"Are you sure you're fine lass?" Thaddeus exclaimed as the group encircled Fae who was rubbing the hand that was closest to the corruption, she looked down at it meticulously

"Seems like it, I don't feel any different" She spoke with a tiny hint of uncertainty, for this whole ordeal was much in the realm of ignorance for her, for all the humans really

"She'll be fine" Auriel responded, her hands in her the pockets of her coat while her gaze was laid down on Fae "People who come in contact with it show symptoms immediately" She then walked up closer to the human, staring at her hard with her green eyes

"Whether they're humans or elves, it doesn't really matter, so that begs the question" She looked at her down and up, fixating her piercing look at her "Who are you"

Fae pursed her lips as she looked at Auriel, it was a simple question, but why should she cooperate to the fullest with the same person who couldn't even listen to her own pleads

"My name is Fae" She told her "I don't think I can explain why what happened, happened" She then tilted her head to the side with her eyes still in contact with the elf's own green eyes "But if you want my help, I need to see that mirror your god is hiding in"

Auriel sighed as she switched her weight on her right leg "Look, if it was up to me I couldn't care less" She told Fae "But that is a decision I can't make, you have to come see our elders, only they can allow you in" Auriel then rubbed her chin as she let out a barely audible growl "Although they might think it would be desecration to allow a human near that mirror"

Fae crossed her arms as she stared at Auriel, the latter sighing as she noticed the stare she was under "Why do you even wish to gaze upon the mirror" She asked of Fae

"I need to see whether I can get in, talking to the dryad is something I must do" Fae spoke words that prompted a sarcastic chuckle out of the elf

"Well, we don't even know if our dearest goddess is still alive in there, so even if you can enter her domain, I hope you won't traumatized our entire race"

In a sense, Auriel was right, if by chance Fae discovers that the entity they've been worshipping ever since the inception of their race was just, gone forever, it might scar them for generations, if not forever

"It..." She pursed her lips, it was a tough choice

"Sorry but I don't see how that is our issue" Avalynn interjected as she stood next to Fae, her arms crossed and her purple gaze on the elf "Your Dryad has abandoned you for an eternity and you haven't went extinct yet, so pray tell what changes if she indeed is dead"

Auriel clicked her tongue as she looked aside "Tell me about it" She then sighed and looked back at the devil "I share your opinion, I already have embraced the fact that us elves are all alone in this world, we need to stand by our own now that we have no guardian to oversee us" She said, pursing her lips in what felt like regret "But many of my kin can not understand that fact, for they still hold a sliver of hope in their hearts for her return" She then looked aside, speaking in a much lower tone of voice "An ever-dwindling hope"

The elf then gazed at Fae "I hope you will help us deal with the issue at hand"

Fae took a long breath through her nose, only now that she proved to be of some semblance of use did the elf spoke to her like she was another person with emotions and a consciousness "I thought you didn't need it, nor want it" She crossed her arms as she spoke, reminding the elf of her own offer to them for help, one the latter declined with much swiftness

Auriel wanted to speak but no words left her lips, she understood what Fae hinted at very much, but apologizing to a human was something that she can not do, and in lieu of that her gaze looked elsewhere

"Fae, please" Theodore got between the two, looking at the latter with a much sincere gaze "The words she had said earlier was only because of generational prejudice, one that is not entirely unjustifiable" He told her, almost pushing Fae to ask him which side he was on exactly, but for now she allowed what he had to say to her "I know you have it in you to forgive her, the matter at hand is a crisis which the elves alone cannot manage without your help" He gazed at her with eyes filled with sincerity "help them, please"

Fae had a stoic face, one bereft of any emotions as her arms were crossed, and yet the eyes that she was looking into held such care for the other race that it couldn't but force the woman to sigh and drop her guard "You do a better job at convincing me than the race needing my help" She then gave him a tiny smile and a slow nod, one that he was extremely grateful for

She then looked at Auriel's green eyes "Fine, I'll be of assistance" The elf nodded in gratitude at those words, she couldn't voice it out otherwise "But only after you help me in what I need"

"Alright" Auriel replied "Let us be on our way to see our council then" the elf then went on to start her walk towards their next destination, followed by the group who followed her closely

