Fluttering her wings to move past the various obstacles, the fairy races within the murky waters. Her unique magic whirling throughout her body, she pushes the liquid around her frame and increases her speed even further. She is like a wolf tracking prey, her emotions spiraling into an encompassing need to harm and destroy. The link is carrying her feelings, allowing me to explore those emotions without truly feeling them.

While moving upward between the black stones and blue Vines, she soon reaches one of the hiding Dark Cloud Basilisks. I assume she will somehow imitate the Wasps, baiting the reptilian creature and avoiding a direct confrontation. Instead, she doesn't even stop, directly advancing toward the invader.

I feel her magic tugging at me through the bond, and I allow a steady flow of mana into the link. Somehow absorbing it into her body, her peculiar ability awakens like never before. With her magic, the black stone shard held in her right hand grows longer and sharper, reaching 5 centimeters.

The Dark Basilisk notices the tiny fairy, its red slitted eyes narrowing in anticipation and hunger. Rows of pointy white teeth prepare to swallow Tyra whole, and when the fairy comes in range, the reptile suddenly strikes.

The mana around my heart spins faster and faster while the creature lunges, but the fairy doesn't even bat an eye, intense focus flowing like a raging river into the bond. As the gaping jaws are about to engulf her, she suddenly spins, her leafy wings aiding the movement, and she barely avoids the closing teeth. Swimming parallel to the snake's long body, she moves closer and strikes, the sharp stone piercing through the scales as if they were water.

The fairy keeps going forward, slicing the reptile flesh, and the deep gash starts to bleed out a copious amount of scarlet blood behind, murking the waters even further. While the fairy reaches its tail and keeps going forward, the reptile hisses and writhes in pain, turning around and observing her with wary eyes.

Tyra grips a blue Vine and stops her momentum, watching the bleeding and suffering creature with cold brown eyes. Before I can say something, she launches herself toward the invader once again, and the creature attacks in response. This time I sense her magic affect the monster, and the Basilisk misses her by a few centimeters for no apparent reason. The same thing happens again, and again, and again. The creature, exhausted and bleeding from deep cuts everywhere, uses its usual ability, and Tyra surprises me when she doesn't move outside the darkness.

Losing my sight there, I concentrate on the bond to understand what is happening. The fairy's feelings become sharper as I immerse myself in them, and a storm of intense emotions floods through the link. Anger, triumph, pleasure, vindication, and frustration.

I try to understand the last one when the dark cloud fades away, and I see the battlefield again. Tyra is left standing a few centimeters away from the Basilisk's still bleeding corpse. The creature is already dead, but she has no injuries whatsoever; she is not even out of breath.

The fairy regards the body with cold eyes while the Wasps finally catch up and begin to feast on it. Suddenly, without saying anything nor offering her thoughts into the bond, she swims toward the other Basilisks. After fifteen short minutes, the fairy is left alone in front of the third dead reptile's body, not an injury on her body.

After the fights, most of her emotions faded away, leaving behind only frustration and boiling anger. "Why do you waste mana like this?" she asks me through the bond.

Not expecting her to say something like this, I let my confusion flow through the connection. In response, I feel my reality domain being gripped roughly by her will, and while keeping a hand on the dead body, she forces the mana within the flesh toward my core. Understanding what she is doing, I break the fragile hold she has on my dungeon, pushing the absorbed mana back toward the body.

'No.' I send her, drowning the link with my feelings on the matter.

The fairy's eyes narrow, and she grips her stone even harder. "It's wasted like that. You can use it more efficiently than your creatures."

'That is Corruption. Killing and absorbing mana to increase my power is wrong.'

"But letting your monsters kill other beings and eat them is not? They are absorbing the mana anyway! It's the same damn thing!" she shouts aloud and through the link both.

I don't answer, immersing myself in the connection to understand what is happening.

The fairy grits her teeth, watching upward. "You are a hypocrite!"

While sifting through her feelings, I realize she is not angry with me, nor she really cares I am leaving the few units of mana inside the bodies for my defenders; she is just looking for a fight. Something else is bothering her, but I cannot understand what. I wouldn't even know what being a hypocrite means without the bond.

"So? Answer me! It's really-"

'Tyra.' I send in the end, pushing my Name onto her budding one.

The fairy freezes, her eyes wide.

'Stop this.'

I keep the weight until I feel her anger fade away like mist, but her frustration grows stronger. Not knowing what to do, I let the pressure wane. Yet, she doesn't say anything, floating within the waters in silence.

"Why were they so weak?" she asks after a while, still watching the dead monster.

I wait, knowing through the link she is not talking to me.

"I couldn't do anything to them for the whole month, so why are they so weak now? They couldn't even touch me," she asks again, her fury building up anew. "Is this what those damned fires took away from us? Is this what we were meant to be all along? Why? Why would the flames imprison us?"

'I don't know.'

"I need to find more powerful creatures to fight. I need to train harder. I need to grow much stronger than this. Everyone is waiting for me. Lily is waiting for me."

'We have 1000 years until the next Scorching.' I remind her. It could be less or slightly more, but I have no way of knowing the exact time.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Her fury spikes, this time directed at me, and it is a cold, nasty thing. "Lily cannot wait 1000 fucking years. They don't even know I am still alive. Every two weeks, a fairy gives up because of the agony, and it has been a whole damn month! I already killed two of them, Aaravum. Two! And Lily could be one of them. How many will die before I can free them?!?"

