[ Though from a distance the sponges were solid slabs, if Nagisa got close enough he would find that they were porous; their bodies were made up of a matrix of luminescent tissue that gaped around openings of several centimeters' width. Small worlds lived in each crevice: tiny fish, like the yellow flashers from further up the tunnel, darted amongst the openings. Saprobes and symbiotic algaes clung to the dense, pale matrix, which made it look dingy and discolored in places. Deep within, in the hollow core, a shining snakelike form curled. This was visible only by its softly lit glitter behind the veils of sponge walls.
Chikane was of the special species of fearless which disdained a dirty glass of water but would gladly invite a violent death. She was already at the side of one sponge, running her hand over it. As she stroked its surface its flesh glowed brighter, instantly, and then dimmed in her wake, leaving a trace. For a few seconds, at least. Certainly, Nagisa was the last thing on her mind.
She took a piece of the sponge's webbing in hand and pinched it hard enough to break it. For an instant it flared up with a white light, then the ends went dark in her hand. A burst of warmth drifted over her arm on the slow eddies of the water. ]
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Chikane was of the special species of fearless which disdained a dirty glass of water but would gladly invite a violent death. She was already at the side of one sponge, running her hand over it. As she stroked its surface its flesh glowed brighter, instantly, and then dimmed in her wake, leaving a trace. For a few seconds, at least. Certainly, Nagisa was the last thing on her mind.
She took a piece of the sponge's webbing in hand and pinched it hard enough to break it. For an instant it flared up with a white light, then the ends went dark in her hand. A burst of warmth drifted over her arm on the slow eddies of the water. ]
What are these?