I was led through the Curling Bush by Spore, ducking beneath branches and stepping over stones to get to our destination. Luckily, the traps set up by Root in this area were already attuned to my mana since it was very similar to his, so nothing tried to harm me. For good measure, I let out a tiny bit of my innate mana into the air around me as I walked, using a basic mana manipulation technique called Mana Pollination. It wasn’t a lot, barely enough to nourish the life around me, but it was a useful skill created by my people to make a connection with the environment we were in. The more one used it in an area, the stronger the connection would become. It also helped me work on my rusty skills and practice seeing how my actions would be stored in the Soul Library.

The village I grew up in was so saturated in mana that it made all of the fauna within it extremely protective of all Forest Trolls, and even children who hadn’t begun to gather mana could communicate with it. With over five hundred years of mana within the vegetation, anything that used up mana and worked with nature was extremely effective inside. That was one of the reasons why it hurt so much to lose it and why I suspect it was invaded in the first place.

Finally, we reached the end of the bush, traveling a far distance to get out of it. The sunlight immediately hit my body, and I could feel the mana within me responding to its light. I stopped myself and closed my eyes for a moment, basking in the sun’s glory and letting out a sigh of comfort. It had been too long. Seven years too long.

Opening my eyes back up, I saw that we were on the edge of a giant circular area, at least a few miles wide in each direction, surrounded by hundreds of feet of foliage. The only change in the wall, besides the colorful plants, was two openings I could see farther away from us, evenly spaced on either side of our exit point. They were about 25 feet wide and tall, with the Curling Bush creating an even ceiling to cover the entranceways. We exited the bush between two of these gateways and had a clear view of the giant garden ahead.

The first thing I saw was the large mix of trees, with all manner of special resources, making up the majority of the space ahead. Giant, gnarled oak trees stood tall, their large branches spreading across the sky, their numerous bright green leaves forming a vast canopy above. Large amounts of green lichen and moss grew across their surfaces, and giant acorns, glistening in a golden hue, hung from their branches. The trees themselves held a great deal of mana, but the acorns held the most. Eating the acorns would give the creatures a great deal of energy, but the most important thing was that they held nature mana, nurturing and helping those who consumed it.

Other than that, there were maple trees that had reddish-orange leaves that fluttered in the wind and sap that could heal wounds. Cherry trees with pink petals that could heal sickness, willow trees with purple, fuzzy flowers that nourished the mind, and others dotted around. There were countless berry bushes in the area, each with subtle differences in their mana, which offered a variety of choices for the “guests” that entered. Boulders full of moss and small streams connected to ponds offered areas of rest and meditation amongst different mana affinities, too. There were small burrows and caves with mushrooms all around, adding to the scenery and choices. The life here was around Late Gathering rank in mana concentration, which, from what I could tell, was rare for this area. The garden was well constructed, but I had the feeling something was missing.

I took my time exploring the rest of the area, examining its structure and how it could be improved. It wasn’t nearly at the level of some of the gardens and farms from my home, but it was nice in a different way. Root led me around to see some other parts and asked some questions, all of which I answered to the best of my abilities. It was mainly about why something wasn’t growing properly or the interaction between a specific plant and another. He saw things from a different perspective than I did due to his soul body. While he had my memories, over the last seven years, they had formed and shifted into a unique outlook. I thought it was a good thing; being exactly like me wouldn’t be best. As though we shared a complicated origin, we were still different people.

Once we made a lap around the garden, Root turned towards me and spoke.

“Well, now that you’ve seen most of the garden, I should take you to see Sifter. He’s been managing it for the last few years and has been interested to see you after I told him about you. I think you’ll get along well.”

