“Well you're kind of already doing it.”

“How?”

“I come and get you every morning at the same time and help you exercise. Then I help you get to work and from there I go on my regular patrol. I come and get you at the end of the day and you might let me do some testing. Hey how do you get to lunch?”

“I've been having a few of the sisters that work at the lab bring me back something. Mina's a lot of help there as she tends to bring Dan something to eat now that he's working with me and she brings me something as well. I swear last time I accidentally took a bight of Dan's food though and I thought my tongue was going to fall off. It surprised me later whenever even Dan seemed to be being affected by the heat.”

“Oh wow someone must have loaded that down with spice if it was able to make Dan sweet. You see it's not really a big deal.”

Joseph went silent as Maria opened up a rather light looking door. He was then going to comment whenever Maria stepped into the room and he saw the vast expanse of books. “Wow.”

“Neat huh? We've been building our collection of books since the library was constructed over a hundred years ago. The safest books are kept here. They're not really magic but there is a lot of theory in regards to magic, alchemy, philosophy there are also history books some tactical tomes oh and good stories to read as well.”

“Hm do the brothers or sisters ever write stories?”

“Yeah. Especially about notable sisters or brothers. There are also some neat fiction works.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as a thought hit him. “Fiction works. Humans seem fond of them so I shouldn't be surprised you are to. However I have to wonder. Most human works of fiction take place in far off lands or places where do your stories take place in?”

“Well most of them take place in the forest. One of the ones I remember real well was about a sister that found herself trapped in the kobold caves and desperately struggling to find her way back to the surface. It was after a mission to exterminate them.”

“Are you sure that story wasn't true?”

“Yeah it involves the ideal that we would leave a sister behind without recovering the body. I'm not saying that it's impossible but it is very unlikely.”

“I see. Hm you know you can put me down now.”

Instead of responding to Joseph's comment Maria continued to look around. “Okay I think we'll get you a copy of Licon's thesis on life magic. You also wanted to learn some more about me and my sisters I believe so we'll grab a biology book as well. It's been a while since I read those books so give me a moment to try and recall where they are. Then again I suppose it would be best to go to the directory first.” Instead of waiting for Joseph to respond Maria quickly began to sprint along.

At first Joseph had been wondering why Maria had ignored his comments. As she began to move though it became more clear why. “Maria just how massive is this place?”

“It goes down ten levels and each floor covers the same space as the art gallery if not more so. However, the further you go down the emptier things get. Last time I checked we were no where near filling the bottom floor.”

“How many books are there?”

“Well once again it's been a while but the last time I checked only seven books were considered dangerous enough to be kept on that floor.”

“Could I see those books?”

“Oh no. There isn't a chance of that at your ranking. A new brother read those books? That's just not going to happen.”

“What do they contain?”

“I have no ideal actually. I haven't been permitted to read them either.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she glanced over her shoulder back at Joseph.

“Well that is surprising. Then again so is that.” Joseph went silent as they came to the center or what he assumed to be the center of the library and noted a large opening in the floor leading further down. There were tables and chairs around the opening which were occupied by a variety of sisters and brothers. One massive desk surrounded the entire opening and he noted several keepers.

“Good day brother and sister. What brings you two here?”

In response to the keeper Maria quickly approached her. “I'm looking for a thesis on life magic by Licon and I'm also searching for the latest work on our biology. Joseph here wants to give them a read.”

“I see. Licon's work is in the white section the book you're asking for is considered sixth level and it'll be in the l section. As for the other one. Give me a moment.” As she spoke the keeper retrieved a book that was clearly meant to be handled by a keeper and began to search through the pages.

While the keeper was searching Maria set Joseph down. “I'll be right back I'm just going to go get the book.”

At first Joseph was going to respond but by the time his lips began to move Maria was already gone. After a moment of silence he turned to the keeper. “Pardon but could you tell me what system of organization you're using.”

