The end is nigh.

"Haman Baboa Wan, Haman Baboa Wan!"

Fire illuminates various robed figures within the darkness; its orange column possibly wavering to the strange chants of the members surrounding it. Although not all know what they're reciting, it is undoubtedly filled with deep, mysterious meaning.

"Booba Ya! Booba Ya!"

Profound meaning in some cases.

Despite the strange language, everyone keeps their expectations low regardless of how they feel about this silly act. After all, this is the first time they're performing a ritual detailed in the Stonehenge book: an ancient text uncovered from the famous monolith stones six years ago.

However, some can't help but feel some expectation because it's been six years - time lost to research that may as well not exist given the secrecy required. Just the thought of this not producing a peep of result, even as a matter of failure, makes many sweat on the possibility they've been duped.

Cracks in their synchronization inevitably form having been standing around for an hour. Their voices waver like the flames in front of them. Further, dry throats cause a few to cough between their recitation, dampening the hearts of others around.

'Has this been all for-'

The expansion of flames and loud pop interrupts the group leader's thoughts, her voice the most stable among the members. Reflecting in her near doubtful eyes, the flames recede with an unnatural suction force, pulling it back into the fire pit until nothing is left but a sizzle.

It happens too fast to process as utter silence and darkness seal their immediate area once more.

Was this a sign that they failed? Even so, it's more than anyone could wish for. However, just before anyone can breathe in relief...

A new flame bursts from the pit! With a blinding green hue, it snakes to the ceiling with a crackling roar! In response, the robed members scream and shield themselves from the fierce flames that expand outward.

Only the leader, coming down from the cusp of doubt, looks on in awe. Her hood slides down from the burst of wind that carries the flame upward, revealing her short dark-brown hair, tan complexion, and olive eyes that quiver.

"It's...real."

"Lecia, get back!"

With a sharp inhale, the group leader regains her senses. Following the others' actions, she steps away, pulling her hood back up to protect herself from the hot particles fluttering about. This is just as the green fire howls and more embers spew out, causing those around to recede further into the darkness.

Luckily, its torrent doesn't last long. It crackles weakly for ten or so seconds before all its flames and heat are pulled into the pit in one swoop, snuffed out as if time reversed. What then remains are the tiny cries of the group. Their uneven breathing helps to prevent the silence from overwhelming them as the green ambiance fades.

Many continue to hold their breath past the end, not daring to turn back if another fire rises again. It's only after a majority of the green embers settle on the ground that a few members relax enough to look back up.

"I-is it over? H-holy shit."

Footsteps tap about frantically, then light returns to everyone's eyes with an electric hum from above. While the members groan as their vision adjusts to the brightness, Lecia's contracting eyes return to the fire pit, full of ash, dying embers, and smoke.

She shuts her eyes, trying to refocus on herself and her fellow members.

"Is everyone alright?" she then asks, scanning the surroundings.

"Yes, all good here."

"That was...incredible!"

"C-copper sulfate! We need to be sure there wasn't anything like that around! That's the only reason it could've otherwise turned green."

"No way, did you see how the flame was sucked back down and then came back up? That's completely unnatural!"

"This...was good, right? Six years of secret work to come to this."

"We're not even completely sure of the correct wording for this ritual! How can we be sure this isn't a coincidence?"

"Enough!"

The chattering members, full of skepticism, disbelief, and hope, all quieted to Lecia's call. Uncovering her hood again, she stares at the fire pit again, trying to collect her thoughts and calm her beating heart. Then, she takes a deep breath before addressing them all.

"Let me be clear: Everything was checked beforehand. I can assure you that there were no anomalies within the pit or as part of the air."

She pauses to ensure everyone recognizes the importance of this matter now.

"So take to heart that what we witnessed is definitely progress! We won't have the answers yet as to what happened, but we can proudly claim that we are not just some crazy group hanging on to speculations. The Stonehenge book's contents are real!"

She takes out the Stonehenge book from her pouch, then spreads her arms out, holding the ancient text in one of her hands. "Our time to build this group, to learn...all of it has been worth it! While there's still more work to be done and we'll have to be even more careful about our steps, we'll eventually understand! When the time comes, we will eventually be able to share with the world our knowledge, prove its teachings, and make known of its implications - the proof of an advanced history that existed before even the earliest civilizations!"

A few whispers followed. Growing smiles can be seen on their shadowed faces as their leader's words uplift their hearts.

"Lecia's right..."

"This is just the beginning!"

"Can we assume it's a failure though?"

"Well, even though it was intense, the flames didn't last very long."

"That doesn't mean it's a failure or success though. How vexing."

"This is why I was against performing this. For all we know, we could've died! Do we even have a small clue what this was supposed to do?"

"Our linguist says it may have to do with rain or water based on some words that hold similarity to Latin."

"So we might get rain...or we might have just unleashed a natural disaster."

