Oliver’s stunned. He’s never heard of this tree in the future myths from the Book of the Chaos Era. Weird—its potential seems on par with the World Tree. Each fruit’s a planet; fully grown, it’d be a universe! No wonder it was Ygg’s buddy.

  Did it miss out on mythic fame because Níemogrs ate it? They’re not saints—they’re not raising it out of kindness. It’s livestock to them, bred for slaughter, like humans with cattle.

  The chaos teems with deities—tons with talent rivaling mythic names like Aether or Ymir. But many lose in the endless god wars, killed off, their names lost to history.

  Oliver keeps eyeing the star tree and spots something new. At its base, dense weeds shimmer with starlight, pulsing with deep blue energy. Wrapped in it, you’d feel like you’re in the cosmos. Each weed looks soft but hides a deadly edge—like it could stab through stars.

  “Starlight grass,” Ygg says. “One of my best crew.”

  “It’s a bit like Níemogrs—has a mother body pumping out endless seeds. They drift, settle anywhere, and boom—wild growth. Tough as hell, shrugging off disasters. Where it spreads, starlight prairies bloom. Combat’s solid too—group deities together are scary.”

  Ygg’s thrilled, proud of its minion. Though, it seems this prized subordinate—or part of it—got nabbed by Níemogrs too. Plant deities are wild.

  Most deities Oliver’s met are animal-types. Besides Ygg, today’s his first peek at other plant ones—and they’re not letting him down. The World Tree, chaos’s top plant deity, naturally draws others to serve it. Plants love groups more than animals do—it’s a born leader with a pull all plant deities feel.

  Pushing on, Oliver and Ygg spot another tree! It’s about Star’s size, draped in thick purple flowers. Stunning from afar, fragrant—but Oliver senses danger. Every flower, every petal, feels alive, demonic, chilling.

  “Sakura, another of my crew!” Ygg grumbles. “Damn Níemogrs—if not for them, me and my gang would’ve rooted in Ymir’s flesh, drifting free in the chaos. Pure bliss!”

  Then it brags, “Pretty, right? But deadly—rare for us plant types. Each petal’s a blade, cuts anything. It’s got the ‘sword’ primal rune. Its combat’s insane. If I weren’t the World Tree, no plant deity could boss it around!”

  Ygg’s smug, king of plants. Oliver nods, tossing it some praise. These rare plant deities blow his mind.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Plant deities start weak, outclassed by animals, but over time, their growth and survival outshine them in the chaos. Fully grown, they’re powerhouses, topping most animal deities. Star tree, starlight grass, sakura sword tree, World Tree—their strength and potential are elite, first-rate.

  Early on, though, they need guardians. Without them, they fade from history—probably fell in the god wars.

  “Let’s reach out,” Ygg says, hyped. “They’re Níemogr captives—once they know their old boss is here to save them, they’ll be over the moon!”

  “Alright.” Oliver probes his soul power toward their hangout.

  He’s timed it perfectly—their soul energies are linked, like they’re plotting something. They can’t split souls off like Oliver, but they chat through roots with soul vibes. Sneaky stuff—without Ygg’s nudge, he’d have missed it.

  “Let’s eavesdrop first,” Ygg says, hiding eagerly. “Master, they’ll talk about me—miss me, thank me, praise me, hehe!” It’s dying to hear their take.

  Plant souls connect via roots. First, a starlit soul speaks.

  “Ahem, didn’t call you all here for nothing. Word’s going around Níemogrs ate the World Tree—our old boss is toast.” Star’s soul flickers, excited. “We plant deities need a new leader to bust us out of this dump. So, I’ve gathered you to pick one. Me, Star tree, obviously—I’m the strongest plant deity here. I’d be nuts not to lead. Who’s with me, who’s not?”

  Its soul pulses, flexing its might. This meeting’s its bid to replace Ygg as plant deity boss! It was Ygg’s minion but played the “friend” card—Ygg, chill as ever, let it slide. But Star’s clearly obsessed with running the show.

  “This jerk…” Hidden with Oliver’s help, Ygg hears this and shakes with rage, leaves quivering. It wanted to flex its loyal, badass crew to its master—only to catch this right off the bat!

  “Maybe Ygg isn’t dead yet. We shouldn’t just trust what the Níemogrs say—we should figure out a way to find it, contact it, and fight back against their rule together!” The soul of the starlight grass chimes in.

  “Yeah, we should track down the boss!” A few other plants echo in agreement.

  This nest isn’t just home to the star tree and a handful of others—there are weaker plants too, though Oliver hadn’t paid much attention to those small fry earlier.

  “Hmph, at least some of them have sense,” Ygg mutters, pleased by the starlight grass’s words.

  But its satisfaction doesn’t last long. Another voice cuts in: “So what if we find it? Ygg’s just been chased around by Níemogrs—a useless coward who only knows how to run!”

  “Exactly! That thing’s too pathetic to protect us!” Even the starlight grass, just praised by Ygg, joins in with a tone so matter-of-fact it nearly sends Ygg into a rage!

  “Totally! Ygg as a leader? Absolute trash. With or without it, nothing changes. Back when it was around, anytime someone came to mess with us, it’d just yell, ‘Run, run!’—then bolt faster than any of us…” They go back and forth, piling on like it’s a full-blown Ygg-bashing convention, each one dripping with resentment.

  “Looks like your crew isn’t exactly loyal,” Oliver says, chuckling. “Check them out—they’re really ready to ditch you for a new boss.”

  “Those bastards…” Ygg’s branches quiver with fury. It had hoped for a few loyal fans who’d miss and respect it, but here they are, plotting away, all trashing their former leader like it’s a sport.