“Sure, white means that we're dealing with life magic, the number is based on how powerful the knowledge within the tome is and finally they're organized alphabetically.”

“You mean not every book on this floor is equal?”

“No. They're organized in danger from one to ten. As this is the first floor nothing particularly dangerous is here though. Even the tenth only have basic magic spells. On the next floor though it begins again so that even the books rated as a one have some actual spells within them.”

“I see. So what does a six mean?”

“It contains no actual magic. However, the knowledge could be very easily utilized to better ones abilities. Ah hm. Well the latest book detailing our biology is actually two floors down from here.”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

A sigh escaped the keeper as she placed a hand on the desk and began to lightly tap it. “Ah well you see. Any brother or sister can borrow a book from the first level. Children aren't allowed to take any books from the second level though and someone that is on probation isn't allowed to do so either.” Once again the sister went silent and began to tap the desk rapidly. “I can allow you to take something from the third level but I'm partly responsible. If you were a rank higher there wouldn't be any problems but.”

“It's alright if you don't trust me.”

“Would you mind telling me what you need the book for?”

“I'm just curious about your biology at the moment and I need something to read while working on the life bloom. Though, the book may help me determine whether or not it's safe for you to eat the life bloom I can't guarantee it'll be of any use.”

“I see so it might help with your research but it isn't guaranteed.”

“I can vouch for him.” Maria had a wide grin on her face as she stood behind Joseph. The fact that he gave a slight jump upon her speaking only made her grin more.

A sigh escaped the keeper as she gave a nod. “That makes it so much easier. Alright Maria if you'll sign off on him having the book so that it's your responsibility to I'll gladly let him have a copy. Joseph you need to realize though that you'll both be in serious trouble if you lose this book.”

“I understand. Is there another book that's less secure?”

Before anyone else could respond Maria spoke up. “What? Why would you want to know that? You're going to be reading the good one.”

“Maria I don't see why you should take such a risk for me.”

“Oh please like there is any real risk to this. Tell me where the book is and I'll go retrieve a copy. I believe I heard you say it was two levels down from here. So what section?”

***********************************************************************************

As Maria looked at the wall she could feel her pulse quickening and she began to stomp the floor nervously. Over the last few months she'd been allowed to start growing again so that even Joseph had noticed her size increase though only when holding onto her. Now she found herself facing a problem though. She was looking at a spot on the wall that she shouldn't be eye level and yet she was. Memories of what happened the last time she grew beyond what was allowed flooded into her mind and what would happen if it was discovered that she'd grown beyond her limits.

She wasn't as large as she had been back then however she was still larger then she should be. If she was forced to go to sleep again then it would still require several years for her body to regress to a acceptable level. The thought wouldn't have been so frightening if she hadn't found herself thinking of Joseph and her sister. The last time she'd went to sleep she'd awoken to learn she had a sister who was nearly fully grown. What changes might Joseph and her sister undergo if she had to go to sleep for three or five years again?

At last Maria was able to convince her legs to stay still and she took in a deep breath. Cautiously she reached out to the spot on the wall where she'd been last allowed to grow and sunk her claw into it. She then cut a very shallow mark and elevated her claw slightly to cut a spot that was eye level. The difference in positions was far greater then she would have liked but it wasn't staggering either. Perhaps if she was careful and didn't stand next to any guardians for a month or so no one would notice her increase in height.

If she could keep her increase in size hidden long enough Maria knew that she'd be allowed to grow to that size eventually. Then she wouldn't have to worry about keeping it hidden. After all she'd only just noticed her increase in size and no one had said anything. Of course, there was also the possibility of openly telling her sisters and brothers what had happened and hoping for some forgiveness. Perhaps they wouldn't force her to go back to sleep but could come up with something else.

Which was the best though? Once again Maria found her legs beginning to move and she had to focus to keep herself still. She needed to talk to someone but it had to be someone that she trusted. Her mother was an obvious choice though she was surprised to find Joseph popping into her mind first. He was still a young brother but she knew he wouldn't talk about her growing. As Maria struggled to stay calm though another thought began to enter her head.

