Chapter 23

1

Liz was halfway through her plan to attack the wandering snake when John grabbed her arm. She looked up at him to make a joke about his fear of snakes but stopped herself upon seeing the look on his face. He wasn’t just afraid. He was terrified.

“You can’t attack,” he said, more serious than she had ever heard him.

“Why not. It’s a snake. We are in the sky. Birds kill snakes. We’re basically a snake’s most common predator right now. Even a snake that big can’t reach us this high up.”

“I’m not worried about the big one,” John said.

“What? Then what’s the issue?”

“The little one is giving off some seriously sinister vibes. I can explain later. But trust me, we can’t attack. Let’s follow them and watch.”

Liz looked curiously at John but didn’t question him further. She saw the genuine fear in his eyes that seemed to go further than his phobia. Graciously, she relented.

In truth, John knew exactly why the smaller reptile felt so much more dangerous. It was the same feeling he had when he had encountered the ant queen. The certainty and strength of the little snake’s essence left no doubt in John’s mind. The snake was Divine rank.

John and Liz stalked the pair of snakes all the way through the cactus region. They seemed to be moving with single minded determination towards a destination. Unsurprisingly, John soon found himself approaching an absolute monolith of a cactus.

It was situated in the middle of a bowl-shaped depression, which had obscured it from their sight. It reminded John eerily of the Divine Tower. The cactus itself was a dark green color with two massive arms protruding from its sides. It was covered with needles so large that they were clearly visible even from a distance.

Near the edge of the bowl, Liz stopped. John came up beside her and likewise halted. She pointed to the ground, where John could see an innumerable number of needles littering the rim of the bowl.

“Any closer and it will see us,” she said.

“I’m not so sure about that. If I’m not wrong, this thing has a massive root network. If I had to guess, it tracks by the vibration that reaches its roots when people walk across them.”

“Do you have to guess?” Liz asked.

“What?” John asked, confused.

“It sounds like more than a guess. Is this that weird inspect thing you do?”

“It’s called Analyzation. And yes. Unless I’m wrong, the smaller cactuses are root tips. I’m not sure how anything grows that big, but the information we have seems to support the theory. If that’s really the case, then that would mean that this big prickly bastard has a nervous system several square miles in circumference.”

“Which means that everything that walks through the area is monitored by it. That would explain why every cactus attacked me after the big one did.”

“Yeah. There’s just one flaw in the theory,” John said, pointing.

Below, the massive snake was making its way into the crater. It moved confidently down the steep decline toward the gargantuan cactus. John looked on with a speculative gaze as the snake seemed to remain unnoticed.

“No fair,” Liz complained.

“Maybe since it doesn’t have legs, it isn’t shaking the ground when it moves?” John suggested.

“Maybe. But that would support the theory that we’re safe in the air. Should we try to follow?” Liz asked.

“Yes. But be vigilant. We don’t know what’s really going on,” John said.

The two of them hovered cautiously over the clearly marked line where giant cactus needles littered the ground. With all eyes fixed firmly on the gargantuan, they flew slowly forward. As they moved into the bowl unmolested, apprehension steadily decreased.

“It looks like we might really be safe up here,” Liz said.

“Safer than down there perhaps, but don’t forget that it can shoot needles. It doesn’t matter if it’s aiming at us or not if we’re in the way. Just be careful,” John said.

They continued forward for several minutes; not trying to reach the cactus as much as keep up with the snake that approached it. It became apparent just how immense the cactus was as they flew steadily onward without seeming to get much closer. Despite the persistent distance, the massive cactus seemed to grow larger with every passing minute.

The bowl in which the cactus was situated was as barren as the rest of the area. Even more so, as not even the smaller cacti grew within. The entire span of land between them and the cactus was empty, dry, and dead.

The nightmare snake they were following moved without fear ever closer to the skyscraper sized cactus. John and Liz could only keep up with it because of their ability to fly. Without that, they would have both been sprinting just to keep the snake in sight.

Despite its haste and determination, the snake only seemed to inch closer to its goal. It slithered on for well over an hour, a time in which the sun dropped from sight as they ventured down into the bowl. Evening was threatening to give way to an early night when the snake finally came to a halt.

John and Liz had been keeping a very nervous eye on the gargantuan cactus for much of their journey. Now they were too close to do anything but bleed if the foe decided to project its needles. They could only hope nothing untoward was in the making.

They were so close in fact, that John could see a plethora of colorful patches upon the cactus. They ranged in color from one side of the spectrum to the other, seeming to have no limit to the combination of hues they could produce. And as John studied them, he could see a large similarly colored fruit at the heart of each colorful outcropping.

