I watch as the last dregs of water return to the lake, bringing with it the final remainder of the glass sculptures and my tension along with it. They were beautiful and unique, but I don't want a single reminder of what just transpired. I didn't even know his name, but his last moment will haunt me for months to come.
The water settles, and the sand dons the look of a recently cleared etch-a-sketch asking for a new story to be written across its surface.
A better story.
The beautiful freckled Fae had flown out of the water when we first started washing things into it, upset and waving her arms in protest. I gave her one glare, and that stopped instantly as she looked away before quietly flitting over to my shoulder to sit, surprising me once again with the guilt she showed at what I went through. She knew what would happen, which is why she'd not been present for my practice, and she felt bad I had to go through it.
This Fae could actually feel guilty? Feel bad from her actions?
As unbelievable as that sounded and though she probably hadn't been directly involved with the attack, I was still a bit peeved at all the little bastards no matter how good their intentions. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. I wouldn't have let her sit on me if she hadn't actually begun to help Alexa with the water.
"That's the last of it. I never knew manipulating that much water could be so tiring," Alexa says, standing by my side after almost ten minutes of constantly dragging fresh water up the shore to pull away the evidence.
I watch her posture slouch as her breathing remains strained. She places her hands on her hips while admiring her work with apparent self-satisfaction.
"How's the leg?" she turns and asks.
"Still hurts, but it will do for now," I say, still cradling my right arm and favoring my right leg. "We should get to work on messing this sand up a little. They may come to check up on us soon."
It had been approximately thirty minutes since she had healed my wrist and leg. We'd been working on destroying the evidence with what we'd regenerated since then, my shoulder still in pieces.
I felt weird doing all of this. I was finally opening myself up to my family only to cover up yet another secret, but an impulse decision had been made and upon further examination of the circumstances, I was glad I had made it.
"Why are you so worried about them finding out still? I already explained they wouldn't think twice that you killed it," she asks, as if my thoughts were written on my face for her to ponder on.
"Him, Lexi, not it. And maybe not, but they would never trust the Fae again, let alone permit us ever to leave the house. You know how protective they are, what happens in a year when you leave me for school and I'm left here? Sure WE can always find something to do together, but I'll be alone and constantly surveilled by the three of them. I'd lose my damn mind..." I reply, trailing off.
Just thinking about the ramifications of them discerning I was attacked is a terrifying prospect. I already wasn't handed the most freedom, what with being a mage so young and all. If they found out about this, I may not be allowed in my own backyard.
My hopes for this situation specifically? That it was a one-off. The Fae would go back to keeping the likes of them away from us once again and we'd be safe for the short remainder of our trip. If reality proved to be different... well. My life was already in their hands as is and if the Fae really wanted me dead... let's just hope reality didn't prove to be different.
"I... alright. Yeah, I can see that," she says, nodding her head. "What about your shoulder and ribs, though?"
"You're a brute. You did this. They'll believe it," I respond with a smile while winking at her.
She opens her mouth in protest but closes it a moment later. Opens it again, then closes.
"I... they... they would believe it, wouldn't they?" she eventually mumbles.
"They absolutely would Lexi, they absolutely would," I get out between strained laughs.
It hurts a little to talk, but laughing ruins me. The jerking motion of my diaphragm agitates the cracked and bruised ribs, not to mention jostling my shoulder, or lack thereof. Is it even a shoulder if it has no structure?
"I should be nicer to you. At least physically," she says, looking up and thinking to herself. "Alright," she declares to the sky, "I'll ease up on your body for now. I'll even help you out with any of your needs for a bit."
"Any of them?" I say, raising my eyebrows.
She stares at me confused.
I wink.
Her eyes widen slightly and she turns away in a hurry.
"Pervert."
I double over laughing and crying out in pain simultaneously.
"You, haha-oowwww, you actually understood a dirty joke?" I laugh ask.
Laughsk. Perfect.
