Chương 528: A Blooming Dawn: Alraune's Coming Of Age Ceremony.

Another year went by, and a big celebratory occasion turned up. It was morning, and the light entered through the window to illuminate the room. The room was exotic, utterly different from a standard room. The most significant difference was the flooring. Instead of using wood, marble, or anything of that extent, the floor had a thick layer of dirt. The dirt was adorned with many plants, and the wooden walls had vines crawling up them.

These walls weren't entirely smooth; clearly, they were part of a greenish-colored tree. The curved ceiling was shaped in an inverted bell shape, but it was tall enough to feel spacious. There were around three and a half meters to the lowest point of the inverted semi-sphere. The most interesting part was that, other than standard furniture like cupboards, mirrors, and tables, there was no bed. Instead, where the bed would've usually been, you could see an enchanting giant flower similar to a lotus.

The petals were slowly opening up with the first rays of the morning sun, revealing the contents inside. The flower possessed crimson-tipped, pink leaves. Their softness was clear at a simple glance, making one think that they were made out of a velvety and pleasant material. When the petals finished opening, they revealed a breathtaking sight. A sleeping, naked woman was curled inside, half her body submerged in a honey-like substance that filled the place where the capitulum would usually be.

Her long green hair, glossy and soft, extended on the flower petal she was using to rest her head. As the first rays of morning light gently shimmered on her pristine white skin, creating a golden glow, the woman stirred. Her closed eyes fluttered open like two butterfly wings, revealing light pink, moist, and dazed eyes. If one were to lay eyes on her current looks, their mind would be hit to the point of becoming stupid for her.

The dazed woman looked outside the window and yawned adorably once, speaking with a soft and cuddly voice.

"Good morning, Big Sister Green." A root poked from the ground, gently caressing the woman's head. Then, a soft and gentle voice reached her.

"Good morning, Dewna." Green was a <Lignified>-type species that Liu Shu's Avatar gave birth to. Therefore, her intelligence was much more developed than that of other similar trees. The <Lignified> tree species were intelligent amongst flora, similar to a trained pet. However, Green and her other three sisters surpassed that by far, being as intelligent as a young human. This level of intelligence far surpassed what their mother, the Heavenly Willow, had previously predicted.

Even Violue, a simple flower-type creature, had enough intelligence to be comparable with an average <Lignified> tree species. Dewna's body rose from her prone position, the honey-like substance sliding down her curvy body as if her skin were a hydrophobic surface. Even her hair remained untouched; this was due to a special oil her skin naturally created. Dewna looked around the room with her captivating cherry blossom-colored eyes. Then, thick thorny vines extended from below her flower-half.

The roots dug out of the ground and slowly lifted her above the dirt. The surface of dirt was thick enough for Dewna to hide her flower-like lower half. Once outside, she wiggled slightly, causing ripples to spread throughout her body.

"Sleeping in my room is so comfy… I want to sleep longer." Green's voice reached her, caring and soft.

"You can't, Dewna. Today is your special day, isn't it? Do you want to make Mother wait?"

"I don't!" Dewna spoke seriously, her radiant face looking adorable.

"I'll show you how I can wake up early!" And so, putting some inhuman, or inalraunic… effort? Either way, with enough willpower, our pretty darling woke up, took a bath to clean her lower half of dirt, and then put on a pretty pink floral dress. Moving her body in front of a wide and tall mirror, Alraune spun around three times and smiled, confident.

"How do I look, Big Sister Green?"

"Beautiful. You are incredibly pretty, Dewna." Hearing her big sister say that made Dewna's alluring face light up with joy.

"Hehe! Thank you, Big Sister! I also think Big Sister is super pretty!" Her somewhat childish tone didn't really match her frankly erotic body, but it added an innocent allure that made her almost irresistible. Green and the other elders always felt that they had to be careful with Dewna. After all, she was too attractive. Green thought to herself while she woke up all her alraune little sisters.

'Today, Dewna will be able to start hunting for prey. I don't know why Mother and the others decided 18 was the age of choice since Alraune matured at the age of 11… Well, it doesn't really matter. I'll follow Mother Verdantia and Mom's wishes.' Being a responsible big sister and caretaker, Green had studied books about Alraunes deeply in her free time. Being Liu Shu's child, she had a very diluted version of <World Tree Wisdom> as a skill. It was called <Lignified Wisdom (A Rank)>.

The function was similar to <World Tree Wisdom>, but with fewer perks. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Overall, it increased her learning speed and ability to retain information. Without it, Green doubted if her intelligence would've been even half as good as it was now.

As Green observed her little sisters waking up, she caringly guided the smallest ones through their morning routines, helping them with their morning bath, clothing, and personal hygiene. As young Alraunes, they needed to take care of a few things, such as irritation, the first few symptoms of menstruation, and similar issues. This morning, coincidentally, something like that happened. While Green was checking on them, she saw one of the younger ones stopping.

This younger Alraune, aged eight but still looking like a 16-year-old, had purplish eyes and jade-green hair.

'Why did Fauna stop?' Fauna had frozen mid-step, a puzzled frown appearing on her face.

"Huh…? That felt… warm?" She shifted a little and pressed her thighs together, confused.

