To avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to ourselves, Faraine and I begrudgingly decide to go without food for now. I hear people bring plates of food to Rhys’ table. His hood fills with the pleasant aromas of cooked meat and fresh bread. Loud chatter reverberates throughout the restaurant.

Urrrrrrr.

As my stomach barks at me, I look down at and place my hands over it. I know already, so shut up. Now’s not the time. We’ll get something to eat later, I hope…

As I lie on Rhys’ hair, I sigh, then glance at the blue-haired fairy at my side. She is resting on her back, hands atop her stomach, her posture is perfectly straight. Her white blouse and peach-colored skirt are smoothed out. Her eyes are closed and she is breathing softly.

The long minutes of tortuous silence finally conclude when Rhys stands up and starts to move. He says something aloud and I quickly look at Faraine.

I crawl over to her and whisper, “What’d he say?”

“He asked if everyone is ready to leave,” Faraine replies and, after a pause to listen to the rest of the conversation, continues, “And it sounds like everyone is in agreement.”

“Good,” I remark, “The thought of that beastkin hearing us was starting to bother me.”

Faraine gives me a concerned sideways glance.

“Don’t worry,” I appease, holding my hands up, “I don’t feel any ice.”

“When have you felt the ice?” Faraine points out.

I pause, look up, then tilt my head. “Hmmm.” Now that she mentions it…

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Faraine says, pulling me from my thoughts. She crawls down Rhys’ head and, after a few seconds, returns to my side, “I told Rhys to head home for now.”

I sigh, looking down at the strands of golden hair, “Guess we aren’t finding Revus today.”

“We can try again later tonight,” Faraine consoles, then cautions, “But for now, we should try to avoid being found.”

I look up at the small woman in front of me, exhale, and force a smile, “Yeah, I know.”

“It might not be the same as finding Revus,” she adds, “but we can get something to eat too.”

I smile and chuckle, “Yeah, food sounds nice.” I roll over and peek out over Rhys’ hair, and see us moving back toward the entrance of the restaurant.

Once outside, the natural sunlight shines down on us as a cool breeze walks with the locals. As Rhys walks away from the restaurant, with each passing step, the taunting aroma of the hearty banquet slowly dissipates.

“Well, it wasn’t the goal, but what do you think of Galegarde?” Faraine inquires over the idle chatter of the elves, “Is it anything like your previous life’s town?”

“Not at all,” I shake my head, turning to Faraine, “Svelta, my previous…” I pause, struggling to find the right words. I don’t like the idea of that place being my home. “The city I used to live in was very… different. It was within a gorge and the buildings and streets were built atop one another.”

Faraine furrows her brows and looks down at me.

“I’m serious. It also had axiom machines everywhere, and there were even carts that could fly.”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” I blurt, “It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Sorry,” she apologizes, “I just don’t think I’ve ever heard of anywhere like that. And flying carts?”

“Yeah. Think of something like a wagon or a carriage, but it didn’t have an animal pulling it and it could fly.”

“Why go through all that trouble though?” Faraine murmurs, rubbing the bottom of her ear.

“What trouble?” I question.

“From what I know, axiom machines become more difficult to power the larger they are, so having one the size of a carriage,” she describes, “Wouldn’t it just be easier to have an animal pull it? Why spend the power on something like that?”

I nod slowly. “Mmmm…” I state, “I think that’s because we didn’t have many animals. At least I rarely saw them.”

“Really?”

“Really really,” I reply, “Wild animals, plants, water, we were lacking a lot of those, but we had massive, towering metal buildings. Everything would glow at night because of the axiom machines.” I continue, “The bridges and streets above made it difficult to see the sky though, so I only ever got to see fragments of the moons and stars.”

“And what was the name of your old home?”

“Svelta.”

“Remind me when we get back to Folian,” Faraine remarks, “and we can ask around to see if anyone knows where Zvelta is. It sounds like an interesting place.”

I chuckle, then repeat slower, “Ssssvelta.”

“Isn’t that what I said?”

“Nope,” I smile, “but it’s okay, Revus also struggled with it at first.”

Shortly thereafter, we arrive at the gate and Rhys’ house appears in the distance. The elves wave to the guards and say something as we leave. The temperature swiftly shifts as we travel through the flaming forest. As we approach the house, I see a sign with unfamiliar writing on the front door. So as to avoid it, we head around the house and arrive at the same side door from which we left. Rhys holds the door open, then scans the outside area, before walking into the house and closing the door. Rhys removes the hood from his head and says something aloud.

