Lucien crushed a Soil Crystal. Then, he spread it evenly across the Silverslumber Loam.
The reaction was immediate.
The Revenant Asphodel did not sprout leaves. It did not form a stem.
Instead, a thin black sheen surfaced at the soil's center. Just a single dark petal, emerging soundlessly like an idea that had finally decided to exist.
Lucien's breath slowed.
Then—
A second layer followed.
Gold. Soft and restrained like dawn pushing through a curtain that had not yet been opened.
The black outer petal absorbed presence. The golden inner petal stabilized it.
Lucien felt the resonance settle.
This was not growth through accumulation. It was reconstruction.
The seed was not consuming nutrients to become something new... it was rebuilding itself from a remembered state, guided by thresholds rather than time.
Lucien's eyes sharpened as understanding clicked into place.
"As long as the seed remains intact…" he murmured, "…the flower will regenerate."
