"I've never been this stressed in my life."

"Me neither."

A man and a woman stared at each other with a dry smile on their faces.

"I hope everything will go well in the fairy realm."

Florian said, his hands firmly clasped together. His partner, Kamala, was playing with a strand of hair in an attempt to ease her nervousness.

"I will do my best to make it work. What about you? You're going to talk with the dragons, how do you feel?"

They were inside her house, waiting patiently for someone to come pick them up respectively.

"Haha~ Not well. The last time I met the Azur Dragon, I thought I would die from the pressure."

His glasses began to slowly slid down his nose as he looked down.

"We both have it rough."

"I wouldn't say that. I'm going to see the dragons, sure. But what about you? You're going to talk to a Remnant. This is probably tougher on you than I could imagine."

Kamala dropped both of her hands on her thighs and closed her eyes.

"This is something I have to do. I won't accept failure at this point. Be it tough or not, this is not the point."

"I could have taken the easy way a long time ago, but I did not. The moment I... Yes, when I became an Apostle, I chose to become stronger. For the sake of others."

She smiled.

"I'll bring the fairies out of their realm, and show them that there is still a place for them in Triazils. Even if I have to make other humans my enemies."

A short silence fell in the room, until a third voice entered the conversation.

"Those are very confident words. Are you ready to speak the same in front of Tiohr?"

A cold expression on her face, Dramia appeared behind Kamala. Her arms crossed, she patiently waited next to the door leading to Horizon.

"Queen Dramia. Welcome to Hocride."

"Thank you for your help during Albriar's siege once again."

Both bowed respectfully to her.

"Hmm."

She nodded, not knowing how to respond. She was working on herself and her cold demeanor after becoming Orion's lover, but it would require more time for those changes to take effect.

Florian adjusted his glasses with his index finger and looked around the room, before asking Dramia.

"Where is your sister?"

A short sigh followed by an exasperated smile was her answer.

"She's playing with Sirius. Drania won't be coming for at least half an hour."

The two humans pictured the playful fairy Queen playing with Orion's dog, before a kind smile appeared on their faces.

"I see. I will patiently wait in that case."

Said Florian.

"Please do. I'm sorry about my irresponsible sister."

The sisters were here to lead these two to their respective meeting. Dramia would lead Kamala to Tiohr-nam, and Drania would bring Florian to the dragons.

In Florian's case, someone had to be there to translate the words of the dragons to him. Only the sisters, Orion, and Amelia were able to do so.

*Vrrr*

The sound of something passing the portal caught all of them by surprise.

"I can't believe it, she's already done!?"

With a shocked expression on her face, Dramia exclaimed.

"Too bad, she's not coming."

Orion walked out of the portal with a little girl in his arms.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"I should have know. What happened to her?"

"She fell asleep in the grass."

"Aaaaah~"

Dramia placed a hand on her forehead before letting out a long exasperated sigh. While she was lamenting, Orion walked toward his friends.

"It's been a while, Kamala, Florian."

'I'm glad to see them in good health.'

He stood between them with a small smile on his face.

"Around a month I believe?"

Tilting her head, Kamala began to think.

"We haven't seen you since Noctelagia."

Orion nodded before crouching. He gently let go of Stella, who quickly went to greet both of them.

"H-Hello."

She bowed forward and spoke in a low voice, melting Kamala's heart in the process. Florian simply smile kindly, comparing her current state to the one he found her in in the past.

"I am glad to have brought her to you. She changed so much since then."

When Florian brought Stella to Horizon, she was barely alive. She was dangerously malnourished, her hair was rough and short, and her eyes were dead.

Now, she was someone else. It proved how well Orion and everyone else managed to change her life for the better.

Florian was glad to be his friend.

"And I am glad you did. She is very important to us."

Stella blushed after hearing her father say she was important.

"What a cute little girl. Can I hug you?"

Opening her arms wide, Kamala asked her. Timidly, she approached the couch. When she entered Kamala's range, the woman gently hugged the girl.

Orion smiled, seeing his little girl slowly opening her heart to others, just like he was doing. But then, he turned to look at Florian with a very serious expression.

"I'm leading you to the dragon instead of Drania. Even if she had led you, I would have tagged along."

"Something happened?"