“Look,” Liz whispered, snapping him out of his inspection.

She was pointing to the ground where the snake had stopped moving. John followed her gaze and saw that the miniature snake had slid down from its companion and was moving onward alone. The larger snake watched it go obediently, as if waiting patiently for its return.

“I guess that’s as far as it can go, being as big as it is. The baby doesn’t seem to be limited by the same fear though,” Liz said.

“It’s not a baby,” John said solemnly.

“So you say. What makes you so sure?”

“For one, look at where we are right now. How could something less than Wizened hope to survive if that thing starts attacking? I don’t know why they came here, but I think we’re about to find out.”

As they watched, the small green snake made its way impressively quickly toward the tree. John’s theory was all but confirmed as the snake shot forward at an almost absurd pace. If it had been a race, John knew that not even his Wizened wings could propel him quicker.

“That thing is Divine,” John told himself with certainty.

The miniscule snake had crossed the remaining distance in the blink of an eye. Before John could wonder what its goal was, the snake had pasted itself to the cactus and began to climb. As it moved up the impossibly large plant, the cactus showed signs of awareness for the first time.

The entire trunk shuddered, like a massive foot had just kicked it. None of the deadly needles came free, but John and Liz both held their breath as they watched it protest. After a moment, the cactus settled, but John could still feel an ominous intent from its absurd aura.

He wondered about that for a moment. He had never been able to deduce specific details from a creature’s aura before. Was that another benefit of his expanded essence?

“What is going on?” Liz asked in excited confusion.

“Hm?” John asked.

Right when he did, John saw what had provoked the exclamation. Coming into view from behind the massive cactus was a large bird, a species John was unfamiliar with. It had bright blue feathers, long black talons, and an overly protruding black beak to match its feet.

“It looks like there’s some competition,” John said.

“What does that mean for us?” Liz asked.

“At the very least,” John said, “it means we aren’t killing that cactus today.”

2

As they watched, the aerial newcomer circled the cactus deliberately. It seemed most interested in the miniscule snake that still scaled the cactus with determination. In time, the snake drew level with the lowest outcropping of colorful flowers.

John and Liz cautiously flew closer to observe the scene better. They were still concerned about becoming collateral damage, but as neither of them had a solution for that eventuality, they simply hoped it wouldn’t come to pass. The closer they came, the more absurd the true size of the cactus seemed.

The green blur of the rapidly ascending snake looked almost ridiculously small in comparison. John took the time to familiarize himself with the spirit circulation of both the snake and the approaching bird, as well as the utterly alien presence of the great cactus they seemed to be competing over. All three of them were impressively formidable, but none so much as the cactus.

The way its spirit circulated was difficult to decipher. It was partly due to the amount of cactus that was concealed beneath the ground. It was almost impossible to get an accurate impression.

While he was transfixed by the plant, the conniving snake reached one of the fruits. It wrapped itself around the stem before seemingly expanding. The big fruit suddenly looked very crowded by the snake, and without much of a defense, it popped loose from the cactus.

John watched it fall with great confusion. He couldn’t fathom why the snake would go through the trouble of knocking loose a fruit if it wasn’t even going to eat it. Then he saw the giant snake on the ground below strike, snatching the fruit right out of the air.

“They’re working together,” John realized.

The smaller snake continued to wrap itself around fruit as it came across them. As each one popped loose, its fellow on the ground would be there to catch them. John was impressed by the coordination and teamwork.

But before either snake was satisfied with their pilfering, the blue bird started intercepting the falling fruit. It could dive impressively fast, and before long, the smaller snake began to hiss in frustration. John watched in fascination as the three creatures fought for access to the unanimously desirable fruit.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Liz asked as they watched.

“I think those fruit are something special,” John said.

“Yeah, no shit. But why is that bird so determined to steal them all. There have to be hundreds of those fruit across the cactus. Maybe even thousands. Why fight for its meal?”

“It could be that it’s just an asshole bird,” John said.

“You think that’s the reason?” Liz asked disbelievingly.

“No. I think it can’t get the fruit itself. It’s a lot bigger than the snake. And I have to imagine trying to find a place to grab on amongst all those needles is quite the task. Especially with the flapping wings and all.”

“You think this is a regular occurrence?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know. The snakes certainly seem comfortable with their system. And the bird seemed to know they’d be here in time to intercept. It seems possible that they’re familiar with each other.”

“Maybe it’s a friendly contest,” Liz suggested.

“I don’t think it’s that friendly,” John said, pointing.

