Heart Fruit Festival

The soft morning light streamed through the crystal windows of the Botanist Guild’s greenhouse, casting gentle sparkles across the long tables lined with oddly shaped fruits, freshly gathered from the forest the night before.

A young woman in a long white cloak stood there,
Her posture was graceful, as if she were part of the quiet scenery itself.

Selene, the Botanist Master, murmured softly to herself. Her slender fingers guided the pen across her notes in neat lines, each letter precise and orderly, almost like printed text.

The Keystone at the tip of her pen flashed faintly. The words she had just written vanished in an instant, all the data being recorded directly into her memory.

Beside her, Yggdra floated quietly with her eyes closed as usual. The vivid sprout atop her head glowed softly, as if it were listening to her words with care.

Selene took a deep, steady breath.

She lifted her gaze toward her partner puff.
Her pale green eyes reflected the faint light of dawn.

Yggdra remained still, eyes gently shut, the corners of her mouth curving up just slightly, as the soft glow from its round body grew a little brighter.

Like a silent answer, one that Selene had long grown familiar with.

Before long, Pufflings and Seekers began to fill the guild plaza. The murmuring voices gradually faded as Selene stepped forward.

The surrounding atmosphere slowly fell silent.

She stood straight, her posture composed, her gaze calm and dignified, the familiar image of the Botanist Master everyone knew.

However, on the inside...

Yggdra hovered just behind her. A warm light gently spread from her round body,

as if quietly telling her, It’s okay, Selene… I’m right here with you.

Selene spoke in her usual calm, steady tone.

A wave of excited murmurs rose at once. Many Pufflings bounced with joy. The festival everyone had been waiting for has finally arrived once again.

Selene remained standing there, her heart pounding far faster than her composed expression revealed.

She whispered so softly it was almost only for herself to hear.

Beneath her elegant and almost princess-like exterior, there was only one who truly knew— just how shy and unsure she could be.

As the final traces of winter’s chill slowly fade, and the sunlight begins to grow warm in early February, the land of Puff Kingdom enters a special season known to all as “Heart-Shift.”

During this time, the magic slumbering beneath the earth gently awakens, flowing through roots, through soil, through ripening tubers and wild fruits, before bringing about sudden physical changes.

Plants of many kinds begin to shift in form and color, transforming into bright, heart-shaped fruits, brimming with vitality. They carry a gentle sweetness, with rich nectar hidden within. People call them—Heart Fruit.

No one knows for certain how this phenomenon first came to be. They only know that Heart-Shift visits but once each year, and every time it does, the land fills with excitement and anticipation.

When news of Heart-Shift spreads, Puffs begin their journeys into the forests surrounding Puff Kingdom, seeking out Heart Fruit to taste and share with one another.

In the past, these journeys were usually limited to nearby areas. But in the era when Seekers came to live alongside the Puffs, the scope of exploration expanded far beyond what it once was.

The sight of Pufflings and Seekers preparing together, heading out joyfully to gather Heart Fruit, has become a familiar scene at this time every year.

This year, Selene once again set out in search of Heart Fruit with Yggdra, just as she did every year. Though she was now a Botanist Master, she was still too shy to join the larger groups.

Selene said softly as they walked side by side.

Yggdra drifted slowly at her side, then replied in her usual gentle, unhurried voice.

Selene let out a small, relieved laugh.

The faint scent of certain plants drifted along with the breeze, unconsciously carrying Selene back into the past. The images in her memory gradually surfaced, becoming clearer with each breath.

A small garden hidden behind her family’s mansion, a quiet corner rarely visited by the servants, was one of the few places where a young girl in an expensive lace dress could take off her shoes, walk barefoot across the cool, damp soil, without worrying about muddying the hem of her skirt.

There, she didn’t have to smile out of courtesy.
She didn’t have to stand straight the way her tutors had taught her.
She didn’t have to recite polite phrases she had memorized by heart.

Selene grew up in a wealthy family that dealt in the trade of ancient artifacts. Within that mansion, everything had already been decided in advance

the clothes she was meant to wear, the posture she was expected to maintain, the words she should use at banquets, and even—love.

Then, one day
She found Yggdra in the form of a weakened young sprout, mixed in among the crates of goods in the artifact warehouse.

Yggdra had lost almost all of her memories. She could only vaguely recall that she had used magic to transform herself into a tuber in order to survive before she accidentally got shipped out of Puff Kingdom.

Selene secretly took the tiny sprout home and raised her in a pot, watering and caring for her. until she slowly recovered and grew strong once more.

And while researching the ancient tomes of her family, she came across the name of a legendary plant—

Dragon Mandrake, a plant said to be born from the breath of dragons, and rumored to be able to brew a medicine that could restore lost memories.

From that moment on, a small dream was born in her heart that one day she would find it for Yggdra’s sake.

But then…
the breaking point arrived,
like something straight out of the melodramatic novels she used to read.

Selene was arranged into a political marriage, meant to bind trade relations with another powerful family.

That very night
She decided to take Yggdra, who’s still in the form of a tiny sprout, and flee from the mansion.

Her heart trembled with fear, and with a courage she had never known she possessed

For the first time in her life, she had “chosen” her own future.

