The dryad held Fae in her embrace as tightly as she could, the human could hear the goddess sobbing on her shoulder while her thin arms were wrapped around her

"What..." She could speak no words at what just has happened, only pure shock befell her as the entity in front of her quite clearly mistook her for the woman named Cassidy, a misunderstanding only intensifying when she took a good look at Fae's face

The dryad parted slowly from Fae, her hands still holding on Fae's shoulders as she looked at her with a beaming smile plastered on her wet face "What's wrong?" She said to her, smiling "After all this time and you don't have a thing to say to me? how are you still alive?"

Fae looked deep into the green eyes of the Dryad, she was completely wrong, a state of things that the human could take into advantage, she thought about rolling with things to ask her the questions that she wanted to speak, but, as she looked at the Dryad and her sheer happiness from merely looking at Fae who she assumed was her long lost friend, she couldn't bring herself to

"I..." Fae pursed her lips as she looked at the Dryad who tilted her head in curiosity "I'm not who you think I am"

The dryad's sincere smile slowly died off "What?" She replied "What are you saying Cass?" She chuckled in denial "It's me" Resting her hand on her chest and looking at Fae with a warm smile, she continued "Mynah"

Fae looked at the Dryad in complete silence, and a gaze of sheer guilt, one that slowly crawled up the Dryad's spine, sending shivers all over her body

As she looked at Fae with her verdant eyes, the human's image swiftly split into two, on the left was Fae, and on the right was Cassidy, one held a frown and guilty sleep-deprived eyes, the other a warm gaze and a comforting smile

The two images slowly started merging

Making one

"No" Mynah shook her head slowly "You are Cassidy, you're my friend" clutching her aching heart within her chest, she pleaded with Fae "Please Cassidy, don't you recognize me?"

Fae did not budge her eyes from the Dryad's green dilated pupils, she had to know, if she truly awaited her friend for this long, she had to know the truth

"I'm sorry" Fae spoke to her with a soft tone "Whoever your friend was, I am not her, no matter how similar we are"

Mynah slowly walked back with her hands raised in terror at the thing in front of her taking the shape of her friend "Who..." Her lips shivered as she gazed at Fae, only then realizing that no matter how homely the human felt

She was not her friend

"Sorry, again" Fae apologized once more as she then pursed her lips, her eyes slowly widening as she saw the Dryad rest her hand on her chest, clutching it hard while her face showed an expression of agony "Hey are you alright?"

"Don't get close to me!" Mynah yelled at Fae, looking at her with a furrowed brow while her back was arched from the pain she felt in her chest, the tiny glimmer of hope of seeing her again vanishing with the appearance of Fae, her eyes holding much rage and hatred to give Fae, and yet her words were not spoken as harshly, for she felt her consciousness fainting away as she spoke "Don't you dare... Get close..."

Suddenly she fainted herself, and in her way down Fae swiftly tried to reach out for her, all in vain as the entirety of her surroundings melting in black, much to Fae's shock as her hand only reached out to an abyss

She sighed, lowering her hand as she looked around her with her head, there was nothing, except an ominous feeling creeping up on her, the same one she felt when getting close to the corruption that plagued the elves' forest

Fae let out a sudden gasp as she felt something forcefully wrap around her throat and waist, as she looked down with her shocked eyes that could see tentacles made out of darkness wrapping out around her as they kept dragging her back, gritting her teeth and leaning forward Fae desperately tried to fight back against them, grunting while her hand reached for her sword to no avail as another tentacle popped up to grab her arm, she couldn't be able to wield her sword in such close conditions "Fucking!" Cursing quite loudly through her gritted teeth, Fae reached out behind her back with her hand, tightly fighting against the grasps all around her trying to assimilate her into their own

Her eyes opened wide as she grabbed tightly into Archard's dagger, swiftly pulling it with one motion that cut the tentacle holding her arm as she then did the same with the one holding her throat, turning and slicing the last one that grasped unto her waist

Breathing heavily as she wiped her mouth with her other arm, Fae slowly backed away from the direction the tentacles came from while she pointed her dagger right at it

"Yuna?" She whispered under her breath for her companion, for no response "God damn it" Continuing with her low curse, Fae let out a deep sigh as she tossed her dagger to then grab the handle in reverse, she won't allow herself to be caught off guard again

