The morning was quiet in a way that felt new.
Chris sat before the Rootmind, his palm pressed against its warm surface. The black lines on his arms darkened as the connection seemed to settle into place. This had become a kind of ritual now for him: waking, walking to the center of the village, placing his hand against the bulb-like top and just listening to it along with the various plants.
Lately he had noticed his connection to the network had begun to deepen. He was now able to feel it humming just beneath his awareness. It wasn't loud or intrusive. Just a new feeling that made him more... present when it came to sensing his plants on a deeper level.
He smiled as he heard the root mind tell him how he was learning.
"I'm trying to and doing my best. I still need to fully link up to you in order to make the most of it, to connect on a deep level with all of you after all."
It forcefully told him that trying wasn't good enough. He would need to learn to deepen his link, to root himself deeper into the network, to become the connection rather than just using it. That made Chris frown somewhat. "That sounds a lot like what the Voice would want."
It countered by telling him the Voice wanted him to surrender but it wanted him to grow. It wanted him to be able to stand on his own feet, to grow stronger without needing a crutch and that they were not the same type of desire.
Before Chris could respond he felt something flicker at the edge of his awareness. It felt like an extremely light touch.
Upon the Rootmind's urging he focused on it and discovered it to be a pair of beasts a short distance from the eastern wall. It had brushed against a thorn vine. Chris was surprised that he could feel it without needing to be connected. He turned his gaze with slightly narrowed eyes towards the Rootmind before turning to the east.
"A wolf. Maybe two of them? They touched a thorn vine." He turned his narrowed gaze upon the Rootmind that seemed to voice surprise.
"I felt it without trying. How did I do that? Is this what you were talking about?"
It told him bluntly that it was steadily forcing his connection to deepen beyond what he had before, pushing it now that he was touching it. It was slowly trying to integrate him into the network, to make him part of it on a deeper level, possibly even forcing him to become the network itself.
The words sent a chill down his spine as he saw the bark-like ridges spread further up his forearms, creeping higher than they had over the past few days. He felt as they reached his elbows before noting how the black lines had also multiplied. Long and thin tendrils had begun to wrap around his wrists like bracelets before disappearing under his sleeves. When he pulled them up, he noticed the marks had begun to thin further, forming a diamond-like pattern across the bark-like skin.
"The marks and bark like stuff," he said softly. "They're spreading faster now; you're doing this aren't you." It was more a statement than a question.
It told him it was proof that his connection was strengthening. The marks were the price of it ensuring its master would manage should anything happen to it, that it was part of its gift to him.
Taking a slow breath he realized he wasn't feeling the shock, trepidation or worry he probably should have upon learning that. Instead it was as if the feelings he should have been feeling had been muted well touching the Rootmind. "You mentioned it was part of a gift, what is the full gift?"
The Rootmind was quiet for a moment before answering. It told him how he felt the beasts before they could become a threat, that he knew there location, how close they where along with there intent. they where scavenging yet held no intent of attacking the village or coming too close to it. His deeper connection and being able to feel and know without being told was the gift it was giving him. A deeper connection that no longer needed him to connect to feel them or the surroundings.
He didn't know how to respond to that. Rationally, he knew it was a large advantage. He could coordinate better, respond faster and only need to connect when he really needed to take direct control. The Rootmind urged him to close his eyes, to embrace the gift being forced upon him.
As he did so the village opened up to him. He could feel one of the little world tree's roots curled around the base of the cloud tree along with how deep and spread out it had truly grown, its feeling how content yet watchful it was. He could feel the strangle vines tracking movement, stretching high into the air as they tracked movement well their bases remained firmly around the hut. He could feel the Ancient Ent's ancient awareness, slow and patient as it seemed to sense him and turn an inquisitive gaze onto him.
He could even feel Sera on the eastern wall, her intent sharp but calm and how Korr was at his old camp, watching the horizon.
He felt himself being pulled deeper, his mind running across light tracks he could never hope to understand as he felt him awareness being pulled by a pulse of wrongness. It was like a toothache waiting to bloom before he hit what felt like an invisible wall.