The trip towards what was in essence the capital city of the elven race was too long for Fae's liking, lasting a couple of days with the group resting in the villages that they pass by, Fae herself was filled with amazement over how the elves build their homes around trees, often using them as support to carry the houses by their lonesome, and with some building within the ancestral trees themselves, however she couldn't hold the same amazement for the elves, with it having nothing to do for how they looked since they were very pleasing to look at, both the males and females, Fae thought that they really were nature's favorited, but as for her unsatisfaction it itself rested on the cold gazes that she has been receiving non stop, eyes that would pierce her back if they wanted, not for a single second did she feel comfortable and if not for Auriel by her side that discomfort would turn into danger

Auriel herself had very little words to give to any of them during their journey, always staying and sleeping in a separate room than Fae and her group and speaking to them in very short yet concise sentences, often feeling like orders

As they were walking within the pathless forest, Auriel spoke "Do watch your step" words that she meant to all the group, yet much curiosity filled them since the elf spoke as if they could fall down an endless pit

Fae pushed the bushes that obstructed her vision with a quite annoyed grunt, putting her next step forward that suddenly felt like it was standing on thin air, widening her eyes as she felt like she was falling forward if not for being pulled by her shirt backwards, an act that made her look over her shoulder at a very unpleased Auriel

"Thanks" she said with a nervous sigh a hand over her fast beating heart

"Whoah" Avalynn stood by the two in awe as her gaze looked forward, as so did all of the group who had similar expressions of amazement written over their faces

Fae in curiosity looked back to where she almost fell and realized they were standing at the end of a cliff, a cliff that oversighted a beautiful never-ending cascade of waterfalls gushing into a basin all the way down, splitting its waterpaths into rivers that went on to carry that water with them through the four corners of the forest, and yet the most breath taking view was the dozen giant trees piercing up from that water basin all the way up, making a huge platform that connected with each one of the tree's with bridges vines and branches thick enough to carry a city, and that they did

The capital city of the elves was built on a dozen interconnected ancestral trees that carried it over a huge body of water fueled by the grandiose waterfall

With an obvious tone of pride in her voice, Auriel spoke "Welcome to Irithiel, our home"

It took a bit for the group to take the scenery in, Fae looked down at the trees piercing the water all the way down and wondered just how deep their roots go underground to be able to carry all this weight, she gulped hard as she then looked at the city, it was so close yet so far away

"How the hell are we going to get there?" Fae asked the question on everyone's mind, Auriel allowed for a small smile to take nest on her face as she crouched down, putting her hand on the very soil that was underneath them, reciting words that none could recognize while her eyes were tightly closed

Out of nowhere the earth itself seemed to tremble slightly as then giant roots coiling around each other to form a wide bridge could be seen leave the cliff and head towards the city that seemed unreachable, a feat that none of the humans ever saw in their life, all of course except Theodore

"Please do mind your step, a bit better this time" Auriel said with a hint of mockery as she went on to step on the newly formed bridge, Fae sighed and then followed her while the rest did the same

It was quite ominous to be stepping on such a newly formed bridge while under them was nothing but water with such a distance away from them that surely a fall into it would be deadly, still Fae couldn't help but gaze down with much amazement, everything in this forest seemed so majestic and with much irony, it all seemed like fantasy

And so on they went, walking on air with the help of nature herself, a walk that was mostly slow as the group was very adamant on taking on gazing at the sceneries around them, eventually however, they soon stepped onto the stone ground of the city

Two male elves wearing what seemed to be metal armor awaited, holding each what seemed to be a halber, their equipment seemed more honorary than anything for Fae

"Madame" One spoke while both gave Auriel a closed fist on their chest, Fae assumed it was sort of salute "We have received your message, the elders are ready in the council room" He then added, Auriel gave the speaking elf a slow nod she turned her head to Theodore

"You do know your way to father, don't you" She spoke to him, speaking of matters that seemed unknown to Fae

"Yes, I shall go at once then" Theodore then looked at Fae, prompting her to raise an inquisitive eyebrow "Be patient with them, please"

His words brought a chuckle to leave her mouth before she responded to the man with a slow and smiling nod

