The God's Deceit - The Web Begins

I had barely taken a few steps when I heard it. A voice, deep and guttural, called out to me from behind, echoing through the passage like a growl from the very earth itself. The air seemed to vibrate with its power.

"You dare feast upon my fruit without permission?"

I froze, my heart leaping into my throat. The voice had come from behind me, near the water hole where I had eaten the strange fruit. I slowly turned around, my mind racing. There was no one there—just the same small clearing, the same shimmering pool reflecting the dappled sunlight, and the same tree swaying gently in the breeze. Its branches rustled softly, innocently. I scanned the area, but saw nothing that could've spoken. My pulse quickened, and I forced myself to take a calming breath. Maybe I was imagining things, a side effect of the exhaustion I had just shaken off.

But the voice came again, louder this time, vibrating through the ground beneath my feet. "Do you think you can take what is mine without consequence, Human?"

I swallowed hard, glancing at the trees, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. My gaze landed on the tree I had plucked the fruit from, and a cold, sinking feeling began to settle in my stomach. No… it couldn't be. Trees don't speak. They don't get angry. They're just trees.

But before I could fully process the thought, something happened. I saw it. The bark of the tree began to twist and contort, as if something was moving just beneath the surface. Cracks formed, and long, jagged slits ripped open in the trunk. My stomach churned as I watched what could only be described as eyes—dark, hollow, and full of rage—emerge from the bark. They fixed on me, and I shuddered.

And then, the tree spoke.

"You've taken what is mine, without thought, without respect!" its voice boomed, each word shaking the ground beneath me. I stood frozen in place, my mind refusing to accept what was happening. My heart pounded in my chest, my skin prickling with a cold sweat.

"No… this isn't real," I muttered to myself. It couldn't be. Trees don't talk. But as I watched, the bark of the tree continued to split, a large hole forming in the middle of the trunk. Splinters of wood jutted out like razor-sharp teeth, and from the twisted mouth, the tree let out another roar of fury.

"You dare consume my fruit and offer no thanks, no offering? You mortals are all the same. Greedy. Thoughtless."

I stumbled back, my mind racing to find an explanation, anything to rationalize what I was seeing. But there was no denying it. The tree—the tree I had just eaten from—was alive, and it was furious.

"I… I didn't know," I stammered, struggling to find the right words. My throat felt dry, my pulse quickening with each passing second. "I didn't know you were… alive. I didn't mean any disrespect!"

The tree's bark twisted further, forming what looked like furrowed brows above its grotesque mouth. Its voice, now filled with anger, echoed once more.

"Didn't know? Ignorance does not absolve you from consequence, Human. You take what you do not understand. That is your nature."

I held up my hands, stepping backward slowly, trying to diffuse the situation. "I didn't mean to offend you! I was exhausted, and I didn't realize the fruit was yours to guard. I just... I didn't know!"

The tree let out a deep, menacing growl. Its massive branches creaked above me, shaking the leaves, and it swayed forward, looming over me with terrifying intent. Its shadow fell across me, chilling my skin.

"Your ignorance is an insult in itself! You took what is sacred without permission, and for that, there is only one consequence. You must pay."

Before I could react, one of its thick branches swung toward me with surprising speed, the wind hissing as it cut through the air. Pure instinct kicked in, and with my renewed strength, I leapt to the side just in time, the branch crashing into the ground where I had been standing only a moment ago. The impact shook the earth, sending a spray of dirt and leaves into the air.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. The tree wasn't just angry—it wanted to kill me. Its branches swung wildly, and each time I narrowly dodged, feeling the air shift around me as they smashed into the ground or the rocks nearby. I darted to the side again as another branch came crashing down, its force cracking the stone beneath it like brittle glass.

"You will not escape, thief!" the tree bellowed, ripping its roots from the ground with a deafening roar. The earth trembled as the massive trunk lifted itself fully from the soil, its roots now coiling like the limbs of some great beast. It towered over me, its bark splitting in places, revealing even more jagged wooden spikes beneath.

I backed away, my eyes wide as I tried to process what was happening. The tree was alive—and it was hunting me.

I kept moving, darting left, then right, narrowly avoiding its branches as they lashed out, leaving deep gouges in the ground. My breath was coming fast, but I felt strangely exhilarated, my body lighter than it had been in hours. My energy, renewed by the fruit, fueled my movements. I wasn't exhausted anymore. I could keep up, but for how long?

"Wait!" I shouted, dodging another branch that nearly took off my head. "I said I was sorry! I didn't know you were alive! I just—please, let me explain!"

The tree let out a mocking laugh, its deep voice rumbling through the clearing. "Explain? There is nothing you can say to undo what has been done. My fruit is sacred, and you have defiled it."

"I didn't know!" I yelled back, my voice trembling. "I thought it was just a tree—just a fruit! Please, just let me go. I won't take anything else, I swear!"

But the tree wasn't listening. It swung at me again, the thick branches slicing through the air like giant wooden fists. I jumped backward, avoiding the strike, my feet sliding against the dirt as I tried to find my balance. The tree moved toward me, ripping more of its roots free from the ground as it advanced.

"I will show you the consequence of your actions, thief," it snarled. "You will feel the weight of your transgression."

Panic surged through me as I realized the tree wasn't going to stop. It was relentless, and it wasn't about to forgive me. I scanned the area, my mind racing for a solution, for anything that could give me an edge. There had to be a way to stop it—a weakness, a way to reason with it—but all I saw were more branches swinging at me, each one more aggressive than the last.

My renewed stamina kept me on my feet, but I knew it wouldn't last forever. If I didn't find a way to end this soon, the tree would eventually catch me, and when it did… I didn't want to think about that. I had to act.

