Three days had passed since Wolf bent reality, and the lake had become a sacred site. Within that time Wolf tried to ensure his sister Nina's effort in trusting him wasn't wasted.
He mailed the letter with the shells to his sister Nina days prior, letting her know it worked and for her to keep the shell among the beastkin since he did not trust humans, and looked forward to the day she came home, since he wasn't sure how much unfinished business she may still have, but wanted to let her know they still loved and supported her, even in the distance.
The sight at the lake was one full of magic and wonder as fairies danced over the water, refusing to leave their newfound home. The crowd watching grew larger each day—wonder turning to spectacle, miracle becoming tourist attraction even as, to the local adults, the fairies became a bit more mundane.
Wolf stood at the water's edge, ignoring the dancing fairies and random people gossiping in the background. Remembering just days ago holding the glowing shell pulsing steadily within his hand and feeling the weight of the shell and wondering what the village would desire from him in the end.
Since he proved he had the power to do things beyond what humans thought was possible, and humans already proved that given a chance at power, they would harm even innocent things, in the end, would it be greed for the power of things he could do, demanding the ability to use it, or the awe of the power he wielded and respect for his gift giving him peace? He wasn't sure in the end but would learn in time how to deal with it.
A warmth entered Wolf's free hand as Teva slipped her hand into his. "You gave away the most powerful thing you ever created to the beast tribe. Was it really the best idea in the end?”
Wolf watched a fairy randomly chase a kid into the forest, both screaming with fun as the fairy played tag with the little one. "I gave it to those I trust who'll never use it as a weapon. That's not giving it away—that's making sure it's safe."
She squeezed his hand. "I love you, you know."
"I know." He turned to face her. "And I love you too. And…thanks for staying with me through all this.”
She nuzzles his neck before kissing his cheek, whispering gently into his ear, “Where else would I go, dear? The one I love is here.”
To the surprise of both Teva and Wolf, a fairy landed on Teva's head. It sat humming a tune to itself as Wolf wanted to laugh at the sight, but Teva wanted to touch the little thing, so she poked it from behind with her tail, making it squeak a little scream before laughing and flying around Teva's face before flying away.
Wolf did laugh now at that sight, and Teva grinned with joy. It seemed they finally stopped avoiding her, but she never knew why they did in the first place…
The crowds remain moslty respecful givng them space which surpised wolf he remebered in the past it always seem to be a race who be the first to get his attenion but perhpas word spread he like to be left alone or mabye the faires where more intresting then a old alchmist her cure a weakness thier memioeres already forgtten.
Wolf hoped the same would happen with fairies; in time they would be a novelty that was forgotten so they too could live in peace.
Teva went inside the shop wanting to prepare a lunch and visit her mother later, and Wolf was about to follow her when he thought about his brother Coby and wondered how he was doing. Maybe it was time for a guys' day out again soon so they could catch up since a lot of things had happened, and he was sure not everyone was aware. Maybe the girls could have one too.
Wolf knew his friends were safe, but the whole fairy thing kind of took his time, and he wanted to see them again and catch up to ensure all was well with no hidden unknown threats he did not know about—not that he was looking for new adventure but more wanting to be in the loop.
====
"Nina's time with the tribe had stretched into weeks—maybe months? She'd stopped counting after the first few.
Each day blurred into the next: from fighting the tribe to stop worshiping her to then training with Rex to be better and mabye a elder, serving meals, watching the tribe expand into somthing new. Comfortable routines. Easy rhythms.
Too comfortable. Too easy.
She'd catch herself thinking 'home' and mean the tribe, not back at the village with her family. That's when she knew—she'd been here too long."
Nina helped serve a fresh bowl of stew to Clover trying to focus her mood , clover graffuly took the stew, no longer hiding her race that was rabbitkin her long ear and bright eyes were easy for all to see. It seemed she let some of her fear ebb, trusting that humans would not kill her on sight but still remaining skittish if they got near her.
It was out of the blue and a surprise to them both when they could feel a pulse of mana and turned to see what its source was at once, even as the crowd near them getting food parted, sensing the same and knowing in some form it was for their hero, Nina.
A runner came up to Nina smiling. “I have news for you, hero Nina. Er… Sorry, Nina, I was told this was for you.”
She nodded, thanking him as he wagged his cat tail at the simple acknowledgment and dashed off, clover edge closer, wondering what it was. It was a small parcel and a letter. Nina, unsure, read the letter first, ears flat, fearing the worst since so much time had passed with no good news.
Perhaps he returned the fairy shells since it did not work….
