He looked toward the window, where the distorted moans of the transformed could occasionally be heard over the wind. "It is time they rested their worn-out bodies. The seed will leave them emptied of their misery, taking their tainted blood to fuel its own ascension. Once the capital is harvested and the core is stable, we expand outwards."
Erik's eyes darkened with a flash of regal ruthlessness. "The last to play their role in this nourishment will be the untainted, the normal humans we have kept sealed away in the safety of the rural lands"
"The seed should have by then sprouted and grown," Erik mused, his voice echoing with a weary hope. "It would be easier then to inform them of the change. If they see the tree, if they smell its sweetness and see its majesty, they will understand their role. It would be less work, less stress, with a people organized and willing."
