the second day, I found what I was looking for: a large ash tree surrounded by a few smaller ones. It was full of mana that was condensed and resilient, with branches that were the perfect size for what I wanted. I examined a few branches from the ground and found that some would work. There was no need to chop down the wood, so I began speaking with the tree using my Worldspeech as I placed a hand against the trunk.

“Hello, Tree of Ash. May I make a trade with you for a branch?”

As I spoke, I projected my thoughts and feelings through my hand into the tree. I showed it how I planned to take it off and the mana I intended to give it in return. I waited for a few moments before the tree began to shift very minutely. In doing so, the leaves rustled back and forth as they communicated back to me.

Thoughts filled my head of rough winters and a slow loss of life over countless years. The beginning of its life fades away, making way for something new. Then a mote of mana woke them up, and the awareness they had left was used to communicate with other trees to share the tiny bit of energy. It continued to arrive, mana that tasted of vast jungles and hardship, life and death. The fading slowed and then stopped; growth took over with a new affinity gained. A troll reached out a hand to ask for a trade, when it was already owed a gift for their kindness.

As I felt the thoughts stop, I sensed one of the branches I had looked at beginning to change. It began to straighten itself, ridding itself of any imperfections or knots as it was infused with mana. It became denser as it reached a concentration that equaled Mid Gathering rank, then detaching from the tree, falling down to my open hand. I caught it, holding the light gray, perfectly straight, seven-foot-long stick that was exactly what I needed. Very faintly, I got a sense of an affinity based on nature and healing, but ultimately different. Based on the tree's thoughts and words, it is coming back to life after being close to death. I found that the word "renewal" best suited it.

“A renewal affinity, huh.”

It was something that I had just gained some experience with, similar to my knowledge affinity. An affinity that was born from a unique experience that didn’t neatly fit into other categories, more of a bridge between two or something else entirely. Of course, it didn’t mean it was bad; it just meant there wasn't much information or guidance on how to improve it. Luckily, I had that covered, so I could learn about it over time. I just needed one other piece to complete this weapon, and I already had it.

“Thank you, friend,” I said to the Ash tree, with my hand still on it.

A simple thought was sent back to me. A bird prunes parasitic bugs from its trunk and the tree, making sure its young are safe when it is gone. A simple way of reciprocating help.

Smiling to myself, I lifted my hand from the tree and made my way back into the grove, deep underground, where Root had told me he had stored my parents’ and my own belongings. Reaching there was quite easy as I could easily communicate with the life within the grove, and it directed me where I needed to go, into one of the tunnels and to a specific spot right near the slumber shell where I had spent the last seven years. It was all placed inside a ball of roots that curled into a protective shell. As I gazed at it from the outside, I took a deep breath and steadied my emotions, waving my hand as my mana signature was recognized and it opened.

Inside were a few items I instantly recognized. A tied, thin rope with all manner of rings and jewelry that were strung up, all pieces made by my father for himself, my mother, and me. They were beautiful pieces of metal and gemstones, made into simple bands with little decoration, and the fact that they could be so perfect when unnaturally stretched was the most impressive thing.

I untied the string and took a single onyx ring that had been my mother's and a ruby ring that had been my father's. They had no special enchantments right now other than to be tougher than normal, and the jewelry that did have those properties long since been used up as the mana had run dry. Due to their unique nature and because my father made them through his connection to the earth, they could only be charged by him. It was something he had been trying to fix, but the ones he had made capable of doing so broke down very quickly, leaving none. I didn’t take the rings for a magical effect, but to remind myself of what I was fighting for. I slid the onyx one on my right hand and the ruby one on my left, taking up both my ring fingers.

From there, I went on to take a large satchel that was my mother’s, capable of storing a lot of items, far more than it looked like it could. It was dark brown, with gray steel buttons and clasps on its side, allowing for multiple pockets to store items. The limitation was that what was stored had to be biological, such as the dandelions I picked up earlier, which I placed inside. It could also keep things alive within, but only for a few painful hours, as it had limited oxygen.

Inside, there were a bunch of dormant seeds from the village that could be activated by infusing them with mana. This was where Root had gotten the seeds for the Curling Wall and Slumber Shell he modified. There were different glass containers full of seeds inside the bag, each holding many of each plant, so I just took some in the satchel and left the rest behind, just in case.

