Fluer Greenglow's Arc

Chapter 2 of 7

Fluer studied her greenhouse plants each morning, measuring their glow with careful eyes. She recorded which seedlings grew brightest and which ones faded. The strongest plants went into larger pots with richer soil. She adjusted water amounts and tested different positions inside the dome. Some thrived near the walls where sunlight hit strongest. Others preferred the shadier center spots. Within two weeks, she identified five varieties that outshone all the rest. These would be her foundation stock—the plants she'd multiply and spread throughout the village. She marked each one with a small colored stone so she'd never lose track. Her dream was taking shape, one glowing leaf at a time. The greenhouse soil worked well, but Fluer needed to understand why. She walked outside and found a flat space beside her dome. Using a wooden frame, she built six shallow mixing beds from river stones. Each bed would test different soil recipes. She filled the first with pure swamp mud. The second got sand mixed with crushed shells. The third combined moss with dark earth from under old trees. She worked through the afternoon, trying combinations she'd only imagined before. When she finished, she planted cuttings from her five best varieties in each bed. Now she could see which mixtures made them glow strongest. The beds sat in a neat row, ready to teach her what the plants truly needed. Water was just as important as soil. Fluer walked to the swamp's edge where glowing flowers grew wild near the water. She pressed their petals into a clay bowl, squeezing out drops of bright liquid. The essence mixed with the swamp water, creating a glowing mixture. She found a large pod that had fallen from a tree and hollowed it out. The pod held the glowing water perfectly, keeping it fresh and bright. Each morning, she would use this stored mixture to feed her plants. She carried the pod back to her mixing beds and poured a small amount over each cutting. The plants seemed to drink it in, their leaves brightening within minutes. Fluer smiled and set the pod beside her workspace. She was learning what her plants needed to reach their full power. But knowing how to grow bright plants wasn't enough. Fluer needed to understand why some glowed stronger than others. She walked through the village until she found the old tree with roots as thick as her waist. Inside its hollow trunk was a collection of books and scrolls about plants. Soft moss grew along the walls, glowing just enough to read by. She climbed inside and pulled down a leather book about light-making flowers. The pages showed drawings of plant parts and explained how they stored energy. Another scroll described methods other villages had tried long ago. Most had failed, but a few showed promise. Fluer traced her finger along the words, absorbing each detail. She read until the light outside faded. When she finally climbed down, she carried three books under her arm. She had the workspace, the soil tests, and the feeding mixture. Now she had the knowledge to make her plants shine brighter than any before.