The Astralaceaes

Chapter 9: The Path Back to Nature

Haledon drifted along a stream of stars. Just beyond his reach, a root-locked shore was home to snagged debris. The leaves and branches along the water's edge tangled with what looked like small pieces of the Astralaceae.

The dark forest beyond the shoreline awoke as thousands of tiny yellow eyes watched Haledon drift. Swimming towards the edge, he found the shore escaping him. He swam harder to escape the current but was eventually cast into a vast lake.

There, the forest grew distant. The eyes blinked away slowly until all that remained was the sea of stars Haledon floated within. Sky and water blended into one, and Haledon felt at ease.

A pink moon floated over the horizon and towards the zenith before it became stationary within Haledon's gaze. The watchful eye observed him as he drifted along.

The world was consumed by silence until it wasn't. A low rumbling groan began to boil the water. The sea of stars around Haledon appeared to compress and expand, sending waves out. The sound became louder as the sea erupted towards the sky in towering geysers.

Below Haledon, a mountain emerged, snagging his bare body as it rose. He held onto the geometric surface and felt the cold metal against his skin. His hands began to bleed as he struggled to keep hold until he finally slid down its sheer face.

Haledon caught an edge, but his grip failed, and he tumbled off the cliff's side. He plummeted into darkness, watching the flames beneath the mountain ignite the sky. And in the space between the fire and the inky abyss, a scream pierced his mind.

Haledon awoke with a start, his world a blur of light and colour that slowly came to focus.

The earthen halls of the Astralaceae held his back as he pivoted his head around. The corridor was busy, with Druids running in every direction. Their faces flushed as they huffed and strained, sweat dripping from their brows. They carried large root masses pulsing with orange light deep within their cores.

Screams erupted from the other end of the hall. Haledon pivoted his head again, seeing a handful of Astralaceae Druids huddled together on the floor. A man sat with his head in his hands and a heaviness pulling on his shoulders. He sobbed deeply as the other red-eyed companions attempted to console him.

"You're awake." An excited voice spoke to Haledon.

Adjusting his gaze once more, he caught the approaching figure of Gazeas. The leaves of her suit looked dull and had begun to droop. And beneath a warm smile, Haledon could see the same exhaustion mirrored in her face. It was then that he noticed the subtle changes in her foliage. The leaves, though wilted, were fuller and glossy. The flowers that hid along the nodes of the vines had multiplied and were bone white.

"Seral Druid Gazeas," He said with a groggily wide smile. He struggled to pull his head up and rest it back against the wall. "Congratulations."

"Seral Druid Haledon," She smiled and knelt to face him. Pulling him into her embrace, she squeezed. "When they brought you in, I—well, I feared the worst."

"You thought I was dead?" He questioned as he relaxed into her embrace.

"No, no," She corrected, clearing her throat and adjusting him to look at his face. She began to diagnose him while she continued talking. "I could see your breathing, so I knew you were alive. But you could have faired a lot worse. So it was a good thing you had your new foliage."

She averted her eyes for a moment and looked over to the side. Haledon followed her gaze beyond the mourning Druids to see a body cloaked in a shroud of foliage. It lay motionless at the end of the hall, where the vines and roots bloomed vibrant flowers as the body decomposed.