Chapter 1: Born of Green
The night Lila was born, the stars seemed to shine brighter than anyone had ever seen. In a small, quiet village surrounded by forests, her cries echoed through the midwinter air, soft but full of life. The midwife and her parents froze when they first saw her.
Lila's skin was green—soft, bright green, like the first leaves of spring. And her hair… her hair shimmered like fresh dew on moss, glowing faintly in the dark. Her mother, Elara, gasped and clutched her chest. "What… what is this?" she whispered, trembling. Her father, Maren, stared wide-eyed, unsure whether to be frightened or amazed.
The midwife knelt beside them, carefully lifting the newborn. "I've seen many miracles in my time," she said slowly, "but never one like this. This child… she is connected to the Earth itself. Touch her, and you may see life bloom."
Elara hesitated, her heart pounding. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched Lila's tiny fingers. Almost immediately, the small bundle of wildflowers in the basket beside the crib stirred. One by one, the buds opened, petals unfurling in a soft glow. The colors were richer than any she had ever seen—deep violets, bright yellows, and blues that shimmered like the sky after rain.
Maren stepped closer, unable to hide his awe. "She… she's magic," he breathed.
Word of Lila's birth spread quickly through the village. By morning, neighbors had gathered outside the small wooden cottage, whispering nervously to one another. Some feared what they didn't understand. Others were curious, intrigued by the child who could make plants bloom with a touch.
Despite the murmurs, Lila's parents decided to keep her close, wrapping her in soft blankets and carrying her home. Elara held her daughter against her chest, feeling warmth and life radiate from her tiny body. She realized, in a way she couldn't explain, that Lila was more than just a baby. She was a part of something larger—something tied to the forests, rivers, and winds surrounding their village.
As the days passed, Lila grew in ways that amazed everyone. She would crawl toward a wilting flower in the garden, and it would straighten, stretching toward the sun as if it had been asleep. She would giggle when she touched the moss on tree trunks, and it would shimmer with life, as though responding to her joy. Even the animals seemed drawn to her. Birds perched on her tiny shoulders, squirrels nuzzled her hands, and a fox often waited at the edge of the forest whenever she wandered near.
The villagers had mixed feelings. Some admired Lila, calling her a blessing. Others whispered that she was dangerous, that something unnatural had come into their world. But Lila didn't know fear. She only knew love for the plants, the animals, and the gentle wind that seemed to dance around her when she giggled.
Her parents did their best to protect her from harsh words, but it was impossible to hide such magic forever. One afternoon, when Lila was barely two years old, she wandered into the village square. She touched a drooping flower in the center of the fountain, and the petals burst into radiant bloom. Water splashed around her, sparkling with light as though it, too, felt the magic she carried. The villagers gasped and stepped back. Some clapped in awe, but others muttered darkly.
"Unnatural child," one woman whispered, shaking her head. "The Earth would not make such a thing."
Maren stepped forward, holding Lila protectively. "She is a gift," he said firmly. "She brings life where there is none. That is something to honor, not fear."
Elara gathered Lila into her arms. "One day, she will understand her purpose," she said quietly. "And we will help her."
At night, when the house was quiet and Lila lay asleep in her cradle, Elara would sometimes watch her and marvel. She would see tiny sparks of green light drifting from her daughter's hair, hovering like fireflies in the dark. She often wondered what powers Lila truly held, and whether the world was ready for a child born of the Earth itself.
It wasn't just plants that responded to Lila. The wind would whisper when she walked through the trees, almost as if it was trying to speak to her. Leaves would stir, and shadows of the forest seemed to bow gently in her presence. Even the soil beneath her tiny feet felt warmer, richer, as though welcoming her with open arms.
By the time Lila could walk, she had already left her mark on the family garden. Flowers she hadn't even planted grew in perfect patterns, vines curled into shapes that seemed deliberate, and the fruit on trees was larger and sweeter than anywhere else in the village. People came from far and wide to see the "green child" and marvel at the magic that followed her.
But not all reactions were kind. Some villagers feared that Lila's powers would grow beyond their control. They whispered that she could upset the balance of the world, that humans were meant to rule, not children of the forest. Maren and Elara tried to shield her, teaching her to be gentle with her gifts, but also to understand that some people might never accept her.
Lila didn't understand judgment yet. She only knew curiosity and love. She loved to wander into the nearby forest, where the trees bent their branches toward her and flowers opened as she passed. Animals became her companions, guiding her through secret paths and hidden clearings. The forest seemed alive in a way it had never been before, as if it had waited all these years for someone like her.
One afternoon, when Lila was five, a terrible storm swept through the village. Rain poured down in sheets, and the wind howled like an angry spirit. People ran to shelter, frightened, and the rivers began to rise dangerously. But Lila walked calmly into the storm, laughing as raindrops landed on her skin. Flowers bent toward her, roots gripping the earth, and the winds seemed to bow to her. Within moments, the rain softened around her, forming gentle streams rather than violent torrents. The villagers watched in awe, realizing that this small, green girl could touch even the fury of nature itself.
That night, when the storm had passed, a rainbow arched across the sky. Lila sat in the garden, her hair glowing faintly, her green skin shimmering in the moonlight. She reached out to a drooping vine, and it twined around her fingers, alive and vibrant. She felt the forest's heartbeat in her chest, the wind's song in her ears, and the soil's warmth beneath her feet. She was part of it all, and it was part of her.
Elara whispered beside her, brushing back Lila's glowing hair. "You were born to bring life, my darling. Never forget that."
As Lila drifted to sleep that night, wrapped in her mother's arms, the forest outside seemed to sigh in contentment. It had been waiting for her, and now, finally, the green-born child had arrived. And though the world would not always understand her, she carried within her the power to heal, to grow, and to remind humans that life, in its purest form, was a gift meant to be cherished.
And so, the story of Lila began—the girl who was green, the child who could make the Earth bloom, and the one who would one day face the greatest challenge of all: saving a world that had forgotten how to care for itself.