A Plant lover's past

Ardian's consciousness was starting to flicker as the roots encased him completely,

'Just let it go, my child,' the motherly voice said in his ears, and he finally gave in. His mind seemed to be diving deep inside his memories as if someone was guiding his consciousness to a specific event, and soon, he reached it,

It was something he didn't remember about himself properly.

"Is this my home now?" asked a young Ardian to a priestess.

"Yes, it is… here we have a lot of plants and trees, more than that in Doran village," she smiled as she knew Ardian loved plants,

"Can I see them different plants!!" the young Ardian asked curiously,

'I thought I was special.' Ardian remembered how he thought he was special because the people from the Goddess of Bounty and harvest church took him to their main church to live there,

"You can see them, but first, let's go meet your new friends," Priestess replied with a smile,

"New friends?" Young Ardian tilted his head, confused as he thought he was going to be the only child there.

"Yes, counting you, there are three more children with the potential to be chosen by Goddess," Priestess replied.

"I see," young Ardian replied nervously because, since childhood, he had always been only with his grandmother and plants in the Orchard. This would be his first meeting with children his age,

Taken to a dorm made near the church's main building, young Ardian was holding his breath out of nervousness when Priestess finally opened the door.

"Come in," Priestess said to Ardian, who stood near the gate holding his breath. He nodded and went inside. There were three children; two seemed visibly older than him; as he looked toward them, an awkward silence engulfed the room,

"Ardian, introduce yourself now. You'll live with these three here. Everyone give Ardian a clap so he can be confident," Priestess said like a school teacher motivating an introverted student,

The elder two kids clapped and smiled.

"Hey, let us know your name so we can tell you ours," the one with hay-coloured hair said,

"You can talk to plants, right!! I am interested in meeting you," the one with copper colour hair said, and the one who seemed near Ardian age just looked aside.

"I… I am Ardian… I am 6 years old. Pleased to meet you, big brothers," Ardian replied, stuttering,

"It is nice to meet you too, Ardian. I am Fern, much older than you," the hay-coloured hair older child answered with a gentle smile.

"I am Mori," the other one replied with a wave. Seeing their introduction go smoothly Priestess spoke,

"Now from Ardian will live here with you all…. I have to leave for some work. I hope you all will help him get around Farm, Orchard, and Greenhouse. He will share the room with Mori,"

"I will take care of him, sister," Mori replied confidently, and Priestess patted Ardian once on the head and left the room,

"Umm… where is the Orchard?" Ardian questioned, but suddenly the expressions on Mori's and Fern's face was completely different from when Priestess was present,

"You can talk to the plant, right? Go let them guide you," Mori replied with a frown on his face,

'Those children…. I am sorry you had to go through it,' the voice spoke in Ardian's head as he saw the Young Ardian standing in the room confused. He tried approaching the third guy, who hadn't introduced himself, but he replied in a cold voice,

"Please remain away from me… I don't like being acquainted with liars" young Ardian was taken aback but didn't know why he would say that,

And soon after the guy turned, Fern and Mori accompanied him talking about young Ardian loud enough that he could listen to what they said.

"What an idiot," Mori said,

"Even lying has bounds. This guy is sick just cause his great grandfather was once…." Fern was speaking something that Ardian back then did not get, and at last, the third one sighed.

"He will be gone,"

'Did I do something bad?' Ardian thought and spoke,

"I am sorry…. I did not know it was bad. I am just 6" he didn't know what he did, but Grandmother had taught him that apologizing is best when the other party is sad or angry with you,

Fern turned back and said,

"We don't want your apology or a chat" his expression was gentle, but the words he said made Ardian confused.

Soon all three were gone. Ardian tried going up and knocking on the doors, but no one opened. He was wondering,

'Did I do something with those big brothers…' he thought near crying as he was not used to being treated coldly when a voice entered the ears of Young Ardian,

'Ayy kid, why are you looking sad?' a potted rose plant on the window said to him,

"I don't know… Rose, did I do something bad with those big brothers?" Ardian asked the rose plant,

'Child, do not take what they say to heart….' A lily plant replied before Rose could,

'Oii, he was talking to me!!' Rose complained,

'But rose, you are poor at consoling,' Lily plant said as if stating the fact,

'Either way, Kid, those three monkeys are stupid… they wish to be recognized by the goddess that Fern kid is the one who planted me, but he is an ignorant ape. He didn't water me for a month now; he was brought here because he invented the plant cloning method…. Yea, he is an enemy of my kind researching on my kin!!... Mori kid is usually calm, but he is prideful because he was able to learn ground magic at his age….'

