The Farming Begins?

  The two were brought inside the walled precinct where a majestic forest grew upwards. The massive trunk of the giant tree burst upwards with endless, turning branches and leaves swaying in the breeze. Goats, chickens, cows, and other animals wandered peacefully under its shade, their movements weaving through the vibrant array of fragrant herbs, decorative bushes, and blooming flowers.

  "Welcome to my little paradise—Greenroot. Do not let anyone in or any of the animals out. Care for all the living beings in this place, as if they were you. This is a food forest. I try to work with Nature, not force her into any dumb Human notions of perfection, or exploitation."

  Roa felt a sense of peace and safety surrounded by so much green, and for a moment, he was reminded of his old apartment’s little indoor garden. A sense of urgency swept over him as he remembered why he was here. When he asked if they could get the training going, his host responded with a calm tone, as he yawned and scratched his hairy belly.

  "It makes sense that you want to hurry and save your girl. Shadows are not the best company to be around. However, you both have tiny, little—microscopic levels of aura, from what I can sense. Which means that—if you do hurry, the only thing you'll do is rush to get captured or killed. So, let's start from the basics. What Gifts have you mastered?"

  "Uhm—I know the Compass one, but I still have trouble manifesting it when I am stressed—and my friend, he—doesn't know any Gifts."

  "He doesn't know any Gifts—yet," corrected Vesper.

  "I know the Loot Gift," said Rosso, his cheeks turning red.

  Night came and the three sat around a warm campfire.

  "Hey, Mister Vesper, you're from these parts—you must know better than anyone. Who is the enemy, exactly? Who is waiting ahead?"

  "It's Master Vesper, as in teacher—and the question should be both about who, but also about what," he took a bite of a chicken leg, as the food sloshed around in his mouth. "You see, the Default is a monstrous and profane system. Children being killed in wars for merchants of death to make money for their fifth, sixth—seventh homes. People being poisoned with bad food for the sake of shareholder profits to go up—half of a percent. Whole countries sold by corrupt politicians to the highest bidders—to get elected. Entire species and ecosystems obliterated, forever. The list goes on and it is unfortunately—very long. One thing is clear, however: if you do comply with this system, but do not see it as profoundly wrong, then you are still chained by it. You are Bound by it. You are part of the problem. More importantly, if you greatly benefit from this profane—order—and do all you can to preserve its status quo, even at the cost of your own humanity—then you are one thing, and one thing only."

  "What?"

  "The enemy of Humanity—and the enemy of Nature. That's who your foe is, boys. The system first—then its benefactors."

  "And what of the people who are chained by the system? Many do not agree with it, but what choice do they have?" asked the Sunflower.

  "The Bound are not your enemy."

  "But you said they are part of the problem. I don't understand."

  "They are. But a candle loses nothing when it lights another candle. Even if many will oppose you and defend the very system that hurts them—do not fight them. Free them," Master Vesper explained as he pointed to his forehead, his eyes growing wide, sparkling with the fire's reflection. "Help them break the chains they may not even see."

  The next day, they were brought to a vegetable garden. It looked chaotic and yet so vibrant, full of colors and smells.

  "Alright, since you boys are in a hurry, we best start training you. It is going to be hard and will involve various challenges and skills. It is completely up to you whether you want to achieve them or not. I will not motivate you." The master paused for a moment—and then farted. The two glanced at each other, wondering if any of what he was saying was even serious. "Your first lesson—is farming."

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  The students exchanged uneasy glances again, their uncertainty growing heavier with each passing moment.

  "You are going to clear your minds and meditate all day, every day. No talking. While you do that, you will rip all the weeds growing between the vegetables. When you tear them out, drop them back unto the ground until they cover all exposed soil."

  "But that will take us days. Weeks, even! This place is enormous. How is this even going to make us stronger?" asked Rosso.

  "Don't question my methods—question your motivations."

  Then the old man walked away and disappeared into the food forest, whistling as he gathered some herbs for lunch.

