The Misfortunes of Ervy (M.O.E.)

Ervy and the Seed

[Inspired by Kayaba Akihiko's The Seed, but nothing like SAO.]

Once upon a time, there lived a guy called Ervy.

One day, he found a seed.

It was a seed like no other, for it had strange carvings all over its outer shell.

It was so mysterious yet so fascinating.

He didn't know what seed it was, so he took it to the gardener who lived a few houses away from his own.

You see, this gardener was no ordinary gardener. Some say he was an evil wizard disguising as a frail old man. Therefore, many people warned him saying, "Stay away from that vile being, or he will turn you into dust."

But Ervy paid no heed to their warnings. He had found a friend in this eccentric old man, and he was determined to prove the townsfolk wrong. He was determined to prove the old man's harmlessness.

And so, he knocked on the wooden gate of the old man's home.

"Mr. Gardener! Mr. Gardener!" He called, his deep voice bellowing across the street as he spoke.

No sooner than a blink of an eye, the gardener was there, standing in front of him. "Oh Ervy, how nice of you to come!" He then ushered Ervy in his humble abode, and made him sit in one of the rickety chairs in his living room. "What brings you here, child?"

Ervy fished the seed out of his shorts pocket and placed it on the gardener's outstretched hand.

"I found this on my way home from school. Do you know what kind of seed this is?" He asked.

The old man studied it carefully, twisting it every which way.

And lo and behold, the seed was suddenly engulfed with a blinding yellow light. Both Ervy and the old man had to cover their eyes for a few fleeting moments before the light disappeared into thin air.

When they opened their eyes, they were surprised to see that the seed was floating a few centimeters above the old man's palm, with yellow swirls surrounding its outer shell.

The old man gasped. "This is 'The Seed'!"

"'The Seed'?"

"Yes. It is a very important item passed down to the inhabitants of this land. It is said to have chosen a special person every 1,086 years. And it seems it has chosen you."

"Me? What do I do with it?"

"Eat it."

When Ervy heard the old man's reply, he couldn't help but laugh. First it was just silent chuckles, then audible snickers, and finally, full-blown laughter. He was laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face, and he wasn't able to breathe properly. His jaw hurt, his stomach hurt, yet he laughed his heart out. What a silly thought that was! Who in their right mind would ever eat a glowing, floating seed?

However, the old man stared at him intensely, a serious look painted across his wrinkled face. It was as if he was tearing his whole being apart with just his gaze, and Ervy was forced to pipe down.

He couldn't be serious about eating it, could he?

But as Ervy stared and stared, he realized that the old man was by no means joking.

A horrible, sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he began to doubt himself whether he knew the old man enough to prove that he was as harmless as he originally thought he was. What if the townsfolk were right all along?

Ervy suddenly regretted his decision to come over that day. Seed or no, he was willing to get out of this place faster than you can say 'RUN!'.

A few moments passed, and neither of them spoke nor moved.