In the wilderness of the Sword Coast, the warlock and the druid sat cross-legged. Skyl rested both hands on his knees while Doric tightly gripped the scepter, their motionless figures resembling stone statues left behind by a fallen ancient kingdom.
The Primal Power rushed toward them as ancient spirits released long, distant cries that echoed through the wilderness like the calls of beasts in an empty valley.
Selûne hung in the violet night sky, pouring down milk-white radiance as bright as frost. Every leaf on every tree in the forest seemed to have been forged from silver.
The wind moaned around them, forcing the weeds and bushes along the roadside to bend toward the Infinity Scepter in widening circles. Waves of grass swayed one after another as though bowing before a king. Although it was early autumn, the wind carried no chill. Instead, it brought a gentle warmth and the faint salty scent of the sea.
Hidden beneath the leaves and protected by the darkness, flower sprites rustled toward the gathering. Drawn by instinct, they watched the strange phenomenon and gazed curiously at the Infinity Scepter.
The mirrorlike silver radiance covering the scepter gradually dimmed. It looked as though it had been weathered by the passing of countless years, its pale surface becoming mottled with patches of green corrosion.
The base of the scepter grew downward and split into branching roots. Their hair-thin tips pierced the void, reached directly into the source of magic, and began drawing upon its inexhaustible power. These roots would continue growing and extend into the other planes. Eventually, like the Weave, they would spread throughout the multiverse.
The head of the scepter resembled a branching candelabrum. Clusters of limbs divided and curved upward, with one central trunk surrounded by eight primary branches. Each branch divided eight more times, and the pattern would continue indefinitely until it formed an infinitely vast and luxuriant crown.
Doric opened her eyes, but she could not see anything. Skyl had taken control of her senses and was using them to communicate with the nature spirits.
The tiefling called out loudly, "Spirits of all living things within the wilderness, in the name of the Tower, I plant the Infinity Divine Tree. In the future, its roots will become a second Weave, its trunk will support the cosmos, and its crown will gather countless candle flames to shape divine realms. Grant it your blessing and nourish it with the Primal Power so that the divine tree may flourish."
The spirits gathered, and a hazy voice composed of men and women, young and old, echoed through both their minds.
"Druid and non-druid, you must please nature before you can receive my blessing."
Pleasing nature presumably meant planting forests, protecting animals, removing pollution, and other similar work. On the surface, it was the labor of environmental activists. In practice, it meant becoming unpaid workers for the nature spirits.
As a warlock, Skyl had obtained nearly all his abilities from his patron without paying anything in return. Naturally, he had no intention of suddenly becoming anyone's unpaid servant.
It was time to put his extraordinary charisma and silver tongue to work.
Continuing to speak through Doric, he asked, "Spirits of nature, have you ever heard of the Emerald Dream?"
The spirits responded in confusion, "What is the Emerald Dream?"
Skyl introduced it with great ceremony.
"The Emerald Dream, also known as the Dream of Creation, is a realm untouched by civilization. Its natural landscapes stretch endlessly, its vegetation flourishes, and its animals enjoy boundless freedom. Nature spirits such as yourselves could enter the Emerald Dream and obtain eternal dream bodies. You would possess extraordinary, legendary power while being able to run freely as you did in life, and even reproduce to your hearts' content."
The nature spirits were themselves a collective consciousness. Skyl's simple description immediately filled them with longing.
"Where is this dream realm of which you speak?"
"It doesn't exist yet."
Before the nature spirits could become displeased, Skyl immediately explained, "However, the crown of the divine tree will be capable of weaving dreams. We only need to wait for it to mature. With your assistance, the process will take no more than several years, or several decades at most."
He directly addressed their greatest concern.
"As spirits of the wilderness, you inevitably need a sanctuary in which your memories can be preserved. Without one, most of the souls among you will gradually forget their pasts, weaken, lose their awareness, and eventually deteriorate into nothing more than fragments of basic thought."
He continued while their interest was at its strongest.
"With the Emerald Dream, the power of all nature spirits can flourish, strengthening the druidic path as a whole. Furthermore, I know several paths to divinity that would suit you. I could help you attain the power of demigods. With enough effort, you might even join the nature pantheon and become gods of lesser divine power."
The warlock's words carried complete confidence. There was no trace of hesitation or deception in his voice. His overwhelming charisma even persuaded the nature spirits, a collective consciousness that existed somewhere between life and death.
"Druid and non-druid, I accept your proposal."
Speaking through Doric, Skyl said, "Then let us establish a contract, witnessed by the eye of a devil. The nature spirits of the Sword Coast and the members of the Tower Covenant shall enter into a partnership. One side will provide wilderness magic, while the other will weave the Emerald Dream and welcome the spirits into it once it is complete. This agreement shall remain in force for all eternity and may be dissolved only on the day the multiverse is destroyed and reborn."
The nature spirits hesitated for a moment before communicating their agreement.
Skyl immediately extracted the laws of order from the eyeball of a pit fiend, mixed them into ink, and wrote the contract on two identical sheets of parchment.
The grass covering the ground suddenly surged upward. Vines wrapped themselves around one copy of the contract and secreted large quantities of resin, sealing the parchment inside a crystal of amber.
Druids would eventually come to guard this covenant between mortals and the spirits of nature.
Skyl naturally placed the second copy inside his clothes.
With the negotiations concluded, the agreement was complete. Skyl released the telepathic link, and Doric awakened, gasping heavily.
"You never told me that you planned to negotiate with the nature spirits. You also controlled my body!"
Skyl smiled.
"A telepathic link is a very delicate state. When the difference between the minds of the two participants is too great, one consciousness can overwhelm the other. I didn't deprive you of your five senses. My consciousness simply occupied such a large share that you were almost blind and deaf."
He paused before adding, "Of course, I owe you an apology. I didn't expect that to happen."
Doric hesitated. Her long tail swayed gently as she asked with a nervous look in her eyes, "Does this telepathic link of yours include reading minds?"
"Of course not." Skyl laughed. "You haven't lived long enough to possess any memories worth reading."
The tiefling breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're not a complete bastard after all… decent man."
Skyl took the newly sprouted Infinity Divine Tree from her hands.
Transforming an inanimate object into a living sapling had only been possible because of the artifact's extraordinary adaptability. The infusion of the Primal Power had also been indispensable. From now on, Skyl only needed to nurture it like a real tree. As the four elements circulated through it and continually washed over its structure, the Infinity Divine Tree would naturally continue to grow.
The tiny sapling was still far from being able to replace the Weave. Its roots were too thin and fragile to carry spells above 1st level.
"Look at it. It's rather beautiful. Compared to the Erdtree, it has a colder appearance. Perhaps we can also call it the Silver Tree. I'll need some time to bind it to myself."
"What do you mean?"
"I intend to form a single unified existence with the divine tree. It's based on the power system of Elden Ring, so it's perfectly normal that you don't understand it. The important thing is that once I bind myself to the divine tree, I'll effectively advance to the level of a demigod."
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