Swoosh.
The sealed seed flew through the gray veil just as the Barrier-bypass talisman flickered and began to fade.
The moment the seed crossed the threshold, the scenery around it transformed drastically.
Gone was the familiar environment of the Everwood farm; instead, the seed found itself in a barren land, devoid of life and covered in cracked, parched soil.
This was the second world Everwood farm had enabled Aksai to explore. Thankfully, it had optimized gravitational force and ideal air composition to sustain a life.
The seed had found its way into the second world when it was night time.
As the seed landed softly on the ground, roots began to sprout from it immediately, digging deep into the arid soil with surprising vigor. The blood-red-colored Essence Equations etched on the seed’s shell illuminated, casting a faint, eerie glow in the surrounding desolation.
The seed started to grow rapidly, turning into a miniature demon tree in no time. Its trunk elongated to about two meters before splitting open like the petals of a grotesque flower.
From the opened trunk emerged a figure. This was a demon tree guardian with an uncanny resemblance to Aksai. His facial features mirrored those of his creator, but his body was entirely made of wood.
His green hair flowed to his shoulders, and his skin had a rough, bark-like texture. His torso was stout and solid like a tree trunk, and his hands, adorned with sharp black nails, looked like menacing claws. Iron vines coiled around his limbs, adding to his formidable appearance.
***
Aksai’s Soul Fragment shared similar memories, desires, and goals with Aksai. While it was a distinct entity, it mirrored Aksai in many ways.
The Anahat Soul Splitting Technique mentioned the risk of a Soul Fragment developing its own ego, which could be completely different from its original owner. There had been cases in the past where Soul Fragments had attacked their owners for their own benefit.
To mitigate this risk, the technique suggested binding Soul Fragments with restrictive-type Essence Equations. Aksai took this suggestion seriously.
As an added precaution, he created a subroutine of his neural link fabric, making it operational for the Soul Fragment.
Thanks to this subroutine, Aksai’s Soul Fragment could utilize the neural link fabric’s functions and features while Aksai maintained firm control. The subroutine recorded all the activities of the Soul Fragment, which would be revealed to Aksai as soon as it returned to Everwood Farm.
Aksai and his Soul Fragment shared a faint telepathic connection, but there were limits to their communication. It was always better for Aksai to have the Soul Fragment teleport back to Everwood Farm for updates.
How could the Soul Fragment return to Everwood farm after the disappearance of the gray veil? Answer was simple.
As part of Aksai’s soul, the Soul Fragment also shared a connection with the Myriad Worlds Painting. Although it couldn’t fully use the natal artifact, it could stimulate the connection to return to Everwood Farm.
Aksai’s Anahat Soul Fragment had the liberty to make its own decisions based on circumstances, but it had to return to Everwood Farm whenever Aksai required it to. Its sole job in this new world was to find anything that can benefit its owner.
The demon tree guardian basically acted as Aksai’s clone. It had a mind of its own and it could think for its own. At the same time, it was made to follow the orders of the original owner without allowing the slightest bit of defiance.
This approach was liberating in a lot of ways. It influenced him to practice the Anahat Soul Splitting Technique despite its risks. It enabled him to explore new worlds through his Soul Fragment while his original self focused on cultivation and other areas.
This method also minimized the risks for Aksai in exploring unknown worlds.
Since it wasn’t his real body or original soul, Aksai had no hesitation in endangering the Soul Fragment. As long as the Soul Fragment brought back something useful from a foreign world, everything was worth it.
***
The guardian stepped forward some more, his shamrock green eyes scanning the barren landscape with a mix of curiosity and caution.
Aksai’s Soul Fragment, embedded within this wooden shell, began to assess the surroundings meticulously.
[Subroutine#0001 has been made operational]
[Scanning the surroundings]
“Well, this is a different world allright,” the guardian muttered, his voice a deep, resonant echo of Aksai’s. “Looks like I’m in for an adventure.”
The Soul Fragment’s senses were acute, picking up every detail. The air was dry and carried a faint metallic tang. The sky above was a dull, oppressive black with gray clouds, and there was an eerie stillness to the land, as if it had been abandoned for decades.
The guardian took a few cautious steps forward, feeling the ground beneath him. Despite the barrenness, there was a strange energy pulsating just below the surface. He could sense it through the roots of the miniature demon tree that had spawned him.
“Interesting… this place might be barren, but it’s not devoid of potential,” he mused.
“Well, there’s only one way to understand more about this world.”
With a determined stride, the guardian began to explore, his green eyes gleaming with purpose.
As he moved, Aksai’s Soul Fragment made mental notes, recording everything through his neural link fabric. The landscape, though barren, had subtle variations—a slight rise here, a cluster of rocks there, and the occasional glimmer of something metallic beneath the dust. Each observation was cataloged for Aksai’s review.
[An abandoned township has been found 700 meters northwest of the user’s current position]
The neural link fabric generated a spectral notification for the clone Aksai. He immediately changed direction, approaching the abandoned township at a rapid pace using Light Steps.
Soon, the clone reached his destination.
The abandoned township was a ghostly, desolate place, exuding an air of long-settled-in stillness that seemed to hang like a thick fog.
The once-bustling streets were now choked with dust and debris, and the buildings, many of which partially collapsed, stood as skeletal remnants of a forgotten era.
The architecture was a mix of stone and wood and some modern civil engineering materials, with intricate carvings and faded murals hinting at the township’s former glory.
Most of the structures had weathered over time, their walls cracked and roofs caved in, leaving only a few standing intact.
Vines and creepers had taken over, winding through the ruins and adding a touch of green to the otherwise monotone landscape.
“Hmm. It looks like a technologically advanced world but with some twist,” the clone murmured to himself as he walked through the abandoned township all by himself.