The First Sorcerers And The Reaper

It was sometime around 9,000 BC.

The human population had steadily risen under the subtle influence of Morse. With humanity's negative energy being siphoned off by him, cursed spirits never rose beyond Grade 2. This, coupled with an influx of 'talented humans', whom Morse formed through dream teaching, allowed for tribe populations to change from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

Yes, Morse had single-handedly advanced human civilization out of the 'hunter-gatherer' era and into a 'tribal village' era through some subtle cultural manipulation.

Though they may have developed some strange 'ideas' about him, due to his wooden idle's being passed down like treasured heirlooms.

The human population had risen to a point where cursed energy in the world was enough to accommodate a Grade 2 cursed spirit.

This was quite an achievement for him, considering he had been born more than 1,000 years ago.

He managed to survive due to the time dilation and the increase in number of humans dreaming.

He was in his late 20s now.

He was an elder for the current age, as none rarely lived passed 30 due to disease, lack of medicine, and malnutrition. But Morse could disregard all that. He lived in his pocket dimension which was his dream realm.

Nothing entered his dream realm without his permission, not even microscopic bacteria.

He spent the last 7 years in his dream realm, collecting cursed spirits through his effigies in the real world and growing his cursed energy reserves through humans.

He could safely say he was the first special grade in the world, now.

800 years and more than 12 generations of humans who added to his reserves would eventually do that, despite the amount added being the equivalent of a penny on a dollar each time.

During this time he has grown quite a few dream fruits and effigywood trees in his dream realm. 

It was to the point that he had enough effigywood to create a single-story house from it, and enough dream fruits to fill a barns silo.

He had figured out more rules on his technique's ability to grow plants. There was a pattern to the technique.

---

1. The first spirit absorbed when no plant is growing in the field, will condense into a seed.

2. Grade 4 seeds always formed a 'Sense Increasing Fruit'.

3. Grade 3 seeds always formed an 'Effigywood tree', but the type of Effigywood was a toss up between two types: Red and Black.

---

The red effigywood was what he used to create his effigies. It let him to remotely activate his techniques through the wood.

But the black effigywood was different. The first technique that was used, while in contact with it would alter the structure of the wood, which would then provide an amplification effect when the holder's cursed technique matched with it and was passed through it.

Remote activation: Red Effigywood

Technique Amplification: Black Effigywood

It was quite an interesting development. He clearly understood some of the rules behind his 'seeding' and what could be harvested from them.

That was why, today was one of the more interesting days.

He had managed to grow a Grade 2 seed after a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit finally formed 20 years ago in the real world.

This plant took the form of a gourde vine, which grew vertically from the ground and had a giant tulip-type flower, which wilted downward like a street lamp.

A small humanoid creature could be seen forming like a fetus through the transparent flower shell of the tulip. It had taken a significant amount of absorption to bring this plant to maturity, but he had finally done so today.

*Crack*

A sound like an egg breaking sounded as the humanoid creature pushed its arm through the shell. Its arm was extremely long and skinny, far too unnatural to be a human. And yet, it retained its humanoid shape.

It slowly stretched its long legs down and landed on the ground, while it took the tulip flower and placed it on its head, resembling a straw hat.

Then it grasped its gangly hand around the vine and pulled it out of the ground. It began to morph and change until it looked like a sturdy pitchfork.

Morse watched all this with a raised eyebrow. 

The creature looking at him now was a slender shadow man who looked like a farmer with a pitchfork. Its face was flat except for a strong human jaw and mouth: An unsettling combination.

It stepped forward and bowed its head lightly towards Morse, before beginning to wander around the Dream Garden in a bored manner.

Morse felt a connection seeming to form with him from it and received an influx of information into his mind.

'Shinigami Migan' He thought to himself.

He now had a shinigami called a Migan which could be summoned into the real world and had an approximate strength of a Grade 2 cursed spirit. 

Morse was pleasantly surprised. He was slightly worried about his ability to fight in the real world. His technique had perhaps one of the strongest powers for evasion, escape, and utility. But it was significantly lacking in power.

It just so happens that this 'Migan' could help make up for some of his deficiencies.

He glanced at the wandering shinigami again, only to see it poking a pile of effigywood with its pitchfork.

It looked like it was bored.

...

Red Moon Village.

In a small building made of wooden logs, a family of humans gathered around a four-year-old boy who was sweating and unconscious.

The married couple of this family had 8 children and were considered 'protected' by the Reaper. 

Many other families looked on enviously at this family, especially the mother.

All of her children were gifted.

Morse had spared no expense in entering their dreams to teach them things.

But there was one child, the youngest, who had Morse's complete attention.

This child was the first human he had seen who had a cursed technique like him.

And now this child had finally reached the age, where he awakened his cursed energy.

Things were about to finally get interesting.