Suta POV

Anak's figure cut a stark contrast to the soft setting surrounding them both, to Suta he was almost like an existence that marred and roughened the beauty of this expanse. A feeling he soon noticed was equally shared by the surrounding populace the moment he set foot into this place filled with countless fluttering, tiny-winged creatures.

The moment the Fairies sensed their arrival all matters seemed to have halted, as though time itself had stopped. At first, their faces shared that all too familiar look of pure horror, but surprisingly, other than noticeably moving to the side to form a clear path of entry for them both, none of them said a single word nor did they fly away and hide. That was Suta's expected reaction.

'They're probably used to seeing this guy by now, heh, doesn't look it though.' He thought to himself watching the countless large eyed tiny figures surrounding them with caution. A part of Suta had assumed they had fallen into an old children's book. It was certainly a change from the haunted atmosphere of candy.

Anak didn't seem fazed by it all, as expected of his usual cold aura. He walked straight through the path they created for them, and Suta kept himself closely beside the tall vampire, halfway torn between sheer embarrassment and a little excitement about this discovery.

'So many of them, fai-fairies! How incredible.' He playfully mused, unable to peel his gaze away from the whimsical-looking faces watching him as he moved along. Their bright wide eyes beheld him in a curious light, and a lot of them would whisper or physically drag their compatriots over to see them. It was a strange scene taking place, yet quite a marvel to be at the center of. Suta trailed his gaze upwards, towards that pale stone mask of Anak walking beside him in silence.

"Are they always like this?" he asked in that usual straightforwardly childish manner fitting his appearance. Anak slightly frowned before the creases relaxed again. He looked disturbed while he thought of something.

"Extremely so," he coldly replied after a short while. "They're honest folk, not much ever disturbs their peace. So try to remember that, and don't get caught in any...fairy business."

Suta nodded, very much in agreement to avoiding any strange side quests or issues for now.

'You dont need to tell me twice, considering I'm a magnet to the weird and wonderful things taking place.'

By the time they both reached what felt like the heart of this vibrant shire, Suta had been swarmed by dozens of these tiny winged creatures. The younger-looking ones in particular were prone to fluttering right up to him, inspecting his outward appearance thoroughly before flying away to a safe distance again. Others would downright tug at one of his loose pink locks, sniff at it a little before childish giggles ensued.

Their very essence was rather adorable to look at, so Suta wasn't so bothered about all the attention he was receiving. He was even growing fond of the tiny-sized sprites.

A dozen or so feet ahead, he found their stiff march had come to a sudden halt. Realizing this, he removed his attention away from the surrounding fairies and focused on the object ahead of him. They had arrived at a forked sandy path; one way veered left, and the other veered towards the right. Suta wasn't really paying close attention to the trailing paths, finding his gaze intensely observing a wooden statue placed right in front of them.

The statue was expertly carved into a beautiful-looking young man standing on a circular iron disk. He observed the figure, intrigued with how much detail went into it, from the prestige styling of his hair to the gentleman's clothing, and the opened book balanced on his palm.

'How cool. Can't say I can remember seeing such expertly woven craftsmanship before in person. But then again, when had I ever really paid attention to fine art in the first place? Did the fairies make this?'

His curiosity quickly shifted his focus towards his tall companion standing beside him, a question beckoning on the tip of his tongue. Just when Suta was poised to part his lips aside, the cruel smile he witnessed creasing manically across Anak's pale face forced the hurried breath back down his throat.

The vampire's already intense stare, narrowed even more menacingly. It could pierce holes into the thing, and then leave burns that caught fire and turned it into a pile of ash.

'Right, so that's not the normal response towards a simple statue. Now that I think about it...'

Suta studied the beautiful-haired youth adorned in soft polished wood. There was a smile on its face and an opened book resting on its palm. Suta's mind began traversing through memories and past things he remembered from his earlier conversations between him and Anak. And then, as though the lights had finally been turned on, Suta remembered that story.

'It's him... Lysann? The runaway prince.'

Suta couldn't confirm this thought, but something told him he wasn't wrong at all, considering the strange relationship he sensed Anak shared with that runaway prince.

'He called himself his steward, but I can tell it's a lot deeper than that? And more bizarrely enough, why is there a statue of him in the middle of the place where fairies stay?'

Suta remained idly in wait while he watched the vampire going through a string of emotions in quick succession. In time, Anak's emotions did stabilize, and that familiar coldness returned to his glittering glowing-colored irises soon enough

Anak didn't bat Suta a single eye as he uttered a short sentence before he rather forcefully turned his head away.

"Let's go," he coldly said. Ushering them both forward on their walk

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

***

The acorns gently knocked together, ensuing a soft chime dancing against the thin breeze gently moving across this meadowy plane. Despite feeling as though they had been walking for quite a while, Suta didn't mind the walk. The air around this place was strangely infectious. Beneath the twilight starry night, the shire was bathed in the soft glow of golden fiery lamps, the air was constantly filled with strange stringed instruments and what sounded like folklore songs and laughter erupting from small homes nestled in the dirt.