As I listen to the elves start talking, I stand up and stretch my limbs. “Mmmmm. That was really tiring even though I didn’t do anything other than hide on Rhys’ head.”

“You say that, but you were restlessly worrying and peeking the entire time we were out there,” Faraine comments.

“Well sorry for being worried,” I huff.

Faraine chuckles, gazing down at me, “It’s okay.” She manifests her wings, then says, “I’m going to talk to Rhys and the others to see if they saw anything.”

“Okay. Oh, and ask them if they know anything about that group that sat across from us.”

“Of course,” she smiles and flies off.

As I watch her descend, I conjure my wings and follow suit, rising into the air. I glide down to the table, land atop it, and sit down near the white vase. I watch them all conversate, my eyes following my ears as I look to whoever is actively speaking. After a few minutes, Shelly runs upstairs and disappears. Shortly after, Rydel heads through the door to their shop, leaving just Rhys and Sana to talk with Faraine.

I lay on my back and look up at the hanging fixture with glowing gems. We went into town but found nothing. There are a lot of places to check, but the obvious is wherever the hunters are staying and we didn’t even go there. I sigh. I know it’s to avoid being suspicious but still… at least pass by there. I turn my head to the side and look at Faraine hovering next to Rhys’ ear. Hopefully we can go back out tonight and check there.

Thud. Thud.

A soft knocking comes from the door leading to the store area. I look over that way, getting onto my feet. Should we hide? I glance up at Faraine and see her darting down toward me.

“What are you doing? Come on, let’s go,” she urges.

“Right, sorry,” I summon my wings, rise into the air, and race after Faraine.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

We take refuge atop the beams like usual and peek over the edge to gaze down at the room below. Rydel opens the door and starts speaking, his head poking through the gap.

“What’s he saying?” I inquire.

“Looks like we’ve got company,” Faraine remarks, her words filled with a slight intensity.

I raise my eyebrow, “Care to elaborate.”

Faraine looks over at me, her red eyes glowing, and states, “Our friends from the restaurant.”

“Aihbystk!” I blurt in Sveltish, sigh, then ask in Zoic, “Why?”

Faraine gives me a funny look, then warns, “Just stay calm. We don’t need you going cold on us.”

I turn to her and stare flatly, “Ha ha, very funny.”

“I’m being serious,” Faraine assures, her gaze locked on the elves below.

Focusing on the commotion beneath us, I watch Rhys approach the door, open it, and walk through.

“So, what do we do if they’re hunters?”

“That’s simple, we flee.”

“And what about the birds?” I snap.

“Fly faster?”

I place my left hand over my face and start to rub it, “You’re not serious about that, are you?”

“Not really, but I should be able to stall them while you focus on running away.”

“No way, what if-”

“Shhh!” Faraine hisses, “They’re here.”

I gaze down below and watch Rhys enter the room. Two blonde-haired human men follow him. One, has long hair, is tall, and is slender, while the other, is a bit shorter and has a handsome face. Behind them is a man with slicked-back, short, gray hair, and is the largest of their group. Finally, the two that caught my attention in the restaurant enter the spacious living area. The elven woman with short white hair and tan skin walks in front of the shortest member, a female cat beastkin with black hair and a lively tail.

Not good.

A light tap comes from my shoulder. Glancing over, I see Faraine with her index finger over her mouth. I nod, then look back over the edge of the wooden beam. While Rhys and Sana are talking with the five intruders, they seem to be scanning the room. I instantly hide as the cat beastkin and gray-haired man both look up. Oh no… I gulp as my heart starts to slam against my chest. This is bad. What if they find us? Do we really have to run? Will we even be able to escape? Does that mean we’re going to leave Revus? No. No, no, no, no. I don’t want to. I don’t-

“Before anything, I would like to apologize for our intrusion,” an unfamiliar female voice states from below, “My name is Vehra and I, along with my comrades, are trying to help the fairies. Our purpose here is to look into the recent fairy disappearances within the Parazic Empire.”

They want to help the fairies? I turn and face Faraine, my brows furrowed. Faraine looks just as confused as I do. Wait, are they speaking Zoic? I nudge Faraine and crawl over to her ear, then whisper, “They’re speaking Zoic, so do you think they’re actually here to help?”

I pull away from Faraine and she shakes her head, then raises her index finger to her lips once more.

“I know it might be difficult to believe our words, but we’re from the Odelle Kingdom. We came here disguised to figure out why there seems to be less fairies in the area,” the woman below explains, “I admit that our goal is selfish, but the Odelle Kingdom would like to receive aid from the fairies. In return, we are searching for a way to assist you in any way we can.” She pauses for a brief moment, then continues, “The storms that have been ravaging the land are getting worse and our people are suffering. The fairies are our only hope to stop them. Please.”

