Episode 3: Bananas Give Me Vine Whips
903 Words
Lin Xiaoman catches the bananas instinctively.
Her hands move faster than her mind, peeling three bananas at once and shoving them into her mouth.
The sweet flesh slides down her throat—and instantly turns into a burning warm current that explodes through her entire body.
Before, eating fruit only made her feel full and energetic. But this time, the current carries an unprecedented power, rushing through her veins. Her senses sharpen a hundred times. The man's lunge, which looked fast a second ago, now moves like a snail in her eyes.
Even crazier: the banana peels she just threw in the trash can suddenly come alive. They grow longer and thicker, turning into a dozen tough vines that shoot out and wrap around the man, tying him up so tight he can't move.
The vines squeeze his muscles until they deform, making it hard for him to even breathe.
The man's eyes bulge out of his head. "Impossible! You just awakened! How can you control plants already?! This can't be happening!"
Lin Xiaoman stares at her hands, shocked.
It's true. It's all true. She really is an elf. Eating fruit really gives her powers.
Just then, the tied-up man roars like a wild animal. His muscles bulge, veins popping out all over his body.
"AAAHHH—!"
He strains with all his might, and with a series of cracking sounds, the tough banana vines snap one by one!
His eyes turn even redder, and the smell of blood around him becomes almost unbearable. He moves twice as fast as before, swinging his knife at Lin Xiaoman's head. "So what if you awakened? You're just a newborn cub! I'll eat you in one bite!"
Lin Xiaoman's mind races. Her eyes scan the bedside table—there's a fruit basket with grapes, mangoes, watermelons, and a big bag of fresh grape seeds.
She doesn't hesitate. She grabs a handful of grape seeds, shoves them into her mouth, and crunches them up.
An even more powerful surge of life force floods her body. She flicks her hand at the man, and a green light flashes from her fingertips. She says a word she doesn't even understand, a word that comes from deep in her blood.
The grape seeds she just ate instantly sprout and grow in front of the man. Hundreds of thorny grape vines burst out of the floor, wrapping around his arms and legs. The thorns pierce his skin, and he screams in pain. The vines drain his strength, and the more he struggles, the weaker he gets. Soon, he's pinned to the wall, completely helpless.
"No... impossible..." The man gasps, his voice full of despair. "How can you be this strong..."
Lin Xiaoman gasps for breath, staring at her hands. Her heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's going to jump out of her chest.
This is insane.
Eat bananas = binding vines. Eat grape seeds = thorny grape vines.
What if she eats a durian? Would she get impenetrable armor? What about a watermelon? A shield that can stop any axe?
Just then, her grandmother smiles weakly from the bed, patting her hand. "Good girl... you're truly our clan's pure blood... you awakened the wood life force instantly..."
She explains the truth of the world to Lin Xiaoman.
Everyone looks like ordinary humans who eat everything. But deep in our blood, we all carry the marks of ancient clans. And the easiest way to tell which clan someone belongs to is by what they love to eat.
In ancient times, when spiritual energy was abundant, clans ate only what their bloodline required. Food determined talent, and talent divided clans. As spiritual energy faded, most bloodlines diluted, and people became omnivorous. Only a few pure-blood descendants still retain their ancient diets and powers.
There are five elements, and ten core clans, split between the Plant Alliance and the Beast Alliance. Wood has Fresh Fruit Elves and Grass Beasts, Fire has Spice Peppers and Blood Beasts, Earth has Earth Grains and Digging Rocks, Metal has Golden Flowers and Sharp Metals, Water has Water Algae and Ocean Waters.
"Our Fresh Fruit Elf Clan was the royal family of the Plant Alliance," her grandmother says, her voice getting weaker. "But a hundred years ago, the Blood Beast Clan and the Sharp Metal Clan joined forces and attacked our sacred land. Almost everyone was killed. You're the last pure-blood descendant."
"They hunt us because our flesh has the purest life essence. Eating us can break their bloodline limits and fix their flaws."
Before she can finish, sirens wail outside. Heavy footsteps run down the hallway.
The man pinned to the wall snarls, spitting blood. "Lucky for you! The Plant Alliance people are here! Lin Xiaoman, right? The Blood Beast Clan will never let you go! We'll come back for you!"
He explodes into a cloud of blood mist, breaking free of the grape vines. He jumps out the broken window and disappears into the night.
A second later, the hospital door opens.
A woman in a red dress walks in, eating a chili pepper like it's candy. A man follows her, carrying a basket of fresh strawberries. He smiles at Lin Xiaoman gently:
"Hello, Lin Xiaoman. We're from the Plant Alliance Clan Management Bureau. We've been looking for you for a long time—the last pure-blood descendant of the Fresh Fruit Elf Clan."
- Writer
