I live among elves and fairies...

~

5 days before the cave...

After the death of a king, you'd expect the world to stop, to try to patch the great void he should have left. But nobody cared.

I shivered in the chilly and unforgiving wind, wishing I was in something more than Myu's skirt, but being too overwhelmed to go inside.

Though, I kind of liked being out here. The cold numbed my body just as it did my mind.

I was once again alone. Not even Lydia would talk to me.

What I wouldn't give to have her pestering me again.

A strong gust of wind blew all my hair in my face, and when I cleared it, a woman stood before me, wearing a concerned, almost motherly look.

"What's a small girl like you doing out here in the cold?"

Eh, my body can handle it. Besides, what's a grown woman like you doing out here talking to filth like me?

"My name's Fezege," she greeted. "Feel like coming inside where it's warm?"

She was tall and firm. Her face was strong, but her expression was soft.

I shook my head slowly, wishing I knew where Lasory was.

The woman came and sat next to me, ignoring my plain and obvious look of I would like to be alone right now.

She took some nuts out of her pocket and started to snack. They were the same ones I used to eat with Myu.

"My lunch break is an hour, you know."

I sighed internally and honestly debated getting up and just walking over to a different tree.

But there's no logic in that cause she would just follow me.

This Fezege just kept munching on rai nuts without a care in the world, eventually holding her hand out and offering some.

In the hopes that she'd just maybe get up and leave after I took some, I reached out and let her drop a handful in my hand.

Their salty-savory taste was a welcome familiarity, and it kind of reminded me of pistachios.

The sky was overcast and thundered, and a light snow fell.

"You really should come inside. I have tea," she offered.

Don't get me wrong, tea sounds good but... I'm just not feeling social interaction.

There were simply too many people inside, and every one of them was clamoring and shouting and just... no.

"I'll go get Sage to come drag you in if you don't."

The last thing I want is to be dragged around by another stranger. Guess you've won me there.

I stopped eating and looked over at her.

"That gonna be what it takes to get you inside? It's quiet where we're going, if that makes you feel any better."

I sighed and replied quietly, "Okay."

The woman stood up with a slight smug, but also thankful look, and then helped me to my feet, leading me around the corner to a small door. Any regrets I had about coming in were thrown away by a hall made of dark wood and lit by dim candles accompanied by the immediate warmth that washed over me.

We entered the first room in the hall, and she closed the door, nearly jumping when she turned around and saw a girl lying faceup on the floor.

The girl on the floor woke to the sound of the door closing, and then smiled, seeing that she had company.

"Oh, hi Fezege," she nonchalantly greeted.

Fezege waved, then sat in a comfy-looking chair in front of a desk full of papers and an empty cup.

The room was decently-sized - I'd say maybe the size of a small classroom or a really big bedroom - I don't really have much else to compare it to.

The desk had small bookshelves on either side of it, and aside from the one Fezege sat in, there were a few other chairs, one of which looked like a bean bag, and there was a fireplace with a decent blaze going at the opposite end of the room.

A cozy place; a study or office.

The woman who'd been lying on the floor hopped into the sort of bean bag chair, and then I got a good look at her, and kind of wish I didn't.

Something in her had a horrendous aura of familiarity, and something in me panicked when I saw her, even though I couldn't bring myself to think of any reason I'd have to be feeling that way. I've never seen her before.

"This is Sage," Fezege cheerily introduced, pointing at the girl, who happily smiled. "She's one of my students, training to become a Knight!"

"Who's this?" Sage asked politely, only after giving her introducer a sheepish look.

"She was with the messenger from Sakari," Fezege replied.

That kind of offended me.

"My name is Lydia, and I'm also a messenger of Sakari," I introduced in the most composed voice I could possibly muster, wanting to scoop up the words from the air right after because I realized that was way out of line.

The looks on both of their faces quickly became intense and mortified. I can say I've gotten used to bearing someone else's name. Wearing someone else's skin. I will never get used to the feeling when the look of realization, then shock, appears on the faces of those that learn what family I was a member of.

"I am so sorry," Sage tried to comfort me.

I didn't reply. It's not that I was trying to be rude, I just couldn't say anything about it or I'd definitely break down in tears.

"Do you want me to go find Lasory?" Fezege asked me.

I jumped a little inside. How did she know his name? There wasn't anyone else there when Lasory and I delivered the news. Though I imagine the residents of the castle were made aware of it soon after.

"The King of Sakari is dead." Lasory's words echoed in my mind, ricocheting off the bones in my skull and creating a miserable cacophony that made me nauseous.

I shook my head.

"He probably wants to be alone," I said at nearly a whisper.

