AoP | B2 | Chapter 62: Null Sap (Patreon)

Seth stared at the small pool of amber sap, the strange lack of aether prickling his skin like static in reversal. He cast Intermediate Identify.

      Petrified Tree Sap

      Seed

     Tier: Iron             Affinity: Null

      Grade: ???

      Description: The sap of a Petrified Tree that bends and dampens surrounding aether. Within its facets, all elements fade into equilibrium.

      Effects: ???

Seth's breath hitched. Another Seed.

He stood still for a long moment, his mind struggling to process the information shimmering in his vision. A Null-Affinity Seed. 

Back in Oskon, at the auction, one of the Seeds had lacked an affinity entirely, displayed simply as a dash '-'. Yet this one was… different.

It confirms what I've suspected, Seth thought, recalling when Professor Storm had assessed his affinity at Trogan Academy. I do have an affinity—it's Null.

But, could he really blame her for being wrong about it? 

This affinity was clearly an anomaly—just like this pool of sap. Was the line of question marks in Identify's assessment caused by the grade being too high? Or was it simply the absence of established knowledge about such an affinity? Or was the Seed itself beyond the spell's ability to thoroughly comprehend?

Maybe a mix of that.

Just as Seth was about to step closer, another thought struck him: if there was no aether here, there would be no distortion field around the basin either. A spark of hope flared in his chest. He reached for his Endless Pouch, plunged his hand inside, and channeled aether into it.

Yet the instant the faint thread of energy left his fingers, it was yanked away—pulled, warped, and swallowed up by the sap before it could even activate the pouch.

Well, I had to give it a try, he thought, his mouth twisting into a wry grin. If it had worked, they would have been able to easily leave the cave if necessary.

'What are you waiting for?' Nightmare said through Link. The direwolf had obviously seen the Seed's description through Seth's eyes. 'Go for it. Jump in.'

'I don't know if that's a good idea…' Seth answered. He glanced nervously in the direction where Colossus was absorbing the Earth Seed behind the tree's roots. 'Maybe I should wait until Colossus finishes? Just in case some Elementals find us.'

'No,' Nightmare retorted sharply. 'Depending on how long it'd take him, and how long it'd take you after that, we'd probably need to leave before you can both finish. The moment this Rift's portal opens, we have to be out of that distortion field… Well, unless we want to stay another month?"

'No thanks,' Seth answered. 'Being a deserter just because of that would be silly.'

After a brief internal debate, trying to gauge if the potential reward outweighed the unknown risks, Seth began removing his armor and clothes. He kept only his underwear, the chill of the cavern air prickling his skin with goosebumps. Putting one foot in front of another, he approached the pool of liquid amber.

Once next to it, he dipped a foot in. The sap was cold—shockingly so—and thick, feeling like oil on his skin. He felt it tug at the aether inside him, pulling gently but insistently. What if this stuff just… drains me completely? Sucks my Well dry and kills me? 

The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

'Oh come on, just get in already!' Nightmare's exasperation rippled through Link.

Seth exhaled, shaking his head, then eased forward and took the plunge. He lowered himself into the pool until the heavy liquid reached up to his neck. The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever felt—dense and smothering, as if the Null affinity severed his connection to everything beyond. The constant hum of energy he'd always sensed since his awakening was suddenly gone.

Yet amidst the almost suffocating silence, a strange calm washed over him. The stillness was profound, absolute… and comforting. It felt like being suspended between worlds: cut off from all sound, all chaos—safe in a place where nothing could reach him.

Seth remembered how Nightmare and Colossus had absorbed their Seeds through raw instinct. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to let go and surrendered to his inner beast. His core began to pulse within his chest, and within moments its strange energy had spread through his veins like liquid fire.

In the depths of Seth's Well, something began to stir—a faint vortex that quickly grew into a giant whirlpool. It didn't draw in aether, but rather the very absence of it. The moment his Well began to drink from the cold void, the Null-sap around him rippled as if in response before being pulled toward him in invisible currents a breath later.

Seth closed his eyes, focusing on the odd sensation: the feeling of absorbing nothing. His awareness drifted outward, slipping beyond his body, merging with the amber pool, then climbing through the roots into the petrified tree.

