The greenhouse was unusually quiet.
Morning sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling.
Tiny droplets clung to the leaves.
The air smelled of damp earth and fresh herbs.
Arianne stepped inside.
Everything looked exactly as it always had.
Peaceful.
Ordinary.
“…”
Which somehow made Ellis’s message even stranger.
Third Cabinet.
Bottom Drawer.
She slowly counted the storage cabinets lining the far wall.
One.
Two.
Three.
The third cabinet stood near the oldest section of the greenhouse.
Its wooden surface had faded with age.
Years of use had polished the brass handle.
Arianne glanced around.
No one was nearby.
She carefully pulled the bottom drawer open.
“…”
Gardening gloves.
Bundles of twine.
Small hand tools.
Nothing unusual.
She frowned.
“…Did I misunderstand?”
The drawer wasn’t empty.
But it certainly didn’t hide a secret.
She slowly removed each item.
One by one.
Gloves.
Twine.
A trowel.
A pair of pruning shears.
Until…
Her fingers touched something wooden.
“…?”
The bottom of the drawer felt uneven.
Arianne gently pressed against it.
Click.
She froze.
The wooden base shifted slightly.
“…”
A false bottom.
Carefully…
She lifted the hidden panel.
Inside…
Rested a single leather notebook.
Smaller than Ellis’s.
Older.
The edges had darkened with time.
No title.
No author’s name.
Only a pressed moonbell flower tucked beneath the worn leather strap.
Arianne carefully picked it up.
The moment she touched it…
The System quietly chimed.
[ Important Record Detected.
]
[Compatibility Confirmed. ]
“…”
Her heart began to race.
This…
Was what Ellis wanted her to find.
Arianne carefully loosened the leather strap.
The notebook opened with surprising ease.
Its pages had yellowed with age.
Yet…
They had been preserved remarkably well.
The first page contained only a single sentence.
If you are reading this…
Then someone still believes growth deserves to be understood.
“…”
Arianne smiled.
Somehow…
Those words reminded her of Ellis.
She turned the page.
The handwriting was neat.
Precise.
Every observation had been dated.
Every conclusion carefully separated from speculation.
It wasn’t the work of someone chasing miracles.
It was the work of a researcher.
One page caught her attention.
Research Principle No.
3
Never confuse slow growth with failed growth.
Arianne quietly repeated the words.
“…Slow growth…”
“…not failed growth.”
She continued reading.
> Every year, gifted children are evaluated.
> Every year, some are labeled as extraordinary.
> Every year, others are quietly forgotten.
> I have begun to wonder…
> Whether the flaw lies with the children…
> Or with the people measuring them.
Arianne froze.
“…”
That was…
Exactly what she had been thinking.
She turned another page.
More observations.
Spirit herbs.
Mana roots.
Growth cycles.
Rare awakenings.
Everything was meticulously documented.
Until…
One name appeared.
Arianne’s breathing slowed.
Subject E.A.
Age: Six.
Earth Affinity.
Initial Evaluation:
Excellent mana stability.
Healthy mana core.
Growth potential cannot be accurately measured.
“…”
Arianne immediately frowned.
E.A.
Could it be…
Erin Ashvale?
She turned the page.
Only to find…
That the remaining report had been torn out.
Cleanly.
Deliberately.
Only a jagged edge remained.
“…”
Someone…
Hadn’t removed the entire notebook.
They had removed…
Only the pages they wanted to disappear.
Arianne slowly turned the next page.
Another page had been removed.
Then another.
“…”
It wasn’t random.
Someone had carefully cut them out.
Leaving the rest of the notebook untouched.
She continued reading.
Most of the remaining pages were ordinary observations.
Spirit herbs.
Mana circulation.
Growth cycles.
Until…
Near the very back…
A folded sheet slipped free.
Unlike the others…
This page had never been bound into the notebook.
Someone had tucked it inside afterward.
The handwriting wasn’t as neat.
The ink looked rushed.
Almost desperate.
Arianne unfolded it.
Only a few lines had been written.
> If this note still exists…
> Then my research was never truly erased.
> Someone will eventually ask the same questions.
Below it…
One final paragraph.
> They believe her growth has stopped.
> They are wrong.
> Growth is occurring exactly as expected.
Arianne’s pupils contracted.
“…”
Exactly…
As expected?
She quickly continued reading.
The final sentence had been smudged.
Most of the ink had faded.
Only a handful of words remained.
> …condition…
> …awakening…
> …not yet…
Then…
Nothing.
The rest of the page had been torn away.
Silence filled the greenhouse.
Arianne lowered the paper.
Her mind raced.
Marianne Voss…
Had known.
Years ago…
She had already concluded…
That Erin wasn’t failing to grow.
She was…
Waiting.
The System quietly appeared.
[ Hidden Condition Confirmed.
]
[ Current Progress: Insufficient. ]
[ Continue Investigation. ]
The blue screen faded almost immediately.
No further explanation.
As always.
Arianne let out a small laugh.
“…One day…”
“I’m going to have a very long conversation with this System.”
She carefully folded Marianne’s note.
Outside…
The greenhouse remained peaceful.
Flowers swayed gently beneath the afternoon breeze.
Somewhere among them…
Erin was probably tending another small plant.
Completely unaware…
That someone had spent years trying to protect the truth about her.
End of Chapter 25