Noticing the bluish-purple tint to my skin, Sage unzipped and took off the sweater she was wearing and handed it to me.

"You should warm up by the fire! You're freezing."

"She's right," Fezege agreed. "I'll grab some tea."

And leave me alone with her? Shit.

I didn't have it in me to argue.

The woman hurried out, and I looked at the sweater in my hands. It's a bit too big for me, but it'll do.

I grabbed a chair and dragged it towards the fireplace, slipping the dark blue jacket on with a bit of a struggle. I hadn't seen something like it before. Or maybe I have?

I zipped it up to really help me get warm (with help, given I didn't know how to use this weird zipper thing), and sat practically right in front of the fire. Sage got out of the bean bag chair and brought a real one up beside me, grabbing the legs of mine and scooting me back a little.

"You're gonna burn alive if you're that close," she joked, letting out an honest laugh, then sat down in her chair and drummed on her thighs for a moment. She had this cheery, unbreakably upbeat vibe about her that was unsettling to me. It's hard to feel down when someone like her's next to you.

I gave her a lighthearted smile, but I didn't know what to say, and just awkwardly looked back to the fire.

It was a pretty blaze. It brought me back to... to Sakari...

I felt my heart start to pick up.

The flames consumed everything there. Her purple hair... Ayami... the Rai Tree... everything.

But here they just... stayed in the fire pit. A harnessed hurricane, like a leash on a serial killer, only the killer is chewing on its leash like a vicious hound wanting to escape and consume.

By now I was starting to shake, looking at the fire. It could jump out at any second, and just like that, we'd all be gone, and none of us could do a damn thing about it.

"Lydia!" I snapped out of it to the sound of Sage shouting my name. "You okay?"

I looked her in the eye and tried to muster out a "yes", but I couldn't do it. I shook my head as my eyes filled with tears. I think she made the connection, and jumped out of her chair, came to my side, and wrapped her arms around me.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"I'm sorry," I apologized as my throat tightened up and my voice began to strain.

My chest started to bounce in compulsions as I started to cry, but I sniffled hard and tried to make it stop, which wasn't very successful.

"Nono, don't be sorry," Sage said as she pulled back from the hug, moving her chair once more to have me with my back to the fire, which was both worrying and comforting at the same time. "It's okay to cry if you need to cry," she said with a smile.

I returned a smile, though it didn't come out very much like one, and wiped away my tears, taking deep breaths to try and calm myself down. I really didn't want to cry. Not in front of people.

It's not that I don't like being vulnerable, I just don't want to get made fun of for crying ever again.

Inside, though, I hurt. I hoped I could soon find a dark corner with nobody around for miles and curl up in a ball and sob by myself.

Sage gave me another smile, taking out a handkerchief from her pocket.

Of course she'd have a handkerchief. Perfectly fits everything about her.

I wiped my face with it, but my nose hadn't quite stuffed up, and I felt awkward about blowing my snot into someone else's handkerchief.

I haven't cried in front of anyone in a long, long time. Let alone her. I'd give anything to not be here right now.

"What's that over your eye?" she asked, trying to divert my mind.

You should know by now that that's kind of an insensitive question. Not that I care.

"It's a Scar," I replied, my voice still a little cracked from almost bawling my eyes out.

Technically I never got this Scar. But I wear it now all the same. Sometimes I think if it weren't for it, I would still be with Myu and Las right now.

It sits over my right eye, a vertical mark about 2 or 3 inches tall that paints me as one of the most disgusting creatures around for thousands of miles.

"I think it's pretty," Sage complimented, which kind of took me off-guard. I'm used to people reeling at the sight of my Scar.

"Oh... Thanks."

"Seriously, though. I think it makes you look strong and unique."

She was being genuine. Honestly, I wasn't sure at this point whether or not she even knew what the Scar meant.

"I'm not really either of those things, but thanks anyways," I tried to sound cheery. "That's... the first time anyone's said that about my scar."

"Eh, well people are assholes."

"Indeed they are."

Something about our conversation just felt so familiar, like we'd talked a million times before.

I'll blame the fact that I'm preoccupied with trying to deal with... all the things that just happened.

"What about you?" I began, trying to help break the ice. "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen in a few days, though."

"Why are you trying to become a Knight?"

"It's just a title, really. Most of us won't even go on to fight, or they'll ship us off to the military as glorified cannon fodder."

"That doesn't answer the question, though."

She sighed. "I'm not exactly... from here. So this nation's royals gave us an offer: we could either figure out life on our own, or become Knights and live a cushy life here."

"And the choice was obvious," I continued.

"Yeah."

"I mean, it's not so bad. You learn some useful skills and get an easy life."

