Chapter 21: One with nature
Kaden froze, stiffening against the tree trunk as a faint but unmistakable current of warmth coursed through his limbs. It wasn't the savage surge he felt whenever he used Sanguine Roots, siphoning blood and life to fuel his power.
No—this energy was gentler, calr, and strangely reassuring. It wrapped around him like a soft blanket on a chilly evening, soothing every raw edge in his tired body.
He sucked in a shaky breath, heart pounding. He had never felt anything like this before—so warm, so nurturing, as though the forest itself had decided to hold him close. It reminded him of… ho. mories flickered through his mind like fragile, sunlit snapshots:
His mother, arms wide open on a lazy sumr afternoon, laughing and pulling him in for the kind of hug that drove away every worry.
His father, gently lifting him off the pavent after that first big bike crash, patting his back, telling him he'd be okay, that he was strong enough to get back on and keep trying.
His newborn sister, her impossibly tiny fingers curling around his thumb as she squird in her blanket, so delicate, so alive with potential.
He hadn't thought about those monts in years. He'd buried them under layers of struggle and terror in this twisted world. But now they surged up all at once, jostling against the lump in his throat. Tears welled, and he couldn't stop them.
Yet sohow, the tears felt good. They weren't just tears of grief, but of relief—like finding a pocket of fresh air after nearly drowning.
He didn't need to carry the pain anymore, all by himself. He didn't have to worry so much about the future. He was not alone now. He had them. He had everything already. He didn't need to fight so hard anymore. He could simply let go of all the pain and the regrets. He could just let go of everything…
"Fuck!" Kaden slapped himself on the cheek, the sharp sting jolting him back to reality. He could still feel the tears on his face, hot and bitter, but the lull of that gentle warmth was already fading. It had lulled him into a dangerously peaceful mont—one where he nearly forgot who he was and what awaited him.
"Don't you dare lose yourself," he muttered, voice thick with leftover emotion. "Not yet."
He pressed his back against the rough bark, the lingering warmth slowly receding from his veins. A part of him yearned to hold on to that feeling—to let it drown him in relief, to forget the violence and hardship that had beco second nature in this apocalypse.
But he quickly squashed that part. He did not get this second chance to simply let it all go to hell once again. This ti everything would be different. He would personally see to that. Or he will die trying.
Kaden clenched his fists, shaking himself off the stupor completely. The next second, a couple of system prompts flashed in front of him.
[Ding! You have learned a new skill One with nature]
One with nature (Active/ Passive):
Passive Effect: Gently harmonizes your mana with surrounding flora, increasing natural recovery rates for Health and Mana by a small percentage while in forested or plant-rich areas. Grants a subtle sense of your environnt's flora, helping you detect threats, resources, or hidden pathways.
Active Effect: Montarily rge your aura with the living world around you. This restores a portion of your Health and Mana and provides short-term resistance to ntal influences.
Kaden almost swore as he read the skill description. The damn thing had almost fucked his brain up and it was supposed to provide resistance to ntal influence?
He had heard about skills like this before. Mostly, warlock classers got many skills like this which was why it was best to consider one as enemy straight from the get go. Almost every warlock classer he had seen lost their mind to the darkness.
But who knew sothing healing and nurturing like a druid class could offer a similar skill? Wait, was this druid class skill or the hidden class skill?
He skimd through the skill description again and it looked like it was a druid class skill indeed. This ant that he could now get both the druid and the hidden druid class skills? Well, whatever. Everything would beco clearer if he progressed more down the path.
Kaden quickly swiped away the dangerous skill which he did not plan to use again and looked at the next notification.
[Ding! You have learned a new skill Healing Touch]
Healing Touch (Active):
Channel gentle nature energy through your palms, restoring a modest amount of Health to a single target over a short duration. Healing scales with the user's level, Nature affinity, and proximity to plant-rich environnts. Prolonged use may induce mild fatigue or dizziness if your own Mana reserves are low.
Finally! He got the skill he wanted.
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