Kellinike wipes sweat from her forehead under her tribal mask. She is chieftain of the Zaereens, a tribe founded by fairies whose wishes had been expended, but who welcomes displaced or lost members of any society -assuming they stumble across the tribe deep in the great forest-.

Kellinike admires the magic dagger she received from a true and noble hero, whom most people in the world know by the legends of his feats, even if they might not recognize him walking by in their own towns.

The dagger he gave her as a gift in exchange for Zaermaa possesses a magical enchantment that provides protection for the villagers under Kellinike’s ward. She’s not sure how it works, but it seems to have already spared several villagers serious injury on multiple occasions just since the group left.

She asks softly, “Where are you now, my friends? I hope you are safe.”

Without warning, a sprinkling of lights seems to trail in from the sky, passing into the tribe’s council log; a hollowed out section of tree where the Zaereens -the wishless fairies- gather. They just finished training drills and sparring, so all of the Zaereens are gathered. They watch in wonder, and Kellinike can hear someone ask nervously, “What is this? Are we under attack?”

“I-... It reminds me of… a wish…” remarks another.

One of the lights approaches Kellinike, and she recoils cautiously, clutching the dagger firmly. If it is a magical attack, the dagger is likely the only hope her people have of survival.

However, it isn't an attack. The light swirls around the chieftain briefly before disappearing suddenly into her chest.

A warmth washes over Kellinike that sends a shiver up her spine. It doesn't fade, either. She notices more color in her hands, and her calluses and dry spots seem to fade away. She looks at her fellow Zaereens, specifically those being touched by lights as well, and she drops to her knees in disbelief.

This feeling… It's… It's the exact opposite of when…

Kellinike covers her mouth, hiding a gasp. Someone screams, and she notices one of the Zaereens floating helplessly in spite of her wings being bound behind her back, as with all Zaereens. She cries out like a newborn fairy startled by her own gift of flight as others watch in fear.

Huna jogs up, asking, "Chieftain! Wh-what's happening to us!?" The young Zaereen has a refreshed glow and shine, and a distinct glow is coming from her wings, tucked under her clothes as they are.

Trialle runs up, pleading, "Chieftain! I-! I didn't ask for this! Please!" She falls to her knees, begging. "Please don't banish me!"

Kellinike looks around at the surprised and confused faces. Connecting dots, or perhaps reaching for an answer she doesn't yet have, she murmurs, "Yanari…"

This surprises both Trialle and Huna. They glance at each other, equally shocked that they're both equally shocked.

Trialle asks, "Y-You too?"

Huna nods in disbelief, and both look to the chieftain, who also nods.

Huna asks, "D-Does this mean…? I thought wishes don't… This doesn't make sense. Does this mean she's dead?"

Kellinike replies softly, "I don't know that. But…" She smiles. "I believe a dear group of friends of ours met Yanari." Huna and Trialle gasp in happy disbelief, but Trialle asks cautiously, "What does that mean for us?"

Kellinike looks around once more at her fellow tribemembers. The Zaereen council chamber is now occupied by other than Zaereens. In fact, were it not so long ago, these occupants would be considered unwelcome invaders, if not enemies.

However…

Kellinike sheds her mask, climbing up onto the pedestal she uses to project her voice. She calls out, "My beloved Zaereens; my sisters… Once upon a time, the Zaereen tribe was founded by fairies whose wishes had been used, and they, having broken ancient fairy law, were indiscriminately banished from all fairy villages, regardless of the nature or intent of the wish that was granted, nor the circumstances for which the fairy granted it. Because of the cruelty of fairy law, the first of our tribe, the fourteen founders, vowed to be different than the fairies. They vowed to be kind and to take in those who had been displaced or betrayed by their own homes. For hundreds of years, we have taken in Zaereens, humans who lost their way, drakyks on the cliffs of despair, demons on self-appointed pilgrimages to our forest; all without a path or home to return to." She looks around. All of the Zaereens are watching intently and respectfully.