The thieving snake had just freed its latest fruit. But as the juicy morsel fell, the snake surprised them by falling from the cactus after it. The snake fell only a second behind its stolen produce.

As John and Liz watched in shock, the bird snatched the colorful fruit from the air. It didn’t see the angry reptile coming down after it. It impacted the oversized bird like an arrow shot by an expert archer.

The bird let out a worrying screech that John was certain would alert the cactus to the shenanigans afoot. Surprisingly it didn’t react at all to the noise, and the two predators began a pitched midair battle. Falling more than flying, the blue bird struggled to toss the snake from its back.

Like a professional bull rider, the snake refused to come free. After several seconds of spinning, diving, and panicked flapping, the bird was forced to right itself lest it fall from the sky entirely. As soon as it leveled out, its unwanted passenger made its move.

In the blink of an eye, the snake was wrapped around the bird’s neck. Once again, it seemed to swell in circumference until it had nearly engulfed the entire head of the unfortunate bird. The effect was drastic and immediate.

The blue bird lost all composure in a flash. It began flapping wildly to increase its altitude, but there were few ways it could save itself. Surprisingly, it managed a good attempt at one of those few ways.

Desperately trying to escape, the bird angled itself straight for the massive needles protruding from the cactus. It was trying to take advantage of the increased girth of the snake to impale it. John was once again impressed with the adaptive capabilities of high tiered creatures in The Garden.

Unfortunately for the bird, it’s adversary seemed to predict the move. The swollen snake suddenly shrunk back to its original size, just before the bird crashed into the trunk of the cactus. Three massive needles stabbed straight through the bird and broke off as momentum carried it on.

As the bird skipped off the cactus, a huge tremor ran the length of the gargantuan. The ominous intent John had been feeling from the cactus suddenly intensified. In unison, every single needle on its body, untold millions, pointed directly at the retreating bird.

“Oh shit!” John shouted.

He grabbed Liz by the arm and urged her upward as fast as his wings would carry him. She got the memo quickly enough, and soon they were both soaring up and away from the cactus with immense gusto. John kept an eye on the falling bird as they flew.

Before they had come anywhere near the top of the cactus, it was too late. The snake had reasserted itself around the bird’s neck almost immediately after impact with the cactus. The giant needles sticking out of it also served to disrupt its flight.

As quickly a gravity would allow, the bird plummeted to the ground. John watched in horror as it spiraled out of the sky even as he climbed higher into it. The whole confrontation had been so fast, he couldn’t fully parse it.

The snake waited until the last possible minute before removing itself from the bird. It seemed to hop free of its beaten victim like it had legs. Once airborne, John was horrified to see it sprout miniature wings of its own to glide safely back to the trunk of the cactus.

It landed delicately upon one of the violently poised needles before quickly returning to its task as if nothing had happened. If John had needed another reason to fear snakes, he now had several. It began climbing back up to retrieve more fruit as John shuddered in apprehension.

“So much for being safe in the sky,” he said.

Meanwhile, the falling bird had no hope of saving itself. John returned his attention to it just as it crashed hard into the ground. Faster than the time it took to blink, the cactus attacked.

3

The second the defeated bird impacted the ground, thousands of needles the size of saplings pin-cushioned the entire ground for hundreds of feet in every direction. John was felt terror enter his mind as the brutally efficient attack utterly ravaged the huge bird. He knew that if they were pointing in his direction, he wouldn’t even have the time to process the attack before his death.

He and Liz stopped their ascent as the cactus returned to passivity as quickly as it had struck. Heart still racing, John hovered in place to catch his breath. Liz was similarly affected by the scene.

“I think we should go,” she said.

“Agreed,” John said, though he sounded hesitant.

“What? You’re not considering what I think you are, are you?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know. It’s extremely dangerous. The smart choice is to go,” he said.

“But that’s not the choice you’re about to make, is it?”

“Just let me think for a second… I don’t think it will attack us in the air. Even when the snake made that bird crash into it, it didn’t actually attack.”

“So, what is your plan?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know… Maybe… we’re a lot smaller than the bird was. I think we might be able to reach the fruit without getting pricked by the needles. Animals also lack thumbs. Which is probably what makes it so hard for things to get at the fruit.”

“Oh God, you really are choosing the stupid option, aren’t you?”

“I’d like to try, but I don’t want you getting hurt if I mess this up,” he said.

Liz just looked at him with a flat expression.

“What?” He asked.

“You’re not sending me away like you did with those ants. If you’re going to do something stupid again, I’m staying this time.”

“No. What if something happens?”