"Fair enough. It's better than nothing, I guess," Sage reconciled.

"Not that I know much about optimism."

"That's usually my thing," she laughed as she poked me. "But you don't seem so bad yourself. You're awful talkative for just meeting some strangers."

I gave her a blank look, not sure how to take her compliment, and just moved on with the conversation. "What do you do as a Knight?"

"It's not like I know how to fight or anything."

"What do you do, then?" I asked.

"I'm sort of like a healer."

She looked away as if she thought that occupation was lame. I didn't have any real experience with that kind of thing, but I still think supports are the coolest people around.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," I said. "Healers are some of the strongest people around, in my book."

She smiled again, and we fell into an awkward silence.

Sorry, I'm kind of bad at human interaction.

Luckily, only a few seconds later, Fezege entered with a plate full of steaming cups, along with a man wearing a dirtied white cloak following closely behind him.

I jumped up and ran towards the man, throwing my arms around him. He returned the hug, and looked at me with a wide smile, despite how much I'm sure he was hurting.

I felt like a little kid - I was half his height and clinging beside him, as Fezege introduced the newcomer to a slightly confused Sage.

"This is Lasory, the other messenger from Sakari."

"Oh, hi there," she warmly greeted.

Lasory waved, then sat down. I took the bean bag beside him as Sage yet again moved the chairs, and Fezege handed us each a cup.

The room was awkward and silent, with most of us looking at our feet or glancing around, waiting for someone to speak, but nobody knew how to start the conversation because nothing seemed right to say.

I lightly sipped on my tea, oblivious to the fact that it was still roasting hot.

I immediately started gagging and nearly spilled my tea trying to set it down, and everyone in the room started laughing.

"Careful, it's hot," Lasory teased.

"Thanks," I spat back.

I took a deep breath inside. I could trust these people. Lasory trusts Fezege, and Fezege trusts Sage. What she did in the past doesn't matter right now. At least that's the best I could tell myself.

The two adults were close. Literally. I looked up from my tea, and they were coming out of a hug of their own.

Fezege noticed my strange look.

"Lasory and I go back a while," she explained. I expected her to say more, but she didn't.

The three of them began to talk and chatter, lighthearted conversation to distract from the grim reality that not only I, but especially Lasory, was facing.

I sort of tuned out. I laid back in the chair and kicked my feet out, closing my eyes to let my thoughts take over.

"The King of Sakari is dead. Lockwood Sakari... is dead." I remembered Lasory's speech rather vividly. The mortified look on his face as he bowed before the king of Donthaar, Allou, and told of what happened to everyone - as he delivered Lockwood's final message.

"His Majesty and his three heirs, Laurie Sakari, Kino Sakari, and Myuila-Renee Sakari, were all slain in a successful raid upon the Kingdom."

Myu. I once again remembered her long, purple hair. But then I remembered the building crumbling all around us, how she reached out her bloodied hand, barely able to breathe.

I felt bad that only someone like me was there to take it.

I tried to shake away the memories of what happened, which, this time, wasn't too hard, because Fezege went over to Sage's ear and whispered something in it.

I couldn't help but dread over the fact that it might be about me. The last thing I want is attention. What if she had a giant horde of people outside the door or something?

I heard Sage squeal in excitement, then she looked over at me and tried to conceal herself, giving me a blank look while the rest of her body betrayed happiness.

"Well, Lady Fezege," Lasory began, startling me at his bright tone despite all that happened. "Should we get started?"

He had a mischievous, excited look, one I'd never really seen on him before.

Fezege cleared her throat. "My lady, may you stand?"

Nobody stood, and all 3 of them stared directly at me.

"Me?" I asked shakily.

Fezege gave a small, firm nod.

"O-okay..." I stood from my chair, feeling my legs begin to shake.

What's happening? Why did she say "my lady"?

Sage, Fezege, and Lasory knelt on their left knee, bowing their heads as they did so.

"G-guys what's..." I felt like I was going to faint. My head throbbed and I was getting wobbly, though I screamed at myself inside to stay composed because this felt important.

Lasory raised his head. "Lockwood is... no longer with us. Nor are his children. As such..."

He took a necklace from his pocket, one all too familiar to me, lowering his head and reaching it out before him like he was bestowing a great gift to someone important.

Oh dear Jesus I hope he doesn't mean to say that's for...

"W-what?" I stammered.

"He saw you as a child of his own, and that's why he gave you his last name."

Lasory rose and clipped the necklace around my neck with the same ease as when he put it on... her.

"The three of us crown you as the Queen of Sakari."

I...

What?

~

"W-wait, no surely you- surely you can be que- king instead-" I was stuttering up a storm as my heart pounded hard.

