"Hello, little grass..."
"Hello, little droplet..."
"Hello..."
During the lunch break at school, a young boy, Arthur, was crouched by the flower bushes near the back gate of the school, softly murmuring to himself. He was trying to communicate with nature. After greeting all the nearby plants, he received a response from an old tree.
"Hello, you big fool!"
"Stop it, George!" Arthur immediately recognized the voice as George's. He turned around and gave George a glare, signaling for him to get to the point. George pulled out two sandwich boxes that Mrs. Lily had made for them in the morning, handing one to Arthur. Arthur had been so focused on trying to communicate with the elements that he had forgotten to bring his lunch.
George took a large bite of his sandwich, sitting down on the grass beside Arthur, and mumbled, "If it were that easy, why would anyone wait until now?"
Not backing down, Arthur retorted, "Maybe I have the talent for it." George grabbed a bunch of grass and tossed it at Arthur.
After a couple of bites of his sandwich, George casually mentioned, "Most of the teachers today are older kids." Arthur had noticed that too. The male Enforcer who was supposed to give the new cultural knowledge class had been replaced by a 16-year-old. This meant that the Enforcers at the Charity School were mainly tasked with teaching, and even children as young as 16 had to educate the younger ones. This suggested that the Enforcers' current mission might not be simple.
Arthur and George spent the rest of the lunch break playfully teasing each other and then took the handcraft class under the guidance of an older student. After that, Arthur continued to "speak" to the plants in the yard until school ended.
What does it really mean to communicate with nature... Arthur wondered as he walked home, chewing on a piece of grass. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. Horse-drawn carriages rushed down the street, and humans and elves chatted as they returned to their homes. The sunset bathed everything in warm light, and the full moon rose, its purple glow crackling with electricity.
Tonight was the Lightning Moon, Arthur thought, looking up at the massive purple moon that occupied half of the sky. He had learned in his knowledge class that when the gods still walked on the land, the moon was not like this—changing through different phases. The moon was once ruled by the goddess Grace, and any being who prayed to her would experience peaceful dreams and restful sleep.
But after the fall of the gods, the moon had undergone a real transformation. Humans had no concept of a cyclical year before. They measured time by the four seasons. This was the Old Calendar. Since the change in the moon, however, the year had been divided into eight phases, with each phase corresponding to a different moon: the Gold Moon, the Wood Moon, the Fire Moon, the Water Moon, the Earth Moon, the Wind Moon, the Thunder Moon, and the Black Moon. Each moon facilitated the use of a particular element. Livlan had mentioned in the first cultural class that these moons once empowered the abilities of the wizards.
The thought of wizards who could control lightning made Arthur feel a rush of excitement. Suddenly, he collided with something hard. Before he could apologize, he looked up and saw the back hooves of a beast. An orc! Arthur turned to flee, but his mind went blank. The owner of the hooves turned around, revealing a rhinoceros-headed orc, wearing a top hat, a gentleman's tailcoat, and a little bow tie. Arthur froze in place, staring at the orc in fear. The orc extended its front hoof, removed the top hat, and bowed deeply, apologizing: "Sorry, sir. I'm quite strong. I hope you're not injured."
Arthur's heart raced, and under the immense pressure, his legs gave way, causing him to collapse to the ground. The orc stretched its arms slightly, using its front hooves to lift Arthur. Its small eyes examined Arthur, and it apologized once more before turning and leaving.
Arthur wasn't sure how much time passed before a passing carriage caught his attention with the jingling of its bells. The sound brought him back to his senses. Orc... orc! I need to escape... no, wait, it's not a black-robed man. Not a bad guy... Not bad. In a self-reassuring process, Arthur calmed down. The moment he saw the orc, he had been transported back to that burning village, surrounded by bloodthirsty orcs wielding weapons, all staring at him—the most important target.
Stumbling back to the Charity School, Arthur saw George and Katerina by the entrance, putting on their shoes.
George spotted Arthur first, and turned to shout inside, "Mrs. Lily, this little brat's back!"
Katerina had just finished putting on her dusty shoes and rushed over to grab Arthur's hand, asking, "Where have you been? We were about to report you missing!"
George came over and gave Arthur a playful punch on the shoulder, ignoring Katerina's eye-roll, and dragged Arthur inside, "Dinner's cold now, and Mrs. Lily says we can't eat until you get back. Do you know what time it is?"
"Sorry..." Arthur mumbled in a low voice. Seeing George's usual teasing expression now serious, he asked, "Did someone bully you? I'll help you settle it."
"Just you?" Katerina followed up, her concern evident. "George might be dumb, but he's actually good at fighting."
Arthur turned and hugged both of them, making George and Katerina freeze. But soon, all three of them embraced each other. Mrs. Lily, walking from the kitchen to the door, looked at the scene, paused for a moment, and then called out, "Come inside and eat. If you wait any longer, you'll stop growing!"
George quickly shoved Katerina aside and turned to make a funny face at Arthur. "Little shrimp, you don't want to stay this short forever, do you? Hurry up and eat. I'm starving!"
"In two years, I'll be taller than you, just wait," Arthur said after a deep hug. His fear had faded significantly. He and George ran into the house, teasing each other, and Katerina followed with a smile. The three of them sat down at the table, where there was warm, reheated turnip soup and buckwheat bread. Lizzy sat at the table, drowsily, and only laughed when Katerina fed her.
Although they weren't a real family, at that moment, Arthur felt love—the love from George, Katerina, Mrs. Lily, and even little Lizzy.