Just how had she added this extra height to herself? She'd been being careful about what she was eating as she had no desire to be forced to sleep again. Not all foods were equal of course even of the same type but was it possible that she'd been eating one superb specimen after another so that while the quantity was alright the quality was not?

After a moment a long sigh escaped Maria and she quickly leaped out of her window. She didn't really think about it but her legs were already moving far more quickly then normal. She didn't want to give anyone time to examine her and notice the extra height she had added. Joseph would be working on the life bloom at the moment so she couldn't go speak with him. People would here her. Her mother would be busy as well however it would be easier for Flora to quit what she was doing for the moment and go speak with her.

***********************************************************************************

“I. I can't believe this.” As Flora spoke she held Maria against herself noting how high her daughter came up on her. She still positively dwarfed her daughter but it was clear Maria was larger then she should be. “I've been checking you as often as I could.”

“I've been being careful mom. I don't know how this happened though.”

Instead of responding right away Flora bit down on her lower lip. She could already feel a pain forming in her chest distracting her from her thoughts. The ideal of Maria having to go asleep again after making such friends wasn't one she liked. “You have put on some height that isn't allowed. I've been checking you though! This shouldn't have happened.”

It actually surprised Maria to notice her mother beginning to shake. For a moment she stepped back from her. She then reached out and took hold of her hands. “Am I that far beyond what is allowed?”

“I don't know. You may be forgiven as you were only allowed to wake up so recently it may be considered too cruel to put you to sleep again. I don't know though. If we could only figure out why you'd put on this extra height and could argue that it wasn't your doing. Then I'm certain that the extra height would be forgiven. Maria you know your sister and I have been both watching out for you to try and insure you didn't slip up.”

“I haven't been eating more then I'm allowed.”

After a moment Flora gave a nod. “That is one of the reasons this is so hard. I believe you. Oh!” Once again Flora reached out and pulled her daughter against herself. “Perhaps something has changed in the environment. We need to check around try and figure out what happened. Maybe you've been exposed to some magic and didn't realize it. Perhaps a lei line shifted and.”

“Mom don't you believe our brothers would have noticed that?”

“I don't know but we have to think of everything. We need to find someone that could check these things without drawing attention and who'd keep your secret. Maria I'm going to go and check on other sisters who've been patrolling the same path as you have. I want you to go and speak with Dan and Joseph.”

“Both of them?”

“I know that Joseph cares for you Maria and I know Dan isn't the type to talk about such things. I'm certain that Mina would help figure out what has happened to.”

“You believe I should involve all three of them?”

“Yes. I also want to speak to Mina and see what she believes we should do. It might be best to go to our sisters and brothers and explain the situation before someone finds out by accident. Just be careful and move quickly. You might have grown a bit but it's not enough to be immediately obvious especially from a distance.”

“Alright.”

A sigh escaped Flora as she watched her daughter sprinting away. She was confident that given Maria's speed no one would be able to realize how much she'd grown. For the moment though Flora had other concerns. If Maria was growing due to something about the path she was patrolling then those who walked a similar path would probably be growing as well. She needed to check on them and see if that was the case.

***********************************************************************************

“Are you sure about this Maria?”

In response Maria gave a quick nod. “Yeah I'm certain. I checked before I went to find my mother and she checked me several times as well. So any ideals Joseph?”

“Maria I don't believe it could have been do to any shifts. Generally the areas where such shifts happen are greatly affected both by the energy leaving the area and by it coming to a new area. I'm certain you would have noticed a change in the area. Even if that wasn't the case though I have to believe one of the mages here would have noticed and brought it up. After all a line is quite a resource well worth tapping into even if it isn't a permanent change.” Even as he spoke though Joseph found himself gathering various bits of equipment.

“I know. I know that but maybe something else happened?”

