“Were they on their own?” August asked the crystal orb he held cupped between his hands.

No. At least, not the one that we could see. The other was somewhere underground, and we couldn’t track them. The voice responded from the other end. August leaned back in his chair at the information. The plush chair protested with a dull creak. August took off his glasses, held them in his hands, then put them on once more.

“Who was the multisystem user with?” August was already thinking of the possible parties. He did know all of the ones selected off of the top of his head. The forward group was relatively small, and specialized.

The one we saw, a male, was traveling with a group that contained the Administrator. The head of the Inquisition started. The Administrator? I never remember hearing the Administrator was among the groups. In fact, I wouldn’t have allowed it in the first place. Having the sister of the man we are hunting for join in the hunt seems a recipe for disaster.

“The Administrator? Are you sure she was present?”

Not one-hundred percent, but we heard a group talking that recognized her personally. Supposedly from the start of the Era of Realism. It was fair to say August was surprised.

“What group was he with? What adventuring company?” August truly doubted that the Administrator showed up on her own. She must have infiltrated in some way, into some group. If he could figure out what group that was, they could easily take out the Warden. They would get rid of some moles as well.

Forgive me sir, we are unsure. No one focused on the others once they realized the Administrator was there. Not to mention, the group never closely interacted with any other. For the most part, they stayed at a distance. We only realized the multisystem user was with them because of the sensor you gave us. That was not the response August was looking for. It seemed he had many sleepless nights ahead of him once more.

“Thank you. You are dismissed for now, but keep me updated should the situation change. Otherwise, get all forward parties to slowly follow the group. I will explain your roles later, but for now follow at a distance. A great distance.” Without waiting for a response, August ended the communication. He started a new one once more.

“Commander, it seems we have some good news. The multisystem users should be heading your way. I expect you to see them in the next week or two.”

Music to my ears.

Yuclaus sat in the falling rain. The storm had diminished in its severity, but by the absence of the rest of the party, it seemed it was still enough to keep them holed up. For Yuclaus though, it was best to be safe. Once the rain had started to fall more gently, Isencia and Yuclaus had agreed that it was best if he waited for the others. So, here he was. Sitting in the mud. Cross-legged. Getting drenched.

Visibility was much higher than the previous monsoon, or whatever the sudden storm was. Yet, lightning still occasionally branched across the sky. Thunder still rolled through the air. They were just less frequent. For Cause though, none of that really mattered. For one, he didn’t feel the temperature. So the rain didn’t bother him. His radius of sight had also increased drastically since the downpour subsided a bit. Now he could make out a two story house, and a small tent on opposite sides of himself.

This all went without saying, he was relatively fine with sitting in the rain. Should a lightning bolt strike him, he was fairly certain he would survive. Probably. In any case, he wouldn’t be focusing on the outside world. While he was still alone, he needed to keep his word to Isencia. He needed to check on Gourami. He also needed to ensure his slot system was working. It was not at all motivated by the fact an extreme amount of pressure was being exerted on his arm by a vine. Not at all.

So, our hero sat in the shower, ready to dive into himself. He closed his eyes, and followed the flow of memories back to his mindscape. As he was entering, he was worried about what he would see. If he remembered correctly, the last time he had fully entered was when Isencia and him had their water war. Since then, he had withdrawn and stored Wisps, but never returned himself.

He opened his eyes to a sky devoid of color. A white canvas that a painter would never color. An orb crackled with pink bolts in the sky above. New memories shot like bolts, designated to their earthen fissures. Sitting amongst the crags was an oasis. A gentle green pasture, with a small pond in the middle. The grass stretched around an obelisk. An obelisk with a blue pallor. Yuclaus was not excited to fix that screen of death.

In contrast to the beautiful circular field, the contents of the pond were devastating. Driftwood floated about in its waters. Logs as miniscule as the pond itself. A wreck of a plant lay at the center of the scene. If one looked with enough imagination, they could make out what was once a mangrove. Crystalline maple leaves filled the water. The branches that once connected them to Gourami floated alongside.

Gourami was broken. That was to put it lightly. Many limbs had been torn off of the once gorgeous tree. The trunk itself seemed to have been almost ripped apart. It was split down the middle, one half bent parallel from the surface of the pond. Branches were broken and hanging on by thin pieces of bark.

The part of the canopy that still lived was different. Underneath every maple leaf, an unnatural darkness dripped downward. It seemed the shadow tree had affected Gourami in an unexpected way. Rather than the water being like ink, the leaves of Gourami itself created the darkness. The roots of the tree either floated, disguising themselves as dead fish, or drunkenly swerved in the water. Perhaps the floating branches truly were dead.

In any case, Yuclaus paused to take in the scene. It seemed Gourami knew he was there. The roots that were haphazardly floundering turned towards Cause. They were not perfectly in sync as they once were. The ones closest to the wreck that was Gourami turned first, the rest cascading from there. To say it was unnerving would be an understatement.

The two stared each other down. Or rather, Yuclaus stared down a few dozen roots. There wasn’t any central location for Cause to look at. The only other option would just be to stare at the trunk, but the roots felt more natural. The two made no movements. Yuclaus was unsure of what to do. Gourami’s thoughts were alien and indecipherable.

The first to make a move was Cause. He stepped forward, moving towards the pond. One foot went in front of the other. The crunch of dirt and gravel was soon replaced by the soft pad of grass, which was then replaced with a splash of water. Yuclaus unerringly stepped into the pond. Once more, the area around him was replaced with a vast lake. The driftwood that once looked like it belonged in a diorama now dwarfed the half-submerged Yuclaus.

