The wind is calm.

The air is quiet.

The trees are healthy.

The sun is warm.

A barrage of separate thoughts. Idle and carefree, they swirled aimlessly. They might have been a single shared thought once. Maybe they were always separate. They shared their simple ideas as they had them. No one would judge them, not before and certainly not now.

The ground is shaking.

The air is noisy.

The idle thoughts gathered around.

I am the light. I am the dark. I am the grey.

I am the provider. I am the protector. I am the caretaker.

Words on the wind.

A gentle voice.

It calls to us.

The air is growing heavy.

A genuine caretaker.

I'm getting pulled in.

Do not fear.

The swirling thoughts had fallen under the spell. They were drawn to the dweomer like moths to a flame.

Such comfortable mana.

Very comfortable indeed.

Is this our calling?

Vivian felt their presence: curiosity and intrigue emanated from the dweomer. The presences were unexpected. She wore a momentary look of confusion.

It is fine. The leaves rustled. Continue.

Vivian blanked, the rest of the incantation forgotten, she improvised the rest.

I seek the green. I seek the life. I offer this fertile land. I beseech thee, make this land your own and make yourself at home.

The dweomer swirled subtly, a multitude of idle thoughts drawn toward it. Vivian touched the dweomer, she felt a soft and gentle life emanating from within, even as it drained additional mana from her pool. A spirit formed within the dweomer, a newborn. She pushed the mana into the ground.

I see. Yes. She has a need. I am the response to that need; she gave me life. I have a purpose. I scanned my surroundings. There. That will be suitable.

I pushed my ethereal body surrounded by the dweomer down through the ground, latching on to an ancient and long-dormant root. An easy effort, my body slipped into the root as I willed. I closed my senses as my body expanded to the shape of the root. That task complete, I moved my limbs. I felt the long preserved sap breaking free of its dormant state, and start coursing within this solid body.

An ache burned in the back of my mind. I stretched my senses out, the root that had become my body responded in kind, moving to my whim. The root expanded, pushing out in all directions in a burst of growth. The ground separated out of the way, making room for my expanding body. I encountered countless plants long lost to the cycle of life. As I touched them, they became a part of me. A pleasant sensation washed over my mind as new information had become available. More. Give me more!

I expanded out until I hit an invisible wall that I could not push beyond no matter how hard I tried. This must be the end of the 'fertile land' I was promised. No matter, this is more than enough for me.

Such an amazing body. It's wonderful to be alive. My head poked through the ground's surface, I reached for the sun as I felt its warmth hit me. So many sensations, so many wonders to experience.

From my high vantage point, I looked down upon the eight beings below. They were talking amongst themselves, and I mostly ignored them as I took in the warmth of the sunlight. It was only when she spoke, did I give them my attention.

"The caretaker welcomes you. Please enjoy your stay," she curtsied like royalty before me.

Okay, let's see... can I? Oh! My body leaned over and my right arm or was it my left... anyway my branch crossed over my trunk and I did my best to bow equally gracefully in response. I think I failed though. I'll practice when no one is looking. I need something to distract from that terrible display I just did though...

I sent my roots throughout the city, connecting to every bit of plant life I could find. I sent my vitality through all the weak plants, strengthening them and reinforcing the buildings that looked ready to collapse. I flexed a muscle and some of the buildings crumbled. Ah, damn I hope she doesn't punish me for that... I know! Another distraction.

I pushed more of my vitality through the ground, sending wild grasses into rapid growth. As I observed the changes I'd made to the city I thought to myself. I certainly feel at home now.

Caretaker looks ready to collapse. Let's see what can I do for her... Branches are a little too hard to be cushioning, grasses are too frail... I wracked my memory for all the plants I'd encountered underground and the perfect one entered my mind's eye.

I reached out with my arms, sending my branches towards Caretaker before they reached her, I morphed my fingers from branches into vines and gently caught her in a makeshift chair as her legs gave out.

"I need to rest a bit, that was slightly more draining than I was counting on," Caretaker stated as she sat in the chair. Whether she was talking to me or not was irrelevant, the fact was she needed rest and I could provide. I moved her into the heart of my body, preparing the softest resting area I could make.

"Please, take care of them for my sake." Caretaker said with lidded eyes as I set about preparing for her rest. Up until then, I had a very narrow-minded view. My focus expanded beyond the Caretaker, I opened up my senses to include those in the city. I watched the phoenix approaching me with some animal in her wings. I provided her with a table to work on. The others were chatting amongst themselves, mostly concerning me. It felt awkward but nice to be a topic of conversation. My primary task complete, I laid the caretaker on the bed I prepared and covered her in a blanket.

