Echoterra: Rise of the Verdant King-Chapter 35: The verdant cradle

There was no sound in the beginning.

No rustling of leaves. No hum of aphid wings. No whisper of soil shifting, all things that he was now familiar with after living for a long time as a plant. Instead, only a silence so perfect it pressed against Clayton’s mind like velvet suffocation lingered in the world like a veil.

Clayton was still disoriented.

Everything happened so fast.

One moment, he was still caught in the deep end, entangled in the deep-rooted politics of the Thorn Assembly while also facing the inevitable retaliation of the Spore Choir after their first defeat.

And yet, it was in that desperate moment when his never-yielding attitude blossomed. Instead of waiting for disaster, he attacked.

It seemed simple, but it was deeply complicated. And dangerous.

One mistake, and he could have lost it all, including his life.

The Spore Choir was not just some mundane beast or plantoid monster after all. It was a bonafide colony, a nomadic colony led by a demented and ruthless hivemind with thousands of soldier plantoids under it.

If Clayton’s plan failed, he would have died.

And yet it didn’t.

His plan worked.

He didn’t just damage the Spore Choir, he wiped them off the face of history and hence the reaction of the ecosystem.

Well, he couldn’t blame them. He was also rattled by his victory, how ruthless and decisive it was.

It was almost like a crowning achievement to cement how the cruel crucible of Echoterra changed him from that once pitiful and scavenger outskirts rat, to this fearsome, dominant, and ruthless ruler of thorns... the Verdant Lord.

And now that all of that was behind him, Clayton thought of the future.

’Will I be returned to Earth immediately?’

’How much time passed?’

And most importantly. ’Will I return as a plant or a human?’ He was desperate to get the answer to this question though he still didn’t know the fate of Earth; he didn’t know what he would return to see and it scared him.

But still, he was here already. There was no use being scared.

’What of my kin? What happened to him?’

’Did he also complete the trial when I did?’

He was not sure; from his understanding of the system and Echoterra, he would rather believe that every man with his own trial. If he was to guess, the territory he left behind may give his kin a head start, and that was all.

Compared to how bare he started though, that was better.

But then, he couldn’t pay attention to his thoughts anymore.

Clayton’s awareness surged through a warm, viscous ether; silent, golden, and infinite. There was no up, no down, just a weightless sense of being. No hunger, no fear. Only clarity.

Then, he opened his eyes.

The world around him was vast, an infinite cathedral of green light and towering roots, suspended in a twilight sky. Each massive tree was a pillar carved with glyphs that glowed faintly, echoing ancient purpose.

Suspended leaves held droplets of dew the size of lanterns, orbiting slowly through air that shimmered with golden dust.

Clayton? He floated, not with limbs, but essence. His rooted form was gone. No longer bark. No longer soilbound. And yet, not entirely human either.

He was in between.

And then...

["Trial 1: Verdant Genesis Complete."]

The system’s voice echoed through the emerald world, resonating with a new gravity. This wasn’t the familiar voice from his time as a rooted entity. This one felt older. Wiser. Primordial.

["Welcome, Verdant Lord Clayton. You have reached the Verdant Cradle."]

["Initializing Ascendant Transfer... Entering the Cradle."]

The initial golden mists condensed. Then, with a soundless implosion, Clayton found himself no longer floating, but standing upon an endless plain of luminous green grass, swirling with veins of silver light.

Above him was no sky, only a canopy of slowly spiraling constellations.

He looked down.

Human. Again.

But different.

His skin glowed faintly, runes pulsing beneath its surface like living vines of bioluminescence. His eyes shimmered with an unnatural viridian hue. His very breath stirred the luminous grass beneath his bare feet.

He was whole. And he was changed.

~----~

["Genesis Protocols recognize Awakened Soul: Verdant Tyranny."]

["Soul Rank: Initiate Ember ~ Ascension: Luminous Seed."]

[Aspect Core Awakened: Verdant Tyranny]

[Innate Passive: Sovereign Bloom – Your presence accelerates photosynthetic life and natural biomass generation. Flora thrives in your wake.]

[Aspect Ability 1 Unlocked: Rootlash Dominion – Summon and control weaponized tendrils from any viable organic material. Range and precision scale will soul rank.]

[Mythprint Artifact Granted: REGALIA OF THE VERDANT WARDEN]

~----~

A pulse of emerald fire lit the skies. Before Clayton, a new tree erupted from the green grass plain, vast and coiled, yet fluid like smoke. And then from its heart emerged a relic unlike any mortal weapon.

A long, twisting spear carved of living wood and obsidian thorns, tipped with blooming flower of shimmering viridian crystal.

It pulsed with intelligence. It breathed.

He reached for it. And it chose him.

DING!

~----~

[Regalia Bonded: Regalia of the Verdant Warden]

>Class: Mythprint.

>Rank: Initiate Ember.

>Artifact Effect 1: Soulbound – May only be wielded by the bearer of the Verdant Tyranny Aspect.

>Effect 2: Dual-Form Weapon – Adapts to humanoid form or integrate with flora form. Also adapts into a spear or bow based on combat intent.

>Effect 3: Thorncall – Summon and direct a burst of thorned vines from surrounding terrain or condensed Genesis matter. May summon sentient biomass constructs for limited durations.

>Effect 4: Verdant Reign – Amplifies biomass manipulation and doubles territory influence while anchored. Temporarily amplify all plant-based Genesis abilities and regenerative factors within a targeted radius.

...

[New Trait Gained: Dual Consciousness]

>You may divide your will between two living forms: Humanoid Verdant Form and Rooted Verdant Form. Form transition is seamless. Both may act independently, but remain bound by shared soul resource.

~----~

Clayton gripped the lance and exhaled.

He could feel it; the deep, primal connection to every root, every leaf, every memory of his trial carved into this weapon.

He had become a legend in the wilds.

And yet, he had so many questions.

’Aspect? Aspect abilities? Mythprint? Initiate Ember? What the...!’

~----~

[Trial 1 Completion Feat: Overgrowth Monarch]

>You have claimed territory far beyond projection, annihilated a major faction, and altered the biome. Legend status granted. Your name shall echo through the Genesis Field.

...

The stars spun faster.

[Transference Initiating... Welcome to Trial 2: EARTHFALL]

["You will return to a world that has changed while you were gone."]

["Reclaim it. If you can."]

~----~

The Cradle cracked.

Light swallowed him.

The world waited.