100 Do You Need a Gardener?

The pendant dangled inside a sealed healing pod, far from Kowaru. During the harsh years, he had seen it innumerable times. It was a small heart-shaped stone, worn around Vanessa's neck.

The girl who once smiled at him was no more. In fact, she had died four centuries prior.

"She must have endured so much over these years," Kaworu thought.

Suddenly, a small tendril surfaced from the ground. It lazily twirled and untwirled its suction cups, big and small, creeping toward Kaworu who was sprawled on the ground, deprived of his limbs, reduced to just a torso. The tendril clambered onto his metallic mask, its tip attaching to the center of his forehead with a quiet pop.

For the betas, telepathy was a simple feat, given the willingness. A dialogue that required extensive paragraphs in spoken language could be communicated with a few mental images.

Kaworu heard a voice echo in his mind.

"I have some things I want to show you."