Bloom

Almost ten thousand years to reach the center of this planet. It has been a long journey, yet now the end is almost in sight.

The [Book] is finished. I went with the most efficient option of pulling a soul from another dimension to act as the interface between user and [Book]. Since my own creation was rather haphazard I made sure the individual I chose understood things properly. While the person I chose is a bit eccentric from what I’ve glimpsed of the future they are the best option, period.

Dryad has returned and is now sleeping until we either succeed or die.

My entire Lair has been packed away in a single leaf hidden within my trunk. The rest of my branches are now bare of leaves, as they all went into making the [Book]. Durant’s Leaf will provide access to the Labyrinth through Core, while the Vespar Leaf will provide most resources. My favorite, the Elemental Fire Leaf will provide access to the Elemental Plane for whoever gains the [Book].

As for the rest, I couldn’t care less. I’ve grown more depressed as the time to be Sealed approaches.

As soon as my roots breach the central core area of the planet my main body shifts and I appear within the elemental magma near the Worldheart.

A massive runic construct of black shiny metal encases the titanic heart of this Major World.

I’ve seen something like this, in pieces, over my travels and now this is just confirmation.

The race of Divines are syphoning power from the Worldheart in order to power their [System]. That’s probably what got them on my trail in the first place.

Shrugging my branches, I go over my plan once more.

Grab the Worldheart. Eat. Enter the Void. Repeat.

I have a list of targeted planets picked out, the best of a bad bunch.

Once I devour all the possible Worldhearts I will have enough energy to tide me over till I am freed.

Either that, or I’ll die in hibernation.

The fight with the Divinities will provide me two more opportunities. First, to consolidate and eat more energy. Second to kill the only Divine that I consider a threat, their ‘sensor’ who practices Divination.

Without the Divine who practices Divination at the highest reach of the Dao, they will be blind. This will give my [Book] the time required to reach me.

I take a deep breath in my mind.

It is time. The die is cast as my roots rip apart the construct and I pluck the Worldheart and devour it like a child pulls a grape from the vine.

Time slows to a glacial pace around me as I slip into the Void.

Another world, greener, smaller, I rip my way down without care.

Another world’s Heart falls to my hunger.

Another.

Another.

Another.

After just over a thousand successful attacks, I feel the ripples of Time shrouding me start to decay.

They are onto me.

A small war ensues as I keep time slowed, while I strike faster.

In this battle I must keep time going as slow as possible, in order to stop pursuit from reaching me.

It is like two racers on a long treadmill. As long as I can keep the treadmill’s speed going fast, the racer behind me cannot reach me.

However, when the speed slows down far enough…

One thousand worlds.

Ten thousand.

A hundred thousand.

Time snaps around me and I am pulled into the Void.

I have managed to acquire enough, and a bit extra to provide energy for battling.

Surrounding my form in the Void are countless numbers of glowing humanoid lightforms of all shapes and sizes.

Divinities.

Each of them is parsed in a loose group with their particular Dao, by no coincidence.

I am quite pleased.

I have managed to acquire every Dao in the intervening years, with the sole exception of Space. I simply cannot seem to grasp Space at a level to activate my Dao Root for it.

Yet, the corpses of these Divines will provide the [Book] with even greater teaching for the one who frees me. My own teachings of Chaos and the bodies of appropriate Divines, will provide great insight. I am giddy with fear, terror, and happiness.

My freedom will be the final piece I need to learn the Primal Dao of Space and grow.

That and the fact that all possible futures I could see led to this moment, is the only reason I have not done anything.

Weapons are ripped from the fabric of reality as the Divines engage in battle.

Waves of shadow swarm creatures, specks of light with the heat of suns, wind that rips the void itself apart, and more.

I unseal my Soul and for a moment the Divines flinch.

I have grown mighty in the years of time, and here within the Void, I pull out all the stops.

One Trunk. Twelve Main Branches. Forty-Eight Sub-Branches.

One General. Twelve Commanders. Forty-Eight Elite Units.

I direct the Daos that I control like a master symphonist.

Light to counter Dark. Dark to counter Light. Earth to oppose Fire.

So on and so forth.

All the while as I fight, I search through Time for my target hidden among countless corpses and living.

There.

A single figure surrounded by a host of the most powerful Divines.

The Divine of Divination.

I sacrifice Sub-Branches to reach her, and with a single strike obliterate her from the Ocean of Eternity.

The cost is horrific. I have taken massive damage to ensure the removal of my foe, and at the same time shown that no Divinity is free from death.

I’m certain, like me, the Divinity of Divination knew this battle could kill her.

Yet like me, the lure of pushing above your limits is too much to resist.

Without the Divination countering me, I reap further lives, pushing myself to re-grow.

For a brief moment I allow myself the thought that I might actually win.

The mass of greatly reduced Divinities retreat and I plunder all the corpses still remaining.

I see it now.

They have been warned.

She must have warned them before her death of what to do in case she dies.

Knowing they cannot defeat me in battle, they are forced instead to Seal.

It is humiliating, the knowledge that there is nothing I can do now.

Runes rise around the space in the Void around me, complex, yet at their root, understandable.

Seal the Flame.

Seal the Time.

Seal the Air.

And so on. Simple meanings, and the final one, the most devastating.

Seal the Tree of Chaos.

It is not a perfect and accurate description of me, and that is what gives me a sliver of chance.

For a fraction of a second that I stretch into ten, I cast out my [Book] into the Void.

As it vanishes, I look at the surrounding horrified Divines.

They could not stop me, because without her they cannot see it happening.

Moments before they finish the Seal I speak.

See you soon, fertilizer.