The moment his fingers closed around the seed, it dissolved.
It simply lost its form, turning into a stream of warm light that flowed into his hand and moved through him without resistance. He felt it pass through his arm. It traveled inward, drawn toward the center of his soul by a force he did not control.
The tree, the burning fruits, and the cracked land began to fade around him as the seed sank deeper into his being.
Darkness returned.
But this time, it was not empty.
He became aware of himself again. Before him, the golden soul circuit he had formed earlier appeared once more. Ten nodes glowed along its pathways, each one steady and complete, connected by faint golden lines that pulsed with life. The circuit was no longer dormant. It had become active.
The seed moved toward it.
It did not attach itself randomly. It reached the center of the circuit, where all the pathways came closest without touching. Then it stopped.
The nodes responded.
