Maisie knew it was her time, but she fought on. Her magic danced alongside her comrades and against her enemies as she flew across the sky. The same sky was filled with nothing but the smoke and amber flames, burning from the ground below. The metallic wings attached to her back flapped as best as they could, but even the raven-haired girl knew it was near its end. Maisie noticed the white mechanical wings on her back, feeling lighter than ever. For the first time, the young woman felt like a fairy. A being so precious that not even darkness could corrupt it. She flew past the enemy airships and pointed her crystal-clear magical staff. A small blue beam appeared, and slowly it turned larger and larger until it released a massive blast, completely destroying the aircraft.

The Battle of Kolfan had gone on for three years, and Maisie had been on the battlefield as support for at least six months. As the war continued, the less she remembered why she was fighting. The less she understood the reason for the beginning of the war, A simple disagreement between two groups of people has now taken the lives of thousands.

A heavy breeze then brushed past her, and the young girl swore she heard it call to her. She moved her head in the direction the breeze went, eyes wide. Had her mind begun the tricks? Has the war gone on for far too long that now she is hallucinating the wind speaking to her? However, she had heard it clear as day, tricks or not.

“Come to me, child. Come to me.”

Why was the wind beckoning for her? Did it hold a place of peace where she could finally rest? Would people like her be welcomed there? She snapped out of her dazed and confused state and looked at the approaching hostile militants. She pointed her staff at the enemy and moved it in a circular motion. A large, light blue insignia appeared, then multiplied. The insignias came together, forming a barrier.

Some of the enemy attacks were stopped, while others passed through. One of the red beams broke a wing of hers, and she began plummeting to the ground. A comrade of hers dove down, trying to get to her in time. However, he wasn’t fast enough. In those last moments of life, Maisie stared at her retreating form through her comrade’s pilot goggles. Her face had lost its colour, leaving nothing but grey and dark circles. Her black hair had started greying, and her green eyes lacked life. The war had stolen her youth, just as it had stolen many other aspects of her. Her soul, family, and now her life.

The fall felt like a lifetime, and then it finally came to an end. She hit the ground with the bone-crushing thud, creating small, cracked lines on the concrete ground. Maisie then began to gargle on the blood trying to come out of her mouth as life slowly left her body. After some time, the adrenaline wore off, and the pain began to settle in her body. She continued choking on her blood, then nothing.

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Maisie had finally left the world, hoping to be reborn wherever the wind called her.

******

The sound of birds chirping, crickets, and water streams reached Maisie’s ears, and for a second she thought she was hallucinating. She slowly opened her eyes. A sense of shock filled her body as she sat upright; the expected pain she was meant to feel was absent. She looked down at her body, and her eyes widened. She was dressed in a flowy kirtle dress with black wide sleeves and golden chains leading down her chest. She stared at her hand and noticed the much paler complexion compared to her usually tanner skin. The young woman then began to look around, noticing she was sitting in a very green, wooded area with beautifully tall and full trees. Maisie was then stunned at how great her sight was, making out every little detail around her surroundings. Her sight was usually good, however, this was almost perfect. Was she hallucinating?

With this thought in mind, Maisie pinched her arm and hissed at the pain. No, she wasn't hallucinating or dreaming. She was alive and well, sitting somewhere she didn't recognise. Did the soldiers retrieve her body and heal her with some type of magic tool? Highly unlikely. If that were the case, many soldiers who had been badly crippled would have been healed, so they could be thrown back into war.

She stood up, wobbling at first, then made her way to the stream. Her ballerina flats weren’t something Maisie was used to walking in, having spent her last months wearing combat boots. Once she reached the stream, she crouched down and began drinking the water, not really caring if it was safe or not. She then studied her appearance in the water’s reflection.

‘What on earth is going on?’ She thought to herself. Her green eyes were now large blue ones. Her black hair was long, white, and wavy. Her ears pointed outward and were large, like an elf. Her cheeks and lips were rosy. This was not her, but she had maintained all her memories. Had she hijacked a person’s body, or was this her new self? Maisie then noticed the large turquoise bow on her back, with two large ribbons flowing down her back.

Maybe this was the place where the wind beckoned her to come. Either way, Maisie felt at peace. Or maybe she just thought she did. Without a word, the elf slowly stood up and began making her way out of the forest in hopes of finding someone else. Someone who could explain where she was. If there was no one, then that would be bleak.

Snap

Maisie moved her head towards the sound with wide eyes. Equally wide, lilac eyes stared back at her. Standing before Maisie was a tall, tanned young girl wearing a beige overall, with a white tank top underneath and comically large brown boots placed on her feet. A pair of goggles sat on her head, and her auburn hair was placed in two large buns. The young girl clapped her brown gloved hands together, a nervous grin sprawling across her face.

“What’s a Fairwood Elf doing here?”

Huh?