"So, you'll be leaving so soon then?" A voice suddenly invited Fae's attention as the latter immediately turned toward it with her blade lifted high, and yet as her mind played it again within her, Fae realized it was the Dryad's own voice speaking, but it did not seem as if Fae was the recipient of such soft spoken words, her voice ever so distorted

"Sadly, those four really want to take a look at that prophecy they've found" It was another voice replying to the Dryad, emerging from that same direction that lead into nothingness, and yet the two voices spoke with such care and kindness that the abyssal blackness that way did not seem so cold "You know how I can't say no to them" the voice talking with Mynah continued, Fae slowly widened her eyes as she realized it was the same voice she heard before entering the mirror, could this be that woman, Cassidy?

"Those four huh?" The dryad's voice of the past spoke with a tone much in thought "Ah, you mean those four humans I saw accompany you here?"

"Yes, those ones" The other womanly voice chuckled "They're very dear to me, and their obsession with this prophecy of theirs will only die out if I humor them and visit the Vael"

Mynah let out a hum that Fae could tell was in much disagreement

"The Vael is at the other side of the world, how dear can they be?" her words brought out a warm chuckle out of the human of the past

"Come now Mynah, there is no need to be jealous, you are as dear to me as they are"

Fae's eyes slowly widened as the darkness in front of her formed two slender silhouettes holding hands, she could clearly see that one of them was the Dryad, while the other had her back facing Fae

"Turn that frown around, dear friend" She told the Dryad "For I shall be back before you can even blink, I promise" The woman gave a slow and confident nod alongside a comforting smile, Fae could see the Dryad give a smile of her own to her friend

"If it was without your help, I doubt my people would be doing so well" The Dryad told her, bringing a chuckle to her friend

"Nonsense" She responded "You are a goddess now, puff your chest and lift your chin up for you are their light and warmth, be proud of it" Those words clearly struck deep as The dryad softened her expression and turned that frown right around

Fae could see the Dryad slowly fade away, hearing her final words of this fragment of the past "Thank you, Cassidy"

That name rooted itself within Fae's mind, Cassidy

It played over and over again, like a relentless echo, and yet the silhouette did not disappear like the Dryad did, Fae took a gulp and slowly approached it with her heart making her feel each beat

She put a hand on Cassidy's shoulder that made her slowly turn around, giving Fae her face that made her open her eyes wide

"And you" She spoke to Fae, with her face being a window into pure darkness, nothing was there, and yet her voice played within Fae with the words said almost as if she was speaking to Fae herself

"You're doing great, little one" Because she was indeed, speaking right to Fae

"What?" Fae let out a whisper through her parted lips, her eyes widened open, an expression that made Cassidy's remnants chuckle warmly

"Could you please take care of Mynah for me?" She asked of Fae who was in pure shock

"A-alright" She spoke in a stutter, only then realizing that she had some questions of her own "Wait! but why does she think I am you?!" the question made Cassidy's shadow tilt her head while Fae felt like she was smiling at her "And who are you?! What happened to you?!"

"I wish I could speak to you more, little one" She spoke in the softest tone "But I'm afraid I can't" Just as those words were spoken she started fainting away, breaking in thousands of particles made out of sheer bright light

"Take care of her, for I weep for the promise I broke" And then, she was gone, leaving Fae with more questions than she started with, her eyes darting at the particles that slowly disappeared forever while she was gritting her teeth in frustration before then slowly letting out a deep breath, anger would not help, she had to control it

She sighed, she had just met whatever was left of the woman that history itself seemed desperate to bury deep enough for no one to find her, and yet she could not even get a single answer out of her

"Cassidy" Fae whispered her name as she looked up at the darkness above her, Fae wondered by what she told her that Cassidy was watching what was happening, was she alive? was she dead and in the form of a spirit? it was all so confusing, and what of her now? is she finally gone forever?