“Exactly. How do you think I would feel if I left you here to die?”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

John paused, taken slightly aback. Was he really so determined to be reckless? Maybe Liz was right, and they should just go.

“Stop kidding yourself. You’re not going to change your mind. You’re too obsessed with advancing. Let’s just get this terrible idea over with,” Liz said, seeing the hesitation.

“Am I really that predictable?” John asked.

“Sometimes,” Liz said.

She surprised him then by summoning her Wizened Bear soul. It flowed over her body, expanding and strengthening Liz’s body until she was a floating ursine with long wings. John hadn’t known it was possible to combine the two souls in that way.

“Just when I thought I had run out of irrational fears. Now there are flying bears,” John said, rolling his eyes.

Unable to respond in kind, Liz simply grunted in amusement. Then she looked to him for the next move. With a sigh, John summoned his Chimera armor before cautiously making for the nearest fruit patch.

He chose a spot intentionally far from the snake. Even if it wasn’t a jealous and petty Divine beast, it was still a snake. John had no intention of testing himself against it.

As he drew near to the trunk of the cactus, he slowed to a safe pace. Unfortunately, the presence of fruit and colorful flowers did not negate the existence of the needles. There was no safe place to approach.

For a few minutes, John could only study the situation and ponder a solution. There wasn’t enough space between each spike that he could comfortably hover while attempting to grab the fruit. What he could do was something idiotic and dangerous, par for the course.

John slowly approached the cactus, careful to keep his constantly moving wings from becoming impaled on any of the needles as he did so. When he was within reach of the longest spikes, John reached out to carefully grasp the protrusions. He quickly dismissed his wings as he planted a foot upon one of the needles.

John gingerly spread his weight between his two legs and both arms which grasped different needles to stabilize him. He waited for the angry shaking to begin, but to his surprise, the great cactus didn’t react to his presence at all. He could still feel an immense malevolence from it, however.

Moving as slowly as possible, John half stepped, half climbed to the nearest fruit. Liz watched him move from a few feet out. Her bear hide was too large to attempt something similar.

John came within reach of the fruit after only a few moments of maneuvering. To his surprise, each outcropping of flowers actually held numerous fruit, each a different size. John inspected them all, seeing no obvious way to tell if they were ripe or not.

After a moment’s speculation, John pulled a bright purple fruit from the cactus. It was only the size of an apple, but it had just as strong of an aura as any of its fellows. It felt impossibly firm in his hands, like it could be shot from a cannon and not be bruised.

John brought the fruit to his mouth to take a bite, but he knew before he did that it wasn’t going to happen. His teeth slid right off the fruit like he was trying to bite something slick. His teeth clacked together loudly as they failed to find purchase.

John inspected the fruit with a frown. He could feel the formidable energy it contained. He also knew that it wasn’t impossible to eat, otherwise neither the wizened snake below nor the divine bird now dead alongside it would have been able to eat them.

John inspected the essence of the fruit as he contemplated the issue. He could clearly read the pattern, but he was unsure if fruit and genes operated under the same principles. Would it dissolve into him just the same?

John hesitantly began mimicking the essence of the fruit in his hands. Almost immediately, he felt a connection to it. John smiled and was just about to let himself sync with the round object in his hand when a thought stopped him.

“I’ll fall off this thing,” he realized.

Unless he was utterly inept at reading the tier of the fruit he held, it would likely grant him Divine genes. His limited experience with the genes gave him no confidence in keeping his composure while that process occurred. It was more likely that he would be overwhelmed by the experience and fall to his death.

With resignation, John dropped the fruit in his bag before moving on to the next.

4

John spent a few minutes after that collecting as many fruit as he could fit in his bag. He had no delusions of being able to consume so many. If they were anything like genes, the fruit would stop providing advancements after just a few.

Nevertheless, John collected all the fruit within reach. There were other people who could potentially benefit from them. At the very least, he could probably feed them to Jane.

When his bag was nearly full, John called it quits. Securing it on his back once more, he summoned his wings just as he leapt from the unsure footing of the protruding needles. He spread them wide as he fell, catching the wind and bringing himself level with Liz who had dismissed her ursine form to question him.

“What now?” She asked.

“Now we get out of here and try to figure out how to eat these things.”

“Sounds good to me,” Liz said.

“Alright, start heading that way. I wanna see if there’s a collectible gene left from that bird. I’ll catch up,” John said.

“Don’t take too long. And don’t be stupid,” Liz said, already flying away.

“Sure,” John lied.

They parted ways as John descended carefully towards the ground. He angled himself acutely at the fallen bird. He winced as he beheld the wide area of spikes laid down by the cactus.

