Chapter 60: A Thousand Steps in Silence
The morning in the Garden was eerily quiet. A pale mist lingered over the shifting terrain, blurring the boundaries between dream and waking. After the previous battle with the Remnant's form, silence had become a strange new companion to the group. But beneath the stillness, the Garden breathed.
Riku sat on the edge of a stone ledge, high above the central chamber, his legs dangling over an abyss that shimmered with starlight. His pendant, now containing four Seeds, pulsed faintly in rhythm with his heart.
He couldn't sleep.
He hadn't really slept since the encounter.
"We've touched the Seeds, but the Bloom has many layers."
Veyla's words echoed in his mind. So did the look in the Remnant's eyes—sadness? Rage? Hope? He didn't know.
Footsteps crunched lightly on gravel behind him. He didn't turn.
"It's dangerous to think too loudly here," Airi said, sitting beside him, wrapping her arms around her knees. "The Garden listens."
"I know." Riku smiled faintly. "That's why I'm here."
"Looking for answers?"
"No… maybe just hoping it listens back."
---
Elsewhere in the Garden
Toma moved alone through a corridor shaped like a cathedral of glass and roots. The reflections in the translucent petals showed fractured memories—his childhood, his lost family, his choice to leave behind safety for purpose.
He touched a petal. It cracked.
"What are you looking for, Toma?" a voice asked. Sera.
She stepped out from behind one of the flowering vines, her white cloak now threaded with streaks of silver. Her power had grown.
"Not what. Who," Toma said. "There's someone in the Garden. I feel them. Watching."
Sera didn't question him. "You think it's her?"
"…Maybe. Or a part of her that never left."
They walked together in silence, following instinct more than path.
---
Flashback – Years Ago
The village was small, nestled near a river that bloomed every spring with red lilies. Riku and his brother, Hiro, used to chase dragonflies there. On one such day, Hiro had picked a flower and tucked it behind Riku's ear.
"Promise me," he'd said. "No matter what happens, you'll be stronger than me."
Riku had frowned. "Why would I want that?"
"Because I won't always be there."
---
Back in the Garden
Haru stood alone before a massive gate of thorns. Beyond it, he felt a call—personal and ancient.
The gate pulsed. "Only those who face their fear may enter," a whisper intoned.
He closed his eyes. And let it in.
Flashes of battlefields. Screams. His hands soaked in blood. The friend he failed to save. His own cowardice.
"I still carry their names," Haru whispered.
The gate groaned and opened.
Inside was a clearing of mirrors, and one by one, they reflected not his failures—but the strength born from them.
---
Campfire Gathering
That night, they all gathered. The Garden allowed them this moment.
Kaoru cooked. Rei sharpened his blade. Kohana braided her hair absentmindedly, eyes distant.
Lina approached Riku with a scroll. "Veyla gave me this. It's a Bloom Map—sort of. It changes."
He unrolled it. It pulsed, marking their current spot and four glowing Seeds.
"Five remain," Lina said.
"And the Remnant?"
"Gone. But not far."
Rei added quietly, "I've been studying its moves. It's not fighting to kill us. Not yet."
"Then why fight?" Airi asked.
"Maybe it wants us to prove something," Sera said. "Or maybe it's waiting for the wrong person to win."
Everyone grew quiet.
---
Inner Monologue – Riku
Why do I feel like every step forward is also one step away from something I can't name?
I've gained power. Allies. Even love... maybe. But every victory feels like a warning.
Hiro… what did you see in the end?
---
Midnight – Veyla's Watchtower
Veyla stood alone before the Celestial Clock, a device of petal-gears and light.
Behind her, a shadow appeared.
"You've guided them well," the voice said.
Veyla didn't turn. "They don't need a guide. They need the truth."
"They're not ready."
"They never will be. That's what makes them worthy."
The shadow disappeared.
The clock's petals began to turn backward.
---
Final Scene – The Fifth Seed's Domain
The ground shook.
A new path opened beneath the mountain roots—a spiral descent bathed in violet light.
Riku led the way, the pendant glowing brighter.
They walked in silence. A thousand steps.
At the bottom was a tree—dead, yet humming with power. In its hollow heart, a Seed floated. Violet. Silent.
But around it… were chains. Not metal, but memory. Grief. Lies.
A voice boomed: "To claim the Fifth, you must give what you fear to lose."
---