Noah woke to the faint glow of green light pulsing overhead.
For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was—or what had happened. His body felt heavy, his head thick as fog. The light came from a single mushroom fixed to the ceiling, its surface glowing softly like a lantern made of jelly.
He blinked several times, trying to sit up. That's when he felt it: his hands were bound behind his back, wrists wrapped tight in what felt like vines.
Panic jolted through him.He twisted, tugging at the bindings, but they were strong and strangely warm—alive, even, faintly pulsing against his skin.
He was lying on a floor of compacted moss. The walls around him were made of woven bark and roots, the air damp and earthy. He craned his neck toward the only exit—a barred door of sticks and twined vines, knotted tightly across the frame.
"Hello?" he called, his voice echoing faintly."Is… anyone there?"
No answer. Just the soft drip of water somewhere beyond the walls.
He struggled to his knees and shuffled toward the door. Through the small gaps between the vines, he caught a glimpse of movement—a flicker of light, a shadow shifting. The space beyond glowed faintly, like a cave lit by fireflies.
Where am I? he thought. Underground?
The last thing he remembered was the beam of moonlight—the gnome's eyes blazing white—the dizzying sense of falling. Then nothing.
He swallowed hard, the memory returning in fragments."Okay," he muttered under his breath. "So either I'm dreaming… or I just got kidnapped by a bunch of magical mushrooms."
Footsteps echoed—soft, rhythmic, approaching.
Noah froze. Two shadows appeared beyond the door, silhouettes against the dim green glow. As they stepped closer, the light revealed their shapes—and Noah's jaw nearly hit the ground.
They were tiny people.
Their ears pointed like petals, their eyes bright like drops of amber. Their armor was made from overlapping layers of pressed bark and dried flower petals, and each carried a spear tipped with a sharp thorn.
One was round and rosy-cheeked, his helmet slightly tilted; the other tall and wiry, posture straight as a reed.
Noah's breath caught. "You're… real," he whispered. "The Gardenlings… you actually exist."
The chubby one—Flint—puffed out his chest, gripping his spear like a broomstick.
Flint: "Identify yourself, creature! What are you, and how did you breach the lower roots?"
The taller one, Stone, frowned, his tone sharper.
Stone: "Or perhaps you're a Blight spy—sent to crawl through the soil and poison the gates."
Noah blinked, completely lost.
Noah: "The… what?"
Both guards paused, exchanging a glance.
Flint (muttering): "He doesn't even know the Blight."Stone: "Impossible. Every living thing under the soil knows the Blight."
They lowered their spears slightly, curiosity mingling with suspicion.Flint stepped closer, squinting.
Flint: "Looks soft. No carapace. Barely any bark. Definitely not one of ours."Stone: "Could be mutated."
Noah shook his head frantically.
Noah: "No, no, no—I'm not… whatever you think I am! I'm a human!"
The two stared at him. Then, simultaneously, they burst out laughing.
Flint actually had to lean on his spear to stay upright.
Flint (between laughs): "A human? You? That's rich! Humans are giants! Sky-walkers! They could crush ten of us with one step!"Stone (smirking): "If you're a human, then I'm Queen Petaline's personal flowerpot."
Noah: "I'm serious! I was full-sized before! Then this… moonlight thing happened—and—and the gnome shot me with a beam, and—"
Flint's laughter faltered. Stone's eyes narrowed slightly.
Stone: "The Guardian?"Noah (nodding quickly): "Yes! The gnome! It came to life! There was a circle and runes and—then I shrank and fell through a hole!"
The guards looked at each other again. Their expressions had changed—still skeptical, but thoughtful now.
Flint (slowly): "You're saying the old Guardian opened the gate for you?"Stone: "Only those chosen by the moon can enter that way. If it's true… then you're not just any creature."
Noah (quietly): "I told you. I'm human."
Silence hung between them, broken only by the sound of water dripping from a vine.
The guards began whispering in low tones, occasionally glancing back at Noah. He couldn't catch their words, but their skepticism was clear from their looks.
Desperate, he added, "I'm not lying. My grandfather… he's been here before. His name was Oak Little."
The reaction was immediate.
Both guards froze. Stone's spear lowered. Flint's mouth fell open.
