Prologue
“Just who are you?”
I am… a Flower.
Flowers aren’t like you. Flowers can’t move, can’t talk. You…
I can move. I have walked past countless moons.
I can see. I have seen the vast fields and oceans.
I can talk. I spoke love, hate, and vengeance.
But, I am still a flower.
***
The Leaf Tribe is leaving the mainland.
They were this continent’s last branch of Leaves. Concealed in the high mountain’s forests, they lived carefree and happy lives. Now, they must travel across a different ocean and head towards a different land. This is because the Spirit Tree they always relied on for life has grown too old, too old… It was dying.
With no choice, they must escape to another continent. There, other branches of Leaves are willing to welcome their kindred. They have a strong Spirit Tree that is strong enough to support this branch of refugee Leaves.
The Leaves began to prepare for their journey. Some started to make boats in the forests near the shore. Some started learning the techniques to navigate across the oceans. Some started gathering food and drinks.
In order to travel and land safely at the new continent, everyone was working hard to gain knowledge as much as they could. They knew their Tree was about to die. To survive, they must learn everything as quickly as possible. However, “quickly” refers to time as long as a human’s whole lifespan.
The Tree has about a hundred years before its death so it allows enough time for the Leaves to leave their home village.
A hundred years feel so long, but for the migration of an entire species, to the ten thousands of Leaves who will cross unknown oceans, a hundred years didn’t seem to be enough. Leaves have a life expectancy of nearing a thousand years. Their pace of living has always been unhurried.
In this busy time period, the fading tree blossomed, probably for its last time. It bore only a single, black flower.
The Leaves didn’t like the Flower.
A vibrant and colorful race, the Leaf species featured refined and exquisite appearances. Their eyes and hair ranged in beautiful hues of lime, azure, silver-purple, luminous gold, orange, and many others. No matter the color, the characteristic is always luster and vibrancy.
On the other hand, the Flower possessed pure black hair and dim red eyes. Both colors were so bleak and dreary, as though they were reminders of the Tree’s end of life. That’s why the Leaves didn’t like the black Flower. They refused to accept their Tree’s approaching death.
Alike the color, this Flower’s growth was also abnormal. Usually, Flowers can speak after only ten years, run wild after twenty, and by thirty years, Flowers can fully utilize their given powers.
Flowers are the children of Trees, the Leaf Tribe’s guardian. They can control any plant to protect the Leaves.
But, that Flower couldn’t do anything; he couldn’t even walk. He stepped out before, but he is always curled under the Tree now, shrouding his face with that long, messy, black hair. The flower doesn’t look, listen, or do anything… he doesn’t even speak.
Although the Leaves didn’t like the Flower, they did not bully him. The kindhearted species wouldn’t be able to do something so cruel. They only continued to gather knowledge of the seas, and biding their time until the moment to leave. They neglected the Flower.
Attached to their homeland, the Leaves waited and waited, until the evergreen Tree suddenly began to turn red and yellow. The changes dismayed them, but they finally understood that it was time to go.
Their Tree was on the verge of death.
This time, the reality truly did sink into every Leaf’s heart.
The lord of the Leaf Tribe sternly announced that all Leaves must vacate the area. By year’s end, the last ship would leave the shores, and any Leaf not on board will be left behind.
After his announcement, the Leaves finally started transitioning, slowly yet certainly.
Around this time, the Flower finally stood. He left the shades of the World Tree to follow the troops, waddling unsteadily with each step. He was unaccustomed to walking, so he walked very slowly. He gradually drifted from the head of the crowd to its middle, then lagged to its end.
Eventually, he had to walk behind the last Leaf in line. That Leaf displayed silver-purple hair, which makes him easy to recognize in the forest. The Flower looked at his hair and followed him. Even if that Leaf left the others, the Flower would most likely follow.
The Leaf with silver-purple hair occasionally looked back at the Flower. Although he didn’t like the Flower either, he couldn’t bear it.
That is still their flower.
This Flower was supposed to be their pride, their treasure, their most powerful guardian.