"Weird… It's not like when I need to pee…" Curiosity winning over hesitation, she glanced down but couldn't see past her chest. With a small huff, she used her hands to part the soft mounds in her way. What she saw made her blink in shock. There was a thin red trail pooling on the honey below. Her eyes widened.

"Eh!? Am I bleeding?" Her tone carried more surprise than fear, her brows scrunched in innocent confusion. Green noticed at once, her tone softening.

"Ah, Fauna. Don't worry. It's not bad. That just means you're growing up." She pointed gently toward a drawer on the right with one root.

"Go there with your vines; I'll help you." Fauna hesitated, cheeks flushing faintly. But when she heard her big sister's gentle urging, she nodded and chirped.

"O-Okay, Big Sister!" The anxiety slipped away as quickly as it had come, replaced by her usual brightness. After taking care of the morning problem, Green refocused on Dewna. Today was her coming-of-age ceremony, so the party held in Green's garden needed to be perfect!

'Let's see… The food is prepared, and her first prey is also prepared. I have already informed Mom, Red, and the others. Grandma Melody, Grandma Verena, and the others should also be on their way.' As she thought about things, a presence as vast as the sky above her surrounded her tenderly.

"Baby, how are things? Do you want my help, dear?" Feeling her World Tree mother's presence made Green feel an array of positive emotions: excitement, love, calmness, the feeling of being protected… Green relished in her mother's existence as she answered.

"Yes, Mom. Everything is done." She heard her mother's gentle and ethereal voice again, somewhat doubtful.

"Was it a good idea to prepare Dewna's first prey…? Honestly, I still feel that Dewna should hunt by herself the first time. What if she grows reliant?" Green understood her mother's worries. Nevertheless, she didn't feel the same.

"Mother, I think that the most important thing is making sure that little sister and the others are not considered a predatory species… even when they are as such. Additionally, framing their first "prey" as voluntary will make it more difficult for others to accuse them falsely."

"Wow~." Liu Shu exclaimed with a laugh.

"You are so clever, baby! I love you lots. Okay, I won't worry anymore then." Green was a bit embarrassed. After all, what she said was not entirely her idea. She had heard Verdantia say something similar in the past, so she was merely parroting what she heard. Still, since she understood the sentence, she didn't feel that uncomfortable about taking credit.

'Dewna's first prey is one of her female friends. Mother Verdantia didn't want Dewna to accidentally fall pregnant so soon, so she asked Little Sister's female friends instead of her male friends. Dewna was also fond of the human girl, so I guess that there won't be any problems…' Everyone gathered in the garden, and among all the plant-related people, there was one human girl with a stiff expression.

Her face was ordinary—shoulder-length brown hair, dark eyes, and a dusting of freckles across her nose that lent her a quiet cuteness. Her body was slender, though not without softness in the right places. Overall, she looked like a next-door lovable girl. Verdantia, standing by her side, chuckled and spoke gently.

"Halthia, don't be so tense. While you are being looked at as if you were a snack, they won't try to eat you… probably." Halthia looked up at the tall woman while twisting her fingers. She had been Dewna's friend for a long time, as she knew her from the private school that Liu Shu opened. This school was restricted to the children of people with influence. It was an elite school, so to speak.

In this way, Liu Shu could easily excuse being overly protective of the school and keeping a constant eye on her attending children. Halthia was the daughter of a governor of a World Tree city far north. The World Tree in that city was a Level 54 World Tree. Neither too high nor too low for a World Tree. Still, being one of the 32 World Tree Cities on the continent, it was natural for her status to be high. Even then, her personality was somewhat shy.

The freckles were rare in humans, and they caused her to suffer a bit of bullying. If it weren't for Dewna finding them cute and getting along with Halthia, the girl's life would've been much more complex. Therefore, Halthia felt very grateful and indebted to the gorgeous Alraune. When Verdantia came to her to ask about becoming Dewna's first willing "prey," she was internally delighted. With this, she could at least pay back a bit of her emotional debt to the innocent yet alluring woman.

'Also… Being Dewna's prey means doing… that. Right?' Her face flushed red, her mind going to pink places.

'D-Did I bathe enough? I made sure to clean myself thoroughly… W-Will we be able to clean our bodies b-b-before that?' Verdantia's words snapped her out of her fantasies.

"Dewna, baby! You look incredible!" Halthia looked over, and her eyes widened. The Alraune walking down with her thorny vines could be described with one word: Enthralling. Long, smooth green hair; enchanting pink eyes; smooth, glossy white skin; and a body with vertigo-inducing curves. All that beauty adorned in a finely crafted pink floral dress.

'N-No wonder that everyone in school calls her the flower of the school… She is truly pretty.' Dewna interacted with everyone with a bright smile, her gentle personality shining through. After a bit, Halthia saw Dewna's pink eyes land on her, and her body tensed. The Alraune smiled softly at her; it was a smile slightly different from usual that made her spine tingle with unknown emotions.

"Halthia…" Dewna approached, leaning down and extending her arms to hug her.

"Thank you. I'll make sure you are happy." Halthia's face burned crimson, hotter than she'd ever felt before.

'O-Oh, Willowy Branches Above, I-I think that I won't be the same after today.'