Cain stood quietly in the middle of the broken ground as the air of the Nightmare Realm trembled with distant movement.
The sky above looked like torn black cloth stitched together with faint crimson lines.
The earth under his boots was dark and wet, soaked with the blood of creatures that had already fallen here.
He raised one hand calmly.
"Devouring Blood Tree."
The moment those words left his mouth, a small sapling pushed through the cracked soil beside him.
It was thin at first. Fragile looking. Barely taller than his knee. Its bark looked pale red like fresh flesh rather than wood, and its roots slowly crawled through the ground like thin veins searching for blood.
Cain crouched down and stared at it.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"Don't worry," he said in a relaxed voice. "I'll feed you."
The tiny sapling trembled.
Then it swayed gently from side to side as if responding happily.
Cain chuckled softly.
"That's right. Grow well."