Florian quickly switched gear and became serious too. Dramia joined Orion, and without making it too obvious, she stayed very close to him.

With a nod, Orion answered his question.

"I heard something from Amelia."

"She's been feeling uneasy for the past week. While she told me that, she also told me that it wasn't her feeling like this, but rather a shared feeling."

Removing his glasses before cleaning them, Florian added.

"The dragons. She has a special bond with them, right?"

"Exactly. We believe something happened, that's why I'm going to check on them. I won't butt in your talk with Monolavir and Ruminona. I'll be acting as your translator instead of Drania though, since she won't be present."

Dramia rolled her eyes. Orion smiled at her before looking back at Florian.

"I understand. If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me."

"It will depend on their answer. Originally, it should have been Amelia who was supposed to meet them, but she's very busy with her training."

Orion smiled at him.

"I used this opportunity to come and see you two."

Both Florian and Kamala looked surprised.

'Where is the real Orion? The one who always kept us at arms length?'

But before they knew it, they both returned his smile. Kamala released Stella, who quickly returned to Orion and grabbed his sleeve.

"You're bringing Stella with you to see the dragons?"

Dramia asked while looking at Orion.

"It was the plan, but..."

He looked at the girl and moved the arm she was clinging on. He placed his hand on her head and asked her.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to go with me, or do you want to see the fairies with Dramia?"

The girl's eyes sparkled at the word 'fairies', but she rapidly contained her excitement and looked trouble.

"Ha... Hu..."

"Dramia, do you mind taking her with you?"

"Me? Aren't you afraid of leaving her with me? I'm not Amelia, I don't know how to take care of children."

Stella glanced at Dramia on the other side of Orion. Their eyes met, leaving Dramia no choice but to accept.

"Aaah~ I mean, sure, I don't mind."

Flustered after seeing the little girl smile brightly, Dramia turned her face away.

"I will leave her in your care then."

He placed his other hand on her head and spoke sweet words in her ears.

"Just so you know, I trust you completely. Because you're a very responsible woman."

Her face instantly transformed into a crimson mess.

"I-I see. T-That's good."

The fairy's wings vibrated lightly, showing that she was quite happy.

"Alright, I think we should be going."

Orion brought his pocket watch out of his chest pocket and looked at the time.

Kamala and Florian stood up with a nod, while Dramia composed herself. Orion picked up Stella, before they followed him into the portal leading to Horizon.

Once on the other side, the group separated into two.

Florian and Orion went to the Ormrdivin's portal, the dragon's nest, while Kamala, Dramia, and Stella went to the fairy realm.

Two important meetings concerning the peace between the factions were about to begin.

...

A siren was floating into a room filled with water.

'I still can't believe it.'

She had been living in this room for the past weeks after a particular incident.

'I really went and kissed him...'

A blush that ended at her ears covered her face.

Her floating body slowly sunk onto a bed made of coral, covered with a water resistant cover on top of it.

Most of the furniture in her room were her original stuff she made after arriving into Horizon.

'It wasn't supposed to be like that. I wasn't supposed to let my emotions take over, but what was I supposed to do?'

She wasn't regretting her actions, instead thinking of different ways things could have happened.

'I'm really... one of his lovers. Me, a siren...'

This was probably the first time a siren fell in love with another species. Something about Orion made it so.

'What can I do for him? I'm not...'

Comparing herself to the other women of the house filled her head.

She opened her hand, and released a high pressure beam of water that transformed into bubbles a few centimeters further.

'This power. Where did it come from? I don't get it. This is magic right?'

Senia wasn't that smart, and she knew it. Complicated matters easily went over her head. That's why, she couldn't understand how magic could appear around her.

'How can I use it so... easily? It's as if I already knew how to use it. This is very strange.'

Closing her hand, the magic stopped. She pushed herself off the bed and swam toward her mirror.

"If I want to stay by his side... I have to get stronger."

Looking into her mirror, she saw herself. A frail siren, who couldn't live out of the water for too long.

"I have to do something about this weakness first. Then, I have to become stronger. Stronger enough to protect him and everything he holds dear."

She noticed the serious expression on her face. An expression she had never made before.

"Yes. I can't stay weak forever."

Determined to change for the better, Senia entered her own path. A very difficult path, no other siren ever took.