I then went over to my corner, as what was left from everyone else was mostly in tatters, and I was afraid that if I took it, it would just fall apart. In my area, I decided to take a few items, mostly clothes. Up until now, I had just been wearing shorts made from self-repairing and self-cleaning plant fibers with bark for toughness. I needed something better to protect myself from injuries to my chest, legs, and feet. I picked up a dark leather tunic and pants, well-made by my mother and enchanted like my shorts to grow larger to fit me. I put it on alongside some closed-toe boots of a similar color and a light brown belt with metal rings to hold whatever I needed. The materials came from an onyx panther used for the leather made by my mother and the metal parts shaped by my father.

I was never one for fashion, so my parents filled in for me. My olive-green skin went well with the predominantly dark leather, a light-brown belt, and gray steel rings and buckles, all of which completed the outfit. There was just one more thing.

In the corner was a moss blanket neatly folded, with an object poking out. I reached over and unwrapped it, unveiling the spearhead my father had made for me. It was a magnificent leaf-shaped blade with a thin, sharp tip and a winged base to prevent the spear from going in too deeply when stabbed. This was the primary weapon I had learned before my slumber and was only a spearhead now, as the previous shaft had shattered in the battle that caused my horrible injuries before. A sense of regret washed through my body, as while I knew I couldn’t have avoided the danger any better than I had tried to, it still happened because of me. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts and memories, continuing to look over the metal.

The spearhead gleamed like steel, though it was actually made from a steelroot tree from the mountains to the south we had to traverse over. The trees were known for their durability as they were a combination of both metal and wood. Luckily, my father could still manipulate it, and my mother reinforced its affinity.

It had the endurance affinity and would be a perfect fit for the spear shaft. I took the two and connected them, already a perfect fit, then used my mana to have the wood grow thicker so they would never come undone. It was an all-gray spear with only the faint shades of brown of the ash wood. Normally, the spear would be polished, but I had found that keeping the bark on allowed me to imbue mana into it more easily, and my grip didn’t suffer at all.

“I think I’ll call this weapon…The Spear of Renewal. It’ll help me endure hard times and renew my spirits as I go forward… a bit cringe, but whatever. I like it.”

I smiled to myself as I raised the spear, taking in the sight for the next few moments. There was something satisfying about allowing myself to indulge in a bit of my childhood desires, like having a spear of my own with the idea of protecting the Sanctum from those who wished to stop it. My smile continued as I spun the spear shaft in my hand, still pointing up, then brought it down to the ground, the bottom knocking against the packed earth in a satisfying thud.

“Alright. Let’s get back up, buddy.”

With that, I left the room, sealing back up the root-wrapped storage sphere, gathering some more resources from across the grove into my satchel, and then heading back up to the surface. I planned to complete the journey around the grove and then check back in with the nests I had already gone to, to make sure they were all good. After that, I would hope Root would finally wake up and start making some other changes.

I finished my full lap at the end of day two, finding a total of seven hives over about thirty miles of walking. During that time in between, I practiced using my innate mana and Soul Library to find the best ways to use my resources. I found that my knowledge affinity had some unique applications that were now just beginning to be uncovered, but I’d still need to practice more to become proficient. At least I now had a few tricks ready in my satchel to use.

For dinner, I found a flock of wild chickens and speared one to eat. I gutted, defeathered, and removed the backbone to lay the chicken out evenly. I roasted it over an open fire with yarrow leaves and thyme I had found, then stored it in my satchel, adding salt. Root had found a good amount in some underground springs and had gone through the trouble of processing some for when I woke up. It had some impurities, but I was happy with it at this point.

I finished up dinner, storing what I didn’t eat in the satchel as it would stay preserved, threw the remaining food scraps far away for animals to eat at, put out the fire completely, went back to the grove just a few minutes' walk away, and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed and made sure to meditate in the grove for a while to convert more energy into my innate mana. I was about ninety-five percent full now, which was enough for now. I then started making my way to the first hive I had found, the one that was located within the oak tree.

I was significantly faster than the days before, as my body was now warmed up and I had already traversed the area, becoming familiar with it. Studying nature to navigate the wild was a core skill I had learned growing up, and I used it quite often, so I was good at it.

As I got closer, I began to hear a strange noise from the direction of the hive, and I sped up my steps, breaking into a sprint. I arrived at the area from which the noises came and stopped myself, tightening my hand on my spear at the sight of what was ahead.

Large, rabbit-sized Hive Beetles were swarming around the hive, attempting to eat at the nest while the rest of the honeybees flew around, desperate to stop them. The mana within the swarm was Late Gathering rank, and it flowed like a rotten tree with poisoned fruit. Wood and Poison affinity. It was obvious this was one of the many invasive species entering the forest, and I knew I had to cull them to maintain balance. After observing for a few moments, I had a plan in mind, and I reached into the satchel to begin.

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