The festival glimmered with joy, every corner of the venue alive with laughter and song. Even the cool breeze that occasionally swept through the gathering went unnoticed, lost amid the infectious cheer of the crowd. It was as though the night itself had been enchanted, each moment imbued with a sense of wonder and unity.
Yet, as Emma pushed Anna’s wheelchair along the quieter path by the magical fountain, the air between them felt different—silent, contemplative.
Anna remained unusually quiet, her gaze fixed ahead, though Emma couldn’t tell what she was truly seeing. The distant sound of festival merriment echoed softly around them, but the silence between them lingered, heavy and unspoken.
Finally, Emma broke the quiet. “Anna,” she said gently, “can I ask you something? Something… personal?”
Anna blinked and glanced up at her, her expression open and curious. “Of course.”
Emma hesitated for only a moment. “Has your family ever tried healing magic?”
At first, Anna chuckled softly, the sound light but tinged with sadness. “Yes,” she began, “we’ve tried every kind of healing magic you can think of—advanced, buff, even curses meant to counteract other curses. None of them worked.”
Emma frowned, her brow furrowing. “Healing magic didn’t work?” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Anna.
Anna continued, her voice steady but quieter now. “The last healer my parents brought me to was supposed to be one of the best in the world. He looked at my legs and said it was useless to try healing magic. When my parents asked him why, he couldn’t give an answer. After that, they had no choice but to give up.”
Emma felt a pang of frustration on Anna’s behalf. “There has to be something,” she said firmly. “Some other kind of magic that could help.”
Anna shook her head, her voice soft but resolute. “I don’t think so. And, Emma…” She paused, her tone shifting to something more vulnerable. “Please don’t waste your time trying to find a way to heal me. I’ve… accepted it.”
Before she could say more, Emma leaned forward and lightly tapped Anna on the head with her fingers.
“Ouch!” Anna exclaimed, blinking up at her in surprise. “Why did you do that?”
Emma grinned mischievously. “Because you don’t get to decide what I do,” she said, her voice playful but firm. “And besides, we’re both still young—well, you are, and I’m… young in some ways, I guess.” She laughed softly before continuing. “What I’m trying to say is, there’s still hope. So cheer up, alright?”
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Anna stared at her for a moment before a small smile crept onto her lips. “Alright,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
At that moment, the sound of cheering reached their ears. Emma turned her head toward the commotion and saw a crowd gathering near the canopy path.
“Oh, it’s already time!” she exclaimed, quickly pushing Anna’s wheelchair toward the source of the excitement.
As they approached the heart of the venue, the atmosphere grew even more electric. The central clearing was packed with people, their anticipation palpable. Somehow, Emma managed to maneuver the wheelchair through the dense crowd, finally reaching the front.
The scene that greeted them was breathtaking. A massive elder tree stood at the center of the clearing, its ancient branches sprawling like a protective canopy over the gathering. Fireflies swarmed the tree, their tiny bodies glowing with a soft, ethereal light. Each movement of their wings seemed to scatter faint sparks into the air, casting the area in a magical glow.
As the crowd settled into a hushed silence, the fireflies’ light intensified. The elders of Windfield, including Anna’s mother and father, stood closest to the tree. They began to hum—a low, melodic sound that resonated deeply, like the voice of the earth itself.
The crowd joined in, their humming weaving together in harmony. Even Emma and Anna found themselves humming along, the sound flowing effortlessly from their lips as if the melody had always been within them.
The fireflies moved in unison, their glowing bodies forming intricate patterns as they danced around the elder tree. Then, one by one, they began to descend toward the piles of green gifts laid at the tree’s base. Each gift was touched by the fireflies’ light, and as the crowd watched in awe, the gifts faded away, dissolving into shimmering particles that rose into the air and vanished.
Emma’s breath caught in her throat. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, her words lost in the symphony of humming.
One firefly broke away from the swarm and fluttered toward Emma and Anna. It hovered near Emma’s face before landing lightly on her nose. She giggled, the sound soft and full of wonder, as she raised her hand to the tiny creature. The firefly lingered for a moment on her outstretched palm before flying away, its glow fading into the sea of light around them.
Suddenly, a soft drizzle began to fall from the sky. But this was no ordinary rain. Each drop shimmered with a faint green light, and as it touched the earth, the elder tree responded, its leaves glowing brighter and its branches blooming with vibrant, magical flowers.
The rain fell on everyone in the clearing, its touch cool and invigorating. Laughter bubbled up from the crowd, their voices mingling with the melody of the rain and the hum of the fireflies.
“This is the Green Festival of Windfield,” Emma murmured, more to herself than to Anna. “A place of singing, dancing, and joy. A place where worries are forgotten, and bonds grow stronger.”
Anna turned her head slightly to look at Emma, her expression soft and peaceful.
Emma smiled down at her. “What a beautiful way to bring people closer,” she said, her voice full of quiet wonder.
As the magical rain continued to fall, the festival seemed to glow brighter, a living testament to the strength of the bonds that tied the people of Windfield together.
This was the end of the first chapter of their journey—a celebration of friendship, love, and hope that would carry them forward into whatever lay ahead.
[END OF ARC 1: BOND]