Star-Lore

Chapter 58: Second Sun



The Floranian city was quiet too quiet.

Bobo walked alone through the empty wooden street, looking around with his usual curious eyes. There were flower vines hanging from every roof, and glowing lights gently danced in the air. But not a single person in sight.

"Helloooo?" Bobo called out, waving at no one.

He stopped in front of a small food shop made out of wood and vines. The sign had pictures of leaves and something that looked like bread. Bobo peeked inside. No one there either.

"Huh. Free waffes?"

He reached into a basket and pulled out something soft, green, and squishy. Without thinking, he popped it into his mouth.

A second later, his face froze.

His eyes widened.

His cheeks puffed.

Then,

"BLEHHHH!" he spat it out and jumped back, waving his tongue in the air like it was on fire.

"That tastes like wet socks and snail jam!!" he shouted.

"...That's not for eating raw," said a calm voice behind him.

Bobo spun around.

A small Floranian boy stood there, looking at him with curious green eyes. His leafy hair was tied back messily, and his skin had tiny sprouts on his arms, but no flower.

"You're one of the guests, aren't you?" the boy asked.

Bobo blinked. "Uhhh… maybe? Who's asking?"

"My name's Ako," he said, stepping closer. "My mom told me some outsiders arrived today. She said one of them was a human. Are you a human?"

Bobo rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I was. I mean, I am. Yeah."

Ako smiled. "My mom said humans and Floranians were always good friends in the old stories. I'm sorry about your home."

Bobo looked down. His smile faded a little. "Yeah. Earth kinda went boom."

Ako nodded, gently. "So… you're from Neo, right?"

Bobo hesitated. He didn't want to lie, but he also remembered what Lyra and the others told him, don't reveal the truth.

So he gave a crooked, silly grin.

"Yup! Neo, uh… Neo Home! That's me!"

Ako didn't question it. "Cool."

The silence hung between them for a moment, then Ako looked back at the temple in the far distance.

"I'm trying to get inside the ceremony," he said. "But kids aren't allowed. So I've been trying to peek over the wall."

Bobo nodded. "Me too. I got lost.

Ako looked around, then leaned closer. "I know a secret path behind the temple. It leads into the ceremony hall. No one uses it. Want to come?"

Bobo's eyes lit up. "YES. Secret tunnels are like… the best tunnels."

They started walking quietly toward the back side of the temple, where vines thickened and the buildings were lower. The air smelled like fresh leaves and old wood.

Ako glanced sideways. "You don't seem scared."

Bobo shrugged. "I forgot how to be scared. Or maybe I never knew."

Ako didn't know what that meant, but he kept walking anyway..

Ako moved ahead quietly, carefully slipping through the narrow gaps between wooden buildings. Bobo followed close behind, trying to walk like a spy but he stepped on every twig and crunchy leaf possible.

The air behind the temple felt different. Cooler. Quieter. Shadows from tall wooden structures stretched long across the sandy path. Ivy hung from rooftops like slow-moving waterfalls.

They passed a small closed theatre built from woven roots. On its wall, a giant poster hung loosely, fluttering in the breeze. It showed a Floranian hero with glowing petals bursting from his back, standing tall with a sharp green blade in his hand. Below him, a glowing city in flames.

Bobo stopped and tilted his head.

"Whoa… plant movies," he whispered to himself.

They turned a corner and reached a part of the city that seemed... older. The buildings were worn down, roots cracked and exposed, like this place hadn't been touched in years. Lanterns hung dimly from bent wooden poles, casting golden light over the sand.

As they moved further, the path narrowed into a thin wooden walkway built over a slope. The drop below wasn't deep, but thick roots filled the space like giant snakes sleeping beneath the floor.

The walkway curved… and then opened into a wide space behind the temple.

That's when Bobo stopped walking.

Ahead of them stood the giant flower.

It rose behind the temple like a second sun. Its petals slowly opened and closed breathing glowing with soft golden light. A faint humming filled the air, almost like the flower was singing in a voice too old to understand. It pulsed gently, and as it did, small sparks of pollen floated into the sky, catching the last bits of the day's sunlight.

Bobo stared with wide eyes.

Even he knew this wasn't just some normal flower.

The path to the temple wasn't just a shortcut

now. It felt like a path into another world.

Bobo, still awestruck by the glowing flower, suddenly snapped out of it when his foot hit a slippery mushroom and he stumbled. He grabbed a vine to steady himself and looked around, cheeks puffed.

"Stupid roots."

Ako signaled him to be quiet as they got close to the temple wall.

They were nearly there.

But something… was waiting on the other side.

And the flower behind them, slowly pulsing like a giant heartbeat, watched in silence.


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