rogue_2

Mizuki's consciousness dissipates into the ocean.

No longer can he maintain his human form.

His body begins to distend.

A Seaborn with a jellyfish-like body appears within the water.

His organs can still maintain the basic functionalities of life, but that too will not last for long.

Attracted by the scent of blood, a number of Sea Terrors and Seaborn approach, circling around him.

They are awaiting the complete death of their kin. Only then will they partake of his flesh and blood, returning their kin back to the Cycle of we many.

Mizuki gradually sinks into the water.

Whether from waiting too long, or because of Ishar'mla's call, the Seaborn and Sea Terrors congregating at the water's surface no longer seem obsessed with the life and death of this one individual.

He is left alone as he continues to sink.

After consuming the remaining energy in his body, Mizuki's core heart analog finally stops beating.

Death arrives swiftly, silently.

His body begins to contract, the once-outstretched appendages crushed into a ball by the pressure of the water.

He continues shrinking, regressing.

Until he is reduced to a single, miniscule cell, drifting along the currents of the deep sea.

He lands upon a single, withered branch.

It is the dead titan of the abyss, the progenitor of the Seaborn, the 'Creeping Branch.' Like Mizuki, His consciousness has long perished, and His enormous form continues to grow only out of instinct.

No longer does He remember the meaning of new life, and even if new branches grow, they are already withered and dead. But nevertheless, this rotting giant continues to provide countless Seaborn with a bite of all-important sustenance.

Even at this moment, He is being fed upon by countless young Seaborn.

One of these newborns sees Mizuki's cell and wriggles its tail fin, trying to swallow its kin's gift.

But before its mouth appendage can touch its meal, a segment of the dead branch engulfs Mizuki, layer upon layer.

The young Seaborn swims away. There is too much food here, and too many options. There is no need to compete with the venerable deceased for nourishment.

And thus, Mizuki's journey comes to an end.

Years later, upon a withered branch,

Dark, blue leaves begin to grow.