66. Empathetic Bond

A few seconds of silence passed where both the All-Mother and the Lost Child appreciated the feeling of contentment from the other until it was broken by one of them.

"Thankfulness aside, you must already know one of the reasons why I'm here.", Liam said confidently, eyes locked onto the primary ones of Eywa never leaving contact.

"We do… But it is rather unclear, your emotions are complex and new in many aspects to me… It is but assumptions and assumptions are not reality, it would be foolish of me to act upon them. We know of your immense desire to learn, improve, to grow beyond, and far above all… To have a place to truly call home but further and further, these aspects became a complex network without any true singular outcome.", she said with an imperceptible smile forming over her features.

"Indeed…", Liam said pensively, she was right and he felt dumb in a way for that but he had exponentially more of a problem understanding her through the link than the other way around, it's hard to compensate against a being with at the very minimum two million years of experience in a certain field adding she was utterly alien to him.

He realized he was arrogant on that point, she understood him very well, even if he wasn't that much of a complicated individual at the end of the day, his goals were direct and without nonsense. And it didn't bother him, the opposite would have in fact.

"I have many things I need, want, and desire to various degrees from you. I will not lie about this or hide it, even if this is not even a possibility. I suppose emotions are not enough for this and neither would words for what is necessary to my and yours, no our survival, symbiosis is the only way.", he let out calmly which the All-Mother acknowledged with a nod of her head.

They were on the same page here, working together was pivotal for their survival, but both not only needed it, they desired it.

At this, the ring spinning and the thousand metallic hexagons orbiting around him slowed down to a crawl as he floated forward closer to Eywa. 

He placed his outstretched hands over the wall dividing the 'room' they were in, on contact the air and light seemed to bend around, observing the scene the All-Mother knew what to do and responded by repeating the action with his own hands.

The raw emotions shifting between them increased in depth, clarity, and intensity as the tip of their respective fingers touched and it only amplified further as the deity gently held Liam's hand, both of equal size but clearly different in essence interlocking.

The invisible chasm between metallic roots pulsing with alien energy, pillars of unknown material, and strange particles of light, and the primeval forest composed of both poisonous wicked thorns, and enchantingly beautiful plants seemed to twist as both antitheses partially merged but the violent shock of theme still evident and forever to stay.

Then after a few seconds from the implant in Liam's half-translucent muscular chest and the center of Eywa's chest made of a smooth pearly white bark where the scar seemed to be disappearing saw the thin thread that was almost invisible before starting materializing to the point it soon became almost tangible.

"This feel… Different.", Liam mumbled, his eyes never having left the one of Eywa, their gazes only growing in intensity but his hyper-organized thought focused on the strengthened link. 

It was similar to how he felt when he snapped her back after one of the Tree of Souls was razed by a Bulldozer but overall it was less intense and way more ordered. It wasn't unpleasant but very unusual.

They were of equal standing as it should be even if both were fundamentally different, opposite even. 

Neither were they equal in power, experience, or knowledge but those didn't need to be for the empathetic link to be this way, both brought entirely opposite aspects. 

And it was an incredible feeling for both of them, the All-Mother in particular as it was still an entirely new experience for a being such as her never having a living being capable of supporting this much of her presence without losing or greatly damaging their sense of self. 

It was as if an impossibility came true, there was a loneliness that was finally beginning to be filled.

The only beings remotely close to having done such were the wisest and most intelligent of her children, the tulkuns, or the exceptional appearance of an extremely gifted Na'vi such as the future incoming one but even then none could interact with her in such a direct and almost visceral way.

Things such as this empathic bond with this very interesting individual that appeared from nowhere and she became almost infatuated with were unique and never going to happen again. Liam affected her that much.

And the man in question knew how she felt and she knew he knew, it was strange, better than before and he was affected as well, it's just that how he functioned in this place let him keep his perfect almost machine-like composure. 

Such an intimate bond affected both parties on a very deep level for as long as life was within them, it was how it was.

It wasn't as profound as when two Na'vi mates connected their queue together because Liam and Eywa didn't and couldn't merge to that degree, but what was ongoing was as if not more intense and will be everlasting.

However, none of that stopped Liam from focusing and working on what he was here for. He had goals and he was going to achieve them.

He focussed on his memories and through the link pushed the fragments of the ones he wanted to be shared to the being that knew him the most. It was equivalent to downloading data from one software to another via different more exoteric means and harder as well. 

It came instinctively to him like many things in this place if he recalled Eywa called the upper part of the Sea of Souls but that didn't mean instant mastery, far from it.

"Those various locations are for you to do as you wish, We trust you on your capabilities to know what must and mustn't be done… Be it on how to exploit resources and how to interact with my more intelligent children living nearby.", the All-Mother said, not even a fraction of a second after having received the memories about various coordinates and images of dozens of potential base locations.

"That's good to hear… ", Liam trailed off stopping further words as he knew she wasn't finished. It was an evident answer from her all things considered, he was aware there was no problem but that was always good to have a real confirmation.

"The thoughtful care is appreciated, Liam, and will not be forgotten but it is unnecessary. The seed of a Tree of Souls requires only a few droplets of water in its liquid form to germinate after that… The nascent sapling shall adapt to its environment and grow in it or perish trying; they are precious, long to mature but not invaluable. Granting you more is but a simple task.", she said, her smile growing as she easily caught onto what he intended to do.