I honestly hadn't expected that. She is supposed to be a sheltered child, she should have just nodded. Instead, I hurt myself laughing at the unexpected occurrence. I don't care what anyone says, a well-played dirty joke can definitely be amusing and that took the cake for me, made all the better by the fact that I am physically a grade schooler.
On that note, I'm glad I don't have any urges. I didn't notice it at first, but the all-consuming desire that is sex and physical relations actually hasn't been a problem in the slightest. I believe it's because of my younger brain and lack of hormones because though I'm still attracted to different types of people, it doesn't go beyond simple admiration. Not like a physical attraction. It feels like I am free. No urges, no demands, no desires... like a weight I didn't know I used to be crushed under was lifted. I almost wish it would never come back. Almost.
"I look like a kid, I'm not actually a kid, you ass. My mother explained more than enough after a few propositions from a disgusting acquaintance I used to invite to parties. He is no longer allowed on our estate," she explains with a glare.
I hold my hands up in mock surrender as I begin moving forward, sliding and shuffling the earth about with my feet and what little raw mana I can spare to manipulate as Alexa begins to do the same.
"So, what was this uh... friend of yours' name? And how old was he?" I ask, changing the subject slightly.
I need this information anyway. He must be educated on how wrong his ways are, physically and painfully. No one makes a pass at my Lexi like that, even if I didn't technically know her yet.
"Arion. He was my age and just repeating something his brother had said to him, why?" is her reply.
Two people then. Two people that must be educated.
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He glanced about as he slowly extended his head out into the hallway, listening and searching for any sign of the evil predator that had invaded his home. With it not in sight, he glided silently over the floor like a wraith, dashing out of the office and into the bedroom.
Immediately, he leapt upward, soaring through the sky as he pushed the limits of common sense, traveling over five times his standing height and landing directly onto the bed sheets, curling into a ball under the pillows and glancing about once again, hidden.
"Jasper, dinner!"
His master called from downstairs with two words of their language. He understood these two words. One, his name they had gifted him as a pup. The other, his favorite word, meaning it was time to eat the delicious food they always prepared for him, made even more delicious lately with his other three masters and the weird look-alike they had taken in a while ago gone.
Coast being clear, he leapt down from the bed and once again carefully poked his head out into the hallway before moving to the stairs as he hugged the walls, doing his utmost to avoid the parts that he knew squeaked.
Jasper inched his head around the corner to look down the stairs and began slowly, noiselessly, making his way down them. His paws hit the hard tile floor and his claws retracted as he lifted his nose to smell the delicious aroma wafting to him from his bowl. He glanced around the kitchen before he sighted the treasure on the other end of the room. With one more look at the surrounding area to confirm his safety, he thusly began making his way over in a calm but rapid manner.
That is, until his body could no longer stand the excitement and he rushed forward with abandon.
He reached his bowl and bit down savagely, savoring as the juices from the steak-
He paused when his jaws came together and produced a loud clicking sound, indicating he had missed the steak with his earlier bite. He looked downward and confirmed the steak was just before him, looking juicy and smelling delicious. His belly growled as he opened his mouth again and attempted to bite down-
-yet his maw simply met itself again with a click. He placed his paw in the bowl and watched as it went through the steak to touch bottom of the container.
He had been fooled.
"Good boy, Jasper," his master's voice called out, but it was not his master.
He lifted his head in terror and saw the predator, hovering far above him with a manic grin, sunlight glinting off its teeth. Its horrible bright purple hair floated behind it, caught in an eternal breeze.
Jasper whimpered.
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"I BE UR CAPTAIN NOW, GHOST! ONWARD!"
Garrett sighed as a loud crying sound rang out from the mouth of his poor fox, the black and white spec with purple on its back darting into the room.
"Plum, please leav-"
"Aye, yer gold, Human scum! I be here to save ye from its wretched clutches!" the Fae screamed at him from the foxes back.
Garrett placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose while setting down the sword he'd been altering.
Every day, it had been like this. Every single day since they had left.
