When there is no opportunity, I will create one
The warm sunlight dances through the leaves of the colossal Painter's Tree, reflecting a golden glow that makes it look as if it's quietly burning. Surrounding it are several small buildings, constructed with a symmetrical architectural design, bearing clear signs such as "Supply Depot" and "Surveillance Unit." But the most eye-catching feature is the massive wooden door at the base of the tree, clearly engraved with:
"The Painter's Tree."
Deep within the tree, a young man sits wearing a wrinkled shirt stained with blood and burn marks, along with torn pants. His eyes are cold, devoid of any emotion. He holds a pen and a piece of paper, his gaze falling upon the red seal. He begins to think...
12:00 PM, the day before
"Tick... tick... tick..."
The sound of an axe echoes as it carves into wood in a steady rhythm. A black -haired teenager with black eyes, an average build, and a slightly short stature swings his exhausted body against another piece of wood, his sweat soaking his shirt. He pauses for a moment, wipes his forehead, then takes a sip of water before looking at the horizon.
He sees someone running fast, emerging from behind the trees.
The runner passes by without paying him any attention.
"Late again, Henry. Let's hope your punishment doesn't last all night this time." Matthew smirked sarcastically.
Henry continues running, trying to ignore the voice behind him. He knows Theo is trying to provoke him, but he can't stop now. Though he slows down for a moment, the thought of punishment pushes him to pick up speed.
"Damn, I couldn't delay him!"
Behind him, Theo shakes his head in frustration.
Surveillance Unit
Matthew sits at a large wooden table, a three-dimensional map of Zone F-1028 displayed before him. Moving dots represent living creatures within the monitored area. The western region of the map is black—completely empty, even devoid of terrain.
"Bang!"
Henry bursts through the door, rushing towards the table. He pulls out a small black wooden box and inserts it into a designated slot. His eyes land on the gray clock on the wall—it reads 12:37 AM.
"You're late." Matthew states calmly, smoothly pulling out another box.
"I know, no need to remind me." Henry mutters in frustration.
"Why are you always late in the western zone? This is the second time." Matthew raises an eyebrow curiously.
"I don't wander aimlessly. Changes are happening, and we need to monitor them to ensure everyone's safety. I saw some animals acting strangely, so I decided to investigate." Henry answers, annoyed.
"Changes? Like what?"
"I saw some animals behaving oddly. It's not natural."
"Hmm... Have you reported this to Lord Edmund?"
"No, I don't have enough evidence yet. It might be nothing."
"I see..."
Matthew falls silent for a moment but notices the tension in Henry's expression. Finally, he sighs and says:
"Remember, if anything happens, Lord Edmund must be the first to know."
"I know that."
"Alright. I need to focus, can you leave?"
"Okay, okay, no need to get mad." Matthew raises his hands in surrender before leaving.
"Damn, those brothers never know when to keep their mouths shut..." Henry thinks after Matthew exits.
After leaving, Matthew took a shower, then ate his meal. After that, he recorded a report on the area's condition, practiced drawing for a while, and finally went to the Painter's Tree at exactly 5 PM, where the door was open. Upon entering, he noticed the strange paintings hanging on the walls, depicting various scenes. There were separate rooms and a large door with the inscription:
---
Control Area - Restricted to Painters Only
"Enter."
Matthew steps into a room, knocking on the door, and a middle-aged man's voice responds.
Inside, Lord Edmund—an imposing man with gray hair, a strong build, and a thick beard—sits wearing a white shirt and gloves, holding a paintbrush as he stares at a blank canvas.
"Daily report, Lord Edmund. From 1:00 PM to 12:37 AM."
Lord Edmund sets the brush aside, frowning slightly.
"Late again... This is unlike Henry, especially after yesterday's punishment. Do you know what's going on with him?"
"He says he saw animals behaving strangely and didn't inform you because he's unsure. He's been acting suspiciously lately. He visits the western zone a lot, and his reaction when I asked wasn't reassuring."
"That is suspicious indeed..."
Lord Edmund falls into deep thought before asking:
"Has the General Administration responded to our requests?"
"No, not yet." Matthew replies.
Lord Edmund sighs in frustration.
"They're stalling... No, they're ignoring us. We can't leave the western zone without sensors for long."
Then he looks at Matthew seriously and says slowly:
"Remember, strength isn't everything, but without it, a person has no value in this place."