Well… that was… I gulp and glance at Faraine. She is biting down on the tip of her thumb. I’m not sure I understood everything there, but it seems like she did. I poke Faraine then hold out both my arms and shrug.

Faraine gestures to come closer. I crawl over to her as she leans toward my ear, “If what they’re saying is true, they might be our best bet to find both Revus, and the missing fairies.”

I whisper, “In that case I say we hear them out.”

Faraine leans back, a perplexed look smeared across her face.

“If they are here to help, then that’s good, and if they aren’t, and we get captured, then we’ll be reunited with Revus.”

“That’s assuming he was captured,” Faraine snaps back quietly, then sighs, “If we go down there, we’re risking ourselves in the hope that they’ll help us. I don’t know if we should-”

“Faraine,” I interrupt, “We’ve been here for over a week now. If there’s anything I’ve learned in that time, it’s that not all enōōfen mean us harm. I want to trust them…”

“I do too, it’s just.”

“Isn’t it basically the same thing we did when you asked Rhys to help us?”

“No,” Faraine bites, “it definitely isn’t.”

I sigh, “So what do you want to do? You don’t seem fond of the idea of getting their help.”

“I,” Faraine gestures at herself, “would love their help, but if we keep requesting help from random enōōfen, eventually we’ll regret it.”

“Well, you decide,” I unenthusiastically order, “I never seem to fully understand what’s going on anyway, but I’ll trust your decision.”

Faraine rocks her head left and right, indecision plastered all over her face. She glances at me, looks in the direction of the enōōfen, then back to me. “Okay.” She takes a deep breath, exhales, and states, “I’ll go down and talk with them. If anything goes wrong, I want you to promise me that you’ll run away.”

“You and I both know I’m not leaving unless you’re coming with me,” I blandly reply.

Faraine sighs, slumping forward, “Couldn’t you at least agree to ease my mind.”

“Faraine,” I call, “I told you, I’ll trust your decision.”

Faraine stands up, fixes her white blouse, straightens her peach-colored skirt, and manifests her blue and red wings. She nods at me, “Here goes.”

I remain hidden atop the beam, but listen intently on what is happening below. I cannot hear Faraine, but the woman from before continues speaking in Zoic.

“Thank you for hearing us out, it is an honor to be graced by your presence.” Do Rhys and the others speak like this? It sounds really formal.

“Let me introduce everyone, this is-”

“Are you sure?” I assume the pausing is because of Faraine?

The sound of several footsteps echoes throughout the room. The footsteps are broken by the sounds of chairs scraping across the floor.

“Like I said previously, we are from the Odelle Kingdom east of here.”

“On the opposite side of the Valnian Wilds.” So we’re in the empire? And if we go east… Not sure which way that is in here… But if we go that way, we’ll get to this kingdom?

“On behalf of the prince of the Odelle Kingdom, we would like to make a formal request to receive aid from the fairies.” A prince? Sounds like they were being honest. That or they’re telling an elaborate lie.

Suddenly, their conversation shifts as one of the males start to speak. Is that Parazic? Sounds like it… Following that, there are a few gasps from within the room.

Curiosity overtaking me, I crawl over to the edge of the beam. I grab a hold of my loose hair and pull it back so I can peek at the enōōfen below. One of the blonde men is seated next to the white-haired elf. The other three are stationed directly behind them. The other blonde man is looking straight at me. As I lock eyes with him he raises his eyebrows, smiles, and waves at me. I instantly retreat to my wooden sanctuary. What the? Did he really just do that?

The man previously speaking, starts once more and talks for several minutes until, suddenly, the room goes silent. Is it over?

Faraine rises up alongside the wooden beam and hovers in place. Her arms are crossed and she is shaking her head. Red glitter rains down from her wings, some landing on her white shirt before disappearing.

“I guess you saw that?” I sweat.

“I did,” Faraine replies furiously, then points to the table, “Come down, they want to meet you.”

“Sure.” I was hoping we’d skip this part. Meeting enōōfen is still… I sigh heavily as I stand up and conjure my wings. But guess it can’t be helped.

As we descend toward the table, my eyes meet the green eyes of the cat beastkin. She smiles and waves at me.

“Ha ha…” I nervously return the gesture. As Faraine and I land on the table, I ask her, “Did you ask if the beastkin heard us?”

“Not yet, but I get the feeling she did.”