Kellinike continues, "Along the way, we lost that message. We convinced ourselves that we were so much better than the fairies, that we allowed our anger and our hatred to exclude them from our kindness. And, in spite of our mistreatment, Lykha the fairy joined her friends, including Murtoa of Lakia, to defeat the Neekimuugorr once and for all! And she did it on our behalf, knowing we may never see her as a person because of how other individual fairies treated us.”

Kellinike closes her eyes, hesitant for only a brief moment. She channels energy into her hand; something she hasn’t been able to do for years, now. But, as easy as remembering to breathe, it comes back, and a small flame puffs above her hand, demonstrating that she, too, has been restored to being a fairy.

It disappoints her a little, but she accepts the truth. Whatever happened to Yanari, Kellinike’s wish and those of the others that were stolen or tricked into use by the fairy sage, have been returned.

Kellinike straightens up, though, declaring proudly, “I am and will always be a Zaereen in my heart. This village, like many of you, gave me a new reason to live; a new purpose in life. But, I cannot rightfully stand as your chieftain with my wish returned to me. I am a fairy once more, whether I like it or not. So, my last act as chieftain will be to help any and all fairies who wish to return home to do so, and then I will step down. The Zaereen’s should rightfully be led by a Zaereen. Though, I would humbly ask that I…” She hesitates, choking back tears. “That I still have a home to return to here, where I know I truly belong.”

There’s a moment of pause, and then the council chamber comes alive with cheers. All of the fairies and Zaereens present -no, just Zaereens-, cheer with pride.

Kellinike adds as loud as she can while the chaos continues, “I, Kellinike, the nineteenth chieftain of the Zaereen tribe, though I now would most certainly be considered biased, hope that we can return to the ideals of the old ways; ways I am guilty of forgetting, to where EVERYONE is welcome! Whoever is chieftain after me, I will dedicate my life, my body, my soul, and my magic to serving that noble cause!” The cheering grows louder, and she yells proudly, “WE ARE BETTER THAN THOSE WHO BANISHED US! LET US PROVE IT! LET US MAKE A TRIBE WORTHY OF THE MANY KINDNESSES AND BLESSINGS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN!”

Zaereens of both magical and no magical ability hug each other, pledging loyalty and friendship for years to come, thanks mostly to years that have already gone. But also, to a human warrior and his fairy companion, who, with others, showed the Zaereens their mistakes.

When the cheering and elation calms back down, Kellinike adds in a more gentle tone, “I am humbled, truly, by my sisters. I am sorry that I was blind for so long, and I hope we can continue on this path. For those of you who were not betrayed by the fairy sage named Yanari, I hope you can continue to treat us as sisters. If Murtoa of Lakia and his party ever returns through this village, we shall ask them the secret; what was done to Yanari to return our wishes -spent on her wicked desires- to us. And, should it be possible, we will seek ways to aid the rest of you. Though I cannot promise it as chieftain, I promise as Kellinike, I will help you. Always, my sisters.”

The Zaereens share a cheer once more, and Kellinike wipes tears of joy from her eyes. Her heart is racing, and once more she looks at the dagger reverently.

In every possible way, though how they went about it was disgraceful, finding and capturing Maerin was the greatest blessing they could have ever been given.

She wipes tears from her cheeks, smiling happily as Zaereens crowd in to hug her. She laughs in joy, allowing herself to be buried in a crowded swarm of hugs.

“I-I’m happy, but… can someone help me?”

The group looks at the Zaereen, Rin, who is still floating, unable to recall how to actually fly.

“Oh gosh! Hang on Rin!” The Zaereens scramble to utilize their acrobatics and ropes to retrieve their sister.

We’ll have to practice flying again. It has been quite a while for some of us.

Kellinike smiles. Once more, it’s a particularly bright day in the village of the Zaereens.