As her mind ran a brainstorm, Fae felt a biting cold wind run through her clothes as it struck her from behind, she slowly turned around as her eyes widened

All that abyss suddenly turned into a garden, the same garden that she was in previously where she found the Dryad, she inspected her surroundings and yet again confirmed that the dark abyss of the confines of the mirror disappeared as quickly as they appeared, suddenly hearing a womanly cry that seemed to be emitting all around her, a sobbing that kept echoing in her ears

Fae then had a thought within her mind as she then dashed down the path and towards the center of the garden, with it being completely accurate as yet again she found the Dryad sleeping on the same stone bed with her hands stacked on each other on her stomach yet again, it was all the same

And with it being all the same, Fae did exactly what she did previously, checking her pulse and finding it to be completely lacking before taking a step back, and after a couple of seconds she could see a faint light shine from within her skin as it then disappeared immediately, Fae widened her eyes as she could see the Dryad let out a grunt before slowly opening her gentle eyes

Getting up from the bed with a hand rubbing her temple, sitting down on the edge as she then raised her head to see what was in front of her, Fae

Her eyes widened in shock as she thought she was another person, before then immediately turning that happiness into anger

"You again!" She exclaimed at Fae with much hatred depicted in both her voice and her furrowed brow "I told you not to get close to me haven't I?!" She added, breathing heavily between her words while a faint pain started to appear within her heart

Fae could clearly see that as her expression started twisting just like it did before "Wait, please, stop panicking you're only hurting yourself!" She responded to Mynah as she got closer to her

"No! Don't touch me!" Her heartache suffocated her consciousness, her vision blurred as Fae kept appearing closer and closer as she used her hands to try and push the doppelganger of her friend away "Don't... get... near" Her head started feeling heavy while a lump formed within her throat, pushing her towards silence

And yet as she took a gasp, all those feelings alongside that agonizing heartache disappeared in a flash as soon as Fae grabbed Mynah's arms, leaving her to be with an open mouth and wide eyes as they looked at each other

"Your name is Mynah, isn't it?" Wide eyes that only opened wider at the sound of her name

"You..." She was in complete disbelief "How do you know my name?" She exclaimed in shock, her voice as gentle as the breeze that flew around the two of them

"I..." Fae opened her mouth but her train of words was cut short, her mind warned her if she should really speak about her short speech with Cassidy, she looked deep into the verdant eyes of Mynah as she could swear she could hear the conversation that she saw the two have again

"I saw you two speak together, you and your friend, or well more like a fragment of your past" Fae spoke while Mynah's lips parted and her green eyes widened "I overheard your name there, and then Cassidy spoke to me directly and told me to take care of you"

The Dryad's brow furrowed in confusion "What?" She could only reply with more questions "She spoke to you?!" She then asked with more force behind her words, Fae slowly nodded, a nod that only added more veils behind the truth "But how? you said you saw my past conversation with her, then how did she speak to you?"

Fae pursed her lips in silence for she had no answer to give, the Dryad sighed slowly, she then looked at Fae's hands still gripping her arms

"Could you?" She spoke to the human who widened her eyes and immediately let go of the goddess that she was holding

"Sorry" Fae spoke with sincerity as she took a step back after she realized she was uncomfortably close to Mynah "I hope I didn't hurt you"

Mynah looked at Fae with a surprised face, those words, those exact words spoken with that exact voice, a person appeared in front of Fae, one that looked like an older twin of hers, with the exact same worried expression, every single muscle on her face was contracted the same way as Fae's own, it was the same worried sick expression, the very first time she met with Cassidy

"Sorry, I hope i didn't hurt you, my magick is pretty volatile sometimes Haha!" and then that person disappeared with the sway of the wind, her words echoing within the Dryad's mind, and as she disappeared, she was like a Veil, but rather than revealing the truth hidden behind, the only revelation was yet the exact same veil, Fae

Mynah pursed her shivering lips as she looked at Fae for a couple of seconds before the sorrowful realization made her lower her head, rubbing her hand with her other

"Speak your name" She said with a meek voice, a question aimed at Fae

"It's Fae, Fae walker" The other replied almost instantly, a replied that was followed with nothing but silence for a short bit

"You may not be her, but you do have her power" Fae heard the Dryad say as she then lifted her head to lock eyes with her, staring deep into each other's eyes

"Her power, how?" Fae spoke in confusion, her eyes begging Mynah to say more

"Because before you've found me, human" She replied "I was dead"

That word made Fae's heart skip a beat and her eyes widen gradually as she looked down at the seated goddess while she herself continued speaking "And I died once more when you made me realize you are not the person I thought you were, and yet, here I am" Mynah spread her arms mockingly "So alive and well"

Fae had no words to speak for a couple of seconds, only parting her lips slightly later "How can that happen? and how are you alive then?"

