Heretical Fishing

Book 4: Chapter 27: Words are so Fun

From everything that Maria had heard, it was impossible to describe enlightenment. Countless humans and animals had tried. And based on the waves of chi that had swept overhead while she meditated, another couple of beings might be able to give explanation a shot too, though they would likely fail also.

Despite this lack of elucidation, however, Maria could tell that her own approached; her essence had been steadily building, as had the weight of the healing potential in her core. Each passing moment brought her closer to who she was—who she’d always been destined to become—and if the pond she sat atop was any indication, the world concurred.

When she’d arrived at the tidal pool, she immediately knew her relationship to the strange waters had changed. She had always been able to tell they possessed a strange sort of power, even when she’d only been at the bottom of the stairwell to ascension. But if she sent her chi out now? It felt almost like an extension of herself.

Most shocking of all—a notable reaction considering how ridiculous the last week had been—was that the placid waters all but yelled out with encouragement. It was like having a copy of yourself cheer you on, insisting you were doing the right thing. She spared a moment to pour her gratitude out into the pool. It was something she had repeatedly done. It just seemed the right thing to do.

But this time, something new happened. Gratitude came flowing back. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make Maria’s spine go rigid and her focus to slip. She opened her eyes to find that night had arrived, yet she spared no attention for the beautiful stars twinkling above.

Instead, she stared down at the pond in awe, anticipating... she didn’t know what. For it to ripple? For another hint of awareness to appear? Contrary to her expectations, the waters remained still. The opalescent stones within reflected some of the starlight from above, which seemed to glow more than usual, but she wasn’t sure if that was her imagination, a side effect of her enhanced body, or something real.

Consumed as she might have been by the sight, she couldn’t have missed the approaching cores if she tried.

Maybe it’s time to have a break... she thought, wiggling her toes and rolling her neck. Especially if I’m starting to imagine a pond capable of gratitude...

As she turned to look at the incoming crowd, a smile came to her face. It felt wonderful. She intended on letting it spread even wider—on letting her love for Fischer and their otter pal show—but then she caught sight of Corporal Claws. Maria leaped to her feet, blinking rapidly to clear away what was clearly her imagination. When that didn’t help, she extended her awareness out, knowing her core would report the truth of the matter. It did, in fact, and Maria’s jaw dropped open.

Even with these alterations, though, she struggled to pick the correct question to ask.

“Wha—” she started and cut off as she sensed something from Fischer’s chest.

There was life there—not his—and it was weak. It demanded her attention.

All other considerations fell away as Maria leaped from the boulder atop the pond, skidding to a stop before Fischer. She caught her first sight of the creature. Part of her brain screamed that it was gods-damned adorable, but she filed that away for later—her core agreed with the action, vibrating so hard her heart fluttered.

The pond, too, reacted. As before, an emotion that hinted at intelligence came from it. Its waters requested she bring the animal closer.

Fischer, clearly sensing Maria’s urgency—and the pond’s request, judging by the look of sheer incredulity he shot its way—reached forward, offering the fuzzy little thing to her.

It was even cuter than she’d initially judged. Without a word, Maria went to the pond and strode into its cool waters. But… they weren’t cool at all; they were warm. She added this anomaly to the pile of things to explore later as she lowered herself and the creature’s body beneath the surface.

The healing chi of the pond immediately flowed toward the animal. Maria closed her eyes, relying on her senses to follow the strands. Time slowed as hundreds of individual streams climbed from the rockbed, joining with those already swirling within the water. They circled the cute little mammal with languid grace, not rushing into its body as Maria had assumed they would. Some of the chi strands brushed up against it. They were furtive touches, and with no small amount of wonder, Maria realized that each had a distinct purpose. They were diagnosing any health issues.

Her core shook, making a soft sound that seemed to say, yes—correct.

She let out a slow breath and sank further into herself, willing her essence to do the same, and a portion of consciousness spoke up. It was the part of her that worried she wasn’t good enough. The deep-down insecurity that she wasn’t worthy of the healing chi she so desperately wanted to harness. That voice was swiftly silenced, her essence conforming with ease. She started getting hints of information, each a subtle brushstroke that gave more context to the greater picture.

After countless bits of data, she could state with confidence that the creature’s skeletal system was intact. There were no physical wounds to its body. Something was definitely wrong, but she couldn’t identify it. And the pond appeared to have reached its limitations. It could repair bodily injuries, but beyond that, it would need much longer for the healing to take place.

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Maria didn’t know what ailed the adorable little thing. If it was life threatening, they wouldn’t have the luxury of time. She furrowed her brow; uncertainty was unacceptable.

Rallying her will, and with a conscious effort to keep any of her former doubts at arm’s length, she increased the amount of essence surging from her core. In her mind’s eye, it was like wisps of chi flowed out—pink and bright and opaque—surrounding the pond’s strands of power.