As he patrolled the area where the bird went down, he found himself unable to locate its remains. He looked at the most heavily needle littered area, right where he thought he remembered seeing it fall. To his surprise, there was no trace of a body anywhere.

John was confused, but not dissuaded. He flew lower to have a closer look at the situation. After a few minutes of determined searching, he found something interesting.

There was a definite impression where the bird hit the ground. It was difficult to see amongst all the cactus needles, but with John’s observational skills, he had no trouble finding it. What was troublesome was the absence of the bird that had left it.

John inspected the depression from just above the sea of spikes. There was a distinct dark patch of ground where a pool of blood had formed. Most of it had soaked into the dry ground, but its existence was still clear to see.

“So where is the body?” John asked himself.

John inspected the needles where the ground was darkened and found that they too had been dampened by blood. He couldn’t figure out how the bird had disappeared. As he was pondering the problem, something caught his eye.

Lying on the damp ground near the center of the bloodstain was a fist sized crystal. It glinted despite the lack of light, which was the only way John had been able to see it in the quickly darkened evening. It seemed to glow with blue inner light.

“Is that a gene?” John wondered.

He cautiously lowered himself to the ground, careful not to prick himself on any of the innumerable needles. As his feet touched down, John prepared himself for the cactus to react, but luckily, nothing happened. He crouched to examine the blue crystal that sat conspicuously amidst the drying gore.

It had a strong circulation of essence, reminiscent of the blue bird that had fallen there. John plucked it from the ground before leaping back into the air. The ominous cactus looming over him shuddered malevolently at the disturbance.

Without waiting to see what happened, John flew away from the area. He took the absence of needles impaling him as a good sign. Instead of flying to meet Liz, he made the straightest path to the edge of the crater before touching down just beyond the bulwark of giant needles that formed the perimeter of the massive bowl.

Blessedly, there was no reaction from the massive plant. John sat down excitedly and began studying the blue crystal he still held. It had an unmistakeable resemblance to the bird John suspected it had come from.

John didn’t understand where the bird had gone, nor why it had left the crystal behind. The more he studied it though, the more certain he became that it was the Divine equivalent of a gene. Unlike its lesser counterparts, however, it could not simply be consumed at a thought.

John circulated his essence to sync with the crystal. The practice was becoming instinctive. Every living thing operated on a similar frequency. He was finding the subtle differences in them.

He was also learning how important direct contact with the subject was. He could feel the essence, but his armored hand prevented a deeper connection from being made. With a cautious glance around, he dismissed the armor. The difference was immediately noticeable.

As with the two ant larvae he had previously consumed, the blue crystal slowly connected to his encouraging essence. John felt the tide of energy it contained begin to break down the barriers between the crystal and himself. Unfathomable power flooded into his cells.

Far more than either of the eggs, the power seemed to dwarf the four Divine genes the two larvae had provided. John doubled over in overwhelmed ecstasy as the essence flowed from crystal to flesh. He gasped in great lungfuls of air as something akin to brain freeze overtook his entire body.

The vast sea already churning within him grew three times as large as the last of the essence within the crystal flowed into him, the empty shell dissolving into nothing shortly after. John sat panting in shock as he listened to the notification play out in his head.

“Divine Shoebill gene absorbed. You have gained eight divine genes.”

“A shoebill?” John asked the air.

He wasn’t an expert in birds, but he did know that those weren’t the type of bird that lived in a dry desolate area like this one. He wondered how far it must have flown to get a shot at the fruit. Like the snakes for which it had died, it seemed powerful creatures would travel long distances for something so valuable as the cactus fruit.

“What are you doing?” Liz suddenly said from behind him.

John turned to see her accusing face looking at him with disapproval. He sat up sheepishly and climbed to his feet. He smiled at her annoyance and gave her a teasing shrug.

“Sometimes you have to lie down and revel in your continued existence,” he said with a wink.

“Whatever. Are you ready to get out of here?” Liz asked.

“Just about. But I do want to test something first.”

John once more grew wings and lifted himself from the ground. Liz followed along curiously. When they were a safe distance from the lesser cacti below, John turned to Liz.

“Are you ready to run?” He asked with a mischievous grin.

“Run from what?” Liz questioned.

“From whatever happens next,” John said as his bow appeared in hand.

5

John felt the saturation of moonlight soak into his pores as his chosen spiritual energy circulated. With a dozen Divine genes under his belt, his skin seemed to soak the moon rays in with unparalleled vigor. In moments, John was bursting with energy.