Auriel faced the two armored elves "Accompany him, make sure he stays safe" She then did the same fist on chest salute to them as they executed her demands quicker than they arrived

And so Theodore went on escorted by the two elves, leaving Auriel to guide the group deeper into the bustling elven city

"I guess your father needs something from Theo?" Fae inquired as she walked by Auriel's side, the elf gave Fae a slightly discontent expression on her curiosity

"Yes, you could say" But she responded nonetheless "Something that I'd rather not speak about" She then added on with a stern tone and a gaze just as cold

"Alright then, forget I asked" Fae knew it wasn't the time to be pressing her, she won't get anymore from Auriel as it was already a miracle that the elf was helping Fae talk to the elders on the matter of the mirror to another dimension

What Fae didn't notice as her gaze was elsewhere, was that Auriel's eyes were still on the human's face while her mind had a decision to make, one that was very dear to her

"Actually" Auriel's uncertain tone attracted Fae's attention once more as the two locked eyes "After you help with the crisis at hand, we shall talk about it" Auriel said, silence issued for a second as the two looked at each other, one that didn't put the elf at ease as she then forced herself to add on to her previous words "If you do not mind"

Fae merely nodded, as things were right there and then, bigger problems were present than an elf being mysterious

The streets of the city were pristinely clean and calm, the elves that were walking didn't bother the group but Fae assumed because Auriel was walking with them, her military style coat was quite hard to not notice, quickly enough the group reached the center of the city, within that spot the group laid their gaze on a large building, with triangular roofs and multiple huge doors befitting of a palace or renowned church, windows with colored arts on them mostly depicting what Fae assumed was the Dryad blessing her people while the building itself was heavily guarded

The security present already were notified of the group of humans lead by Auriel and granted them entry quite swiftly, as the group entered they were enamoured with the engravings on the wall and on the ceiling, depicting what seemed to be the history of the elven race itself, with the Dryad appearing multiple times throughout, another character that Fae kept noticing nonstop was a hooded figure by the Dryad's side, its long cloak adding on the hood made it impossible to discern who it was or even whether the figure was male or female

"This place is beautiful" Avalynn muttered, getting affirmations from the rest of the group while Auriel put a hand on her side as she gazed on the curious humans

"This is a sacred place you are in, so do feel some semblance of appreciation" The elf spoke "People come here often to mourn their dead or bless their newborn" She then rubbed her hand and softened her gaze, giving the engraving of the Dryad on the ceiling sorrowful eyes as she then spoke other words in a lower voice "Although it is mostly to say goodbyes"

She then sighed, giving the group her attention back and clearing her throat to attract their own "She will come with me" She pointed at Fae "As for the rest, you are allowed to stay here for the time being"

Fae looked at the group as she could clearly notice they were not too keen on the proposition at hand, she sighed "It's fine, seeing on how stuck up they are I don't think there's any room to talk"

"Right, do be careful girl" Thaddeus murmured to her, much to the nods of Yulia and Sierra

After short seconds discussing with her comrades Fae turned around and walked up to Auriel "Lead the way" She said alongside a small nod, Auriel looked a bit within Fae's brown eyes before she did a slow 180 then did just as Fae spoke

The two went on to walk within the hallways, Auriel had her hands within the confines of her coat's pockets while Fae admired the paintings that decorated said hallways, much of them were representations of the Dryad, a slender, tall woman with long hair that had a soothing shade of green while her skin was of a white color, although one thing was amiss, her face

Fae furrowed her brow in thought, it seemed as if the elves had forgotten how she had looked like, a fact that only showed how long she had bid them goodbye, a fact with it alone bringing so much sorrow to the elves themselves, one that Fae somewhat understood

As the human had those thoughts run by her, Auriel cleared her throat as she then said words that pulled Fae off her daydreaming

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"We are not stuck up"

Fae raised an eyebrow with much confusion plastered on her face, locking her eyes with Auriel "What?" She responded

Auriel replied with no words, only looking deep into Fae's brown pupils until the latter realized what she was hinting at "Oh" She said, softening her furrowed brow before she then crossed her arms "You tell me then, because how I see it you wouldn't even have let me ask for help let alone actually help me" She said with a stern gaze "The only reason why we're here is because I might be of assistance to your people"