He was worried about the location of his base for several reasons such as having access to the sea, but one of the major ones was that he wanted to plant the seed she gave him months ago and he wanted it to not die. 

It was to an absolute degree in fact as if losing it was the highest crime not because he would feel especially guilty but because he wouldn't know how to ask for a new one. He wanted a Tree of Souls of his own and for quite evident reasons. 

It was both silly and cute in a way with the current circumstance, to go to such length for that, and she couldn't hide how she felt about this. 

She never felt this, she knew what it was but memories of an untold amount of individuals while both her own were just as much not her. A single cell or several million of them is but a minuscule fraction of an individual and that was her case but cells could be replaced with Na'vi.

Her reaction led to a frown of confusion appearing on his ruggedly handsome face that she chuckled lightly at in her multilayered voice, then what followed was a deadpan both outside and inside aimed at her not truly helping his cause. 

He was numerous times in the extremes, one of his best qualities but as well worst flaws and something she lacked in and appreciated about him.

As long as balance remained no problem would happen and as contradictory as it was Liam was measured in his decision, nothing was done without reasons or ulterior motives for the long term.

He wanted everything to be perfect and go smoothly even if he knew it wasn't possible, he thrived toward it and had the same if lowered expectations of others.

"Onto something else.", Liam declared as their hands holding each other parted away almost reluctantly, leading to the newly strengthened bond to dampen immediately, but it was still more potent than how it would be outside and the wall was back in its full power. Both sides separated again.

"I want to trade knowledge for knowledge, precisely about what I spoke earlier, Psioni-", however before he could finish Eywa lifted her hand and the bond led him to be quite puzzled.

"We reject your offer, We do not need this knowledge as invaluable as it is, and certainly not in such ways.", she said rather severely, leading to his earlier frown appearing back on as he immediately wondered if he made a mistake of judgment somewhere.

"Do not worry, Liam, you have made no mishap and if it was it is understandable. It is just that knowledge has no reason to be a regulated resource between us, We will not ask for payment for what does not deserve payment, and such a concept as no right existing within such a place. If knowledge, you or We desire asking is all is needed.", without missing a second Eywa clarified her earlier point.

"Understood.", he said coolly, his face relaxing to its resting emotionless position, it was logical from the symbiosis point of view even if it was unfair as he cared more about what she knew than the other way around but it was what was the present. They weren't frozen in time without the capacity to change.

"Already…", the All-Mother suddenly said with a hint of disappointment, and a few seconds after the world around them seemed to fickle in and out of existence.

"The resistance of my body toward the venom used is at fault, I believe. The concentration, potency, and quantity will need to be increased...", the Lost Child stated the most likely reason and he would be correct, then he added a very real worry, "But that is a temporary solution, other substances should work but that will not change the result. I will grow a resistance with repeated injections."

Eywa did not answer immediately as she was in thoughts and after three seconds flew by she seemed pleased with whatever results she got but what that was she didn't share them with him aside from an almost mischievous smile.

"Our time together is running thin. It was a pleasure to be able to converse with you, Liam. May we have many more such rendezvous in the future.", she spoke, and as the words entered his ears the world around finished fading away and everything veered to black.

Under the light of the Utral Yak Si half half-open silvery grey eyes had their focus and clarity coming back, they were staring dreamily at the upside-down tree's long iridescent leaves sprouting from the massive sinuous white branches.

Then their owner blinked and a long groan escaped Liam's body like the rumble of a motor as even in his lightheaded state memories of all of that happened slammed back into his mind.

"Iw jwust dwid bawsicawlly prwopwose to hwer without the wring…", he said his words slurred as several muscle groups in his throat, mouth, and on his face were still affected by the venom and resulted in the current difficulty in speech.

The embarrassment of what his words could have been taken for not that fundamentally it was different so it stayed and disappeared in the same second. But during that lapse of time, he felt like a teenager, and frankly, he wasn't that far from that range of age.

His only similar experience was with a childhood friend who after a year and a half of dating both became friends again because both realized the couple thing didn't work out for them and so disarmed the bomb before it exploded.

Aside from this quite childish fit caused by the few toxins still in his brain Liam was extremely pleased with the result, it wasn't truly what he came for but it was a better result better than he could have ever hoped for. 

There was no reason to complain or be negative nor to be paranoid.

He felt the furry tendrils at his nape, spine, and implant exit leaving behind minuscule blood droplets and thousands of pinprick-style wounds that healed in barely a dozen seconds. 

However he didn't move, he couldn't really do so with much efficiency. The effects of the venom were centralized on his main nervous system certainly but not only and his body focused on that part first but he was gaining everything back in functioning order at a rapid pace. 

With all this he stayed perfectly still, his chest rising up and down as he enjoyed the picturesque sight unfolding above and the massage from the many, many filaments glowing a soft blue hugging all over his exposed body except his head with also the several woodsprite having arrived while he was unconscious like some kind of extravagant body-fitting suit.

'It's a bonafide empathetic bond, not just a partial link anymore…', he thought, giving a name to the phenomena all the while studying it.

It was one-third the strength of that of the links for his tames, and unlike before each of them could feel this unique connection if the various feedback of curiosity toward this specifically was any indicator.

'There is nothing to worry about.', he sent to his tames, Gladius getting more as the bird was, to put it mildly, overprotective and so this quenched their building anxiety born of their worry that something very bad happened to him.

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