Chapter 60
A deathly silence enveloped the realm of light.
The earth-shattering battle, the arrival and departure of the mysterious beings, all vanished like illusions, leaving only the shattered, scorched earth as proof of the cruelty of reality. The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning energy, the acrid stench of corrosive swamp liquid, and... a heavy, suffocating silence.
Seed 237 slowly knelt down, carefully placing the sleeping Sprout 12 flat in front of him. Sprout's breathing had stabilized, but it was extremely weak, like a spider's thread, as if it might break at any moment. The life energy injected by Crystal Healing had preserved his essence, but the wound from burning his life source could not be easily healed; he needed time, and even more so, a safe environment.
Safety, in this realm of light, has become a luxury.
237 raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the destroyed light barrier, the cracked scorched earth, and the withered, dead light grass. The brief resurgence brought about by the unexpected activation of the Mother Tree's residual power had long since vanished, and the golden light spots seeping from the ground had completely disappeared, as if it had exhausted its last bit of strength. The earth beneath his feet became silent again, even weaker than before.
The crimson mist over the wasteland seemed to thicken, slowly swirling like the breath of a lurking beast, attempting to seep back into this deprived land. In the distance, the malice that hadn't truly gone away could still be faintly sensed—the forces of the three-way alliance had only temporarily retreated under Jing Yu's absolute power; like patient hyenas, they were surely lurking in the distance, waiting for the next opportunity.
And next time, there will be no more miracles.
All the pressure and all the burdens weighed heavily on Seed237's shoulders.
He slowly clenched his "hand," the branches trembling slightly from exhaustion. Some of his power had returned, but the emptiness and stagnation remained. What alarmed him even more was the shadowy parasite lurking deep within his energy channels. Although it had been severely damaged and completely dormant due to the appearance of Crystal Healing and the eruption of the 237 Origin, he could clearly feel it still lingering.
It neither died nor was it eradicated. It was like a malignant tumor, deeply rooted in his very being, forming a dangerous and fragile balance with his bright side. Jingyu's words echoed once more: "This symbiosis is as precarious as a pile of eggs, and will eventually lead to its complete collapse."
What should he do?
Should we resist and suppress it as desperately as before? But that would only lead to another loss of control, and might even completely destroy the sprout and this remaining light domain.
Accept it? Embrace that dark power? The thought sent a chill down his spine. It meant betraying everything—betraying the Mother Tree, betraying the Sprout, betraying himself.
"...The answer lies not in resistance, but in understanding?"
Jingyu's cold and ethereal voice suggested a path he had never considered.
Understanding? Understanding what? Understanding this darkness that tries to devour him, to tempt him? How is that possible?
Just as he was in a state of utter confusion, Sprout 12 in his arms let out a very faint groan, her brows furrowed in pain, as if she were still enduring great pain in her sleep.
This subtle movement was like a sharp thorn, piercing 237's heart.
It's all because of him. If it weren't for his loss of control, Sprout wouldn't have had to burn itself; if it weren't for his weakness, the Light Domain wouldn't have had to suffer such a calamity.
A surge of intense self-blame and a protective instinct rose up like magma, temporarily overwhelming the confusion and fear in my heart.
He had to do something. He had to hold this place, at least until Sprout woke up.
237 gently moved Sprout 12 to a small patch of interwoven light roots in the core of the light domain, where the energy was relatively more concentrated and intact. He mobilized the little light energy he had recovered and carefully set up a simple protective light barrier around Sprout. This light barrier was very weak, not even able to withstand a decent attack, but it could at least isolate malicious prying from the outside world and the erosion of the wasteland mist, giving Sprout a negligible sense of security.
Having done all this, he stood up and walked towards the edge of the light domain.
With each step he took, he could feel the earth's mournful cries and the weak fluctuations emanating from the shattered barrier. He stopped at the place where the barrier had once been most solid, now only sparse fragments of light and residual energy turbulence remained.
