The Moon and The Blood Tree

Roughly 400,000 km from the Planet, an entity that had been forced into existence heard the very first words of its life.

DING!

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

<You have received the Eridius System as a gift from the Eridius World.>

<The Eridius System has been designed to help you in your progression and path to power. Please check 'Status'.>

A various set of sounds rang out in the mind of the new entity before it even had the ability to think.

'...'

DING!

<Congratulations. You have gained the [Common Language].>

The equivalent of a question mark formed in its mind… because it couldn't understand a single thing. But before it could think any further, 'symbols', sounds and matching meanings flooded into its mind like an avalanche.

They consisted of… 'things' that the Entity could not properly comprehend just yet. It had just been born and was just beginning to grasp self-awareness. It didn't even have an understanding of existence itself, talk less of a bunch of words that had forcefully entered its mind.

But… What were these new things floating in its head?

It didn't know. But there was nothing to do. It must… think.

*5 Minutes Later*

'...Words. Confusing.'

It had just deciphered the concept of the conundrum that called itself Words or Language. It was quite weird.

<They System congratulates the host's comprehension speed. Please check 'Status'.>

'This thing again? Congratulated…? Why? Comprehension speed, fast? How? …What is Status?'

The entity's thoughts flickered from one to another, having only questions to ask and no answers to answer.

DING!

[Status]

[Name: None]

[Titles: None]

[Race: Living Moon (Anomaly)]

[Cultivation: None]

[Anomaly Stage: Neophyte]

[Combat Strength: Unknown]

[Affinities: Moon(100%), Gravity(100%), Earth(100%), Metal(70%), Water(100%), Ice(80%) Wind(30%), Fire(50%), Light(100%), Life(100%), Creation(10%)]

[Elements: Earth, Metal, Water, Wind, Fire, Light]

[Laws: Moon(100%), Gravity(20%), Earth(50%), Water(10%), Metal(30%), Light(5%), Ice(5%), Life(1%), Creation(1%)]

[Innate Skills: Contract, Spirit Sense, Syphon Essence, Appraise, Elemental Manipulation, Geographical Creation]

'...Too much... Must think again.'

The Entity that had now been shocking revealed to be the Moon itself… Could not understand a majority of the Words that had been presented before It. So It decided to think some more.

*7 Hours Later*

'Still not understand all… but Spirit Sense… is this?'

!!!

The Moon felt shock for the first time as a world of images flowed into Its mind.

The first thing It saws was a large expanse of pearl-white rocks that curved around to form a beautiful spherical shape. It could instinctively tell that this was Its body and a sense of comfort could be felt as It looked all over.

In some places It could find faintly blue coloured 'things' that were flat and most of the time circular in shape, for some reason they had an undulating appearance and it confused the Moon.

'What, that?'

<That is [Lunar Water]. A type of liquid that forms on the Moon.>

'Oh… What, you?'

<The Eridius System.>

'Oh…'

The Moon quickly found itself bored with the System and continued the exploration of Its body.

As it peered deeper, it managed to witness the way the lunar caves under the surface twisted and turned like a maze until it found something that It could feel was very important.

'What, that?'

<That is your core. The Moon's Core.>

'I, Moon?'

<Yes. You are the Moon.>

'Oh...'

The Moon felt like it had quite a lot to learn.

…

[South Continent, Southern Region, Unknown Forest]

Somewhere in the Southern Region of the Continent, there was a peculiar Forest that stood out from any other Forest in the Continent. Apart from the plant-life, there was no other life to be found at all. No Beasts, no Enlightened Beings, no Monsters and not even any insects.

But it didn't take much to understand why.

Disregarding the unholy amounts of blood that lay splattered on almost every surface of the Forest… There was a disgustingly thick and frightening aura of death that positively radiated out of every inch of its domain. It couldn't be seen, but anyone who could step within a mile of the Forest would definitely feel a chill run up their spine.

Clearly, anything that had lived here before had either died or fled long ago. But if you knew who used to live in this Forest, then it would become natural. Of course everything here had died and no wonder there was so much blood.

This was the Forest in which the Blood Fiends had originated from!

However, in the centre of this Forest there was a strange Tree. Although it looked like the many other Trees around it being 10 metres tall, regular brown coloured bark and green coloured leaves albeit splattered in blood… There was something that set this Tree different from the others.

And it was the oceans of Magical Energy that was flooding into it. Very quickly, the Tree started changing in appearance.

It's height ballooned as its branches thickened and stretched out, its roots beneath the earth reached out in all directions like tentacles and its bountiful leaves became more vibrant. Going by this series of events, the Magic Tree seemed to be evolving into a Spirit Tr-

Hm? Something changed.

Suddenly, the dry blood that had been coating its surface seemed to be revitalised with life. It had once again become liquid in nature and luminously crimson in colour. But no one but the omnipresent System was there to witness such shocking events before the Blood disappeared into the Tree.

The Tree had somehow absorbed the blood on its body…

But it didn't stop there.

As the Magical Energy kept coming, the Tree got bigger and bigger and the amount of blood it was stealing from the Forest increased. On top of that, as it absorbed more blood the colour of the bark became darker and the colour of the leaves became more crimson. The aura around the Tree also became more and more menacing as if a terrible spirit was emerging within it and it soon became clear why.

Not only was the Tree absorbing the blood around the Forest like an insatiable black hole. But it was also absorbing its aura as well!

What was happening?!

*10 Minutes Later*

Eventually, the blood all around the forest had been entirely cleared out and even that terrible aura was gone. The Forest had once again become a beautiful force of mother nature.

But if anyone was to walk into the depths of this Forest… may the gods help their soul.

Sat in the centre of the Forest was a blood-curdling 250 metre tall Tree with mahogany-coloured bark and scarlet-coloured leaves along with a powerful soul that was very, very different from other Spirit Trees of its kind. Its aura billowed out in terrifying waves that possessed a clear desire for blood and the intelligence of a being that possessed unmistakable self-awareness.

…

DING!

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

<You have received the Eridius System as a gift from the Eridius World.>

<The Eridius System has been designed to help you in your progression and path to power. Please check 'Status'.>