Chapter 1281 (2/2)

Rage and loss howled upward like wild monsters in Thorn’s mind. It was so powerful that its mental connection to Randidly rapidly began to dim. There were suddenly too many emotions to spare any attention. At the moment, Thorn was completely consumed by the emotions.

And most clearly of every feeling it had, the urge to destroy rose in Thorn’s chest. It was so sudden and instinctive that all of the many extensions of Thorn that ran along the bottom of the sea abruptly tightened as it prepared to unleash its pent up violence on those unfortunate enough to be in close proximity to it. With a grim expression, Randidly vastly increased his swimming speed by condensing an image of Yggdrasil around and spinning several roots like a propeller.

Through the exploration with Thorn today, Randidly had gotten a better sense of Thorn’s body. His core was very near the base of the continental shelf, while large ropes of thorny algae as thick as the tunnels that people used to blast through mountains spread out in different directions to distant corners of the sea.

These larger bundles reached specific points and broke down into strands as thick as tree-trunks that spread out in a smaller radius. In this way, Thorn became a net that was present in most parts of the sea. Which was why Randidly felt genuine fear as the entirety of Thorn’s massive body strained and tightened.

Thorn could do some serious damage if it went wild.

Randidly reached out mentally once more, but Thorn’s emotions seemed to muffle Randidly’s attempts to calm his Soulseed down. And although Randidly could probably cut quickly through the emotions and reach Thorn, he was hesitant to do so when Thorn was so obviously poised to take action. It was likely that using his image to forcefully connect with Thorn would come across as an attack and cause a violent response. And while Randidly didn’t care overmuch if the oceanic monsters died, he knew that starting such a cycle would not help Thorn.

So he accelerated further, Yggdrasil doing its best to manifest physically under the water.

Yet as seconds ticked past… Thorn didn’t lash out. It sat in the pain. It teetered on the bubbling powder keg of emotions but did not act. And gradually, Thorn forced its massive body to relax. And as the taut strands of algae relaxed…

Hyunnnnnnnnnnggggggg.

A strange thrumming echoed across the bottom of the ocean. Surprised, Randidly’s concentration slipped and his speed slowed somewhat. The noise was somewhere between a violin and whale song and seemed to bounce off the sea’s floor so Randidly heard several strange echoes. His eyes narrowed as he realized the thrum was produced as the strands of Thorn’s massive body relaxed.

As the relaxation of the strand above Randidly ceased, the noises slowly faded. Then, from all across the sea, the noises arrived as they traveled persistently through the water. Because it was not just this strand that had relaxed. The lone note became an echoing symphony.

Hyungggggg. Hyyyyyyyyyungggg. Hyunnggg.

It got to the point that there was a constant low level of vibration to the water around Randidly. The notes bounced off each other and spun together in complex harmonies. But soon the tension rapidly had been drained out of Thorn. The constant buzz around Randidly ceased and the ocean returned to silence.

The silence didn’t last long. This time, Randidly felt Thorn consciously tightened its body.

HYUNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!

Whereas the previous noises had clearly been accidental, Thorn finally understood what it wanted to accomplish. It strained its body to the point of vibrating and unleashed a noise that was full of grief. In a way even more precisely than when Thorn tried to share its emotions, Randidly understood its deep pain. It would never forget Decklan Hyde until the day that it died.

You helped my Soulseed when I was negligent… for that, I can never repay you, Decklan… Randidly sighed as he proceeded back toward Thorn’s heart at a slower pace. The entire sea had come alive with mournful music around him, mirroring his rather sour mood. For your sake… I am here to find out if there is any way to repay what you have done for me.

Randidly eventually arrived back at Thorn, but he didn’t attempt to break Thorn out of the all-consuming exertion of expressing his pain. Randidly waited patiently for the grief to run its course. The ocean became a vast concert hall with a young composer just figuring out how to manipulate its band.

Another hour later, Thorn finally began to still. And at that point, Randidly went over to the large pink and green-black heart and hugged his Soulseed. Then he asked Thorn where Decklan had been staying while he had lived in the area.

The location Thorn directed Randidly to was a small shack on the edges of the port town. It would be easy to confuse such a location with a hastily assembled shanty, but Randidly’s Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil could detect how deceptively solid the foundation of the building was. Without standing on ceremony, he walked inside and found a rather nicely arranged living room and an austere kitchen. A rotten apple sat on the counter.

But Randidly ignored these rooms and ascended to the second floor. There he found the room he was looking for, the room that represented the core of who Decklan Hyde was.

The entire room, which was likely designed to be a bedroom when the building was built, was empty except for three items hanging on the wall and a large feature in the middle of the room. The feature in the middle of the room was a hole that would allow Thorn to burrow up and spend time with Decklan while he was here. Pursing his lips at the hole, Randidly looked to the wall.

The first item on the wall was a small painting. Immediately, Randidly could tell it had been done by Raina during the early days of Donnyton. Very early days, because it appeared to be depicting events during a beast horde. Randidly stood atop the wall, looking outward. Decklan stood with his arms folded in Randidly’s shadow. Donny and Dozer were on the ground swinging their weapons, while Clarissa and Mrs. Hamilton threw Arcane Orbs out into the approaching horde.

They all cut valiant figures, more stylized than real. Yet somehow Raina had captured their essence without needing to rely on many details. It was immediately clear to anyone familiar with the subject of the painting who was depicted.

Hell, we look so young. Randidly rubbed his jaw ruefully. Although he hadn’t aged physically at all in the intervening five years… the Randidly that was drawn by Raina in the painting looked like a teenager. Not because of features, but because of how bright his gaze was. It has been a long time since then…