***

‘I think today is my 312th birthday. I’ve lost count of both the days and the years after so long, but I think it’s today. I know, fairies aren’t supposed to live this long, but once I started, I saw no reason to stop. If I was to be condemned, then I was already past the point of no return. If life was meant to be fair, then wishes wouldn’t be such a slap in the face.

If it is my 312th birthday today, then that marks 299 years since my wish was spent. Happy birthday to me. As with any fairy, to anyone who’s ever asked, I still hear the words every day of my life, even though I’ve had a wish restored to me and my magic along with it. MY wish was spent, and I will forever be haunted by it. “I wish I could see the future.”

Like many fairies, I was young and dumb enough to grant it, since having someone you trust and love claim you’re hurting them hurts. A lot. And, not a month later, the woman who wished that of me was dead. I granted her wish, but I didn’t think to ensure the magic encompassed the immediate future. I didn’t think of the repercussions if she were to die; what I had given up everything for. And, having thought about it for so many years, I realized long ago that I don’t care. I don’t care, because I know that all of the dumb, ill-prepared young fairies born every day will grow up just as I did, sheltered and lied to by the elders, who are jealous of their younger counterparts and will use them just as quickly as I did, just far, FAR more secretly than I was.

All I wanted when I left home that day was to vent. I wanted someone who wasn’t a fairy to talk to. I wanted someone who wasn’t a fairy to tell me that I wasn’t crazy. To tell me the world was bigger than my tiny little village. To tell me that life is worth living for more than just being alive and safe. How fitting that I met her in the form of a drakyk Holy Order spellshot aspiring to be the Premier of some village or ‘city’, as they called it. I don’t remember fully that part.

I didn’t make fairies as naive and trusting as we all are when our wishes get used. I may prey on that fact, but I wasn’t the one who socially engineered us to be that way. I wasn’t the one with anything to gain when those words; “I wish I could see the future” were uttered to me; by someone whom I had come to trust. Someone who heard my struggles, who seemed to understand and care about me, and who promised to show me the world. My first true friend.

And, my first and most obvious betrayal.

The second came when I tried to plead with the elders to be able to return home; that I was young and dumb, and that I’m scared and I’ve learned my lesson.

I was rejected, of course. Shunned. Banished from my home for the simple mistake of using my wish.

I later learned through pure happenstance WHY elders live so long. And, why they subsequently need everyone to be young and dumb, but also to have their wish still. I learned it because I learned something else; Pelox Desterri. I can’t write out the words, of course, or it would activate upon me. But, it’s a secret spell, similar to the wish itself. Once it's been forcefully enacted upon someone who has made a wish; such as a fairy elder; then the effects of that wish, say, extended life or rejuvenated youth, are reversed and the wish is returned to the fairy from whom the wish was granted.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Such a dangerous spell exists, and very VERY few know of it. I’ll have to be careful, of course. I don’t want to end up like Grandmother Univerre; a pile of bones.

I only accidentally realized in some relaxed and lazy musings that today was my birthday -at least, I’m fairly certain so-, and I wanted to reflect. There’s one wish I sometimes ponder making every next time I have the opportunity, but I am afraid of the outcome. I think it’s long past due that I make that particular wish without severe consequences I seek to avoid even now, so I can never muster the courage to make it. Like all wishes, maybe I could word it right, or maybe I could… But, regardless, for now, I’ll just keep living how I want to live.

I don’t want to be part of that world anymore. Not the world twisted and manipulated by the elders, and certainly not the master they serve.

Happy 312th Birthday to me (I think),

Sincerely,

Yanari.’

***

Lykha finishes wrapping the remains of Yanari the fairy sage in a small patch of leather Murtoa had in his bag. She then ties it securely closed with twine, and Murtoa gingerly takes it, respectfully placing it in his bag. The young fairy decided that Yanari, in spite of her actions, should be buried at home -at least, as close as they can get-. Since they don’t know which village was hers, Lykha intends to bury Yanari in her own village’s cemetery, where she will be able to regularly pay respects and pray for Yanari to find peace.

