It might be difficult for you to envision but Randidly Ghosthound he has a capacity for joy that is difficult to fathom considering his work ethic and determination to ignore that part of himself I have seen him take fields like this and turn them into gorgeous farms He grows food cooks it eats it shares it with friends There is such a contentment in him then
Neveah closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks She wept silently just a little bit of her inner pain leaking out She didnÆt even wipe the tears away as though this happened so often she couldnÆt be bothered to address it I want that for him For him to understand thatÆs enough That he doesnÆt need to be more than just that man So so badly
Pine felt a strange stirring in his heart Perhaps to cover up the strange emotion suffusing him he coughed I do not mean to question your desire but is this desire not for someone else I do not think you can lecture me on my indecision if your desires are also not your own
Neveah barked out a laugh She reached out and slapped her cheeks No thatÆs fair We truly are more similar than I expected But can you see the possibility of this That is what I wanted to show you My desires it is not anything specific Just I see the life we have been living the Path we have taken And I want it to be different A different way These wild places remind me of possibility and potential That we could always shift and go somewhere new Do you see it
A breath of wind came through the fields and the grasses sang their support Here the whole world could change There was nothing holding them back
Pine blinked as he listened to the rustling weeds There wasnÆt another soul for miles Just the ground beneath their feet the grass the stones Neveah hadnÆt asked him what he would do with this place but rather whether just looking at an untouched location did he sense the potential He had to admit as he allowed his senses to wander around the unused space he felt something
A different Path huh
However the moment was short Neveah suddenly frowned Ah be careful this might be
The whole world beneath their feet wrenched sideways Pine almost toppled over despite his low center of mass And his connection to the wider Nexus informed him it wasnÆt just their planet but all of the worlds were suddenly and powerfully buffeted
What was that Did the Engraving Pine paused at the concern he heard in his own voice What did it matter if the Engraving failed
DidnÆt he want everything to end At least his part in it
Or did he just want a fresh start
Ah no the Engraving should be fine ThatÆs just Randidly getting into a pissing match with a bigger bully Neveah shook her head In that small motion she was rueful fearful exasperated worried and affectionate No matter how many times he gets punished for it he always gives them the first shot He will make them pay for that privilege but well we should be getting back I hope you enjoyed seeing what I do
Neveah waved her fingers conjuring several Engravings Weirdly Pine looked at the moments and felt another hint of that sensation of familiarity The way you use Engravings where did it come from
Ah I wondered if you noticed I have a theory Neveah was briefly still But then she put her hand on PineÆs shoulders and they were moving again hurtling across vast distances They streaked out of the Alpha Cosmos and back into the Nexus proper and suddenly Pine could feel the darkness pressing against him Suddenly all the hope and possibility he saw in that grassland shrank and vanished He felt small
He felt afraid
Yet despite a faint trembling he latched onto that strange sensation of familiarity He looked up at Neveah as they slammed back into the ground standing now in the middle of the golden Engraving It was an enormous hulking thing now wreathed in golden veins that held everything in place He couldnÆt see its edges where the three circles whirled around the central portion
Neveah after another hesitation turned back to Pine The floating golden sparks cast strange living shadows across her face I can tell you if you wish But well it is a delicate time Perhaps it is better to wait
Tell me Pine said Their environment was light and motion chaos and oppressive darkness He didnÆt know what he wanted but he knew everything was about to change
Neveah looked at him with sad eyes They were emerald like the GhosthoundÆs but so much softer and more solemn We come from the same place
That just made Pine frown Neveah shook her head rapidly and Pine realized she was nervous No ah thatÆs not a helpful thing to say Umm IÆm not sure how much you know about your parentsÆ people the people of Elhume and Yystrix But they have a constant population Couplings have two children who are formed from half of each of the parents And after those halves are given away the parents waste away What I mean to say
Pine suddenly understood His eyes widened
I have suspected for a while But I was afraid to tell you Because because of me she
You are my half sister Pine looked at Neveah Your familiarity you have the same energy mannerisms as mother She created both of us
Now it was NeveahÆs turn to blink She offered him a brittle smile Yes She was already wasting away while she well she helped shape RandidlyÆs growth She laid down the groundwork for him to possess a Vessel while running simply on fumes of what she once was We didnÆt know until she was gone what she had given Or what it cost her And
Neveah was almost babbling now all of her calm sophistication vanished And I bet you were wondering why she never came back It might have felt like like she abandoned you But she didnÆt She wouldnÆt It was because of me
It is not your fault Pine blurted out the words His emotions spun within him too complex and layered to separate It was a tightness of his throat a heat in his chest a constant desperate thrumming Perhaps a portion of it was almost accusatory after feeling abandoned for so long wanting to push it all onto her like Neveah so feared but
But Pine felt her guilt And he has suffered for so long under a similar guilt he spoke from the heart before he had a conscious reaction
It is not your fault Pine repeated as his feelings percolated down through his body A half sister A mother who hadnÆt abandoned him not like he expected A father who now stood empty as he was because Pine had asked him A plan for a better Nexus A cold one in which he was left alone but She she was just like us wasnÆt she Giving even when she shouldnÆt
Wanting happiness for someone else Wanting to lead them to a different Path even until the end Neveah nodded Not being afraid to walk that path alone without recognition
Pine fell silent then confused and lost The golden light raged and swelled around them The darkness pressed down against his chest With the new information Pine wasnÆt sure exactly what he wanted
But he did want a chance to find out
Chapter 2458
Oh You are quite sturdy arenÆt you The blindfolded woman tilted her head to the side as she considered the devastating fallout of her strike
Randidly Ghosthound felt like the part of his torso not immediately annihilated had been repeatedly run over by a planet sized chariot reversing and jerking forward across his ribs Calling his current mangled condition abandoned roadkillÆ would elicit judgmental sniffs from half smashed squirrels everywhere
Blood filled RandidlyÆs mouth He trembled willing his abused body not to collapse The sheer force of the womanÆs attack had caught him by surprise One part of him shivered in anticipation there were even taller mountains for him to climb in the future
A more practical part sent pangs of agony through his body reminding him to remain focused His images had been pressed out of existence and struggled to reform Even as his cells began to regenerate his own significance trembled and sloshed in his body multiple inefficiencies created when she had torn through the patterns maintaining the connection between physique and images