Drawing the string of his bow, John let every scrap of accumulated power enter the insubstantial arrow that had formed in the nock. It began to shine with a blinding light. He could feel the insane level of potential energy contained between the drawn bow and the arrow it held.

“Are you sure about this?” Liz asked skeptically.

“Not even a little bit. That’s why we’re going to run.”

John let every trace of excess energy flow into the spiritual arrow at his fingertips. It started to shake in his grip. With a final cleansing breath, he released the string.

The insane speed at which the arrow flew was overshadowed only by the sheer devastation it wrought upon contact with the massive cactus. A blinding flash of light akin to one of Suné’s lightning bolts was the only indicator they had that the arrow had not simply teleported. As it impacted the cactus, an unbelievable concussive shockwave rippled across its entire length.

John watched the wave of force surge all the way down to the ground before continuing outward. Dirt and rocky debris were torn up from the ground as the shockwave surged along the ground in their direction. It eventually leveled out, long before any trace of it reached their elevated location, but they were both still buffeted by the immense gust of wind it had created.

The air eventually settled enough for John to focus on the damage he had done to the cactus. To his immense surprise, a massive hole, even by the standards of the great cactus had been punched all the way through it. He had had no delusions of killing the thing; even the damage he had done was more than he had hoped for.

To his dismay, the hole one could have driven a car through immediately began to close. At the same time, John began to feel an intense sense of danger. As he watched, the hole he had just made grew a massive flower.

“Oh shit,” John said.

“Jesus, John. How did-”

“We have to go! We have to go now!” John interrupted.

Without waiting for Liz to respond, John turned and flew from the edge of the bowl like he was being chased by a pack of flying bears. His armor formed around him instinctively as he did so. Liz followed close behind, but they had only been moving for a few seconds when the cactus launched its counterattack.

Unseen by the fleeing humans, the flower it grew began to glow with a shifting multitude of colors. It grew out and up, impossibly fast, until it snaked above the rim of the bowl in which the cactus was housed. As if possessing eyes of its own, it locked onto the one who had harmed it.

Perhaps sensing that none of its lesser limbs were up to the task, the massive cactus struck back directly. From the center of the newly grown flower emerged a single needle. This was not an oversized needle like every other.

At least by the standards of the cactus itself, this needle was downright miniscule. By John’s standards, it was still as big around as a dime and about a meter in length. And before he knew it existed, the needle shot unerringly from the flower and punched straight through his armor.

Blood sprayed from him as John’s chest sprouted a spike from behind. He felt several of his ribs crack at its passage, and blood immediately fountained from his mouth, spilling all over the inside of his armor. The outside of his armor was no better, as the needle protruded from both sides of him.

Before the shock of what had happened could set in, John was falling both from the sky and from consciousness. A violent strain of poison spread through his veins, rapidly searching for his heart.

John barely remembered the bone breaking impact with the ground before his vision clouded over entirely. His last conscious thought was of the words Liz was shouting into his ears. He couldn’t make sense of them, but he knew he had to respond before he lost all reason.

“Get me… to Suné,” he said as darkness fell around him.

“Foolish child. You squander your fortune,” the cat purred.

John leapt to consciousness as a bolt of purifying lightning singed every cell in his body. He screamed in agony for far longer than the bolt affected him. He was sore from head to toe, and his skin felt sallow. He struggled to sit up, but a sharp voice berated him.

“Don’t move, John!” Liz commanded.

John fell back onto the soft surface beneath him with a cough. He was silently grateful for the comfort. He forced his eyes open past the excruciating pain to study his surroundings.

Liz stood to one side of him, more shaken than he had ever seen her. Her mocking expression, ever present on her face, was nowhere to be seen. John was startled by the worry and anguish he saw there instead.

To his other side was Suné. The tranquil fox stared at him with what he took to be a curious expression. She did not speak, though he did spot a spherical translator hovering nearby.

“You couldn’t have used the gentle healing method?” He croaked.

“No,” Suné replied gravely.

“You were so badly poisoned by the time you were brought to me; it is no small wonder that you were savable at all. I have never seen any human survive such a powerful poison. It had a strong sedative effect, coupled with an aggressive neurotoxin that was shutting down all bodily function.”

“Is that why I feel like I’m burning from the inside out?” John groaned.

“No. You feel that way because I’ve spent the last three days trying to combat the poison. It has been incredibly resilient despite my most powerful cleansing lightning. Even now, the poison runs rampant through your body. I must maintain diligence, lest it overwhelms my efforts.”

“Three days?” I’ve been asleep for three days?” John asked.