Lykha stands up on his left hand as he secures his bag, and she murmurs softly, “Thank you, Mury.”

He nods. He then lights a small torch on the ground using one of Coco’s ‘flamesies’ so he can see better, as well as attempt to find a way out without going down the cliff.

Seaevvi and Lunesse left shortly before, after extending awe and thanks to the legendary hero of the stories they’ve undoubtedly heard. Still holding Lykha without objection, he puts Coco’s igniter away and picks up the torch with his right hand, scanning the room briefly. Not everything Yanari had was obtained through wishes, as evidenced by what little debris and trinkets remain.

Lykha remarks softly, “I still can’t wrap my head around… how frivolous some of her wishes must have been.”

“I think she was maximizing her comforts without drawing attention. She’s had plenty of time to carefully plan and think out what she would want. And, some of it was probably spiteful.” Murtoa kneels next to a handful of trinkets, setting the torch down. He picks up a book about the size of a large button, but rectangular, and he inspects it briefly.

The young fairy asks, “A book?”

Murtoa nods. He tucks it into his bag, and Lykha asks, “C-... You’re taking it?”

Again, the human warrior nods. “Books often contain knowledge. It could prove useful later. Or, it could at least clarify Yanari.”

“Her journal… You think it’s her journal? W-Would you like me to read it?”

“Not right now. Good or bad, I think we’ve both been through enough today. Let’s regroup with the others and make sure they’re okay.”

Lykha nods. She slumps a little as it really sinks in.

“She… wished for that terrible disease… for that colossus… A-... Is it… wrong…?”

Lykha trails off, and Mury asks as he uses the torch to inspect the walls for a secret door or a tunnel. “To care about her? No. Enemies are easy to kill when we hate them. Sometimes, though, the person who needs to die isn’t someone you hate.”

“Th-...!” Lykha halts her instinctual objection. She softens, replying gently, “I’m sure you’re right… but I don’t even want to begin to understand right now.”

“Possibly for the best. I’m not seeing another exit.” He walks towards the cliff, peering over the side as Lykha looks from his hand. The young fairy asks, “Do you have a rope?”

“In the trunk winder.”

“How will you get down then!?”

“I’m working on it.”

Lykha is about to scold him when she realizes it. Once upon a time, this man walked headlong into danger to face down a terrifying monster, and along the way, scooped up an imperiled young fairy with no hope of survival. Since that day, she has tried to act as a sort of safety buffer for him, and he seems to listen -at least enough to hesitate and talk it out in moments of peace-.

Lykha asks, “Wh-... What if I fly down to them and get a rope?”

Murtoa looks around. “Not much to anchor to. The rock faces are too smooth for a grapnel. I might be able to-...” He leans over the edge, and she hovers off of his hand, pushing him by the chest back. She retorts sternly, “No you don’t! There’s no soft spot. There’s no ‘slowing your fall’. There’s no-...” Lykha halts. She says hopefully, “Nieolsynnys’s spell.”

Murtoa cocks his head, “Instant death? Now?”

“NO! She didn’t teach me that one. I can make you weightless. Then, I’ll just fly you down.”

“Seems too easy…”

“THAT’S WHAT MAGIC IS FOR!”

He chuckles as she huffs, and he replies, “Alright. My life’s in your hands again.”

Lykha flinches, blushing in instant feelings of embarrassment. She squeaks, “R-Right.”

Lykha rubs her hands together. She still has a fair bit of her magical energy left, but the spirit spells use a lot. She’s lucky Schieranna was able to help her amplify the tempest spell without drawing too much on Lykha’s own energy.

Lykha asks with her eyes closed, “Nieolsynnys, is that okay? Will you lend me your power to help Mury?”

Awww… How come I don’t get a desperate, love-bound plea of ‘please help me save his life!’?

The spirits’ voices snicker in Lykha’s mind, and she smirks. She replies gently, “Please, Nieolsynnys, help me save Mury from jumping from this cliff his own way.”