He closed his eyes and tried, as he had done in the past, to communicate with the light source and guide energy to repair the barrier.
However, all that answered him was deathly silence and profound weariness. The power of the Mother Tree seemed to have truly fallen into a deep slumber, or rather, its remaining power had been exhausted in the battle to protect them.
He attempted to channel his pure light power, but as it flowed forth, a barely perceptible shadow of darkness naturally crept in. Even the mere thought of constructing a barrier was met with a chilling whisper from deep within: Why bother with all this? Accept me, and you can easily build a wall of darkness they cannot cross…
237 abruptly cut off the energy, took a step back panting, and a look of fear flashed in his eyes.
Can't he even carry out the most basic repair work with peace of mind?
Just then, he keenly sensed that in the far distance, in the crimson mist, several hidden auras tentatively approached a short distance before quickly retreating.
They were testing. Testing whether Jing Yu had truly left, testing whether the Light Domain still had the power to resist.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through the leaves of 237. Time was running out.
Despair, like cold vines, coiled around his heart.
His gaze involuntarily drifted once more to the dormant darkness within him. Resistance meant certain death. Acceptance meant utter ruin.
……understand?
What exactly do we need to understand?
As he looked at his trembling branches, a crazy and audacious idea suddenly flashed into his mind, like the first spark igniting in endless darkness.
Jingyu said the answer is not resistance.
So what if... I no longer see it as an enemy that must be driven out?
What if... I acknowledge that it is a part of me?
The idea filled him with a strong sense of rejection and disgust. But at the same time, the pained look on Ya Dou's face, the approaching threats from the outside world, and the heavy sense of responsibility were all forcing him to take this only dangerous path.
He slowly closed his eyes, no longer trying to suppress or reject the shadow. Instead, for the first time, cautiously, with extreme vigilance and disgust, he let a sliver of his consciousness sink into it.
There was no attempt at purification, no attempt at communication.
Just...observation.
In an instant, countless fragments of chaotic, violent, greedy, and fearful thoughts pierced his consciousness like ice needles! These were the negative emotions and destructive desires carried by the Shadow Parasite itself.
Despite the excruciating pain and dizziness from the contamination of his consciousness, 237 clung to a sliver of clarity and continued to explore inward.
Through those layers of negative emotions, he vaguely sensed something else.
It wasn't just a greed for power and a desire for destruction... deep within that core, there seemed to be an extremely primal, twisted... survival instinct.
A fundamental desire to exist, to grow stronger, and to be annihilated, regardless of the cost.
This yearning, in essence, bears a strange resemblance to 237's own desire to protect the Light Domain and to survive.
The only difference is the method of achieving it. One chooses to plunder, devour, and destroy all obstacles; the other chooses to protect, connect, and maintain the light.
Shadow parasites may not just be the embodiment of "evil," but also a twisted life form born in extreme environments, willing to do anything to survive...?
This realization sent a shiver down 237's spine.
The moment that thought flashed through his mind, the shadowy will that had been fiercely retaliating seemed to pause for a very subtle moment.
The frenzied roars and seductive whispers seemed to have created an almost imperceptible crack.
Seed 237 suddenly opened its eyes, its heart pounding, as if it had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
I understand... Is that what you mean?
It's not about agreeing with its behavior, but about understanding the essence and root of its existence.
This path is extremely dangerous, like walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss. One wrong step and you will be swallowed up by the endless darkness.
But as he looked at the stirrings in the distance, at the sleeping sprouts behind him, and at this devastated homeland, he saw the signs of life emerging again.
It seems he has no other choice.
Seed237 took a deep breath, a resolute glint of determination flashing in his eyes.
He once again sank his consciousness into the darkness. This time, it was no longer a simple observation.
He tried to send an extremely faint, yet incredibly clear, thought to that twisted, frenzied survival instinct.
It was neither light nor darkness.
That was the simplest... (suggestion).
A proposal about "coexistence".
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