Reisinling

The song for this chapter is obviously “The sound of silence”

According to Scope, I still had time before I “could” shed. I do not yet know if it will force me to do it immediately, like with the egg state, or if I could delay it further. About two meals worth of time…

Hey, I’m sure I will be doing okay. (“Really? Then show it”) And so, I decided to go out. No reason. Just wanted to hang out with the family you know? Yeah, everything is okay, why are you asking? 

“Hello darkness ball, my old friend, 

I’ve come to send my emotions to you again, 

Because their thoughts make me a creeping”

My body relaxed. My mind was clear. Let’s leave! (“Let’s stay!”)

Meditation collapsed. I mean listen, it happens. Yeah, it hasn’t happened since I got past level 2 before but… whatever, let’s try again. Damn. Again!“Finally” also to the sphere. My mind is clear, skills are active, commencing plan. I came out of my shell.  I raised my head and looked in the direction of the shore. As expected, everyone was there enjoying the sun. I moved towards them, with my normal speed. As usual, I headed towards the central stone “ssstrange brother” (not trying to reach the tallest one after the first day), and calmly looked around my siblings “ssstrange ssshow again?”, wanting to partake in normal skinship. They all seemed fine. Me, being the odd one out, not starting anything “sssunbathing?” got their attention more than the last few demonstrations, “Ssssister sssshedding ssssoon”. Indeed! Wonderful! Nice to see siblings thinking about each other, close, even without ability to communicate effectively!  I just lied there, NORMALLY enjoying the sun. “Sssecond sssister ssshedding ssssoon too”. 

I looked around again. Due to all the glare from the lake, and not being used to the sun, I didn’t notice, but one more snake had eyes that were getting milkier.

ICalmlyTurnedAroundAndRanTowardsMyEgg

My perspective changed suddenly. I unwillingly moved my head up in concert with my mother, control over my body slipping.

IRANASFARASICOULD - i barel-rolled, at the same time as my brother rotated to enjoy the sun on his belly EGGEGGEGGEGG

SAFE

Faster than ever before, due to increased stats as well as my panic, I dived as much of my body as I could into the egg. Too fast to brake properly. 

*CRUNCH*

A huge crack appeared on the floor of my egg. Fortunately it was the floor, it will be fine, no thoughts come from underground!

***

I couldn’t sleep. The crack was spreading. Yes, at the beginning it covered only the lower part, but the weight of the now dry egg (“don’t forget about our fat stupid head!”) and the prior damage slowly did their work. 

I walked outside. I slithered under the half-moon (“It’s slightly colder today”) to my usual sightseeing spot. The weird catfish things, like every night, backed in the night, seemingly gathering the reflected sunlight (“maybe this world's moon has its own light?”). But then, my newly advanced manasight saw something I didn’t pay attention to before. On the edges of the shoal, a different creature was sneaking about. Its soul brighter, and yet mana less visible (“mana hiding skills?”), with the exception of it’s sharp teeth and jaw.  The lizard thing, seemingly unnoticed by anyone, came closer to the smaller fish, straggling away from the center, most likely too low on the totempole to get any of the better spots. 

• Ssssss! 
• (“RUN!”)

It was too dark and too far away to see any blood. There was chaos, fish forming a defensive formation, searching for the intruder… but by now, he was already away. It was small and fast (“small enough to pass through the roots isn’t it?”) After a while the fish calmed down, and, instinctively knowing that this predator satiated is no longer a threat, continued their moon dance.

***

“I think this fissure will reach the entrance first. Look, look at it go!”

“No no no, my dear friend, I think this is the better candidate. It might look small now, but look, if it connects here and here with the smaller ones, it can get there in a whiff!”

The sun seeped through the many fractures of my home, the horrid state easy to see. There weren’t any holes yet, but it was just a matter of time. 

“Oh it seems we are leaving!”

The walls no longer offered enough protection for when someone was just next to my egg, so I often found myself hijacked by the passerby. I started the meditation process, for a moment just giving up on controlling my body. 

“A family gathering! It seems they came to invite us!”

Thoughts to the ball, relax the muscles, thoughts to the ball. “Sssisster sheeedddinggg” 

I stopped and concentrated on my senses. Or our senses, my head splitting with pictures from other perspectives. Indeed, all of us were gathered around one snakeling, its skin unusually white, dry and cracking (“like our home! How poetic”). It didn’t move. I caught a thought, from my brother, suggesting she looked like that since the dawn. Weirdly I couldn’t sense any thoughts from my sister herself, a kind of mental whirlpool surrounding her. 

“Well well well, look at us, not running away but staying to watch”

As if noticing all of us finally gathering, mother came to us, to her, looking more dignified than usual. I could sense a mix of sadness and happiness. And then, she booped her snout.

I didn’t notice moving forward, and booping the air myself, now just  one length away from the event. What I did notice, was the explosive wave of thought and emotion coming from my sister. 

***

Shedding weird. Mind weird. Waiting? Growing strong! Yes! Soon big! Just wait! 

…

…

ZzzzzZzzz….

*boop*

Huh?! Mother? Hello! Boop! Shedding over?

I sssheeed! Sssiblings see my new form, so big, so strong! Biggest brother, jealous. Now second biggest! I want to climb tree. Higher place, clossser to the ssssun! 

Mother. Mother nice. But I go. Mother sad. Still, I go. 

Goodbye siblingssss. I hope we sseeee again!

Reisinling

Next chapter- tomorrow or the day after, depends how long I hung out with friends.
Is the word “crack” the proper word here? Not really sure and for some reasons my google-fu is not doing its job. Seriously, google search is getting worse with every passing year.

 

Here is the current updated map of the prospective members of the sect (i hope using the word “sect” all the time doesn’t put me on some kind of FBI list). In case you are reading this mr FBI agent - Hi! When are you gonna give me your share of our crunchyroll subscription?! I know you are also like watching this shit man, don’t pretend it’s only for the job :<