  "Oh yes—look at this beautiful rosemary."

  For days, they bent over and kneeled, tearing little plants off the ground, sneezing from allergies they never knew they had.

  "Not that one!" would yell the teacher occasionally, popping out of nowhere to explain the beneficial properties of each plant he forbid them to pull.

  The gardening made Roa think of Eralay often. The boy grabbed the seed pouch attached to his belt and closed his eyes, fondly reminiscing about their moments gardening together. He felt closer to her for a moment, and a bit closer to home too. That pouch was the only thing he had left from those days—and the little bit of past he was still sure of.

  As time went on his fears grew. After all, he had no idea what had happened to her since he left. Was she alright? Had she been reset too by that smiling Shadow? Was she alive? Would she even remember him, or was he now just another stranger to her? The darkest thoughts filled his mind, prompting him to ask for the training to move forward. He thought of leaving often, feeling as though he was wasting precious time. The master's warnings about getting himself killed if he gave up, however, held him back, especially when told of the monstrous strength of some of the Shadows. After about two weeks of rashes, sweating and mosquito bites, the two finally approached the old man, and told them they had completed the task.

  "I'm so bored. I kind of miss the adventures. Even fighting that giant squid was better than whatever this is," said Rosso as he scratched all over.

  "Learning to appreciate the ordinary is key to a good life," replied the old teacher, his hands behind his back as he swayed back and forth. "Very good. You have brought death to this place, but you see, even destruction is part of Nature. The little plants you killed now rest onto the soil, providing food for billions of bacteria, fungi, critters and plants—ensuring that moisture is retained."

  Rosso questioned the master's ways again, but Vesper did not pay attention, continuing with his explanation.

  "Now that you have brought death, it's time for you to bring life to this place. Take these seeds and plant them. There is a book in that shed that will teach you all about where each plant goes, and why. Once you are done, we will move on to the next lesson."

  The two young guests reluctantly did as they were told, and for several more days spent their time in the garden. The man from the desert, ever a seeker of truth and knowledge, was fascinated by all the different plants, reading the entire book, memorizing much of it. He had never seen so much green in his life, let alone in one place. Roa had always loved Nature, for he thought of it as sacred from a very young age. He cared for all living beings there, not because the old man told him to, but because he knew that it was the right thing to do. He placed some of the seeds in the pouch where Eralay's were, mixing them, feeling them between his fingers as he closed his eyes. The master would occasionally appear out of nowhere, stopping them from placing seeds in certain spots, and screaming when they dropped too many, or too few.

  The boy from Earth slouched, his thoughts wandering. Within his pouch, nestled among the seeds, his fingers touched the gift he had been holding onto for so long—the one he never had a chance to give to Eralay.

  "What's wrong with you, boy? You got the aura of a dead man," asked the teacher.

  "I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know where I am going—I think I am afraid."

  The old man stood and looked up, as if lost in thought, then said: "finding your true self is an act of love. Expressing it—is an act of rebellion."

  The days passed, and the students grew ever more impatient, approaching their host only to receive the usual, calm, yet unsatisfying response.

  "You came to me for training so that you could beat your enemy—correct? Well, you must first know who and what the enemy is. Step by step. Back to meditation, and farming."

  After about a month, they were finally done.

  The old man congratulated the two and said: "you have successfully brought both life and death to this place. What is your main takeaway from these tasks?"

  Rosso scoffed and said: "That you wanted some free labor, I guess."

  Roa, however, answered differently, taking some time to think the answer over.

  "That both are aspects of the Universe, and that we need both to achieve the equilibrium of Nature. Too much of either, might not be good—right?" answered the Sunflower.

  Rosso rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

  "Correct—very good. The enemy we fight is what we Free Folk call the Great Death. Too much death is not good. Therefore, we must not only stop it but also heal what it has destroyed in the process. When you are ready, come see me at the top of this tree—I'll be waiting for you in my house for the next lesson—and be careful not to kill yourselves in the process."

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