With that, he led me to the center of the garden, to a larger clearing that was uninterrupted by trees, bushes, or boulders, as the main sight in the center dominated it. Submerged in the earth was a giant, boulder-sized tortoise, just a skeleton filled with fungus, soil, and plants, resembling the flesh of a giant natural turtle shell with multiple trees growing from holes. Like a walking garden, this deep brown, white, and green turtle was the epitome of the garden’s soul. The way the mana flowed in this space and the tinge of a nurturing affinity that was centered on it told me this was Sifter, the caretaker and nexus of this garden.

I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping, as the eye sockets of his skeletal face had no actual eyes. Instead, bunches of multicolored flowers filled in the gaps, which reminded me of the carefully grown bouquets my village would assemble in the holes of trees on holidays. Butterflies and bees flew around the mana-rich foliage, with birds even nesting on the large bonsai tree on his back. He gave me the feeling that he was part of the garden itself, and if it wasn’t for Root telling me he was alive, I would think it was a long-dead animal with some mana still remaining.

I stood still for a few moments, unsure of how to approach Sifter, but I didn’t have to do anything as Spore took the lead. She climbed over onto his head and bonked it a few times with a hollow thunk, beginning to speak.

“SIFTER! Get up!” She said as she continued hitting his hollow-sounding head. “Harvoth and Mantleroot are here to say hi! You also owe me some of those berries you gave me before!”

A few more bonks later, a faint shuddering occurred as the tortoise’s head began to lift up, and he turned faintly to the side to look in our direction. A bit of loose soil and roots tore off as he did, making me wonder how long he had been sleeping for. He wasn’t directly looking in my direction, just a foot off from where I actually was, but began to speak anyway. As he did, faint bits of soil fell out of his mouth, and the flowers seemed to shine brighter in the sun.

“Ahhhhhhhh, Spore and Mantleroot. It is a pleasure to see ya’ll after so long. And you, bigger guy, you’re Harvoth, correct?” Sifter spoke with a voice that reminded me of one of the elders in my village, but he also had an energy that made him seem much younger. It caused me to straighten my posture and speak formally.

“Yes, I am. A pleasure to meet you, Sifter. You are a unique being, unlike any I have seen before.”

“Ha-ha, ya better get used to saying that since the other folks livin’ around here are pretty weird too. Well, I guess you’ve already met Spore since she’s rudely sitting on my head, but have you met Doba and Divy yet?”

“I have met Doba. I was closest to the pit when I woke up, so I stopped there first and met him there. I have not met Divy yet. Do you know where he is?”

“I would assume he’s running around the grove planting his strange little shrooms, but I’m unsure of the exact area. Glad you met Doba, he does a great job managing the pit and provides this garden with tons of amazing fertilizer. Without him, this place would be about as good as a bird with no wings. It can survive, but never soar to greater heights.”

“Um…yes, this place is wonderfully made, I would love to talk with you about how-”

“SIFTER!” Spore shrieked as she interrupted me and was still on top of his head. “Don’t ignore me! Where are those berries you had before?”

“Ya have to wait until I’m done speaking with Harvoth lil Spore. Being impatient does you no good.” Sifter said with a kind but clearly reprimanding tone to her.

She plopped down on top of his head and bunched up her legs so they were close to her body as she let out a whine of annoyance. Surprisingly, she didn’t talk back and instead listened to him, at least begrudgingly so.

I had noticed her getting more worked up as we were conversing, and the way she spoke to him now reminded me of when I was young. My grandfather always kept candies or sweets hidden away, and he wouldn’t let me have them, even when I begged or cried. My experience was different from Spore and Sifter’s because my grandpa would often tease or trick me before letting me have any. He would make me do tasks for him and then “forget” or disappear when it was time for me to get my reward. These two in front of me were like grandpa and granddaughter in a more traditional sense.

Sifter looked back at me as he gave a satisfied huff at Spore listening to him, and continued speaking to me.

“So Harvoth, I’ve heard from your…?” He paused as he looked at Root and then back to me.

“He’s my brother. Mantleroot…Root is my brother.”

