Chapter 113:Spores.
Chapter 113: 113:Spores.
Silver’s pupils contracted as he tried to make sense of everything. The world around him had transformed.
A moment ago, Detroin had looked like nothing more than another abandoned frontier town reclaimed by nature. Now, through the perception granted by SpatialSense, it resembled something entirely different.
The air itself was alive.
Tiny motes drifted lazily on the breeze, each one glowing faintly within his expanded perception. They weren’t random. They moved in invisible currents that wound through the streets, curled around buildings, slipped beneath broken doors and open windows, then slowly settled onto flowers growing in the cracks of the town.
If that wasn’t scary enough, the flowers answered. Each blossom shimmered for a fraction of a second before releasing another cloud of microscopic particles.
Silver’s heartbeat quickened. Right in front of him, he was watching an endless cycle.
His head throbbed as Spatial Sense continued feeding information directly into his mind. He forced himself to keep looking.
The glowing particles were connected to every flower, every patch of creeping vines, and every moss-covered wall. Thin threads of life pulsed beneath them, almost invisible unless he focused.
The farther his perception spread, the more impossible the picture became.
"...Silver, what’s wrong?"
Ravenna’s voice seemed distant. He barely heard her. His breathing became shallow. There were just too many, enough to fill every breath a person took.
His eyes snapped open.
"Gas mask."
Ravenna didn’t hesitate. She had learned long ago that when Silver spoke in that tone, explanations could wait. She immediately reached into her pack.
Silver did the same, pulling out the military-grade masks he had purchased before leaving the sanctuary. Within seconds both had sealed the masks over their faces.
Only then did Ravenna ask, "What did you see?"
Silver looked around the quiet street.
"Not what," He swallowed. "...How."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The flowers."
He pointed toward the delicate white blossoms growing between the cracked pavement.
"They’re spreading something."
"Pollen?"
"I think so?"
"You think?"
He shook his head.
"No, I know so."
Even saying the words aloud made him uneasy. He wasn’t a botanist and couldn’t identify the species but Spatial Sense had never lied to him.
It didn’t tell him what something was but allowed him to perceive what already existed and right now what existed... shouldn’t.
Behind them, Brian called out.
"Silver!"
The large contractor jogged over with Jonah and Claire close behind.
"You two expecting a sandstorm?"
Claire joked, pointing at the gas masks.
Silver’s expression didn’t change.
"Put them on."
Claire blinked.
"...Seriously?"
"Now."
The smile disappeared from her face. Brian studied Silver carefully.
"What happened?"
Silver looked around before lowering his voice.
"I don’t have proof but something’s wrong with the air."
Jonah frowned.
"You smelled poison?"
"No, I... sensed it."
He couldn’t exactly explain Spatial Sense, not without revealing far more than he intended. So he settled for the closest truth.
"My perception picked up microscopic particles. They’re everywhere."
Claire folded her arms.
"...Microscopic?"
Silver nodded.
"Everywhere."
Brian didn’t question him further; instead, he looked toward his own teammates.
"Masks."
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice. Everyone in his convoy immediately obeyed. Silver noticed something, he hadn’t asked whether he was certain but just trusted him. That realization settled warmly in Silver’s chest.
Nearby contractors began noticing the unusual sight.
One man laughed.
"What’s with the masks?"
Another shrugged.
"Maybe they found mold."
A woman carrying medical supplies frowned.
"...Actually..." she looked toward the flowers. "I’ve been sneezing all afternoon."
Her companion laughed.
"Seasonal allergies."
Silver resisted the urge to argue. Without evidence, he sounded paranoid.
Ravenna quietly stepped closer.
"You said they’re everywhere."
He nodded.
"They’re drifting with the wind."
She looked toward the open streets.
"Then the whole town..."
"I don’t know." He interrupted her, "...Actually..."
He closed his eyes again.
[Spatial Sense Lv2]
The pressure behind his eyes returned immediately and the world unfolded. He moved through buildings, vehicles, people, and then below them.
His breathing stopped. His perception penetrated the cracked asphalt, past layers of broken concrete, and into the soil beneath.
At first, he thought he was looking at tree roots, then they moved, pulsing softly like blood flowing through veins. Thin strands stretched beneath every road, connecting flower to flower, tree to tree, and garden to garden.
The deeper he looked, the thicker they became. Individual roots merged into larger ones, those merged again and again, until entire streets were interconnected beneath the earth.
Silver followed one of the larger root systems with his perception. It disappeared beneath another district, then another, and another. His mind struggled to comprehend the scale. This wasn’t one plant, it was one organism.
His breathing grew heavier. A sharp pain lanced through his temples.
[Warning]
{Mental Fatigue Increasing.
Deactivate Spatial Sense.}
He ignored it; instead, he forced his perception farther. The root network continued. There was no end to it, everything was somehow connected.
His vision blurred as blood trickled from one nostril. Finally, he released the skill. Silver staggered. Ravenna caught his arm before he could lose his balance.
"Enough." Her voice carried quiet concern. "You’re pushing yourself too much again."
He slightly lifted the gas mask and wiped the blood away with the back of his glove.
"I’m alright."
"You say that every time."
"This time it’s true."
She gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him.
Brian stepped forward.
"What did you see?"
Silver remained silent for several seconds.
How could he explain it?
How could anyone believe it?
Finally, he spoke.
"The flowers, they aren’t separate."
Jonah frowned.
"What?"
"They’re connected."
Claire tilted her head.
"Connected how?"
Silver looked down at the street beneath their boots.
"Underground. There are roots everywhere."
Brian’s expression slowly hardened.
"Tree roots?"
Silver slowly shook his head.
"No." His voice became quieter. "...One root system."
Nobody spoke. The breeze gently stirred the white flowers lining the street. Petals danced across the pavement. Some settled against Brian’s boots while others drifted between the parked vehicles.
The town looked exactly as peaceful as before, yet, Silver no longer saw flowers but countless mouths breathing invisible spores into the air.
Jonah tried to reason through it.
"So... You’re saying one enormous plant spread beneath the town?"
"I think so."
Claire looked toward a nearby garden.
"...That’s impossible."
Silver wished she were right.
At that moment, an elderly contractor hurried around the corner carrying a crate of canned food. He was smiling broadly.
"Jackpot!"
He nearly collided with Brian before stopping.
"Sorry."
"No problem."
Brian helped steady the crate. The old man laughed.
"A whole pantry untouched. You boys ought to check the next block."
Silver noticed something. The man’s sleeves were coated in fine white dust, probably from old shelves, or he hoped it was. He watched as the contractor coughed lightly into his elbow, then continued walking.
Silver’s stomach tightened. Ravenna followed his gaze.
"...Silver."
"I know."
She could hear the uncertainty in his voice. He didn’t want to accuse innocent people based solely on instinct but instinct had kept him alive.
The evening breeze strengthened. White blossoms throughout the street swayed together.
Silver stared. For just an instant, he could have sworn they moved in perfect unison. His hand slowly tightened around the hilt of his sword.
The street suddenly felt much quieter than before. Even the contractors’ conversations seemed distant. Then, from somewhere deeper within Detroin, a single scream echoed across the town. It was abruptly cut short moments later.
Every contractor on the street froze. Silver looked toward the source. Ravenna’s hand was already on her sword. Brian’s expression darkened.
No one spoke. Then, almost immediately, another scream rang out. This one was much closer.
And beneath their feet, so faint that only Silver noticed, something in the ground pulsed once like the slow, steady beat of a giant heart.