I felt the eyes of the phoenix on me from time to time as she was working before she finally spoke, inquiring about me. How good that felt! My presence acknowledged by more than Caretaker. But how to communicate back? They all have moving bits for making sounds. All my plant knowledge is rather disheartening. Wait, a minute.

I started thinking about what I wanted to say, and I laced my thoughts with a heavy intent on being heard. My leaves rustled. Oh!

After the short exchange, the phoenix confirmed just how special I was and Caretaker's status elevated several magnitudes in my mind. A moment of silence passed as I watched over the Caretaker. Outside, the tiniest grey skin approached the phoenix. She showed a genuine interest in me, asking the phoenix things only I could answer. What a sweet child!

The way she lost all her sparkle when she found out I didn't have a name... I just couldn't contain myself, I had to bring that joy back. I picked her up in a vine and sent her flying through the air to catch her gently in another. It was only after that, the rest of the grey skins approached me. It's nice to be accepted. I sensed some reservations in them toward Caretaker though... is that caution or?

I distracted my thoughts by grabbing the phoenix and tossing her around like the grey skins. I had noticed how she was struggling with what she was doing. I had grasped the general goal and completed the task for her.

I watched the caretaker sleep peacefully for a day. I had thought initially that there would be some concern for her wellbeing from the others. Other than the phoenix who asked three times to see her, and the little one who seemed to ask every hour, none of the others bothered about her at all. Disappointing.

Halfway through the next day, I summoned the phoenix. The caretaker had started leaking a red fluid and sounded pained in her sleep. I was shocked when the phoenix rounded up two others and brought them to see Caretaker.

"She's in pain..." Lulu stated, "Molli, isn't there anything we can give her?"

"Dragon leaf should be safe for the baby." Molli suggested, "Can you give her just enough she sleeps peacefully till this is over?"

"And I'll need some rasp..." Molli shrieked at what passed through her eyes, "Nevermind, she won't survive the birth at this rate. The baby is too big."

I shouted at them. The gentle rustling of leaves didn't properly convey my feelings on the matter. I filled every available surface with raspberries.

Caretaker in danger

Caretaker linked skill [Nature's Blessing] requesting activation

Activate?

Why had that presented an option instead of just activating? I activated the skill immediately, fueling the skill from my mana pool. The grey color returned to her face. I wrapped a vine around her leg and after pricking her with a thorn, I injected her body with the Dragon Leaf toxin. Forcing her into a deep sleep.

"I don't know what miracle you've set into motion, but don't stop!" Molli exclaimed as she and Lulu went to work.

What an ordeal that was too. Half a day passed as Lulu, Molli and Isa did everything in their power to safely bring the child into the world. I was just glad my mana didn't run out until after the young boy was born. A feeling of fulfillment washed over me, as though the main purpose of my existence was behind me. Even so, I was happy to be needed. But what do I do now? Especially since I'm far behind in this mutually beneficial agreement.

Caretaker slept peacefully for four days after that. Not that she had much choice. I kept adding more Dragon leaf to her system ensuring her body had due time to properly recover. After Molli's reaction, I'm pretty sure her body wasn't meant to split open like that...

Fortunately, there wasn't much going on during those four days. I had dedicated some of my senses to watch over Caretaker's son. The little one took a liking to him immediately, pulling him into everything she did. He tried to resist at first. It didn't take long before he caved to her cuteness. The older boy seemed okay with it at first, but by the end of the third day, there was some resent in his eyes. The little one was blindly oblivious in a rather cute way I had to admit.

"Let's play housh again tomorrow," her voice sparkled, "I'm playing 'Big Shish' again."

"You're the 'Big Sis' all the time, even when we're not playing house." Evan complained as he looked over the caretaker's son, "Again means you stopped at some point."

"I'm not the 'Big Shish' when I'm ashleep." she waggled her finger as though that was an obvious fact, "Let'sh go eat! Gotta make sure Lil bro eatsh all hish vegtablesh!"

She dragged the boy away, his protests fell on deaf ears until he gave in and followed as she pulled him along. I turned my vision over to the older boy. He was sulking in defeat. I pushed a vine through the ground and gave his shoulder a nudge. He gave me a dissatisfied look but in the end my encouragement did the trick, he ran after them. But maybe that wasn't the best idea I'd had...

I felt the older boy rise in temperature when he witnessed the little girl feeding Caretaker's son. "I'm SURE he can handle eating by himself."

In my defense... from my perspective, I found it cute. Caretaker's son just shrugged; it was true, he was capable of eating on his own. But after three days of her antics, he'd learned he just couldn't refuse her; she used her cuteness to wrap everyone around her finger. Yet, it wasn't working on the older boy in this case. The spell she weaved over him had broken; if it even worked in the first place. All that remained was envy and jealousy.

