A vibrant, deep yellow glow emanated from Reena's hands, pulsating with an undeniable vitality. In a fascinating display, the cotton buds throughout the field sprung to life, separating from their rooted plants as if choreographed in advance. They followed a synchronized dance, propelled by an invisible current, guided by the sway of Reena's hand. Once Reena ensured that every single bud took to the air, not one left behind, she exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, follow my lead. And remember, no fighting!" With those words, she led the airborne cotton buds towards a sprawling wooden cart positioned at the periphery of the cotton farm.
As they settled onto the cart, Reena deactivated her gift, her eyes shifting towards the two young men assigned the task of transporting the cotton back to the work huts. "That should do it," she remarked, observing their nod of acknowledgement and their exchange of glances.
The first boy, his shoulder-length black hair swaying gently, firmly gripped the two handles used to propel the cart forward. Glancing at the other young man seated behind him on the cart, with short-cut crimson hair, he asked, "Are you ready?" A determined nod confirmed the readiness of his companion, who extended his left arm forward, activating his gift. As if responding to his actions, the cart elevated a few inches above the ground, with the other young man clutching tightly to avoid any untimely falls.
With a swift cautionary note, "Hold on tight!" the young man with crimson hair flicked his hand forward. In an instant, the cart surged forward, hurtling with astonishing speed that threatened to dislodge the cotton buds. Yet, miraculously, they clung to the cart as if magically glued in place. Reena and Melta stood there, their eyes locked on the spectacle until the cart and its intrepid riders vanished from view, carried away by the swift current of their journey.
"Come on, let's head to the next section and lend a hand. You won't believe what happened to the newcomers from this year's awakening ceremony. They were actually chased away by some tree nymphs who apparently wanted to gather flowers but ended up trampling over the herbs in the process," Melta chuckled, reminiscing about her own initial fear of the tree nymphs when she first joined. While most of them were too intimidating to joke around with, there was still a significant number of them who were friendly and gentle enough to offer assistance on the farm.
Reena shook her head disapprovingly and questioned, "But have you informed the caretakers about this first?".
Melta snorted in response to Reena's remark and retorted, "We don't need to inform anyone." She quickly lowered her voice, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, and continued, "Listen, I have a plan, alright? If we want to secure your promotion, what better way than to rescue the newcomers and impress them in the process? Besides, I've heard that this year's awakening students get along really well with Mrs Shani. So, if you manage to earn their gratitude by helping them, who knows? They might sing your praises in front of Mrs Shani, and once she hears of it, we can be sure that one of the caretakers will surely approve your promotion." Melta concluded her explanation with a sly smile playing on her lips.
After all, with the two young men returning together after an argument, it would be a tough battle for Reena to secure her promotion without taking active steps. She didn't want to wait for several more months before another opportunity arose.
Reena shook her head, a sense of defeat washing over her. "One of them has the gift to manipulate and propel objects, while the other can enhance his body weight up to a certain limit," she explained, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Now that they're reunited and working together on the cart to transport the harvest to the work huts, they'll be able to cover multiple sections of the farm in a single day and earn the recognition of everyone. It's as if they already have a head start to impress the caretakers," Reena admitted, realizing that she had to let go of her aspirations for this month's promotion and wait for the next opportunity. The tone of her voice revealed her resignation, as she knew deep down that the two young men had a better chance of securing the promotion than she did.
Observing Reena's defeated demeanour, Melta's frustration ignited, causing her to grasp Reena's hand and pull her forward toward the area where the newcomers were assigned. "Listen up! If you get promoted, that means there's a chance for me to get promoted as well. I refuse to wait for the next promotion and delay my own progress," Melta declared resolutely as they passed by the fields of harvested cotton plants. "So, you better snap out of it and prepare to activate your gift once again because we are going to secure this promotion, whether anyone likes it or not."
Witnessing Melta's determination, Reena reluctantly conceded, "Alright, I get it. Let's give it a try and see what happens." Melta's face lit up with a smile at Reena's response, but her joy was short-lived as Reena abruptly pulled away from her grip and halted their progress. "Wait a moment," Reena commanded. Melta paused, curious about what Reena had in mind.
Reena extended her hands, radiating a vibrant yellow glow, towards the harvested cotton plants. "Listen up, all of you. Be prepared for harvest next week, and no arguments, understood?" she declared, deactivating her gift. As if responding to her command, the cotton plants swayed in unison, bending in the opposite direction as if pulled by a mighty gust of wind. Reena couldn't help but smile briefly at the display.
"You know, if we really want to guarantee our promotions, there's another approach we can take," Melta whispered into Reena's ear, sneaking up from behind. "Why don't we go and handle the Turkic plants? I've heard they're causing trouble again." Reena vigorously shook her head, refusing the idea, and instead took hold of Melta's hand, pulling her forward. "We're going to help the newcomers. I don't want to deal with those stubborn plants."