Hey sis,
I am sure you have seen the shell. Please trust it to whoever you think can keep it safest. The fairies are safe, and with this will never lose their rebirth again.
The missing piece was never them not being able to be reborn; it was them not remembering how it was the shells. It just needed natural balance, mana, and time. Forcing it broke the shells and delayed the rebirth.
Sorry it took me so long. See you when you visit or choose to come home. Sorry I did not write more; I have been stressed and busy.
P.S. Teva asked when you are coming home and said don’t bother putting it in a letter if you can’t show up.
The tears patted the paper gently as Nina tried to blink them back.
“Everything ok?” Clover asked before a small furry hand from Clover gently wiped the tears from Nina’s face.
“It’s fine, nothing but good news. I told you to trust my brother.”
“What do you mean?” Clover asked, unable to see the letter's words. As Nina held it to her chest with the parcel.
Nina slowly opened the glowing parcel that hummed with life to slowly reveal the glowing shell, and no sooner did she do so than a fairy flew from the shell as if it were made of water and it was rising to the surface, stunning all who were near to bear witness. The fairy pure blue glow looked around confused before speaking.
“Where is our elder?” It flew a little higher, looking into the distance as if it knew who they sought was there but did not leave just yet, waiting for a response.
“Um, I am not sure who your elder is, but my brother trusted the shell to others to protect your kind; he wanted you all to be safe.” Nina said carefully, unsure how they would take it and unsure who was their elder.
“Ok~” the fairy sang, “Elder knows best~,” and flew off, scouting the beast tribe looking for kids to chase and play with. while the crowd was a mix of awe and stupor, unsure how to react to the zipping blue ball.
Well, that did not take much convincing, Nina thought. Her ears were flat, yet they perked up, and her tail started wagging as she saw the awe in Clover's eyes watching the shell in Nina's hand that just birthed the fairy.
Nina handed it to Clover casually as Clover gently took it with awe. “I told you my brother would do it,” Nina said smugly, a permanent smile plastered on her face they could not pry off.
“He…he really did it?” Clover asked, stunned. “And just like that, he’s giving away that power? To control their fate? A…human, no less, "
Nina was wrong, as those words did break her smile, and Nina saw Clover flinch a bit and try to shield the shell, fearing Nina would take it away. Nina sighed and spoke instead.
“I guess it’s still too soon to expect you to trust my family the same way I do, but Wolf has proven himself enough now. It’s up to you to prove you’re worthy of his trust, not him to you.”
Clover’s eyes lowered with her frown as she nodded. “You’ve proven more than once you can be trusted. I fear there are things I still can’t share, but I trust you, so please trust me when I say we will care for them.”
“I would not be giving you the shell otherwise,” Nina said flatly. “Besides,” Nina was watching that new fairy zipping around, “they have a mind of their own; if they don’t agree, they can make that choice.”
The tribe wanted to throw a feast to mark the occasion of the fairy's return and now rebirth among their kind, but Clover refused to take part, wanting to return home to her family in a distant place. Now that she had saved the fairies, it would be a long trip, and she did not want more delays, but she promised she would never forget the trust and kindness she received.
Nina also wanted to leave already and go back to where Wolf was with the rest of her family. But Nina knew even if loved and accepted by the beastkin, she needed to settle affairs here before she left.
Nina was randomly bombarded by questions about the fairy and her role in it, but she shooed most away easily enough. Despite how clingy they were in the past, they finally started to learn boundaries when she put her foot down.
It was not long from there that she went to the elder tent to settle the affairs from the top and let it trickle down vs trying to insure each person there.
When Nina entered, she saw the elder, and Rex was there with a random catkin. The elder was addressing a new trade route to permanently come here for trades to help build up their tribe more. Nina half listened as Rex waved at her, and she waved back as the talks went on.
It seemed the talk was mostly about how they were expanding the tribe with houses and shops and going for a more hybrid approach, kind of how Crossroads Village was a hub town before the city life, but now for their Beaskin tribe, they are using their tribe as a focal point to reach the other tribes so there can be a transition from city life to more traditional tribe life the further in you go inward. Or the more city life, the more you ventured beyond their tribe, then transitioned into town life. The further you go away, the more each side gets a variation of different styles.
As the trade talk ended, Nina was alone with Rex and the elder.
Nina knew the elder knew just by the look on Nina's face, but Rex was not so sharp and assumed she was just visiting.
“So is it that time, Nina? ” the elder asked, making it clear what they both knew—that she was leaving.
“Yeah, my brother did it, and I want to go.” Nina replied casually, tail wagging.
“What? Go where? You just got here.” Rex's ear shifted, trying to point to what he was missing.
