“Are you the sentinel?” Alta asked the black-winged fairy. The patterns of the wings were complex and hard to look at, sometimes spots gleamed with purple shines.
“That would be me yes.” The fairy turned to look at her, his eyes glittering in black. “I suppose you are the new recruit.”
“Yes.” The chimera nodded. “What type of fairy are you?”
“I’m an Abyssbrain fairy, the only one in the village.” The male fairy nodded multiple times, the void in his eyes absorbed the surrounding light, yet when he blinked the effect disappeared momentarily. “What about you? I have never seen a fairy related to fire.”
Alta slightly fluttered her wings. “I’m a Blossomflame fairy.”
“Alright, though I still doubt why Flrynwydl would send a random woman to be the eyes of the villages.” The Abyssbrain fairy sighed.
“I fail to see what gender has to do with it.” The red-haired fairy tilted her head.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that!” The man raised her arms in panic. “I don’t have any problems with you being a woman, it’s only that you are new to the village, and we don’t know anything about you.”
“I see.” Alta could understand the lack of trust in the male fairy. “It was Flrynwydl who sent me here, so if you have any problems, you should talk with her.” She added with honesty.
“No, no, no.” He swayed his head and fluttered his wings wildly, a bead of sweat coming down from his forehead. “There’s absolutely no need to talk with Flrynwydl. Though, one question. Are you able to defend yourself in case of an attack?”
“I could kill you in a fraction of a blink if that’s what you are asking.” The chimera affirmed.
“Yeah, good joke.” Then he looked at the Blossomflame fairy. “You are joking, right?”
Alta stood there motionless on the watchtower. Unblinking, unbothered.
“Ye, a curious sense of humor. Ha, ha.” The man chuckled to himself. “Anyways... I’m going to show you the ropes of the job, don’t worry it’s pretty simple. Before I forget,” he extended a hand forward, “I’m Coralarodys.”
“Alta.” The woman responded taciturnly, accepting the handshake.
“Alright, Alta. I don’t know how Blossomflame magic work, but as an Abyssbrain, I work differently than other fairies.”
“How so?” The chimera inquired.
“We, Abyssbrain, have the capability to sense and interact with other people’s minds.”
Like this. A voice resonated in her mind.
A few days ago, Alta would have separated the head from the body of the fairy for that intrusion without thinking twice, but now that she had learned about magic, she detected the weakness of the voice.
It wasn’t as powerful as the magic Flrynwydl exuded by just existing, and the intrusion was so feeble she could push the fairy out with her mind easily.
“Don’t do that,” Alta added emotionless.
But that didn’t mean she liked the feeling.
“Fair,” The Abyssbrain fairy replied. “But those are the extent of my abilities. In theory, Abyssbrain can manipulate people’s minds and drive them insane, but I’m only strong enough to message people telepathically. Though my strength lays elsewhere.”
“You sense other minds.” Alta guessed.
“Exactly!” Coralarodys smiled. “It’s an invaluable ability for a lookout because it allows me to sense other people no matter if it’s day or night, or if I have my eyes closed or open. If someone is nearby, I will know it.”
“How does it work?” It would be an interesting skill to possess.
“It just does?” The man frowned, his fully black eyes turning even darker. “That’s the same with all fairy magic. We just do it. There’s no explanation or learning involved, it’s innate. I wouldn’t be able to use your Blossomflame magic if I wanted.”
It isn’t like I can use it myself.
“Shame,” Alta replied.
“Well,” Coralarodys continued. “That’s the entirety of the job. In my case, I’m able to send a telepathic message to the elder in case something is wrong, but I don’t know how it will work for you. I have been translocated to the watchtower on the east, so this one is for you and Anofareda.”
“Anofareda?”
“Yup, the other guard.” He spoke. “This tower needs to be manned the whole day, we cannot afford to have it unattended. Because Anofareda is a Rootweaver fairy, she will come in the morning and noon as they are strongest whilst the forest is awake, and you will tend the watchtower during the evening and night. I guess you’ll have it easier than a Rootweaver with your flaming wings.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Is that all?” Alta asked after the fairy stopped talking.
“That would be it, yes.” Coralarodys nodded. “Your first turn will begin this evening, so you can go back home, have lunch, and then come back here.”
“No, I don’t think I will.” She responded. “I want to experience how a sentinel works; the experience will be valuable.”
“I recommend you against it.” The man sighed. “The job is as simple as I described it, and you need to be awake and sharp during your whole turn, which is half of the day. You should eat, get some rest, and be ready to shift your sleeping schedule.”
“I’m not hungry and don’t worry about me getting drowsy.” The Blossomflame fairy expressed neutrally. “I’ll worry about my sleep yesterday.”
The Abyssbrain fairy raised his brows, but otherwise, remained silent.
“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Coralarodys shrugged. “The next hours are going to be boring, and they will get worse once you are alone. Being a sentinel is a thankless job.”
“I’m not doing this to be thanked,” Alta responded.
“Sure.” The fairy smirked. “Anyways, keep your eyes forward, unlike me, you are going to have to use them.”
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Coralarodys hadn’t lied, the job was boring and uneventful. But then, even after the male fairy had left her alone, the solitude of the Evergreen was comforting, unlike the oppressive and violent silence of her cell. She had totally forgotten that the cacophony of the souls had never stopped, her brain had just filtered it out.
Though the fact that the activity on her mind remained as uneventful as that of the forest, didn’t mean Alta stayed still.
