Lee felt his feet grow cold. He was almost hundred percent confident he was sohow exploring his own subconsciousness, but if there was the slightest possibility he was mistaken, he couldn’t let the opportunity to slip by.
The short friendship with Potato provided him with a bit of information, but he mostly he learned that he didn’t know squat.
’Would you, please, mind telling about it?’ Trying to seem as polite as possible, Lee thought to himself.
’Sorry, I don’t know much.’ The elderly voice sounded embarrassed, ’Few of the elental masters and elental lords that had been sent here had this seal, but I don’t have more detailed information. It’s too complicated even for .’
But before Lee could sigh, thinking thought so!, the voice continued, ’What I do know it has sothing to do with one of the overlords. It’s kind of his mark that his followers carry.’
’Overlord?’ This was sothing new to Lee.
’Ye, they’re the bastards ... khem ... I an, the gentlen who run the universe.Where did you get that thing?’
’I had an accident.’ Lee confessed.
’Looks like you have a lot of accidents, buddy.’ The voice laughed, but then got serious, ’Want to help you a bit?’
’What do you have in mind?’ Probably the only thing Lee wanted was to get the sparks out of him,
’I can’t do anything about the overlord’s seal, but I see that soone has tried to place one in your consciousness. There’s so kind of residue from a mutated earth spark, but the owner was a clumsy elental master, not even a lord.’ The voice said.
’What’s the difference?’ Lee asked.
Apparently the voice was talking about what the Prophet did to him at Freeda’s place, and it was unsettling to realize it had left long lasting consequences.
’You’re kidding, right?’ The voice laughed, ’Like difference between heaven and earth. The elental masters are those who ignite their own sparks, but they beco lords when they awaken them fusing with their consciousness, like I am!’
The last part was said without hiding arrogance and pride, and it was the last proof Lee needed to believe he was actually talking to a sentient being.
’You’re such a waste of space ...’ The elderly voice imdiately beca disappointed, but then cheered up again. The changes in it’s mood were worse than those of a teenage girl, ’I’ll remove the residue particles from that seal along with all the filth that you has accumulated in your body. Maybe it’ll allow you later to learn how to use the sparks, what you say?’
’And there’s sothing you want in exchange for your generosity? Right?’ Lee though.
’Now that you ntion it, there is a small thing you could do for .’ The voice in his consciousness said, ’Bring my spores back to your world and plant them sowhere.’
’Hahaha! Not bad!’ Lee actually felt happy realizing he was asked to help an invasive species, and shroom species at that, ’There’s a problem. There’s no water. In fact, nothing grows there aside from moss deep underground. The world is cold on the inside.’
’It’s fine.’ The voice said, ’If moss can live, I believe I can think of sothing.’
According to Lee’s understanding, this was the first ti a man struck deal with a mushroom, except his partner was an elental lord, at least what the shroom said. And, judging by the fact that it had ignited the spark of life, Lee wasn’t going to question its ability.
The more he talked, the more he realized that the being that was classified part-plant and part-animal was probably the largest living thing he had ever encountered. Its parts stretched all over the world and there was no telling how old it actually was.
***
Lee had no clue how long he ditated, sitting next to the shining mushroom.
All he knew was that the more ti passed, the clearer his consciousness beca and the more elental particles he found within him. To his surprise he could recognize both, blue and yellow, and they slowly separated from the clouds of dirt that kept polluting him in Ashland.
At so point he witnessed an amazing sight within his consciousness – two brightest moons appeared at the sa ti. One was yellow and one blue, and they stood across each other, surrounded by endless amounts of stars that kept revolving around them.
It was almost as if Lee had discovered a new universe and all he wished for was to dive into it, and swim for eternity.
’Wake up, kid!’ Lee was ruthlessly disturbed by the elderly voice. It sounded like the old man was smacking its lips after a tasty al, ’Ti to go. Your guys are gathering for departure.’
Lee wanted to curse for it interrupting the deepest ditation session of his life, but the voice said, ’You can’t stay, we had a deal. But don’t worry, you’ll do just fine, all you need is to find a good teacher. Soone has to know what to do with you peculiar sparks. The elental lord who opened the rift is no good, he’ll ss you up. He keeps sending his underlings now and then, and all of them have been dumbasses.’
Lee left to get the waterskin bag, and when he returned, he found the ground under the mushroom’s cap was covered in white dust. The shining life spark gave the illusion of the dust glowing, and for a split mont Lee felt as if he was gathering a radioactive substance.
’Do the spores carry your consciousness?’ Lee asked with a thought, and for the first ti caught the mushroom off guard.
’Yes, but you’ll be long dead when it awakens.’ It said.
’You’ll be surprised!’ Lee grinned, but the mushroom misunderstood him.
’If you sohow manage to ignite your own spark, you might actually live for centuries, and if you awaken it, then for many millennia!’ The mushroom said, ’Not sure if it’s long enough.’
Lee didn’t know what the proper protocol was for saying goodbyes in the current situation, but the mushroom didn’t care. It said, ’Go. When the ti cos, we’ll et again. In fact, I look forward to it!’
Even though he ditated next to it for a short ti, Lee felt peculiar closeness to the strange being. He suddenly was overwheld by emotions almost as if he was leaving his close relative behind.
’Fuck the spark of life!’ Lee said to himself, ’I’ll get in the Lunax’s vault on my own. Let’s see whether the bastard has sothing useful inside!’
’That’s my boy!’ The mushroom spoke in his consciousness again, ’Go, show them all!’
It seed surreal for Lee to continue to converse with it while he rushed back to the rift, but it was kind of fun. Unfortunately, the damn mushroom refused to talk about his own abilities and whether he could talk to Lee this way because of the spark. Nevertheless, it was a fun ti.
Lee arrived at the rift at the very last mont, and crossed over along with the caretakers. From what he could tell, the general mood was sour, but that only amused him.
He was already working on a plan, though.
When on the other side he threw a glance at the so called God, he barely recognized him. Lunax’s expression was dark, and he was shaking, and the mont the last person stepped through, he imdiately closed the rift and vanished. Lee was certain he saw Lunax falling to his knees before he disappeared, but maybe that was only a wishful thinking.
The first thing Lee did after returning, was to visit the closest mines and plant half of the spores he had in the waterskin under the moss at different spots. He saved the other half, deciding to not overpopulate Ashland in one go. Inevitably he would go to other worlds and could spread the mushroom’s descendants there.
During the next ten days no one saw or heard from their God, but Lee already began to diligently work on his new project. There were many promises he had heard from Lunax, and it was ti to see whether he was capable of backing them up.
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