"Thank you for the advice, my lord."
"You can leave the report on the table. Good work as usual."
Matthew places the report down and leaves.
---
12:50 AM
Matthew is in the surveillance unit, staring at the map, when he sees a green dot moving rapidly towards the western zone.
"Henry? What is he doing there at this hour?"
Minutes later, another green dot appears, returning from the area, followed by a loud scream:
"HELP!"
Theo jolts awake at the terrifying sound, rushing out of the cabin. He sees Matthew running towards the forest while the Painter's Tree door is wide open.
"Go to the Painter's Tree!"
He hesitates, then decides to head to the surveillance unit instead. There's no clear danger, and if something happens, he can quickly react.
---
At the Forest
Matthew sprints through the trees until he finds Lord Edmund kneeling beside Henry's body, covered in deep wounds. Matthew's hands tremble, but he quickly steadies them. Lord Edmund removes his shirt and covers Henry's face, then lifts his head.
For the first time, Matthew sees his expression—his eyes are red, his face calm... like a storm brewing beneath the clouds.
"Take care of his body. Don't follow me." Lord Edmund says in a controlled tone, but Matthew knows this calmness conceals immense fury.
Matthew picks up Henry and carries him back to the base, while Lord Edmund runs towards the western zone, seemingly seeking revenge for his son.
---
Back at the base, Matthew finds Theo standing outside the surveillance unit, waiting anxiously, his face filled with questions.
"What happened?" Theo asks, staring at Henry's lifeless body.
"Henry... is dead." Matthew says grimly, turning towards the Painter's Tree and entering. "This isn't over yet."
---
Theo shuddered after hearing that, feeling shocked.
Matthew went to the last room in the corridor and opened it. There was a large rectangular table, on which he placed Henry and covered him with a white sheet.
Matthew left the tree and found Theo standing there.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Theo asked in an uncertain tone.
"No." Matthew replied, then ran as fast as he could back to the place where he was before.
Theo clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. The feeling that swept over him was not good at all.
Matthew followed the lord's trail to the place where they had found Henry. After a while, he heard a loud roar coming from the west, so he rushed toward it. When he arrived, he saw a distorted monster, resembling a tiger, with one massive arm and another incomplete one. Lord Edmund was standing atop a tree, badly wounded in his chest.
The monster charged toward Matthew at lightning speed, raising its claws. There was no time to escape, but he felt a hand push him away, causing him to fall to the ground. He lifted his head to find Lord Edmund embracing the monster with one hand, while his other hand hung limply as if about to fall.
Suddenly, Lord Edmund's body ignited, and the monster began to scream.
"Don't try to put it out!" Lord Edmund shouted, his voice strange, as coming from the depths of the flames.
Matthew regained his senses after being stunned by the rapid turn of events. After hearing the lord's voice, he heard the monster's deafening scream. He thought about what was happening and remembered the lord's words earlier that day: "Without power, a human has no value in this place."
Matthew felt the weight of those words. He and Lord Edmund were in the same situation now. The lord was sacrificing himself and burning with the monster because he had no other choice. The monster was stronger and faster than him. He couldn't escape, and he couldn't win. So, he chose to die with it.
The feeling that overwhelmed Matthew was indescribable—anger, pain, and humiliation. But what angered him the most was fear. What if the lord couldn't hold on to the monster until the end?
Time passed, and the monster's screams stopped. The lord did not fail Matthew, but held on until the very end. Matthew dragged the lord's burning body from under the monster, placed it on his back, and ran toward the river, then jumped.
The flames extinguished from their bodies, but it was too late; the lord had died, burned.
Matthew pulled the lord's body from the river. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the scent of burned flesh to his nose. Matthew quickly closed off his sense of smell—this was one of the advantages of being a seed host, the ability to control his senses.
He looked at the charred body and felt anger. "I can't allow something like this to happen to us again."
Matthew returned with the lord's body to the base. He found Theo outside the monitoring unit, looking at him. Theo's hands trembled when he saw the charred body, and he began to vomit violently.
Matthew continued walking toward the Painter's Tree, ignoring Theo, while the scent of the body increased Theo's vomiting. Theo wasn't a host like Matthew, so he couldn't control his senses.
Matthew entered the tree and then headed to the room at the end of the corridor. There were vials and medical tools lined up along the sides, and in the middle, the same table where Henry had been placed earlier. He laid the lord on it and covered him with a white sheet.
