Epilogue

Beyond the event horizon, all Haledon could see was blinding darkness. All he could feel was crushing pain.

"Ahg!" The Guild released a collective cry of agony.

Haledon could feel Gazeas' grip grow tighter and tighter before suddenly releasing. There was a collective sigh of relief as the darkness eased, revealing the Guild evenly separated around the invisible platform of the Nucleus.

The seed rocked against a gravitational eddy, lurching down and up again.

"There's our stream," Witch-Hazel announced as Birchbark's voice echoed in delay. "Follow that towards the singularity."

Concentrating, Haledon could see the silver wisps of foam that floated and swirled among the gravitational waves. Occasional pools of gravity spun in micro-vortices that the Astralaceae rolled to evade.

Haledon could feel the combative tug of gravity fighting the Astralaceae for control with every twist and turn they took to avoid threats. It pulled at his arms and legs, contorting his body as he fought against the force until it finally became nearly impossible to ignore.

The Guild screamed again in agonizing torment as they tried to will the seed forward.

"Almost—through—the torus," Mek-Tek grumbled.

"Almost—through—the torus." Birchbark's voice echoed out of synchronization.

A pinpoint of light appeared and grew exponentially fast as the seed approached. The glow became a sphere, a glowing ring of unbridled energy. Haledon could taste the gravity and hear its density as they raced forward. And with every moment they drew closer, he could feel the hull of the Astralaceae growing stronger as the pressure hardened the bark carapace.

"Through...the ring." Mek-Tek groaned.

"Through—the—ring?" Haledon asked as the voice of Birchback began to echo Mek-Tek.

"Yes!" Mek-Tek replied through the noise of echoing voices.

The Guild only had a moment to think about navigating the seed into a catching streamline. And as they hit it, like a leaf caught in a flash flood, the Astralaceae was quickly ripped forward, no longer in control.

—

"Haledon..." A soft voice cut through the darkness. "Haledon, it is time to get up."

Opening his eyes, Haledon blinked against the red bioluminescence of the cave that he and his Guild had called home for the last nine months.

After being swept through the torus' center, the Astralaceae lost navigational control and was eventually ejected into the unknown. Desperate for a home, the only opportunity for seeding had been a barren rogue planet expelled from its previous solar system into the void of space. When the Astralaceae landed, the seed drove through several layers of ice, burrowing itself against what had once been a massive rocky cliff, where it began the process of terraforming.

An ice ball was tossed onto Haledon's bare body, shocking him back to consciousness and causing him to sit up with a start.

"Brr," He exclaimed, shooting an equally icy look toward his waker. There, he saw the frosty grin of Witch-Hazel.

"Rise and shine, snowberry," Witch-Hazel said with a laugh. Walking to their stone bunk, they withdrew a crossbow from its wall mount. "It's time to prowl the habitat."

"Okay," Haledon grumbled as he stood. Tapping the bark on his chest, the wood quickly grew and covered his limbs with a thick, insulating bramble. "Why the cold awakening?"

"Don't you know what day it is?"

"Day two-hundred and seventy-six since seeding?" Haledon asked as he stretched out his limbs, even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah, I guess that." Witch-Hazel agreed as they hoisted the crossbow over a shoulder. "And we've been a Guild for a year now! Hurray, us."

"Oh yeah, that is today, huh?" Haledon joked as he reached behind his leaf-covered pillow and withdrew a corked gourd. "This is for you."

"Oh, ho, ho. What is this? Sloshy—liquidy..." Witch-Hazel removed the cork and spilled a thick sap over their face. "Astra ale! How did you get this?"

"I've been saving it in the Astra since the morning after we were Guilded," Haledon replied as he checked over his SOIL. "It's possibly the last Astra Ale in the Galaxy."

Standing up straight, Haledon looked at Witch-Hazel as they tucked the gourd into their bramble form. With an acknowledging nod to Witch-Hazel, Haledon walked towards the fungal colony that filled the stone threshold beyond their bunks. As he approached, the mycelial web unlaced its spindly grip, revealing the cut-stone hall beyond.

"Oh man, that ale is so delicious," Witch-Hazel smiled as they followed Haledon through. "Much better than that mushroom swill the Sequoias made—that'll cause a root to wilt."

"Hey!" The cheerful voice of Spark echoed from down the hall as the two emerged.

Stopping, Haledon looked over to see both Spark and Mek-Tek approaching. From a distance, he could see Spark's SOIL had become covered in thick ice and sap. As she drew closer, Haledon was able to tell even under the glow of the red light that the goo covering her SOIL was, in fact, a thick black sludge.

"Spark?" Haledon asked, motioning to the viscous goo.

"I dealt with that Mecharrion that kept poking around the Zone-Four Moonrise Sector." She said and held up her new Mecharrion-inspired daggers.

Haledon watched as she threw her daggers down the stone passage, and he observed as the thin root that tethered the blade to her SOIL snapped taut before ripping the object back.