“We already had these talks, kiddo, remember?” Nina said casually.
Rex nodded, downcast and unable to answer. Enough time passed; Nina knew Rex assumed her past was behind her but underestimated how much Nina truly valued her old home life, not here among the tribe.
“Part of being an elder is watching those you love leave to find their own path. Do you still want to be an elder?” the elder asked calmly to test Rex once more.
“I know… I am not a kid… I mean, I am not stupid. I know I am a kid.” Rex refused to look at either one of them as Nina held him close and felt the tear on her chest from Rex's face.
“I promise to visit later in life, ok, kiddo?” Nina asked and felt a nod from Rex as he held onto her in return, not wanting to lose the moment.
“I’m still not sure what it really means to be an elder,” Rex confessed, still holding Nina, “but I promise I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all any of us can do, kiddo, or no one would trust you to try.” Nina offered her support, knowing in time he would be fine and make a fine elder. Since he never gave up trying, she never tried to be an elder from the start.
When things calmed a bit, both Rex and the elder wanted one last feast before she left, a proper goodbye not to the idol and hero they both worshiped but a celebration of change and parting of ways on a high note for all to see, so Nina relented one more day before her return home.
The feast that night was not one of unity, as Nina would hope; a lot still were in denial that with the rising sun she would be leaving, but no one tried to stop her, just an endless sea of praise and well wishes, saying she would be missed.
When she finally was able to retire for the night, the glow of the mana light on her made her still a source of pride; soon she would not need it, as she would be home. And for the first time in many nights, she dreams of peaceful things to come.
=====
Long before the prince got a letter from Leena with proof the fairies were saved, the rumors spread of Fairy Lake at her village.
The prince made sure to speak to his father to make it a sacred place defended by the kingdom as a form of attainment, even if no one really knew the whole truth.
His father agreed easily enough but still did not feel things would go as smoothly as his son believed but did not voice such concerns, as they were getting along and neither wanted to strain their relationship.
Prince Rylan had visited the orphans' tower every day since he learned of her existence.
At first, she'd been confused. Then wary. Then curious. Since it was now a common occurrence, she looked forever to them. Today, when he arrived with books and news, she made them tea—a small thing, but it made his heart lighter.
"You came back," she said, as if she still couldn't quite believe it. While pouring him a glass.
"I said I would." She watched, and the prince settled into the chair he'd claimed as his. Sipping at the tea, the look on his face showed he did not approve. She did try something different, so she guessed it affected the taste, but he moved on easy enough, seeming to want to speak of other things. He saw her face watching and grinned at her answering the unspoken things.
“I have news. From the village where my friend lives." The prince spoke boastfully as if it was his own vicroty on whatever it was.“They saved the fairies from the past event, so now we redeem the sin from our past.”
She nodded, happy to hear the good news but unsure what he meant. He did mention casually a few times his regrets that they were weapons but was always afraid to push him for more info; it wasn't her place, and she was starting to enjoy the idea of company that wasn't just books or a servant checking on her needs before they left.
She read a bit about fairies and knew they were magic beings, but beyond that knew little, as the prince's voice broke the wandering thoughts.
“Remember?” the prince said casually yet paused, looking into the distance at her door to outside. She assumed the princess's desired focus was on the castle beyond the door. she vaugely remebred being somewhere inside the ain catsle when she first arived before they built her this tower and doing test on her in the past before she got her power under control. Perhaps that's what he meant.
“We’ve gained our power from their death… well, you did. Mine was enhanced, but same difference…” the prince casually finishes before turning to her, smiling. “But at least now it’s over personally. I’m glad neither one of us has to suffer anything anymore, and it’s all in the past."
"Do you agree?” the prince asked with mirth on his face before it soured a bit, drinking more of the tea and trying to hide how he felt about drinking it.
We? …. Our power...from their deaths?
It took her a moment to register his words. He had told her stories of the fairies before, and she always wanted to see one, but he never spoke clearly in the past… yet now she did hear him clearly. The fairies were real and killed…. For them…her? To be…
A weapon.
Aha, that explains the tower. That's why they forced her to be alone. And why they picked an orphan…
The prince may be a first pick as a weapon, but they wanted more. something they could afford to lose. So they made a new one, one that wouldn’t be missed, an orphan.
“I got to go. I’ll try to visit more later, but Father says I’ve been slacking on training, so I might not be able to visit as much, but I promise I’ll still try, ok?”
She was still trying to process what he said before but nodded, not trusting her voice. She saw the prince's good mood morph to concern, knowing he upset her yet was unsure how with offering good news instead of asking her. The prince nodded as he left. leaving her to ponder what his intent was.