Mynah also was silent after being inquired by Fae, her verdant eyes much dimmer than the past version of her that Fae stumbled upon, and yet she spoke once more, lifting her arm gently to point at Fae

"Because of you" She answered Fae's question, then taking a deep breath in while her arm fell on her lap "I am not like you, nor like anyone else even" She looked aside "I might control the forest and make it do my every desire, but" A sigh left her lips "My heart is exceedingly fragile, and It can not handle extreme emotions" She then locked eyes with Fae once more as she spoke her final part "Especially negative ones, they kill me" She quieted down for a moment to allow for her words to resonate within Fae's mind before then parting her lips to speak more

"My death being in the form of an eternal slumber rather than actual death, and the only thing that could ever break that, was her touch" Her eyes were fixated on Fae's very own ones

"She saved me when my heart stopped, and here you are doing the same now" Pursing her lips while her green pupils were gazing deeply into Fae's soul, Mynah took a slow inhale "There is no doubt that you have some relation to my friend, I refuse to believe otherwise" She shook her head sternly "Let alone the fact that I myself, granted her a fragment of my very own power to be able to join me in my domain" Her hands gestured at their surroundings, the blooming garden that was inside the mirror that served as a gate, the human assumed that the fragment of power she bestowed to Cassidy was the reason why that corruption of earlier was so afraid of her

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"What caused you to die before I've found you" Fae asked, the Dryad taking a long second before she opened her mouth to reply

"Tell me Fae" Mynah did not seem very keen on answering directly "How would you feel if your intentions to not hurt a single soul, caused the very own people you call your children to suffer" Her words were ever so soft yet held such a burden behind them

Mynah slowly looked aside and at the ground "Back when the demon war ignited our world into fire and brimstone, I was the guardian of the elven forest and they themselves held me in great respect which softened my heart for their race, I always took them as my own children and helped them harmonize with the forest that was their home as much as I could" She gazed at the ground for a solid second before continuing "They always sought my advice and did just as I told them, and so when they asked which of the two sides to take, I answered them with none" Fae saw her eyes glued to the ground, almost giving it a guilty gaze "And in my wish to hurt no soul, I costed my children so much"

Fae slowly and gently sat down next to Mynah, prompting the latter to lock her eyes once more with Fae's who parted her lips to speak "And by two sides I assume you mean the humans and demons?"

The Dryad slowly nodded "Yes, a war that for the people of today, seem alike a legend more than reality" She looked at Fae for a silent second before resuming "In my desire to stay neutral as I saw that both sides were just as worse as the other, I caused my people to suffer greatly" She spoke in sorrow "The humans rather than seeing our desire to not wage war as wisdom, saw it as betrayal and soon stepped and burned our forest to ash and cinder" Mynah let out a slow exhale as her eyes gazed at Fae "Everyday there was bloodshed" She then shifted her eyes at her lap, her hands stacked against one another before the top one clutched the other hard "For each cursed day hundreds if not thousands lost their lives" She angrily exclaimed, an anger that quickly subsided and was replaced with endless sorrow "Our verdant trees, the lush we had in our forest, all changed and either burned to the ground or was turned crimson", oblivious to Fae's sympathetic gaze at her, Mynah felt her head feel lighter and lighter as the tears left her eyes, her heart feeling weary and weak yet once more for the missing place that it had reserved for those who perished a long time ago

And yet all that agonizing pain disappeared at the touch that rested on her shoulder, only then and there realizing how out of control her breathing was, taking sharp and quick intakes and outtakes out of her parted lips, her eyes fully widened while she could hear words to her right speak "I'm here, just take it easy" She told her, She always did tell her

Mynah smiled "Thanks Ca-" Stopping her words and realizing for one more final time, that the person next to her, speaking to her, was not her friend

She sighed "Fae" and then slowly turned to face who comforted her, giving her a small smile "Thank you, Fae" Putting more emphasis on the 'You' while Fae herself replied with a slow and understanding nod