Caretaker slowly stirred for the first time since she entered labor. The little phoenix had insisted on being present when she woke. To achieve that, she'd been camping out in a vine chair I provided, her head propped on a wing as she waited. We chatted; it wasn't energetic, but it wasn't idle either. I had many things I didn't know about this Caretaker. And I asked everything I could think of. The phoenix didn't have all the answers though, and those she had only raised more questions.

My heart ached for Caretaker, or Vivian as the phoenix addressed her. I felt a strange power from the name itself. It was uncanny. I also learned, she dislikes being referred to as anything but her name. Is this that power at work within her? "Vivian." I sampled the name with reverence, it rolled smoothly through my leaves. All of my leaves. Every leaf throughout the city, every leaf in my territory, every blade of grass. I'd focused slightly too hard. The city came to life momentarily as that strange power I felt prior crashed through me.

Then it was gone. I was left behind in shocked awe. She stirred. She lifted herself slowly, groggily into a sitting position. The phoenix seemed to calm her before she entered a panic. A simple request, she asked for some light. I slowly opened my heart to the sky, light washed over me, entered the depths of my core, and bathed the two in gentle warmth.

She touched me! Oh, what a marvelous feeling that washed through me from that simple act. That confirmed for me, she was far more than the simple being she appeared to be. Following the touch, she graced me with a name! Anya. I repeated to myself. My entire being had been rocked from the ends of my leaves to the depths of my core. That was also when the new feeling hit me. The gravity of my situation. The debt I had incurred when she brought me into existence. I felt my heart sinking into a deep abyss. Shackles of debt I could never repay. I will do everything I can.

A happy introduction between parent and child. That's what I was expecting... until Vivian fainted. I caught her gently, and let her rest in a vine chair. I sensed some trepidation from her son. To ease his worry, I expanded the chair into a bench. I was grateful for the additional encouragement from Emily and Isa. Given everything I'd seen, I still wasn't prepared for what happened next. She named him in her unconscious state!

Vivian stated his name with so much affection. Love. Care. Devotion. She named him after her people. She named him Jaden of the Jadendajuda. A protector. A savior. A hero. But even higher above all that, her son. Fate disentangled itself from around the two of them as their futures became filled with uncertainty. Everyone else, perhaps even the phoenix, was blissfully unaware of the changes taking place; but I felt it. I too had an uncertain future waiting for me. But I knew this: I'd face it head-on. I owed Caretaker that much at the very least.

Is that what it feels like to have your life pass before your eyes? I asked as I watched the City Destroyer's huge paw come rushing toward my heart. The tree wall I made in desperation easily crushed a moment before.

"So Anya on her own is actually... quite weak." Bayne said to himself, "But, she can make the buildings so much stronger?"

Genius! Why didn't I think of that? I berated myself. I hastily responded to his half-hearted comment as I did everything I could to raise a reinforced wall around me. I wouldn't complete it in time, but I hoped it would at least partially protect my soft heart. I was so concerned about myself and this wall, that I failed to notice. Vivian had returned. A soft grey light flickered, drawing my attention. She collided with the beast's paw. The beast toppled, a miracle in itself. Vivian was sent flying toward one of my buildings. I hastily softened the wall as much as I could as I continued to fortify my heart.

I'll admit. Vivian looked quite comical stuck in the wall as she struggled to get out. It wasn't the time to dwell on that though and I made sure she was back on her feet. I passed a new staff to her, the new material inspired partially by Bayne's comment.

I watched Vivian launch herself for my sake at the City Destroyer. Their brief exchange left me worried as I worked on finalizing my new barrier. I watched as Caretaker stood directly against an adversary well beyond her means. Foolhardy, yes; and if not for the difference in status, Vivian was indeed an immovable rock.

I blanked and froze when the staff I gave her pierced into the beast instead of propping against it, holding the paw back was the outcome I was waiting for. The paw landed heavily upon her.

Caretaker death imminent

Caretaker linked skill [Nature's Blessing] requesting activation

Status beyond current capability to fully heal

Activate?

My time resumed. I spent everything. Everything down to and including the very last drop of my mana pool. I waited in silence for a miracle. Vivian coughed blood. I took a breath.

Caretaker passed requirement for additional boon Choose:

[Guardian Spirit] [Force of Nature] [Nature's Reckoning]

She's alive! In my reverie, I selected [Guardian Spirit]. I didn't have much to go on, but that one sounded best suited to her current dilemma. My celebration was cut short; the beast was about to step on her a second time. Is this where her fire is snuffed out? Despair ripped through me, I couldn't put anything around her in time to stop that inevitable contact.

My time froze again. A bright grey ball of light traversed the air. From the edge of the city to Vivian's side so fast I couldn't track it if not for how bright it was.

