A new gene, huh.
The thought passed through my mind but left just as quickly as it came. I didn't stop to inspect it, I didn't even bother calling the network. Instead, I crawled toward another strand of seaweed and began eating, my movements slow and unhurried, as if the idea of gaining a new gene had already lost its significance.
The seaweed surrendered easily beneath me, its faint sweetness spreading once again, but even that felt quieter now, less surprising, more expected. I continued until the strand thinned under my bites, then moved on without a second thought.
When I finished, I didn't rush. I simply wandered.
The cave stretched out in soft, glowing silence, its walls uneven and layered, each surface reflecting the steady pulse of the clams. They rested where they were, open and unmoving, yet totally alive. Their light didn't flicker or waver; it stayed constant, like time itself moved differently within this place.
There were no other creatures. No scavengers, no predators, not even the smallest sign of life other than the clams themselves.
It was... still. Too still and quiet, and yet I didn't feel threatened. If anything, not being in danger felt weirder than the chaos I had been through.
I moved along the edge of the cavern, passing one clam after another until I reached the far end. The last one pulsed more noticeably than the rest, its light slightly stronger, its rhythm more defined.
I watched it for a bit, then just turned away without thinking much.
I slowly made my way back to the clam I'd settled in before, my... bed, I guess. The thought came and went. For now, that was enough.
My life repeated itself like this for days. I would sleep, and after waking, I would slide down from my clam and eat two strands of seaweed. Afterward, I would make my rounds, inspecting each clam to see if they are healthy before returning to my bed.
Then, one day, I noticed something. Every time I passed by a clam, it seemed to shine a little brighter, as if greeting me. Perhaps they had acknowledged my presence… and my diligence in checking on them every single day.
From time to time, tremors and distant banging could still be heard from above, yet within this cavern, I felt safe. The days passed, and even my shell had begun to change. I could feel the added weight as I moved, subtle but impossible to ignore. Though I still had no idea what I looked like, I knew one thing for certain. I had grown since the day I first arrived here.
Unconsciously, I began to think of the clams as my family. My hive. The clam that let me sleep on it became my mother clam, while the others were my feisty aunts and uncles. Feisty, because I once tried to sleep on them as well, only for them to snap shut in protest, forcing me to retreat immediately.
Still, I kept trying, and for days, I waged a quiet battle, determined to conquer the feisty aunty clam.
One time, Aunt Karen, the feistiest one, closed her shell with me inside. I'd tried my luck with her before, of course. Every time I got even a centimeter too close, she'd snap shut without hesitation, not even letting me peek inside. So I planned it.
One day, I timed it just right. Before she could close, I burst forward and slipped inside. And for a moment, it was incredible, warm, soft, almost like being wrapped in clouds. My body drifted slightly, rising and falling as if I were lying on a gentle water bed, cradled by something alive.
Next thing I know, I'm back on the rocks. Aunt Karen had thrown me out. Gently. Still… thrown out.
It was my fault, though. She was the only one who hadn't warmed up to me, while the others had already begun letting me rest on them. So... I did something I probably shouldn't have.
After that, she refused to open her shell whenever I was around.
I couldn't get near her for days. No matter how long I waited or how carefully I approached, she stayed shut, like she was holding a grudge.
Coaxing her back took effort, more than I expected. I had to promise, again and again, that I would never try something like that. Every day, I lingered nearby, repeating the same apology, admitting my mistake and how much of a jerk I had been, until eventually…she relented.
She opened up, slowly and carefully. After that, I made sure to be on my best behavior. I even started cleaning her outer shell, brushing away all the gunk until it was smooth and shiny. And every time I did, her light would pulse softly, steadily, rhythmically, almost like she was nodding at me.
My days were filled with quiet routines, moving from one clam to another, talking to them, inspecting them. It was silent, almost dull each day, yet to me it still felt comforting… fulfilling in a way I can't describe.
Even so...I knew it wouldn't last.
Then one day, as I went about my usual check, something felt different.
I reached the far end of the cavern and paused before the clam that shone brighter than the rest, the one I had come to call the queen clam. Inside it… were two smaller clams.
They were unlike the others.
They looked almost unreal at first, like they didn't belong there, like they came straight out of a cartoon fantasy world. Their shells were a soft pink, with faint purple shades that shimmered in the cave's glow.
Within them lay delicate, translucent flesh, and in the middle were eyes, large, round, and bright. And beneath them, a tiny mouth that curved ever so slightly, giving them an innocent, almost playful expression.
I didn't know how it had appeared. I didn't know when it had formed. There had been no sign, no warning. And yet it was there.
A quiet warmth spread through me, something soft and unexpected. Before I could even think, I found myself smiling, if that was even something I could still do.
"I see…"
The words slipped out without meaning to. Then, as if in response the entire cavern pulsed. Every clam glowed brighter, their light rising and falling in unison, filling the space with a gentle radiance that felt almost… celebratory.
As if they understood. As if they were acknowledging it.