"In the middle of the war, a figure appeared numerous times on soon to be battlefields" Mynah spoke to Fae "And yet in each one that the figure appeared in, the soon to happen battle was canceled and dismantled, for none could match her power, not even armies together" Fae pursed her lips at those words, she knew exactly who it was when Mynah mentioned 'Her' "Both demons and humans alike were deathly afraid of her, for she repelled armies while giving them nothing more but smiles and laughter" Fae sensed that mere words couldn't do Cassidy's true strength justice, it sounded as if it far exceeded anything or anyone Fae has met yet

Mynah, holding a smile on her face, rubbed her hand before she spoke further "And soon enough that same woman visited our forest claiming to want nothing more than offer her help to our current dilemma" her smile softened even more "Our dilemma being a sudden apparition of a corruption that slowly ate away at our forest"

She sighed and then turned to Face Fae "As you can imagine, our war soon turned into a two front conflict with both the humans and that corruption, and with words of grandeur for this human, I accepted her help" She then gave off a soft chuckle that brought much solace to her wet face "I would have never thought that a human no less, would help mediate our internal conflict"

Fae crossed her arms as she assumed by internal conflict, Mynah meant the ever appearing corruption

"Cassidy helped me find my true strength and together we dispelled the corruption that plagued our home, and with each decision that she guided me with, we only grew closer until I was more than happy to call her my first and only friend" The smile on Mynah's face was beaming "I listened to all of what she has told me, from helping me with the corruption to fighting back the invading human forces, only one thing I completely rejected" She said as she tilted her smiling head "And that was, dissuading me from becoming the elves' goddess"

Fae looked at Mynah with not much emotion on her face apart from her relentless focus to her words, she knew this was coming, she heard their voices speak of such thing

"You might think of the ultimate and final pursuit is that of divinity, but for me" She gave off a soft chuckle "For me, it was the beginning of the end" Mynah stared for a bit into Fae's narrow eyes before she carried on "As I've explained it, extreme emotions are extremely dangerous for my own health, and the problem with transcending into their goddess, was that I would feel each and every single emotion they carried unto their hearts"

Fae pursed her lips at those words, she could put two and two together from what she said, she asked of Mynah however "Why then?" She indeed asked "Why become their goddess? and how can that even happen?"

The Dryad smiled "It is solely because of their kindness Fae" her smile softened even further at the thought of the people who worshipped her "They are the kindest and most caring to others, no other race knows the value of a single life as much as they do, they do not take either fauna or flora for granted, even the thought of felling a tree for no purpose or to take an animal's life for no reason is purely nonsensical for them" Her head tilted slightly as she spoke "With a race so delicate to life and the forest that they took home, the same one I was the guardian of, how could I not cradle them in my arms and protect them myself"

Fae hummed in understanding "I think I get it" She then turned aside while her mind ran on how different the elven race became over the years, their kindness turned into suspicion while their value of life turned into pure and sheer self-preservation at the cost of others, she also understood why they had such a change if the person next to her as of then and there was their goddess and that she was to suddenly disappear for eternity

"As for how I became their goddess" Those words piqued Fae's curiosity as she turned her head to face Mynah once more "It is solely a matter of belief" She explained "You can be the strongest there is, you can even move mountains and play with stars themselves, but you still can not be a god, for godhood has nothing to do with power or strength" She smiled at the confused Fae "For godhood, is merely the amount of belief that is behind you" Mynah said "The sheer amount of hope that people carry towards you, that, is what makes one a god, the stronger the person that believes in you, the stronger you yourself are"

She understood what the Dryad meant, the entire elven race already worshipped her, so she only had to accept her stature of divinity, at the cost of her own health

"You'd think divinity would solve your heart problem" Fae said with crossed arms, getting a reply in the form of a pained smile

"It is quite alright" Mynah nodded "For the power that I have gained from their beliefs in me helped us in the war" Her eyes then suddenly drifted away "But the pain of hearing each and every grievance your people had to the loss of their loved ones, was pure agony for me" She took a deep breath in "Cassidy helped me extensively at the beginning with my emotions and not letting them get the better of me" Her smile turned into a frown "But then she had to go to her own devices"

