How do wraiths control their bodies?

In my fantasy world, wraiths are a species of shell-less, regressed crustaceans. They lay their eggs inside animal skulls, using them as shells. The wraiths' bodies are incredibly weak and they cannot move on their own. To be able to find food and defend themselves, they develop a vast number single-celled organisms. These cells are covered in a crystalline shell, with eight feather-like wings sprouting out of various holes. When simply flying around, they form a dense blue cloud around the wraith. However, when they join their wings together, they can form a solid body, expanding and contracting like a muscle. To receive nutrients, the cells are rhythmically vented through a special pouch in the wraith's body, which secretes sugars, fats, and proteins, filtered from the wraith's diet.

My question is, how can the wraith's main body control a swarm of completely disconnected cells? Since they are separate from the body, the wraith can't control them with nerve impulses. It needs a different method.

posted over 4 years ago

Cobbington‭

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