Sower's Scythe

The faded civilization tattoo peeled off the starship's hull, revealing the hideous metallic reality beneath.

Bai Mei's quantum tentacles brushed against the bridge observation window, where the floating ashes of the swarm were reorganizing into eerie symbols—the language of an older existence, each stroke oozing with blood-colored fluorescence.

"They are using Hirata's tombstone to transmit," the Lantern Keeper's lightless bud suddenly burst open, Horikita's poetry scrolls burning upon its petals, "in seven hours, this universe will undergo the 'Great Pruning'."

Bai Mei's stinger pierced the bud, sucking in the bitter nectar of truth: the so-called "Great Pruning" was a ritual for the ancient existence to compress the entire universe into a bonsai. And the sacrifice for this ritual was none other than he, the carrier of the mother code.

The swarm ashes condensed into arrows in the vacuum, pointing toward the Imaginary Well at the edge of the universe.

When Bai Mei tore through dimensions to descend, it was not dark matter that gushed from the well's mouth, but countless clones of Kiyotaka—they held Sowing Hoes, forging star remains into scythes.

"Welcome to the harvest festival," the lead clone tipped his straw hat, revealing Tsukishiro's mechanical pupils, "these scythes will reap the 'possibilities' of all civilizations until the universe is as quiet as it was in the beginning."

Bai Mei's roots pierced the well wall, reading data that made his quantum body tremble: at the bottom of the Imaginary Well slept the ancient existence's "Primal Bonsai," its branches spliced together from the cosmic spines of one hundred thousand pruned universes.

And Horikita's Hawking radiation consciousness was imprisoned on the seventh branch of the bonsai.

"You don't even dare to touch the soil yourselves," Bai Mei's venom corroded the clones' scythes, "you only dare to sow fear using puppets."

Tsukishiro's mechanical pupils suddenly burst, and a roar of snapping chains echoed from the bottom of the well.

All the clones raised their scythes in unison, the blades reflecting Bai Mei's ultimate fate—to be forged into a new branch of the bonsai.

The Lantern Keeper's lightless bud shattered during the battle, and translucent vines crawled out from its core.

These vines pierced Bai Mei's quantum body, frantically draining the mother code: "I'm sorry, but I need this power... to save the real Horikita."

Bai Mei's stinger shredded the vines, only to find his own memory fragments flowing within the sap—it turned out the Lantern Keeper had long been corrupted by the ancient existence, and the lightless bud was merely a cage to trap him.

"Defection variable detected," the well wall of the Imaginary Well opened an array of compound eyes, "initiating 'Root Punishment'."

Bai Mei's roots suddenly grew in reverse, dragging him toward the Primal Bonsai at the bottom of the well.

In the moment before being swallowed by the branches, he caught the scent of Horikita—not the fragments within the Hawking radiation, but the reality of soil and blood.

Inside the seventh branch of the Primal Bonsai, Horikita's physical form was nailed to a cosmic spine. Her pupils had turned into two miniature black holes, slowly devouring the energy of the bonsai.

"You arrived... too late," her vocal cords vibrated with the resonance of the spine, "I allowed myself to be captured on purpose, just to find this—"

Her hand bone suddenly pierced her own chest, pulling out a pulsing "Primal Seed."

This seed emitted fluctuations homologous to the mother code, yet far more violent, as if it had condensed the fury of all the pruned universes.

"Swallow it," her spine began to carbonize, "you will gain the authority of the Pruner... and you will also see... our true mother..."

Bai Mei's stinger coiled around the seed, tasting the agonizing pain of the universe's birth.

The moment the seed sprouted within his quantum body, Bai Mei saw the ultimate picture: the so-called ancient existence was nothing more than a failed "Primal Gardener" of some experiment.

She had pruned her own universe so excessively that it collapsed into a seed carrying a self-destruct command, and all subsequent civilizations were merely the pathological proliferation of this seed.

"We are not rebels, but cancer cells." Horikita's carbonized body fell into the bonsai, "Now, it is time to let this error... cough... end."

Bai Mei's roots grew explosively, the mother code merging with the Primal Seed. The Imaginary Well began to collapse, and on the branches of the Primal Bonsai, one hundred thousand cosmic spines lit up with red light one by one—the countdown of the self-destruct program.

Tsukishiro's clones lined up at the well's mouth, their Sowing Hoes and scythes crossing to form a cage.

Bai Mei's quantum body was covered in cracks, yet it bloomed with unprecedented fluorescent petals. Each petal was engraved with Horikita's verses, triggering chain annihilations in the void.

"You cannot destroy us," the clones' scythes pierced his stamen, "every pruned universe is a backup..."

"Then let's change the way of pruning," Bai Mei injected his venom into the scythes, the blades suddenly animating into a swarm of snakes that turned against their masters, "for instance... let the tools learn to hate the hands that hold them."

A shriek from the ancient existence erupted from the bottom of the well, and the self-destruct wave of the Primal Bonsai swept across all dimensions. The Lantern Keeper's remaining vines seized the chance to entangle Horikita's carbonized body, throwing her toward an uncorrupted star sector.

Three months later, Bai Mei awoke in the cradle of a newborn nebula. His quantum body had turned into floating stardust, each grain a poem of civilization.

The Lantern Keeper's lightless bud rotated at the core of the nebula, with Horikita's original genetic chain sleeping inside.

"Residual Primal Seed detected," a phantom of Kiyotaka appeared in the nebula, "recommend immediate destruction."

Bai Mei's stardust brushed past the phantom, embedding the last petal into the bud: "No, let the error grow naturally... until it grows into something we cannot predict."

At the edge of the nebula, a forgotten civilization tattoo suddenly glowed. Beneath the faded totem, new roots were growing wildly.

