The Revelation of the Vine: Graft

Chapter 21: The Opening

  I lifted myself up onto my elbows, feeling refreshed and not so gloomy anymore. A smile managed to cross my face, as I watched the new Knights who had risen from their transformations explore their newfound understanding of reality. The Sowing had matured their minds, but it didn't change them too much. It made facial features more refined, but their skin still retained the glow of youth. Bones and muscles had become stronger; reflexes and senses were heightened to their maximum. Their minds were filled with hidden stores of wisdom, increasing their intellects exponentially, but their personalities would remain unchanged. Teion stood up, wearing the black bodysuit that Jurgen had given to the Seeds as they awoke into Knighthood, looking an inch or two taller. He scanned his arms, flexing and twisting them, as muscles tensed and relaxed. He looked down at his body and legs then turned his head to look around at his backside. The look in his eyes held pure fascination as he looked over and saw me watching him then smiled. "I feel like Super-Teion." He yelled, and then using his new strength and agility began to climb and swing through the great tree. I chuckled, and turned my eyes to Tenbu, who was doing stretches over by a rock near the water's edge. He began to perform a disciplined and flowing sequence of movements. He kept his eyes closed as he turned and thrust a fist into the air, raising the other arm at a symmetrical angle, and then slid a leg forward and pivoted his torso down into a long crouch. He sprang up, sending a flurry of kicks into the air before curling into a back flip and landing gracefully into the same pose. He noticed me and gave a sly wink, curling a corner of his lips before returning to his workout. I turned my gaze to the others. Atreios and Rahlix were sparring inside of a circle they had drawn in the ground at a spot of earth by the lakefront. The duelers performed lightning-quick attacks, feints, counters, and parries, as they Vine-Surged between attacks; disappearing and re-appearing behind each other like a game of leapfrog. The fight dragged on, as they displayed and experienced their new abilities. A grinding scrape echoed faintly between pings and dings of the clashing blades. Falkir sat on a stone by the base of one of the tree trunks, and leaned back against it, sharpening his sword's blade with fine precision. He held it close as he brought the whetstone up and forward in quick flicks and blew the metal dust into the air. When he had finished, and the edge was razor-sharp, he started to gently polish it until the world around him became reflected in it. Jeizen was sitting near the water with his legs crossed and his hands clasped in a Lemniscate in front of him. Long, dark dreads hung from his head like a lion's mane. His shoulders rose and fell, as he took deep, meditative breaths. He took a long breath and held it, then placed his hands flat on the ground, and without the slightest hint of a strain pushed his body into the air, and then swung back, up, and over until he rested vertically on the palms of his hands. He pushed again, lifting his palms from the ground and rested on his fingertips, and then he slowly pulled his left arm up and behind his back. Vhalrin was still lying on the ground with his eyes fluttering and twitching. The cocoon had broken, lying around him like a ring of dead vines, but he hadn't yet returned from the Rest. I slowly got to my feet, watching the world sway as my head lifted. Jurgen hovered around him, anxiously waiting for him to wake up. He noticed me and smiled. I waved, feeling sorry that I had been so cold to him earlier, and walked over. "J," I started to apologize but he waved his hand to stop me. I felt the sting of it, reminded of my own curtness earlier, even though I knew he didn t mean it to be offensive. "Nothing needs to be said, V," He said. "After what happened to you, I'm surprised you haven t tried to suck my brains outs or something. Heh. I'm just glad you're still with us. I can't imagine what you must be feeling inside, and I won't pretend to with some sympathy speech. Let s just try to enjoy what we have left. A dark shadow looms before us all, now." His eyes glistened with tears. I didn t say anything. My throat felt too choked to try. I wanted to tell him about my dream; about the Mender and what he said to me but decided it didn t matter. "Anyway, you weren't out for that long," Jurgen folded his arms, "Maybe an hour or more. Tenbu woke up first, about twenty minutes ago. Then the others popped up in 2-minute increments. Teion woke up last, but Vhalrin hasn t come to yet. I'm wondering if it's taking longer because his memory is being restored." His eyes suddenly went wide with excitement, "I want to know what he meant about remembering the Veil." Teion dropped from the tree on a long vine and stopped just inches from the floor. His hair was messed, and frizzy, as small beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. Despite the rambunctious romp he just had in the tree, his breathing was as steady as a man at rest. "Wow, Cap'n V." He said, running up and hugging me. "This is amazing, I can climb and run and jump all day. I'm never gonna get tired of this." "Hey, Teion, I see you and Lemniscus are getting along." I smiled and squeezed him in a big bear hug. He looked up at me through teary green eyes, and then pressed his ear against my chest. "The Mender told me about you," He said, his voice muffled in my jacket. "He really, really loves you." The statement hit me like a bolt of lightning. "But he told me not to tell you what he told me." He continued, turning his head a little so his voice would project better. "He said he was speaking to you, too, so I asked him if he meant right now, and he said, Yes, you re both going to wake up at the same time, watch and see. And then when Lieutenant Jurgen helped me up, I saw you opening your eyes. Cool, huh?" I was speechless and could only afford him a steady nod that I hoped he could feel since he wasn't looking. He pulled his head away and let go of me, then wiped his eyes with his wrists. "Anyway, he said I could remind you not to be afraid." He started to tap his foot on the ground in second-long beats, as if counting, "And now, Vhalrin should be waking up in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . ." He snapped his fingers on 1, and Vhalrin's voice broke through the air, "I remember everything!"