"And thank you for that," Spark said to Haledon with a big smile as she lifted the daggers and fiddled with the cord. "I can just throw these forswyn blades, and they keep returning for more."

"Druids on the Astra used something similar for items when spacewalking. They didn't want to lose their footing, and I don't want you to lose your weapons."

"Best!" She squealed with delight. Spark approached with a quick, awkward dance before hugging him.

"And thanks for my uh—treat," Mek-Tek said, reaching into his backpack and withdrawing a conical, grey mushroom with fuchsia-tinted gills.

"I've been cultivating them externally since we seeded," Haledon explained. "I thought maybe these mushrooms could be used to expand your fungal experimentation."

"So, I wasn't supposed to eat them?" Mek-Tek asked, his eyes widening.

"No...preferably not," Haledon replied with a straight face before breaking into a smile. "But you can. How did it taste?"

"A bit...psychedelic?"

Haledon laughed as he reached out and rubbed at Mek-Tek's head.

"Well, we're off for a prowl." He said as he backed up to Witch-Hazel and gave the two of them a wave. "See you on the other side of it."

"Good hunting," Spark remarked and walked away with Mek-Tek.

Witch-Hazel and Haledon continued down the corridor with a quickened pace. As they moved, Haledon ran his fingers along the wall, feeling the subtle grooves left by the Astralaceae roots used to carve the passage. The occasional chirp of laughter would find them in the hall as they passed the various crossroads dedicated to Druid dens and recreation.

Eventually reaching the edge of the stone, the two Druids stepped through a bramble thicket and emerged within the Astralaceae. There, Haledon almost ran into Gazeas, who was about to exit.

"Haledon!" She exclaimed in shock.

"Gaz." He replied. Haledon looked to Witch-Hazel and then back to Gazeas. "H-Hey"

"Hey." She said with a wide smile.

"Sooo—I'm going to start my prowl." Witch-Hazel slapped a hand to Haledon's shoulder, giving him a wink. "You—uhh—take your time. I'll see you out there."

As Witch-Hazel walked away, Gazeas turned around and pulled something from the back of her SOIL.

"I grew this for you," She smiled and handed over a handful of blueberries. "Only eat one; they're packed with nutrients that'll fill you up."

"This is amazing," Haledon smiled as he opened his hand and accepted the gift. "I always get so hungry on the prowls."

"I know," She laughed and tapped her head. "As long as you're in the dome, I always know."

"That reminds me," Haledon extended his hand. A crown of bay laurel and willow formed with a flick of his fingers. "I modified this for you."

"So pretty," She exclaimed as she lifted the wreath to her head. "Thank you, Haledon."

"It's not just pretty," He replied, and with a wave of his hand, the willow extended and shielded Gazeas' face. "When I'm on the prowl, it allows you to see through my eyes. No more harvesting the wrong things."

"So strange!" She remarked as she blindly reached out and, in an attempt to touch Haledon's cheek, accidentally slapped him.

"Oh no!" Gazeas cried out as she pulled the veil to the side. "I didn't mean to hit you. This is so amazing. Thank you!"

"It's okay," Haledon said through his laughs as he patted his watering eye. "I'm sure it'll be put to good use."

"It certainly will." She huffed and waved her hand over the crown, sending the willow returning to its place among the laurel. "I need more liquid metal from the lake for my experiment."

"Okay. How is the bramble mass regrowth going?" Haledon asked, familiar with the project Gazeas had been working on.

"A few clones have managed to maintain integrity. But the biomechanical synergy quickly destabilizes."

"I'm sure you and Lavendar will get it eventually. And how are the rest of the Druids?"

"Thirty-two thousand, six hundred and seventy-one Druids are resting comfortably in a successive stasis within the Astralaceae's Nucleus. We're ready for reseeding when we have the bodies, so we need that liquid metal."

"I'll get it," Haledon replied with a smile. Both he and Gazeas examined each other awkwardly as though to say something more, with neither finding the words.

"I should—" Haledon started at the same time as Gazeas and stopped. "Oh, you go."

"No, I should—you, umm, need to get to it, huh?"

"Yeah," Haledon replied awkwardly, motioning towards the ship's exterior.

"Okay, don't let me keep you."

"Okay," He replied and stepped forward, hugging Gazeas. Leaning into the hug, she inhaled and exhaled slowly into his arms. As she did, he felt his own awkward tension relax. "I'll see you after the prowl?"

"I look forward to it." She smiled shyly before quickly exiting the Astralaceae back into the stone caves.

Haledon waited momentarily, staring at the bramble wall through which she had disappeared. He thought about Gazeas for a while before the other Druids of the Astralaceae entered his mind, and he remembered his oath. Turning to continue, he came face-to-face with Birchbark.

"Hello, Birchbark," Haledon said with a smile.

"Hello, Haledon." She replied and opened her palm, revealing a peanut-shaped seed of woven roots. "Your quaternary SOIL amendments."

"Thank you."