"The dungeon," he said flatly, his breath hitching for a moment. "I can feel it, but why, how…"
The Rootmind's response was blunt. Telling him it was due to being connected to it, from having touched its core and because of the Voice that lingers in his mind. How something had linked to his soul and bound them together tentatively, regardless if he desired it or not.
Chris opened his eyes and almost hunched over. His breath came in gasps before he managed to get it back under control. Whatever he had just done had taken more out of him than he thought. It had numbed him in a way he didn't like. The emotions he hadn't felt moments ago flooded through him, making him want to scream, to cry, to get it all out.
Instead, he simply whispered to the Rootmind that he didn't ask for any of that or for the down sides of this gift.
Once more its reply was cold and clinical, sharp and stinging. It knew that but he had still accepted it. When he touched the core and even returned it, he had accepted what would come. When he had planted it and linked so deeply with it, he chose his path for himself and the future. Every step had been made by him. For good or ill he had made the choices that led to there current point in time.
Those words caused him to frown and realize the truth of those words. About each step he had taken thus far, he had held the core in his hands which caused the Voice to grow stronger. He had felt the way it pulsed with an unnatural hunger and desire for corruption and had chosen to trust the Korr when it came to the fissure rather than throwing it as far into the desert as possible or just sending Sera to a town to sell it for them. He thought about the way the dungeon had reacted to the core being returned and how the waves of nightly attacks had been manageable. Nothing new and never anything that could overwhelm them when it had already shown it could possibly do so, as if it was humoring them but even so.
"I chose to protect this place. Everything I'm doing, that I have done till now has been with that in mind and I will continue to do so." The Rootmind simply told him this was part of the price for it.
Those words caused Chris to look at the marks again, a finger lightly tracing over one of them.
"If the marks keep spreading," he began asking quietly, notes of fear slowly creeping into his voice, "what will happen to me? I already feel like I'm becoming less and less human each day…"
The Rootmind went silent for a short while as if it were trying to be careful with its response before telling him he would become something far more than a simple human. Something connected to the land itself, bound to every plant, understanding them without needing a word to be said. Becoming the very network he had desired to have. Becoming something that wouldn't be easily killed yet in turn would not easily be saved.
The realization was chilling. It came with benefits but the cost was his humanity. He wondered if it would truly be worth it, if he would still be himself or the emotionally numb self he had been moments ago. Shaking his head he asked something else, refusing to allow himself to go down a line of thought that would possibly lead to panic. "What about the Voice? How does this effect it?"
It told him bluntly that it grows stronger alongside him, that It will steadily become harder to ignore.
He sat on the seat in front of the Rootmind, letting out a tired sigh. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind. If I was doing this alone, I probably would have broken already, or given in to the Voice. I might have even had you accelerate this change just to not feel anything anymore. But I'm not alone." A small smile forming on his face. "I have Sera who's currently on the wall. I have Korr wondering around his old camp and when his around he tries to guide me. I have all my various plants who support me regardless of my choices. The Voice is alone. It's probably why it's trying so hard since if he gets me, it would have all of you. I won't let that happen."
The Rootmind pulsed warm and steady before telling him that would be the reason why he would always win over the Voice.
Chris didn't say anything after that, he just sat there, letting his new connection to the network wash over him as he practiced filtering the feelings of every plant, every root and slowly expanding the number of plants he could link to on his own till he felt he reached his limit, knowing he would need to practice.
When he finally stood and walked around a bit to stretch his legs he found Sera falling into step beside him, having left the walls and spending the past half hour just watching him.
"You were at the Rootmind a lot longer than usual this time. I also saw the marks were spreading. Are you okay?" Her voice was laced with hints of concern but she tried to keep her usual carefree tone.
"Yeah, I think I am. I was just learning something new."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Chris took a moment to think about that.
"I don't know yet," he admitted. "But it's happening regardless if I want it to or not so all I can do is accept it and press forward."
Sera nodded, clearly not liking the answer but accepting it for what it was. "Then we'll deal with it together, and with that idiot demon helping as well I suppose."
Chris smiled at that, what he felt like was his first real smile he had managed in a long time.