The elf suddenly stopped right in her tracks, giving Fae an ever so serious gaze that the latter expected, and yet as she opened her mouth no words came from Auriel, and what Fae did not expect was for the elf's dead cold gaze to soften into such a gloom that the most simplest way of describing it would be best

Sadness

One that caught Fae quite off-guard as Auriel lowered her head then continued on her way, not a single word spoken back to Fae, the human raising her eyebrows in surprise while her heart felt weary, if she indeed put herself in the shoes of a race at the brink of extinction, with their goddess that guided them ever since they could hold a thought gone, abandoning them to their fate because of things that the humans themselves did, maybe it would indeed make you quite stuck up, whether it was justified or not to display your anger and bitterness to the children of the sinners, that was another question, one that needed much contemplation

Their short walk lasted not much longer, and no exchange of words was done between the two right until they arrived in front of two doors fancied with engravings on their surface of what seemed to Fae like roots coiling around trees in complete symmetry

Auriel turned to face Fae as she opened her mouth to speak "I doubt it is necessary to iterate on this but please do act with respect when we are inside" She told Fae "Our council is very much alike your kind's kings and queens, so act accordingly when you'll soon be in front of them"

Fae nodded with a hand on her side "Right, I get it" an answer that didn't seem to put much comfort unto Auriel as she depicted it with a soft sigh before turning around and opening the doors, passing first while shortly followed by Fae

The room was huge, a red carpet was laid down in front of the door, it's length was just as immense as it was rolled form the door all the way to what seemed like a table in the form of half a circle, behind it seated five elves, three males and two females, and with their apparent old age Fae could safely deduce that they were indeed the elders

Auriel and Fae both walked until they reached the front of the table as the elf lowered her head in respect "Elders, I have brought the human" and with a tone just as respectful

Fae then saw the rightmost elf chuckle as she then spoke "Auriel, lift your head child" the young elf did as she was told while the elder herself continued "And you did well, we have received your message and have been waiting patiently to hear more about what you have witnessed the human do"

The leftmost elf, one of the males, suddenly spoke up as he almost cut the words of the first "Yes, patiently, and with much doubt" He leaned slightly as he then interlocked his fingers, resting on them on the edge of the table while examining Fae with his cold green eyes, of all the bunch he seemed the most physically capable as his age was not as shown on his body as much as the others

The one on each side of the middle elf also looked Fae dead into her eyes, making the human a bit uncomfortable to be at the judging gaze of so many at once, furrowing her brow in retaliation

"Order, please" The one in the middle then spoke, his voice was firm and commanding, yet felt gentle all at the same, only as he spoke did Fae notice that the pupil of his right eye was completely grey, he most likely could not see from it "We will discuss the matter of the human soon enough, but first" He then looked at Auriel at her eyes, crossing his arms and leaning slightly forward while his face softened "Auriel, dear child, how is Desmond doing?" He asked with a delicate voice

Auriel didn't reply for a split second, it was due to the presence of Fae, but at the same time she could not refuse a question from them, she put her left hand on her side while shifting her weight unto her right leg "Hard to tell" She told them "Sometimes it gets better, and sometimes it feels as if he has already passed through death's door" She spoke with a serious voice

"Hm" The middle elder seemed none too pleased at those words, his eyes having a hint of sadness within them "And what of Theodore's medicine? is it of any help?" He asked again, hoping inside for a glimmer of affirmation

Auriel nodded "Very much so" she added "It keeps the corruption from taking over all of his body, sadly it is no cure" as she spoke those words, her head lowered and her voice did just as well

"Understood" He replied to her "It will only be a matter of time before we found a solution, rest easy child" His words meant out of sincerity to Auriel didn't make much of a difference for the latter, she knew it was more of a pep talk than anything

Suddenly Fae felt his gaze shift unto her, and even with only having one eye healthy and working, it still was just as oppressive "Perhaps it even has to do with our guest from afar" He gave Fae a polite smile, a diplomatic one even "Please, introduce yourself, it is not often that a human is permitted so deep within our lands"