“I know that you can feed of mystic energy. Are you sure that you haven't been being exposed to an abnormal amount of energy? It wouldn't have to be a lot at once but rather you could have been being exposed over a long time.”

“I don't know. That's why we need you to come examine the area though?”

In response Joseph gave a nod as he finished gathering the items he thought he'd need. “Alright then. I believe I have everything and Dan has gone to speak with Mina. Let's just start where you normally go while on patrol and see what we find.”

“Alright how should we do this though?”

“I'll need to take a reading every two or three kilometers.”

“Alright.” As she finished speaking Maria walked over to Joseph and turned around. “Climb on and let's get going.”

While Joseph wrapped his arms around Maria he couldn't help but feel nervous. While he'd come to enjoy the company of the sisters and seen several advantage of staying with them his main reason for staying had been Maria. He didn't like the ideal of that reason going away for several years or decades. “I tended to the life blooms earlier so we should have plenty of time.”

“Thanks because if we have to stop every kilometer or so for you to set up your gear and take a reading this could take quite some time.”

***********************************************************************************

“So what do you want to do Mina?”

A sigh escaped Mina as she relaxed her hold on the stone she'd taken hold of moments earlier. A fine sand flowed from her fingers towards the ground. “Of all the things to happen. Well I don't really have a reason to doubt what Maria told you. I'm certain she's been doing her best to watch her food intake. I don't want to tell anyone else.”

“Yeah I don't want to see her have to go to sleep again either.”

“If it's due to an environmental change that she didn't notice I'll be able to back her completely. Actually, if we can just prove that Maria's not been eating more then she's allowed to then I'll back her with everything I've got. After all. The rule was put into place to keep us from exhausting our resources not to limit our strength. If she's only been taking from the forest what a sister of her standing is allowed then there are no grounds to punish her.”

“Huh. That's true.”

“Hmm. Our size is just a good indicator of that. Dan how hard would it be to make something that could feed Maria mystic energy?”

“Well it's been done before but you know how long those bracelets lasted. Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking. What if Joseph had made Maria one of those bracelets as a gift? It could be responsible for her growth and there would be no reason to punish her as long as he kept the bracelet working.”

“That is true but he didn't do that.”

“Well I'll admit that he hasn't but if he did then her increase in size could be directed towards the bracelet. Even if it isn't the actual cause.”

“Mina! That's being deceptive.”

“I know but wouldn't that be better then having Maria go back to sleep?”

“Well yes it could be but I don't know if it could work and if everyone found out they'd been tricked or people had tried to trick them they might get upset.”

A sigh escaped Mina as she gave her head a nod. “Well it's not like we could have her start wearing it today and claim that it was the cause of the growth. If she could conceal that she'd grown for a while though we could make such a claim though.”

“That is true. How about we try to find out why she grew first though and wonder about being sneaky later.”

“Alright so where should we begin our search?”

“Hm I'm certain that Joseph and Maria are searching her regular path. Did Maria have an altercation with some kobolds a few weeks ago?”

“I thought it was more then a few weeks ago but yes.”

“After such a long time it seems unlikely that it could have anything to do with her current growth. Especially whenever you factor in what she was dealing with. Flora is undoubtedly searching around for any clues she can find amongst our sisters.”

“So you don't believe we should go check on the kobolds?”

“No. I believe it'd just be a waste of time. Let's take a few moments and consider what we know about Maria to try and figure out what happened. I know that she does snack from time to time but then again so do you all. Let's see. What's in season right now? After all there is no way she does all her hunting on her patrol.”

“We eat a pretty large variety of things so it's impossible to say for certain. I do know a bit about what Maria likes to eat though. I can't think of any fish that would be migrating right now and no animals really. It's getting closer to the cool seasons so some will be fattening up but I'm certain Maria has already compensated for that. Come on Dan. Don't you know of any plants that could be storing up energy for the winter? I know you have a good grasp on your alchemical reagents.”

