The routine since the fairies arrived had settled into something almost pleasant, almost mundane. Wolf would wake early with Teva as she prepared for the day, check on the shop—which Misty ran smoothly even without him—and then make his way to the lake to check on the fairies.
The first few days, he'd watched with nervous vigilance, waiting for something to go wrong. But nothing happened. The curious onlookers had mostly weeded themselves out once the novelty wore off. The fairies took Wolf's warnings to heart, remaining skittish, refusing to stay long or get too close to strangers.
Well, except for the children. The children loved them. They danced and played near the lake, and word spread that Wolf was helping to bring the fairies back. It stirred a gentle excitement about what that could mean.
Luckily, Arlin remained vigilant, having guards patrol near the lake and Wolf's house—a reminder that the people were trusted around the fairies, but the people were still watched if anyone pushed thier luck seeking a exotic pet or worse fate to the fairies wolf was trying to save.
Wolf finally felt confident enough to stop hiding behind a cloak. Not that it had helped much; he was too well-known to fool anyone. Add to it, the fairies ran to him like chicks to a mother hen. Hooded or not, everyone knew it was him.
"Did you find a way to save us yet, Elder?" one of the bolder fairies asked—the question he heard every time he appeared before them.
He shook his head but remained hopeful. "Just need those shells, and we'll go from there. Promise."
"Okaaay, Elder's the best! Want to play with us?"
A sea of cheers and pleading followed, wanting him to wander the forest in a game of chase like the children did. He refused. He had research to do while he waited.
The only records and tales he found were slim, all repeating the same thing in some form: fairies were rare, pure mana, thought lost or hidden deep for decades. He was getting restless despite his good mood, hoping his sister was well and that she had good news.
When the shells finally arrived, it was a relief he didn't know he needed. He could finally end this farce as an elder and send them away. Well... maybe they could stay. But if they'd stop calling him elder and stop insisting every single day that he'd save them all—that would be a nice start.
Nina had managed to get him four shells—impressive in itself. They were translucent and felt almost gelatinous to the touch, though he was afraid to test that theory too thoroughly. His staff and Teva admired them, and Teva even remarked one would make an amazing necklace. When Wolf showed his disapproval, she sprinkled water mana in his face, saying she was just trying to lighten his mood and wouldn't actually touch the shells.
After the excitement of the shells arriving wore off and they saw Wolf wanted to be left alone, things settled back down as he tried his first test.
Wolf, now alone, studied the shells more closely. Despite their softness to the touch, they were still firm. He wondered why they were called shells when they looked more like mana crystals or, at a glance, gems. He could see why they'd been prized—why humans sought to collect them even before anyone knew their fairy origins. It made sense they'd become rare long before people understood what they truly were.
Since he had four shells to work with, he hoped to understand what he was working with. He'd never tried using his Balance magic to pull mana from an object, and knowing the shell was pure mana, he wondered how it held its form. He tried pulling the mana out.
It withdrew far too easily, startling him. The shell started to look brittle and dull. He regretted this first attempt immediately and tried to push the mana back to reverse the effect.
It failed.
Annoyed, he decided to note it for others—so they wouldn't follow his folly.
Test One: Fairy Shells
Am adding to the test notes my former teacher, Herbert, did on the shells. I fear even trying new approaches, I came to the same end result with the first shell. It is a rare object with unknown effects.
I tried pulling mana from the shell—foolish, I know, but as the current only alchemist with Balance magic, I had no others to base that knowledge on and tried something new.
I could draw the mana easily enough, but it only destroyed the shell. When I tried reversing the effect, it had a similar result as others trying to force mana—it broke completely.
I have three more attempts and hope to succeed in two, so the last can be preserved for the fairies I wish to help.
Calling it a day, he checked with his staff and Teva, assuring them he was fine and getting close. They tried offering advice, but he assured them others had already tried everything they suggested. Him being Balance magic was the key—he just had to find the lock.
Waking early the next day, the routine remained nearly the same. He tried taking a shard to the lake to show a fairy. While they were excited to see him, they were indifferent to the shell, which surprised Wolf.
"Why would we care about that, Elder?" The fairy floated around his hand, staring at the shell that shared their name with complete indifference.
"They said your kind makes these. You don't know what they're for?"
"Um... sometimes they appear if we stay in an area for a long time, where we sleep. But why? They're just mana rocks to us."