He felt the molten droplets hitting the crystalline leaves above. Yet there was no pain from it, no heat. The tree's Null affinity met the fire as a solvent. It disassembled the lava's aetheric structure, stripping away its burning essence until nothing remained aside from inert matter—flames reduced to stillness. The tree then absorbed it like breaths of air.

Seth scrutinized the cycle of deconstruction and consumption and watched it unfold for what felt like an eternity before trying to replicate it.

The vortex in his Well quickened to pull the Null affinity from the sap surrounding him into his body. A frigid tide rushed through his limbs, carving new, intricate pathways—grooves etched not only into his flesh but also into what felt like his very existence—before feeding the spinning void within his Well. He poured all his focus into the process, shaping it, refining it, refusing to waste even a trace of the strange energy. He needed every bit of strength it could give him. To grow stronger. To survive the coming war.  To purge Kastal of its rot. To take control of his destiny.

Time gradually lost all meaning. He drifted in a profound trance, sinking closer to the heart of this strange new affinity with every heartbeat. The world outside ceased to exist: thirst, hunger, breath, all became distant and insignificant. His entire being was focused on three tasks. Deconstruct, observe, absorb.

He had lost track of how long he'd been submerged, realizing only now that the pool's heavy grip had faded. The sap had thinned and currently felt as light and fluid as water against his skin.

A distant voice broke the flawless silence.

'Do you think we should wake him up?' Colossus said with clear worry. 'Is he… dead?'

'No, he's not,' Nightmare answered dryly. 'He's… hibernating, I think? And no, we shouldn't. Who cares about his human war, anyway? This is something more important. He's evolving.'

'Evolving?' Colossus repeated. 'Don't tell me he's growing a shell! It's awes—'

Before the scorpion could finish, Seth's eyes snapped open.

He spun toward his companions, his movements slow and stiff from the prolonged immobilization. Both the direwolf and the scorpion flinched, as if they'd just seen a ghost.

"What do you mean I'm going to miss the war?" Seth exclaimed, his heart racing in panic.

'Well, that thing in your pouch rang a little bit ago,' Nightmare answered as he nodded toward the purple bag next to Seth's clothes. 'And from what I understood, that meant we were supposed to be leaving.'

"Yes, we were!" 

Seth hauled himself out of the basin, which was now filled with a clear liquid instead of amber sap. Without giving it a second thought, he hurried to dress.

With damp fabric clinging to his skin, he turned to glare at the direwolf.

"How long ago did it ring? A few minutes ago, or…?"

His voice trailed off as Nightmare let out a long-suffering sigh, his mouth pulling up in what looked suspiciously like a smirk. 'Um… more like half a day.'

"Half a day?!" Seth exclaimed, his voice cracking. "Why didn't you wake me?" 

The moment he finished yanking on his boots, Seth burst out from beneath the tree's roots. A deserter. The thought hit like a hammer. All this, yet I'll end up branded a deserter.

They had to get out of the distortion field before the portal expired. Another month trapped here might be incredible for his growth; it would be terrible for everyone in his squad. What if his teamates faced Kaelen in their first battle? They would get slaughtered. 

Seth shot a quick, desperate glance at his companions and pointed toward the tunnel they'd come from. "We've got to go. Now!" 

He took off at a sprint, leaving them no choice but to follow him.

As they tore through the winding tunnels, a faint wave of sadness crept into Seth through the Link. Nightmare nudged him, bumping his shoulder before looking in Colossus' direction.

In his frantic rush, Seth had completely forgotten. The scorpion had absorbed the Seed, yet Seth hadn't said a word to him. Not even a simple congratulations.

Almost immediately, he slowed his pace to drop back and match the young beast's thundering run. "Sorry, buddy," he finally said between breaths, "I was just… worried we wouldn't make it out in time to protect everyone."

'It's alright,' the scorpion replied. 'I understand.'

"Still…" Seth glanced at him, guilt softening his voice. "How was it? Absorbing that gem?"

Colossus's mood brightened instantly, and a surge of pure joy rushed through Link. 'It was amazing! It felt a little like being inside the necklace next to the rock, but… more intense! I can feel it, Seth! I'm tougher now! I bet I could take all those hits from the giant rock-thing that hurt Big Brother Nightmare and my shell wouldn't even crack this time!'

