Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

Months passed and snow blanketed the region. To Div and En's disappointment, only two more dark days occurred that fall. Far from enough to complete their facet.

The setback hit hard. They realized they would have to wait an entire year before they had another chance.

Armies didn't grow on trees.

They fought hordes of monsters swarming the walls of Camboaci, and all they had to show for it was a measly level in Echoes of the Rot Heart.

Skill leveled up: Echoes of the Rot Heart Lv6 -> Lv7

At least, it showed that Div was making progress in his understanding of rot magic. According to Theaphilia, he was still far from the point where he would naturally unlock the skill, but that was to be expected.

Learning magic from scratch with nobody to teach him was a tall order. Even so, Div refused to be discouraged. He would succeed.

Even this meager progress was good compared to the rest of their goals. Their plan to evolve Sundered Mind was not advancing at all. Div and En put a lot of thought into it, but they still hadn't found a starting point.

As for their efforts to correct their inner world visualization of their other skills, it had also hit a snag. All the adults were telling them that it was perfectly normal, even expected. Facets, skills, evolution, magic, none of those were easy. It took time.

Yet, after months of fast progress, Div and En had a hard time being patient.

"Div, En, wake up," Gennorina said as she waved her hand in front of their face.

"Sorry, Genno. We were lost in our thoughts."

Since they had found the young earth spirit, Gennorina had been regularly sent outside to communicate with it. Each of those times, she asked for Div and En to come with her.

They didn't mind.

While the walls of Camboaci covered a vast area, Div and En disliked being confined within the village. Their time alone in the wilds, albeit short, had given them a taste of freedom they had come to crave.

Of course, both Gennorina and they knew that they were being tailed by someone who would protect them if they encountered a monster they couldn't deal with.

However, whether it was after a dark day or in the dead of winter, the forest around the village was relatively calm. The chances of meeting a strong creature were low.

"How is it going?" Div and En asked Gennorina.

"The spirit has been very friendly so far. Brigaseta is planning on introducing it to the other druids in the village in the coming year."

"Isn't that going to slow down your progress?"

"It will," she said, nodding her head. "But I already got most of what I could regarding my Nature Magic and potential for future druidic facets. If we want the earth spirit to help Camboaci, we need to foster everyone's relationship with it."

Despite spending months hearing about it, Div and En struggled to wrap their minds around the idea. As Gennorina said, it would be a centuries-long project. Maybe even longer, as they learned that the growth of earth spirits was immensely long.

It was a long time before it could help defend the village. Generations of goodwill to be fostered. All of that for it to accept defending the village.

It was almost frustrating. They would never see the result of their work.

Div and En sat in the snow as Gennorina communed with the earth spirit. They were still confused about why they didn't feel the cold.

At first, they had thought it was because of rift shenanigans. After all, rifts were known to be strange places where the laws of the world didn't always hold up. Unnaturally mild snow wasn't the weirdest thing they had heard of.

Just last week, Belilamos had closed a Basic Rank rift in which gravity shifted randomly. For a few seconds, up became sideways. It was completely unpredictable. Not the best environment for an archer.

But no, even outside of the rift, Div and En didn't feel the cold. Not just from snow. As far as they could remember, they hadn't truly felt cold since awakening.

And it wasn't their bodies getting stronger from completing facets. Even Theaphilia assured them that no matter how strong they became, cold, hunger, and other natural sensations would never completely fade.

Even Ascended Ranks still felt.

Div and En brushed their fingers across the snow, drawing random shapes as they waited. With winter starting, precipitation had calmed down from the constant drizzle the region suffered during fall. That said, it still snowed several times per week, covering the ground in a thick layer of fluffy coldness.

After a few minutes, Gennorina stood up.

"It's done."

"Already? That was fast."

"It seems even earth spirits are hiding from the cold. It wasn't feeling like talking much," Gennorina said as Div and En shook the snow off their pants.

Gennorina and they stood in the forest, looking at each other. For a moment, they didn't say anything.

Snowflakes started falling from the overcast sky, landing on their heads, shoulders, and noses.

[Shall we return?]

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

(One moment.)

"What? Is there something on my face?" Gennorina asked, breaking the silence with an awkward chuckle.

"Snow," En said.

"Let's go home, it's cold," Gennorina said as she started walking.

The falling snow made the forest quiet. All they could hear was the sound of footsteps and the creaking wood twisting under the growing weight of the snow.

"It's beautiful," En said, raising his hand so she'd know it was him speaking.

"The snow?" Genno asked.

"Yes, it's rare in Kheiron. I had never seen this much snow before this winter."

[We did, though. In the rift.]

(It wasn't the same.)

Gennorina didn't answer right away, her eyes taking in the dancing snowflakes.

"Do you miss it?"

"Kheiron?" En asked.

Gennorina nodded.

Div was content to watch. He knew his brother needed it. Not that Div didn't miss home, but he managed to keep it out of his head. He was aware En had a different outlook on the situation.