Fae cleared her throat "My name is Fae, I'm twenty one years old, and I come from Flora" She spoke to the middle elder as she felt like he was the one most fair out of the five "I'm here with the companions I travel with, we are six, including Theodore and myself" She spoke with a concise and clear tone

"Ah yes, that much is true" He responded to her with a slow nod accompanied by a tiny smile "But the real question is what do you seek from us" He then furrowed his brow in focus "See, you offered your help to Auriel at the request of a favor from us" He said to Fae, speaking his words slowly and clearly, putting his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his interlocked fingers "And so, what would that request be"

The human did not wish to speak for a second as all their oppressive gaze were on her, but she had to

"I wish to see the mirror the the Dryad took refuge in" She did her best to pick her words with much care, but with the leftmost elf furrowing his brow, it seemed as if that was all in vain

"The audacity" He spoke with a low tone of voice and yet it was just as intimidating as if he yelled "Do you not realize how absurd it is that the same people who drove her to abandon us are the same ones who wish to see her again?" It was obvious that he was trying his best to hold his anger within him, but she could see his fury within his blue eyes, out of the five Fae was sure he was the one who despised her the most

"Listen, I understand your frustration and prejudice against me" Fae responded, furrowing her brow slightly and taking on the suffocating gaze of the elder "But I had nothing to do with what those humans did ages ago, all I'm asking for you is to let me see that mirror" She then slowly gazed at Auriel who stood next to her "In return, I promised to help with the crisis at hand" Her gaze then switched to look at the defiant elf, she said her part, and she locked eyes with him in retaliation to his words

"We are aware of everything, Auriel explained it in minute details" The middle one spoke, gaining the human's attention "But I can't be sure of your ability, human" His words made Fae furrow his brow slightly while he himself put his hand inside his coat, seemingly bringing something out of its inner pocket and dropping it on the table "Could you please get closer to the table?"

Fae nodded and walked towards them, stopping at the other end of the table as she then noticed that the object he rested on the table was a small wooden box

"If what Auriel said was true, then you wouldn't mind showing it to us, would you?" He asked of her, grabbing the small box with both hands and swiftly turning to face Fae, the latter could notice the confused gazes of his colleagues as she confirmed to herself that they were as unaware of his doings as she was

He suddenly opened the box to show Fae and the others its content, one small flower, rotting and blackened with the same corruption that the human saw earlier in the forest, contents that made his colleagues widen their eyes

"Bringing it here? Are you sure that's a great idea?" The defiant elf confronted the middle one, crossing his arms and clearly owning the aura of disagreement that he had with the actions he saw, and yet he couldn't express it loudly and clearly, Fae could pick up that most likely the middle elf had the most power than the other four

"I see the point of bringing it here to test our visitor from afar, but that is a bit extreme, things could get out of hand if it spreads in our city" The female elf to the right most spoke, changing her caring tone to a serious and stern one

"I understand your concerns but this box was specifically made to insulate magick within it, and we have to see by our own eyes if what Auriel wrote was true" He defended his actions, locking eyes with Fae as he presented the box to her with his hands open and gesturing towards it "Show us, human"

Fae took a deep breath as she lifted her hand, our of paranoia and anxiety for her power just being a fluke she lifted the same hand as she did previously, gazing deep into the rotten flower with her brown eyes while her eyes gently approached it

Suddenly it felt like the flower itself was trembling, resonating with Fae's own hand before soon enough, the corruption started to leave the flower gently, leaving behind a completely intact plant while it formed a viscous and sickening blob that kept pulsating as if it breathed, slowly moving away form Fae as if the woman would pulverize it if it ever touched it, reaching the interior walls of the box as it started trying to climb them

The elf immediately slammed the box closed as the shock prompted Fae to recoil her hand away, her gaze slowly lifting until it met the wide eyes the middle elf had

Rubbing her hand, Fae spoke "Was that enough?"

The elf himself had no words to give, only a much surprised face that he handed as a reply alongside a flustered stutter "I... Y-yes" He then looked at his colleagues to his right for answers but the only they thing they had they displayed on their face, confusion

He then looked at her "Fae" Speaking her name in a slow and soft tone while the woman locked eyes with him "Have you ever met the Dryad before?"