Lecia claps her hands once more, grabbing their attention. "This is not the time for speculation! We must be patient and observe. Yes, we did take a risk, but someone wrote this book for another to find. It was meant to be used!"

She takes a breath before continuing. "Now as some of you are scientists, you know that you must experiment. Historians without evidence have to start off with a guess based on what they know about a specific time. Businessmen and women sometimes have to take risks to achieve successful profits. Our attempt here is nothing but a similar stride toward progress. Remember though, this is not for our gain! It is for the betterment of the world!"

The members remain and stare proudly now towards their leader as she, once again, reminds them of their purpose. The green flame has aptly rekindled their collective hearts after years of doubt.

After hearing no more qualms, Lecia grins. "So, on that note, why don't we celebrate that we're still here and what we've gained out of our little attempt? Drinks will all be on me!"

For some, that's an even better reward after the tiresome chanting. Cheers erupt and although some still worry about the ritual's effect, they keep it to themselves, hoping nothing happens due to their ignorance.

The warehouse grows more reposed as the members slowly exit the building while removing their robes. The last one to leave places a fire-retardant blanket over the ritual pit before turning the lights off.

Soon, nothing but the occasional rattling from the wind outside and rumbling of the steel resounds inside. Cold stillness fills the warehouse, until...

Buyo...buyo...

A round blue gelatinous slime the size of a baseball rustles the blanket as it slithers out from the fire pit. It makes strange buoyant noises as it shakes off the ash and disintegrates some floaties. After cleaning itself, it doesn't waste any time and bounces off, moving into a new world.

XXXXXXX

The slime released into the world has no name or sense of self. All it has is an instinct to evolve. How does it evolve?

It starts with food, of course.

More specifically, dead or inorganic matter. An instinct spurs it to find the best source. Depending on the quality, the slime can evolve quickly or slowly. While it doesn't eat live matter, there are exceptions depending on how small the matter is.

Surrounding the bouncing slime is Keystone City, a growing downtown area located in North Dakota. As expected of a major city, there is a lot of inorganic and dead matter with restaurants, garbage, and sewers. However, it seems to draw towards a large cemetery a few miles away from its current location.

It hops within grasses, along sidewalks, and even gets squished by a car on the road, yet it recovers and never stops moving. Of course, it helps that it's a small creature and it's nighttime in the city, so it avoids notice of pedestrians.

Eventually, the cemetery comes into view, and the slime quickens its hops, sensing high-quality dead organic matter.

It stops upon the first grave after it slides under a fence. The stone reads, "June 11, 1989, Amy Hart. The loving mother whose shine is the brightest among stars."

To the slime, it doesn't know anything about this woman, nor does it care. It just happened upon this grave first, and with so many corpses around that can assist it in evolving, it's not picky. That said, the slime can sense the woman died not too long ago since the corpse hasn't decomposed completely. Compared to simply bones, this is preferable if it wants to evolve fast.

With its target in mind, it seeps into the ground and quickly finds the casket. Seeping through dirt and finding a suitable crack or gap to squeeze into takes a few minutes. Once it does, the slime meets the decomposing corpse of Amy. It doesn't waste time and begins to attach itself to the carcass. As it does, it slowly begins to accumulate information as it digests the corpse and expands itself around it.

'Mom...please, don't die! Please!'

'Daniel, have you finished your homework?'

'I don't care if he's our son! I didn't sign up for this shit! You're on your own!'

'Mommy, are constellations really a coincidence?'

'You're my only son, Daniel! I'm sorry if I've been harsh on you, but it's because I want you to be the best you can be! It can't be that it ends with just painting?'

'Mom, stop placing your standards on me, I'm not you! I can't study the stars, I'd rather paint them!'

'Mom, thank you. I couldn't have asked for a better mother.'

'Amy, there's something unusual about this planet, A-323. Can you take a look at it in the coming rotation?'

'What do you mean I'm in stage 3?! How can the cancer spread so fast despite me following everything you've done? I can't worry my son, he's about to enter college!'

'Daniel, please don't cry. You're my star, baby. My favorite, shining star.'

There's so much information. Yet, the slime presses on, absorbing every last detail about this woman with her life, regrets, and knowledge.

XXXXXXX

Come morning, Daniel Hart visits his mother's grave as he does every week. Then, with a set of roses in his hands, he replaces the flowers in the pot embedded into the ground and fills it with new water from his bottle.

He smiles dryly at the gravestone. "Hey, mom."

With a deep breath, he lies on the grass with one knee bent upwards. "So, things are going well. There's this whole Uhm...NFT craze going about. I'm not sure if I understand it fully, but I used the opportunity to basically sell my paintings."

He hums, taking a look at the sky. "Other than that, nothing's changed in my personal life. I've been on a few dates, but haven't really found anyone that really understood me, I guess. I mean, even you were worried about me and whether I could support myself. So, I'm at least happy to have shown you that I could before you died, but, for anyone else, they look at me like I'm crazy for choosing this career. I could try to hook up with other artists again, but I'm not really convinced it will improve finding compatibility."

