Did you ever fall off a cliff in a dream, and moments before you hit the ground, you suddenly awake? Probably. Have you ever died in a dream and then leaped up out of bed afterwards? Maybe. 

But what happened if you didn't awake right after? I can tell 'cause dying in our dreams was never the end, only the start of a painful loop. 

As one of many dreams where we started in the utility room of our house. The way into the house's interior was blocked, but the door which led outside wasn't. Since my childhood, I have dreaded this door. Sure, if you wanted to go into the house from that side door, it looked like the gateway to another world. Its dark green color, the ivy that almost completely enclosed it, the doorknob that looked old but gleamed, and the stones in front that suggested fantastical things. It was as if this door didn't belong there at all.

All facade. The room was damp and hot, ugly and gray. It always felt void in color and any happiness. It was the place in which our father would always lock us in if we didn't listen to him or were in the way...

Being there in our dreams was horrible, but at least the green door was open. Yet, when we left and went outside, something waited for us. This creature looked somewhat like the two-headed catchable bird from this old game we played on a certain gray-colored brick-shaped electronic device. It was just standing there, ogling us like some deviant. Suddenly it rushed to us, and before we had a chance to react, its beaks dug into our flesh. It ripped out parts, organs, eyes. It hurt so much. We died seconds after. 

When we woke up, we were back in the room. And when we went outside, the bird waited for me again. We didn't know how often we died. At one point, we simply stopped counting. But every time we died, we—like in a game—respawned back into the dreaded place. We tried not to leave the room, but the dream didn't stop, no matter how long we waited inside. So we had no other choice but to go outside and defeat the creature.  

When we were back in the real world, we wanted to die. The pain we felt in the dream felt so real. Our whole body was hurting. So we screamed, so loud a kid could scream. But when our father came in, he slapped me 'till we stopped crying. There was no love, no affection that we could've received to ease our pain. 

We learned a valuable lesson in that dream—enduring pain. And like we endured the pain, we suppressed our emotions so we wouldn't easily get hurt anymore. 

But why do I think of this now? Maybe because I realized that those dreams prepared me for this? Was everything just some weird-ass plan of Mother's all along? Or am I just trying to endure what was happing to me again? I couldn't tell. Maybe it was also because I still had the flickering hope that this was only a mere dream. 

But I could only shake my head at this thought. What kind of dream would let me realize that I wasn't human or the person I always believed to be in the memories. Was 'he' even real in the first place or just a fabricated self in a fabricated world? Was the world I lived in only a mirage created by my sickened mind? A place to flee because I was a mindless seed dreaming for more since the beginning? 

I... I can't eve— what is this new feeling? My void feels... warm? Something moved me, but I'm still in the same place. What is happening?

[What a shame Congratulations! You successfully evolved into 'True Weeping Willow Seed']

[Your 'Status Sheet' got updated.]  

 

---

 

Hidden deep inside a cave, cracking noises could be heard. They belonged to a big violet stone-layered egg. After a while, the cracks were big enough for the first tiny egg shell to fall on the mossy ground. The shedding shells became bigger and bigger until a tiny, scaly snout broke out of its membrane. 

A heartbreaking squeal filled the cave—the newborn was stuck. It tried to free itself with its tiny claws but to no avail. The cry became louder and louder, but the cave was empty. 

It kicked with its still trapped legs, trying to push forward, yet it didn't move an inch. However—unbeknownst to the lizard-like baby—the egg began to sway back and forth. Would it have stopped moving, it might have been stuck forever, but the small creature struggled relentlessly.

With a 'wush' and a loud bang, the egg fell from its ancient pedestal it was once carefully placed on and landed on the mossy cavestone. The shell burst, and the newborn was finally free.   

It rose with shaky legs, goo dripping from the whole body. It slowly looked at itself and examined its body. 

The long tail whipped wildly from side to side. It put one leg in front of the other and tried to move forward. Keeping its balance was difficult, but the tail and the undeveloped wings on its back helped the dark purplish newborn keep its footing. 

A stomach growl echoed through the cave—it was hungry. Then it smelled a delicious aroma. It looked around at the new surroundings, not knowing what was what. Finally, it decided to follow the smell.

 

---

 

Iva was feeling strange. Her void changed its form, which caused her to have unbelievable orientation difficulties. She didn't know anymore where up and down were. 

But this wasn't the only problem. She was feeling weirdly hot at one place and cold at another. A part of her body moved without her wanting it whilst another stood firm as a rock. It weirded Iva out, and she was scared of not knowing what had happened to her. 

Everything was overwhelming to Iva, so she decided to start where she always had the most answers ready—her status.

 

Name: Iva White
Race: True Weeping Willow Seed[♀]
Age: 127 days 
Race Level: 1/40 

Components [State – Shoot]:
Root System – lvl 1

Available Roots: 0 → [2]
Available Branch Augmentations 0 → [3]/??? [Shoot Form]
Remaining Enhancements Points: [Locked]

Active: Domination Root (small) – lvl 3 → [4]
  [...]
- Active: Free Slot [Root available]
  [...]
- Passive: Mana Root (small) – lvl 4 → [5]
 - Branch Augmentations: [Mana Perception – lvl 1 → [3]]
         - Branch enhancements [Locked]
- Passive: Free Slot [Root available]
  [...]

Seed Body – lvl 1 [2]
- Active: Mana Shock – lvl 3
- Active: Overgrowth – lvl 2
- Passive: Manary – lvl 3 → [4]
- Passive: Free Slot 

[Stalk – lvl 1] 
- Active: Free Slot 
- Active: Free Slot   
- Passive: Free Slot  
- Passive: Free Slot 

[Leaf – lvl 1] 
- Active: Free Slot  
- Active: Free Slot 
- Passive: Free Slot  
- Passive: Free Slot 

Race Skills:
- Absorption – lvl 3 → [4]
- Auto-Growth – lvl 2
- [Conduction – lvl 1]
- [Photosynthesis – lvl 1]

General Skills: 
- Acting – lvl 1 

Hidden Skills: None

Wooden Consciousness – lvl Max.

