Voices of Nature

The next day, I go to the library again to finish scanning the rest of the books and to learn more about enchantments. Things go smoothly. Mirabelle is not here, nor do I want to see her. Again, time flies by and the day ends late. However, when I get to the first floor and am about to go home, Yumi is already there waiting for me. She's reading a book, her attention fully absorbed by the pages before her.

"Oh hey! Why are you still here? Where's your mother?"

Right now, we are disguising ourselves as a fox-kin family, so Yumi calls Sophia her mother, and calls me dad. 

Yumi jumps a bit, startled from her deep focus. "Oh, hi!" She flashes a quick, sheepish smile. "Um, we had dinner and she has already gone back," she explains. "I just wanted to wait for you. Besides, I was so engrossed in this book that I just had to finish it. Oh, and I got this for you, dad!"

She hands me a parcel of meat skewers, the paper slightly greasy at the edges. My stomach growls in response. It dawns on me that I have been so engrossed in my literary quest that I have neglected to nourish myself.

Knowing that we can't eat within the library, we step outside, the cool evening air greeting us. As we stroll under the canopy of stars, I glance at Yumi. Her eyes seem brighter, and it looks like she is finally able to relax and have fun after everything that has been going on lately.

"So, what's that you're reading?" I ask.

"It's an encyclopedia on different plants," she replies. "Jack, I don't know if you will believe this, but I just found out that I can talk to plants!"

"What? Is that true?"

"Yes."

"When did you find out?"

"A couple of days ago, but I was too scared to tell you guys about it!"

Slowly, Yumi tells me the whole story. It turns out that ever since she awakened her blood talent, she has been able to hear the conversation between plants. At first, she thought she was just hallucinating, that someone was putting a curse on her or she was going crazy. Luckily, after a few days, she was able to figure out the nature of her ability.

"I think it's a special trait called Voices of Nature."

"Voices… of Nature?"

"Yeah. But why didn't you tell us sooner? What if it was something bad instead of this particular talent?"

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Yumi murmurs. "I just didn't want to worry you guys."

"Well, lucky for us that it's a blessing, not a curse or something like that." I pat her head. "But please, let us know if you find yourself in any trouble next time. Don't take everything on by yourself. Because as I promised, I will always be here to help you."

"Yes, I promise."

"Anyways, I have already come across some information regarding this when reading the books on the higher floors."

I then share with Yumi my knowledge. Voices of Nature is an extremely rare skill that can be awakened by anyone regardless of race, age or their blood talent rank. The only requirement is that one must have affinity with the nature element, and have a pure, loving heart. As the name suggests, this skill will allow the person to not only hear, but also be able to have conversations with plants and nature spirits. 

Therefore, with this, Yumi's strength will be greatly improved. 

However, something seems wrong. Despite being a rare skill, Voices of Nature isn't valued as much as something like Enchantment Sight or other rare skills and talents.The books that I've read do not state any clear reason why. Could it be that it's because this skill doesn't have high combat potential?

"Well, if you can already talk to plants, do you even need to read these books? Can't you just go out and ask them directly?" I then ask.

"No, it's actually not that simple," Yumi shakes her head. "I tried talking to them, but it turns out that plants have their own... personalities, or something like that of humans. Some are really friendly and chatty, but others are quite reserved. A few even got... grumpy when I tried to talk to them. I believe I need to find a way to gain their trust first if I want to utilize this skill properly…"

"Oh! So that's how it is!" I exclaim, having realized the answer to my earlier question.

No wonder why this skill is deemed mediocre. My predictions were a bit off, but now, knowing the principles behind it, it all makes sense. The reason why people disregard nature-type magic, it's not because it's weak or anything, but because it's extremely hard to use. For example, Takumi's fire allows him to cast fire spells right away, producing immediate results. But in Yumi's case, her skill will take a lot more practice, patience, and even luck to master. 

"That's quite interesting, so they're not all just waiting to lend a hero a leaf or a vine?"

Yumi chuckles at the pun but shakes her head. "No, not really. And it's more than that. Just because I can talk to them doesn't mean I immediately understand everything about them, nor can I command them. I've learned that each plant has different needs and preferences. Some like certain soils, others need specific light conditions, and I don't know half of these things. So even when they do talk back, sometimes I'm not sure what they need or how to help them."

This insight shifts my perspective further. One might assume that such a talent would automatically bestow expertise in botany, but the reality is quite different. Merely being able to converse with plants doesn't guarantee an immediate bond.

"So, it's just like talking to people, isn't it?"

"Exactly."

Just like with people, we can freely talk and have conversations with others, but at the end of the day, not many of us have a large circle of friends. In fact, some people become enemies precisely because of the things they say.

"It sounds like you've got a learning curve ahead, but that's why you're reading that book, right?"

"Yep! I'm hoping that by learning more about their environments and how to care for them, I can build better relationships with the plants. Maybe then, they'll be more willing to assist us."

I nod in agreement. "Just like people," I say, "you can't gain trust and cooperation without understanding and respect. Anyways, I've just read about some plant monsters. Would you like to discuss them?"

"Oh, really?" Yumi exclaims, her eyes immediately lighting up. "Yes, I'd love to! Do you, by any chance, know about those cabbage-looking creatures that can fly? They're adorable in the illustrations from the book! They have a name, but it slipped my mind. It's… um…"

"Flufflecabbages?"

"Yeah! Flufflecabbages!"

I have the whole encyclopedia about monsters in this world memorized, so of course, I know about those little fellas. These whimsical creatures aren't exactly plants but more like natural spirits that inhabit plants. It's debatable whether that makes them plants or something else. Regardless, they can take on the forms of flying carrots or tomatoes, though they seem to have a particular obsession with cabbages.

"Oh," Yumi continues. "Do you know that the color of their leaves can change based on their mood? They are so cute! I wonder what they sound like…"

"I think they only make puru puru sounds," I answer. "Oh, wait a minute! That reminds me, what do plants sound like when you talk to them? I mean… do they speak Japanese? Or do they speak Lorelian?"

"Ah, neither." Yumi answers. "It's very hard to describe because it's not sound, but some kind of… I don't know, I just instantly understand it. It's like our consciousness is directly connected."

"Interesting. And do different plants have different… um… voices?"

"Yeah, and I can feel their emotions too. Most of them are kind, but there was one that was extremely scary…"

"Oh, I see…"

This information isn't even in the books I've read, so I'm now even more intrigued. I then spend some more time talking with Yumi, learning about her talent, so that perhaps I can help her out more in the future. Her ability to converse with plants could become an extremely valuable asset to me. After all, if I want to find Anna, I need all the information I can get. Maybe, just maybe, some very old tree somewhere happened to see my little sister in the past.

Just like that, as we continue, time flies by again. High above, the moon hangs luminous in the sky, with stars twinkling and casting their gentle glow upon the serene pond below.