But, the tree is going to die, and they must leave.
They cannot take the Flower with them. That’s why, since the Flower’s birth, no one dared look at him… This is a Flower destined to be abandoned by them, so how can they?
***
Countless large ships sit afloat on the clear ocean surface. All these white and gray ships were handmade by the Leaf Tribe. The ones coated in vivid colors were sent from the other continent to welcome them.
The silver-purple haired Leaf stopped in his steps and lifted his head to see the waters. The ocean was covered with ships. All Leaves on board were looking at him… as well as the Flower following him.
The silver-purple haired Leaf hesitated for a moment, but still turned around to face the flower. That was the first time he looked so carefully at the Flower. Although the Flower’s hair was black, he had a body of fair white skin. Paired together, the colors were not as dreary as he imagined. The contrast was rather eye-catching.
This Flower may possess astonishing power… but the Leaf cannot think this way, nor can he take liking to the Flower. Because they were about to abandon the flower.
The Leaf tried his best to suppress his expressions and only apologized, “I’m sorry, so sorry, but you cannot follow us onto the ship.”
The Flower only looked at him with a pair of dim red eyes.
The Leaf avoided the Flower’s gaze and said with his head hanging slightly lower, “My Name is Yinqie Zi. If you, if you are safe and well in the future… please come to the Continent of Jun De to find us.”
The flower continued to look at him. The Leaf didn’t know whether the flower understood him or not.
“Ye Zhu, are you boarding now?”
Yinqie Zi turned around and saw two Leaves walking down from the ships to ask him. He nodded his head and asked, “Is everything ready?”
“Yes, we can depart now.”
“Then let us go.”
After he finished talking, Yinqie Zi wanted to turn around to look at the Flower. However, he stiffened and ultimately did not turn back. He only continued to walk ahead with the other two Leaves.
The Flower also walked a few steps. Yinqie Zi and the other two stopped and wrinkled their brows at him, yet none of them wanted to tell the Flower to stop. They continued to walk towards the ship once more, and the Flower followed again. The leaves stopped in their footsteps again…
After this motion repeated itself for a few times, it appeared the Flower finally understood. He watched Yin Qie Zi and the other two get on the ship, but did not follow anymore. He only stood at the ocean coast with his line of vision always following Yin Qie Zi.
The Flower’s stopping gave all the Leaves a sigh of relief. If the Flower followed onto the ship, they wouldn’t know what to do.
Should they beat or yell at him? Force him to leave?
But it’s the flower’s job to always be near the Leaves. How can they penalize him for doing what he’s supposed to?
The flower stood at the ocean coast, widening his eyes too look at all the Leaves on the ships. He began to speak.
“Why do you hate me?”
***
Almost all the Leaves on the decks were looking at that Flower. Yinqie Zi felt especially horrible, because the Flower wasn’t looking at anyone else, but rather, directly at him.
They were all curiously surprised to see the Flower opening his lips. However, they were too far away and couldn’t tell whether words originated from Flower’s mouth.
But that was no longer important, because their tree is dying.
If the Tree gave birth to a Flower and died, the Flower would also follow and become insane.
A flower gone berserk is extremely dangerous.
The flower stood there in a daze for a long, long time. Now, not a single ship was left on the water’s surface.
The flower’s job was to stay by the Leaves’ side and protect them, but the Flower couldn’t find a single Leaf left, so he didn’t know what he’s supposed to do anymore. Thus, he only stood by the coast, dumbly watching the ships float further and further away.
Children still long for their home in the end, and so the Flower began to miss the Tree. He began to walk towards his home, to where the Tree is.
Although there were no longer Leaves to escort him on his trip home now.
The Flower was never in contact with the world outside the Leaf Tribe. He didn’t know that Leaves are a powerful existence when in a group, and that is why no one will dare harm a crowd of Leaves. However, this road turns out to be much more dangerous than imagined when he is alone.
Poisonous plants aren’t considered dangerous to Flowers, and no plants will harm Flowers. At the same time, Flowers do not eat plants either.
