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It was through this perspective that Ikem came to understand symbiosis.

He saw that the world thrived on mutualistic, parasitic, and commensalistic relationships. Most living things were not truly independent; they coexisted with countless unseen organisms, bound together in an eternal dance of cooperation and conflict. Just as he was in symbiosis with Bara, his power evolved, reshaping his wooden manipulation into something beyond what had ever existed. The roots and trees under his control no longer bore the ordinary hues of nature; they bled. Their bark deepened into a visceral crimson, their growth fueled by the blood they consumed. They fed on the essence of others, drawing strength from sacrifice.

Even his own body had become a living extension of this principle. His roots could detach, burrowing into foreign trees, latching onto creatures, spreading like a parasitic network of life, an extension of his will.