Fae shook her head slowly "No" and her answer was clear and concise "No, I haven't"

The elves looked at each other in confusion that hasn't ceased to intensify, the records of history itself and Fae's answers were only contradicting each other, there was only one human that was blessed with a portion of the Dryad's power

The five of them started talking with each other in a tongue that Fae was not very familiar with, the defiant elf had a tone of mockery as he pointed at Fae while the rightmost one spoke in a calm manner, her words seemed aimed at the middle one who only seemed in thought, the two others were silent as they only observed the ongoing conversation that left Fae out, and that fact bothered her very much so as she furrowed her brow

"The mirror" She spoke, attracting their attention again, all five of their gazes "Can I see it now?" She then crossed her arms as she looked down at them with her brown eyes

"What if the mirror breaks at her touch, think about it Vulmer" The defiant elf spoke to the middle one, Fae making a mental note of his name "It is the only gateway we have to her, if it's gone, the tiny bit of hope we have will also be extinguished" He added with a stern face and a cold tone

"That or she can bring her back to us" The rightmost spoke, Vulmer and the other talkative elf looked both at her "Think about it, she might be a descendant of that person, if she can enter it, she might give us the answers we have been looking for all this time"

"Right" Vulmer said as he then got up from his seat "I think it is quite clear what decision we shall take" The two silent elves nodded in unison, almost as if they were inside each other's minds while the rightmost one gave Fae a tiny smile, the defiant elf on the other hand grunted and rolled his eyes

"Fae" Vulmer spoke once more to her "Please do follow me" his words prompted Fae to respond with a small nod while he himself looked at Auriel "Please do make sure her friends are treated with kindness in our short absence"

Auriel gave him a bow as she then went on to leave while Vulmer started walking to the other side of the room followed by Fae who could quite hear someone in the back expressing his discontent with the results

As they reached the wall of the room, Fae raised an eyebrow as she looked at the elf stare at it, and with a singular wave of his hand, a portion of the wall forming a door disappeared revealing a flight of stairs leading down with the walls illuminated by torches lit with flames in the color of verdure

"Do please excuse the untidiness, very few people tend to walk through here, for the grief these walls bring unto one is enough to wear out our hearts" He said, Fae staying silent as they walked down the tight descent

Reaching a door, vulmer spoke a single word in a tongue alien to Fae "Yol" And the door opened by itself, revealing a large room that had two pillars carry its weight, the walls of it's interiors engraved in elven language while at the end of said dim room was the mirror itself, it was huge

Approaching it, both Vulmer and Fae had heavy hearts for the next minute might decide the fate of the elven race and the latter's very own future

"Here it is" Vulmer exclaimed, in front of the huge mirror that seemed very normal apart from the fancy golden frame that surrounded it, engraved in the shape of roots "This is the thing you're after" He then looked at her, locking eyes with the woman "The rest is up to you"

Fae shifted her eyes to look down at her body, lifting her right hand slightly as she looked at the open palm, gritting her teeth in anxiety as she then looked at her own reflection on the mirror, and with a deep breath she approached it with her hand

Naturally and to much her frustration, her hand landed flat on the surface of the mirror, Fae's own face twisted in anxiety, pursing her lips as she tried to press harder on the mirror, but to no avail, she could feel Vulmer's gaze burn her hand that was rested on said mirror with its sheer intensity, and her heart beat even harder and faster than her fight with the chimera months ago

The silence was deafening, and her fear growing, all until she heard a voice

"Ca-"

A faint and cut voice, calling out to someone, from somewhere, somewhere that seemed like all around Fa

"Cass-" It grew louder and louder, and as Fae looked at Vulmer locking eyes with him, it seemed as if she was the only one who could hear it as he had much confusion on his face

Fae explained it to him "Did you hea-" an explanation that was cut by Fae falling right through the mirror that seemed a wall, everything turning dark for the woman

Voice then started to drown Fae's suppressed consciousness, as if she herself was deep in seawater, drowning

"You are too kind to be a deity, Mynah" She could hear someone speak, a womanly voice "This world is cruel, the war ahead will sweep you and the elves and bring such a destruction that parallels only hell" Her tone of voice seemed one of guidance, guidance with a hidden hint of sorrow "Your gentle heart will not be able to handle it, do not take that throne, its burden will wear you and the horrors of war will break you, it will kill you"

"Cassidy" It was another voice, a gentle and even motherly one "If not me, then who will?"

