All Haezhai are grown from an Ashynii, a seed egg, and have a special connection with the Life that grew inside with them. All who are born of an Ashynii are of the Ifayli Family Court. They can be part of other Family Courts as well. They are able to communicate with Haezhai and are one of the few able to open the portals to other times and worlds without a Library Key.
Haezhai has 2 fruiting periods, no matter where they grow. They produce edible buds, flowers and fruit twice per year, but they are different types. They first produce a glowing, hot pink bud that is about the size of a marble. The majority of buds are harvested to make room for the flowers that will bloom. A hibiscus-like flower with petals that are over a foot in length then blooms and is harvested. The entire flower is edible and must be harvested to make room for the fruit. The petals have the taste and texture of steak if they are a glowing lavender color and mushrooms if they are a glowing hot pink. The pistil and stamen can come in a variety of spice flavors, or sometimes they taste like peppers. It’s a luck of the draw when harvesting. Once all of the flowers have been harvested, a fruit similar to a watermelon grows, but it is about the size of a grapefruit and it comes in a variety of colors. The flavor depends on the color, ranging from citrusy flavor to a sweet watermelon flavor - some even have a kick to them. The rind of this fruit tastes like cucumbers and is often pickled.
The second fruiting of the Haezhai begins when a bud as large as a sweet potato with the colors of a glittering galaxy grows. This bud is harvested in a similar way to the previous one, most being pruned to leave 1 per every 2 or so feet. These edible buds have thick petals and taste like fish or tofu and inside them is rainbow rice. The deep purple galaxies taste like salmon, blue galaxies like tuna, and bright red like tofu. There are many other colors as well. When these buds bloom, they can have petals as long as 3 feet and their flavors enhance to have a citrus, herby, or umami flavor profile. They look like giant galaxy roses when they bloom. The stamen are like rice atop tall onions, and the pistil contains nectar flavored like different sauces. All of the flowers are harvested in order for the fruit to grow. The fruit that grows during this period has an outer layer similar to a mango but deep, glittery purple in color, and inside is bundles of glowing, glittery juice pods similar to a citrus but taste like grapes, pomegranate, raspberries or blackberries depending on the color.
At the bottom of a Haezhai tree, roots travel in all directions and beneficial growths can be harvested. There are Healing Mist Mushrooms and Mushrooms of Healing Glow, Barrier Crystals, Rare Aurora Mushrooms, and even the bark around the roots can be harvested for gear or as a spice similar to cinnamon. The Haezhai tree grows specifically to support its local community and biome.
The Haezhai will be a normal willow tree size to provide shade and swings to play upon, or it can grow big enough to house from one family to an entire city’s worth of beings.
Life is still completely connected to and in community with the Haezhai tree across the realms, worlds and timelines. It keeps them connected to Dashen, often enhancing their presence and helps to teach Life how to wield their Aemai as it wields its own.
