After spending an entire afternoon working, Vinson's Plantation finally welcomed a new addition—a well-grown elm tree. It was obvious at a glance that this tree had been transplanted by Lupin from somewhere mysterious, though Lupin refused to say where.
At the same time, Vinson's Growth Potion was finally completed. After the branch from the mutated elm tree was added, the potion displayed a strangely unstable state; the liquid churned like a swirling thundercloud. When Vinson poured the finished mixture into a glass bottle, he could clearly see tiny lightning arcs flickering within the dark-purple liquid, emitting faint crackling sounds.
"Are you sure that's a potion?" Lupin asked skeptically. He leaned closer, eyeing the bottle as though it might detonate at any moment. "Because it looks like it's getting ready to explode."
"You'd better hope it doesn't," Vinson replied with a shrug. Without hesitation, he poured the contents of the bottle into a bucket of water.
The moment the potion mixed with the water, the area was filled with a metallic, blood-tinged scent. The surface of the liquid rippled strangely, and faint thunder rolled from within the bucket. At the same time, the freshly transplanted elm tree reacted at once. Several of its branches bent slightly in the direction of the potion, as if craving the mixture.
"So… what exactly is this bucket of potion for?" Lupin folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, utterly confused.
"Simply put," Vinson explained as he moved toward the tree, "this potion can turn ordinary plants into magical plants."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You'll see soon enough." Vinson sprinkled the potion-infused water evenly around the tree's roots.
However, the dramatic reaction they expected didn't occur. Instead, the entire Plantation suddenly became still. The elm tree froze in place, unmoving, as if struck by Petrificus Totalus.
"Uh… maybe it failed?" Lupin muttered, frowning at the inert tree.
Vinson ignored him, quietly whispering, "Eldera."
A line of text appeared before his eyes:
[Type: Elm Tree]
[Level: 1]
[Status: Growing (1%)]
The counter began to tick higher—1%, 2%, 3%…
Seeing the numbers steadily rise, Vinson let out the breath he'd been holding. The potion was working after all.
They waited in silence for several long minutes, until the progress neared completion. But before the elm tree could fully transform, the environment itself reacted.
The weather abruptly changed.
Dark clouds rolled in unnaturally fast, as though pulled by an invisible hand. Within moments, they gathered above the Plantation, forming a heavy, oppressive canopy.
"This isn't a natural phenomenon," Lupin murmured, staring up at the sky with knitted brows.
Vinson felt the disturbance as well. The clouds stopped directly above the elm tree, refusing to drift anywhere else. Before either of them could speak, a blinding flash tore through the sky.
A bolt of blue-white lightning struck downward with pinpoint precision, slamming into the elm tree's trunk.
BOOM!
The impact filled the Plantation with searing white light, and the air instantly smelled of burning wood. Vinson and Lupin stumbled back in shock.
When the glare faded and they regained their senses, the elm tree before them had changed dramatically.
Its once lush, green leaves had been reduced to ash. The trunk was scorched black, riddled with charred cracks. Several branches hung limp, and faint arcs of blue-white electricity danced along the bark. It looked exactly like a tree that had been struck dead by lightning.
Vinson stared silently for several seconds before sighing deeply. "Damn it…" He rubbed his temples in frustration. His previous elm tree had died exactly like this.
He had fully expected another failure.
But then he noticed something—despite its burned appearance, the tree was still alive.
Another line appeared:
[Type: Lightning-Struck Wood]
[Level: 2]
[Characteristics: Thunderstorm Summon, Lightning Attraction]
[Status: Growing (0%)]
Not only had the elm tree survived, but it had successfully evolved. Moreover, it gained a second trait—Lightning Attraction—something Vinson had never seen before.
The sky rumbled again. The dark clouds continued to gather instead of dispersing, swirling as if the tree itself were pulling them in. Lightning flickered inside the clouds, illuminating the Plantation in sporadic bursts.
A second bolt of lightning crashed down onto the newly transformed Lightning-Struck Wood.
This time, however, the tree didn't suffer at all. Instead, it absorbed the lightning as though drinking water. Blue light filled the cracks of its bark, slowly repairing the damaged surface. Vinson could sense its vitality growing stronger by the second.
So this was the ability of Lightning Attraction.
The thunderstorm intensified. Wind whipped through the Plantation, making Lupin's robe snap loudly in the air. His hat flew away, but he didn't bother chasing it. Shouting over the roar of the storm, he yelled, "Vinson! What's happening? Is this normal?"
"Relax! It'll be over soon!" Vinson called back, though even he could barely hear himself over the booming thunder.
Before he could finish speaking, the clouds above twisted violently. A silver-white figure burst out from within the storm, accompanied by a sharp crack of thunder.
A Thunderbird.
Vinson's eyes widened. He instinctively glanced toward the suitcase where he'd kept the juvenile Thunderbird. The suitcase lay open—at some unknown point, the magical creature had escaped.
The young Thunderbird zipped joyfully between the dark clouds, completely at home amidst the lightning. Bursts of electricity flared around it as it chirped and trilled, weaving in and out of the thunderous sky. For a moment, the entire Plantation glittered with light.
"Trouble," Vinson muttered. He hadn't even established a bond with the creature yet. If it flew away…
He immediately rushed toward the Lightning-Struck Wood, placing a hand against its trunk.
"Stop."
Plants influenced by Vinson's magic usually understood his commands to a degree. And indeed, once the word left his mouth, the dark clouds began to thin. The thunder gradually weakened until the sky finally cleared.
The Thunderbird, now done with its storm-play, hovered in the air for a moment before gliding gently back to Vinson. It brushed its head against his arm affectionately.
"Looks like Roskin trained you well," Vinson said with a relieved grin as he reached out to smooth the creature's damp feathers.
Lupin, who had been standing there speechless, finally found his voice. "Is that… is that really a Thunderbird?"
"Yeah," Vinson replied proudly. "See how obedient it is?"
Lupin could only manage a helpless smile. There was definitely something strange about this Plantation. First a dragon, now a Thunderbird. What on earth would Vinson bring back next? A family of Acromantulas?
And judging by past experience, the responsibility of feeding this Thunderbird would probably fall on him, just as caring for the dragon Torch had.
Because Vinson, as always, wouldn't bother.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427