Chapter 100: Do You Need a Gardener?
The pendant dangled inside a sealed healing pod, far from Kowaru. During the harsh years, he had seen it innumerable times. It was a small heart-shaped stone, worn around Vanessa’s neck.
The girl who once smiled at him was no more. In fact, she had died four centuries prior.
"She must have endured so much over these years," Kaworu thought.
Suddenly, a small tendril surfaced from the ground. It lazily twirled and untwirled its suction cups, big and small, creeping toward Kaworu who was sprawled on the ground, deprived of his limbs, reduced to just a torso. The tendril clambered onto his metallic mask, its tip attaching to the center of his forehead with a quiet pop.
For the betas, telepathy was a simple feat, given the willingness. A dialogue that required extensive paragraphs in spoken language could be communicated with a few mental images.
Kaworu heard a voice echo in his mind.
"I have some things I want to show you."
"Although I’m wiped out~~ yawn~~ really need to sleep."
"But never mind, it’s a favor for a close friend after all."
Then, images foreign to Kaworu’s memories filled his thoughts.
In the pitch-black world, he heard a familiar voice.
"He is my moon."
"Even if it lands in the gutter, the moon will always be the moon."
In the dark realm, there appeared to be a flicker of light. Vanessa was sprinting in that dim glow.
"Kestrel, can you aid Kaworu?" Vanessa’s voice was soft, as she swiveled her head toward him, "Lead him away from here."
The memory wasn’t Kaworu’s, but Kestrel’s. Nevertheless, Vanessa’s turning face, her smile so near, made Kaworu feel as though she was right beside him, clutching his hand, sprinting. The stars mirrored in her bright eyes, gazing at him with a smile.
Kaworu felt as if he was caught in a nightmare, running with her, sensing his lifeless heart beginning to throb slowly in his chest.
Vanessa, jogging next to him, her figure blurring along the way, still wore a smile on her face. She didn’t resemble the person who had died in Kaworu’s dreams years ago, but more like a regular girl, jogging under the moonlight.
Her arms stretched out towards him. Kaworu knew this wasn’t his memory, Vanessa wasn’t reaching out to him. But the contact felt incredibly real. Vanessa’s soft skin touched his shoulder, encircling his neck, the spot she touched seemed to blaze with fire.
Vanessa’s hands were on his shoulders, her tender eyes fixed on him. His body floated up, and her forehead lightly brushing his cool, golden mask.
"Don’t grieve for me; I hope you’re happy and live in the light."
"Can I..." the shattered Kaworu whispered softly, "do I still have the right to live?"
He lay on the chilly floor of the healing room.
"Of course. Though I agree that living can be quite exhausting, I believe it’s still better to keep going," Kestrel’s voice came through their linked spiritual channel.
She had been lying in the icy green liquid for a long time, long enough for Kestrel to nearly drift off to sleep. Then, she heard a faint, tiny voice. The voice was incredibly soft and gentle, but luckily she could still hear it.
"Does your home... still need a gardener?"
"We desperately need a gardener, a very important role. Without it, the garden would be in chaos, making life intolerable..."
The golden heart-shaped pendant hung on Kestrel’s chest, gently rocking in the water.
She knew that she had fulfilled Vanessa’s dying wish. With this understanding, a weight lifted from her heart, and she finally succumbed to a deep, peaceful sleep.
In the bubbling sound of the green waves, her pain gradually faded. Kestrel felt as if she had returned to the deep sea, to the beginning, back to the cradle that invited her to restful sleep. It seemed as if she had died, yet also been born anew.
...
Ren spotted a thin tendril appear, sticking to Kaworu’s mask, followed by a tear, a human tear, rolling down from beneath the golden mask.
The tendril fell off the mask, barely crawling its way towards Ren. Ren knelt on one knee, stooping down and extending his left hand to receive the seemingly fragile tendril.
The tendril twisted and quickly climbed up the back of his hand. The damp suckers and suction discs glided against his skin, the touch was strikingly real.
Ren’s pupils shrank, these sensations triggering a surge of dark memories. These horrifying memories had seeped into his marrow, corroded his soul, making his bones freeze and shiver uncontrollably. However, he was unwilling to reject this dying tendril at this moment, so he gritted his teeth, watching as it writhed up his arm.
To add to the problem, Ren’s suit had been torn off, tied to the handle of his knife, ripped during the fight. He was left without any shield or protection.
The barely surviving tendril paid no attention to Ren’s discomfort. The contact with his skin brought it joy. It twisted and caressed Ren, and only when it had its fill, it curled up in Ren’s hold and fell asleep.
"Don’t move him, we need to take him home," the small tendril communicated a fragment of its thoughts through its touch on Ren’s skin, just before it drifted off to sleep.
Time passed unknowingly. Inside the sealed healing pod, Kestrel, suspended in the green liquid, slowly opened her eyes.
Ren, who had been watching over the healing pod, instantly stood up, leaning close to the clear cover, examining Kestrel’s recovery progress inside the pod.
Whether it was due to the distortion caused by the green liquid or not, Kestrel’s eyes inside the healing pod seemed a bit uncanny. Through the bubble-distorted green liquid, her pupils were colorful, vacant, and indifferent, slightly radiating bioluminescent light. They were not quite human, more like a sea creature lurking under the green waves.
Those eyes shifted, spotting the alpha outside the glass, her throat moved, like a hungry shark that smelled blood, suddenly emerging from the depths.
A shockwave of surprise coursed through Ren’s heart. Before he had time to react, numerous sturdy tendrils appeared in the air. They twisted and wrapped around Ren’s waist, secured his wrists and ankles, and pushed his head down onto the clear glass cover.
The moment his ankles and thighs were ensnared, Ren saw a fleeting chance to escape, but whether it was due to the softness of the tendrils or the familiar face emerging from the water, his body unexpectedly hesitated.
Ren was a soldier known for his swift and decisive actions, never making such errors in battle. The hesitation cost him his brief opportunity to escape.
The thick tendrils wound and tightened around him, pressing him firmly against the glass lid. His hands, feet, and waist - every part of his body that could exert force - were securely bound. Unless he could bring himself to slash the tendrils with his knife, he was essentially powerless to resist.
These tendrils were far from the gentle and reserved ones they used to be. They were strong and icy cold, their slick suckers roving about, unapologetically exploring their captured prey.
Inside the healing pod, Kestrel floated up, her black hair, porcelain face, and emotionless eyes emerging from the murky green depths. She moved towards Ren through the water, separated only by a layer of glass. Her delicate hand pressed against the inside of the clear glass, her white fingertips aligned with Ren’s cheek through the glass.
"Kestrel..." Ren managed to say, struggling. At this moment, a tendril seized the opportunity and silenced him, muffling his voice.
Fortunately, after these words were spoken, it seemed like a wake-up call. Kestrel’s eyes gradually regained clarity, emerging from her dreamlike state. Subsequently, the frantic and fierce tendrils withdrew from the alpha’s body like a receding tide.
Kestrel blinked, appearing just awakened, seeming confused as to why the alpha was pressed up against the glass in front of her.
