Chapter 356
The ape’s vision began to swim with vivid, kaleidoscopic colors that danced across his mind. He blinked and saw faces from his tribe—some familiar, others who were long gone—hovering around him, their voices whispering, echoing. He swayed, staring as the faces merged and separated like clouds.
He stumbled, his gaze unfocused. "What... what’s happening to me?"
The Oracle chuckled softly, his voice echoing like a deep rumble through the ape’s altered perception. "You are tasting the spirit of the tree. Knowledge and memory are one and the same here. Only by letting go of your fear will you find clarity."
The ape, though disoriented, felt a strange reassurance in the Oracle’s words and continued forward, his steps uncertain but determined. Colors bled into his surroundings, and he saw moments from his life playing out in fragments. The struggle for food, the thrill of discovering fire, the joy of a newborn in his tribe. He reached out, fingers trembling, as if he could touch these memories. But each time, they slipped through his fingers like mist.
The Oracle’s voice cut through his visions. "Focus on the fruit, little one. It calls to you, doesn’t it?"
The ape nodded, his eyes glazing over as he looked up. Even through the haze of his altered senses, he could feel an undeniable pull. Somewhere up there, among the branches, something was waiting for him. The Oracle continued to lead, always a few steps ahead, never looking back for long.
As the ape followed the Oracle further along the immense branches of the tree, the strange, shimmering atmosphere around him began to intensify. The light grew hazy, and colors seemed to bend and shift, melting into each other like a mirage. The ape’s steps slowed as he found himself once again mesmerized, caught in a strange trance.
The Oracle, sensing this shift, paused and turned back to observe the ape. "Feeling a bit... disoriented, are you?"
The ape shook his head as if trying to clear a fog. "Everything... it looks different. Strange. Like... like I’m seeing things that aren’t there."