"Cool!!" Ardian thought, as he had never once seen a real mage, but Lily spoke in a solemn voice,

'You are more interesting, though.'

"Me, why?" Ardian seemed curious, and the Rose answered,

'Are you dumb, kid!? You are talking with us. It is amazing!!'

'If not for lily and Rose back then… I would not have been able to live there. Ardian thought as he saw the memories as he saw Rose talking his young self into bringing water for himself,

'Finally, this feeling of water through my phloem,' Rose said, and Lily said,

'Is it necessary to phrase it like that? there is a child here,'

'But this is the first water this majestic me get in a month!!' Rose retorted, and Young Ardian began laughing and hearing his laugh; both plants also began smiling, but suddenly footsteps came from behind Ardian.

"You didn't leave? I thought you were going to Orchard or Greenhouse?" Fern, who suddenly appeared behind Ardian, asked with coldness evident in his voice,

"I was talking with Rose and Lily…. You should give rose water. It was thirsty," Ardian replied, and then wide-eyed Fern suddenly pushed Ardian aside,

"Just what did you do!?" Fern asked angrily

"It was thirsty, the soil was getting dry… so I bring it water," Ardian replied, nearly crying,

"I was experimenting on it!! He was supposed to starve for months, so I can see if starving a rose could increase the quality of the next clone!!" Fern slammed his feet angrily on the ground, and Ardian, although crying, replied,

"But plants are alive, you shouldn't starve…. it grandmother said it is bad…. And Rose was sad too…." Ardian replied, but Fern reached his limit and pulled Ardian by his collar.

'I am sorry, kid… I shouldn't have made you,' Rose said in a low voice,

Fern took Ardian to the main gate and pushed him out of the building, and spoke,

"Go out!! And if you said anything to Priestess…" then Fern just smiled with coldness-filled eyes as he spoke.

"Go ask plants to lead you to Greenhouse or Orchard,"

Ardian, who was thrown out of the gate, a five-year-old who was nervous just seconds before, looked right into Fern's eyes and spoke with disgust,

"You are a murderer."

But Fern just smiled and closed the door.

'That thing about you still did not change although it was one of your cutest points, my child,' the voice in Ardian's head said as he kept watching his younger self with a turmoil of confusion, sadness, and disgust walk aimlessly in a garden of a huge church,

'Fern is bad…. I would give Rose water again…' young Ardian smiled as he remembered how good Rose and Lily were to him.

"I want to go to Orchard and meet new plants, greenhouse too!!" he said as he felt tears build up in his eyes due to being overwhelmed by the day's experience when a little plant voice spoke.

'Go straight and then take a right,' a little vine near the stair told him,

"Where after that?" he asked the Vine wiping his tears, and Vine replied,

'There is an old tangerine tree. He will tell you further… also can you get me some manure' the Vine asked him, and Ardian nodded as repaying kindness with kindness was only fair for him.

Asking various plants and trees along the way, Ardian finally reached the Greenhouse. He was very curious as it was the first Greenhouse he had visited,

He held the leaf of a nearby plant that was looking a bit dead and asked,

"How are you doing?"

'As if I would reply and you will finally remove those brown leaves from me…' and Ardian spoke with a kind voice,

"I will remove them!!" and began removing the leaves, and the plant was shocked.

'You…. You are Ardian, right?'

"Yes, I am… how did uncle plant know me?" he asked curiously, and the plant replied,

'The Caretaker was talking about you… I thought it was impossible…. EVERYONE, IT WAS TRUE. This child can hear us!!'

'Hey hey, tell the caretaker to put manure!!'

'Can you move me near Basil? I don't like this area?'

'It is summer already; I want to be planted outside.'

'First me!! First me!!' the plants began talking rapidly with each other, and Ardian, and finally, Ardian felt like he was at a place he called home. He went here and there doing what he could, and finally, he came across a tall man,

"Kiddo, what you be doing here?" he asked, looking down at Ardian.

"I was talking with plants… and helping them" the tall man stared at him for a while and spoke,

"You are Ardian Drasil? Right from the Drasil family?" Ardian nodded vigorously, and the tall man's eyes shined as he spoke.

"I am the Caretaker of this Greenhouse… can you tell me what these plants and saying!?" he sounded like someone who had found a treasure, and Ardian nodded and became a medium of talking between the Caretaker and plants few plants were moved, and many were helped they thanked Ardian, and the Caretaker was impressed as to how he didn't notice this many things before Ardian mentioned,

'This became a routine… the plants accepted and cared for me more than people…' Ardian remembered as he saw young him happily helping the Caretaker while being praised by both the Caretaker and plants,

'And then you meet it,' the voice said with a concerned voice in Ardian's head

-to be continued