That unmissable golden half-moon above, only added to this serene, whimsical ambiance, which reminded Suta of the festive periods during winter.

He remembered Granny Ma and her little stall from his old world. Reflecting on those days left him in a state of melancholy

'Things have changed so much, I'm hardly remembering my old life these days.'

While Suta was busying his mind with the old, he heard the fluttering of tiny wings twinkling just beside his left ear, followed shortly after by a childish giggle.

A little fairy with short green hair and round, full cheeks appeared out of seemingly nowhere. The familiar tiny-sized, pointy-eared fairy propped itself comfortably against his shoulder. The little guy was beaming with joy as it turned towards him with a wide, childish grin.

"Hello there, mister! You're alive! Hehehe, I knew you were kind."

Its soft, melodic voice somehow managed to brighten the shadows of doubt lurking inside of Suta. He creased a warm smile in return, using his littlest finger to very gently stroke the top of the little guy's head.

"Why hello again, my little friend."

"H-hey, n-not so hard, hehe." The little fairy's entire face turned beet red in response. After which, its clear eyes scoped around the surroundings before turning its large gaze towards Suta again with a look of curiosity pondering against its wide eyes.

"Are you off to visit the chief?" the little guy asked.

'Hm? The chief,' Suta thought to himself, twisting ever so slightly towards his right where Anak walked in his usual solemn gloom.

Without raising his stern glare, Anak nodded slightly.

"Yes, I have some business with the Chief of the Fairy tribe. A matter concerning a certain boat we'll be needing. Also... remember what I said. Do not to get wrapped up in... fairy business." His tone seemed a little odd whilst he said that.

Suta agreed with a gentle nod of his own.

'They look so homely and pleasant, but I'll be foolish to think everything is rosy on the outside.'

By now, Suta felt way too anxious to remain relaxed. He was glad the fairies seemed quite welcoming, but who could say what waited for him around the corner? Experience had left lingering doubts about enjoying true peace.

Sometime later, at the end of their neatly trudged earthy trail, they arrived upon a sizable gazebo covered in thin blue veils, with golden embroidery and a tassel covered in golden bells. There were three distinctively dressed fairies outside, seemingly awaiting their arrival.

On the left was a pretty-faced fairy with pink hair, who wore a yellow and pink dress with her hands resting in white gloves. She glanced once at Suta before her fair cheeks turned beet red in response. The one on the far right was dressed in dark violet robes; she had curly grey and black hair with large emerald eyes filled with a curious glint. Suta noticed her gaze lingering on him longer than the others.

As for the one in the middle, his outward appearance and jovial look immediately told Suta he must be this so-called chief. He was still very much just as tiny as everyone else here but wore a blue turban and matching silk robes with a grey tunic underneath. His forked white beard touched his round belly, and his tiny squinted eyes sat comically over a wide, jovial smile. With both arms behind his back, he sped up his tiny wings and drew closer to the arriving duo.

"Greetings, friends from afar! Ohohoho, how delightful it is to see visitors gracing our tribal lands after such a long time. Ah! The goddess of the moon rejoices." He sang with a coral like speech. The Fairy Elder buzzed around the two of them, making tiny circles all the while filling the air with guffawing shrills.

'I guess I should've expected nothing less from the leader of this lot.' He pictured that haughty fairy with the red braid from before, wondering how the little fella was faring.

He could feel the little fellow perched on top of his shoulders gently kicking its legs while humming to itself. Suta leaned a little towards it with a question stirred within his thoughts.

"Little one, is that your chief?"

The little fairy brightened up, quite excited that Suta was talking to him again.

"Hm-mm, Chief of the Moon Valley Tribe! And that's Mother Ruora, the fairest. She's so beautiful and earnest, but she's fated to wed the legendary King of the Fairies!"

Suta chuckled a little, trying not to sound too rude in his tone.

'King of the fairies? How cliche,' he mused inwardly, feeling himself gradually being pulled into this world of mystique and bizarre. Compared to the talking lion and those other furries, Suta wasn't getting that same feeling of anxiety and worry from these fairy folk. Perhaps their very childish and whimsical appearance had created a false sense of purity and innocence, something that may lead to him making a fatal mistake if he underestimated them.

He shook his head vigorously a little to dispel those thoughts of doubt.

'I don't want to be too trusting, but in the same breath, I don't want to be too cynical either,' he examined himself earnestly, remembering the things his father taught him about handling emotions and his attitudes.

A small shudder of grief briefly flashed across his body as he processed those memories from an almost forgotten time. He placed one hand against his chest and centered his breathing.

'Dad... I... I hope you're alive... somewhere.'

He scanned over the third fairy in attendance who didn't immediately catch one's eye, but once he peered closer at her, he felt the most unsettling feeling surfacing. Her smile was brief but also deceptively calm; it was a strange feeling watching her, as though she had met him before. And for some strange reason she also reminded him of someone.

'Granny Baba? But why is that?'