As I stepped into the garden and walked farther inside, I saw Lily at one of the desks sorting and packing plants.
“Hey, Lily. Is Professor Hart in?”
She looked up and smiled.
“Hey, Li. No, she’s not. She had a class this evening, so she’ll probably be a little late.”
I hummed in response.
“Okay. Do you need a hand?”
Her smile grew slightly.
“Yes, that would be great.”
I stepped beside her and pulled on a pair of gloves.
She pointed at a sheet of paper.
“You can do order twenty-two and down until Professor Hart gets back.”
I nodded and got to work.
“One filly flower… two sapphire roses… and stinky moss.”
I wrinkled my nose.
“Yuck.”
What could they possibly want with stinky moss?
Well, not my business.
As I continued packing orders, nearly thirty minutes passed before Professor Hart finally arrived.
The moment she spotted me, she started walking over.
“Oh, Li. I’m sorry I’m late. I got stuck cleaning up a mess in my third-year alchemy class. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Honestly, I could.
There was pink goo hanging from the end of her hair.
I couldn’t help laughing.
“Professor Hart, it’s okay. But you have a little something…”
I pointed toward her hair.
She sighed.
“Ah. That’s just great.”
Pulling out a handkerchief, she quickly wiped at it.
“Well, that’ll have to do for now.”
She turned toward Lily.
“Great job today, Lily. Take a break.”
Then she looked at me.
“Li, follow me.”
I waved goodbye to Lily, who waved back.
We continued deeper into the garden than I had ever gone before.
Eventually we reached an area hidden behind a curtain of thick vines.
Professor Hart pushed them aside.
Beyond them was a secluded clearing.
It looked similar to the rest of the garden, but there was a large open space in the center and an opening in the glass ceiling above.
Sunlight streamed down into the clearing.
“Wow.”
Professor Hart smiled.
“Beautiful, right?”
I nodded.
“Many people come here to meditate or cultivate their mana. Mostly elves or those with strong earth-affinity mana.”
She looked at me.
“So it’s perfect for someone with a druid connection.”
That made sense.
“Alright,” she said.
“I want you to sit directly in the center.”
I did as instructed and sat on the soft grass beneath the beam of sunlight.
Professor Hart stood nearby.
“You already know how to manifest your abilities, but we’re starting from the basics.”
She folded her arms.
“That’s how real control is built.”
I nodded.
“No ability performs at its best without a solid foundation.”
“Good.”
She pointed toward the ground.
“Close your eyes.”
I obeyed.
“You need to learn how to perceive without relying on sight.”
I took a slow breath.
“Now breathe in and out slowly.”
I did.
“I want you to understand the scents around you.”
The fragrance of flowers and plants immediately filled my senses.
“Good. Now pull mana through each breath.”
A strange lightness spread through my body.
“Good. Feel the wind around you. Feel the roots beneath the soil.”
Her voice softened.
“Feel the life surrounding you.”
I focused harder.
“You shouldn’t have to search for it.”
Soon I found myself straining.
Trying to reach farther.
Trying to feel more.
“No, Li.”
Her voice immediately stopped me.
“Stop reaching.”
“Nature is already reaching toward you.”
Something clicked.
The tension left my body.
And suddenly…
I felt everything.
Flowers opening.
Leaves swaying.
Insects crawling through the grass.
Roots spreading beneath the earth.
My ears tingled.
My eyes glowed behind my closed eyelids.
For nearly an hour and a half, we continued.
Then Professor Hart stepped in front of me, a smile upon her face.
“That’s enough, Li.”
I slowly opened my eyes.
“Look around.”
I did.
The garden looked different.
No. Not different.
Alive.
More alive than I had ever seen it before.
The colors felt brighter.
The flowers seemed fuller.
Even the air itself felt richer.
“Wow.”
I looked around in amazement.
“Did I do that?”
Professor Hart didn’t answer.
She simply smiled.
I had affected plants before.
But never like this.
Without realizing it, my feet carried me toward a patch of wildflowers.
