Heretical Fishing

Book 3: Chapter 52: Becoming One

It was a beautiful afternoon in the forest surrounding Tropica. The sun shone down from above, the celestial body on its inexorable path toward the western mountains. I was surrounded by my animal pals, including Teddy, a bear who’d only awakened just minutes ago. Maria was at my side, her happiness as infectious as always.

And, almost completely unexpected, two more pals had just exploded up from beneath us.

I’d felt them coming at the last moment, and as Lieutenant Colonel Lemony Thicket and her yet-unnamed partner in crime erupted their roots from between us, I extended a patchy barrier of chi, protecting us and the food from the small chunks of earth flying in every direction.

“You came!” I said, grinning at Lemon.

Standing in opposition to my joy at her arrival, she radiated annoyance. Using a thick root, she grew the approximation of a stick-body, then crossed her arms and tapped a foot, casting her displeasure over me.

“Woah, what’s with the hostility?” I asked.

She pointed around at everyone, the gestures growing more animated with each animal her little root-hand was directed at. When she finally pointed at herself, she cocked her head. Even if her body language hadn’t told me what she was asking, the simmering anger pulsing from her would have. She felt scorned, assuming I hadn’t invited her.

“I did invite you, Lemon, you goose.”

Her tapping foot halted, as did her growing resentment at being excluded.

“Maria and I came by your grove when we were gathering everyone. We invited you, we called to you, and Maria even tried tickling your trunk. You didn’t respond. We even swung by your body, new tree friend,” I said, gesturing toward the tree spirit that lived in the tree that had exploded from the old church’s underground. “You didn’t respond either.”

“Which begs the question, Lemon....” Maria leaned in close, raising an eyebrow and smirking. “What were you two doing?”

If Lemon’s roots were capable of perspiring, she would have started sweating bullets. She immediately panicked, and when I sent my chi her way, she retreated from it, concealing her emotions.

“Nothing to say, huh?” Maria asked, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

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Her question only made Lemon and her tree spirit pal shrink further away, some of their roots subconsciously retracting back into the ground.

I barked a laugh. “Relax, you two. We’re only teasing.”

Maria let out a light giggle, covering her mouth. “Sorry, Lemon. You came in so hot that I couldn’t help myself.”

Lemon let out the mental equivalent of a sigh, her chi finally relaxing.

She had been mostly absent over the past month or so, her awareness always elsewhere. It was obvious that she was working towards something, and if it was anyone else, her secrecy would have troubled me. Considering it was Lemon, though, I wasn’t the least bit worried. I trusted her implicitly, especially because I could feel a hint of her emotions. She was trying to be sneaky, but there was very clearly no malevolence in her actions. If it had been the younger tree spirit acting alone, I might have been suspicious. With Lemon leading the charge, they could do as they pleased.

“Whatever you two have been up to,” I said, “I know it’s going to be marvelous.”

At these words, the last bit of tension knotted up in Lemon’s core disappeared, and she sent me an almost-overwhelming wave of gratitude.

“Oh yeah.” I snapped my fingers as if just remembering something. “Lemon, this is Technical Officer Theodore Roosevelt—Teddy for short. Teddy, this is Lieutenant Colonel Lemony Thicket—affectionately known as Lemon. And this...” I pointed at the other tree spirit’s roots. “This is our tree spirit… pal. Lemon helped him awaken and he doesn’t want a name yet. Still, he’s more than welcome on our shores.”

Lemon, disgruntled as she had been, had somehow missed Teddy’s giant form. Hesitantly, she reached a root out toward him. Just as cautiously, Teddy extended a paw and shook her offered limb. The sight filled me with joy.

“Wonderful. Now we’ve all been introduced. Well, excluding Rocky, but he’s a different beast entirely.”

Teddy cocked his head in question, but I shook mine. “Forget I said anything. I’ve already yapped enough. I can tell you all about our criminal crab after we take part in this feast. Speaking of...” I turned to Lemon and the other tree spirit. “You should inspect the food before you agree to eat it, especially you, tree spirit pal.”

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Lemon’s constructed body flowed forward, as did a smaller tendril from the other spirit’s root system. They leaned in close, peering at the bits of fish remaining on the plate. As one, they recoiled, both exuding entirely different emotions. Lemon was shocked, of course, but mostly excited. Her student was… hesitant. Caring more for his answer, I sent whispers of my awareness toward him, wanting to get more of a feel for his opinion. I got the sense that he was truly considering it, and just when I thought he’d grab a chunk, his disposition shifted. Fear washed out of him, and he drew back, shaking his head.

I smiled at him, trying to hide my disappointment. “That’s okay, mate. I totally understand.” Turning my attention on Lemon, my smile became much more genuine. “Are you in?”

She nodded fervently, spearing a chunk with a root and lifting it up.