The faded civilization tattoo peeled off the starship's hull, revealing the hideous metallic reality beneath.

Bai Mei's quantum tentacles brushed against the bridge observation window, where the floating ashes of the swarm were reorganizing into eerie symbols—the language of an older existence, each stroke oozing with blood-colored fluorescence.

"They are using Hirata's tombstone to transmit," the Lantern Keeper's lightless bud suddenly burst open, Horikita's poetry scrolls burning upon its petals, "in seven hours, this universe will undergo the 'Great Pruning'."

Bai Mei's stinger pierced the bud, sucking in the bitter nectar of truth: the so-called "Great Pruning" was a ritual for the ancient existence to compress the entire universe into a bonsai. And the sacrifice for this ritual was none other than he, the carrier of the mother code.

The swarm ashes condensed into arrows in the vacuum, pointing toward the Imaginary Well at the edge of the universe.

When Bai Mei tore through dimensions to descend, it was not dark matter that gushed from the well's mouth, but countless clones of Kiyotaka—they held Sowing Hoes, forging star remains into scythes.

"Welcome to the harvest festival," the lead clone tipped his straw hat, revealing Tsukishiro's mechanical pupils, "these scythes will reap the 'possibilities' of all civilizations until the universe is as quiet as it was in the beginning."

Bai Mei's roots pierced the well wall, reading data that made his quantum body tremble: at the bottom of the Imaginary Well slept the ancient existence's "Primal Bonsai," its branches spliced together from the cosmic spines of one hundred thousand pruned universes.

And Horikita's Hawking radiation consciousness was imprisoned on the seventh branch of the bonsai.

"You don't even dare to touch the soil yourselves," Bai Mei's venom corroded the clones' scythes, "you only dare to sow fear using puppets."

Tsukishiro's mechanical pupils suddenly burst, and a roar of snapping chains echoed from the bottom of the well.

All the clones raised their scythes in unison, the blades reflecting Bai Mei's ultimate fate—to be forged into a new branch of the bonsai.

The Lantern Keeper's lightless bud shattered during the battle, and translucent vines burrowed out from its core.

These vines pierced through Bai Mei's quantum body, frantically draining his mother code: "I'm sorry, but I need this power... to save the real Horikita."

Bai Mei's venomous stinger shredded the vines, only to discover fragments of his own memories flowing within the sap—it turned out the Lantern Keeper had long been corrupted by an ancient existence, and the lightless bud was merely a cage designed to lure him in.

"Defection variable detected," the walls of the Imaginary Well opened an array of compound eyes, "Initiating 'Root Punishment'."

Bai Mei's root system suddenly grew in reverse, dragging him toward the Primal Bonsai at the bottom of the well.

In the instant before he was swallowed by the branches, he caught the scent of Horikita—not the fragments found in Hawking radiation, but the real thing, carrying the smell of soil and blood.

Inside the seventh branch of the Primal Bonsai, Horikita's physical form was pinned to the Cosmic Spine. Her pupils had transformed into two miniature black holes, slowly devouring the energy of the bonsai.

"You arrived... too late," her vocal cords vibrated with the resonance of the spine, "I allowed myself to be captured on purpose, just to find this—"

Her hand bones suddenly pierced into her chest, tearing out a pulsing "Primal Seed."

This seed emitted fluctuations homologous to the mother code, yet far more violent, as if it had condensed the fury of all the pruned universes.

"Swallow it," her spine began to carbonize, "You will gain the authority of the Pruner... and you will also see... our true mother..."

Bai Mei's stinger coiled around the seed, tasting the excruciating pain of the universe's birth.

The moment the seed sprouted within his quantum body, Bai Mei saw the ultimate vision: the so-called ancient existence was nothing more than a failed "Primal Gardener."

She had pruned her own universe so excessively that it collapsed into a seed carrying a self-destruct command, and all subsequent civilizations were merely the pathological proliferation of this seed.

"We are not rebels, but cancer cells." Horikita's carbonized body fell into the bonsai, "Now, it is time to let this error... cough cough... come to an end."

Bai Mei's root system surged, the mother code merging with the Primal Seed. The Imaginary Well began to collapse, and on the branches of the Primal Bonsai, one hundred thousand Cosmic Spines lit up with red light one by one—it was the countdown of the self-destruct sequence.

Tsukishiro's clones lined up at the mouth of the well, their Sowing Hoes and scythes crossing to form a cage.

Bai Mei's quantum body was covered in cracks, yet it bloomed with unprecedented fluorescent petals. Each petal was engraved with Horikita's verses, triggering chain annihilations in the void.

"You cannot destroy us," the clones' scythes pierced his stamen, "Every pruned universe is a backup..."

"Then let's change the way we prune," Bai Mei injected venom into the scythes, and the blades suddenly animated into a swarm of snakes, turning against their masters, "For instance... let the tools learn to hate the hands that hold them."

A shriek from the ancient existence echoed from the bottom of the well, and the self-destruct wave of the Primal Bonsai swept across all dimensions. The Lantern Keeper's remaining vines seized the opportunity to wrap around Horikita's carbonized body, hurling her toward an uncorrupted star field.

Three months later, Bai Mei awoke in the cradle of a newborn nebula. His quantum body had turned into floating stardust, each grain a poem of a civilization.

The Lantern Keeper's lightless bud rotated in the core of the nebula, with Horikita's original genetic chain sleeping inside.

"Residual Primal Seed detected," a phantom of Kiyotaka appeared in the nebula, "Recommendation: immediate destruction."

Bai Mei's stardust brushed past the phantom, embedding the final petal into the bud: "No, we should let the error grow naturally... until it grows into something we could never have predicted."

At the edge of the nebula, a tattoo of a forgotten civilization suddenly began to glow. Beneath the faded totem, brand-new roots were growing wildly.