"I do," En said. "Every day."

En's gaze lost itself in the distance.

"The sea breeze brushing on my skin. The scent of pine trees spreading under the warm sun. My family…"

Genno turned her head toward him.

"I'm sure you will return one day."

"I will. But I need to be strong. I need to purge myself of the rot," En said, tilting his head to meet her gaze.

"What about Div?"

(Oh, sorry, Div. I didn't mean…)

[We already had this discussion, don't worry about it.]

"If that's what it takes," Div said, notifying Gennorina he was speaking. "I'll take on the rot so that En can go back."

"Are you sure?" Genno asked. "Don't you also wish to see Kheiron again?"

"Well, to be honest," Div started. "I think En is misguided. We've been exiled, with or without rot, returning won't be simple."

(I never said it would be simple!)

[You're too optimistic about how the clan will react.]

"Really? But you two have been exiled because of rot. Why wouldn't they take you back if you remove it?"

"Right," En said. "They would totally take me back."

[Believe what you want.]

It wasn't the first time they talked about this, and Div had never managed to convince En otherwise.

"I'm worried about our parents," En continued. "We haven't seen them since before our exile was pronounced. I hope they're doing fine."

Gennorina didn't answer right away. Her gaze drifted to the falling snow—not in admiration, but to avoid looking at En.

"Yeah," she said finally, too softly. "I hope so, too."

Div shrugged.

"Let's keep moving," Gennorina said. "We'll catch a cold if we stay out for too long."

They walked in silence for a bit, their boots crunching over fresh powder. The trees were skeletal, hunching under the snow.

En wanted to say something, to break the stillness.

But he didn't know what.

[Stop sulking.]

(What?)

[You always get in that mood when someone mentions Kheiron.]

(Because we were exiled, don't you feel anything?)

[Don't let things outside of your control control you.]

(Easy for you to say.)

"Are you two talking behind my back again?" Gennorina asked.

"No, what makes you say that?" En answered, quickly composing his expression.

"Your eyebrows are always dancing when you talk together in your head."

[Are they? I never noticed.]

"See! You're doing it again."

"That was Div. I have nothing to do with that," En said.

[Traitor.]

"Anyway," Gennorina said, keeping her pace steady. "I've heard that your birthday is coming up."

"It is," Div said. "Weird, it feels like this year lasted an eternity."

"Are you ready to celebrate?"

"Not really, we haven't planned anything."

"That won't do. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Soon, they arrived at the wall of trees. The spirit watching over Camboaci let them in without a word.

Gennorina insisted that Div and En come see Brigaseta with her so that she could give her report.

[We need to study.]

(Come on, it won't take long.)

With En insisting, Div was forced to follow along. It was fine, En had calmed down a lot since they first arrived. He was going along with Div's plans more often than not, and they both knew they had to compromise.

Every house's chimney puffed out thick plumes of smoke. This far north in the Wildlands, winters were rough, and the villagers needed all the heat they could get.

Brigaseta's house wasn't different. Even with her powers as an old Ascended Rank druid, she still didn't like winter.

"Ah, come in, kids," she said as Genno knocked on the door.

Div and En pushed the door open and gestured for Gennorina to go first. They cleaned the snow off their cloaks and removed their boots to avoid dirtying the place.

"It's been a while, Div, En," Brigaseta said, not getting up from her chair. She was covered under a blanket, holding a steaming cup with both hands. "If you want an infusion, do it yourself. I'm not getting up."

"Brigaseta, we're here to report about the earth spirit," Gennorina announced, ignoring the offer.

"Well, go on," she said. "Anything new?"

Gennorina repeated what she told Div and En about the spirit being sluggish because of the cold.

"No surprise, the wall of trees is the same," Brigaseta commented. "Earth spirits don't feel the cold as much, but their existence depends on the activity underground. Earthworms, fungi, and all that life essential to soil health, go dormant in winter. And as a result, so do earth spirits."

(Oh no. You're going to bring up rot again.)

[Of course I am!]

"Brigaseta," Div said. "I noticed that rot-attuned mana was also getting rarer in winter. Is it related?"

The old woman gave him a knowing smile.

"You already know the answer. Why are you asking me?"

While Div was still far from mastering rot magic, he hadn't spent the last few months slacking off. He had watched, observed, and studied. Worms, maggots, fungi, and all the life that revolved around rotting matter did not originate from rot-attuned mana.

They fed on it. Or rather, they used it to turn matter into that mysterious essence Div had seen, retaining a portion and releasing the rest back into the natural cycle.

Still, he was missing a piece in that puzzle. His body hadn't been infected with maggots when he first observed essence forming from rotting flesh.

He asked Brigaseta.

"Div," she said. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Who says there aren't invisible creatures that constantly inhabit our bodies? How do you digest food?"

(There it is, the thing I didn't want to hear.)

[Don't worry, it might not be true.]

Div needed to think about it.