Her inclination was to boost the tidal pool’s efforts. To lend it the strength it needed to identify the issue. But that wasn’t good enough. Even if the pond seemed to possess an uncanny intelligence, the health of this innocent creature was in Maria’s hands. She had to take control.

Her core vibrated again, this time reaching a resonant pitch. sound. The water responded, its surface quaking, calling out to her stronger than ever before.

***

I stared down at Maria with as much love and awe as I’d ever felt; my awareness of chi made me vaguely aware of the battle she waged.

The waters she and the racoon rested in had taken the lead, its healing properties reaching out the moment the fuzzy little thing was semi-submerged. Maria had joined her will to it, the essence within her core easily copying the shape and intent of what could only be called a force-of-nature. The intricacies of what she and the water were doing were lost on me, so all I could do was witness and silently cheer her on.

Well, that and keep my eye on whatever the pond had become. I’d felt something from it before, a hint of sapience that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Every fiber of my being told me it could be trusted, yet I remained vigilant; some parts of this world I found myself in were beyond my comprehension. With my mind so focused on both of them, I sensed the moment Maria’s will shifted.

Chi flowed from her like wispy clouds. They surrounded the pool’s strands of chi, racing along them, and when they engulfed the ends… Maria took control.

A pulse of power and light came from her, making her sun-kissed hair wave chaotically up and away from her core. The childish part of my brain—which was a minority, thank you very much—noted that she looked like she was about to go Super Saiyan.

The pond, uncaring of my musings, resonated with Maria’s intent. Hypnotic patterns formed on its surface, rising and falling like wavelengths made visible. Even if I wasn’t seeing it with my own eyes, I’d have known what had happened. They had reached an accord.

Maria’s clouds of essence carved a path forward, surrounding the raccoon in a sort of haze. The opalescent stones beneath them reflected the pink light coming from her, creating a cone of illumination that shone toward the heavens. Despite the outward chaos of the moment, her furry patient was completely shielded, not one of its hairs moved by the pressure Maria was exerting.

I hadn’t noticed it, but a smile had made its way to my face. The corners of my eyes bunched as I gazed down at her. I’d never been so proud.

“You got this,” I whispered, delighting in the sensations of my body as Maria’s power coursed over and around me.

***

Despite how overwhelmed Maria’s senses were, Fischer’s encouragement slipped right through the cracks to reach her ears. They weren’t just empty words, and they caused a thrill to run through her.

She agreed with him. She did

After all, true enlightenment was within reach. She just had to take it.

Maria opened her core up, letting in waves of energy from the pond. As if a weir’s gate had been raised, the power flowed into her, she and the water’s chi becoming one. They came to a stop beside the raccoon. Maria was able to see it from all directions at once, and as power washed over it, she knew what ailed it.

First, dehydration, which was easy enough to fix. Together, she and the pond removed most of the salt from its waters. The purified liquid flowed into the raccoon’s body, replenishing its reserves. Next, the mammal was missing key minerals. Some of them were within the tidal pond, so they gathered the necessary amounts. Potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc. Compounds she’d never known, yet their purpose appeared in her memories like a long-lost friend.

Racoon, she mused, the word almost familiar. Had Fischer mentioned them before?

Its biology, lifespan, diet, and behavior—all bloomed in her mind. Learning about the animal made… something appear in Maria’s awareness. There was a metaphorical lump in its brain. Did it need to be healed…? She gathered some of her chi just in case, ready to heal the incorporeal anomaly, but her core vibrated again. Unlike earlier, this buzz was in the negative. The pool also seemed to hesitate.

Maria paused for only a moment, then let go of the essence she had prepared. She would have to be a fool to ignore both herself and a pond with healing abilities.

The mix of elements was ready to go, so she sent them into the raccoon's circulatory system. As they joined the small mammal’s bloodstream, a feeling of everything being right in the world descended, wrapping her entire body in warmth. The raccoon still needed food, but that wasn’t within her power to grant. She had done all she could.

Before that sense of rightness could face, light and power exploded from her core, and Maria knew she had succeeded.

As the light fled, she waited for the System messages to come. Just like Fischer, she’d willed them to leave her alone, but there was no way something of this magnitude would obey. She waited and waited, but it didn’t come. Only seconds had passed, but that was a lifetime when it came to the System. Why—

Something shot from Maria’s core. It was, somehow, squishy and crystalline and lovely. It moved up her abdomen, past her shoulder, through her skin.

Blinking, Maria looked down at her forearm.

“Hiiii!” came the blob’s squeaky voice. Just as she knew water was wet, Maria recognized the being perched on her limb. The size of a closed fist, its body seemed to have two shapes it could swap between, one gem-like, the other gelatinous. It was light pink when a ball of slime, and filled with rainbow light when a faceted crystal.

Maria blinked again, unable to think of anything to say.@@novelbin@@

“Wowww!” the physical manifestation of the tidal pond continued. It jiggled in delight. “Words. Are. So. Fun!”