After the prince left, she stood and went upstairs to her window, watching the courtyard where she'd trained a thousand times. The bracers hummed on her wrists, spinning slowly, bleeding off power she'd never asked for. And yet now she learned it was stolen power from fairies? And from their death…
In a village far from here, someone had saved them in a way she did not know. Undid a past sin she never knew she bore.
Maybe—just maybe—the person could help her too.
She never knew what to feel before; doing what she was told was always enough…. But the prince visiting and talking to her made her feel sheltered, and she wanted to see more. To understand why others had to suffer for her even as she suffered for others she did not understand.
She looked down at her hands, glowing with endless mana, and whispered the word the prince had said casually as if it was a truth she felt was forbidden:
"Friend."
She wondered what it meant to have friends. And not be only tool for war waiting on the whim of others to kill men…
She thought the prince might be a friend; they shared a burden she did not fully understand, but he did, but that felt more duty-bound and like he wanted to redeem himself than like a friend. She tried to recall the past to see where the fairies came from, but all she remembered when she first came to this castle was being lost and feeling trapped. The test, the indifference in their studying her. Till she saw the glowing of lights….
something…more.
Shaking her head, it was too confusing, and it was after that the mana overcame her, and she was their weapon of war. She had no memories of fairies they harmed. Just a sea of lightning that became chaotic if she did not control the voltage and release the small flow into the bracers that now seemed part of her form, for without them there would be endless storms.
She was afraid to try and remeber more she burred the past for a reseaon it was more isolating then her tower of books back then it was a small cell only let out to test. And before the bracers isolated areas, trying to disperse and control her blast lest she bring the whole castle down. At least now she had books and random visits. She even could leave her tower within the castle and wander the courtyard but did not like how open it was and preferred to stay in.
A small breeze from the open window brought a new wind with a slight warmth upon her skin. Was that what the fairies were like? Was that what it felt like to have… a friend? It was only after the wind cooled her face slightly that she noticed the tears that fell.
She knew even as one story ended, another could begin, but what could her story be? Having no name and endless power she could not control would only end one way: with someone dead.
So instead she remained a relic and stored weapon till the day she needed to be wielded and vowed to give up on the idea of a friend.
Yet the thoughts did not settle as she hoped. Others followed, small and persistent, quietly eroding what she had grown comfortable accepting.
Her eyes drifted to the gentle hum of the endlessly turning bracers. She watched them for a long moment, wondering—just briefly—if they held an answer she could not yet see.
Perhaps if the prince spoke of the fairies again, she would wish to know more, but that would be a truth for another time as she went for a book to pass the time. A random one from the shelf made her smile, as the title felt fitting for her mood. “Adventures of heroes trapped in a dungeon”
======
Deep in the endless forest beyond mountains lay a hidden kingdom where beastkin walk among monsters as equals. An unknown amount of time passed as a certain rabbitkin finally returned successful on her mission that had sent her beyond; she was home at last.
Clover stood before the gathered elders, the eternal shell glowing in her hands. Some were her kind; others were monsters with the same intelligence.
“A… human gave you this?" The eldest rabbit-kin looked skeptical. While the others watched for her response.
“A human made it balance mana.” Clover's voice was steady. “But he trusted our kind to protect it. He knew what humans had already proven they'd do for power, so he wanted us to safeguard it."
"And you believe him? And this wasn’t some ploy to let our guard down?” the elder asked, unsure.
She thought of Nina—choosing to trust. And her brother wolf, who gave away power to the unknown.
"I believe... some humans can be trusted. Maybe not all. But some. And they don’t have any way to know we’re here. I swear I said nothing.”
The elder was quiet for a long moment. And none of the other observers wish to intrude; they merely observe. Then: "Place it in the sanctuary. We will guard it with our lives." But a stern look followed even as Clover went to move.
“You assume too much, child, with your trust. Even if it was to save the fairies, we guard vs. far worse things and don’t need the added complications of humans hunting us too.”
“Yes, elder.” Clover said feeling her victory at saving the fairies was being downplayed by the uncertainty of what could be.
As Clover descended deeper into the hidden grove where fairy light would never fade, she wondered: when the monster kingdom was discovered—and it would be, eventually—who would stand with them, the beast tribe… . Mabye Wolf whom saved the fairies? Would he?
Or would he be just another human who hunts all monsters without understanding some are good and sought peace? And now turn that same balance mana power that saved the fairies into a weapon that hunted her people….
Only time would tell.
But for now, the fairies were safe.
And that was enough.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsn9EkBJyA
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