Fae narrowed her eyes while still gazing at Mynah and her sudden sad tone, she remembered their short conversation when Cassidy parted away, something about a prophecy that her companions wished to seek

"And I did not have it in me to plead with her to stay by my side, even though I really wished to" Mynah then looked at Fae "Because I am the one who accepted the burden of being their divine, it was not fair to shackle her because of my inability to control my emotions" She stared at Fae with a sorrowful face before she looked aside "Each day after her departure I awaited her return, even though I myself was a goddess by then, I prayed, for anything, anyone to guide her back to me, but she did not come back, she never did" Her tone grew darker and darker "At my lowest, when I realized I had to be a goddess without her help keeping me away from dying by my own people's agony that I felt ever so close in my heart, back then I realized that if I don't stand firm in front of our aggressors, then all would be lost" She took a deep inhale before looking back at Fae

"So I forced myself, through the pain and suffering that my heart cursed me with, I comforted my children with a smile and words of guidance, I helped them in battle and in negotiations with the humans, until eventually they stopped" Fae was curious

"What made them stop anyways?" She asked, Mynah gave a pained smile

"Their hatred for demons, they realized that whatever they spend fighting us could be spent in their goal to eradicate who they despise, even more so at the realizarion that they have not gained much ground to justify their losses" She answered the human's question

"Right" Fae spoke softly before she nodded "And after that?"

Mynah replied "After that, with the war ending and peace seemingly at the horizon, I felt myself breaking down, for all the agony that I have felt in the war left a scar on me, and I could feel it take away my life bit by bit" Her eyes held much sadness in them, while her lips parted once more "And the few that saw me everyday could quite clearly see it, and you could not imagine how much pain I felt when I looked at their own sorrow to see me die slowly in front of their eyes" She then rested a hand on her chest "If anything, they blamed themselves for the my rapid deterioration"

Fae interjected "Well that for sure doesn't seem to be the elves of today, because the only thing they blame for your disappearance is humans"

Mynah gave an ached smile "Leave sadness unresolved for long enough, and it quickly turns into anger"

Fae hummed "I guess" She then looked at Mynah for a silent moment before continuing "And I also guess that's why you decided to spent the rest of your days here, to not let your people see you die?"

The Dryad nodded with pursed lips "Then you'd be quite right"

Mynah then gave to Fae a beaming smile "Thank you for listening, human, and most importantly for bringing me back" the pureness of her eyes alongside her perfect smile made Fae's heart skip a beat, there was much beauty in godhood it seemed

"Don't worry about it, if anything you are very much needed right now" words that made Mynah tilt her head in curiosity

"Whatever I can do to help?" She asked with sincerity

Unfortunately for Fae's own goals, her selflessness made her completely forget why she came here herself, instead the only thing that weighed on her mind was "The corruption"

Mynah's sudden cheerfulness slowly died out, instead being replaced with a furrowed brow and a displeased frown

"Your people, they need you"

Outside of the mirror was a single person left in the dim lit room filled with antiquities, a ghost leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and her blue eyes locked tight with the mirror, sounds of footsteps suddenly echoed until one figure arrived at the end of the stairs, the same elf who guided Fae down, the one that held most authority, Vulmer

"Has nothing happened, miss Yuna?" He asked of the ghost who slowly shook her head while her eyes lost not sight of the mirror, he let out a small sigh before walking up to her "You gave me quite the scare when you left Fae's body as she fell into the mirror" He said with a small smile, Yuna slowly shifted her sharp eyes unto him

"My apologies" She said sternly, he gave her a slow nod dismissing the problem "What of my friends?" She asked him

"They went on to volunteer with fighting the corruption that suddenly woke up all around" He then rubbed his chin as he looked aside "I wonder what caused all of this to suddenly happen, its advances have never been so sharp and rapid, why the sudden change I wonder"

Yuna kept her arms crossed sternly while her eyes went back to gaze at the same mirror she wanted to break oh so badly

"You, Fae, and all of your friends" Her ears heard him speak "You are all very good people" she then turned to look at him in silence

"We try to be" She spoke with a slow nod, one that he responded with the same

All of a sudden however the mirror lit up, making the stone cold facade of Yuna immediately drop as she ran closer to it, examining it meticulously before all of a sudden a hand came out of it, one that Yuna could tell from a hundred, with a gasp she immediately grabbed it and pulled it towards her

"Jesus christ!" Fae was given quite the scare from the sudden pull back into the world she fell yet again into, although now she fell into the arms of her sister who held her quite tightly for a moment before she gave her a piece of her mind

"What happened to you?!" Yuna exclaimed "It has been weeks!"

