Across the United States, people were beginning to wake up to a new possibility: perhaps they were finally allowed to dream again. For years, countless ordinary citizens had watched their opportunities disappear while the ultrawealthy and their cronies tightened their grip on the country, leaving everyone else to struggle for whatever remained. Now, after the horrors of the past month and the revelations that had shaken the nation, people dared to imagine a future in which they could once again be treated as ordinary citizens rather than disposable tools for the powerful. The thought was still unfamiliar, and many remained suspicious of the promises being made, but for the first time in years, hope was beginning to compete with their distrust.
As grief, relief, and hope flowed through the American people, something extraordinary began to happen to the nation's fortune. The fortune of the United States, which had been weakened by the corruption and devastation that had spread through its institutions, began to recover as though a dying flame had finally received fresh air. In the form of a magnificent bald eagle, the nation's fortune appeared above the Capitol building, its enormous presence carrying a significance that ordinary humans could neither see nor understand. It circled the building three times, spreading its wings as it completed each round before releasing a powerful cry that, despite its apparent silence, seemed to proclaim its return to the world.
The eagle's cry could not be heard by ordinary humans, but that did not make its message any less significant. It was a declaration that the fortune of the United States had not been extinguished, accompanied by a warning to the other countries that might have considered taking advantage of its weakened condition. Human beings could not perceive the true state of national fortunes, nor could they understand the struggle taking place between these mysterious manifestations. However, the fortunes of other countries could recognize what was happening, and some were already watching the American eagle with considerable interest, wondering whether they might benefit from its weakened state or prevent its recovery.
After all, absorbing another country's fortune could provide extraordinary nourishment, making a weakened nation an attractive target for those whose own fortunes sought to grow stronger. Such an act was not without consequences, but the potential rewards were substantial enough that the temptation could hardly be ignored by every fortune that encountered the opportunity. The American eagle's return therefore represented more than a symbolic victory for the people celebrating their country's survival. It was also a declaration within a world that operated according to laws most humans did not know existed, announcing that the United States was no longer as vulnerable as it had been before.
Fortunately, the fortune of the United States was not the only entity capable of influencing the situation, and Gaia witnessed the spectacle with genuine satisfaction. She had been watching the changes taking place on Earth, and the recovery of the American fortune was a welcome development after the damage caused by corruption and the recent disasters. Gaia needed humanity to become stronger, not remain a weak link that could be broken whenever a sufficiently powerful opponent applied pressure. The world was changing too rapidly for its inhabitants to depend on a handful of individuals or nations to carry the burden of survival, and a stronger United States would contribute to the overall strength of humanity.
Yet while Gaia observed the return of the American fortune, another disturbance was taking place somewhere far beyond the awareness of ordinary people. Within a special plane of the universe, something was struggling against the shackles that restrained it, and for a brief moment, a brilliant glow of light illuminated the surrounding space. The force behind the disturbance appeared to be making progress, as though it had finally discovered an opportunity to loosen the restraints that had kept it confined. However, before the situation could develop any further, the bindings tightened once again, suppressing the light and forcing the disturbance to subside.
The brief struggle was not entirely without consequences, because something had managed to make enough noise to attract unwanted attention. Whatever had been attempting to escape had apparently caused similar disturbances frequently enough that another entity had begun to grow irritated with the repeated racket. The glow disappeared, the restraints settled back into place, and the commotion gradually died down, leaving little indication that anything unusual had happened at all. Nevertheless, the annoyance of the entity disturbed by the noise suggested that the struggle was not an isolated incident, even if its true nature remained unknown.
Meanwhile, Arin was sitting on a branch high within a large tree, enjoying a beautiful view of the forest that had become his home. The surrounding trees stretched into the distance, their canopies forming a vast sea of green that moved gently beneath the breeze, while the familiar scents of leaves, soil, and living wood surrounded him. For once, he had allowed himself to stop worrying about the responsibilities waiting for him and simply enjoy the peace that the forest offered. As he gazed across the landscape, his thoughts drifted toward the forest's future and the incredible possibilities that might one day become reality.
