[Host has unlocked: Nature Authority.]
As soon as the system finished saying that, the sudden influx of knowledge came pouring down, and it didn't arrive like a whisper in his ear. It didn't trickle down piece by piece.
It came all at once, a flood that crashed through him and carved itself into his mind so sharply that he almost forgot to breathe.
There was no denying it, no chance to push it aside. It was as if the power had been waiting inside him this entire time, sealed off in some hidden corner, patient until the exact moment the lock gave way.
Healing, yes—but not the gentle, merciful kind that closed wounds without question. This was different. This was healing that asked for something back.
No, not asked. Demanded. Restoration that came with a price. Life is given only after life is taken. He could feel it already, the rhythm of it, the cycle that had nothing to do with kindness and everything to do with balance.