Wolf grimaced but nodded all the same. He tried asking other fairies, but it just became a loop of the same answers and the same questions. He went back to his tests, more frustrated than before.
The days started to blur together, and he was getting more desperate to figure it out. He tried making a mana-infused life potion and pouring it on a shell—that was the closest he felt to coming to success. It glowed bright, making him think he'd succeeded.
Then it shattered into little star fragments before fading.
He felt it was close. Something about the mana being balanced and pure fed the shell, but the sheer amount shattered it, he thought. He tried variations once more, and it also failed. He wrote so in his notes.
Tests Two and Three
I lump these together as each is a sequence of failure, but also understanding.
The first of the two was feeding the shell with Balance mana—it was closest to success but overloaded the shell and shattered it.
I tried variations of stabilizing the shell and feeding mana, even reinforcing the shell with mana before feeding it more mana. Still had the same effect.
He had one shell left. He could not risk it. So confident he was before that he would succeed, but now he feared doing anything more.
Teva visited later with an afternoon meal to try to raise his spirits, but he confessed he'd failed and feared he could do nothing.
Teva gently held him. "You're trying to be the only hero when others are here for you."
Wolf agreed and started asking his beastkin staff if they had any clues he might have overlooked. Each time, when he explained what his teacher had done and what he himself had tried, they were unsure what else to try—especially when the source, the fairies, were just as clueless.
Even asking his sister was met with no answers, but she promised she would try and help.
Word spread to his uncle on the council, as rumors had long since reached him about the fairies appearing, so he started asking around too with no luck.
The surprise one who bore some fruit was Ziala, the new guild leader. She asked her brother, who just shrugged, unsure how to help, but her mom Tanya, who was nearby, had some answers.
She still had memory issues about her past but recalled the king did something with fairies, though nothing more.
Word finally circled back to Wolf, and he was stuck. Even if the king knew something, there was no way he'd be able to get word to him.
He supposed he could ask Tanya or his uncle to send a letter, but it felt like a long shot.
Leena saw her brother already giving up before anyone even tried, so she confessed she'd gotten a letter from the prince a little while back.
That surprised Wolf, and he was wondering what the prince's angle was. Leena said she'd debated tearing it up but gave it a read. She didn't forgive him, but it seemed he was trying, so that would be enough.
Watching Wolf lost in thought, unsure what this had to do with the fairies, she smiled and embraced him.
"Brother, it's a link to the king and it lets the prince have a chance to redeem himself. I say we hedge our bets—I'll write to the prince, and you, Uncle, and Tanya all send separate letters to the king."
"Why? One would be more than enough."
"True. But we don't know the king's mindset. He might dismiss any one of us—or feel indebted to one of us. Since we all have influence in his court in some form, let's use it."
"Then why write to the prince and not the king directly? You said you wanted the prince to learn he can't always get his way. I doubt writing him will teach him he was wrong."
Leena smiled. "I wish to, for my own reasons. If he learns or not will be my burden to bear. But I feel if it works, it'll help influence the king if all else fails."
Wolf nodded meekly. "Okay, Len..."
Wolf did not like the mounting uncertainty building with too many unknown variables. He knew his sister Nina was waiting for good news and feared writing her, but also feared each day that passed saying nothing. So he wrote her a letter wishing her well and that he was working on the tests still—sorry it wasn't good news yet.
Back in his shop after closing, with Teva making dinner, he watched the last shell glow softly alone. His final try.
Looking at the shell, he wished he could just will a new one into existence. Maybe... maybe if he tried...
Closing his eyes, he tried to picture the shell. But that wasn't right—he needed a reason for the shell. A reason for it to be given life.
Why do shells exist? What's their purpose?
He tried to manifest one anyway, forcing his will through sheer desperation. Balance mana flared—and a spike of pain lanced through his skull.
He gasped, releasing the magic. His head pounded. That... that had never happened before. Balance magic didn't usually hurt.
Whatever shells were, they weren't something he could just force into existence. Not without understanding them first.
He would have to wait for news. He was thankful for all those that loved him and felt he could make it right, but right now he wished it was someone else's problem and he could go back to enjoying his quiet life. He went to join Teva for dinner and avoid the weight of the lives of fairies that believed he would save them.
Three days since mailing the letters to the prince and king...