'At least she has taken to annoying Jasper lately,' he thought with no guilt.
At first, he'd hated the Fae. Always annoyed at its presence, stopping him from being able to work with offhand comments about how bad he was at his job. A few days into it though, he'd noticed a pattern. Whenever he'd be making a mistake, it would tell him he was being a fool in one way or another. Whenever he could be doing something better, it would demand he re-do it or be punished.
It knew more about alteration than he himself did.
Eventually, 'it' became a 'she' as Garrett began to accept her presence. He'd begun not finishing his food so she could, allowing her upstairs when he slept, and he'd even gone so far as to make her a small bed on the wall inside his room. She rarely used it, but it was still there, showing his acceptance of her company and when he'd made it, she'd calmed down for a few days. She'd almost even been a pleasure to have... until the boredom set back in.
Now, the Fae he'd named Plum after her hair had once again taken to being obnoxious and helpful, instead of just helpful, with Jasper taking the brunt of it.
'Poor guy,' Garrett thought with zero guilt still, only sympathy.
At least he was feeding him overly well as payment.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Jasper dashed around the room, frantically yelping the entire way while she laughed maniacally atop his back, holding onto his neck scruff as a makeshift reign. He shot over and under tables as Plum held firm, unshakeable, dodging left and right as the fox tried to run her into things.
"Jasper no!"
The sound of glass shattering ran through the room like the fox had been, the room falling silent moments later. Jasper froze instantly and the Fae tumbled forward from his back onto the ground at the sudden stop. She was too surprised from the loud noise to pay attention to her grip, it seemed.
Garrett sighed again.
Every.
Single.
Day.
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"Did you find him?" Vanessa asked, turning toward Alexa.
They had finished packing last night to prepare for their departure today, yet the boy had disappeared within the last thirty minutes, of course. None of them were exactly sure where he'd gone off to, so she had sent Alexa to his usual spot, expecting positive results.
Vanessa had had enough of this little 'vacation,' even if it was mostly enjoyable. They had tried to leave yesterday but got caught up in the boy's whims, and today he once again was hiding out. She wanted to be on the road before the sun got directly overhead, hopefully being able to make it a few miles west down the main road by nightfall.
"Nope. He wasn't where he usually practices," Alexa responded, glancing around restlessly.
Vanessa sighed.
"Alright, look south of us this time, I'll call Emily back from scouting our path out and have her search too so we can get out of here," she replied.
Alexa nodded and took off into the sky. She seemed more worried about him being missing than usual, Vanessa noted.
The two had been closer than ever after they had found them a few days ago, him with bruised ribs and a severely damaged shoulder and the girl the culprit. Apparently, they'd sparred and she'd gotten a little too aggressive with some ground manipulation, which made sense. The girl had always had a violent side to her, especially with matters related to the boy, and it wasn't too far of a stretch to say that Damien probably provoked it.
The event had prompted Alexa to be kinder to the boy though, as it seemed that severely hurting him once again jogged her memories of another time she had done something similar. The only problem with this new development was that now Alexa seemed to get along with him much too well. Whereas they were always together before, now she would occasionally find Alexa sneaking glances at him when he wasn't looking and always sat by him at meal times. Also, whenever they went out to hunt for said meals, she would go with him now rather than splitting up.
It wasn't too far of a stretch for Vanessa to begin connecting the dots. Alexa was past the age when Celestials would start to form attachments to one another and Damien was a prime candidate. Their kind did not see a youthful appearance to be a deterrent to choosing mates between them, but intellect and maturity, and Damien had both in spades.
Alexa was developing feelings for the boy.
It made Vanessa happy to see she was far beyond the prejudice she'd held when they first met, but ultimately it was a sad event. The love wouldn't come to fruition, after all, for the boy was Human. Unfortunate that she would have her heart broken, but a valuable lesson when she eventually decided to let him go. At least they would be separated soon, though how beautiful would it be if she threw caution to the wind and took him for herself, abandoning her cultural duties.