“Alchemical reagents? Let's see they are a few plants that like to store particularly large supplies of excess nutrients. Something with enough energy that it could throw off one of your diets. That would really be quite a plant.”

As Mina listened to Dan she took a moment to search around and soon found another small stone. Upon picking it up she worked the stone between her fingers and began to slowly squeeze the stone with various fingers and relax carefully working the stone to a powder as she thought. “It shouldn't be hard to figure out why Maria began to grow. Once we eliminate what it couldn't have been. If we could just eliminate that it wasn't due to her over eating we wouldn't even have to worry about what the actual cause is. Hold on a second.”

“Did you think of something Mina?”

“Dan do you believe that Maria thought ahead to adjust to the extra energy she was getting from testing the life bloom?”

“Actually I don't know. Though Mina on that thought. Have you been adjusting your diet since you started testing the life bloom? I'm not with you all day so I don't know but it doesn't seem like you've been cutting back.”

“I um well.” A sigh escaped Mina as she placed a hand against her forehead. “It's my first time being part of such an experiment you know.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he shook his head. “Mina do you believe you could catch up with Joseph and Maria? I believe that you might have figured out why she started growing and they can cut their search short. Good grief I feel better now.”

“Yeah I'm certain they will as well. I'm going to run down Flora first though. It's going to be difficult to catch up to Maria given how quickly she moves but Flora should be easy to find. After that we'll both go after Maria and Joseph.”

“Mina before you take off. When do you want to bring this up with our brothers and sisters?”

“That I'm not certain of. I guess we'll need to speak with Joseph first and explain that his research has had side affects.”

“That shouldn't be a problem I'm certain he knew the dangers and his responsibility towards test subjects.”

***********************************************************************************

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” As she spoke Flora had her arms wrapped around Mina her face pressed against her much larger friend's shoulder. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she held Mina even as a feeling of intense relief shook her body.

Mina had expected Flora to be relieved but she hadn't expected such a strong reaction. As she hugged her friend back she didn't have the heart to push her away. Joseph and Maria could wait for the moment it seems. “You really were worried about your baby.”

“It was so hard Mina. The first time I had to help bring Maria back and have her go to sleep. I didn't know if I could take it again. Then I started checking on our sisters and none of them had grown beyond their assigned heights and I got so scared.”

For a moment Mina tightened her grip on Flora though she was careful not to squeeze too hard. “It'll be alright now though. We'll have to tell the others but Maria won't be punished and I'm certain Joseph will take responsibility. So everything will be alright.”

“I know. I just feel so relieved. I can't believe I didn't think of the test.”

“We were all just worried about Maria so we weren't thinking strait that's all.” As Mina spoke she felt Flora relaxing her hold so she relaxed her own.

“I'm going to go and tell Maria the good news. I know her path.”

“Alright. We'll be waiting for the three of you to come back.”

“Um Mina while I'm gone. Would you mind gathering some of the other keepers and higher ranked brothers?”

“Huh? What for?”

“I don't want someone seeing Maria and believing that she's taking more from the forest then she's allowed to. It would be best if we got all of this out in the open as quickly as possible.”

***********************************************************************************

“I swear Joseph I should spank you until you can't set down!”

To say Joseph felt awkward was an understatement as he was held against Flora. Maria was exactly opposite held in place by her other arm as she hugged the two of them. While he wasn't certain about exactly what was going on he knew that she sounded happy. He wasn't very fond of the ideal of being spanked but he doubted she meant it. With everything that had happened though he had a rough ideal what was going on. “Did you learn something about Maria?”

“Yes! It's your fault she grew those extra centimeters!”

“What!” Immediately Joseph's attention turned to Maria who was looking back at him with a blank expression on her face. Apparently she didn't have any better ideal of what was going on then he did.

“It was the life bloom you two sillies! I swear Maria you had me so flustered this morning that I didn't even think about those experiments.”