The days passed in a blur since the prince mailed his letter. He started to notice patterns he'd missed before—the staff did not magically appear; they carefully went around him and always listened for his requests or watched for what he might need.
It was fascinating to see the people more than always being surprised when they just appeared. But for now, that was secondary as he was dodging a blade toward his face.
This recruit was the only one willing to put real force behind the strikes and trust the prince would not flinch or cower in fear and be shamed.
Yet even this one was nothing compared to Leena. He'd seen the ambition in his eyes and the eagerness to prove himself in his actions, but it was still sloppy.
The prince finally tired of dodging and countered with a simple strike, disarming the man.
"I yield," the man said, looking ashamed.
"You did well for the training you've received. You held your own."
The man nodded meekly, half-listening, feeling he'd failed. So the prince made sure to state what the test was for.
"You're not here for combat training—that was merely the easiest way to test you and the other recruits' resolve to see who would be worthy of a promotion."
The man, still not believing this would go in his favor, stood straighter to hear why he'd failed.
"Understand, I don't make this choice lightly, and make sure the others know—if the guard captain could, he would promote you all."
"I understand, my lord. I hope next time I can do better to serve."
The prince smiled. "I would hope so, Lieutenant, or the men wouldn't listen to you if they felt the prince does not trust you."
The man nodded, turning, feeling he was dismissed. Then he stopped, turned around, shellshocked. "Um, my lord, I fear I misheard you..."
"Lieutenant. I chose you among the men. So let the other recruits know they were worthy, but we only needed one. Perhaps later there'll be another opportunity, so encourage them—they did well. They are good men."78Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAMEAWp7rW
The soldier swelled with pride at the praise and swore loyalty to the kingdom. It was a bit much for such a low position, but perhaps he would move up in ranks one day. If not, may the gods offer him peace when he retires.
Now that the day's events were done, he could retire. He noticed a new servant bowing near his bedroom door on the way back. She saw him, looked up, and spoke.
"A letter for you, my lord, from a local village hero. I was told... I think they said her name was Lara?"
"Leena." The prince corrected before he could no longer speak, realizing what it meant.
She wrote him back.
"Ah, sorry, my lord! I think you're correct—Hero Leena from the village that cured the weakness curse."
He nodded meekly, unable to do much more as the servant started showing signs of concern since the prince wasn't moving.
"Are you well, my lord?"
"Sorry, I... was lost in thought." Quickly taking the letter, the prince thanked her and retreated to his room, his face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and shame. The letter was probably open mocking of his boldness to think she cared, or worse, a denouncement for having so little respect to not leave her alone.
It was supposed to be closure.
He sighed, brushed his hair back to calm his mind, and focused on opening the letter.
Dear Prince Rylan,
I have a humble request.
First, to address what I'm sure you're wondering: yes, I got and read your letter. I don't agree with who you were, but if you can change, maybe a correspondence could be seen as agreeable if kept formal. This is not forgiving you of anything, merely understanding that perhaps we both could have handled things differently.
Second, and more importantly:
My brother is in need of help, and I do not have the mindset for or know how busy the king is, so I plead to you.
Fairies came to us seeking help and tasked my brother alone as their savior to fix their lives. They're dying and don't know how to make more fairies, but rumors and talk from trusted sources have said your father, the king, may have answers.
I know this wasn't the letter you assumed you'd get, if any reply at all. But if you do wish to redeem yourself and prove yourself an ally and friend, please—anything you can do will help.
He read it twice, lost in the rush of emotions—not able to handle if she rejected him and trying to find it, yet surprised when it wasn't rejection at all, but instead pleading for help.
And potentially... as a friend?
He knew it was fragile, and maybe even words meant as flattery to get him to help. But the real question was—what was this talk of fairies, and what did it have to do with his father?
The evening was already getting late, and he feared pushing his luck too soon. He needed to calm his mind and focus. If he wished to help, he wanted to prove he was worthy of helping. That would not mean blindly rushing and assuming he'd get results.
Even if his father failed him—even if the kingdom had no answers—he would not give up. He would help find one.
For... his... friend.
The word felt fragile. Uncertain. Like the day he learned to use his water mana as a sword, holding the water blade in his hands, terrified it would slip through his fingers when he needed it most. Back then, it had been his own power he feared would fail him. Now, it was the idea of friendship itself he was terrified to lose before he'd even truly held it.
But it was there. And he would do everything in his power to keep it.78Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbL1fU1jMSD
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