Fae widened her eyes for a moment, time flew differently within the Dryad's domain, for it only felt like a couple of hours for them, she then smiled "Nice to see you too" she told Yuna

Vulmer saw the two talk with a warm smile on his face, it seemed that the wraith was not as cold as she made it out to be, but a thought dawned on his mind as he saw Fae leave the mirror, for only she did leave it, his heart sank, could it be that?

The mirror suddenly lit up even brighter as all looked at it in amazement, Fae held a smile on her face

Vines started coming out of it as they slithered their way, sprouting from all the sides of the mirror's surface, before a snow white hand left it, a figure that slowly exited the mirror's surface making the surface of said mirror ripple in waves

Her angelic appearance levitated in the air, she looked down upon the shocked elf and gave him a soft smile "Greetings, child" she told him, getting no response from the sheer shock that froze the elder elf in his place, she continued "Lead me to our ancestral enemy"

In a place a bit faraway from the city they were in and yet still in the forest, the rest of Fae's group was there alongside Auriel, growls and roars were heard as they fought their defense against the beasts that were corrupted

Thaddeus with a mighty roar lifted his warhammer and slammed it right into the beast that pounced on him mid air, breaking it into thousands of pieces from the sheer blunt impact

Sierra and Auriel fought together as the former protected the latter who casted spells that seemingly bind the beasts to the ground, making it quite easy to dispatch them

Yulia and Avalynn held the right flank that the beasts tried to take advantage off to get the drop on the giant Thaddeus, Yulia holding a sword and shield made out of her own magick while Avalynn held in hand a dark almost abyssal spear made out of her own being, she took a deep inhale and continued counting the hours they've been relentlessly fighting for just this day, turns out they were in it for so long she lost count

"Doesn't it seem that there is no end to them" Avalynn spoke what all had in mind

"Just focus on the fight, we'll be reinforced soon" Yulia replied, her breathing much heavy compared to the devil who chuckled sarcastically

"Surely they will, I'm positive they care so very much about us humans" She said in mockery before throwing her spear into the beast that was preying on her on top a tree branch, she then put a hand on her chest as she formed yet another one that seemingly came out of her own being

"I can hear you!" Auriel yelled from afar, quite displeased by the lack of trust they had towards her and her people even though she was fighting by their side, gritting her teeth, she put a fist high in the air before brining it down, and with it the numerous corrupted animals in front of her laid to the ground as if pinned down by a giant stone, the sheer force of it slightly cracking the earth under them while pulverizing their bodies

She wiped the sweat off her brow as she felt like they were pushing back the corruption for an eternity, but in reality they were only fighting its products, it itself did not retreat but only advanced on them, she knew that very well but she would still fight here whether it meant doing so for yet another week, she just hoped that there was some solace at the end, she prayed in her heart for something, someone, anyone

Her line of thinking in despair suddenly was cut short by the sudden apparition of a person in front of her, her back facing Auriel while she herself faced the corruption

Auriel's eyes widened the more she observed that person, even more so at the sight of her levitating while her green hair swayed in the wind

"No..." She whispered "It can't be"

She felt a touch at her shoulder but even so, her eyes could not part away from Mynah

"You guys did your job, you can take a break now" Fae spoke to the wide eyes Auriel, her face completely pale

Mynah could see it quite well, the corruption and the destruction that it birthed, feeding into every life that it found and devouring it to turn it into its hellish beasts, if anything, it was nostalgic and even fitting, for a race that values life as precious, it's biggest enemy would be one that takes life away indiscriminately

"You have troubled my people for far long enough" The Dryad's voice was so soft and caring, and yet it made the corruption shiver in fear, for it knew very well who the voice belonged to, if they were afraid of Fae for merely holding a fragment of power gifted from Mynah, one could only imagine how feared she was

