Chapter 45: 044 The Heart of the Great Tree

"I can understand why you would keep such creatures as company, even if only to pamper them." The Arboreal Maiden reluctantly removed her hand from the black and tan coat. "That sensation is something many people would pay good money for. Let us continue discussing the matter at hand."

"Enabling us to utilize split, yes?" Diana was quick to return from the lax state they found themselves in.

"Indeed. Many times in the past I have assisted in the adjustment of prestigious person's ability to utilize split, usually the result of some wound or trauma. This will be the first instance I can remember where this ability to manipulate split will be created from scratch."

"Are you confident in your ability? We aren't at risk of death are we?" As it stood, they were capable of living without it. Donovan was comfortable with a small physical disadvantage if it meant they didn't have to accept a risk, even if it was small.

"There is no chance of that. Worst case scenario, the process simply fails and you are left with some residual pain for a period of time. The Great Csillacra assures me that event is unlikely, that and the ritual can be retried after your body has had time to recover."

"In that case I volunteer to go first. I can probably handle the pain a little better than Diana, and in the case that it fails and have to go through with it again I won't be nearly as busy. Does that work for you?" He was looking for confirmation from Diana, who promptly nodded.

If he hadn't been man enough to step up to the plate, she would have recommended he go first anyway.

"How chivalrous." The Maiden smirked. "I think you will find this procedure quite familiar to something you have already undergone, not that you would remember. It will alter what you call your genetic code, similar to the manipulation performed on you before birth, resulting in a few major changes to your body. Most of these will not be visible to the eye.

Perhaps the most notable physiological change will be the addition of an additional organ somewhere in your chest or lumbar region. I think you can ascertain what purpose it will serve. Additional changes will occur in and around your sensory organs, most notably the eyes. These alterations are going to be integrated, not adding or subtracting to volume or changes in anatomy, but giving the ability to 'see' the same way that everyone else does.

Be prepared for an immense sensory overload when you wake up."

"Wake up? Why are we being put to sleep?" Diana didn't understand why that was a necessity.

"Think of it as anesthesia administered before surgery. Your body will be changing very drastically in a very short period of time. The Great Csillacra will have to induce split decay in certain regions of the body in order to make space for certain things to grow or regrow. It wouldn't do to be writhing in pain for hours on end now would it?

Now as I was saying. After you are finished you will be extremely disoriented. Try not to stand up or walk around and just lay down. I plan to finish with your procedures before going to deal with some matters related to my position. I am unsure of how long I will be gone for, but it shouldn't be longer than three hours after you wake.

Just lay and rest, acclimate yourselves to your new condition. The Skwiven will take care of you should you need food and drink."

The Arboreal Maiden stood, producing a jeweled staff of gold and wood from a small alcove in the wall. Lightly tapping the floor with it, what they thought was a wooden wall covered in moss opened to reveal another passage.

"Follow me. This passage leads to the True Sanctum, the Heart of the Great Csillacra."

- - - - -

Diana was sick of walking. So sick, in fact, that she was tempted to ask for a piggy back from Donovan. Societal convention, proper manners, embarrassment, and the threat of rejection precluded her from actually going forth with the idea. However it was true she had walked far more than she had bargained for today.

She had long since passed the point of regretting wearing her not-quite-high heels. There was little padding to lessen the impact of her steps but the solid construction coupled with the small size of her feet meant she was always on the precipice of rolling her ankle on the bumpy surfaces.

Oh how she envied Donovan's comfy looking dress boots.

"Are you good Diana? You're falling behind." Donovan paused, a few yards ahead of her, exhibiting concern for how slow she had gotten. Her paces were shorter for sure, so he had to compensate for that, but now she was consistently falling behind him even with his intentional slowing. "Do you need me to carry you?"

As the two of them looked down at her slightly swelling ankles, she desperately wanted to say yes. But she couldn't, not in the presence of the Maiden.

"I'll be fine." Her 'conviction' wasn't convincing. "Just give me a minute to rest."

Mercedes, a good distance ahead, stopped to see what the hold up was.

"There is no shame in admitting you came ill-prepared Diana. There is still quite some distance remaining, and I think we would all prefer it if we got this finished as soon as possible." The Arboreal Maiden didn't even turn around to address them, maintaining a slow speed while they remained stopped. "Accept to his offer."

Reluctantly, but with great relief, she climbed onto the squatted Donovan's back. Her arms around his neck and his under her legs, they continued forward faster than they were going before.

"Good job." Donovan whispered to her. "Six miles or so of uneven ground in heels, not a bad showing. Nobody told us we would be walking on tough terrain. That being said, would you like to start running with me to build up endurance? I noticed you were a little out of breath."

She was extremely grateful that Donovan couldn't see her face, it hid her cherry-red cheeks. She was trying to hide her exhaustion, but she didn't do a good enough job. Defeated, she accepted being carried the rest of the way.

