The giant violet lotus hovered silently above the glowing rune formation, its petals shimmering with ancient spiritual energy. At its center, the single golden eye blinked once, then twice, before focusing squarely on Faral.
Mine.
The word echoed throughout the mindscape. It wasn't spoken with hatred or malice; it sounded possessive, like a toddler clinging to a prized toy.
Faral drifted forward, his blue-white spiritual light unruffled. "I know you recognize me."
The giant lotus bobbed happily. Mine.
"...Yes," Faral sighed. "I gathered that."
Zhu blinked. Expecting a terrifying beast, she instead found the exchange oddly familiar. The lotus turned its golden eye toward Zhu, then Mara, blinking again.
New.
"Uh..." Zhu waved weakly, the pounding in her head finally subsiding. "Hi?"
The lotus bobbed with enthusiastic energy. New!
Faral glided closer to Zhu. "It has become more expressive."
"You think?"
"It previously comprehended only three concepts: Mine, Stay, and No."
Zhu stared at him. "You've been trapped for centuries by something with the vocabulary of a toddler?"
"An accurate observation," Faral replied, his light orb already wrapping around the violet entity to begin the binding.
Outside the mindscape, Herkid's strained voice echoed through the spiritual pathway: "Faral! The array is holding, but I don't know for how much longer!"
"Understood," Faral replied sharply. "We finish this now."
The lotus suddenly realized what was happening. Its golden eye shifted from Zhu toward the glowing formation taking hold around it. The eye widened.
...No?
Nooo, it whined, the sound echoing in Zhu's mind like a childish piteous cry.
"You are being separated from your physical lotus form," Faral explained plainly.
The flower froze. Then, its petals began trembling violently. NO!
Spiritual energy exploded across the mindscape. Had it possessed arms and legs, Zhu was certain it would be flinging itself onto the floor throwing a full-blown tantrum. It thrashed against Faral's blue light, but Faral remained ruthless, expanding his aura to envelop its core.
Mara stumbled backward from the shockwave. "It's frightened!"
"I know," Faral said, keeping his tone steady. "But this must be done."
NO! HOME! BACK!
The pressure spiked. Outside, Herkid nearly lost control as an entire ring of runes flickered violently. "I'm losing stability!"
"Maintain the outer ring!" Faral commanded. "Mara, hold the pathway!"
"I-I'm trying!" Mara gasped. Outside, silver mana poured frantically from her body. Blood trickled from her nose as she pushed past her physical limits, refusing to give up. Herkid wiped sweat from his eyes, swiftly rotating three rune plates to lock the golden pathways back into place.
Inside, the lotus charged Faral—not with elegance, but by blindly throwing itself forward to slam him against the array barrier.
Faral sighed. "I had hoped to avoid this."
A burst of blue-white light flared, blocking the attack. Boom! The impact rippled across the space. The lotus bounced back, looking more surprised than injured.
Bad!
"I am defending myself."
Bad!
"You attacked me."
Mine! the lotus shrieked, unleashing a barrage of glowing violet vines. Faral calmly raised shields of light, deflecting every strike with practiced ease.
Frustrated, the lotus's petals puffed outward in a sulk. Cheater!
Faral blinked. "...Cheater?"
Too strong!
Ignoring Faral, the lotus drifted toward Zhu. Its massive golden eye stared into hers, and it uttered a single, pitiful word: Stay?
Zhu's expression softened. Using the sympathy card now? Crafty little flower.
The lotus floated lower, its vines drooping sadly. Stay...
Faral spoke softly. "I stayed."
The lotus brightened. Yes!
"I stayed for a very long time," Faral continued. "So... it is your turn to stay."
The flower went still. Its eye blinked once, then twice.
Want... outside.
Everyone froze.
Going... outside? The lotus looked slowly upward toward the sky that wasn't there. See... outside. The words came awkwardly, broken like a child learning to speak.
The entity floated in small, frustrated circles. Flower. Can't go. It turned its eye back to Faral. You go.
Understanding struck like a thunderbolt. Mara covered her mouth. "It didn't trap you to hurt you..."
"It believed I could take it outside," Faral murmured, stunned.
The lotus lowered itself sadly. Stay. Wait. Long time... bored.
Zhu stepped forward, standing right before the golden eye. She smiled warmly. "So... you just wanted to see the world outside?"
The lotus nodded eagerly. Yes!
"And because you're a giant magical plant, you snatched the first soul you found to take you there?"
Another enthusiastic nod. Smart!
Faral sighed. "I respectfully disagree. It functions like a soul-snatching Venus flytrap."
Zhu laughed softly. "You really are just a spoiled kid."
The lotus puffed up proudly, clearly taking it as a compliment. Zhu gently placed a hand against a glowing petal. "Listen. If you keep Faral trapped, you'll never leave Hollowveil."
The lotus frowned. "...No?"
"No," Zhu said gently. "But... if Faral becomes the lotus instead, you can both go outside. He'll control the body, but you'll still be there. He walks, you see. He travels, you travel. You'll finally see the world."
The lotus went motionless, its chaotic energy fading into quiet contemplation. "...Outside?"
"Yes. Really."
The flower looked at Faral's glowing blue form, then back at Zhu.
Faral offered a soft, steady promise: "I will take you outside to see the world."
The lotus pondered this seriously for nearly a full minute. Then, its petals folded inward. The violent pressure vanished completely as it drifted right up to Faral. A tiny vine extended slowly toward him.
...Friends?
For the first time in centuries, warmth filled Faral's voice. "Friends."
He extended a thin tendril of light to touch the vine. The vine wrapped happily around it, the lotus wiggling in delight. Outside!
Zhu grinned, crossing her arms triumphantly. "See? Sometimes all you have to do is talk to people."
Faral paused, then relented. "...It is difficult to argue with success."
Zhu gasped dramatically. "Did Mr. Know-It-All just admit I was right?"
Faral turned his light away. "I admitted nothing."
Mara let out a breathless laugh as the blue and violet energies finally merged into harmonious balance, stabilizing the transfer completely.
Outside, Herkid collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily as the violent quaking stopped. He felt like he had just pulled heavy labor while solving complex equations in his head.
"Please tell me that's over!" he wheezed through the connection.
Zhu cupped her hands and shouted toward the sky: "We made friends with the ancient world-ending lotus!"
A long silence hung over the courtyard.
"...I have so many questions," Herkid finally replied.
The sanctuary air thinned as the mindscape faded, drawing Zhu and Mara back into their physical bodies.
Beside the Spiritual Spring, Herkid scrambled to his feet, wide-eyed. The violent shaking had ceased, but the air vibrated with a terrifying concentration of raw power.
At the center of the fountain, the colossal violet lotus was undergoing a violent, miraculous metamorphosis.
Faral's spirit—now fused with the consciousness of the lotus spirit—surged down the pathway of silver and golden light, pouring back into the physical plant. The moment his soul struck the core, the flower flared with a brilliant blue-violet light that illuminated the entire stone courtyard.
The massive lotus folded its petals inward, wrapping tightly into a shimmering, pulsating cocoon. Dense vines coiled around the base, drawing the floating root system up out of the water. The water in the spring violently parted, hissed, and evaporated into a fragrant, glowing mist.
"Is it... working?" Herkid gasped, shielding his face from the blinding light.