Mynah lifted her hand gestured at the wave of darkness, her green eyes suddenly lighting up brighter and brighter while wind suddenly started forming all around her and the others, wind so fast that it made all shelter their eyes from it, Avalynn even using Thaddeus as cover with his sheer size

Then a booming sound emitted as it sent a shockwave from Mynah, the waves of darkness in front disappeared as the others opened their eyes to the dying wind, noticing that the devastation the plague left behind was replaced with the lushness that was once taken away

Mynah slowly came down from her high spot as she faced the wide eyed Auriel, giving her a warm smile "You did well child" She then looked at Fae "I'll make a detour to check for any leftovers, I need to end this here and now" her determination was admired by Fae who gave her a confident nod, with it, Mynah disappeared in a flash

"Holy hell, talk about being strong, who was that pretty lady?" Avalynn spoke

"Are you serious right now?" Yulia replied to her friend's obliviousness, Avalynn's straight face answered with a strong yes that made the human roll her eyes with a very audible "Ugh"

Auriel was still shocked, her eyes still gazing at the last place the Dryad teleported away from, she then slowly looked at Fae and as they locked eyes, the human smiled "It's a new age for your people it seems, a golden one"

The elf that has been fighting for days on end, could speak no words, only a single tear left her right eye as it cleansed the mixture of dirt and blood on her face, leaving a pure path behind, for the tiny hope that she hid away all this time from all, in the very end, was right

After much later, the dryad hovered high in the sky, gazing upon the blue sky that under it, was the forest that she always was the guardian of, she was even higher than the ancestral trees themselves, for she wanted to take all of it under one sight, it all was so beautiful, she took a deep breath of fresh air and slowly let it all out, the corruption was taken care of and she herself was feeling healthier than ever, it most likely was because of how hopeful the elves had become at the sight of her, and that hope made her stronger, for she, was their goddess, and their emotions, her strength, she was here once when she defeated the plague with Cassidy long in the past, and here she was now yet again, it all seemed like just one repeating scenario

"Cassidy" She looked down and rested a hand on her fragile heart "Wherever you are, I hope you are proud" A single tear was shed as it made its way down "Thank you, for everything you've done to me" Her voice shivered as she spoke her heart to herself "I hope that, where ever you are, you are happy and well" She then took a deep, trembling inhale "Friend, What I would do to hear you say my name once more" The place in her heart was still empty for her friend, it was a missing part of her, and she knew it very well with her sorrowful face depicting it, she closed her eyes and wished her well

"Mynah?"

Her eyes opened wide at the faint voice she heard, her voice, the Dryad looked in panic around her to see where it came from, and she heard it again, just down there within the forest, she did not even think about it before she teleported at that exact location, under the trees and branches of the forest around her, but no matter how hard she looked none awaited her return, and it brought her much pain unto her heart

"Mynah!" Shock hit her as she heard Cassidy's voice behind her, turning around in a flash and facing her friend

But alas it wasn't her, it was Fae, a seemingly very tired Fae

"There you are!" She breathed heavily as she wiped the sweat off her brow, looking at the Dryad with quite a frown "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!" She exclaimed at the wide eyed Mynah "Everyone is over the moon with so much celebration all around the forest and you are here sulking by yourself?"

Fae was by her lonesome, and yet, for Mynah, there were two, as this meeting has happened once in the past after she repelled the corruption with Cassidy, the latter stumbled upon her deep within the forest and spoke those exact words to her

"You are a goddess now, puff your chest and lift your chin up for you are their light and warmth, be proud of it" Both said in unison, their voices coiled with one another so much that they were indistinguishable

"Come" Fae extended her hand, and Cassidy did too, both holding the same expression on their face, one of worry if not a slight anger "Let's go enjoy your victory" Their eyes were fixated on her while her own switched from looking at one hand to the other "Together" They added

Mynah smiled softly, then grinned, her tears started flooding her face while her hand grabbed only one out of the two extended hands

"Yes Fae! Let us!" The Dryad spoke as she held Fae's hand tighter than she ever did, the two walking away, leaving Cassidy behind stuck in that pose of extending her hand, slowly vanishing away, for she was not real

And yet she turned to look at the two slowly disappearing in the distance and smiled, for her friend finally let go of the past, and that missing place in her heart, finally filled

"Goodbye, Mynah"