Swift

It was the morning of the next day. It was time for Morgan to test this amazing new ability he heard he has. After the harrowing revelations, they had talked his mother and him. Forest mother's were creatures born when the forest itself reached maturity and needed a guardian. These women defended the forest from dangers, protected and helped it's inhabitants and were bound to it. They were the forest's will came alive. They helped the forest direct its will and have much more of an impact, akin to men using tools to ease labour. He gazed longingly at the sun rays coming into the house through it's window.

"Being part demon means you can get stronger through consumption, so here eat this as a test." Sylva spoke, as she produced a small blue crystal and handed it to Morgan. He grabbed the small thing and held it between two fingers analysing it and he said.

"Well, here goes nothing." As he swallowed the crystal and immediately felt energy spread from his stomach outwards towards his whole body and it was gone.

"All is well, since you can absorb a mana core that quickly." She said, her expression still cold.

"Mana core?" asked Morgan.

"It is how this world works. All creatures posses a mana core, unless it was lost in their lifetime. Others need to consume these to enrich their own core and that is how you level up and get stronger. " She paused for a moment as Morgan thought about the new information provided to him.

"For reference I am a level 7 Forest Mother and last I met your target he was level 8 Human. Different races have different boons and drawbacks, in regards to their abilities. For an example, Forest Mothers like myself cannot learn abilities closely tied with death and undeath as it goes against our own nature. There are also statistical differences, like trolls possess higher physical stats and lesser mental stats. But this is all information you will learn at the academy, better than I can teach."

"I see. Kill or be killed and might makes right kind of world, eh? Intoned Morgan, just thinking out loud. The atmosphere between the two was strange but there was no strain. Morgan understood his situation. He could not do anything to her or even attempt to escape, and he was fine with that. He felt no harmful intentions from the green beauty, only conflicted emotions.

"Indeed. Now let's go outside, you need to figure out your capabilities before you leave." She said as she stepped through a door towards the outside and Morgan followed. Much like the lady, he was only covered in a few leaves now so he felt the sun with almost his whole body. Surrounding him from all sides like the water in a hot bath, it slowly rejuvenated him. Any lingering grogginess from his reincarnation faded away slowly. So it was true, he realised almost immediately. He could indeed photosynthesize now that he was no longer wholly human but part nature, like his mother Sylva.

"I see you figured something out. Sun and water are sources of life, so they have greatly beneficial effects on us, but the most important lesson I can give you is how to utilise your weapon. It was something called Blackthorn of the gods, which inspired me to create it. Now Blackthorn is embedded deeply within you. Giving you the ability to call upon it as you see fit and shape it any way you will. "

"Okay, and how do I call this "Blackthorn"?" Asked Morgan sceptically.

"Should be a simple matter. sit down and close your eyes. Look inward and focus within yourself. You should be able to feel it after that it should be a simple matter to will it towards one of your hands for starters." So Morgan sat down to meditate under the tutelage of his new mother.

The wooden house was in the middle of a meadow, more precisely it was a tree in the centre of a meadow that grown into the shape of a house and then continued to grow like a more normal tree with rustling leaves providing cover from rain and shade from the sun to the house. The meadow was only several meters big taking little time to reach it's edges surrounded by black thick thorn vines. So the black haired youth sat in the lotus position between the house entrance and the black thorns, basking in the little sunlight that made it through the nearby canopy. It had taken him several hours to summon the Blackthorn, even then it quickly receded, because of the discomfort of something shifting beneath his skin inside his muscles alarmed him so. His second attempt was much more successful under the watchful gaze of Sylva. He saw and felt worm like protrusions on his skin as he called the Blackthorn and soon they pierced his skin from multiple points on his forearm and twisted towards his palm gathered their into a grim ball of black thorned vines covered slimy liquid and his own blood, but strangely he had not felt like they damaged him as much as it looked like it.

"It seems you managed it." Sylva said neither approving or disapproving. "Just in time too, it appears the coach is here to pick you up."

"Wait, that quick? I was hoping to spend more time with you mother. How will I even find that man?" Asked Morgan, hurriedly.

"Don't worry, you are cursed. You will feel searing pain in your chest when he is nearby and it will get worse as you get closer to him and the pain will go away only when you learn who he is. So no need to worry, I made you sure, you will not miss him." She said with the same cold and indifferent tone that had become her second nature at this point. Then she guided towards the blackthorn vines surrounding the meadow as they split and moved to make way for them as they passed. She stood a few steps beyond the black thorns.

"This is goodbye child. If you keep heading in this direction soon you will reach a road on which a caravan will pass. It is for others like you, heading to the academy or so I am told by the demon, that his subordinates will be there to protect the lost souls. So you will be safe. " Still indifferent she spoke. The boy took a tentative step forward thinking to himself. That he did not wish to lead another life with regrets, he wanted to be true to himself, and this moment he wanted to feel that warmth again so he turned to Sylva and asked.

"Can I get another embrace, Mother?" The woman said nothing for a moment, but the clasped hands spread apart and accepted the embrace. Morgan glad for the warmth whispered to her.

"Your will be done, Mother and thank you for hugging me as well as pulling me from oblivion. Lastly I forgive you." Then he turned around and walked towards his destination.

Plants swayed out of his way, animals did not bother him and birdsong lead the way, the forest herself was guiding him now.