Chapter 20: Roots beneath the mountain
Chapter 20: ROOTS BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN.
~----~
[New Trait Unlocked: Aphid Network (Proto-Intelligence Node)]
[Communications Relay Active.]
~----~
BZZZ!
A new evolution.
The power that came with it, the fundamental changes; I felt it spread through me like awakening from a fever dream.
A new pulse. A new kind of life. Not instinct alone, but understanding. My vines quivered. My perception sharpened. I could feel everything, everyone in my domain with far greater clarity.
The plants. The soil. My kin.
I turned my awareness to the fellow survivor, the younger plant I'd protected. He flinched as my network linked with him. Our minds didn't speak in words, just images, instincts, pulses of color and urgency.