They snicker again, but Nieolsynnys replies sincerely, Of course, Lykha. Chant the spell as I taught you. Oh, and Mury has to buy me a nice dress.

Lykha nearly falls from the slightly cringe-inducing retort. She sighs, “Fine.” She takes a breath and centers herself. She places her hand on Mury’s chest, saying as she traces circles on Mury’s chest with her other hand, “From the void is born all of existence, and within existence we find balance. With this balance, I beseech thee, make this small part of existence detatch from the laws of nature, from the strings of gravity.” The circular marks begin to glow, and Lykha nods. Murtoa starts to step forward, but she shoves him back, shouting, “TEST IT FIRST, MURY!” She is able to shove him with ease, to both of their surprise, and he begins floating across the room.

“MURY! I’m so sorry!” She darts to him, slowing his drift through the air as he chuckles. “That’s a new feeling.”

Lykha jokes, “I feel so strong now. I pushed Murtoa of Lakia aside like he was nothing.” She flexes her free arm, making a tiny little muscle.

He asks dryly, “Do I pass the test?”

She scoffs, pulling him towards the cliff. She feels exhausted, but his light mood is giving her physical energy, and her wings still work. She flies them both to the ground, and he lands on his feet, sinking to a crouch to keep from bouncing back up into the air. Lykha pants, and once more, finds herself on Mury’s palms as the human warrior catches her. She smiles up at him, “Thanks.”

He nods, “Same to you. Good thinking.”

She blushes, reclaiming some small spark of positivity from the day. She remarks, “I’m a little surprised you didn’t ask how long the spell was supposed to last.”

“If you wasted time explaining it to me, we would have had less. How long does it last?”

She scoffs, laughing, which feels good on her battered soul. She lays down on his hands as she catches her breath and relaxes her wings, “I think… I can do about a minute for all four people in our group. M-Maybe a little less with Gyrryth. It has something to do with the mass of the objects. S-So, maybe a few more minutes?”

Murtoa nods, and he says, “Good to know.” He then gently steps into a drifting float, and Lykha asks, “Wh-Wait! What are you doing?”

“Lot easier than walking.”

“I-...” She looks over his hands, and the ground is fairly close. He didn’t jump upwards, he stepped into a lean. When his weight comes back, he’s going to fall only a couple of feet, depending on how far he floats. But, he’s drifting weightlessly towards the trunk winder, so as long as he doesn’t miss it or their friends, he won’t need help.

Lykha sighs. “You’re too reckless.”

He chuckles. “I suppose that’s true… But, we made a deal…”

Lykha smiles, sometimes -but less often now- that Mury recalls their meeting almost as well as Lykha does. “Yeah, yeah. I can’t stop you.”

He nods.

“Mury?”

“Yes?”

“I… I…” She loses her courage, fidgeting with her hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Murtoa manages to catch the hull of the trunk winder, pulling himself back down to the ground. Due to how slowly he drifted, his weight returns, albeit slowly, and he is able to move more freely shortly after reaching the vehicle. He and Lykha find Coco and Gyrryth digging near the tracks of the vehicle, and Murtoa asks, “Quicklocks?”

Coco snaps back quickly, “How e’eryone know ‘bout these, ‘cept me!?”

Gyrryth chuckles, replying, “Yes. We were attempting to stop the colossal phoenix from spreading the plague further, as it seemed set on escape. The winder lost traction.”

Murtoa nods, saying plainly, “I’ll get a shovel.”

“Wha’about yer sickfix, ‘Bando?”

“Taken care of.”

Gyrryth replies speculatively, “So, it’s true then. This was all some sort of illusion or…”

“Not an illusion. I forced Yanari to unwish her wishes.”

Both Gyrryth and Coco cock their heads, surprised. Coco asks, “Tha’s a thing!?”

The human warrior nods, and Lykha cuts in, “WE did. I bear some of the responsibility.” She hugs his thumb as she sits up. “I didn’t know… such a spell existed.”