Arin was still a young man, but he understood that the path of cultivation offered opportunities that ordinary people could scarcely dare imagine. If he and his family managed to walk the entire path of cultivation, the forest they called home might eventually become something far greater than a collection of trees and wildlife. It could grow into a world of its own, a place vast enough to contain every kind of tree that existed on Earth and perhaps even varieties that humanity had yet to discover. The idea filled him with excitement, because he could imagine spending his life exploring such a place rather than being confined to the relatively small forest they currently possessed.
He pictured enormous redwoods rising toward the sky, their immense trunks towering above the surrounding vegetation, and dense mangrove forests spreading through warm, waterlogged landscapes. Different climates and ecosystems could exist within the same vast forest, allowing trees that normally grew thousands of kilometres apart to thrive within the same greater domain. There would be countless places to explore, each with its own beauty and characteristics, and he could hardly wait to experience them for himself. For Arin, the thought was not merely about creating something impressive or gaining power; it was about seeing the forest he loved reach its fullest potential.
What Arin failed to realize was that his daydreaming had brought him into contact with the forest on a level he had never experienced before. The forest had already merged with the fortune of the Sonnenberg family, connecting it to something greater than the individual trees and living creatures that made up its physical form. As Arin's emotions flowed outward, the forest responded to them, recognizing the joy and anticipation that filled his thoughts. The connection was no longer limited to the ordinary awareness he had developed through his physique and cultivation, but had deepened into something more intimate and instinctive.
The forest seemed to understand the happiness that Arin was experiencing, and its response was immediate. Trees began to sway in a manner that went beyond the ordinary movement caused by the wind, their branches and leaves moving together as though the entire forest had suddenly become excited. The sensation spread through the surrounding woodland, turning the normally quiet landscape into a celebration of movement and life. Without realizing what he had done, Arin had inspired the forest to dance with joy, creating a spectacle that would soon attract the attention of everyone nearby.
Members of the Sonnenberg family and their recruits were the first to notice that something unusual was happening. At first, they could only stare at the trees as the movement spread through the forest, uncertain whether they were witnessing an environmental phenomenon or the result of some ability they had yet to understand. However, as they watched the branches sway and felt the unusual atmosphere surrounding them, the mortals began to wonder whether this was an opportunity to test their own connection with the forest. Their new breathing method was supposed to make such a connection possible, but achieving it had proved considerably more difficult than the original description had suggested.
The breathing method had been modeled after Arin's physique, and its rarity was high enough that mastering even the first cycle had presented a serious challenge. Some family members had made progress, while others had struggled to establish the necessary rhythm and direct the mana properly through their bodies. There were even people who had begun to doubt whether connecting with the forest was genuinely possible for ordinary practitioners using the method. Although the instructions clearly stated that such a connection should be achievable, the difficulty of the initial stages had left many wondering whether there was something important they had yet to understand.
Now, however, the dancing forest offered them an opportunity they could hardly afford to ignore. The family members and recruits attempted to connect with the surrounding woodland, allowing their breathing to settle as they followed the method's instructions and opened themselves to the presence of nature. To their astonishment, they began to feel a response that had previously eluded them, as though an invisible barrier between themselves and the forest had suddenly disappeared. Instead of merely sensing the trees as separate living things, they could feel the mood spreading through the woodland, allowing themselves to be carried along by its happiness like leaves drifting upon a gentle current.
For some of the Sonnenberg family members, the experience was so overwhelming that tears began to fall from their eyes. They had spent their entire lives protecting the forest, caring for its trees, and helping it recover from the damage inflicted by centuries of environmental neglect. During the twenty-first century, deteriorating air quality and other forms of pollution had placed enormous pressure on the natural world, and the family had devoted themselves to preserving the woodland despite the challenges. Now, for the first time, they felt that the forest they had protected was responding to them in a way that went beyond the physical results of their work.
The connection gave their efforts a new meaning, because they were no longer simply protecting a place they loved. They could feel the forest's emotional response and recognize that their relationship with it had become something far more intimate than they had previously imagined. Their lives had revolved around caring for the woodland, yet they had never been able to experience it from this perspective, where the forest itself seemed capable of sharing its happiness with them. For those who had spent years dreaming of such a moment, the experience was worth every difficulty they had endured while learning the breathing method.