“Well, incoherent for three days. You’ve opened your eyes a few times, but we couldn’t get anything intelligible out of you until now.” Liz said.

“That really was a powerful sedative.”

“John,” Suné began.

“I know. Do what you have to. I owe you one.”

John screamed in pain. The restorative nature of the lightning made assurances that he would never bite through his tongue, but it did not promise a gentle treatment. John convulsed in agony, once more unable to stop his lamentation for several seconds.

“I’m sorry, John,” Liz said quietly.

“Sorry for what?” John coughed incredulously.

“I should have known that thing was too much for us. We should have never gone there.”

“Do we have my bag?” John asked.

“What?” Liz asked in confusion.

“I didn’t lose it did I?” He asked.

“No of course not. Though it was difficult carrying you with a bloody spear sticking through you. I thought about pulling it out, but I was scared you would bleed to death before I could get you here. That’s why you’re so badly poisoned.” Liz said worriedly.

“Indeed, you received a much larger dose than I thought you capable of surviving. It would seem that your progression has surpassed my expectations,” Suné said in a knowing tone.

“I’m a lucky guy, no doubt about it,” John admitted.

“I won’t lie to you John. Your survival is still by no means a certainty. I have never had to spend so long on a healing before. Your body is simply not strong enough to recover under such drastic conditions.” Suné said.

“My body needs to be stronger?” John asked.

“That would be a start. But your spirit has been fouled by the strain you’ve undergone. You need to purge any foreign influence from it.”

“I can work on that once I can soak in some moonlight. For now, where’s my bag?” John asked.

“It’s right here,” Liz said, sitting the bag next to him.

“Get me one of the fruits,” he said.

6

Liz looked at John curiously, but didn’t question his request. She silently dug into the big pocket of his bag for a suitable target. Her hand emerged a few seconds later with a shimmering blue fruit the color of the sky and the size of a large pear.

John struggled to move his arm enough to grasp the fruit. He groaned in pain as his hand fell back down the second he had it in his grip. He gasped a few impotent breaths out before looking at Liz once more.

“I need you to prop my head up. I have to be able to see what I’m doing.”

“What are you doing exactly?” Liz asked as she hastened to fulfill his request.

“Hopefully not wasting my time.”

“John, I need to cleanse you again.”

“I know. Not yet. Be ready though. This shouldn’t take long.”

John settled his gaze on the fruit in his hand the moment Liz had positioned his head well enough to see it. His head was incredibly sore, and his eyes ached at the effort of concentrating so closely on something. It tested his tolerance for pain as well as his ability to concentrate and his willingness to persevere.

It took much longer than he had hoped, but after a few moments of determined inspection, John began to see the underlying life force the fruit gave off. He took an extra few seconds to decipher what he was seeing, courtesy of his aching head. Soon enough, though, he had a solid grasp of the fruit’s spirit. .

“John I can’t wait much longer.” Suné said urgently.

“Get ready. I almost have it,” he said.

John hesitantly began mimicking the circulation of essence he sensed from the fruit. Once again, his efforts took longer than he would have liked, but he still felt the fruit steadily, if slowly, open itself up to his efforts. After another few moments, John felt everything fall into place. Like a key in a lock, the potential of the fruit was released.

“Now,” John said as he felt the overwhelming tide of energy flood his damaged cells.

Suné didn’t hesitate. John screamed half in pain and half in pleasure as the combination of lightning and Divine energy warred with the toxins that were ravaging his body. His vision went blurry as the three powerful forces fought their brutal fight with his insides as the battlefield.

“Divine Matriarch Cactus fruit consumed. You have gained six Divine genes.”

John barely registered the words as the worst of the sudden pain subsided. He had hoped the fruit would work under the same set of rules as genes. He would have been screwed if he had to lift the fruit to his mouth after connecting with it.

“How did you do that?” Liz asked John in shock.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” he said.

“What are those fruit?” Suné asked.

“They are the fruit from the enormous cactus that did this to me.”

Suné was quiet for a moment, as if choosing how to respond with care. She stared at John for a long moment before finally speaking.

“So it’s true. You truly have taken a step into my tier. However you managed to use it, the fruit seems to have reinforced your cells slightly against the toxins. More will be needed if you’re to shake the poison entirely.”

“Understood. Liz?” John asked, indicating the bag with his eyes.

“Okay. But when this is over, you’re going to figure out how I can do that.”

“I can try,” John said uncertainly.

John and Suné repeated the process of tag teaming the poison a total of five more times. On the sixth and final repetition, there was no voice of congratulations in his head. The fruit seemed to dissolve off of his hand rather than soaking into his skin. Similar to genes, there appeared to be a limit to how many he could consume before potency was lost.