And then it was all nothing, darkness and silence

Fae woke up with a gasp as she immediately straightened her back, letting out a couple of hard coughs unto her hand while her vision swayed away the blur

And as Fae looked around, she found herself to seemingly be in a garden, a huge one, getting herself up on her feet proved a bit difficult as a sharp headache took nest within her temple, gritting her teeth while her vision blurred on and off once more

She looked down and saw herself on a stone path leading down to the center of said garden, while around her were flowers and greenery that could only be compared to the most verdent of heavens, trees and flowers taking root into the soil around her while birds seemed to be chippering above the woman

Fae let out a sigh as then walked down that path, only taking a dozen seconds before she could see the middle of the garden, she could also see a long bed made of seemingly stone, a literal rectangle of pure heavy stone put in the middle but what made her widen her eyes and increase her pace forward, was that a person was laid down on it

She jogged towards the person with her eyes widening as she reached them, it was seemingly a woman with a dress sleeping on the stone bed with her hands neatly stacked on her stomach, her long luscious hair was of a green color while skin snow white, it really was her

Fae's heart shivered as she looked at her, was she really sleeping, or dead

Her hand slowly approached her and went for her throat to check her pulse, she desperately hope that gods too, had a pulse

Her heart sank "No..." while her voice shivered, there was no pulse, she slowly removed her trembling hand "This can't be" She murmured to herself, checking if she was breathing, there was none

She clenched her fist in anger, a clench so hard that it made that hand quake "God..." She let out through her gritted teeth "DAMN IT!" and then yelled at the top of her lungs with her fist doing a hook at the air

And then her anger was only subsided by extreme anxiety, what could she even say to the people when she would leave the mirror, to where would she even go for the answers she sought after, all was gone

"Hey!" The voice of a child suddenly called out to Fae, prompting her eyes to widen fully as she immediately turned around, and as she did that, she was oblivious to the one single tear that left the Dryad, the area of the her throat where Fae touched glowing with a faint light

On the other hand while Fae turned, she could see nothing, no child no person no nothing, as if nature herself was the one that called out to her

"You!" The voice now sounded as if it was above her, she raised her head to see a tiny dot of bright light flying above her then coming down swiftly as it started to go left and right "Fake!" She then said, much to the confusion as Fae while other dots appeared that repeated the same thing

"You!" "Fake!" "Liar!" "Fake!"

Their voices were drowning Fae's own very consciousness "Shut the fuck up!" She screamed at them "I don't have time for your bullshit!" She added while they only intensified their yells, their sharp yells that penetrated her ears forcing her to cover them with her hands, they only got louder and louder as if that measure was in vain, making Fae shut her eyes tightly and grit her teeth, the deafening screams giving her enough physical pain to make her feel dizzy

"You..."

And then they were all gone, Fae widening her eyes again at their sudden disappearance, those annoying voices replaced by a smooth and gentle womanly one

Fae realized that there was only one person that was behind her, and she was alive, she wanted to turn around in relief and happiness but the next words she spoke to her rooted her feet in place and shook her heart

"You're back"

She most likely hinted at that one human friend she had, the only one capable of entering this realm of hers, and Fae was not that person, a fact that made her very reluctant to turn and show her face to the Dryad

But she had to anyway

Slowly turning around with a guilty expression, Fae locked eyes with the Dryad who was seated down on the stone bed, her gaze was ever so gentle if not for the tears that ran down her cheeks, her green eyes locked with Fae's brown ones while her pink lips parted in shock, her eyebrows raising as she noticed who Fae really was

"Sorry" Fae spoke with much sincerity and gloom to the silent and speechless Dryad, her eyes in pure shock

"Cassidy!" She yelled as she went on to take Fae in a warm embrace, the very confused and widened eyes Fae

"You really are back!" She tightened her arms around Fae who could not utter a single word, only shock took her heart