Chapter 68: The Bargain

“The barrier’s weakened, but I still can’t get through,” Diana said, yanking her hand back after it bounced off the shimmer surrounding Ivy’s tree. “It’s like hitting a wall.”

“Let me try,” Grace stepped forward, placing her palm against the barrier. It felt like jelly—soft but impenetrable. She pushed harder, and her hand slipped through about an inch before the barrier pushed back, ejecting her.

“Whoa!” She stumbled backward. “Did you see that?”

“It let you partially through,” Willow observed, her bark-like face creasing with thought. “Interesting.”

“Is it because of her fancy new corruption-absorbing power?” Diana asked, still giving Grace side-eye whenever Petriel came within ten feet of them.

Willow ran her hands over the barrier, studying it.

“I believe the barrier has changed properties. It now seems to only permit entry to beings carrying corruption energy.”

“That’s good news for Mara,” Zephyr said, pointing to where Mara sat calmly braiding flowers that were growing from her forearm. “Not so great for the rest of us.”

“Hey, these lilies match my robe!” Mara called cheerfully, waving her increasingly plant-like arm. The corruption had spread to her shoulder now.

“We need to get her in there and purify both of them,” Grace said. “But she’s too far gone—she might not fight the Root’s influence once inside.”

“So we need someone who isn’t corrupted to enter,” Diana concluded. “But the only way in is to be corrupted.”

“Precisely,” Willow nodded.

Everyone turned to look at Grace.

“Why are you all staring at me?” Grace asked, though she already knew the answer.

“You can absorb corruption,” Petriel said softly, still keeping her distance. “Maybe you could take in just enough to pass through, but not enough to be controlled by it.”

Grace swallowed hard.

“A controlled infection?”

“Essentially,” Willow confirmed. “You would need to maintain consciousness of yourself while carrying enough corruption to satisfy the barrier.”

“And if I can’t?” Grace asked.

Diana shrugged.

“Then we’ll have three plant monsters instead of two. No pressure.”

“Thanks for that,” Grace muttered.

“We need a small, manageable amount of corruption,” Willow said, looking around. “Something Grace can absorb without being overwhelmed.”

“Oh!” Alia bounced up and down, pointing at Mara. “Use hers! She’s got plenty to spare!”

Everyone stared at Alia in surprise.

“That’s… actually not a bad idea,” Zephyr admitted.

“I have good ideas sometimes,” Alia pouted.

Grace looked at Mara, who was now teaching a small child how to make daisy chains with flowers growing from her fingertips.

“Would that work?” she asked Willow.

“I’m not sure, but… The corruption in Mara has already been filtered through an angelic host,” Willow explained. “It might be more compatible with you than raw corruption.”

“Mara,” Grace called. “Can we talk to you for a second?”

Mara looked up, smiling beatifically.

“Of course, dear! Do you want to learn flower braiding too?”

“Not exactly.” Grace approached cautiously. “We need your help to save Ivy.”

“Oh?” Mara tilted her head, a small bud blooming in her hair as she did.

“I need to… borrow some of your corruption.”

Mara’s eyes lit up.

“How wonderful! I’d be happy to share!” She stood, spreading her arms wide. “Take all you need!”

“Whoa, easy there,” Diana stepped between them. “We need Grace to absorb just a little, not turn into a garden.”

“Perhaps somewhere more… controlled,” Willow suggested. “A small amount from a specific location.”

Grace nodded.

“Right. Mara, can you come with me for a moment? Somewhere private?”

Mara followed Grace behind the barn, humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like plants growing—if plants made noise while growing, which they didn’t, but that’s what it sounded like anyway.

“So how does this work?” Mara asked, bright-eyed and weirdly cheerful for someone turning into a plant. “Do I just…?” She wiggled her corrupted fingers.

“I think I need to absorb it directly,” Grace said, remembering how the process had worked with the carvings. “Maybe I could just touch your arm?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Mara laughed, flowers blooming along her collarbone. “If you need to touch me, you can do a lot better than just my arm~”

Grace had a sinking feeling.

“What?”

Before Grace could protest, Mara stepped forward and cupped her face in both hands—one normal, one floral.

“Just relax,” she murmured, leaning in.

[Oh come ON! Again?]

For the third time that day, Grace found herself being kissed by another angel. Mara’s lips were soft but tingled strangely, like mint mixed with something earthy. A cool sensation spread from the contact point, different from the warmth of Petriel’s healing but not unpleasant.

Grace felt the corruption entering her system—a small, controlled stream that pooled in her chest. She focused on containing it, keeping it separate from her divine energy, instead of releasing it in that blast like she’d done before.

Mara finally pulled back, looking slightly dazed.

“My, that was… invigorating.” Some of the flowers on her arm had wilted, though new ones were already budding.

“Did it work?” Grace asked, feeling the cool spot of corruption nestled inside her.

“Only one way to find out,” Mara replied with a motherly pat on Grace’s cheek. “Just be careful in there, dear.”

[A little bit of Regular Mara snuck back in, huh?]

They returned to the others, who were tactful enough not to comment on Grace’s slightly swollen lips. Except Diana, of course.

“Another ’healing technique’?” she smirked. “You’re having quite the day, rookie.”