Stone (softly): "Oak Little?"Flint (stammering): "You mean—the Oak? The wanderer? The mapmaker?"Stone: "The one who charted the root tunnels and brought us the sky seeds…"Flint (grinning): "He's a legend!"
They stepped closer, staring at Noah as though seeing him for the first time.Flint tilted his head. "You know… he does have the same eyes."
Stone (nodding): "And the same confused expression."
Noah exhaled, relief flooding him. "So you knew him?"
Flint: "Knew him? He saved our hides more than once! Half the kingdom's maps are copied from his sketches!"Stone: "He vanished seasons ago. No one ever found out why."
Noah: "He was my grandfather. He disappeared from the surface too… but he left clues—notes about this place. That's how I found you."
The guards exchanged a look of disbelief that melted slowly into cautious respect.
Stone leaned on his spear, voice quieter now.
Stone: "So why come here, small human? Curiosity alone doesn't drag someone through the moon gate."
Noah swallowed, unsure how to explain. "It's… hard to say this, but the garden—the land above—it's in danger. A man named Jimmy Reeds wants to take our house. My grandmother and I will lose everything in two days if we can't pay."
Flint frowned, confused. "Pay?"
Noah: "There's treasure my grandfather found—rubies. He said he gave them to your people for safekeeping."
The name ruby seemed foreign to them, but treasure was clear enough.
Stone (uneasy): "And if you don't recover it?"Noah: "Then they'll destroy the garden to build something else. Houses. Roads. Machines. And when the garden goes…"
He hesitated.
Noah (softly): "…everything beneath it might die too."
The two Gardenlings stared at him, silent. The color drained from their faces—or perhaps the mushrooms just dimmed for a moment.
Flint (quietly): "If the upper soil dies… so do the roots."Stone: "Then this isn't a matter for guards. The King must hear this."
Stone reached for the vines binding Noah's wrists. They retracted at his touch, slithering away like obedient snakes. Noah flexed his hands, the skin red where the ropes had held him.
Stone: "You're free. But don't mistake that for trust."Flint (grinning): "Aye, we're not that foolish."
Noah nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
Flint stepped forward to unlock the vine door. As it slid open, Noah stepped toward the exit, brushing his hand lightly along the frame. The moment he touched it—snap!
The vine-wood shattered under his grip, the top half dangling loosely.
All three froze.
Flint: "By the roots!"Stone (staring): "That was ironvine."Flint: "You can't even dent that with a hammer beetle!"Noah (stammering): "I—I didn't mean to! It must've been old, right?"
The two guards exchanged a long look. Flint's eyes widened.
Flint: "You sure you're not part beetle?"Stone (narrowing his eyes): "Or part titan."
They both tightened their grips on their spears. Noah raised his hands in surrender.
Noah: "I swear! I didn't mean to!"
The tension broke when Flint burst into laughter.
Flint: "Well, at least if something attacks, we can throw him at it."Stone (sighing): "Just… don't touch anything else."
Flint took the lead, waddling slightly as he walked; Stone followed behind Noah, his long shadow stretching across the tunnel wall.
The corridor beyond the cell was narrow and dim, carved from living wood that seemed to breathe softly with every step. Faint veins of bioluminescent moss ran along the ceiling, casting a pale green glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The air was cool and heavy, filled with the scent of damp soil and old roots. Their footsteps echoed softly against the earthen floor.
They passed through archways formed by twisting roots, their surfaces slick with dew. Each turn led them deeper, the passage winding like the veins of a great tree.
Noah could see only fragments of the world ahead—occasional glimmers of light, a distant hum of movement—but never clearly enough to make sense of it. Everything felt vast yet enclosed, alive yet ancient.
Noah (whispering): "Where are you taking me?"Flint (grinning over his shoulder): "Somewhere brighter. You'll see soon enough."Stone: "Keep your pace steady. The King doesn't like to be kept waiting."Flint (muttering): "And neither do I when my supper's getting cold."
Noah managed a faint smile, though his chest still felt tight. The corridor curved once more, and ahead he saw a glow—not the green of mushrooms this time, but a warm golden light, faint but growing stronger with each step.
As they drew closer, the fear that had gripped him since the fall began to fade.It wasn't gone, not completely—but something new stirred in its place.
Wonder.