“Okay,” I said, looking around. “You’ve all been patient enough. Let’s taste it at the same—”

Unable to wait a moment longer, Claws unleashed a deafening trill and bit down so hard that flakes of fish exploded over the grass. It started an avalanche of munching, and I didn’t even have time to laugh before I ate my own, not wanting to ruin whatever xianxia-land, System-made shenanigans made the meal’s bonding properties work.

The moment the flesh touched my tongue, I was transported away, my awareness seeming to glide upward.

The entire outside of the filet was crispy, as if deep fried and covered in invisible crumbs. The honey covering it, despite being hot, had kept its consistency. The sweet substance oozed throughout my mouth, enhanced by the savory flavors of the fish. The seasoning and herbs that Snips had used combined with the rest of the meal, making my consciousness soar as I was taken elsewhere. As I chewed, the tastes only grew more intense, somehow building.

It defied logic. Your taste buds should get more accustomed with each passing second, even if only a little. What was the cause...? All the while, it felt as though I was rocketing upward, wind passing me by in a pleasant stream and trying to draw my attention from the meal. Even through this overwhelming sensation, the flavors built. My passage started to slow, a heat appearing from nowhere to pepper my skin. As it did, light sprouted from before. I swallowed the mouthful of fish, opening my eyes and expecting to find myself back on the forest floor.

Instead, I was flying.

High above the clouds and beneath the slowly descending sun, I floated in a stunningly blue sky. I could see the curvature of the atmosphere, the cloud-cover stretching out in every direction. There was a ghostly hand before me. My eyes darted to it, instinctively wary of anything getting so close without me noticing. But it was mine. I extended my arm, looking both at and through it. I thought that was pretty shocking in itself, but then more ghosts zoomed up through the wall of clouds below me.

When a light blue orb arrived lacking a body, I instinctively recognized it. Lemon was peering at the outside world, filled with wonder as she gazed up at the sun. The rest of my animal pals had the shape of their bodies, and when the Buzzy Boys started arriving, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t only the ones that ate honey that came shooting up—all of them did. From different angles, they shot up to join the main body of insects. One by one, everyone else joined us. When they arrived, I had the pleasure of witnessing their initial reactions to the vista we found ourselves in. I could feel their amazement stronger than ever before, the link joining us enhanced by the honeyed fish.

Despite having already swallowed my mouthful of food, more sensations washed over me, as if I was still chewing. It made me focus on my senses, and as I gave them my full attention I realized what was happening. I was tasting what everyone else was, our experiences somehow combined. Surprisingly, I felt an echo of chi connecting with the ground. Beyond curious, I sent my awareness downward, following it all the way back to my body. Our physical forms were all there still, and as I moved my ghostly arm around, my body mirrored the action.

With my curiosity blossoming, I raised my hand and took another bite of fish, returning to my place above the clouds. I crunched down on the layer of crisp skin, revealing the wonderfully flakey meat beneath. The sensations of it melting in my mouth rolled over me, spreading out toward everyone else as well. All of their expressions were rapturous as they peered around at the view we had of the afternoon sky.

The magic that connected us grew stronger with each passing moment, and as it did, I started getting glimpses into my companions’ minds. In the blink of an eye, the glimpses solidified into something more. I could sense everyone’s thoughts, and it felt almost as if they were just another aspect of me... but that wasn’t entirely accurate. I wasn’t the only one being exposed to these thoughts—everyone was. We were all enmeshed in a vast web, and they were just as connected to each other as they were to me.

The invisible ropes of magic that bound us began multiplying, slowly granting even more insight. It felt as though the connection was waning, so I sent out a pulse of chi, encouraging everyone to take another bite of the meal if they had any remaining. I got a wave of assent in response, and those of us with food left bit down into it. I fought down a laugh as I noticed Corporal Claws licking her exploded flakes of fish from the grass.

Surprisingly, the sensations of multiple sets of taste buds were muted this time, not seeming as grand now that we also had access to the surface of each other’s thoughts. When the essence reached our cores, it shot outward, empowering our connection. It made them all feel closer than before, and I got even stronger flashes of the thoughts they were having.

Fear, excitement, hesitation, joy, and everything in between. The myriad voices were overwhelming, all melding into a confusing chorus.

I tried to single out the individual sources, but the noise only increased as our connections built, deafening me. I closed my eyes, my forehead furrowing as I tried to parse the data streaming in. I couldn’t say who it began with, but after the first person panicked, so did everyone else. The thoughts and voices grew frenzied, fighting one another to be heard. I tried to calm them, to reassure them that everything was going to be okay, but it was no use. They couldn’t hear me.

Through the noise, I could feel my jaw clenching. I didn’t believe we were in physical danger, but my pals were certainly at risk of some emotional turmoil, which was exactly the opposite of what this experience was supposed to be.

All at once, the noise ended

And in the silence that remained, we truly became one.