As Eric's eye glowed, his shirt began to rip apart, revealing the dragon tattoo on his back. The tattoo burst into a radiant glow, spreading across his body. The witch caught off guard, released her hands from the staff, but Eric's hand remained attached, glowing with an intense energy. The ground around him began to crack, and the entire building shook violently. Everyone was shocked, including the witch, as the reaction was unprecedented. Meanwhile, in a mysterious black space, Eric was confused. A screen materialized before him, prompting him to choose an element. After considering his option, Eric selected the wood element, believing it would short his performance for a non-combat role. As soon as he made his choice, knowledge about using the wood element flooded his mind. Back in the banquet hall, Eric's body underwent a transformation. The dragon tattoo on his back grew more vibrant, and his physical appearance was changing. The crystal ball on the staff shattered, releasing a burst of green smoke that enveloped the entire hall. The hall was in chaos, with everyone struggling to comprehend what was happening to Eric. Slowly, as the green smoke cleared, Eric was nowhere to be found.
Eric found himself in a dense forest, lying on the ground. As he slowly opened his eyes, he wondered,
"where am I?"
recalling the dark space where he had chosen the wood element, as he stood up from the ground. He noticed a drastic change in his body. Looking at his arm, they looked like those of a 20-year-old, and a dragon-scale tattoo covered his right arm. He had grown taller, and his face had transformed into a sharper and defined version of his former self. Eric's hair had grown, now reaching his shoulder. Confused and thirsty, Eric used his wood element ability. The ability helped as he was in a place surrounded by trees. Using his ability, he located a nearby waterfall. Quickly, he ran towards the place. As he approached the water, he caught a glimpse of his reflection, and was taken aback by his new appearance. After drinking some water, he realized his clothes were torn, and his body was partially exposed. Eric's first priority was to find clothes to wear, and seeking answers to where he was. He wondered, what happened in the banquet hall, how did he end up in the forest, and why he had aged so rapidly. Deciding to focus on immediate needs, Eric set out to find clothes and a nearby town or village to find who could provide the information he needed. Eric crouched down, placing his hands on the ground, and focused his wood ability again. The trees around him became his eyes, scanning the landscape for any signs of civilization. He spotted a village. He set off towards it, but his pace slowed as he approached the village. He glanced down at his near-naked body, and realized his approach,
"not like this,"
he thought,
"I need clothes." Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a man approaching on horseback. Eric approached the man. The man was taken aback by Eric's near-naked state.
"What in the seven hells happened to you?"
The man asked, shocked.
"Why aren't you wearing anything?"
Eric fabricated a story.
"I got attacked by some monster, and my clothes were destroyed. Can you help me with something to wear?"
The man looked at Eric with curiosity and suspicion, but threw him a pair of trousers and a shirt. After Eric finished getting dressed, he turned to the man and asked,
"Please sir, can you tell me where I am?"
The man's expression turned incredulous.
"You mean you don't know where you are?"
He answered, clearly suspicious. Eric fabricated a story to explain his current situation.
"I was attacked by a beast, and I got lost, so I don't know where I am.".
The man looked at Eric with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. he Seemed not to accept Eric's explanation. The man eyed Eric suspiciously, noticing his tattoo and assumed Eric was a bandit. He decided to withhold information about the area.
"Why don't you go into the village and ask them instead?"
He said,
" I am new here too, so I don't know this place."
Eric sensed the man's reluctance to share information, thanking him for the clothes before heading towards the village. Once there, he asked around for directions of where to buy a map. A villager pointed a nearby store to Eric. When getting there, he entered the store. Eric approached the shopkeeper and asked,
" Sir, do you have a map I could buy?"
The shopkeeper eyed Eric's tattoo, worrying, suspecting him of being a bandit. The village had been plagued with bandits, and he was cautious. Yes,
"I have a map". The shopkeeper said, It will cost you three gold coins. Eric replied,
"I don't have three gold coins, but maybe I could work for it or do something for you."
The shopkeeper sed,
"Before I would give you the map, you need to retrieve something called a dark bloom. It grows on the head of crocodiles in the western region".
"How many dark bloom do you want me to get?"
Eric asked.
"Get ten and I will give you the map."
The shopkeeper replied, As Eric left, a nearby store patron whispered to the shopkeeper,
"Bro, why would you send him on such a dangerous mission? Don't you know those crocodiles would kill him? ".
The shopkeeper shrugged.
"If he really needs the map, he will try to get what I need. Besides, I don't give things out for free to anyone.".
As Eric arrived at the location, he spotted the dark bloom sitting on top of a pitch of murky mud in a lake. Recalling the shopkeeper world's that the dark bloom grew on top a crocodile's head, Eric summarized that a crocodile lay hidden beneath the mud, Ready to attack if he tried to retrieve the flower, which his bare hand undeterred, Eric retreated to a safe distance and decided to use his Wood Element's Vine ability to snatch the dark bloom. He carefully manipulated his vines, attempting to grab the flower and rip it from the crocodile's head. However, the crocodile burst out of the mud, its powerful jaw snapping wildely as it tore through the vine with ease. The crocodile turned towards Eric, their eyes fixed on him with an unnerving intensity.
The ease which they destroyed his vines left Eric shocked and confused. He retreated into the forest, his mind racing with uncertainty as he ran. A peculiar tree caught his attention. The tree seemed to be moving alongside him, its branches swaying in signs with his footsteps. Eric's eyes widened as he noticed the tree, eyes and sharp teeth. He froze, and to his surprise, the tree stopped moving as well. Eric, cautious, approached the tree, sensing no malevolent intent from it. Instead, he felt an inexplicable connection, as if the tree was responding to his presence. He decided to test his connection over the tree, gave the tree simple command. To his astonishment, the tree obeyed.
Eric, curiosity was picked . he placed his hands on another tree felling the same connection, it dawned on him that he could manipulate the tree, so he decided that he would control, not just the tree that had followed him, but other trees as well. the tree's moved using their vines as legs and their branches as hands.