Plucking the seed from Birchbark's hand, Haledon locked it at the base of his skull. He felt the coolness of the modifications entering his nervous system and better adapting his SOIL to the new planet. Gently rolling his neck, he released a relieved sigh and looked to Birchbark.

"How's the weather topside?" Haledon asked as he motioned for Birchbark to walk with him.

"A comfortable Fifty Kays above Astral Zero." She replied and looked to Haledon. "And thank you for your aid in my root expansion. That last little bit allowed the sprout to break the surface."

"That is ideal," Haledon replied, stopping at the bramble separating him from the outside world. "What did you find?"

"It is as we expected," Birchbark replied as vines crawled over her face to express sadness, a trait she picked up from Witch-Hazel.

"That's okay," Haledon reassured, placing a hand on Birchbark's shoulder. "If they haven't shown up yet in force, we must still be okay. I'm off for a prowl. Join the rest of the Asteraceae tonight for a meal?"

"I will be there." Birchbark nodded and waved a hand towards the bramble, converting it to grass.

Haledon stepped through into the darkness and bitter chill before his helmet finished covering his head with thick, bulbous burls. The visor adjusted to the low-light environment as mantis shrimp eyes grew over the traditional window and began to pick up the faint glimmer of infrared radiation. The pitch-black canyon was suddenly awash with multispectral colours, revealing a dense forest of mushroom-trunked trees. Looking up, Haledon examined the puffy white dandelion-like leaves of the canopy. He watched momentarily as the trees swelled with an inhale and contracted as they released a breath that rustled the fluffy foliage.

As Haledon began his march across the stone and ice forest floor, he moved farther into the cavern that had become their world. Strolling casually, he observed pale ferns that radiated heat to the more delicate plants around them. Occasionally, he would stop and admire the alien foliage he had helped grow. But even with his regular observational stops, he eventually reached the spot he liked to begin each of his prowls.

Ducking between the last of the thick trunks of trees, he found himself in a clearing. Tall reeds made of chrome swayed in the deep breaths of the trees as liquid metal waves lapped against a shore. He tried to stare across the lake to the other side, but all he could see was the faint glow from the forest beyond.

A branch behind Haledon snapped, drawing his attention. He turned quickly to watch as, emerging from the trees, Sparrow walked with a staff in her hands.

"I thought I would find you here." She said as she approached.

"Always observing," Haledon replied instinctually, looking back to the lake.

"It's almost like you stopped listening after the first lesson," Sparrow smirked.

"Observe and interact. Catch and store energy. Obtain a yield." Haledon recited as his Primeval raised a hand to quiet him.

"It was a joke, Haledon. Of course, you listened, and you and your Guild got us here."

"Not all of us," Haledon replied as he stared out over the lake and thought of the countless Astralaceaes Druids that had died.

"The Druids of the Astras and Colides are preserved within the Nucleus. Ultimately, they live through Succession, and all that was lost will be once more."

A faint pink light began to creep over the horizon, drawing Haledon's attention. Looking up, he examined the interior of the massive domed cavern that stretched three Astralaceae pods in every direction. He eyed the layers of the condensed, frozen atmosphere that created noticeable bands of ice and elements along the walls. Finally, atop the cavern, a shield of ice and root distorted the image of the dark sky beyond. There, rising from one side of their icy world, a familiar pink moon rose into view.

"Did Birchbark inform you?" Haledon asked. He felt the coolness of Birchbark enter the back of his mind as she worked with the SOIL updates. As she did, he closed his eyes and recalled his dreams with a smile.

"Yes," Sparrow remarked, looking up towards the moon. "As we thought, the bell of the Mecharrion Comet fell through the passage with us. But they must not sense our habitat, or they would have destroyed this dome by now."

"Agreed," Haledon said softly, opening his eyes and staring back at the lake. The coolness stayed in the back of his mind a moment longer as he remembered his dream of this moment.

"Oh, yes, and this is for you." Sparrow extended the staff towards Haledon.

"Witch-Hazel's staff?"

"No—yours. I made this staff to help you better channel Nature's flow in this niche environment. It has some unique modifications."

Haledon examined the staff's shaft, admiring the peeling strips of bark that reminded him of silver birch. Between the cracks, dark obsidian absorbed light, making it hard to see but obviously revealing itself as something unnatural.

"Is that?"

"Part of the Mecharrion we stopped," Sparrow remarked. "After the crash, we couldn't find many of the pieces. But what we could recover, I modified with the same genetics as the enhanced brambles."

Haledon smiled, examining the staff once more before looking to Sparrow.

"Thank you. It's perfect, Sparrow." He said and looked over the lake once more.

Haledon felt the coolness of Birchbark leave his body, and a calm entered his mind. He felt at peace at that moment, taking a deep breath and releasing it with a pleasant sigh. The Astralaceae was at its final resting place, with it, the rest of the Druids. But, even as the remnants of the Mecharrion Comet rose on the horizon, Haledon couldn't help but feel that he was precisely where he needed to be.