When he left, he found Theo standing there, looking like his stomach had completely emptied from the delicious chicken curry.
"What happened... to the lord?" Theo said in a hesitant tone, as if he didn't want to know.
"Trust me, you don't want to know." Matthew replied, then walked away. His expression was emotionless, and his tone cold. He entered his room and closed the door. He needed to write a report for the General Administration.
—
Matthew looked at the red seal, lost in thought. What he needed now was change. He could no longer continue like this after what he had been through. He wanted power, and this red seal would be the key to that.
After a few minutes, a smile replaced his cold expression, and he began to write:
Date: 15/02/3025
Recipient: General Administration
Subject: Side attack by parasitic smart seed on region F-1028
—
He picked up the red seal and pressed it firmly onto the document. The seal sank into the paper, leaving a deep crimson mark.
Rising from his chair, he noticed another door in the room. Matthew walked over and pushed it open, greeted by a long row of spacious cages lining both sides of the interior corridor, each housing a unique bird. Most of the birds were either asleep or busy preening their feathers.
Matthew approached a massive cage in the corner, where a colossal white bird stood—a "Snow Eagle," a species of giant eagles used for military correspondence. Its enormous size reached nearly to Matthew's chest, and its pristine white feathers shimmered with a faint silver sheen. Its sharp blue eyes gleamed with intelligence.
He opened the cage door, and the bird gracefully stretched its wings. A leather saddle designed for carrying messages was secured to its back. Matthew opened the small pouch attached to the saddle, placed the letter inside, then gently patted the Snow Eagle's head, saying in a low voice:
"It's time to work."
As if it understood perfectly, the bird let out a sharp cry before launching itself through the open window, soaring into the sky with astonishing speed.
Matthew watched its flight for a few moments, then turned.
Matthew left the room and found Theo still in the same place, tense and anxious as before.
"Let's go out for a while." Matthew said with a smile.
Theo felt strange seeing Matthew smile in such a situation, but he felt a strange sense of comfort, as if Matthew was telling him that everything would be alright.
Theo followed Matthew, and he saw him heading to their cabin, then sitting on the chair by the door.
"Sit down, let's talk." Matthew said, not losing his smile.
Theo sat silently, while Matthew looked at the glowing white Painter's Tree in front of him.
"I don't talk about them much with you, do I?"
Theo didn't know what to say, but he realized that Matthew wasn't talking about the lord and Henry, but about his parents. Matthew had been avoiding talking about them, and Theo had never asked before.
"My father was a good and fair man, but he was emotional. He gave us a happy childhood and memories I cherish. Although he was the cause of my imprisonment, I never felt anger toward him, nor do I hate him. I still love him as I did before, even more."
Theo calmed down and stopped trembling after hearing Matthew speak in that calm and happy tone.
"My mother was kind... kind even though she was sick all the time. She insisted on cooking you the chicken curry you loved, so I later learned how to make it from her. When her illness got worse, and she couldn't get out of bed, I was the one who made it. The look of pride and satisfaction she gave me when I made it was priceless."
Matthew's eyes welled up as he spoke, then he suddenly became talkative, as if he were reliving those moments and didn't want to leave them. He closed his eyes and calmed himself.
"My brother Theodore was a quiet boy, and many people misunderstood him. That's what always happens to special people. But that didn't affect his love for helping others; that was his essence, and I don't think anything can change that... He was deeply affected by our parents' death, and he became obsessed with training and studying. That eventually led to his injury during training, and I had to sell his seed to get him treatment. Even so, he lost his memory and became... you."
Matthew's tone sounded strange as he said that. His feelings toward his brother's situation were somewhat unclear. He no longer had the same brotherly feelings he once had, but he still considered him his responsibility and cared for him.
"I am who I am, I won't be anyone's copy." Theo finally opened his mouth and said coldly.
"I know, I'm not asking you to be." Matthew's smile returned as he clarified.
"As for me, you know me, but there's one thing I want to say: I've always been a poet, I was never a painter, but the situation I was in didn't allow me to choose." Matthew sighed.
"The time is right for a poem, isn't it?" Matthew smiled as he saw the place beginning to light up.
"When I'm trapped, I'll wait for the chance.
When I want something, I'll look for an opportunity.
And when there's no opportunity..."
The sunlight reached the glowing white leaves of the tree.
"I'll make one."