It was... Gentle and sad. Yet full of rage. That all lasted but a moment before it asked me to take care of 'Mother'. I see. Jaden harbors powers I can't even begin to fathom; not that I've witnessed very many in my short time here...

Jaden simply punched the beast sending it clear out of the city proper. I winced as the huge body landed in the forest, destroying my trees. I quickly negotiated with Jaden over the devastation and pain he unintentionally caused me. I'm glad he was agreeable.

I waited in anticipation. Emotion surged through me. This beast assaulted me, my territory. My Caretaker. I sensed the beast coming back into the city, the heart of my territory. He was fast approaching, a testament to Jaden's strength. I prepared a warm welcome, shifting buildings in position and size. The beast had the nerve to change it's positioning! No matter. I increased the size of a building, catching the beast's rear feet and throwing off his momentum. His head whiplashed into the ground, leaving a slight indent; the first crack he'd manage to make.

In his disoriented state, I wrapped him in some special vines I'd developed. My originals were too fragile. And not painful enough. Yes, that was the main thing. This beast needed to experience pain. I pinned him to the ground in my vines; one tightly around its neck and others tight enough to cut off the blood circulation to its limbs. I patiently waited for Jaden to finish talking with the beast; it struggled against me, I put an end to that. Further tightening my vines on his neck and limbs. My thorns pierced his body. His blood seeped onto the thorns, I injected him with a healing fluid.

This isn't just blood... There's more... My thought's blanked as I encountered something. I want to say I lost control of my body but that's incorrect. What I lost, was the ability to stop. I assaulted, maimed, and tortured the beast. My retribution was forgotten. I didn't know what I was drawn to inside that beast. Whatever it was my subconscious desired it and stopped at nothing to acquire it. The louder the beast wailed, the closer I knew I was to the source. I couldn't stop. IT MUST BE MINE.

Despite my efforts, whatever it was eluded me. No matter how I probed, prodded, and ravaged. Control returned to me, a numbness permeated every fiber of my limbs. The drive that took me was still there, but it had exhausted itself. I scanned over the City Destroyer. Its breaths were ragged, heavy and uneven. It looked back at me, fearful that this was merely a momentary reprieve. It shuddered painfully and disgustedly as my vines retreated, dragging sluggishly over its body.

What the heck happened there? Even now part of me is drawn to it. I released my vines entirely from the beast, leaving it near lifeless and unrestrained. It was no threat to anyone anymore. But above all, I wanted to remove all temptation to start poking again. Looking over the damage and pain I caused the beast, I felt sick. And yet I didn't look away. I burned his broken image into my memory. A memory that would never fade over time; I wouldn't allow myself to forget.

While I was focused on Vivian's recovery, I still kept an eye on Jaden. He headed back to finish the sphinx. The memory of what I'd done fresh in my mind. I felt my blood turning cold as I listened to Jaden and the City Destroyer. I watched in fascination as the sphinx's body decayed instantly. Almost nothing was left behind. Almost. The numbness took control of me again. The physical body was gone, in its wake, an entity demanded my attention. It wasn't that it called out to me, but that I was drawn to it. Not again...

I felt strange. Confused. Lost. My body had completely separated from my control. I became an observer in my own body as it formed a cocoon around the entity. I wouldn't have known what to do with it anyway, but that didn't change the fact that I was behaving instinctually. The task complete, my body relinquished control back to me. Whatever was happening to me, I didn't like it.

Badunk.

I shivered pleasurably. My body started absorbing the entity? I forced my focus away from the feeling, there were still things I needed to do. My senses landed upon a pool of mana on the ground. Where'd that come from? Actually, that doesn't matter. I absorbed the mana through my roots. So dense and pure!

Badunk.

Thank goodness I don't have a face. The look of sheer ecstasy I'd display would be embarrassing. I fought against the feeling, I can't lose myself now... I need to focus on something... anything. I sent a vine up through the ground. It came in contact with something. Cuteness captured. I played with Emily. She held my attention nearly completely, and her beaming smile with sparkling eyes was just what I needed right now.

Jaden and Molli caught my attention when Emily ran off. Perfect! Another distraction. I gave Molli a path to follow, leading her to my heart.

Badunk.

It took everything I had not to level the city. I resisted the pleasure or every muscle in my body would have constricted then. Please hurry.

I learned a great deal from Molli. I perused through my memory of all the plants I'd absorbed. I was more than a little disappointed though. Why didn't I know the effects of each part? What was more upsetting, what I learned from Molli didn't update what I knew of plant lore.

Badunk.

I lost it. My heart resonated with the feeling, my core glimmered. I couldn't hold back any longer, my ecstasy was on full display as I still tried to fight it. My core within the heart of the tree pulsed a blinding light. My leaves rustled unconsciously; I was certain everything that came out was incoherent. When the light died down, my evolution had completed.