Many wild beasts have targeted the Flower before, but they could detect that he is not just a common, ordinary prey. After approaching to a certain distance, they would naturally leave.
Thus, to the flowers, the most dangerous thing in the whole forest are humans.
Humans fancied the Leaves’ beautiful appearance and would capture them as home decorations and toys.
After walking for only a few days, the Flower encountered a group of adventurers. Everyone in it was a human. The adventurers heard that the Leaves were migrating away, and wanted to try their luck at any Leaf that’s been left stranded. If they could catch even one Leaf, it meant large sums of money has already landed in their pocket.
They didn’t happen upon any Leaf, but rather found a Flower.
They rejoiced, thinking they have found a Leaf, and captured him. Soon afterwards though, they dubiously looked at the creature and wondered… just what is this?
The Leaves’ appearance is slightly different from humans, but it is still largely alike. At least the general outer appearance is the same. It’s just that the Leaves’ hair and eye colors are more vibrant, their bodies more slender and their faces more alluring.
The Flower was different. He was naked with no clothing on, yet no features discriminating his sex could be found. His appearance was that of a fifteen year old girl or an even younger boy. He didn’t even have nipples, something both males and females should have. There were no sex organs below either, and not a strand of hair was found on his body. All he had was a luscious black dense of hair.
At first glance, the Flower’s black hair didn’t appear be anything special. Yet on closer inspection, the hair strands’ movement looked odd. The wind wasn’t blowing his hair as his hair looked like it’s floating naturally on its own.
The adventurers were a bit startled and astounded, but since the Flower looked harmless, their panic quickly disappeared. Thus, they captured the Flower pretending the hair’s movement never existed.
***
The flower’s appearance wasn’t exceptional and could only be called delicate at best. Plus he didn’t have any sex features, which gave humans nothing to play and toy around with.
Eventually, the Leaf Tribe’s treasure ——— Flower, tumbled into a circus troupe. Locked within a cage while crowds after crowds of humans jeered and laughed at this sexless freak.
In reality, the Flower didn’t mind it much.
He didn’t understand the human language. He missed home a little and wanted to return to the big shade under the Tree… Though, he remembered that there are no Leaves left around the Tree now, and was thus not in a hurry to go back.
At least by staying here, there were still some humans around. Although the environment caused his mood to be a bit grim. Only when the troupe is moving to another location could he see a ray of sunlight. The horrid environment made him feel a bit cold, a bit tired, a bit hungry… but all of this was still a within tolerable extent.
The circus people brought various foods for the Flower and saw that it touched nothing but water. As the Flower did not die of hunger, the circus men were elated to know that they can save on food costs. From then on, they didn’t try to bring any other food and left only a bucket of water inside the cage. Only after a long time would they refill it.
The days passed one by one, but the Flower didn’t have a sense of time. He only sat inside the cage, thinking about the Tree, about sunlight, about clean water, about the departing leaves, about the Leaf with silver purple hair…
Until one day, a strange feeling wafted through the Flower’s whole body.
Pain!
Amid the immense pain, he suddenly understood. His home has died… the Tree died.
The Tree was far but still, the Flower could not withstand the immeasurable pain. It drove him mad. The head of black hair writhed wildly like snakes… He lifted his head and screamed towards the sky.
Masses of wood skewered to the surface, piercing through the metal cage, through the circus’ tent, through all the horrified crying humans.
Thick vines squirmed across the ground and ignored any obstacle blocking its way, crushing across the carriages, the city, everything…
***
When the Flower was conscious again, the area has become a decimated wasteland. With black red liquid dried on his pale body, the Flower appeared eerily shocking. His hair no longer waved from the clotted blood… He was so full.
So full he wanted to barf.
Really full, yet really empty. No living creature was around, and the Flower became alone yet again.
Next: Chapter 1
Return: Main Page
Translator: Nuddle
Proofreader: Xeleio
This is beautiful so far. Thank you for sharing it with us!
*~* ….. I wanna cry….. poor flower….
thank you so much for the translation!!!!