GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

This life tree came into existence as a heroic spirit that continued to cater to their race even after death. Its unique ability of energy conversion and resurrection due to ancestral worship made it gain the ability to create life essence. It became capable of converting energy to the very essence of life. That heroic spirit became the ancestor of all Life trees and each Life tree that exists today represents the will of that ancestor. They are of incredible importance to the High Elves.

It is also the reason why the path of Godhood has been cut off in the home plane of the high elves. Who will dare to elevate him or herself to the same level as their ancestor and accept worship to be deified? No one. Any other answer is a blasphemy on the honor of the ancestor. All demigods are hunted before they can become gods.

What Hadrick has is the potential to become something on the level of the life tree. He could become something lesser and he could also become a Death tree which is on par with a Life tree. Legends say if the tree of death is created, their combined power can allow anyone to be resurrected.

The story of High Elves is an example of what could happen to the Ghastorix family. The High Elves' story ended on a happy note all thanks to that special individual that went on to become the realm lord of High Heaven. He gained the eternal gratitude and support of the high elves when he saved them from the humiliation of selling their ancestor's body parts to others.

Soverick would have also been eternally grateful if things ended there but the realm lord refused to stop, he went on to create even more unbelievable things. Right now, his feelings of admiration for the realm lord have morphed into a need to overcome. The realm lord is like a giant casting a shadow over everyone else.

"One step at a time. After all, it isn't a race. Even if it is, I started too late." He said to console himself.

Somewhere else in the inner city.

The supervisor of the department of family affairs was just concluding his report concerning Soverick. He is slightly torn about the act, on one hand, he didn't want to spread the secrets of a family member without their explicit permission. He wanted to ask for permission but meeting Mihila again and asking something from her scared him too much. On the other hand, he believed that Soverick had a lot of untapped potential which must not be wasted and so he wanted the higher-ups of the family to know about it too. As a direct descendant of the family, he felt it was his responsibility to look out for the general good of the family.

He knew that such a report could bring down scrutiny and supervision upon Soverick. It could bring abrupt and unpleasant changes to soverick's life and those of his immediate family members so he had even prepared himself to suffer Mihila's wrath in the future if she ever found out about his tattling. There's no way that much sudden attention will not be linked back to him, so Mihila is sure to find out.

"It is only a matter of time." He said nervously.

The report he is writing is far from complete but there was no way he could get Mihila to allow him to perform further examination. It will be the end of him if she finds out what he is trying to do with the information. He will only be content with dying after he writes and sends the report, no matter how incomplete, not before. Soverick might also reject the inspection at the end of the day. Children with awakened royal bloodlines have a lot of rights in the family. They are little ancestors after all. He was about to finish up and then submit it when he received an important notice. He left the report to read the announcement on the notice.

The notice informed him that an origin god would be coming to the city soon for an inspection. It rarely occurred that one of the ancestors will return to the plane, especially a restricted plane like theirs, the suppression they will face will be too uncomfortable. It was good news to the supervisor.

He patted his chest and said. "How lucky, just when I was about to resign myself to fate a door opens up to me."

He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to send the report now. He can just find a way to slip it to the origin god. Since the ancestor is already around for an inspection, it won't be suspicious that Soverick's matter was divulged. Even if Mihila becomes unreasonable and gets angry at him he wouldn't be afraid anymore because he will have a very strong protector. He might have been willing to sacrifice himself earlier but now that there is an alternative method all his bravado left him.

Somewhere else in the city.

Kroft junior was having the worst day of his life. The famed son of Haden Kroft had become penniless. It was only yesterday that he became homeless, but today he has also become penniless. He had thought it was a joke when yesterday he was refused entrance into his father's house. But he didn't worry too much, he had a lot of money in his bank account. Then he was informed that his permit to stay in the inner city had been revoked. He would have to live in the outer city from then on. Still, he wasn't worried, because as long as he could buy a property in the outer city, he would still be able to make a comeback.

But now he is very worried. He found out that all his accounts had been frozen. He is completely broke. He had been trying to contact his father all to no avail. He had less than a day to figure something out or he would be sent packing out of the city. Then he would be transferred to a satellite city. He is still a descendant of the bloodline of the family, he will always have a place in the family. But he didn't want that, he didn't want to be relegated to an irrelevant way of life. His life took a turn for the worst.

He tried to ask for help from his father's friends. He thought for sure that something good would come out of the endeavor because his father had a lot of friends and they were powerful people too. He was very wrong, nothing good came out of it. While it is true that his father had a lot of influence and friends, those friends of his father had less than a favorable opinion of him. They weren't willing to help him at all. Their excuses were something along these lines.

"You shouldn't be in the main city in the first place. The main city is for transcendents with potential who have proven themselves to the family. Do you need money? Why don't you try and make some yourselves? You must have learned one or two things from your father all this while. It will come in handy. Besides you are transcendent, that should count as something in this plane right?"

He didn't want just something. He wanted to return to his hedonic lifestyle, but all the perks and luxuries he used to enjoy because of his father disappeared in a flash. All the friends that he used to drink with abandoned him. They were only there to suck up to him and hear him complain about others or rant in jealousy.  Now that there was no benefit in hanging around him, they left him.

He became terrified when the reality of everything hit him, a feeling he was experiencing for the first time in his life. What was he going to do? He wasn't a fighter. He may be transcendent but his actual strength is at the bottom of the barrel. Times have changed. This isn't the era of transcendents anymore when the entire plane can be grasped by a handful of transcendents. Transcendents are everywhere now and he could die.

For the first time in his life, he felt how truly weak he was. He needed strength and he needed it fast.

He left the city at the end of the day. He had gotten a tip on how to acquire the strength he needed in his desperate times.

He had three options. The first one is to buckle down and go into seclusion to become a lord of law. He disregarded this option because he is lazy and because it is too late for him to become a lord. Even if he overcame his laziness, his lifespan was running out to achieve something relevant.

The second option is to make a contract with a powerful demon. He would gain strength and extra lifespan but at the cost of his soul. His transcendence should be worth a lot.