I look up at the massive people towering across the wooden table. The blonde man at the table stares at me with tired, brown eyes. His shoulder-length, wavy hair falls past his ears and down the back of his neck. His nose is straight and he has a sharp jawline with high cheekbones. Weird…

I tilt my head as I stare at him.

The white-haired elf next to him places her right hand over his throat. A moment later, a soft, green glow emanates from it.

“Can you understand me?” the blonde man says.

My mouth drops open. I point at the man and turn to Faraine.

“She’s using the axiom of language on him so that we can communicate,” Faraine explains.

I look at the man and then back to her, “That’s a thing!?”

“There are dozens of axioms out there,” Faraine clarifies, “I thought you knew that.”

“I did!” I bellow, “But there’s one that helps with speaking?” I grab Faraine’s blouse, “Do you have any idea how useful that would’ve been?”

“I can imagine,” Faraine sighs, “Now how about answering him?”

I exhale heavily, “Fine.”

I fly into the air, slowly approaching the man. He looks familiar, but why? I’ve never met him before… As I get closer, I continue to analyze his face. I stop in front of him, but far enough away so I can still see him clearly. I tilt my head and rub my chin.

“Is something wrong?” the man asks.

Ignoring his question, I cover my mouth with my hand. I hardly know any enōōfen. At most it’s Rhys, his family, and the enōōfen that captured me… “Hmmm…” If not this life then… “Gasp.” My eyes go wide as I slowly back away from him. No way… It can’t be.

I turn around and dart to Faraine’s side, “I need you to help me with something.”

“What? Why?”

“This is important,” I firmly demand, “please!”

“Okay, okay, what do you need?”

“Tell Rhys to go outside and get a bucket of dirt.”

“Dirt?”

“Hurry!” I order.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Faraine says before she turns and flies toward Rhys. He looks puzzled, but begins to head outside, eyeing the enōōfen around his table.

I fly to the blonde man, but turn to the elven woman and ask, “Can he understand me?”

“Thanks to the axiom,” the blonde man replies, pointing at his throat, “I can currently understand you.”

“I apologize for this,” I say, then request, “but there is something important that I need you to do for me.”

He says something in Parazic, then looks around at his group. Following his gaze, I watch the others nod their agreement in turn. “What can I do for you, Miss fairy?”

“So what are we doing with a bucket of dirt?” Faraine questions.

“You’ll see when Rhys gets back,” I exclaim, turning to her. I point to the blonde human, “Now pour water on him.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the man blink several times. Faraine glances at him, then asks, “You do know he is the prince of the Odelle Kingdom, right?”

“I don’t care who he is!” I roar, “This is more important. Now, please. Pour water on him. Soak his hair.”

Faraine looks at the man inquisitively.

“Go ahead,” he says, “If Miss fairy says it’s important than getting a bit wet won’t be a bother.”

“Okay,” Faraine mutters. She flies over his head as the other enōōfen back away. A moment later, a stream of water floods down from beneath Faraine and drenches him. “Now what?”

“We need the dirt.”

Not long after, Rhys comes back inside carrying a bucket full of dry, brown soil.

“Faraine, tell Rhys to dump it onto him,” I hastily command, pointing at the soaked enōōfen.

She sighs, flies over to Rhys who, after talking with him briefly, shakes his head violently. The other blonde man says something, walks over to Rhys, and takes the bucket, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. Gleefully, he approaches the prince, says something, then empties the bucket over the soaked man.

“Good,” I murmur as I wait for the dust to settle. I fly over to the now-dirty human. This can’t be. There’s no way. I take his hair and pull it down so that it partially covers the left side of his face. Then I start to smear the dirt all over the rest of his face.

“What are you doing now?” Faraine inquires.

“One moment. I’m almost done.” I fly over to the prince’s ear and say, “Sorry for doing this, but could you bring your left arm inside your shirt so your sleeve hangs down…” I point to my left arm, “As if nothing is there.”

“Sure…” the dirty prince agrees, his voice riddled with confusion.

“Thanks,” I anxiously reply, then zoom away from him. I fly far enough away to get a good look at him from the waist up. He looks like a complete mess with his face smeared in dirt, his ratty hair covering his left eye, and his arm tucked into his shirt, making it look like-

My hands fly up to my mouth in shock.

“Are you going to explain what’s going on now?” Faraine chimes.

“Faraine…” I murmur dizzily, “The prince… he… he looks like me… from before.”

“Huh?” she leans closer.

“He looks exactly like me before I died,” I say, flustered, “The me, from Svelta.”