If Alexa didn't, Vanessa surely would. She was barely between her first and second centuries and had already abandoned Hylyu. Damien would live for six hundred years at least at this rate, so his current young age was no factor. She could wait and she didn't have the pressure of the Families on her, nor an elitist attitude; no reason she couldn't have a Human lover.
Vanessa continued her line of thought with a smile as she entered their shelter to do a final sweep. She walked through the front entrance of the dining room, turned left, moved down a short hallway to check the bathroom, the bedrooms, the kitchen area, and finally, the living room where she found him once again working on his fireplace.
The kids had both put a lot of effort into the shelter, but Damien treated it like a true home. He decorated things, made sure walls were immaculate, leveled out floors... it was a little strange how methodically he handled the entire process and how obsessed he was with finishing his fireplace.
Perhaps he knew some form of construction.
"We have to go, Damien. What are you still doing in here?" she asked.
"I'm almost done, I swear," he claimed, looking back at her with a smile. "Give me a couple more minutes? I can't decide on which stones to use for the arch above the opening, any ideas?"
"Damien. It does. Not. Matter. We most likely will never come back here. Let's go," she said, impatient.
The boy took a breath in, faking an affronted attitude.
"You don't know that! I'm going to convince them to take me here at least once a year when we get home. I want this to stay standing while I'm gone and look beautiful for the Fae to use while we are out. Just... gimme like... ten minutes," he said, creating and decomposing different slabs of stone as he lifted them up to compare against the rest. "And I'll be out, promise. I'm almost done."
Vanessa sighed but nodded and turned around, leaving their shelter. She might as well let him have his way, Emily wasn't back from scouting anyway.
'More delays...' she internally lamented.
At least she knew where he was, no matter how ridiculous the reason. Vanessa had to admit he was doing a spectacular job. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it used to be an old stone home built by dwarves.
An hour later, Damien came out covered in dirt and disheveled but smiling an infectious smile like his mother. Vanessa couldn't help but grin back at the expression.
"You look satisfi-"
"Alright, it's done!" he yelled, interrupting her. "You guys wanna come look?" he asked, begging with his eyes.
"No, we need to get going," Vanessa replied sternly.
'Almost done my ass.'
"It'll take like two minutes th-"
"Damien we have to go, sweety. Your project will always remain in your heart. Come on," Emily softly interrupted.
Damien deflated slightly but began trudging forward.
'Finally,' Vanessa thought.
Finally, they would be leaving.
"HALT MORTAL!" an obnoxious voice rang out.
'No.'
"WE BESEECH THEE, COME HITHER, THE LORD CALLS FOR YOU!" another shrill voice followed.
'Please no,' she begged.
A veritable flood of Fae came from the forest and the lake, surrounding the four of them. The fairies were packed so densely she couldn't see her companions and when they dispersed the children were both gone.
"Damien? Alexa?" she heard Emily ask from behind her.
Vanessa looked around the area, but the children were nowhere to be seen.
"I guess we'll have to wait again," Emily said, shrugging.
Vanessa turned to demand an answer out of one of the Fae, but they had all vanished like an illusion.
"Godsdammit," she whispered, sitting on the end of their carriage.
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Damien fought back his stomach as it threatened to pour out of his mouth while the twisting, turning, and spinning in every which direction did its best to ruin his effort. Vertigo had set in long ago and had him firmly in its grip.
Seconds turned to minutes as the world finally ceased its spinning and he laid on the ground, face down. Voices made noises above his head in what sounded to him like condescending tones, but his world was still righting itself, so he wasn't able to make out exactly what was said.
"Ooof!"
Without warning, a large weight landed on his back, nearly forcing out that which he had managed to keep down just seconds prior.
"Uhhhgggg. I... don't feel... good..."
The weight identified itself as he recognized Alexa's groaning voice.
