Chapter Thirty One - The World Changes Around Us

With the exception of a few seemingly benevolent mutations within the flower garden at the front and side of the property, including one that begun bearing a strange, lumpy looking 'fruit', the heavy rains had caused some shocking mutations, especially in the 'outside' world. There was now a type of seemingly 'normal' grass, that would turn to sharp, piercing blades should something brush against them. A tree located in the neighbouring estate, that had been in the middle of being renovated before the end, dripped with a putrid slime that hissed as it hit the ground. More ivy vines became malevolent, capturing whatever neared to feed their soil. Even a humble snapdragon grew into a monstrous flower, that would snap at moving things as they passed it.

Another tree, that had no physical changes in appearance, was set alight the moment Ren Zexian caught sight of it some weeks later, the fire that was produced by his hands was blue-black and burned with a ferocity that the others had never seen before. The tree screamed beneath the intense flames, the heat could be seen pouring off the burning wood in waves. Ren Zexian did not explain about why the flames were strangely coloured and only said of his actions that the tree was extremely dangerous. They would not learn just how dangerous it might have been for a long time.

He also did not explain about the crystal which now burned with smouldering blue-black flames in a metal container at the centre of the twin garage, which had been emptied for this purpose.  Ren Zexian did stress, however, that the ability users should not pour their powers into the crystals; they were not strong enough for what would occur should they attempt to.  When speaking to Nathan, he explained more carefully, in a steady, low voice, for he feared that the youth might accidentally connect with the crystals when watering their tree.  Neither he nor Tyler had cultivated their abilities in an efficient manner, the loss of their spiritual energies to the crystal would be devastating to them.

For himself, he had to retire to the rooftop and cultivate day and night for an entire week.  He wouldn't know that a blanket was placed over his shoulder as the sun descended for the first brisk night, neither would he know that huddled next to him, during the next day, was a youth who insisted on helping him shelter beneath an umbrella as a light rain fell.

When he opened his eyes at the end of the week, he came to know that there had been a few changes within the main house and the garden.

In two rooms, one to the very west of the property and one close to the kitchens, a series of mismatched shelves now stood and each held various sized pots of hard clay, metal and the strange material known as 'plastic'.  Each pot was filled with soil and seed, the latter mostly containing Nathan's unique spiritual energies as he had germinated them with his waters.  These light and bright rooms would hopefully supply some of their food requirements over the winter season.

Lucy was quick to show off her tiny watering can, indicating that she was in charge of these two spaces.  She had been left in the house with her guardian hound as the men worked on the wall, but she seemed to have experienced no ill effects from this. It was a sad fact that she would have to grow up a little more quickly in this world than the one she had been born in. However at this moment, the small child looked very proud of her achievements, grinning as she watered lightly the pots she could reach without assistance, completely unconcerned by adult worries. 

"Well done," Ren Zexian praised her, just as she wished.

In the garden, a large glass structure had formed and Lucy, having guided her Uncle Ren in that direction, indicated that Big Brother Nathan was within.  Ren Zexian pushed open the heavy, white framed door and into the building made of various sized windows.  Though his hands were caked in dirt and his face smeared with mud, Ren Zexian believed that Nathan has never looked more beautiful.  The boy was smiling brightly as he re-potted a small seedling into its new contained before watering it and placing it on one of the many shelves along the lengths of the greenhouse. His cheeks were flushed from the heat gathering in the space and a sheen of perspiration made his skin shine.

At the centre, of this space, there were a series of raised beds, likely for bulk crops; potatoes and corn, perhaps.  Ren Zexian had once thought it was a shame that they did not normally raise rice or soya beans here, otherwise these crops would be his suggestion.  However, as Nathan's head turned to face him, his large eyes bright and meeting his, such was the furthest thought from his mind.

"You are awake," Nathan mentioned and there seemed to be an air of relief about him, the tension in his small shoulders lightening slightly. 

Nathan had never really understood the concept of meditation.  As far as he was concerned, if your eyes were closed and you were not responding to outside stimuli, then you were in a deep sleep.  Thus, Ren Zexian followed his train of thought and replied; "I am awake."

"Dexter and Tyler built this greenhouse," Nathan began saying, "so I can now grow more things.  I will grow peppers and chillis.  Do you like those?"

"Hmm, I like them well enough," Ren Zexian agreed.  With his words, the smile upon Nathan's face seemed to become more brilliant, causing the familiar stirring in the older man's chest. He inwardly sighed. This lovely boy held an attraction for him that he could not explain and felt as if he was a whelp fresh with youthful nerves when standing before him.

Tyler had explained that Nathan's mind worked a little differently from their own; he could not express his emotions as simply as what was considered normal and he had an obsessive nature that manifested in the form of his plants and the nurture of them and his living space was spotless with everything kept in a specific space. His hearing was clearly sensitive as was his sense of touch and he had already revealed that if he was not interested in words spoken to him, he would simply walk away before the sentence was complete. However, a man like Ren Zexian was already quite accustomed to that which others would see as abnormal, thus he did not see Nathan's apparent flaws. To him, these 'quirks' were just Nathan.

There was just one thing he worried himself over; whether Nathan could be taught to cultivate eventually and become stronger, more able to protect himself and his beloved plants and perhaps stay by Ren Zexian's side longer...

He watched patiently as Nathan cupped his hands and summoned his water to feed the potted plants upon the lower shelf in their perfect alignment. However he frowned, he could not summon the water, his body was telling him to stop. This instinctual side to his nature was a good thing, in Ren Zexian's point of view as too often he had seen men and women push themselves beyond their boundaries causing troubles in their future cultivation, even deviation of it in some cases.

Little Lucy clearly retained this nature as well, perhaps due to her young age and knew without being told just what Nathan's problem was. She tottered to his side and lifted up her tiny watering can for his use. The pair shared a smile and the plants were watered and Ren Zexian came up with an idea that may solve his worries. However, there was just one obstacle; how to convince the key to his thoughts to cultivate first...