"I was born to serve, my lady," Lasory replied in a smug, determined tone.

"I wasn't... I wasn't born a leader."

"Sure you were," Fezege jumped in.

I started to get dizzy. The floor was shaking, and I held out my hands, weary that I might fall.

"Uh oh," Fezege said just as I lost my balance and fell over.

At what seemed to be the speed of light, Lasory jumped up and caught me, slowly bringing me down to my chair.

Sage handed me my tea with a smile and encouraged me to take a few sips, which I did. It helped to calm me some.

My eyes were darting around the room frantically. Everyone seemed so close to me, and just the three people here felt like the world was staring at me. Two of them were total strangers.

"I'm not saying what you have to do with it or that we're gonna go tell everyone, but you're the queen of Sakari, Lydia Sakari, and nobody else can take that title better than you."

I stared at my half-empty cup and tried to grasp what was happening.

I should be happy. I should be excited.

I'm terrified. I don't want this. It's just not something I'm ready for.

But I guess it's like he said: nobody else will take the title, and it would be selfish of me to refuse.

So... I'm the queen of Sakari now.

"Well," Fezege said as she stood. "Shall we get food?"

I need eggnog. Desperately.

~

Many months ago...

"Vincent are you okay?"

My mom asked that a lot, but it felt more sincere this time, like she was really worried.

I nodded lightly, which I guess wasn't convincing at all.

I mean, it's not that I'm not okay...

"Is it school or something?" she worried.

"No, not really. I'm doing fine, I promise."

"Okay," she said skeptically. "Well, I have a church thing tonight. You can make some food, or take my card and get something."

"Sounds good, thank you." She didn't often just let me use her card like that. Usually she'd leave a 20 on the table and I'd walk down and get a pizza or go to the local grocery and pick up something to cook.

"Seriously though, there's no sad in my house. If you wanna talk about something then all you have to do is talk about something. It's not like there's anyone else here."

I gave her a smile and nodded. "I will, mom."

"Attaboy. If you're up all night tonight, can you let the dog out sometime?"

I laughed this time and told her I would. After that, she left with a happy goodbye. She went to church events like these every 2 or 3 weeks. They're nice because I got the whole house to myself until about 9 at night, and it's a lot of fun to just do me for a few hours.

My mom and I got along, but at this point I'm barely going to graduate, and I kind of wished she'd be harder on me. But after everything we've been through, I think she's afraid to. Or forgot how to.

I wasn't really hungry, and doing homework was just out of the question. So, I turned down the heat, zipped my sweater and put my hood up, getting out a jug of the holy elixir: eggnog.

With Christmas around the corner, the stores stock up on my favorite drink, so our fridge usually had a jug or two around this time of year.

As good as it is, though, I did my best to drink it only every here and there so that it keeps its value and doesn't become bland and boring. Tonight, though, was an acceptable night for a few cups of thick and creamy gold.

So, I poured a small glass of eggnog and went upstairs to my room, which was dark. I lit my desk lamp after grabbing my notebook out of my backpack and slapping it on the smooth, black surface of my workspace.

The lamp illuminated my corner desk, which had my drawing tablet on it as well as some papers with sketches on them.

I powered on my tablet and propped it up on its stand, looking at where I'd left off on a small comic I was working on, then turned on my laptop so I could check my notifications and see if I had any new commissions.

It wasn't a real job (yet), but I made some decent money for my mom and I by doing art commissions. I didn't get a huge amount of them, though, so it wasn't a surprise to me when I had no new ones in my inbox.

So, I just kept working on my comic, which is just a hobby for me; I'm not sure if I'll share it with anyone. It's not like I'm embarrassed of my art, it's just that I put a lot of myself into it and it's not really for other people.

My main character was a white-haired demon with horns. That's all I knew about him since I haven't really set up the plot or anything yet, but I love sketching him. Sometimes I drew him with a warm smile and sparkling blush in his cheeks, and then he feels like a sweet guy. Sometimes, he came out with a cold and colorless face, and it had this stoic, dark vibe to it.

As I'd begun setting up another sketch of him, I heard my doorbell.

Is it mom? Did they cancel the event because of the snow or something?

I made my way down the stairs, eggnog in hand, and opened the door.

"What are you doing here?"

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[A/N]

Arc 0 Base Cover [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/771177570754363393/995621922245189722/For_Jake.png]

Arc 0 Cover [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/771177570754363393/995621922584940594/MW-Arc-0-Cover.png]

These are the awesome amazing fantastic images for the Arc 0 cover that my awesome amazing fantastic girlfriend (who's wayyy more talented than me :) drew me. Hope you like them!