A few minutes later, they were sitting against the walls of a lavishly decorated room. A gorgeous scenery, complete with moving deer and grass flowing in the wind, adorned the walls as a large crystal chandelier grew from the ceiling, shimmering beautifully and lightning up the entirety of the area as sunlight streamed in through the top of it. Priceless paintings, sculptures, ornately decorated tables, and other works of art were strewn about, hung on the walls, and resting on the floor, couch, and tables. It looked as if the owner had too many things yet nowhere to put them all, hence the reason they sat on the floor.
While looking around the room, Damien saw one of his ties that had gone missing and pocketed it.
"Will you two get dressed?" an irate Fae asked.
"Yessssss hurry already! Get dressed!"
"So weak! It was a small portal!"
"Tiny like your brains!"
Damien sighed and looked upon the nearest chair to them, also being the only open area, save the floor where they sat. On it was a silver suit with a black collar and tie and a white undershirt below it. Next to that, a silky black dress with small V-shaped ruffles going down the length of it and a low cut for the back.
Damien knew what they looked like because the Fae had brought them out and showcased them a few seconds ago. He really liked the way the suit looked. He honestly wanted to try it on, if only for one small issue.
"They obviously won't fit," he stated. "They look like they're sized for when we were both youn-"
"Stop complaining!"
"Just do it!"
"The ceremony awaits, hurry!"
"Please!?"
'...' Damien thought, his mind blank.
The room went silent as all eyes in it turned to an unusually small blue haired Fae floating above Damien's right shoulder. Even the Fae themselves were confused and speechless as they all wondered if they'd heard what they'd just heard.
'Did she just... ask politely?'
"... I really like this ceremony. It was necessary," she said, defending herself from the affronted stares of her kin.
"Alright. Fine, we'll put on the ridiculous outfits," Alexa said, surprisingly the first to cave. "But we'll look silly. They're too small."
"Just do ittttt," a black haired one screeched, drawling on as he pulled at his hair.
"Ok, ok," Alexa said, standing up while Damien stayed seated. "Well?" she said, holding out a hand with piercing eyes demanding he stand up with her. "Let's get this over with. Whatever you did a few months ago is about to pay off, I hope it was worth everything you've put us through."
Damien said nothing as he stood, walking toward the large chair. The moment he touched the suit he let out a gasp and immediately laid his face and body down onto it, receiving weird looks from Alexa and even the Fae, who were still picking on the poor little nice one.
"What?" Damien asked. "It is sooo soft. This is insane. Feel this, Lexi! Can I keep it?"
"I should think so, it was made for you, Human," the red-haired Fae stated as he flit into the room while Alexa rolled her eyes.
Damien tensed upon recognizing the voice. He still wasn't sure what to think of this particular Fae. He knew it had had good intentions, yet couldn't get over the sick feeling he got whenever he'd seen him the past few days.
Instead of responding, Damien nodded and began to take his clothes off.
"What are you doing? I'm still here, hello? You see me right?" Alexa said in a monotone voice, waving her hand in front of her face and slowly turning around.
"Really? Now you are going to act like a prude?" he asked.
She turned back around and glanced at him.
"Is it not weird?"
"I'd imagine it wouldn't be? I'm four and we've seen each other naked countless times. Don't make it weird?" he responded.
She stayed still for a few moments, seemingly thinking it over before ending her thoughts with a shrug.
"Alright, I guess."
The two got outfitted with plenty of trouble, the clothes being way too small. By the time they finished, Damien's belly was showing and his pants barely made it halfway down his shins.
"I feel ridiculous," he said.
"You look ridiculous," the red-haired Fae stated.
"Like fools!"
"Do a trick, fool!"
"Village idiots!"
"Use your mana on them..." the small Fae said quietly as the rest turned to glare at her. "I want to go to the ceremony! Stop playing with them!" she yelled in defense, flying back towards the only door leading out of the room.
Damien looked around as a few chased her out before trying to insert his mana into the clothes. Instantly, they sucked in a small amount before growing in size to fit his body perfectly. Seconds later, Alexa's followed suit.
"Oh my wow," Damien muttered, the clothes softness finally no longer constricting and only heavenly.