Immediately Joseph felt his face heating up as he began to blush. When he looked towards Maria he noted that she'd turned her head away from him but she had an odd smile on her face while her ears were slightly lowered. It was Joseph who spoke though. “Well I feel like an idiot.”

“You feel dumb? I'm the one that's been eating the life bloom. I can't believe I didn't think of that. The way it made me feel so full though and I didn't even think to adjust my eating habits. When did you figure this out?”

“Mina did. She and Dan were talking and they stumbled upon it. It has to be the life bloom.”

While Joseph wasn't going to say something Maria chose to speak up. “Um actually it might not be entirely the life bloom.”

“What?”

“Joseph you tell her.”

“I picked up some strange readings. As we got closer to the kobold's nest the mystic energy in the environment got stronger and stronger. Someone or some group has been using some pretty powerful magic over there.”

“We sent Fera down there only a few weeks ago though. She would have slaughtered more then I would ever try to count before she felt sated and destroyed everything above ground. They shouldn't be back to using magic of that quality.”

Maria couldn't help her surprise upon hearing this. “Wow. I knew that they had sent someone but to send Fera. It's just the same though they're using some high level magic apparently.”

A groan escaped Flora but then she smiled and placed her hand on Joseph's and Maria's shoulder. “We're going to go to the village now and speak with our brothers and sisters. Mina is rounding up people so we can explain what happened to insure you're safe Maria. We'll deal with the kobolds after this has been taken care of.”

***********************************************************************************

As Mirin stood in front of Maria it was easy to see that her eye level was above his. While he didn't keep track of the height allowed for everyone it was pretty clear once standing in front of her that she was larger then she should be. “Well I'll be. So Joseph you say that this is due to the life bloom Maria has been eating?”

“Yes that's what we believe.”

“Just how much have you been giving her?”

“Well we've managed to grow some more of the life bloom so Maria's been eating an entire fruit each day for a while now.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“A few weeks.”

“Define a few.”

“I believe that it was a bit less then three weeks ago that she was stepped up to an entire life bloom each evening.”

“Nearly three? You mean she's only been eating one a day for two whole weeks and she's already began to grow!”

The excitement in Mirin's voice actually surprised Joseph. “Yes but I didn't believe that was anything special.”

“Oh well. It's not. I mean the more they exceed what they're allowed to eat the faster they grow until they reach a saturation point but still. There is a margin of safety planned into all of our sisters' eating habits so that they can exceed what they're technically suppose to eat from time to time. The life bloom must have been covering this margin though and pushing her body to grow. Tell me. Has her growth been speeding up or slowing down over the past weeks?”

“I wouldn't know. We only noticed her growth today.”

At first Mirin said nothing though his face began to turn red though not from anger. Rather he suddenly felt very stupid. “I can't believe I asked that.”

A slight chuckle escaped Sora as she noted Mirin's expression. Considering that he was now standing in front of a fairly large gathering of well respected brothers and sisters it only made things worse. “Well this is an interesting turn of events. So Joseph how has the testing on the life bloom gone?”

“Well we haven't seen any negative side affects in any of our patience but there is a problem.”

A sigh escaped Mirin and he made a mental note to thank Sora later. “What problem is that?”

“The amount of energy growing several life blooms in the same area releases into the environment just isn't tolerable. I've been monitoring the rate at which the energy bleeds into the area and the energy five or seven life blooms let into the area is sufficient to cause concern. Weren't we going to talk about Maria though?”

In response to Joseph's comment Mirin glanced over at Maria. “Well you don't intend to quit providing her with fruit do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then there isn't a problem. I must say after hearing this I'm even more eager to begin growing the life bloom in mass. Though it's disappointing to learn that it releases so much energy into the environment. In the end though that just means we'll have to keep the life bloom in an environment where such energies can be managed.”

Joseph had already realized from the way they were talking that Mirin was already considering plans to grow the life bloom on a large scale. Fortunately at this moment he wasn't too concerned. “I believe it would be safe to start growing the life bloom if that could be achieved. I would however like to continue my testing there is still a lot to learn.”

