Their egos might be immense, and their hatred for each other just as fierce, but that didn’t mean they felt nothing after eons of having their growth cycle begin... only for it to be cut short within mere decades, time, and time again.
This left them mentally and emotionally exhausted, whether they liked to admit it or not.
Soon, Levi let out a long, helpless sigh, "Don’t you think it’s time you prioritize your freedom instead of antagonizing each other? We both know that your chances are higher with me, so why not exploit them fully? Why not show me some equal support so I can return the favor? Why not show the universe that you three still exist? Or, are you already comfortable being forgotten? Ancestral Trees left in the past, while the Primordial Trees of Life, Death, and other entities of equal grounds are living their best lives ruling above all?"
"I keep hearing that the three of you have extreme personalities, making it impossible for the Three-Body Problem to be solved... but, at the same time, I still haven’t seen anything extreme about any of you."
The Ancestral Trees showed a slight movement, seemingly asking him what he meant by that... Levi didn’t keep it in his heart anymore.
He looked at them straight and shared flatly, "To be frank... I don’t see any of you staying true to your ’extreme’ personalities that you’re trying to shove in me forcefully."
He started with the Sun Tree.
"How can you claim to be the embodiment of Order, Pride, and Arrogance and not show any signs of getting yourself freed from your imprisonment? What? Does Pride enjoy the comfort of being a prisoner?"
Next, he moved to the Void Tree.
"You claim to embody Chaos, Nothingness, and extreme indifference... but in my eyes, anyone with such traits wouldn’t accept staying in this routine forever... the routine of having a new partner, abusing them to death, and then restarting again... you want me to descend into chaos on my own to entertain yourself, but if you weren’t stuck here, you wouldn’t have to stoop so low for entertainment."
’Oh damn... he is frying them one by one. Are you sure about this?’
The Titan’s heart skipped a beat, feeling like the three trees were going to flip the table on Levi anytime now.
’Not anymore... but let him do his thing.’ Ash’Kral said in intrigue, ’None of my past partners have been daring enough to clash horns with the trees controlling their lives...’
Ash’Kral had advised his past partners to stay in their line and not antagonize the three trees, in hopes of avoiding complications... but when he did this, complications still arose whether he liked it or not.
This time, he had no plans on telling Levi the same... in his eyes, he felt that maybe it was time to put the three Ancestral Trees before their reality.
"Last but not least, you... I thought we were close. I thought we were friends." Levi smiled bitterly as he gazed at the Ancestral Nine Senses Tree, "But to cut my resonance access in half just because I used the Void Form to save my own brother and friends? Are you really punishing me for not staying true to my nature, or your nature?"
"..."
"..."
Ash’Kral and The Titan shared the Ancestral Trees’ silence... they figured out what Levi meant immediately.
The Nine Senses Tree respected anyone staying true to their nature... but what Levi did was exactly that.
It was in his nature to save his brother at any cost, uncaring what happened to him... that’s the Larson Brotherhood; they live and die for each other... no questions asked.
The only difference was that Levi used the Void Form to achieve it... and yet, he was still punished, which meant that the Nine Senses Tree didn’t really care about him staying true to his nature, but its own nature.
It hated the other two trees equally, leaving it upset that he dared to surrender himself to the Void Tree like that.
"I get it, okay... I really do get it." Levi let out a long sigh as he stood up, "But I just know... if it were me, I would have put my issues aside and done whatever it took to not be in your state... even if it meant working with my worst enemy that I hate to the bone."
Honor, pride, dignity, or such emotions meant nothing to Levi if he knew that he was imprisoned for eternity with his worst nightmare.
He would rather turn off those emotions and do whatever it took to free himself... then, he could turn them on and ruin his nemesis. But what he wouldn’t do was accept being stuck with him for eternity just out of spite.
It seemed like the Ancestral Trees were affected by his last points in some way... they started moving and making noise again, leaving Levi somewhat surprised.
’They are talking... to each other?’
He could tell since the trees were making so much movement and noise, but their emotions weren’t directed at him.
After some time, the three trees stopped moving and reached out with three branches in Levi’s direction.
They stopped only when they were a mere inch away from his forehead... then, they all sent a simultaneous message through their emotions.
It was brief and blunt.
-Prove it.-
Levi was confused, having no idea what any of this meant. But Ash’Kral did.
"Oh, you have gone and done it now." Ash’Kral frowned, "You’ve been running your mouth for a while, but the Ancestral Trees care more about actions, not words."
"You said you can work together with your most hated enemy if it meant getting what you want... well, they want you to prove it in a spiritual trial of their design." Ash’Kral concluded, "They have access to your memories... so, this isn’t going to be fun for you."
"...well, shit." Levi was left speechless.
"You can’t say no... they listened to your lecture, and now it’s time you stay true to it... Otherwise, they will never respect you again." The Titan added with a deep sigh.
"What if I succeed?" Levi asked.
"I don’t know, but if you can do it, I doubt they will remain stubborn in their ways." Ash’Kral said, "They might even bestow a similar resonance access to their powers above 10%."
Hearing this, Levi went silent for a few moments, deep in his thoughts... he could tell that he had reached a crossroad... no, he had put himself in one, and the only way forward was to stay true to what he preached.
Though at the same time, he discerned that the Trees weren’t going to take it easy on him.
’They are going to make me relive that night... aren’t they?’ Levi showed a forced, pained smile.
’Most definitely... after all, you hate no one more at the moment than the Bishop, who murdered your parents and stole your eyes.’ Ash’Kral nodded.
’I will be damned...’
Levi lowered his head, flashes of that cursed night returning to the surface again. He knew it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience, but it had to be done. If he wanted the three trees to tolerate each other a little more, he had to show them that he could do so, too.
"Alright, bring it on."
Levi’s expression hardened as he took a step forward and allowed his forehead to be touched by the spiritual thin branches.