There was no sound in the beginning.
No rustling of leaves. No hum of aphid wings. No whisper of soil shifting, all things that he was now familiar with after living for a long time as a plant. Instead, only a silence so perfect it pressed against Clayton's mind like velvet suffocation lingered in the world like a veil.
Clayton was still disoriented.
Everything happened so fast.
One moment, he was still caught in the deep end, entangled in the deep-rooted politics of the Thorn Assembly while also facing the inevitable retaliation of the Spore Choir after their first defeat.
And yet, it was in that desperate moment when his never-yielding attitude blossomed. Instead of waiting for disaster, he attacked.
It seemed simple, but it was deep complicated. And dangerous.
One mistake, and he could have lost it all, including his life.