“I believe that would be best.” Before continuing Mirin turned to face the group of brothers and sisters that had gathered. “I believe we should use one of the old underground facilities. Preferably chamber three to begin growing the life bloom. Would there be any objections amongst you?” Instead of continuing Mirin grew silent and waited for anyone to speak up. “Alright then. Who here agrees with the proposal?”

While it wasn't exactly an orderly response Joseph was a bit surprised by the roar that came from the relatively small group. Given the magnitude of the sound he couldn't help but feel the sisters were agreeing far more loudly then the brothers. What really surprised him though was that one of the roars he heard was coming from a source very close to him. He couldn't help but grin as he looked over at Maria.

A slight chuckle escaped Mirin as he looked at Joseph. “That wasn't an official vote or decision of course. We'll have to gather all the sisters and brothers ranked eight to make it official but after that I don't foresee us having any trouble. How many seeds of the life bloom do you have now?”

“I've managed to collect eighty seven seeds so far.”

In response to this comment Mirin gave his head a slight nod. “Well that isn't going to do if we're going to feed all of our sisters.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “Mirin, I do need to say that there is a reason I haven't brought the life bloom up to begin growing it in bulk yet. That is other then the effects it has on the environment.”

In response Mirin gave a nod. “What is that?”

“None of the sisters I've tested have shown any ill affects from eating the life bloom. There is one thing I haven't tested yet though and that's what happens whenever they stop eating it. Going beyond that though we've still only had a short testing time.”

“I see your concerns. Let's talk about it later.”

***********************************************************************************

“I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that Joseph.”

A grin was on Joseph's face even as he stood next to Maria who seemed noticeably relieved. Currently Sora was setting a ways off just watching the group. “It's alright I do believe that it's safe to begin growing the life bloom. If you didn't intend to put me on the spot though why did you bring up growing the life bloom?”

“When I saw what it had done for Maria I got excited and from that point I couldn't back of. Besides, Joseph how do you think all the sisters gathered there would have felt after seeing Maria?”

Instead of responding right away Joseph glanced over at Maria who was looking at him as well. “I believe I see your point. We did sort of dangle a steak right in front of them didn't we?”

“Oh worse then that.” Sora had a wide grin on her face as all three turned towards her. “You revealed that you've been feeding an exceedingly enticing steak to a small number of us. It's one thing to show us the steak but to feed it to another and not even give us a taste when you could so easily. Now that's just not nice.”

Mirin had a wide grin on his face as he nodded his head. “Indeed. I don't believe they would have done anything to harm you but it sure wouldn't have won you any friends here. That said. Well after that little display I suspect you'll be gaining a new rank before too long. Honestly that upsets me a little bit.”

“How come?”

“You haven't been an official brother for even a year. That kind of rapid progress tends to make me worried but you seem fair enough. Joseph am I correct in my belief that the life bloom produces fruit at an exceedingly swift pace?”

“Yeah, the little trees I have now produce two or three every twenty for hours.”

“Oh. That isn't tolerable. Not in the least. With such a swift reproduction rate it could easily choke out much of the forest plant life by volume of numbers alone. Still, we already resolved to grow it in confined conditions.”

“Well. I'm not so sure of that Mirin. At least about it choking out other plant life. I don't know how well the life bloom does in competing with other forms of plant life or dealing with animal life. Going a step beyond that I don't know how it responds to illness.”

“So you haven't infected one of the trees yet?”

“They're too precious right now to destroy one of them.”

“You have a point there. Actually, I imagine our sisters would be quite upset if the majority heard me make that comment. How long do you have to test the life bloom to see what happens whenever someone stops eating it?”

“It'll take a few weeks even with the life blooms growth rate to begin producing fruit. Even then it won't be enough to feed all the sisters for some time. I just don't know who's going to be willing to quit eating the life bloom.”

Well before Mirin could respond Maria spoke up. “I will.”