I stared at them.
“The garden back home was filled with these.”
Professor Hart glanced toward them.
“Is thaat so.”
A small smile appeared on my face.
“They were my mother’s favorite.”
Professor Hart paused.
Just slightly too long.
Then she quietly said,
“She always loved flowers.”
I froze.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Slowly, I turned toward her.
My eyes widened.
“You knew my mother?”
Professor Hart’s expression stiffened for the briefest moment.
As though she had accidentally revealed something.
“A bit.”
Then she turned away.
Conversation over.
I decided not to push.
For now.
“Well,” she said, “we’re done for today. Let’s go check on Lily.”
We made our way back toward the front of the garden.
Lily was watering plants alongside several other club members.
Professor Hart approached her.
“Ah, Lily. Are the orders finished?”
Lily looked up.
“Yes, Professor Hart. Everything is labeled and packed in the baskets.”
“Excellent.”
Professor Hart smiled.
“You can leave early if you’d like. You worked hard today.”
Lily’s face brightened.
“Thank you, Professor.”
After Lily left, Professor Hart picked up one of the baskets and turned toward me.
“I need to deliver these and a few letters. Come with me.”
“Sure.”
I grabbed another basket.
Together we began making deliveries across Ashfall Academy.
We visited classrooms, laboratories, club rooms, and even delivered a few personal orders to professors.
As we walked, conversation flowed naturally.
“Li.”
I looked up.
“Do you know the real reason there are so many academies in Synergos?”
I nodded.
“Mana stones and magical herbs.”
Professor Hart chuckled.
“That’s part of it.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“The answer is all around us.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Mana.”
I blinked.
Professor Hart continued.
“The magical energy flowing through Synergos is unusually dense. It’s why so many mana stones form here.”
She pointed toward the distant landscape.
“It’s why magical herbs thrive.”
Another point.
“And it’s why so many academies were built here.”
Understanding slowly dawned on me.
“The mana itself helps cultivation.”
“Exactly.”
Everything really was connected.
Then another question was aksed.
“If that’s true, then why did the war end?”
Professor Hart smiled.
“And no, it wasn’t because everyone suddenly became reasonable.”
I laughed.
“No offense.”
“None taken.”
I thought about it for several moments but came up empty.
“I don’t know.”
Professor Hart nodded.
“Areas with high concentrations of magical energy are sensitive.”
Her expression became serious.
“The war filled Synergos with hatred, fear, anger, and death.”
I listened carefully.
“Those emotions began affecting the land itself.”
My eyes widened.
“A Dark End.”
She nodded.
“Exactly.”
Suddenly everything made sense.
Why both kingdoms had stopped fighting.
Why they had agreed to a truce.
If they had continued, Synergos itself could have been destroyed.
Eventually we finished all the deliveries.
Our final stop was the academy’s mailing facility.
Professor Hart approached the front desk.
“Hey, Sam. I’m here to send these three letters.”
The clerk smiled.
“Got it, Hart.”
While they handled the paperwork, I glanced around.
Then I spotted Simon.
He was standing off to the side reading a letter.
For a brief moment, his expression looked unusually serious.
Almost cold.
Then I called out.
“Simon!”
His head snapped up.
The letter immediately disappeared into his pocket.
And then he smiled.
Too quickly.
“Hey, little prince.”
He walked over.
“Didn’t think we’d run into each other again so soon.”
I smiled back.
“I’m helping Professor Hart make deliveries.”
“What about you?”
Simon shrugged.
“Just came from trading club.”
He tapped his pocket.
“And I figured I’d stop by and see if I got any mail.”
“Makes sense.”
The conversation didn’t last long.
Eventually Simon stretched.
“Well, I’m exhausted.”
He started backing away.
“See you tomorrow, Li.”
“See you.”
With a wave, he left.
I watched him disappear down the hallway.
That was strange.
For a moment, Simon had looked like a completely different person.
Then again…
It was Simon.
If anyone could go from serious to joking in a heartbeat, it was him.