The World Tree

Atlas returned to his room after his conversation wit Duke Roswald. He may down on his bed, head swarming with thoughts, what the Duke offered was favourable for him and Alya. But that letter....

He shook his head, he wasn't meant to think on an empty stomach. He would plan for everything tomorrow. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

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Atlas felt like he was floating in an extremely comfortable substance but when he opened his 'eyes', all he saw was pitch black darkness. He panicked even more when he discovered that he couldn't feel any part of his body. With warning the extremely comfortable feeling turned into unbearable agony as he felt himself burning from inside out. His 'body' combusted before reforming and exploding again, the process repeated itself for a minute but to Atlas it felt like hours of self exploding. As his 'body' reformed again he tried to prepare for the pain but he didn't explode!

Before he could feel relieved he felt cold as if he was trapped in a block of ice! A paralysing feeling struck him and pain erupted as he felt like he was struck continuously by lightning while in water. The unbearable pain of being electrocuted almost drove him to insanity.

Hours of endless torture passed without Atlas realizing it. He was barely holding on to his last string of sanity when the torture suddenly stopped. In that instant, he felt thousands of eyes looking at him for a second before that feeling disappeared as if it was just an illusion. Atlas paid it no mind still relieved that the torture was over. He realized that he was panting which meant that he was had a body, he slowly opened his eyes before gaping at his surroundings.

He was in a pure white space devoid of anything but the reason for his shock was not that but the insanely large tree in the center of this space!

The large tree was a pure white color, even it's leaves were white but it's purity was tainted by the black thing on the center of the tree. The instant Atlas placed his eyes on the black thing he seemed to hear numerous voices screaming something in a language he couldn't understand but that language gave him a sense of unspeakable evil as if he would go mad listening to it. He kneeled on the floor, blood gushing out of his mouth. Unknown to Atlas, his body was slowly being the tainted by the same black goo on the tree starting from his feet. Just when the black thing was about to consume Atlas's body and he was about to run out of blood and internal organs to vomit, a comfortable feeling washed over his body expelling out the black goo on his body and replacing all the blood and internal organs he had spat out.

"My apologies child, it takes a lot out of me to muster up any power." Atlas heard a gentle aged voice speak in his mind as he lay down next to his blood and lungs. He was about to stand up in shock when he felt his organs shift and realized he couldn't move.

"Are you the tree?" He said out loud despite thinking that he had gone insane.

"Yes." The voice in his mind said plainly leaving Atlas sputtering in shock. Despite his better judgement, Atlas ever so slightly turned his head enough that he could see in the corner of his eyes a few branches of the tree.

'[Analyze]' He said in his mind.

[STATUS]

- NAME: ???

- RACE: World Tree (Corrupted)

- AGE: ????

- ALIGNMENT: Corrupted Good

?????????

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Atlas gaped at the screen. The World Tree was a very famous mythical being which was said to watch over the world and grant benefits to those who were good and punish evil. But this was a corrupted World Tree and even if Atlas didn't know what that meant, he was at least able to tell that it was a bad thing from how the black ooze had damaged him, was it the same way the World Tree had been corrupted?

"Listen, child you cannot stay here for too long or you will be assimilated into this space forever." The tree paused. "I have a request for you."

Atlas was stunned, what could the almighty World Tree possibly want from him.

"You see, this world has been invaded or is in the process of being invaded by two opposing beings." The World Tree's voice in his head seemed to be pondering something. "Ever since I was.... created, I was given a single purpose by someone I cannot remember. I was to watch over this world and prevent it from destruction. My creator for that purpose gave me the power to control all beings on this world, I could instantly bring new life to this world and instantly end the life of anyone. It was all structured existence living by the laws I created. No crimes, no unnecessary deaths just progress into a greater society."

The World Tree sighed. "Then about twelve years ago, a person I had not created came into this world! I had no control over them, I couldn't stop him from doing whatever he wanted, he didn't die permanently and would always come back, he could get stronger at a rate that was unachievable by anyone in this world. And soon enough he became stronger than any thing I could send at him!"

"And then?" Atlas asked after a few minutes of silence.

" He came here, directly to this place and when he saw me.... He laughed and put this darn curse on me, when he left he said something."

"What?"

"Something about about an existence called an AI being too weak to resist a virus. That's not important, what's important is that you are here and as the only one who can make it here you have to help me." By now the World Tree's voice was louder, almost like it was shouting.

"I don't see how I can." Atlas said warily, although it wouldn't show it's body, from it's voice he could tell that the World Tree was becoming unstable.

"That blasted man brought more of his kind, immortals, into this world and although some of them were peaceful, they were the minority among them. I discovered that the only way to capture their kind, Players as they call themselves, is to lock them in a place to they cannot exit and they will gradually disappear. You have to capture them and bring them here so they will no longer be a menace to this world!"

"I'll do what I can." Atlas lied but he had a feeling that he would not be allowed to leave this place if he didn't agree.

"Yes! Yes! Kill them! Kill them all!" The tree's voice in his head muttered.

"Can you send me away now, please great World Tree." Atlas was sweating bullets having no doubt that the World Tree had gone insane and that he was in danger.

"Yes." The World Tree said and it's branches seemed to shake and Atlas' vision slowly started to dim.

However, right before his vision went black completely, he saw.... A pair of bloodshot, completely black eyes burst out from the Tree's trunk and a malevolent smile was carved out on its trunk resembling the smile carved on clown masks except it was twice as frightening....

"You seem to have a misconception, child. I didn't bring you here." It's 'mouth' opened and spoke in an exceptionally jarring voice. "But you're just as hateful as that man solely because I can't control you...."