"So that is how it works," Karl thought as he gradually came down from the excitement of experiencing the forest in this new way. As a Ranger, he had always valued his connection with nature, and the opportunity to sense the woodland on such an intimate level left him deeply grateful. The experience had exceeded his expectations, revealing a depth to the family's breathing method that he had not fully appreciated before. More importantly, he had finally gained a clearer understanding of what the method could offer once a practitioner managed to overcome the initial difficulties and establish a genuine connection with the forest.
As Karl explored the sensation, he noticed something else that caught his attention. The disturbance had originated from a particular location within the woodland, and he found that he could identify it with surprising precision through his newly deepened connection. Rather than relying solely on ordinary observation or the sensing abilities provided by his physique, he could follow the subtle changes spreading through the forest and trace them back to their source. Before long, his attention settled on a large tree where someone was sitting comfortably among the branches.
Karl did not need much time to realize who was responsible for the commotion. The source of the disturbance was none other than Arin, the young family member whose unusual physique had provided the foundation for their new breathing method. Discovering him there brought a mixture of feelings that Karl could not immediately reconcile, because the boy had managed to create an extraordinary breakthrough while simultaneously neglecting his responsibilities. Even if Arin had only been missing for a day before revealing the method's full potential, that did not erase the fact that he had run away and failed to fulfil his duties to the family.
Karl began walking toward the large tree, his expression becoming increasingly thoughtful as he considered how he should handle the situation. On one hand, Arin had helped the family discover something that had deepend their understanding of the breathing method and their relationship with the forest. On the other hand, allowing him to escape responsibility simply because he had stumbled upon a valuable discovery would set a poor precedent, especially when the boy already possessed abilities that made him difficult to supervise. Karl appreciated the breakthrough, but he was not about to forget the circumstances that had led to it.
Meanwhile, Arin continued sitting on his branch, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. He had not felt this relaxed in months, and the opportunity to spend time alone in the forest had allowed him to recover some of the energy that constant responsibilities had drained from him. During his time escaping his home, he had learned to sleep comfortably in the trees, remaining completely quiet and motionless throughout the night while still obtaining the rest his body needed. It was an essential skill for someone attempting to run away from home, although Arin would probably have described it as a useful survival technique rather than an admission that he had deliberately avoided his family.
The daydream had also served another purpose, giving his mind and body the opportunity to relax after a long period of tension. As he reflected on the future of the forest, he had experienced a change within himself that he could sense but could not yet explain. Something about his connection with the woodland felt different, as though he had crossed an invisible threshold without realizing it. He did not fully understand what had happened, but the happiness he felt and the forest's unusual response convinced him that the experience had been important.
"Now, let's change locations," Arin muttered to himself as he looked around and decided that he had enjoyed his peaceful retreat for long enough. "This place is far too open." He began to turn around, intending to find somewhere else where he could continue enjoying his solitude without drawing unnecessary attention. Unfortunately, the moment he moved, he was confronted by the unimpressed expression of his grandfather, who had apparently managed to approach the branch he was sitting on without Arin noticing him.
Arin froze, staring at Karl with genuine disbelief as he tried to understand how his grandfather had managed to sneak up on him. He had activated his physique at full power specifically to detect approaching family members, hoping to secure two entire weeks of freedom without being discovered. Given the strength of his senses, he had been confident that nobody in the family could approach him without triggering some form of warning. Yet Karl was standing right in front of him, looking as though he had known exactly where Arin was all along.
"What? How?" Arin blurted out, his relaxation disappearing as he struggled to comprehend what had happened. "I should have been able to spot you, no matter how distracted I was!" He had trusted his sensing abilities enough to believe that he could enjoy his time alone without worrying about being caught, and Karl's sudden appearance had completely shattered that confidence. For a brief moment, he wondered whether he had somehow lost control of his physique, but the possibility did not explain why his grandfather had approached without being detected.
"Oh, that?" Karl replied with a grin that immediately sent a shiver down Arin's neck. "I figured out a neat trick with the breathing method that should negate your overpowered sensing ability." The old man sounded far too pleased with himself, and the expression on his face suggested that he had discovered something much more useful than a simple way to approach his grandson unnoticed. Arin could only stare at him, suddenly realizing that his peaceful escape might have come to an end much sooner than he had planned.