The way the fabric rested on his skin felt like the best silk while being as breathable as cotton, staying cool and light as a feather while being flexible. He was immediately enchanted.
"Alright, focus. We must go now," the red-haired Fae stated, getting his attention as Alexa sighed at the way he was touching his entire body.
"Thirty..." she scoffed.
Damien quickly stopped and turned toward the red Fae. He promptly led them out the door into a hallway, this one decorated with armored knights and stereotypical paintings of war. It seemed that was their storage room, as no other room they entered appeared to be nearly as cluttered.
During the walk, Damien had continued touching himself all over and Alexa had already smacked him more than once.
"Stop it," she demanded quickly, slapping his hand down off his chest.
"No, you touch me too."
"Shut up, no. Stop it, Damien. You're freaking embarrassing. Don't grab my hand!"
"I can't help it. Feel my body," he said, rubbing on her exposed arm with his side. "It's almost as soft as your feathers except it's everywhere. I want this forever. I'm never taking this off."
Alexa sighed and rubbed her face in her hands.
"Please at least walk normally," she implored.
He obliged to that and turned to the closest Fae to them, which happened to be the kind one that had circled back and returned.
"What material is this? It's amazing. Can you make me more clothes out of it?"
The Fae stared at him, cocking her head to the side slightly before smiling and chuckling a bit.
"They aren't made from materials. They're conjured! When the magic runs out, they'll disappear. The King's cape is the only clothing that is real. It's what we base all our stuff off of. Only we can make them and mortal clothes come nowhere close to it!" she finished, an uptick of pride in her squeaky voice seemingly because of his praise.
"Wait," Alexa said, "How long until the magic runs out then?"
"Should be fine for a day or two. As long as you provide mana to them, they should stay together for up to a week. When you stop, they'll collapse once they run out," the red-haired Fae responded from in front of them.
Damien felt his heart sink in his chest. He'd make sure the suit lasted as long as possible. It was almost like it had been entirely crafted out of Celestial feathers, though he knew it wasn't. Most likely, there was nothing in this world crafted out of that divine substance as Celestials would probably murder anyone that tried.
Seconds once again turned to minutes as they went from room to room, hallway to hallway. Some were typical of a castle, others were typical for a forest. They walked across grass, tile, granite, dirt, stone... every flooring material one could imagine, within reason. Rooms made entirely of nature and others made of glass until finally, they came upon two large doors made out of a dark wood.
"We arrive!"
"Open the doors!"
"The fool is here!"
Damien's face adopted a weird smile and he scratched the back of his head as the doors slowly opened to show a large courtroom-like hall. All along the walls and floor, different Fae sat on rows of benches or stood, staring at him with anticipation and excitement in their eyes. Fairies from both the lake and the forest were here and intermingled, whispering quietly to one another. It was the first time he'd seen Fae actually behaving themselves.
At the center, a podium stood at the end of a long aisle. Further forward on the opposite end of the room they were, a fairy sat in a large chair made out of a tree, eating an apple and wearing nothing but a cape and shorts.
Damien had a strange urge to run for his life. He knew this wouldn't be a fair trial, if that's what it was.
Damien and Alexa were both pushed forward by a few other Fae until they reached a gate of sorts, upon which Alexa was led to the side and he was shoved through it until he stood beside the podium. From another entrance, a group of three Fae entered the building, two larger ones dragging the smaller one forward by the wings as she clung to the door.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, like a banshee.
"Haha! Look!"
"Uh oh!"
"Have fun boy!"
Many Fae began giggling and pointing as they watched the spectacle.
Damien shuddered.
"Stop! No! I don't wan- OW! I WON'T DO IT!"
Eventually, they got her hands free of the door and pulled her to the podium across from him, standing with their arms locking hers in place. Jade turned to her right and glared as they locked eyes.
"If you accept, I will ruin your fucking life, boy. Count on it."
"OOOOoooohhhhh!"
"Fighting already!"
'I want to go home now.'