The Patient Growth
Rooted in Resistance
[System Active â Cycle 00002]
Status: Rooted
Primary Objective: Survival
Secondary Directive: Data Acquisition
Mana Core Activity: Dormant
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There was no hurry.
No predators.
No weather patterns I could track.
Just warmth rising from below, faint light filtering from above, and the long, geological silence of a world still deciding what it wanted to become.
The perfect environment to think.
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My roots remained shallowâstill brushing the dry, cracked topsoilâbut I knew that would need to change soon.
Nutrients were sparse. Moisture, practically nonexistent.
Mana was⦠present. But faint. Like static hum under thick glass.
I made a decision.
> [System Command Issued: Root Extension â Directional Bias: Downward]
> Target Depth: +0.2m
> Energy Expenditure: Minimal
> Success Probability: 98%
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The root moved slowly. I monitored every millimeter.
The soil was coarse, fragmented with volcanic residue, and layered with sharp-edged minerals. Nothing alive. Nothing dangerous.
Just⦠old.
> [Soil Type Identified: Silicate-Rich Volcanic Sand]
> Nutrient Rating: 3.1/10
> Mana Conductivity: 0.4/10
> Microbial Activity: None
Acceptable, if uninspiring.
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I sent another root a short distance away. Then another.
Small expansions. Careful spirals.
Data began to form patterns.
> âSurface Layer: Sterile but structurally consistent. Thermal memory indicates recent cooling event. No fauna, no competitors. Mana distribution: flat.â
>
> This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
> Logged.
I adjusted nutrient intake protocols. Stored carbon traces. Filtered metallic residue.
Still no meaningful biological material. Not even bacteria.
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> [Internal Memo â System Echo]
> âIf no life is here⦠I am the first.â
>
> âIf I am the first⦠I must observe correctly.â
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I adjusted energy consumption and paused expansion.
There was no need to spread blindly. Not yet.
Instead, I generated a preliminary zone map:
* Zone A: Topsoil. Dry. Useless.
* Zone B: Slight thermal gradient. Possibly fractured sublayer.
* Zone C: Minimal mana vibration detected. Worth future probing.
* Zone D: Dense igneous intrusion. Possibly harmful to root tips. Avoid for now.
I didnât know how long I spent categorizing it all.
Hours? Days?
> [Time Tracking Module Uncalibrated]
> Suggestion: Anchor planetary rhythm using thermal tide markers.
Noted.
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My outer bark had hardened slightly.
Internal mana drift remained shallow, but no leakage or instability.
The core remained whole, stable, and⦠curious.
> [Ambient Mana Absorption: +0.0004 units / hour]
> Status: Inert
> Elemental Affinity: Undetermined
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Above me, filtered light dimmed slightly.
Ash? Dust?
The sky remained a dull bronze. No clouds. No movement.
Still, I took note of the temperature drop and logged:
> âPossible atmospheric fluctuation. Trace evidence of suspended particulates. Suggest long-term photosynthetic adaptation if vertical growth initiated.â
Not yet.
Too soon.
My roots needed more reach.
My core needed more data.
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I felt something. A small vibration. Barely there.
I marked it. Waited.
Nothing followed.
> âAn anomaly.â
> âOr perhaps the world twitching in its sleep.â
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I closed the cycle with a systems check.
All stable.
All quiet.
But the silence no longer felt empty.
It felt like a beginning.
[System Summary â End of Cycle 00002]
Root Expansion: +4.6m
Total Root Depth: 4.6m
Mana Saturation Rate: +0.0001 m/hr
Trait Unlocked: None
Environmental Flags:
⣠Soil Composition: Volcanic Sand, Low Nutrient
⣠Basalt-Like Rock Encountered
⣠Triple Seismic Pulse Logged
Core Status: Dormant
Time Since Rebirth: ~3 days