She was still furious because she was unable to fly, so during her whole time alone she flapped her wings furiously in order to fly. Yet her endeavor was rewarded with no success.
That made the fairy even more frustrated.
“How am I supposed to even watch out for dangers?” Alta sat on the floor of the watcher’s nest on the tall tree. “There’s no line of sight. The spot for the village is not defensible. There’s no use for lookouts.”
Her voice maintained total neutrality, yet the frustration in her words was obvious. Even then, Alta kept her eyes forward.
“Are you talking to yourself now?” A voice asked from behind. Alta turned to see Icasondra with a basket in her hands. “Have you gone insane in less than a single day?”
“How have you come here?” The chimera asked, unbothered by the fairy’s taunt.
“Flying?” The platinum-haired fairy grinned.
“It would seem I have worded my question incorrectly. Why have you come here?” Alta corrected.
“Well, it was getting boring being alone in my home...” Icasondra responded as she sat on the floor. “Especially after having company for these last days. And because you skipped lunch, I thought I could bring you some sandwiches.” She opened the lid of the basket to reveal a plethora of perfectly cut sandwiches.
“Not needed,” Alta added.
“Are you not going to eat them?” The fairy closed the lid.
“I didn’t say that.” The chimera lurched forward.
“That’s what I thought.” Icasondra sounded amused. “Come on, eat. I’ll hang with you. This job cannot be easy on the mind, spending half the day alone and of that...”
If you only knew.
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The sandwiches didn’t last long. Perhaps if Alta was the only one to eat, she could have saved them past midnight, but with the inclusion of Icasondra, who seemingly didn’t have had lunch either, the basket was quickly emptied.
“Yeee...” The Moonlight fairy grunted. “This is bo-ring.”
Icasondra sat at the entrance of the nest, on top of the flimsy ladder that Alta had used to get up here. The chimera kept looking forward, doing as instructed, but she knew the fairy was swaying her legs back and forth as they sometimes impacted the trunk of the tree, very gently swaying the leaves of the canopy.
“How long until we can go?” The fairy groaned, laying her back on the floor.
“You can go at any moment you want,” Alta stated.
“I’m not going to leave you alone!” She instantly responded, kicking herself up.
“I see.” The chimera responded without looking at the probably distressed fairy. “Then we have at least around ten hours remaining.” She said, judging by the darkness of the sky and rising moons.
“Ten hours?” Icasondra screamed in surprise. “That’s a lot of time!”
“You came here not that long ago since Coralarodys left. So yes, we have most of my shift before us.”
“Coralarodys?” She asked.
“The Abyssbrain fairy,” Alta responded.
“Oh, him.” Icasondra sat next to her. “I have never talked to him, so I didn’t even know his name.”
“Didn’t you say before that you knew everyone in the village because it’s so small?”
“That was an expression, Alta.” She responded. “I didn’t mean it seriously. Though it wouldn’t be hard to know every single one. There shouldn’t be more than fifty fairies in the village. At least since the last time I checked.”
“I see.” The chimera slightly turned her head to have a better sight of the fairy.
The Moonlight fairy’s platinum hair shone with the dim light of the Celestial Triumvirate, reflecting light like a mirror. Her wings did the complete opposite. They absorbed the multifaceted light of the three moons, energy gathering on her butterfly wings, a fraction of it emitted in bioluminescence.
Icasondra noticed the looks Alta was giving her as they locked sights, her face turned slightly red, then she broke their connection and looked forward like the chimera was doing.
“That’s Nux!” The Moonlight fairy pointed out of nowhere at the white moon. “She’s the little sister of the Celestial Sisters.”
“Celestial Sisters?” Alta asked, looking at the smaller, white rock in the night sky.
“Yeah, that’s what some people call the Triumvirate. They like to gentrify them, but to be honest, it’s a bit stupid.” Icasondra explained. “Huh, it kinda sounds heretical coming from the mouth of Moonlight fairy, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps.” The chimera didn’t understand the concept of heresy.
“Well, continuing with my explanation... The next one is Shatel, the middle daughter,” she pointed at the light blue moon, “she’s referred to as the curious sister.”
The light blue moon had a turquoise accentuation, not that dissimilar from the dress of the Moonlight fairy, which also shone in the moonlight.
“Oh, that reminds me that I haven’t mentioned the personality of Nux. All sisters have a ‘personality’,” Icasondra quoted with her fingers, “Nux, the young one, is brilliance. An intelligent, yet young person. Shatel is the curious, as I have said. The middle sister, yet unbothered by stigmas. Then, we have the biggest moon, Ori.” She pointed at the lilac moon. “She’s called the seductress, as the oldest one, she’s the most aligned with concepts like... well, adult concepts. You get it with the name.”
“I see.” The chimera nodded, flooding her eyes with the glamour of the three sisters.
Alta then turned to Icasondra, and she could see the reflection of every moon on her physicalized. Her platinum hair was Nux. Her wings, eyes, and even the dress represented Shatel. As for Ori, her body didn’t have any lilac, yet Alta could see some shades of the violet-like color hidden on the Moonlight fairy’s irises.
“Which one is your favorite?” Alta asked, however, she didn’t even know where the question came from, but it felt appropriate.
“Um...” Icasondra dubitated, taking the question incredibly seriously. “I’d say... Shatel? It’s the one I feel most identified with. She’s the curious one and I like to explore, so... yeah.”
The two stayed there all night looking at the white, turquoise, and lilac sisters together until the sun made them go away. Alta enjoyed her watch duty that night.