The scene that once looked terrible, now seemed horrendous. Gashes, rips, tears, and splinters dotted the face of the once beautiful mangrove. The roots that had been tracking his movement neither approached, nor receded. Cause did not falter a step as he walked towards the base of the destroyed tree. Gourami did not impede him. Soon, Yuclaus stood before the remains of Gourami, black lines of darkness scattered around him..

If Gourami felt emotions, remorse, regret, greed, or anger, I know not. What I do know however, is what Cause felt. He was torn. He once thought of Gourami as a friend. Even though he thought the mangrove had no self-awareness, he treated it as if it did. That was mainly because Yuclaus was isolated for a bit before meeting Isencia. Though he met Isencia first, Gourami was a companion that he could relate to. He quite literally shared his soul with.

Yet, Gourami had been plotting the whole time. It had impeded, hindered, and betrayed Yuclaus. Each time Isencia and Cause attempted to get a Wisp to help them in their journey, the tumbleweed would interfere. It wanted to strengthen itself, while weakening its master. It was a reluctant servant that wanted freedom.

Now however, the once proud Spore lay a shell of what it once was. Its massive size had decreased in its destruction. Yuclaus bore no pity. He felt pain, regret, and sadness, but not an ounce of pity. Gourami had chosen to betray, and had gotten what it deserved. The only reason Yuclaus now stood before Gourami, was judgement. It had bit the hand that fed, and it was time for reckoning.

Suddenly, Yuclaus punched the fractured trunk of Gourami with all his strength. Normally, such a punch would do nothing but hurt the instigator. In the case of Yuclaus’ mind, the punch held the weight of his emotions. A visible shiver was sent through the wood. A faint crack sounded when the break in the center of the trunk got slightly wider.

“Gourami. I trusted you, and you betrayed that.” Yuclaus paused for a moment, considering his final decision. “You don’t really deserve it, but I will give you one last chance. That will be it. You are my spore afterall, I owe you at least that much. My kindness will not extend past though.”

Yuclaus waited for a response. A response is exactly what he got. Soon, a singular root drifted over to him. The once glistening fish-like root now looked dull. The lustre it once held was tarnished by the Lord of Earth. The root came within reaching distance of Cause.

“If strength is your concern, that will happen naturally in our travels. I mean, look at how you progressed. If you are annoyed at having someone lord over you, think of it as a partnership. Can we give this one more shot?” Cause reached his hand out, under the water, towards the root. Gourami seemed to ponder over the question, or maybe the mangrove was trying to make sense of his words. After a minute, the root wound upon the vineless arm of Yuclaus. A single shake solidified their arrangement.

It was at this moment, Yuclaus realized he carried none of the damage from the Leviathan into his mindscape. Convenient. It made sense though, why would he imagine himself injured? Soon, the root unwound from his arm, and returned to the depths. The rest of the roots did likewise. It seemed Gourami was dismissing the Figment.

Picking up on the queue, Yuclaus turned aboutface, and waded back towards shore. After a few moments, he walked up onto the green lawn. He turned aback and once more saw a small pond with a miniature Gourami occupying it. He would need to ask Isencia about how to accelerate the Spore’s regrowth. For now however, it was time to investigate the obelisk. As he went towards the blue screen he ever so dreaded.

“Are you ok?” Yuclaus was suddenly staring at the falling water. A streak of lightning illuminated the scene. Rather, illuminated slightly more. Somehow, there was always a dull light, as if it was a full moon at night. “Yuclaus, is everything ok?”

Cause looked up to see the concerned faces of Khalil and Darryn. He looked at the adventurers who stood before him, shocked from his abrupt change in scenery.

“Yeah. I'm ok.” He eventually responded to Khalil’s inquiry.

“I see you were attempting to enjoy the sting of lightning,” Darryn chimed in, “a wise choice.” Cause looked around for a moment, he noticed the two story house still stood in the distance, but he could not seem to find Jenny.

“Hey where is—” He stopped as two hands covered his eyes from behind.

“Guess who~?” A singsong voice said from the owner of the hands. Now, this situation could be handled in a plethora of ways. Yuclaus, wanting to not guess Jenny, went with the first other name he could think of.

“Isenci—” He stopped himself before he finished. It was too late though.

“Isencia?” Jenny dropped her hands, and came around to stand next to Darryn and Khalil. Placing her dropped hands on her hips, she adopted a dangerous pose. “Who is Isencia?”

“Oh uh, she is one of my sist—” The vine on Yuclaus’ arm tightened, cutting off his sentence. He had a feeling if he continued his alibi, he would regret it. Yet, should he answer truthfully, it would also not be beneficial. Yuclaus went with the safest strategy: avoidance. He forced a laugh before answering.

“Don’t worry about it! In any case, I’m sorry for not responding right away. I hope I didn’t give you a fright. I was checking on my Spore,” Yuclaus decided being honest in this regard was safe. They all assumed he was an Environ, so checking on his Spore was an acceptable explanation.

“No worries! We assumed it was something like that, but just wanted to make sure,” Khalil answered for the group. Jenny let out a huff at the topic being redirected, but didn’t press the subject.

“Anyway, I’m surprised you guys are out,” He looked between them to see if the tent had been put away. He saw that it had. “The rain is still falling pretty heavily, is there a reason you decided to meet up now?” Yuclaus got to his feet as he asked.

“Well, during the Cloud Continent, sometimes this type of weather can persist for days. We decided it let up enough for us to travel. Granted, now we are stuck waiting for Meagan and Justine. They should be out in a few minutes. We knocked a bit— ah, and here they come.”

Justine and Meagan walked out of the front door. They looked up and spotted the gathered group, and headed over. As they walked away, the house seemed to fade until it was made up of blue lines. Soon those flickered out. The house that had once stood amidst the storm seemed to be carried by the two.

“Shall we?” Meagan asked the group as she met them.

“Let's shall,” Darryn responded.