Summoning every ounce of courage I had left, I stood my ground, breathing heavily as I faced the monstrous tree. "Look," I said, my voice firmer this time. "I made a mistake. I took your fruit because I was desperate. But that's it. I didn't mean any harm. If you want your seeds back, I have them. Just… stop this!"

The tree hesitated for a moment, its massive body creaking as it paused, branches twitching in the air. Its eyes narrowed, and I saw something shift in its expression—an acknowledgment, maybe, or a moment of thought.

But then, with a low growl, it spoke again. "Words mean nothing to me, human. You have stolen from me, and for that, you must pay."

The branches swung again, and I leapt out of the way, my heart pounding harder than ever. This was it—there was no reasoning with it. I was on my own.

And I had to survive.

I didn't know what to do. I had no weapons, nowhere to run, and every option that crossed my mind felt like it would fail. The cave walls closed in around me, and the air seemed heavier, as if the very earth was trying to trap me here.

The voice still echoed in my head. The tree had spoken to me — it had yelled at me for eating its fruit. It had felt insulted, disrespected, and now I was paying the price for my ignorance. I should've known better, but my exhaustion had clouded my judgment, and now this… thing was ready to kill me for it. I felt the fruit seeds still in my pocket, the last remnants of the apples I had eaten earlier, and a plan began to form in my mind.

I had no way of fighting this creature directly. It was massive, with branches thick as tree trunks themselves and a rage that would crush me the moment I made a wrong move. But what I did have was my wits — and the cave around us. The stalactites hanging above, sharp and jagged, could be my only chance. If I could get the tree to thrash against the walls, maybe — just maybe — I could bring those deadly spikes down on it.

With renewed determination, I pulled one of the remaining fruits from my pocket and stared at it for a moment. The tree had already been enraged when it found out I'd eaten some of its fruit, but if I ate more right in front of it… I looked up at the snarling face in the bark and took a bite.

The reaction was immediate. The tree let out an ear-splitting roar, a deep guttural sound that reverberated through the entire cave. It shook, ripping more of its roots from the ground as it swung its thick branches wildly. I could feel the wind from its movements, like a giant hand trying to swat me down.

"You dare eat from me again?" the tree howled, its voice echoing from every crevice of the cave.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to tremble. "Yeah, I dare. You're just a tree, after all."

It screeched, its branches flailing in fury, and for a moment, I thought it would crush me then and there. But I had to push it further. I needed it to lose control, to charge.

I stuffed another piece of the fruit into my mouth, chewing deliberately, trying not to show how terrified I was. The tree's bark twisted as more of its faces contorted in rage. "You will pay for this disrespect!" it bellowed, tearing its final roots free from the ground.

The earth trembled beneath my feet as the monster moved forward, its roots slithering across the cave floor like tentacles. It lunged at me, swinging its massive branches. I barely managed to leap out of the way, feeling the wind whip past my face as one of the branches smashed into the ground where I had just stood. The impact sent chunks of stone flying through the air.

The cave shook again as the tree charged, crashing into the wall. This was my chance. I dodged another branch, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to stay on my feet. The walls quivered from the force of the impact, and I looked up, seeing the stalactites above me tremble. They were sharp enough to do serious damage — all I needed was for the tree to hit the wall again.

I shoved the last of the fruit into my mouth and yelled out, "You missed! You're nothing but a dead piece of wood!"

The tree screeched again, and this time, it lost all control. With a violent roar, it ripped through the cave, charging at me full force. Its branches swung wildly, one narrowly missing my head as I dove to the side. The ground shook beneath me as the tree slammed into the wall once more but it quickly maneuvered its roots and it slammed directly into my side and I was sent flying into the cave.

I landed in the pool of water, I flashed my hand to stay afloat as the pain surged in my abdomen.

And then I heard it — the sound of cracking stone. I looked up in time to see the stalactites break free from the ceiling, large, jagged spikes of rock plummeting toward the enraged tree. I drop below the water to avoid the flying degrees, a few large rocks fell into the water and I manage to dodge them just in time. I came up for air and that when I saw it, the stalactites impaled the creature with a sickening crunch.

The tree let out a final, ear-piercing screech as it collapsed, its branches twitching as the life drained out of it. Its enormous body sagged under the weight of the rocks, and for a moment, the cave was silent.

I got out the water and approached cautiously, staring down at the once-mighty tree, now reduced to a dying heap of splintered wood and jagged roots. It was breathing — or at least it seemed to be. Its bark shifted one last time, and a mouth opened near the base of the trunk, the sharp, wooden teeth stained with sap.

The tree's voice, once thunderous, was now weak and broken. It tried to move its roots to attack me but it was too weak. Where ever the stalactites had pierce was obviously its weak point as it force itself to move but couldn't. "This… is what you are," it rasped, its voice filled with bitter malice. "A destroyer… of life."

I stood there, breathing heavily, my heart still racing from the battle. Its words echoed in my mind. A destroyer. Was that what I had become? I hadn't meant for this to happen — I didn't want to kill it. But here I was, standing over its dying body.

A pang of guilt hit me, followed by a wave of self-doubt. Had I really had a choice? Or had my actions been inevitable, a symptom of some deeper flaw within me?

I crouched down, pulling a small branch from its broken form. I held it in my hand for a moment, unsure of what to feel. I didn't even know why I took it — maybe it was a trophy, maybe a reminder. I wasn't sure. Before standing up, I grabbed one of the seeds that had fallen from the tree, slipping it into my pocket.

Without another glance at the fallen creature, I turned and walked down the passage, the echo of its final words lingering in the air. As I continued forward, my mind raced, but I couldn't shake the hollow feeling in my chest.

A destroyer. Was that really who I was now? I didn't have the answer. All I knew was that I had to keep moving, had to find a way out of this place and back into the light. And hope that someday, I could leave this moment, and the weight of the tree's words, behind.