- - - - -

Turquoise to sea green leaves varying in shape, size, and texture greeted them at their destination. A jungle of branches and foliage more similarly representing the waves in an ocean than the foliage of the forest.

They were on an elevated platform overlooking this sight, a constant rustling of branches despite the lack of wind. It was as if they were perched on a cliff, the only difference from the bluffs they knew where the fact that the ocean curved up into a ball instead of down and away.

That and the giant glowing orb suspended in the center of this inverted globe.

"...would gravity even allow this?" Don was less in awe of the sight and more stunned by the way that every natural law they thought they knew was being violated as if it was nothing. Sure they could generate artificial gravity themselves, but only in a single direction at a time and most certainly not on this scale.

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At least not without extreme effort.

"Is that a star up there?" Diana was far more susceptible to being entranced by the natural beauty of things.

"No, that is the heart of the Great Csillacra. Core may be the better term technically speaking, seeing as it does not pump blood, but I feel the poetic implications of the word are a better fit here."

"So like the bearer of the soul? Kinda like a brain?"

The Arboreal Maiden nodded. "I think the Great Csillacra can take care of us for now, if you would like to get down that is." She once again tapped the floor with her staff.

Just as Diana was dismounting, greeted with nips from an envious Mercedes, the gigantic branch they were standing on shook.

And then it started to move.

Slowly at first, groaning and creaking, but it moved. Up and out in a winding path, undoubtedly headed for the heart.

"How are you doing this?"

"What? Moving the branch? That is the Great Csillacra's doing. I only told it where we were."

The two of them looked a little confused, but were perfectly willing to accept that explanation at this point. Nonetheless, she took the time to elaborate.

"Unlike us, the Great Csillacra lacks many senses. Sight, smell, taste, hearing are impossible for it, and we are so small in comparison that it can't determine our exact location by touch. In most people's case, it would identify them by their unique split profile."

"But not for us?"

"But not for us. You three obviously lack split in the first place, rendering you effectively invisible to it. As for me, well, let's just say I have a somewhat special condition that makes it impossible to separate me from the background. In order to let it know where I am, I have to make myself visible. Specifically, I send a pulse of split into wherever I may be standing with this staff. Usually it is enough to get its attention."

So it was like a pager of sorts.

"Before we step onto the heart, I ask that you remove your foot coverings. Eventually you will have to remove other garments, but it is custom to be barefoot while on the heart."

"So someone coming here is a common occurrence?" Donovan remembered that others had gone through similar treatments.

"Not at all. In my lifetime the total number has not exceeded the ten-thousand mark, not that I remember their faces." She gracefully removed her wooden shoes, not even bending down to loosen them.

If Don hadn't experienced the walk they went through, he wouldn't have ben so surprised to find there was no paadding.

"Just for reference, how long have you been alive?"

"Don't even bother, it's a timescale you will fail to fully comprehend. I myself have forgotten even the rough approximation." She was the first off of the branch, softly stepping off the edge onto the soft blue sphere.

Donovan and Diana followed suit, Diana in particular grateful for the soft, cool, plush feeling. The it supported her as she sank into it did wonders for the pain in her feet. Mercedes was far less enthusiastic, crying at the edge as she watched the two of them wade further away. Don had no choice but to go back and carry the whiny mutt onto the ground.

There was a pleasant scent in the air, sweet, but not suffocatingly so. Don wasn't familiar with many scents beyond those associated with cleaning, machinery, and the few deodorants and air fresheners he had been exposed to, but he though it lay somewhere between watermelon and an especially fragrant flower.

He couldn't remember which flower though. Definitely not a rose or daffodil. Lavender? Did lavender smell sweet? He knew it was purple and that it supposedly helped ease the nerves, but he had only smelled it once, walking past a flower display on one of his few outings.

"What does this smell like Diana? It feels familiar but I can't put my finger on it."

"I think it smells like a Sakura tree, or maybe a Katsura tree? I forget the difference. It's definitely sweeter and fruitier, but I think its pretty close. If I remember correctly, some of the trees around Grandpa's house belonged to those two species. The ones that turned pink were Sakura."

He remembered those. He never really 'stopped to smell the roses' as it were, but he could appreciate the short bout of beauty every year.

"When you are comfortable, Donovan, I ask you strip to your undergarments and lay flat on the ground so the Great Csillacra can check your status and determine the best course of action."

Don got to work immediately, removing everything in a specific order so as to not wrinkle the clothing. Once he got around to removing his dress pants, Diana inconspicuously turned around.

Don would not have minded being looked at almost naked, physical examinations were frequent and usually happened alongside many other people, women included, but Diana actually had something called shame.

"Just put your clothes off to the side, this shouldn't take long."

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