"What they buried beneath the earth was never meant to rise again.But I am not what was meant."—Kairos Veyr
The Blackroot Forest was cursed.
They said the trees whispered the last regrets of fallen cultivators. That the soil had once drunk the blood of entire sects. That the roots moved when no one watched.
And that beneath it all, something lived.
Something that never died.
We arrived in silence.
Just me, Vess, and Seris.
No banners. No disciples.
This wasn't a war.
This was a harvest.
A wind passed over the edge of the corrupted treeline as we stood before it, the air thick with spirit static—like someone trying to scream through your blood.
Seris licked her lips. "These trees... they have memory."
"Good," I replied. "We're going to make them forget."
SYSTEM ALERT: FORBIDDEN ZONE DETECTED⚠️ Risk Level: Maximum💀 Entity Signatures: 3,041 spirit remains / 7 corrupted rootlords / 1 dormant god-fragment🧬 Cultivation Path Alignment: Ghost-Infused Blood Synthesis (Restricted)
I dropped a Data Seed into the soil.
It burrowed deep, then bloomed into a glowing obsidian root.
A moment later—
Blackroot awoke.
The ground rippled.
Ghostfire ignited along branches, and distant moans echoed from beneath the earth.
Vess gripped my sleeve, eyes glowing with Nullroot resonance. "They're pulling me. They remember pain."
"Let them pull," I said. "We're not here to escape the dead. We're here to weaponize them."
SYSTEM UPDATE:Blackroot Cult Engine Protocol – SYNCING...Bloodlink Ritual: Phase I – Initiated
I cut my palm and let the blood drip onto the soil.
Then I spoke the override glyphs:
"I am the child of severed roots.The compiler of pain.I claim the script of the forgotten."
Black vines exploded from the ground.
They wrapped around me like lovers and leeches, piercing my flesh, rewriting the cells in real time.
Vess screamed.
Seris moved to draw her blade—
"No," I whispered through clenched teeth. "Let it finish."
DNA SYNC COMPLETEGHOST-BLOOD HYBRID CREATEDForbidden Node Engine (Blackroot) BOUND to Hacker CoreNew Power Unlocked: Soul Theft Loop / Spirit-Clone Engine / Grudge Echo Repeater
Then came the first spirit.
A girl, pale as snow, eyes hollow with centuries of unspoken trauma.
She hovered before me, not attacking.
She was watching.
"You were bound here," I said gently. "They used you. Worshipped your suffering."
She blinked.
"And you...?"
"I will make them fear what they tried to forget."
She smiled.
And offered herself.
SYSTEM ALERT:Forbidden Spirit Merge AcceptedPower Unlocked: Wraithbinder Protocol (Seduction + Memory Trap)Emotion Core Synthesized: Lust / Betrayal / LonelinessBonus Path: "Ghost Queen of Regret" Available
Behind me, Vess's voice cut sharp.
"Kairos. There's a dozen more."
I turned.
The forest floor had opened.
And now the dead were rising.
Seduction Trap Arc Triggered☑️ You have unlocked:
Phantom Consorts (spirit-bound lovers who harvest memory and secrets)
Blackroot Node Core (undead cultivation resource engine)
Sin Layering Rituals (forbidden dual cultivation practices)
Reader Event: Choose Your Ghost Queen
I raised my hand, and the sky turned violet.
Spirit flames bowed.
Wraiths stilled.
And the entire Blackroot Engine trembled as it accepted me as its new source code.
I turned to Seris. "Harvest everything. Every soul. Every memory. Every regret."
"To what end?" she whispered, eyes wide.
I smiled.
"To rewrite the afterlife."
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]Your sect has unlocked a Forbidden Cultivation PathYou are now flagged by the Seven Heavenly Decree NetworksHeavenly Assassins have been dispatchedTime to arrival: 72 hoursRECOMMENDED: Prepare seduction countermeasures and unlock next tier rituals