He snorts as he thinks about it more, "What am I saying? It'll be ten times worse than hooking up with a non-artist. I've already been through that and I'm sure if it were a different person, we'd still be criticizing each other's works constantly."

Daniel sighs as he digresses. "I miss you. There weren't many people I could talk to and even though you had your stars and I had my paintings, you still appreciated my skills just as I appreciated your stories about your universal findings."

Looking at his watch, he stands up from the ground and pats away his jeans. "Well, I've got to go now. I have a client who I need to meet at my apartment soon - someone who wanted a painting of his mother which I've completed the final touches on."

He pauses, regretful. "If only I had done the same before you passed. Anyways, I'll visit again next week, like usual."

The artist turns away, but as he does, the slime in his mother's coffin begins to bubble up from the ground. Its mass is much larger now thanks to his mother's corpse being fully consumed. With that, it now has gained a new sense of awareness.

The memories and knowledge it accumulated from the corpse are jumbled, but despite that, it sees the young man leaving the grave. A strange warmth envelops its gelatinous body, then decides that it needs to follow him. Why? It doesn't know yet.

Quickly, it slides along the grass, too thin and hidden for anyone to notice. It's able to trail Daniel who enters his car that's parked near the edge of the cemetery section it was in. While his car starts, the slime easily slips into the gaps of a back passenger car door.

Without noticing anything wrong, the artist drives out of the cemetery towards his apartment, unaware that curious slime has just invaded his life.

XXXXXXX

It's not long before Daniel arrives at his apartment complex. Still unaware, the slime carefully follows him through the parking garage. For some reason, it feels like the need to be discrete.

With its growth, it's gained a sense of caution. While shuffling through Amy's memories during the ride, it found there aren't any creatures like it before. As such, it's aware that it should be careful about exposing itself.

Pretending to be a puddle whenever anyone is nearby, it eventually manages to infiltrate the young man's apartment - a large area remodeled with a studio for paintings, then a separate kitchen and small living area.

Sneaking behind a house plant, it sees Daniel interact with a man who examines a painting on a stand.

"How is it?" Daniel asks, smiling a little.

The man in a suit grins like he's received candy. "It's...amazing! It feels like my mother is staring at me proudly and yet, so delicately. You made her somehow look younger too."

"Part of that thanks to how I lit the area around her when taking the reference photos. That said, for a fifty-year-old woman, she doesn't look bad."

The man chuckles, rubbing his head. "I appreciate it. I seriously have no complaints. You're an amazing artist! I'd like to add something on top of the agreed payment if you don't mind."

Daniel widens his eyes and raises his hands. "Mr. Yun, I understand you're a wealthy individual, but I price the work according to my ability and the value I believe I provide. I can assure you that I'm not underselling myself so there's no need for any additional payment."

The client seems to disagree. "Nonsense, let's not think of it as additional payment for the painting and more...as a tip."

There's back and forth between the two men. Unfortunately, the slime doesn't understand much about what they are talking about, so it decides to look around. Without creating too much noise, it stealthily surveys the studio and eventually slides into a large closet. From there, it sees a bunch of personal and client works stacked. Most are portraits with a mix of landscapes and abstract paintings.

It stops scanning when it comes to a dark painting, one pretty simple with shades of black and blue, but spread out are white specks representing stars. For the slime with Amy's memories, this triggers something new: A thought.

'...stars...'

The slime's gelatinous body shivers, recognizing a voice of its own for the first time. That voice mirrors Amy's voice since it's the most prominent tone it knows.

'Talk...want...to...talk.'

The slime continues to grow mentally, learning to assemble Amy's knowledge and memories to its advantage. But, to achieve its desire, it needs to approach the man. Seeing how humans mostly only talk with other humans, it concludes it must be human too.

Well, human-like, but how does one become human?

The slime searches its chaotic knowledge bank, but it finds that the best information was one it learned on its own - a human's basic structure. While Amy deteriorated in the coffin, but much of her remained intact, so absorbing her would give the slime info on how it needed to form itself.

Naturally, the slime leans to becoming female-like. Part of this is due to Amy's influence as a woman, but it also feels an instinctive direction that it should only grow into a female form. Somehow, the idea of taking on a male form feels...wrong.

Coming to that conclusion, it shapes itself inside the closet, spreading out and defining features as she relocates mass. While it uses Amy in her twenties as a reference, it's also is influenced by the drawings of females which Daniel drew. To the slime, it's important that the form is to the liking for Daniel.

"E-euah...em..."

A gentle voice echos in the closet as the slime forms a mouth in order to speak. Pretty soon, the creature becomes slightly solidified. It starts with all the limbs of a human, grows a generous butt and chest, then a round head. Then, with its base established, it starts defining its facial features more: opening up a pair of eyes, a...