??? [Locked]

Titles: None

Curses: None

Blessings: None

Stats:
Remaining points: [52]

Vitality: [10]
Endurance: [15]
Strength: [4]
Dexterity: [4]
Flexibility: [Locked as seed] → [2]
Flexibility Roots: [20]
Intelligence: [15]
Wisdom: [20]
Growth: [-2] → [-10] 
Root Growth: [10]
Root Spreadability Range: [8]

Health: 23 → [70]
Energy reserves: 200 → [340] 
Mana: 24 → [72] 
Mana-Regen: 3/24h →[5]

 

Iva was dumbfounded. Nearly two months passed since her evolution, and even if the race still said 'seed', she was already in the state of a shoot. She had no idea how this would affect her further development. And speaking of 'development', her growth was now much slower than it had been before. 

Was this what the description meant by "might be harder to nurture further"?! Excels in growth, my ass. It didn't mean that kind of growth at all, commented Iva angrily. 

She was somewhat happy that her roots leveled up, but she was also unsure what to think about her new additions. 

Stalk and leaf. Well, I think I found out why I feel so weird. The sun is shining on me, so I feel warmer (didn't know plants could feel that), and of course, the wind moves me. Yet, something's strange. Should I feel the wind on the ground in a forest? No, or? Does this mean I'm on a glade or something? In a garden?!

Iva panicked. Now that a part of her body was outside the soil, she felt much more insecure. How was she supposed the protect herself in such an open place from a deer or something similar? 

No, no, no, no, panicked Iva. Was that what the System meant? Was this save-looking evolution just another trap to get finally rid of her?

Think Iva, think! 

Promptly she remembered what she totally had forgotten to do—using her 'Mana Perception'.

No sooner said than done, Iva was already inspecting her nearer surroundings. Thanks to the level-ups of the augmentation, she was now able to perceive a radius of 150cm. 

But unlike Iva had feared, the rank growth around her indicated that she was at least on a meadow. She couldn't tell if it was a glade or not, but a meadow was a good start. And the untouched plants around her showed at least no to little wildlife activity. If there was some, it was probably only rabbits or field mice.   

Now that Iva had calmed down, she focused back on her status. The 'Manary' had also leveled up, and she even gained two new race skills. 

Typical plant stuff, huh? And here, I'd hoped for some fantastical extras. What a letdown, period!  

She was about to look back on the sheet when she reminded herself that if 'Manary' got higher, it would most likely also mean that Orbinia also got bigger. 

Without further notice, she hurriedly moved herself in her mind to the place where her beloved friend was supposed to be. 

Whoa! Let Iva out a surprised thought. My lovely Orbinia. Look. At. You! Just how could you even get more gorgeous than before? You're now so big and shiny, and the energy inside you looks so overwhelming. 

What? No, no, you are way more beautiful than me! I'm just a shoot now, but you, goddess. Oh? Thank you! Yes, I know, a meadow. But I think we might be lucky here, even if the System totally bullshitted us. We could've taken another evolution! Hey, why are you calling me stupid now? Mhm, we still could be in an unkempt garden? Well, I guess? You are just too smart for me, Orbinia. 

Even if the evolution brought Iva many new possibilities and paths, it still failed miserably to ease her mind and heal it. Iva couldn't remember, but she wasn't sleeping the entire two months. Yes, the monologue of her dreams happened, but only right before she awoke. The other times she was awake, Iva was... mad. 

The void was like her soul, her self, her mind. When it stretched and formed like this, it hurt her—badly. 

Iva was and is on the brink of utter insanity. At one point, she ought to roam around and collect the pieces she threw away deep inside the hollow oblivion called her void. Otherwise, Diamond, Emerald, and Gold could arouse. 

Yet, the once white thread was oblivious to the problems of her inner self. And sadly, Orbinia wouldn't be any help because, well, she had no consciousness.  

But like the maniacal seed she was, Iva turned her attention back to the status sheet. There were still things she had to check.

My health and mana nearly tripled, my Energy reserves got really boosted, and my Regen also went up by two. Not bad, not bad. Also, I have new available roots and three augmentation points; hell yeah!  

Iva pondered for a moment, I'm asking myself right now why I didn't sense any ants around me, even with the higher perception. I hope nothing bad happens. Nah, I doubt it. Anyway, let's take another look at those augmentations. Maybe I can choose something nice for the 'Domination Root'! 

 

---

 

The ant queen was listening to the newest reports of her scouts. Warm and cold changed often, but the root that supposedly attacked her subjects still didn't do anything. 

She didn't doubt the words of her loyal soldiers, but something was weird about the whole situation. Never before had she heard about a root that would attack ants. Her mother—the grand queen of the eastern forest—told many stories of countless horrible creatures, but there had never been such a creature in her tellings. 

And yet, it suddenly stopped moving. Well, grew bigger, like any root would do, but it became dormant. Had it simply protected itself? Or did it murder her kind with reason? Could it even think?! The queen was restless. If a being out of roots could think, maybe it could communicate. But it was risky to send some of the weaver ants up there. The surface dwellers could find them. 

No, she decided to wait. The root monster wasn't a threat to her future kingdom. And perhaps its presence would also distract those two-legged fiends. 

Yes, she would wait. Her evolution was only a few levels away; then, she wouldn't need to fear anything anymore.