Silence.
Then—
Pain.
Not physical pain.
Not injury.
Systemic pain.
Like his entire body was being rewritten from the inside.
He dropped from the branch instantly.
Falling to the ground.
"What—?!"
Heat surged through his veins.
Not burning.
Expanding.
His vision blurred.
Then sharpened too much.
The world felt too detailed.
Too loud.
Too real.
His knees hit the ground.
Hard.
And then—
A voice appeared.
Not external.
Inside.
Everywhere.
[Congratulations, Host.]
Andres froze.
Breathing uneven.
"…What?"
[You have consumed the fruits of the mythical Tree of Power.]
"…Mythical…?"
His mind struggled to process it.
[Analyzing biological contradiction…]
His body trembled.
[Error.]
[Error.]
[Impossible Condition Detected.]
"What do you mean impossible?!"
He shouted internally.
[Standard limit: One fruit per lifetime.]
[Host consumption count: 18.]
Silence.
Then—
Something colder.
[Conclusion: System anomaly beyond recorded existence.]
Andres' breathing slowed.
"…System?"
That word didn't exist in this world.
Not naturally.
Then—
Light.
Not external.
Internal.
His vision collapsed into brightness.
And reality—
Stopped behaving normally.