Things were going as planned until Blola arrived at the Clan. He had even prepared a one-off use ability just to fool Resha’s senses.
He only wished to sell the Spirit Moss in his possession and buy some Empyrean Tusk bone powder to build his body. Following that, he intended to dip and flee to the Brimgan Empire.
Based on the herd’s route, he would be able to meet them in a couple of decades. By then, he would have used up all the bone powder and also amassed enough Spirit Moss to trade once again. That was his plan.
Unfortunately for him, things started going downhill from the moment the Boar King appeared. It seemed his presence had set off a chain reaction inside him.
Remember the Parute Seed he had consumed? That suddenly manifested within his Spirit Container.
After becoming an Empyrean Tusk, his Spirit Container had taken the shape of an adult Empyrean Tusk. But after the Parute Seed’s appearance, that began to change. Roots protruded from the Parute Seed and gradually filled up the Empyrean Tusk’s legs.
Its stem filled the body while a flower bloomed out of its trunk, gradually transforming into a pitcher that could bloom like a flower, with the petals covered by jagged teeth. It had suddenly taken on Eldritch qualities, terrifying Blola.
The entire process happened gradually over the course of a week. It was subtle and didn’t even alert him, growing like a plant undetected by all. By the time Blola noticed it, things had already progressed beyond recovery.
Even though Blola trod the same path as Resha, their timing was different. When Resha consumed the Parute Seed, he was in the Life Stage. The case was the same as when he obtained the Tertiary Nature of Spirit Moss Cultivator.
But what about Blola?
The first Nature he obtained was that of Spirit Moss Cultivator. This was when he was in the Spirit Stage. Secondly, he consumed the Parute Seed while at the Spirit Stage too.
The Parute Seed was something that formed at the end of a million years. What exactly was a Parute Tree, how it came into existence, etc. none knew about it.
Even Sumatra Chronicles never delved into the matter. The only account regarding the Parute Seed was from Resha’s perspective. And it happened towards the endgame.
Soon after he consumed the Parute Seed, Resha was killed by the Boar King. So, if there were any hidden effects in the Parute Seed, it was unknown as Resha was killed before it could manifest.
And that seemed to be the truth here.
Resha was at the Life Stage when he had done so, already building his second body. Therefore, he was resistant to changes even at the genetic level.
But Blola’s case was different since he consumed the Parute Seed at the Spirit Stage. With his Spirit Container being empty, rich with Prana but no body being built into it, the Parute Seed considered it the perfect pot to take root into. 𝒪𝔳𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
It manifested there and began to grow. Soon, it covered the Spirit Container and took hold of it, beginning to morph its shape too. When that happened, Blola hurriedly made up a story and rushed to seek Raaha’s help.
If anyone could help him, then it was Raaha, a Mammoth Clansman who stood at the peak of Sumatra. That leads to his present.
‘Is this even a Pranic Beast?’ Raaha observed Blola’s Spirit Container, ‘It exudes a primal feeling unlike anything I’ve ever sensed.’
“Is that still under your control?” He asked.
“Yes,” Blola nodded, “But I’m terrified by its presence and appearance. It has already swallowed my Pranic Beast and permanently changed my Spirit Container.”
‘Either this can become a boon or the greatest of curses.’ Raaha thought and probed deeper into his body, soon approaching his Nature slots, muttering in confusion, “Wait, why is there only your Secondary Nature of Spirit Moss Cultivator?”
“What happened to your Primary Nature?”
“It was swallowed,” Blola cried. This was what pained him the most. After going through all efforts, and surviving countless encounters with death, he finally obtained the power of Internal Inertial Gravity, the most potent power to exist in Sumatra.
But now, that was no more. The weird plant had consumed it. As a result, he despaired. Internal Inertial Gravity was his hope in becoming one of the strongest cultivators of Sumatra Continent. But that hope was squashed mercilessly.
“Don’t lose hope so soon,” Raaha said as he continued to observe. One of the roots of the weird plant extended out before wrapping around Blola’s Secondary Nature.
“No! No! NO! NOO!” Blola was going mad as he felt it clearly this time. Unfortunately for him, the plant didn’t seem to care about his thoughts. Like absorbing nutrients from the soil, the plant’s roots absorbed the Secondary Nature of Spirit Moss Cultivator.
In a few hours, the slot turned empty. Blola had lost his Secondary Nature too. His eyes turned vacant as he stared blankly into space, with thoughts of suicide streaming into his mind from time to time.
‘What…am I supposed to do now?’ Blola despaired, ‘Nothing! There’s nothing left for me anymore. Why should I continue to struggle? This fucking plant would eat up everything anyway.’
“Are you still in control of it?” Raaha asked.
“I can’t do shit against it!” Blola shrieked. But an instant later, his body failed to budge an inch. Only then did he realise he was talking to the Mammoth Clan Chief, a powerhouse among powerhouses, one of the reasons the Boar King failed to kill any Empyrean Tusks part of his herd.
“Have you calmed down enough?” Raaha asked calmly after a couple of minutes, his voice coercive, “Are you still in control of it?”
For some reason, his voice calmed down Blola, causing him to instinctively focus on the weird plant that had now become his Spirit Container. After a minute of observation, he said, “It’s still my Spirit Container. That hasn’t changed, despite me being unable to control it.”
“Then wait,” Raaha commanded, “Whatever it wishes to do, let it run its course. I’ll be keeping a watch to ensure you’re alive.”
Against such a situation that made no sense, even that guarantee was enough. As long as Blola was alive, he could build his strength once again. Whether or not his willpower could endure the process was another matter entirely.
A few more hours passed in such a fashion before which, the weird plant seemed to have stabilised. It didn’t do anything after finishing its growth. But immediately in response, intense hunger pervaded his being as Blola felt like he was going insane, “H-H-Hungry!”
“I’m hungry!”