Seth smiled despite himself, the scorpion's excitement cutting through his nervousness. The moment they emerged into a vast cavern—one they had cleared days earlier—he filled the grooves of Intermediate Identify and cast it on Colossus. 

  Colossus (Young Three-Tailed Giant Scorpion)

  Potential: Gold Tier        Rank: 44 (Mid-Iron)

  Affinity: Earth

  Bonded to [Seth]                 [...]

  Strength: 72                     Arcane Power: 87

  Toughness: 208 (134+58+16)  Well Capacity: 107

  Agility: 61                       Regeneration: 76

  Spells:

  - Mountainborn Shell [Gold〜Legendary (Crude)]

  - Sandstorm Dome [Gold〜Rare (Crude)]

  - Desert Aegis [Silver〜Epic (Decent)]

- Explosive Bastion [Silder〜Epic (Crude)]

  - Chitinous Taunt [Silver〜Rare (Decent)]

  - Deathcoil Venom [Silver〜Rare (Decent)]

  - Quartz Armor [Iron〜 Rare (Exceptional)]

  -  Scorpion Charge [Iron〜Rare (Standard)]

Seth's gaze immediately landed on the scorpion's aether attunement and affinity, eager to see the results of the Seed.

           Sensing: High-Iron                               Seeds: 

           Manipulation: Peak-Iron                       - Titan Gem Shard [Iron~Epic]          

      Affinity:

  - Earth ~ Peak-Silver                                        

  - Poisson ~ High-Iron 

As Seth focused on the Seed, additional information appeared.

           Titan Gem Shard [Iron~Epic]

           - Increases the potency of all Earth-affinity spells by 7% Toughness.

           - Boosts Toughness by 12%.

           - Grants 60% resistance to immobilizing, stunning, or slowing effects.

Just like with Nightmare, the percentage boost Colossus received had blown past the supposed limit of the Seed.

'So? How did I do?' Colossus asked.

Seth chuckled softly. The scorpion couldn't read, but with Link he definitely already knew the answer—he just wanted to hear it out loud. "You did great, Colossus," Seth said, indulging him. "Honestly, just as well as Nightmare… maybe even better."

'Really?!'

A low, rumbling growl came from a few paces ahead. 'No, I did one percent better,' Nightmare chimed in.

Seth let out a sigh. 'Oh, come on.'

Before he could add anything else, Colossus's unrestrained joy surged through their bond. 'I did almost as well as Big Brother Nightmare!'

Seth shook his head and smiled. It was funny, in a way. The scorpion idolized Nightmare and craved his approval, yet he was progressing at an even-more-terrifying rate. Part of it was his Gold potential, sure, but Seth suspected it was also thanks to his incredible will. That unwavering drive to protect, that determination to shield others, was an even stronger source of power than all of Nightmare's fierce ambition.

As they passed a cluster of massive stone pillars, a sudden flash of light caught Seth's eye. A fireball shot from the shadows and veered unnaturally toward him. His eyes widened.

Seth tried to dodge, but the fireball still grazed his shoulder, making him grunt more from surprise than pain. Colossus let out a furious hiss, his rage crackling through the Link. The scorpion lunged forward, Scorpion Charge igniting as he barreled toward the creature, which had just cast the spell: a Low-Iron Fire Elemental.

It's so weak that neither my core nor Nightmare's Danger Sense reacted, Seth thought.

Nightmare flashed beside Colossus, a blur of living shadow, and together they struck with overwhelming force. The fight lasted mere seconds—Colossus pinned the creature down and weakened it with Deathcoil Venom, which let Nightmare's Gloom Fangs shred it into nothing more than vapor and drifting embers.

The moment the two beasts returned, Seth looked down at his shoulder. Even though the spell was Low-Iron, the fireball had inflicted far less damage than he would have expected. Colossus's new Seed explained part of it, since it gave him a portion of its bonus, but something else still felt odd.

He could sense faint traces of Fire aether lingering an inch above the surface of his leather armor. It didn't burn or sear. Instead, an invisible force had held it back, preventing the flames from ever truly touching him.

I forgot, Seth realized. My Seed.