“Shut up,” Grace muttered, her face burning. “Let’s just do this.”

She approached the barrier again, feeling the corruption inside her resonate with it. This time, when she pressed against the shimmering surface, it yielded like water, allowing her to step through completely.

“It worked!” she called back, her voice sounding distant and muffled through the barrier.

“Be careful!” Petriel called, pressing her hands against the barrier but unable to follow.

The inside of the barrier was like another world. The air felt thick and humid, heavy with the scent of growth and decay. In the center, Ivy’s tree pulsed with blue-purple veins running through its bark.

And there was Ivy herself, partially merged with the trunk. Her lower body had disappeared into the wood, while her torso, arms, and head protruded from the bark like a figurehead on a ship. Her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful despite her predicament.

“Ivy?” Grace approached cautiously. “Can you hear me?”

Ivy’s eyes opened slowly, revealing solid black orbs with pinpricks of purple light.

“The creator returns,” she said, but the voice wasn’t entirely hers. It was deeper, ancient, with multiple tones layered beneath Ivy’s natural voice. “We’ve been waiting for you.” It paused. “Wait… No, you are not her, are you?”

[Not exactly, but kinda? I dunno.]

“Uh, I’m here to free you,” Grace said, drawing her rapier. “Both you and Mara.”

“Are you?” The Root’s voice grew stronger through Ivy’s mouth. “Or have you come to destroy us?”

“I want to purify you,” Grace corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Purification. Destruction. Words for the same end.” The tree pulsed, and Ivy’s face contorted briefly before settling back into eerie calm. “We were not meant to end.”

“You’re hurting people,” Grace said. “You’ve corrupted two angels. This has to stop.”

“We seek only to understand.” Ivy’s arms, still free of the trunk, gestured around them. “To connect. To grow. As we were made to do.”

“Then connect with something else. Not people.”

“But people—angels especially—they carry her light. Her essence.” The purple lights in Ivy’s eyes brightened. “As do you, most of all.”

Grace took a step back, the corruption inside her responding to the Root’s presence. She pushed it down, maintaining control.

“You mean Eternia.”

“The Creator. The First Light. The one who shaped us and then abandoned us.” Bitterness crept into the layered voice. “We were left… incomplete.”

Grace raised her rapier, golden light gleaming along its edge. “I’m going to cut Ivy free.”

“Wait.” The Root’s voice softened, almost pleading. “We offer a bargain.”

“A bargain?” Grace paused, suspicious.

“These angels—we will release them both. Unharmed. Uncorrupted.”

“In exchange for what?”

The tree pulsed, corruption veins glowing brighter. “You. Join with us willingly.”

Grace snorted. “Hard pass.”

“You misunderstand.” Ivy’s body shifted slightly in the wood. “We do not wish to corrupt you. We wish to understand you. To learn from you. Your connection to Eternia is unique—direct, pure.”

“And I should trust you because…?”

“Because we offer power beyond your comprehension. Control over life and death. Mastery of growth and decay. All the knowledge of the ancient world.”

The corruption inside Grace stirred, responding to the offer. It didn’t feel threatening—more like curious, eager.

“I don’t want power,” Grace said firmly.

“Don’t you?” The Root’s voice was silk now. “Don’t you wish to fulfill your purpose? To become what Eternia made you to be?”

That hit uncomfortably close to home. Grace hesitated, the rapier lowering slightly.

“How do you know what I was made for?”

“We recognize her pattern in you. Her intention.” The tree’s branches swayed without wind. “You were crafted for greatness. We can help you achieve it.”

Grace shook her head, raising her rapier again.

“Nice try, but I’m not interested in your sales pitch.”

She gathered energy for her Aura Release, pulling on both her divine power and the small pool of corruption she carried. The golden-violet light began to gather in her free hand.

“This ends now.”

But before she could release the blast, golden text appeared in her vision:

「Quest Gained!」

Category: Compassion

Objective: Accept the Root’s bargain

Reward: +5 Compassion

Grace froze. The System—Eternia’s voice, essentially—wanted her to accept? That made no sense. Unless…

[Does Eternia want me to understand the Root too? Is there something I’m missing?]

She stared at the quest notification, conflicted. Every instinct told her to blast the corruption away and free Ivy. But if Eternia was directing her through the System…

“What exactly would ’joining with you’ involve?” Grace asked, lowering her rapier.

“A temporary merger. A sharing of essence.” The Root sounded almost excited. “You would remain yourself, but connected to us. We would learn, and you would grow.”

Grace took a deep breath.

“If I agree, you’ll release Ivy and Mara immediately? No tricks?”

“We swear by the First Light.”

Grace closed her eyes briefly. Five Compassion points. Eternia must have a reason.

“Fine,” she said, opening her eyes. “I accept your bargain.”

The tree seemed to shudder with delight. Ivy’s body began to separate from the trunk, wood peeling away from her flesh like it had never been merged at all.

“Approach,” the Root said through Ivy’s mouth one final time. “Embrace the growth.”

As Ivy slumped forward, freed from the tree, Grace stepped up to the trunk. The bark parted, revealing a hollow space perfectly shaped for a human-sized body.

[I really hope I don’t regret this.]

Grace stepped inside, and the tree closed around her.

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