Just as Axel reached for it, something caught his eye: a dark, oval-shaped hole nestled in the trunk's side.

It wasn't just a crack. It was a tree hollow—deep, narrow, just wide enough for someone to crawl through. The way it curved inward, it looked like the entire tree had been carved out from the inside.

"Cut the damn thing down already! If there's nothing else here, we move!"

Shouts echoed from outside.

Suddenly, the whole tree began to tremble violently. Branches snapped, bark split, and heavy thuds rumbled through the ancient wood.

Axel clenched his teeth, hesitated for half a heartbeat, then slipped into the hollow.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The ground quaked as awakened ones hammered the tree from every direction. Sap burst from cracks. Leaves and green fruit rained from above, splattering across the jungle floor.

Someone cursed nearby. "Back up! That shit's used in making infection agents—don't touch it!"

Meanwhile, Axel was descending.

The tunnel inside the tree curved down, deeper and deeper, until at last his feet hit solid ground.

He turned—and froze.

"…What the hell?"

The hollow interior of the tree was pitch black, but at its center stood a single seedling. Thin. Delicate. Its leaves shimmered with life, giving off a soft, bioluminescent glow.

Axel stared, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

It looked fragile—but the power rolling off it was anything but. Even without touching it, Axel could feel its pulse. This wasn't just a plant.

The deeper and rarer the spiritual plant, the more distinct its aura. And this one was radiating something strange—a feeling that settled like a stone in his chest.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The tremors continued overhead. The entire tree shuddered, creaked like it was crying out in pain.

Axel glanced around. The tunnel he'd entered was at least thirty meters deep. The roots here twisted and coiled like muscle, tightly wrapped around the glowing seedling in the center.

And then he felt it. Emotion.

A wave of sadness, thick and heavy, washed over him.

"…What the hell is this?" Axel whispered.

He narrowed his eyes at the seedling. Could that emotion—be coming from the plant?

He'd heard of high-level mutant beasts developing intelligence. Instincts. Even personalities. But this?

Spiritual plants? No one ever said they could feel. And yet, here it was. The sorrow. The fear. The desperate plea.

"…You want me to take you with me?"

Axel asked softly, feeling more foolish than ever.

The seedling quivered gently in response.

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His breath caught.

"It really is you." He crouched next to it.

One insane idea gripped him: Was this… the child of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit Tree? Was this hollow—the roots, the shelter, the isolation—some kind of womb?

His eyes flicked upward toward the chaos rumbling above. They're chopping the mother down.

He turned back to the glowing seedling beside him. "If I take you out of the soil... will you die?"

The seedling shook, and this time, the emotion that bled from it was even heavier.

A crushing grief.

Axel ran a hand down his face, eyes darkening. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

If spiritual plants could think… then what they were doing up there was a slaughter.

Just as Axel was hesitating, a voice rang out from above.

"Stop!"

Axel froze. Who the hell would stand up now to stop the tree from being cut down?

"Holy Light remnants?!"

Varek's voice cut through the noise like a whip. He pointed directly at the red-eyed man and woman standing between the crowd and the tree.

"Penelope, are you out of your mind? Get over here!"

"Draven, what the hell are you doing?!"

Voices of confusion and disbelief rose around them—some recognized the two and didn't attack right away.

Penelope stepped forward, voice trembling but firm. "You've all been lied to. The Heavenly Spirit Fruit isn't used to create infection drugs—it's the only known cure. If you destroy this tree, you're condemning thousands to die!"

Her plea echoed in the clearing.

Draven followed, voice thick with emotion. "Please… we're telling the truth. I'm begging you. Don't cut it down!"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

"They're brainwashed! Don't listen to them!"

"They're with the Holy Light scum—kill them!"

The clearing erupted. Explosions rocked the ground harder than before.

Axel exhaled quietly in the dark. So it was them. The two hiding in the tree's upper branches earlier… they'd been preparing to kill him, but at the last second, changed their minds.

He couldn't help them. Not with the number of awakened fighters outside. There was nothing he could do without throwing his life away.

And if he were in their shoes? No doubt—he would've joined the others, cut the tree down without a second thought.

"Are they fools… or are they brave?"

Suddenly, another shout rose outside. "Torren?! What are you doing?!"

"So you're with the Holy Light too! Kill them! Don't hold back!"

Torren? Axel blinked. He's with the Holy Light Organization too?

The names and shouts blurred together. Muffled groans followed—cries of pain, the clash of weapons. Then silence.

A few moments later, a cracking boom split the air.

Light poured through a jagged opening above. The Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree had fallen.

The seedling at Axel's side quivered, its tender stem trembling as if sobbing.

Once again, Axel felt its grief—heavy, pure. It washed over him like a wave.

He looked up. The tree hole he'd hidden in was narrow—just wide enough for a person. Compared to the massive trunk that had just fallen, it was nothing. No one would find him here.

"Just wait a little longer. I'll get you out."

He crouched beside the seedling, gently placing a hand near its root.

Outside, the chaos had died down. No footsteps. No voices.

So he waited. An hour passed. Then two. After what felt like three hours, Axel finally rose to his feet.

"From now on… you're coming with me."

The seedling leaned lightly toward him, brushing his leg.

But Axel frowned. How the hell do I move you?

The sapling wasn't tall—barely up to his calf—but its roots ran deep, and digging it up carelessly might kill it.

The Heavenly Spirit Fruit's mother tree had been reduced to ash. Not only did they cut it down, but they also set the surrounding area on fire.

The flames devoured the heart of the island, and yet, in that moment, the small sapling at Axel's side seemed to understand his intent. It gently leaned into him—and then, to his shock, it slowly separated itself from the root system of the fallen tree.

Axel stared.

Its roots weren't sprawling or gnarled like a typical tree's. Instead, they looked like the legs of a child—pale, tender, and no thicker than his fingers.

Then something shifted deep inside him.

A strange resonance stirred within the Tree of Life embedded in his body.

Without warning, Axel dropped into a state of inner vision. In that spiritual space, the small tree seemed to dissolve into his being, merging with him seamlessly.

Inside his spiritual world, next to the once-dormant Tree of Life—now standing tall at over two meters and showing signs of true vitality—the sapling appeared.

It nestled close to the larger tree, like a child curling up beside its mother.

And then a whisper of knowledge flowed into Axel's mind:

> "Juvenile form of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit. Keeping it close stabilizes the mind. Other abilities undeveloped."

Axel blinked. So it really is… a sapling of the Heavenly Spirit Tree. And it granted him abilities?

"Stabilizing the mind" didn't sound impressive at first… but he understood. The sapling was young. Still growing. That was enough.

Coming out of his inner vision, Axel let out a long breath. The future of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit didn't die with that ancient tree. As long as the sapling lived, there was still hope.

But now, it would draw from his force. Not much yet—but it was a reminder. He needed to gather resources faster. Much faster.

"Time to move."

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