Gyrryth agrees, “I’ve never heard even mention of such a power. There have been mentions of fairies being… purged, for fear of their wish or magic power, but never the ability to reverse it.”

Coco sits up, asking, “Wha’about Maerin? C-... Can we…?”

Lykha replies softly, “Yes, I think we could. But, we’d have to convince Vielall…”

Murtoa replies, “I don’t know if it would work.”

The young fairy and Coco both look up at him, and he elaborates softly. “The wish must be able to be undone. The imposter Murtoa of Lakia that Vielall met…”

“Is dead…” murmurs Lykha. She glances towards the hatch of the vehicle.

She looks down, but Murtoa surprises her when he says, “I will ask her if she wants to try. I don’t need Maerin to change, but if she wants to…”

Lykha looks deep into his helmet’s lenses, trying to see his eyes. Tears find her own, and she smiles, “I-... I thought you’d suggest…”

“That we hide it?”

She nods, and he replies, “Normally, I probably would until I could arrange to solve it, which could be never. But, Maerin has more than earned that I try.”

Lykha scoffs in gracious disbelief. She nods in agreement.

However, she’s startled when a mature woman’s voice says from below her, “I think you mean ya owe me too much money, and you’re hoping to pay me off.”

Lykha looks down, finding Maerin leaning out of Coco’s gearbag, listening with a smirk. The mature fairy has a fairly relaxed expression, and Lykha realizes they never asked, and Coco didn’t get a chance to say -assuming she would-.

Murtoa replies bluntly, “You don’t have to decide or answer now, Maerin, but…”

She waves him off, saying with mild hints of inebriation remaining, “Yeah, yeah. If we run into her, yeah? Don’ nee’ta chase her down if it might not work. Not if ya aren’t tired of me yet.”

Murtoa replies rather warmly, “I’m surprised none of you are tired of me, yet.”

Coco boisterously laughs, and the others smile. Lykha mouths softly, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

Murtoa then says, “I’ll return with a shovel to help dig us out. Any other problems we need to deal with?”

Gyrryth replies, “If you were any amount attached to the wire weapon, it is still where you left it. We were attacked by the phoenix shortly after you made your engagement.”

Coco points at Murtoa, adding furiously, “Aye! An’ ye no’ allow’te do ‘at again, ‘Bando!”

He turns away without responding to her, saying, “I'll retrieve the kusarigama after we're mobile. If you need anything, tell me now.”

“If the plague is truly gone, water would be nice,” states Maerin.

Murtoa nods, “Consider it done.”

Lykha lays face down on his hands to rest, and she sniffles.

“You didn’t have to hold back.”

She cranes her head to look at Murtoa. He adds gently, “The others wouldn’t blame you for being sad for Yanari.”

Lykha smiles softly, resting her cheek on his fingers. “I know. But, we’ll finish with her when we reach my village. For now, I assume the trunk winder is stuck.”

Mury nods. “The quicklocks are designed for hard materials. On soft soil like this, they bury and anchor deep. I’d have done the same, and I’d be digging the vehicle out.”

Lykha nods. “I see.”

The human warrior gently puts Lykha in her own bunk, and she says quickly as she sets up, “Wait! I can…”

“Rest, Lykha. You did good today. Impressive, even.”

Lykha stares at him with a bright, rosy-colored blush. “Thank you.” She wearily crawls into her bed, but she pokes her head back out, saying, “If you do need my help, please don’t hesitate.”

“I won’t.”

The young fairy crawls into her bed. She allows herself to cry a little more on Yanari’s behalf, as well as that of the fairies whom she victimized. Many fairies undoubtedly are no longer alive, and who were not able to be restored in the same way any of the fairies whose wishes were able to race off into the distance will be.

Just knowing Mury is safe, though, as well as the positive aspect of being able to return the wishes of other fairies, are enough to comfort Lykha to sleep.

***