A faint wind brushed his curls, blocking his vision of Tenma. He looked resigned, defeated. "I never want this to happen," he took a seat on the branch, "but please, please understand. It is for your own good."

  Tai frowned, "Just tell me everything."

  "What you need to know right now is that you passed the first trial, and since you passed this one, you won't do the others. By next week, you'll be 'rewarded'."

  "What I need to know right now?" He stood up, meeting Tenma eye-to-eye. "I want to know everything right now! Is it so hard?!"

  "Listen kid, you better watch how you talk to me," Tenma's eyes narrowed and his voice drawled into a growl.

  Tai met his eyes, not flinching.

  After a while, he took a deep breath and sat down, ripping fibres off the tree bark. He tried his best to control the fire in his chest, one deep breath after the other.

  This whole tirade fell like a chess match, and he was one of the pieces. What made it most unsettling was the vague impression that he wasn't a rook or a knight, but a pawn.

  "Trust me kid." Tenma sat next to him. He ripped out a few more fibers. A long silence ensued.

  "Trust me, kid."

  Tai looked up at him. His eyes were sincere. Real. The fire in his chest was doused by cold water. Tenma continued, "Kid, there's alot of noise in this world, a whole lot. But you need to trust your gut and live off that."

  Tai gazed into the ethereal forest, and suddenly realized his life was a bit sad.

  "I could give you plenty of answers, but I get the feeling none of them are what you need. My gut told me that." Tenma patted his head in farewell and left.

  His gut told him he was a pawn. Yet...yet...he felt like he should be one of the players, yet he wasn't. It was frustrating. He returned to his team.

  Everyone was equipped with their gear, ready to set off. "Where were you? We're wasting time!" The girl from the sky village scowled at him. Tai shrugged and got his things.

  He locked eyes with Trian, who gave a knowing look. It seemed Trian passed the test too. He smiled.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  As they waded through the forest, Tai hummed, reciting the advice Tenma gave. He also reminded himself what this was for. The deadly competition a year and couple months later.

  Yet...their conversation still felt like a farewell. As the team stopped to catch their breath, he recalled the past two months.

  Tenma did his part, getting him on his feet. Now it was time to walk. Remembering all those fun moments, Tai smiled.

  With every tree they passed, he subsumed his counsiousness into every one of them. Occasionally, those rich green eyes would appear, and they felt more and more intimate. He grabbed multiple samples of seeds on tbe way.

  "You like plants that much, huh..." his fellow village member gave him a funny look as he stuffed another seed in his sack.

  "Yeah, don't you see my hair?"

  She giggled and stepped away. The rest of his team eyed them, looking unimpressed.

  "Hey greenhead, don't think we don't realise you so distracted after that little walk. You found something, didn't you?" said a stocky thumbling from the ground village.

  The surroundings quieted, and all eyes were on him. "And so what? You think I found a hare and hid it?" Everyone except Trian and his fellow village member frowned at him. "If I found any hare, the team would benefit, but I didn't. Unless you want my seeds."

  Trian smiled, and his fellow village member chuckled.

  That night, Tai took out one seed after the other, memorising their every component and recalling them in his mind.

  A seed thrummed at his touch, as if trying to break from its shell. 'Quite the fiesty one...' he smiled to himself. Most seedlings are surprisingly calm. They are so...innocently happy, almost childlike.

  Early next morning he snuck out, and descended to the forest floor. In an inconspicuous corner, he planted a seed, pouring his nuturing energy into its shell. Thankfully, it was just a seed. To imbue it with revitalizing energy was not tiring.

  He covered the seed with the damp soil and wished it well in his heart. The energy he gave it should ensure a smooth growth till it can fend for itself.

  A faint, instinctive link formed between himself and the seed. This link wasn't as strong as his link with his vine monster in the forbidden forest.

  He planted another seed a distance away, this time with more energy. Their link was stronger. He nodded in confirmation...more energy means a stronger bond. As for what a stronger bond means? He had no idea.

  But maybe...maybe by this unique attribute, his future would be in his own hands. He poured the last of his vital green energy into the last seed then collapsed to the ground. His arms spasmed and he felt like goo.

  After ten minutes, he could move his left hand. Struggling, he stuffed a whole blueberry in his mouth and chewed two times before swallowing like a starved dog.

  ...

  Two days later, the competition came to an end. Tai clutched a fresh batch of seeds in his hand, eyeing his team members.

  Everyone stayed in pairs according to their village. The thumbling with a fiery temper had his chest heaving up and down, looking around as if to find someone to blame. Making eye contact with him, the thumbling scrounged up his nose and turned away. He wasn't the only one giving Tai that look, now that they failed the mission.

  He focused on his seeds, ignoring their looks.

  "Che, look at him. He's twelve right? No wonder we lost. With this dead weight of a baby here playing with seeds, no wonder." Grumbles of assent echoed those words.

  Tai's grip on the seeds tightened and met the instigating thumbling's mocking glare.