Yggdra’s gentle voice sounded beside her, pulling her back from the past.

She gave a small nod.

Selene lowered her gaze slightly.

Yggdra smiled softly, the same gentle smile she had worn since the day they first met.

Selene closed her eyes for a brief moment.

She tightened her grip on her cloak just a little, letting the memories slowly fade away, carried off with one long, quiet breath.

Heart-shaped particles drifted down from time to time, floating along the breeze like delicate flower petals. It was a sign that the underground magic was nearing its peak.

The two of them walked deep into a forest they had never passed through before, seeming to have completely forgotten about the Heart Fruit.

They kept walking, and then suddenly realized that Selene and Yggdra were standing near ancient ruins covered in creeping vines.

Selene glanced around warily.

Yggdra closed her eyes for a moment, as if listening to something no one else could hear.

All of a sudden, the magic beneath the ground shifted violently. The air grew warm enough to be felt at their fingertips.

Yggdra abruptly stopped.
The light within her round body flared brightly, as if responding to something very close by.

Her voice was soft, before her small body drifted into the ruins, as though guided by an unseen pull.

The magic here was so dense that Selene could feel a faint tremor beneath her feet. She followed Yggdra carefully, step by step. Her heart pounded harder with every pace forward. Then the sight before her took her breath away.

In the open clearing within the ruins, there was a circular patch etched into the ground, like a scorched mark. The vines and plants around it could not come near the area at all.

That sight…
matched the records in the ancient texts perfectly.

Selene’s voice fell to a whisper.

Her heart throbbed painfully with the hope she had carried for so long.

She murmured to herself without pause.

While Selene trembled with excitement, Yggdra stood still, gazing absentmindedly at the surrounding ruins, as if this place had stirred something deep within her.

Fragments of memory surfaced in her mind. Faint images of an ancient forest and a sacred site appeared, then faded away like smoke.

At that moment,
The heart-shaped particle grew denser. A soft pink glow filled the area. The surrounding magic surged like waves crashing against the shore.

Selene dropped to her knees without thinking.
Her bare hands pressed into the searing ground.
A wave of heat surged up at once, yet she did not pull away.

She dug into the ground with her bare hands until the tip of a blood-red root appeared. The head of the Dragon Mandrake burned as hot as a flame.

Selene grasped it tightly with both hands and pulled with all her strength. Yggdra snapped back to her senses and quickly floated over to help.

The many branching roots, shaped like dragon horns, made it hard to pull free, but neither of them gave up.

Just a little more…

Just a little more, and it would come loose.

But then,
The root before them began to tremble.

Its structure warped.
The surrounding magic gathered into fine threads, flowing irresistibly toward its core.

Selene felt as though time itself had been stretched thin across the world.

She cried out with all her might, as if her voice could halt the transformation.

But everything continued in silence.

The vivid red root that had spread wide began to dissolve.
Warm light gathered into the shape of a heart.
And at last, the Dragon Mandrake vanished,
leaving only a softly glowing Heart Fruit before them.

Selene sank down slowly.
Her fingertips brushed the earth, still warm with the power of Heart-Shift.

She let out a small laugh, like someone trying not to cry, then gently lifted the Heart Fruit and held it close to her chest.

It was softly warm,
warm enough to tell her that
This was no one’s fault.
It was simply the world's timing that did not align with her hopes.

She spoke softly, as if asking both Yggdra and herself.

As night slowly draped itself over the forest, Selene and Yggdra made their way back toward Puff Town along the same path. Heart-shaped particles still drifted lazily in the air, as if gently seeing them off.

That night,
The two of them stopped to rest by the roadside.
Selene took out the Heart Fruit and prepared a simple meal.
A sweet fragrance spread throughout the area.

She hesitantly offered a small bowl to Yggdra.

Yggdra took a bite, fell silent for a moment, then made a slight grimace.

Selene let out an awkward, embarrassed laugh.

But then Yggdra fell quiet, as if something had just occurred to her.

Selene froze for a moment,
then gave a shy smile and turned her face away slightly.
No answer was needed.
That smile said everything.

The two of them sat in silence, watching the heart-shaped particles drifting across the night sky. A soft pink glow reflected in Selene’s eyes.

She said softly.

Yggdra looked at her with understanding, then spoke in her gentle voice.

Those words seemed to open a door in her heart.

Selene could no longer hold it back.
Tears streamed down her face even as she tried to smile.
A soft sob escaped her lips before it turned into real crying.

Her sobbing echoed through the forest.
She hugged Yggdra tightly, her face a mess of tears and sniffles,
while the warm light from Yggdra’s round body quietly wrapped around her.

Yggdra said slowly

Selene looked up in confusion.

Those words left Selene silent, her heart warming little by little.

Selene said, trying to play it off, her eyes still red.

Yggdra slowly shook her head.

That night
After Yggdra had fallen asleep, Selene sat gazing up at the sky where heart-shaped petals drifted alongside the stars.

Deep in her heart, she smiled quietly at her own feelings.

She felt a small, secret happiness in knowing that her journey had not ended here.

And if she needed some kind of ‘excuse’ so that she could keep traveling together with Yggdra.

Then she wants to hold on to the hope of the Dragon Mandrake as an excuse
for a little while longer….