Chapter 67 — The First Extract
S.C. 1510 — Mid September
Foosha Village — Underground Lab
Ren wiped sweat from his forehead as he stared at the small dish containing the glowing green droplet collected yesterday. It had dimmed overnight, but the faint tint remained—unnatural for any plant he knew.
Zemo lay at the entrance of the pit, head resting between his paws, but his eyes remained fixed on the droplet. He didn't trust it.
Ren understood why.
Even he felt uneasy when looking at it.
He took a breath, steadying his hands.
"Okay… today we try liquid extraction."
This was the first time he felt genuinely nervous doing an experiment alone. Not because of difficulty—but because something about this plant did not behave like a normal living thing.
He wasn't afraid of danger.
He was afraid of not understanding.
---
Blending the Grass
Ren placed three fresh blades of the strange grass in a small bowl.
He added a pinch of saltwater, mashed with a wooden pestle, and watched as the mix turned into thick green pulp.
It didn't smell rotten.
Or grassy.
Or herbal.
It smelled… alive.
Zemo's ear twitched sharply.
Ren whispered, "You smell it too?"
Zemo didn't blink.
---
Filtering
Ren layered two thin pieces of cloth over a carved wooden funnel. He poured the green pulp through it.
At first, nothing happened.
The pulp resisted movement.
Then—
Slowly—
A thick green fluid dripped into the stone cup below.
Plip… plip…
The drops shimmered faintly.
He leaned closer.
"…Strong surface tension… almost sticky."
He touched one drop with the tip of a wooden stick.
It clung instantly—refusing to fall.
Zemo hissed softly.
Ren pulled his hand back. "Alright. No contact for now."
He set the filtered liquid aside and moved to step two.
---
Heat Stabilization Attempt
He connected his battery to the heating wire.
The solar slab kept generating a slow, steady trickle.
The metal plate warmed.
Ren placed a tiny amount of the green liquid onto the plate.
At first—nothing.
Then the liquid—
contracted.
Like a shrinking organism.
Pulling itself inward.
Ren's heart skipped.
"What are you…?"
He lowered the heat.
The liquid responded immediately—expanding again, resuming normal shape.
He increased the heat slightly.
Contract.
Decrease heat.
Expand.
Ren scribbled notes rapidly.
Reacting to heat like a muscle
Self-regulating shape
Extremely dense
Possible energy storage?
He didn't want to jump to conclusions.
But nothing in this forest had behaved like this before.
He placed a small leaf from a normal plant next to it.
Normal leaf: wilted, dried, browned.
Strange grass liquid: contracted, alive, reactive.
Ren exhaled.
"This… is different."
---
Separation Test
He poured some of the green liquid into a small clay bowl.
Then he crushed charcoal to dust and sprinkled it atop the liquid.
Charcoal normally absorbed moisture instantly.
But here—
The charcoal floated.
Didn't sink.
Didn't absorb.
Instead, it formed a thin black ring around the liquid—pushed outward as if repelled.
Ren felt chills.
"That shouldn't happen..."
He carefully poured the liquid through the cloth again.
This time, something new came out:
A thin, clear greenish fluid
And a small amount of thicker jelly-like residue
Two layers now.
Ren separated them:
1. Liquid Layer — faint green, slightly warm
2. Thick Residue — sticky, elastic
He stared at them both.
"…So there are multiple parts inside you."
Zemo whined, stepping further away.
Ren gently touched the clear liquid with tweezers.
Warm again.
It was storing heat.
His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of realization.
Whatever this was…
It wasn't just a strange plant.
It was something the world had made without anyone noticing.
A resource nobody else understood.
A piece of nature beyond any normal explanation.
Ren whispered:
"This could change everything."
He didn't mean power.
Or strength.
Or advantage.
He meant understanding.
Pure discovery.
The kind that made his heart beat faster.
The kind that made him forget he was only seven.
The kind that told him he was born to unravel the secrets of this world.
---
The Predator Watches
As Ren labeled the small clay bowls with scratched symbols, Zemo suddenly froze.
A low, rumbling growl escaped him.
Ren looked up.
"What is it?"
Zemo's nose lifted.
Ears stiff.
Body tense.
Ren climbed up the ladder carefully and peeked through the small gap in the wooden plank.
The forest edge was still.
Silent.
Too silent.
A faint shadow moved between two trees—large, fluid, patient.
Not attacking.
Not hunting.
Watching.
Just watching.
Ren lowered the plank quietly.
"…It's getting closer."
Zemo pressed against him protectively.
Ren placed his hand on Zemo's head.
"We need to finish the analysis before it decides to come here."
He looked at the liquid again.
And despite the danger, despite the fear—
His eyes shone with determination.
"What you are… I'll find out."
---
End of Chapter 67