While the battle of feelings versus logic raged in the real world, a much stranger, much quieter war was being fought inside Ryan's head.
His mind had been transformed. It was no longer just a collection of thoughts and memories. It was now a landscape, a physical place where two powerful ideas were fighting for control.
On one side was the Gardener. Its influence had turned a huge part of his mind into a place he called the "Garden of Logic." It was a beautiful, but deeply unsettling, place. Everything was perfect. The ground was paved with smooth, white tiles laid out in a flawless grid. The trees were perfectly spaced, their leaves all identical, their branches all growing at the exact same, mathematically pleasing angle. The rivers flowed in perfectly straight lines, their water crystal clear and completely silent. It was a garden with no weeds, no bugs, no mess, and no life. It was a vision of perfection, and it was the most boring, soulless place he had ever seen.
