"Am I supposed to trust that? This is the third most absurd revelation I've heard since leaving Auro."

Orion looked at May with a face that said 'I can't believe you.'

"What were the other two, if it's not too much to ask?"

Curious, May asked.

"That a single human destroyed multiple factions, and that the Miasma managed to survive being blown to nothingness."

"Let me ask again? Is this serio-"

Just when he was about to ask if what she said was true, a person he hadn't seen in months appeared in the corner of his eyes.

"You!"

In surprise, May looked in the same direction, only to see an middle aged woman with a big backpack on her back.

"Hi, young man? We haven't seen each other since you've left the fairy realm. What a pleasure to find you here."

Orion looked perplexed, he wanted to ask her many questions, but he knew that by bringing them up, she would disappear. Instead, he chose to lead the conversation toward some specific answers.

"I can't think of a reason why you could be here of all places. Did you come to see me specifically?"

The older woman, who had most of her body hidden behind a cloak and her face hidden by a scarf, mostly because of the cold, walked up to them.

"Well, I kind of felt your magic when arriving in Turric, so I made a little detour to check on you. Have you been using my artifacts correctly?"

'So she did come to see me. Is she just going to ask that?'

"That young girl... or should I not call her that? I apologies, but I've heard your little story."

May backed up a little, since she didn't want her story to be heard by anyone other than Orion. But he eased her thoughts right after.

"She knows more than you'd expect. This lady knows about the angel and demons for reasons I don't know, and even possess strange artifacts. I don't trust her since she hasn't told me her name, but she haven't revealed my identity to the world yet, so you can relax. She won't tell anyone about you."

The older woman smiled toward May, before looking at Orion with a smile.

"You do trust me to some extent. That makes me awfully happy."

Orion placed his arms on his hips and stared at the woman.

"Anyways, what about her story?"

She simply smiled.

"What a rushed fellow you are. I know you don't have much time, but you would really do that to an old lady?"

"..."

His gaze pierced her. Orion wouldn't accept any jokes coming from her at this point.

"Alright, alright. I'll give you what you want for now. Since I don't have anything to give you today, I'll entertain you for a few minutes."

The woman let her backpack fall into the snow, and stretched her back.

"What that girl said to you, you should take it to heart. Also, there is more she hasn't told you."

May's face turned white at her words.

"Don't press her though, it's not that she doesn't trust you, but she's afraid of your reaction."

"If I had a few words to help her, it would be something like this."

She stared inside May's eyes.

"Orion possess the item to find everything. It is a matter of time before he does, so why not push him in the right direction?"

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'The item to find everything?'

There was not many 'items' in his possession, so the answer came rather quickly in his mind.

"I only have what you gave me. I don't think it was about the hourglass, but rather that strange rod of yours you gave me when we first met."

She smiled and nodded, quite happy.

"You catch on quick, young man."

The woman crouched and picked up her backpack, before turning around.

"I think I've said enough. I will leave now."

But Orion did not let her. He warped behind her and grabbed her shoulder firmly.

"Wait a second. At least tell me your name."

"I cannot do that."

She turned her face with a smile that had a hint of sadness behind it.

"For managing to stop me, I'll give you a bonus."

While turning around, her body began to turn transparent.

"A previously visited place is your next stop. Bring the girl with you, and discover the lost who are awakening. And before they wander aimlessly..."

Her figure disappeared.

"help them."

Orion stood in place, thinking about what she said.

'Not telling me her name is not something she doesn't want to. She can't give me her name for a very specific reason. That makes me more curious about her identity now than ever before.'

He turned around.

"So, about what she said."

May took a step back, thinking that Orion was going to press the matter out of her mouth

"I'll let you think on it for a bit. I'm going to retrieve that artifact she spoke about."

'There are not many places we've been recently that needs to be inspected anyways. That should be quick.'

Orion opened a portal back to Horizon, leaving May to her own thoughts until he returned.

"..."

The cold air made her mind clear. Everything went so fast in just a few minutes.

'That lady. She knew about me...'

~

"Oh, he's back already."

Drania saw Orion through the living room's window walking with haste.

"Did he forget something?"

As usual when she had time, Karteira was doing some maintenance on her tail. She looked at the doorway leading to the corridor, and watched Orion enter.

He waved at the girls and went upstairs.

"Hmm?"

Curious, Karteira stopped what she was doing and followed after him.

'Did he go to his room?'

She went upstairs and noticed his door wide open.

"Why did you follow me?"

When she turned around, Drania and Dramia were right behind her.

"We're like you. Just curious."

There was nothing she could say to that, since it was true. She had no reason to tell them to return downstairs.

So, the three of them peeked inside his room.

"There it is. As I thought, it was in my bag."

Orion took out a wrapped item from the bag he used to travel with before creating Horizon.

He walked to his table and placed the item on it.

'That's...'

Karteira moved from the doorframe and walked up to him.

"It's the thing you used to find us fairies, isn't it?"

When Orion unwrapped the artifact, she recognized it immediately. A wand made from a birch tree incrusted with five types of jewels, with a thread akin to a spider's, and a beetle barely alive inside a webbed cage.

"Yes, the very first artifact I received from the merchant lady. You've never seen her though."

Carefully, Orion picked up the wand, and watched out for the thread so it wouldn't snap. Luckily, the thread was still very solid.

'Alright, let's go back.'

With the item in hand, Orion walked past the sisters and went downstairs.

"Is something related to the lost factions happening on your side?"

Karteira followed him and asked as he was about to open the front door.

"Maybe. The merchant lady appeared and hinted at something. I don't trust her words, but she sure knew something about May I didn't."

"Be careful. If you need us, create a portal immediately."

Orion turned around and placed his free hand on her head.

"I'll try not to worry you too much."

He caressed her cerulean blue hair, before leaving the house.

'...'

With a slight blush on her face, she watched his back disappear behind the closing door.

"People sure do change."

She turned around and noticed the sisters looking at her.

"What do you mean?"

Tilting her head in confusion, she asked.

"Karteira, the Cerulean Armor. The one who orders the fairy army, who is known to ruthlessly fight her own men and break their mind, is meekly blushing at the sight of one man."

"If that's not a change, what is?"

Karteira stared at Dramia while also thinking to herself.

"Well... Other than that, I don't think I've changed much. I can't say my feelings haven't brought forward some problems, but mother said it was alright."

"Tiohr?"

Drania asked cutely, pressing her index finger on her chin.

"I might have fell in love with him when he healed my scar. Not only did that, he was the first who tried to understand me. All the other fairies were either scared of me, or ignored me."

"So when she asked me to go with him, rejecting the offer never crossed my mind."

She walked past the sisters and returned to the living room. She sat on the couch she was on previously, and continued to care for her tail.

"That's all?"

Drania ran inside the room and sat next to her.

"Why? You want to hear more?"

The answer was a very fast nod coming from Drania. Dramia simply sat on the opposing couch, silently observing and listening.

"When did you realize you were in love with him?"

Question after question, Karteira had to deal with a very curious fairy she considered her superior until recently.

The more question she answered, the more convinced she was about her own feelings.

'There's no way around it, I can't live without him anymore.'

~

"I've returned. Have you thought about what to do?"

With the artifact in hand, Orion walked through the portal back to May.

"Let's restart from the beginning."

He noticed a very strong will inside her eyes. Something she didn't had before he left.

'So she has readied herself. Alright, bring it on. How bad can it get?'

"I've said it earlier. The person you have in front of you right now... has died a long time ago."