A frightfully familiar sound caught Cole's attention.
BADUMP!
"Is that...?" Cole's expression hardened at the thought.
Noticing this, the old woman fixed an intense glare upon him.
Cole pressed his ear against the tree's bark and held his breath.
BADUMP!
A constant beating called to him from within. Like the people of Sant Flores, whatever existed inside beseeched Cole.
He glanced at the old woman again; her expression was inscrutable, her emotions well-hidden. Cole couldn't decipher a single motive from her body language.
'I understand that this tree is of supernatural origin... but why does it have a living heart?' Cole wondered, resting against the tree stump with weary eyes.
The old woman crossed her arms and crouched, monitoring Cole's every move with a mix of precision and caution.
Cole caught on and adjusted his posture accordingly. After standing up, he stared at the tree as if admiring a portrait. He squinted, stroked his chin, and tapped his foot, keeping his eyes peeled on that one spot.
"May I ask," Cole broke the graveyard silence, "what you intend to use the tree for?"
The gathered people of Sant Flores gasped in shock at the question, turning to one another and mumbling.
The old woman pointed to herself. "Are you referring to me?"
"Yes," Cole replied, his voice stern.
She chuckled for a few moments. "I'm afraid that's confidential information. Just know that it is valuable."
"Do you really belong to Sant Flores?" Cole asked, pressing his lips together.
"That's confidential," she deflected.
Out of questions, Cole nodded with crossed arms, as though he understood the situation. Yet, his expression bore hints of recklessness and misjudgment.
In a sly voice, she asked, "You're not planning on doing anything crazy, are you?"
Cole flashed a wide, confident smile. "I'm afraid that's confidential."
The old woman gaped, then smiled in acceptance.
Cole turned back to the tree. He placed both hands on the curved bark, tightened his grip, and drew himself closer, as if intending to hug it. Once he had wrapped his body around the wide trunk, he placed his forehead gently against the center and held his breath.
From the old woman's perspective, Cole was either literally trying to converse with the tree or chanting some sort of incantation; either way, his lip movements were peculiar. All she was certain of was that he was planning something.
She observed him from a distance, barely daring to breathe. The citizens did the same, watching to see how Cole would resolve the situation with whatever crazy antics he was concocting.
Naturally, the people were powerless against the old woman's supernatural abilities. In the city of Sant Flores, there had been only four Indulgers in the last decade of the city's history. Those four had long since left due to orders from faction heads and other reasons.
Thus, Cole's arrival was the only light in the dark tunnel in which they were stranded.
"Hmmmm..." Cole murmured.
He lowered his head for three seconds. Raising it back up, he glared heavily at the tree again and spoke. "This won't be pleasant."
BANG!
Using a tremendous amount of force, Cole slammed his head against the thick, rough bark of the tree.
BANG! BANG!
The spectators were stunned. Even the old woman couldn't help but view Cole's actions as unhinged lunacy.
Instead of cries, the area was disturbed by the sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh. Despite this, Cole threw his head against the tough bark, over and over again. His bloodied face and shattered teeth didn't stop him for even a millisecond.
Cole used his wrapped hands as a bind so that, even after a serious impact, he wouldn't tumble back and fall unconscious.
"Is he trying to commit suicide?!" the old woman yelled, shooting up, her tone holding traces of concern and surprise. "Is this truly the final solution to this problem, Snider?!"
The citizens didn't make a sound. To them, any method that led to the tree's survival was acceptable.
BANG!
On the twentieth impact, Cole's arms went wobbly and gave out. Though he was still conscious, his appearance was marred by smears of blood, torn flesh, and visible tissue.
He careened to the side, hitting the tree. His body slid down until he sat on the ground, resting patiently against the large stump.
The old woman walked forward to check on him. She lifted his hand and checked his pulse. With a slightly confused yet displeased expression, she uttered, "He's dead."
The words were like bitter medicine leaving her tongue.
The citizens exchanged glances and muttered like a hive of humming bees.
As their chatter grew louder, so did her foul mood. Instead of venting on them, she turned back to Cole's corpse and continued staring at it with cautious eyes.
"Something tells me this isn't your final performance."
.....
Cole's vision was blocked by a cloak of darkness.
"Hello..." Cole called out.
"You were trying to talk to me, weren't you?" he spoke with an uncertain voice. "Your heartbeat was trying to reach out to me... I heard it!"
"..."
The maddening silence threatened to devour Cole.
Until...
"Big brother, is that you?" A soft female voice seeped into his ears.
'Big brother?' He pulled back, his lips curving.
ZZIUM!
A momentary flash of light illuminated the dark void. It occurred in a single breath, radiating an ominous red.
ZZIUM!
This time, Cole managed to catch a short glimpse of its source. It seemed like the object was just above his head, held together by strong wooden branches extending vastly.
The object that released the light was familiar, yet it was visible for only a brief instant, so Cole couldn't describe it exactly. Was it similar to a jar? Perhaps a vase? Or, though very unlikely, a...
ZZIUM.
A drop of sweat ran down Cole's face. "A working heart."
Light shone every time the heart beat. The beats were slower than the average human's; from what Cole noticed, it beat once every ten seconds, and the red light spread like blood being transferred throughout the body.
"Is that you, Big Brother?" The voice rang in his ears.
Cole's lips trembled, but he steadied them. "It is."
"You came back!" He couldn't see her face, but from her voice, she sounded happy.
Cole didn't know what drove him to tell such an absurd lie, but as he'd been doing thus far, he decided to wing it. "It's been so long. I missed you."
"Me too," she replied.
"Why are you here? Disturbing these poor people... don't you know that's bad?" Cole softened his voice.
"..."
"It's not my fault," she replied with an annoyed tone.
Cole gulped. "Can you explain what happened? Unlike before, I'm with you, and I won't be going anywhere for a while."
'What the hell... did I just say?'
The girl laughed and cried at the same time; that much was obvious from what Cole heard. The void he was in deprived him of smell and touch, but his other senses were still effective.
Yet, without seeing or interacting with this girl face-to-face, he could feel her presence holding his hand. Though he grabbed nothing, a soft, warm feeling embraced his palm, and a pleasant scent invaded his nose.
'Just how do I know this girl?' Cole was on the verge of being lost in thought and questions.
The girl composed herself as she whispered, "Even after thousands of years, you're still the same, my only Venerable."