Still, both his body and his progression had improved greatly as each fruit garnered him between three and six Divine genes each. He was equal parts weary and ecstatic by the end. His tally for Divine genes had climbed all the way to thirty-six. A couple more consumptions would result in them surpassing his Wizened total.

“Your body’s integrity has vastly improved. Even without more fruit, I believe it will eventually purge the toxin, so long as I continue my efforts,” Suné said.

“Thank you for everything. Both of you,” John said.

In the end, John’s rehabilitation still took several hours even with his improved cells. He sat through the excruciating lightning treatment without complaint, though not without sounds of agony. When at last Suné stepped away, John sighed in relief.

He was utterly exhausted despite his long unconsciousness. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for three more days. Suné looked little better. The ancient fox seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.

“I’m sorry to trouble you so much. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” John said to the fox.

“We will not speak of it for the time being. You have embarked on the final leg of progression. When you are closer to the peak, we can come to an arrangement.” The weary fox said before walking away.

“Help me up,” John said to Liz.

Liz looked even more exhausted than he felt. John had no doubt that she had not slept for much of the last three days. Thinking of the sacrifice, he felt extremely guilty. She silently reached out a hand to help him up.

“I’m sorry I put you through that, Liz,” he said quietly as he took her hand.

She didn’t respond with words. She had a distant expression on her face as she shook her head slightly. Nothing else was forthcoming.

With her help, John rose to an unstable standing position. He met Liz’s eye, which seemed almost afraid to look at him. Then he spread his arms, and Liz gently leaned into him.

He held her silently as he felt the warm tears fall onto his shoulder. John knew that his recklessness was the cause of her distress, and the knowledge made his chest ache. He hadn’t considered her at all.

She had even mentioned her fear of something bad happening to him. And he had cast those concerns aside for what? A pointless exhibition of his new power?

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

After a time, John and Liz made their way out of the grand palace within which Suné lived. Night was well underway by then, which made it much easier for John to travel in his weakened state. His enhanced physique, even in less-than-optimal condition, let him circulate Lunar Radiance like never before.

John felt the lingering contamination in his spirit start to burn away as he circulated the essence of the moon. His aching body eased over time as the soothing nature of Lunar Radiance spread through him. There was a lingering sense of danger that evaporated alongside the harmful stain left on his spirit.

“Well, that was fun. Remind me to never challenge a giant plant monster again.” John said to Liz as they walked.

“Remind me to never show you one again,” Liz shot back.

The two of them parted ways as John insisted on returning home for some proper rest. He gave Liz a warm hug and thanked her again for saving his life. She returned the hug and asked him to meet her in Emerald Base again in a few days.

“Actually, why don’t you meet me in my new base?”

“New base?”

“Yeah, turns out you can win them in contests.”

“What is it called?”

“Obsidian Base. I’ll make sure to give you access when we go back to collect.”

“Okay. Three days then.”

“See you then,” John said before stepping into his room.

Once alone, John quickly let his shoulders slump in exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to fall down on the provided bed and sleep, but he had been gone for four days already. He would have felt guilty for making his family wait another night.

With considerable mental effort, John stepped into the transition pad and made his return. The alien station guard scanned his monitoring chip as usual and ushered him on. John had grown used to the process in his many trips to and from the Garden.

Despite the late hour, it was no trouble for John to arrange passage to his home. A single passenger transport was a complimentary service provided by the aliens. So long as one was diligently exploring the Garden, they would accommodate all manner of things.

John made it back to his house at roughly half past midnight. Nevertheless, his parents were both waiting for him when he did. Having heard the door close, they both came to meet him in the hallway.

“Hey guys,” he said quietly.

“You were gone a long time. Was everything okay?” Emily asked as she entered the hallway.

“Everything is fine,” John lied.

“What kept you?” She asked skeptically.

“Took us longer than we thought to take care of things is all,” John reassured her.

“Well, okay. I’m glad you’re okay,” she said before hugging him and heading off to bed.

“Our prizes should be ready in Obsidian base, now. What do you say we go check them out tomorrow?” Jack asked in an overly loud tone as his wife walked away.

“Um, yeah. That sounds good,” John said.

“Nice,” Jack said before adding in an undertone, “Are you really okay? I recognize that look in your eyes. What happened?”

John looked to his dad, then to the receding form of his mother, then to the stairs which led to his wonderfully comfortable bed. He considered not giving a response at all. After a second of pondering though, he came up with an answer.

“Let’s just say; it was not a Jumbo Cactuar situation.”