Plant a Seed

Azihiro woke with a shiver that seemed to crawl from the marrow of his bones. His body, curled on the icy crust of planet Rifientin, and was barely responsive to the harsh environment. A fine frost clung to his skin, layered over the cloak SOL had provided.

His breath came in strained gasps, thin wisps that vanished into the cold air the moment they left his lips. For a moment, his thoughts were blank, his eyes fluttering open to a world dyed in shades of violet and white.

I'm still here. Still breathing. His fingers twitched, stiff and numb. He slowly curled them into his palms to test sensation. Pain flared, but it was a relief, it meant he hadn't yet lost them to the cold. I can't surrender. I still need to complete the task of finding some water.

He lay still for a few minutes longer, gathering strength, before slowly pushing himself upright. Each movement sent tremors through his limbs, as though his muscles were being reawakened with needles of pain.

His immune system, already fragile from years of deprivation, had taken a hit. Even the credit points added to his vitals couldn't fully repair what the frostbite had eroded. 

Despite the biting cold, God still awakened me.

A soft chime sounded in his ears, and his eyes blinked toward the shimmering blue holographic screen materializing in front of him.

[Plant Identified: XENA]

[Level: 1]

[Type: Water-based Plant]

[Abilities: Cold-resistant plant, produces heat if eaten, slightly poisonous]

[Diet: Beasts living in water]

He tilted his head toward a small, strange-looking plant peeking through a crack in the ice a few feet away. Pale green in color, its leaves had icicle-like tips, and a faint mist of steam rose from its stem. It moved slowly, alive, but dormant in the frigid environment. Several others dotted the area, half-buried in frost or sprouting near frozen rocks.

If this plant is water-based, then there must be a source nearby… He narrowed his eyes. And if Xena feeds on aquatic beasts, that means there's not only water, but living organisms too.

That gave him hope. Not just survival, but progress. Water would complete his first mission in SOL's directive system. If he succeeded, perhaps more capabilities would unlock. Perhaps even better weapons… or open the sealed doors inside SOL's shelter.

Azihiro moved to one knee, pressing a hand into the snow-covered ground to steady himself. His lungs still burned from the cold, and his knees trembled as he pushed himself to stand. The wind howled in the distance. He walked slowly, tracking the Xena plants.

Their cluster seemed random at first, scattered with no discernible pattern. But after fifteen minutes of cautious movement, a rhythm emerged. The Xenas grew closer together the further northeast he went. Where once there were only three within view, there were now dozens, little tufts of steaming green, peeking from snow and ice.

This has to be the hub… the gathering point.

The ground began to change beneath his feet, less ice, more packed snow. He paused and bent down to touch it. It was warmer, damp even. His fingers pressed into slush. When he pulled them back, he sniffed them. There was no metallic tang, no scent of toxins.

Not drinkable yet… but this is a sign. We're close. He pressed forward, guided by the plants like stars across a frozen sky.

The Xena hub came into full view half an hour later. It was a basin, deep and wide, carved like a crater in the terrain. At the center was a pool, partially frozen at the edges but glistening with slivers of liquid water toward the center. Steam rose faintly from the surface.

A warm spring? Or a geothermal crack? Azihiro's heart thudded. I found it.

He scrambled down the gentle slope into the basin, slipping once but catching himself on a jagged rock. The warmth increased as he descended, subtle, but enough for his breath to return to a slower rhythm. Around the pool, hundreds of Xena plants clustered, their mist mingling into a light fog over the spring.

He crouched by the water's edge and dipped his fingers in. It was not warm, but not freezing either. The fact that it remained in a liquid state in this cold meant it was rich with thermal energy, perhaps connected to deep geothermal veins in Rifientin's crust. He lifted his cupped hands and tasted the water cautiously.

It was clean. Relief crashed over him in waves. Mission one… complete.

The holographic screen shimmered again, responding to his action.

[Water source identified. Mission status: COMPLETE]

[Reward: +10 Physical Credit Points | +1 Memory Slot Unlocked | Ability Scan Activated]

Azihiro blinked. A new function. Memory slot?

A movement came from SOL's interface within his cloak. A small compartment on the arm piece opened, revealing a flickering blue orb the size of a marble. Without understanding why, he reached out and touched it. A rush of sensation filled his mind, not sound, not images, but a vague sensation of warmth and something else...

Laughter.

Faint.

Familiar.

He inhaled sharply. That laugh… I've heard it before. But whose?

The memory was fleeting. But it left him breathless. He sat back on the snow, body still recovering from the frost. His cloak shifted as he moved, the fiber stiff with ice along its edges. But here, next to the Xena hub, the air was gentler. 

Azihiro glanced around and began collecting samples of the Xena plant. He wrapped three of them in the cloth lining inside his cloak. Enough to study, maybe use later for heat. But not too many to disrupt the balance of the habitat.

Even in survival, balance matters. He glanced at one particularly large Xena. It was rooted near the spring's core, glowing with warmth and steady distribution of energy. The heartbeat of the basin.

If I disturb this plant, it could destabilize the water source. He left it untouched.

Standing up, Azihiro turned away from the spring and took one last look at the serene pool. It had saved him. Just like the beasts had gifted him credit points. Just like SOL had granted him another chance. He walked away without words.

Above him, the sky began to shift again. The violet clouds receded into pink streaks, and the sun, if it could be called that on Rifientin, rose slowly across the horizon. With one step after another, Azihiro moved forward.