The Symbiosis Ritual

Theus suddenly heard a faint voice by his ear ask, "Is that true?"

The voice was thin and weak.

"Of course it's true. You..." Theus answered reflexively, then looked toward the source of the voice. He froze.

Right before him was that hideous, disgusting monster.

It was that thing?

It had spoken to him!?

Theus stiffened all over and instinctively reached for the gun at his belt, but stopped just before grabbing it.

His gun could only fire once, and things hadn't reached the point where he needed to shoot.

It was daytime, and his people and soldiers crowded around him. The monster before him was as weak as a lump of rotting meat; it hardly looked like a threat. There was no need to overreact.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Take a deep breath.

Trying to steady himself, Theus turned to look at the people around him. To his surprise, they seemed completely unaffected. Had they not heard it?

No, that couldn't be right. With so many people there, was he the only one who'd heard it? That made no sense.

Then the voice spoke again.

"Were what you just said about water, water pressure, and going to the Deep Sea... true?"

Theus looked at the "strange fish" sprawled on the ground. He was certain now: it was the one speaking to him, and only he could hear it. The others hadn't noticed a thing.

Transcendence! This was definitely some kind of Transcendence! Transcendence outside the Church!

Theus felt his throat go dry. He had a loaded pistol in his arms, and all he had to do was call out for the soldiers to lay down their lives for him. The monster before him was barely clinging to life.

This might be a rare chance to encounter Transcendence.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the lump of flesh, Theus tried answering in his mind. "Are you speaking to me?"

"Yes." The voice replied at once, betraying a hint of urgency. "So is it true?"

Theus paused, considering his words before replying in his mind. "I don't know the specifics of your situation, but I reached those conclusions based on what I know. I can only promise that I'm not lying to you."

This time, the strange fish on the ground fell silent for a long while. When it spoke again, Theus thought its voice sounded unsteady. "I see. I see... So this is the truth..."

What was it talking about? Why did it sound so bitter?

Before Theus could figure out how to get more information out of it, the strange fish spoke again.

"I have a... request."

"I want to take this knowledge back to my people, so they... won't have to suffer this curse... the torment of water pressure."

"But... as you can see, I don't have much time left."

"So... would you enter into a... Symbiotic Pact with me...?"

The strange fish's voice grew halting, and its weakness and decline were plain to see.

Theus frowned.

The monster's story sounded far too much like a scam.

It was supposedly a creature of the Deep Sea, yet it didn't know what had happened to it.

Though it could communicate, it had waited until now to speak to him.

And that so-called Symbiotic Pact sounded more like parasitism. It would gain life force, but what would Theus lose?

On closer inspection, the timing was suspicious too. It hadn't died earlier or later; it had only said a few words before acting like it was about to die. That was a classic scammer's trick: create a sense of urgency so you had no time to think and made an irrational decision.

The choice was obvious.

"Fine. How do we perform the ritual?"

"Touch... me... and then..."

Without the slightest hesitation, Theus reached out.

It didn't matter if it really was a scam. This was genuine Transcendence. "Lord Theus" was only a vessel, after all. He'd already burned through several vessels without even getting close to Transcendence. He'd take his chances even if this was a scam; he'd jump into a fire pit for the opportunity.

Besides, no matter what kind of pact it was, the worst that could happen was that he'd die on the spot and switch to another vessel. Theus could easily accept that consequence.

As for whether the pact might have some deeper effect, one that would prevent him from escaping even through death...

Theus chuckled to himself. He didn't believe the pact could possibly be powerful enough to drag his soul down from the Golden Throne.

He had no idea what the Golden Throne really was, but it was clearly something beyond death. Its standing had to be extraordinary.

So he didn't hesitate for a moment. Whatever the pact entailed, he could accept it. At worst, he'd return to the Golden Throne with a single thought.

Even so, he instinctively reached his left hand to the belt beneath his coat. There was a hidden pocket there, where he kept his pistol. He carefully cocked the hammer, making sure he could fire with a twitch of his finger.

Unlike what he'd imagined, the strange fish's flesh wasn't sticky or disgusting. It was cool and smooth, with a very peculiar feel.

The monster's voice rang in his mind at the same time. "Thank you for your... trust. I'll explain... What!? How is this possible!!!"

The monster's voice suddenly rose, filled with shock.

Theus froze. What had happened?

The cold, slippery sensation in his hand abruptly turned scorching hot. In that moment, his senses and the monster's seemed to merge. He could directly feel the emotions in its mind.

Theus's face quickly turned pale, while the wounds on the monster's body healed and its cracked skin regained its luster.

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

Ah, of course. The ritual was draining my life force to heal it. So I'm going to die?

Beneath his clothes, Theus gripped his gun. It was only separated from his hand by a layer of clothing. If he pulled the trigger, the bullet would pass straight through the monster's frail body. At this distance, he couldn't miss.

Should he shoot?

Perhaps it was an effect of the ritual, but he could faintly sense the monster's thoughts. The emotions coming from its swollen, rotting flesh didn't seem malicious.

Theus sighed inwardly, lowered the cocked hammer, and then pulled his hand away.

The pistol slipped back into his pocket.

Since he'd taken the gamble, he might as well see it through.

At worst, he'd die.

Theus watched the people around him rush over. His vision began to blur.

Just before he lost consciousness, Theus strained to look at the monster on the ground. If it was going to kill him, he should at least remember what it looked like.

The monster was clearly in much better shape. It was still pale and swollen, but it looked more lively than before.

And on its ugly face was an expression of shock.

Shock? What was it so shocked about? It had been the one to propose the ritual. Had something gone wrong?

Maybe it hadn't meant to kill him? Maybe it was all just an accident?

Am I really this unlucky...? Theus thought with a bitter smile.

His vision went completely black.