The Tree That Shielded Its Master
Silently,Julian snuck back into his room with the morning light filtering in. Closes the balcony door behind him he did so with care so as not to alert anyone in the house. There, he stand, and after a short pause, a tiny smile began to grace his lips.
A deep satisfying sigh let from his lips..."
What a night."
Her golden eyes softened in his mind as visions of Felberta Ashbourne’s face come to him one by one. She, still had the familiar expression of coldness, when she was in the right state of mind but now, just for tonight, the Ice Queen that Julian knew him, let her guard down and he get to see a gentle fragile side of her that, Julian, felt no other person nor anyone else had ever seen, or shall never see for that matter, Julian, for now, thought that her, and only her ’guarded’ heart, had been ’guarded’, well ’opened’ to him now. He can’t help but let out a chuckle, "To think even Ice Queen can smile..." Julian kept smiling as he make his way to the bathroom.
He, bathed and took all of the day’s burden as steam came out and heated up the whole room, it even relax his aching muscles.
Julian then put on fresh clothes as he look into the mirror. His black hair, still a bit wet, although he looks refreshed, there are few reminders scattered around Julian’s neck and shoulders that showed signs of the wild and insane night, "... Those is one of the hard things to explain."
Julian shake his head in a defeated manner. "Avoid every one for a few time." Julian looked himself at mirror for one last time satisfied, before he turned to leave the bathroom and return back to his room.
The room felt peaceful, just as always, with a sun ray spreading on the floor creating an golden effect on the tranquil room.
Stretching he lazily sprawled himself onto the bed resting his head on both his palms. Julian reached into his room and laid on his bed to begin to request his awards to the Tyrant System BUT just like last night again, no answer came leaving Julian in utter confusion "What is going on!!??" after he has called it a few times in his head, Julian began to notice his surrounding started changing.
The divine tree formed by the Heavenly Law Seed appeared before him once again.
But this time, the divine tree looked noticeably different.
Previously, its light had almost illuminated the entire void space.
Now, however, it could only brighten the large area surrounding it.
The rest of the endless void had been swallowed by darkness.
An invisible force was clearly suppressing the divine tree.
After carefully sensing it, Julian frowned.
The aura suppressing the divine tree felt strangely familiar.
Could it be... the Tyrant System?
Sensing Julian’s thoughts, the divine tree gently swayed, silently confirming his suspicion.
With that response, only one thought remained in Julian’s mind.
Damn.
No wonder that lousy system hadn’t caused him any trouble recently.
It turned out the divine tree created from the Heavenly Law Seed had been resisting it all along.
Feeling the weakened aura radiating from the divine tree, Julian’s expression gradually became serious.
"Is there anything you need me to do?"
As soon as he spoke, the red box resting quietly on the wooden table in his room suddenly trembled.
As though responding to an invisible summons, it slowly floated into the air and drifted toward Julian.
The lid opened on its own.
The Mystic Life Fruit inside gently rose from the box before streaking toward the divine tree in a beam of emerald light.
The fruit dissolved into countless particles of light the moment it touched the trunk.
Immediately afterward, tiny fruits began to sprout from the branches.
They grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Within moments, every budding fruit had fully matured into a complete Mystic Life Fruit, each one hanging from the branches like a radiant emerald jewel. Their gentle glow illuminated the surrounding darkness, casting rippling waves of life energy throughout the void.
Julian D’Aurelius stood motionless beneath the towering divine tree.
His black hair swayed lightly despite the absence of any wind, while his golden eyes reflected the countless fruits glittering above him. The breathtaking sight left him speechless for several long moments.
There were so many.
Far more than he had ever imagined.
His gaze slowly swept across the branches one by one, instinctively counting the fruits as they shimmered beneath the divine light.
Seventy.
There were seventy complete Mystic Life Fruits hanging from the tree.
Julian’s throat moved unconsciously.
His heartbeat quickened.
The scene before him felt almost unreal.
He had expected the Heavenly Law Seed to benefit from consuming the Mystic Life Fruit, but he had never imagined it would produce such an astonishing harvest in return.
A mountain of priceless treasures now hung before his eyes.
Only two words surfaced in his mind.
Damn.
The sheer value of seventy Mystic Life Fruits was impossible to calculate.
If even a single fruit possessed miraculous effects, then this collection represented wealth and opportunity beyond imagination.
For a brief instant, excitement surged through him.
But that excitement lasted only a heartbeat.
Something wasn’t right.
The dazzling brilliance surrounding the divine tree suddenly seemed dimmer than before.
Julian narrowed his eyes.
He looked more carefully.
Only then did he notice the subtle changes occurring throughout the enormous tree.
Its once-vibrant leaves were gradually losing their rich emerald color.
Golden-yellow patches spread across them one after another.
One leaf drifted gently from a branch.
Then another.
Soon, countless leaves slowly detached, falling silently through the endless void like dying stars.
The magnificent vitality that had once filled this mysterious space was fading.
The light surrounding the tree continuously retracted toward its trunk.
The darkness that had previously been driven away quietly advanced once more.
It felt almost alive.
Patient.
Hungry.
The invisible force suppressing the divine tree became increasingly obvious.
It was no longer merely a vague sensation.
Julian could almost feel the crushing pressure pressing against every branch, every root, every leaf.
His expression slowly turned solemn.
The excitement from obtaining seventy Mystic Life Fruits vanished completely.
Instead, a knot formed in his chest.
"So that’s the price..."
he murmured softly.