“Ahhhhh, I see.” He said, gently nodding his head, not realizing it was causing Spore to grip tighter to keep from falling off. “Well, your brother told me ya know a lot about farming, gardening, and all around how to work with nature on a much deeper level. Do you think you could give this old tortoise a bit of help with this place here?”

I paused for a moment, thinking to myself what the best way for me to help this place was. When walking around, learning not just about the garden but also the grove and its inner workings, I realized there was a bigger issue at hand. This place had hit a cap on how much mana it could contain, and instead of concentrating it more, we had to…

“Expand. We need to expand the garden, the grove, opening it up to encompass the entire forest. In a much different way, though.”

Sifter, Root, and Spore seemed to pause at that, looking at me with various expressions of confusion mixed with other emotions. The first to respond was Root, who floated in front of me.

“B-brother, why?” Root said to me in a very confused, slightly teary voice. “Have I done something wrong, d-did I mess up somehow? Have I…disappointed you?”

I let out a sigh, an understanding smile being put on my face as I decided to try to be honest with him about some of the things I was feeling. I coated my hand in some soul mana and patted him on his wispy head, rustling his “hair” as I decided to be honest with him.

“No Root, I am not disappointed in you. I’m honestly so happy with what you’ve done here, and I’m really proud of all the work you’ve put into this place.” I said, looking at him, seeing some “tears” threatening to spill out on his face. “You’ve had a burden on you for the last seven years, and you made a place to protect mom, dad, you, and me. You did a perfect job with that.”

I paused, considering my words, and let some more of my own emotions out. The sadness I felt towards Root’s predicament, the pride towards the work he had done, and the mix of anger and love I felt towards my parents.

“Root, our parents…tasked you, a child, with something they shouldn’t have,” I said, my own voice breaking up a bit as I knelt down, holding him in my hand. “Maybe they had no choice, but it wasn’t right to do this to you, to leave you alone entrusted with such an endeavor for so long. I’m mad at them. I’m angry at what they’ve done, even if there is justification for it.”

“It made you scared to go beyond this place, to block up and protect it from anything that could hurt us. You’ve had to keep working and find people to help you when nobody else was there for you. You’ve done all you could, and that burden has shifted your perspective. Not in a bad way, you’re way.”

“I want to open this place, to expand it so not only can we get more energy, not having to lure creatures to be killed here, and make the forest better, but create a large home that is safe for you and me to explore. I don’t want you to be bound here anymore, and I will take on the burden you’ve held for so long now. I will make sure you will always be safe and be able to live happily.”

Root didn’t know how to respond. His face showed a mix of emotions as he tried to grapple with what I was saying. It was clear that a part of him wanted to say no, to keep holding onto that burden, because it was the only thing that had kept us connected before, but we were brothers now. We both knew that. He swallowed as tears swelled up in his eyes, the concentrations of watery soul mana falling down his cheeks, now responding to me.

“T-t-t-t-thank you, brother.” He said, with tears that dissipated into the air and sobs that choked up his words.

I held him to my chest in a hug for a while until I felt it was enough. I stopped smothering him, but still held him close and turned to the other two. They stared at us, Sifter somehow conveying a look of understanding even with no facial features, and Spore just looking on in stunned silence.

“I need you two to help me with this,” I said to them with a renewed vigor in my voice. “To continue keeping this grove a safeguarded and permanent home while also expanding beyond it to raise the prosperity of the entire forest.”

“I am more than happy to do so,” Sifter said in a confident tone as he nodded his skeletal head. “You have my support.”

Spore seemed to shake awake and puff herself up, standing confidently as she spoke.

“Good choice, trusting in me, Harvoth! Nobody will break through this grove and hurt OUR home!”

I smiled at them, looking back down at Root, who was currently sniffling, and saw he had his eyes on me.

“You ready, brother?”

He collected himself and gave me a teary, but genuine smile.

“I’m ready.”

“Then let’s begin our work.”

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