It was impossible for Mirin or Joseph to hide their surprise though Mirin was the one that spoke up. “Maria are you certain that you want to do that? I'm sure we could have one of the sisters that haven't been eating the life bloom as long as you try.”

“I'm certain. After all, we need the one that's been eating the life bloom the longest to be the test subject and that's me. How long do you believe I'll need to quit eating it to get an accurate result?”

“I believe that a week would be more then long enough unless symptoms of withdraw began to show up. Then we'd need to extend the time and see how bad they got.”

“Alright Joseph. Then I guess I won't be eating the life bloom today.”

Before Joseph could respond Mirin chose to speak up. “Maria wait until tomorrow. We all know what happens if you don't eat enough to sustain your body already after all. I'm going to speak with some of the others and see if we can increase the amount you're allowed to eat to compensate for no longer eating the life bloom. If I can't get anyone to agree on increasing your food intake I'll provide you with healing potions myself.”

“Wow I didn't expect that from you Mirin. That sounds nice though. I'd appreciate it.”

“Um Maria, I believe that you just insulted me.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria as she gave a rather toothy smile. “Whoops I might have.”

Before Mirin could respond some chuckles could be heard coming from Sora who had covered her mouth. When she noticed that Mirin and the others were looking at her the laughter only became all the stronger. “I,m sorry. It's just-” For a moment Sora quit speaking as her laughter overcame here though she held a hand in the air to signal she wasn't done speaking yet.

At first Mirin had intended to wait for Sora to regain her composure but after a short while it became clear that wasn't going to happen. “Maria surely that isn't fair. I just want what's best for all our sisters and brothers that is all.”

“I know. That was a little mean of me. You just tend to stick to the rules so rigidly though.”

“Well this is a special case. Besides the fact that you volunteered will let me push for you to gain a new rank even harder now.”

“Harder? You mean you've been trying to get me promoted to a guardian.”

By now Sora had calmed down a bit and found herself able to speak. “Mirin that's the second time today.”

A groan escaped Mirin followed by a sigh. “Maria you have one of the most powerful mutations we've seen in a while. So yes I would like to get you promoted to a guardian so you can better make use of that power.”

“Thanks.”

At first Mirin said nothing but waited for another comment. When none came he gave a grin. “You're welcome. Now Joseph I'm going to be looking into having you promoted as well.”

“Huh?”

“The life bloom is turning out to be very important which isn't surprising. It just won't do to have a rank five brother in charge of such an important project. Even if such rapid progress tends to worry me. That said you know more about the life bloom then anyone so you're also the most qualified. I'm sure I can leverage that and the results we've seen with Maria to convince the brothers to promote you.”

“Ah thank you. What about the sisters though?”

“You've just provided them with a great deal of hope for a wonderful new food source. You'll have the sisters backing I've no doubt about that.”

“You're darn strait he will!” A wide grin was on Sora's face as she looked at Joseph. “Still, I have to ask. How long were you going to continue your testing?”

“A few weeks or months really isn't normally enough time to test something people are going to be ingesting like this. If I had my way it would have at least been for a fourth of a year before I was fully satisfied. As sure it doesn't have any immediate harmful affects on the people eating it. That we've confirmed. However, we don't know about the long term affects. For all I know it could make you sterile or diminish your ability to absorb mystic energy. That said after reading about your biology my fears have diminished.”

As Maria spoke she placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder. “Why is that?”

At first Joseph said nothing but took note of how much further he had to look up to look Maria in the eyes. “You know it's going to be strange seeing you as a guardian. If you stand close to me like this and make me look up I'll probably end up staring at the underside of your breast.”

“Ah don't worry I won't mind.”

“The more I learn about you the more I realize you're meant to not just be strong from the start but you're also meant to adapt to new conditions. It shouldn't be surprising considering how your body grows the more energy you take in. I'm beginning to wonder if they are many toxins that you couldn't adapt to given enough time and regular exposure.”

End Book 2