I don't know what to say. From what I've seen from the dream, she is correct. The fairies' situation is rather bleak, and I doubt even Tyra would have been able to wait that long.

"Shit!" she mumbles while I think, her lower lip bloodied. "Look, I'm sorry. This is not your fault. It's not your responsibility, and I cannot let you risk yourself for this. It's just...everything is happening so fast, I need some time to think."

I watch the fairy floating inside the dark green waters between broken stone spirals and torn blue Vines, the view suddenly much more desolate than before. Even with all the Life moving around, Bright Slugs slithering on the floor followed by tiny mundane creatures, small Stixrant tadpoles swimming freely inside the Luminous Moss, and tiny Dark Cloud Basilisk snakelets watching from hidden crevices, everything feels much smaller and oppressing.

Realizing I am allowing her feelings to affect me, I push my own emotions on the bond, helping the fairy unwind instead.

"Thanks," she whispers, closing her eyes.

While I observe the fairy, I understand she is right with this too. While her goals and mine are similar, and we have the same enemy in the cursed fires, we want different things. I have all the time I need to grow enough to find a way to survive the Azure Flames. Without the now silent dungeon core's instincts pushing me toward some form of action almost constantly, I can plan in years and not be forced to think in months or days.

However, she cannot do the same. There is no way the fairies can survive for so long, and while others will take their place, I know Tyra mainly cares about Lily's wellbeing. She wants to save her as soon as possible.

Still, does that involve me? I don't know.

----------------------------------------

The fairy stays a few minutes with her eyes closed inside the murky waters, following the Wasps toward the nest in silence as they arrive to take the third Basilisk away. When she reaches inside, and the ethereal consciousness happily greets her, I shift my attention elsewhere.

From her memories, I know I should have said something to make her better, but I didn't even know where to start. She could be right and just need some time to think as well.

While I think, I feel my only remaining Title stir, finally finding enough grip on the world. The mana around my emerald heart spins faster as I focus on it, and I follow the power flowing throughout my dungeon.

The Title moves between my creatures, even the newborn and mundane ones, lingering inside some and passing through others without stopping. A large amount of knowledge reaches my mind, and I need some minutes to understand what my Title is showing me.

Few of my monsters, mostly the Wasps, are almost ready to Evolve, some missing simple requirements, some just waiting to accumulate enough mana. Others are nowhere near an Evolution, especially the Dark Cloud Basilisks.

"Is everything okay?" Tyra asks through the bond.

'Yes. My Title, The Life Sworn.'

Making sure to not overwhelm the fairy with the information, I spend ten minutes sending her the knowledge about the creatures near the Evolution. Maybe she can help me with this, and it will distract her a bit from the future too.

"Wait, the mundane critters are dungeon's monsters?" she asks after I finish, her surprise bleeding through.

'Yes. Why?'

"As far as I know, other dungeons cannot gain those patterns."

What?

"Maybe it's because you are a variant?" she asks without waiting for my answer.

'The Records spoke about hidden aspects of my variant species.' I confirm, sending her the description again.

"It could be. Anyway, where do you want to start?" she asks, excitement coloring her concern for the future a bit.

I think about it, sorting between all the creatures ready to Evolve.

'The mundane spider?'

I didn't expect a normal creature to gain access to the Records, something that seldom happens. Yet, this one did, and it earned my interest. However, I feel the annoyance of the fairy at my choice, "The one with less information. Why is the knowledge so confused anyway?"

'It comes from the Title, not the Akashic Records.'

While I send my thoughts, I try something at the same time. Focussing on the Title, I search for the Records within my heart as well. They elude me for a few minutes until I feel my Name suddenly stir, and the Akashic answer. Odd.

Mundane creature's Evolution.

Upward - Better trapper - insufficient accumulated mana.

Upward - More venomous - insufficient accumulated mana.

Upward - Mana-infused body - insufficient accumulated mana.

The knowledge is unusual, almost distorted, but it is still better than what my Title revealed to me. I send it to the waiting fairy.

"I felt you doing something. This is much better." Tilting her head, she takes a moment to think. "It's a no-brainer, the mana-infused one. Just infuse your neutral mana into the creature."

'From the Title's feeling, I think it will be weaker than the others at the start.'

"It is still better. I am pretty sure the monster will have much more potential than the other two later on. You could wait for a lateral evolution after, but..."

It wouldn't make sense. Alright.

Following her advice, I let my mana flow inside the sleeping spider.

The arachnid wakes up alarmed, extending its legs around and shifting its eyes everywhere. However, as my mana starts to fill up its body, it becomes drowsy, soon falling asleep. To protect it, I reinforce its lair with stone, leaving just enough to let it breathe.

I wait for the message from the Records, but nothing arrives. The spider will probably need to finish its Evolution before I gain the pattern.

"Probably. It shouldn't take much time since it's just a normal creature. The wounded Wasp next?" she asks, flying toward the monster she is talking about. I shift my perception as well.

I didn't even realize it, but some of the Wasps lost a few limbs fighting against the Basilisks, and this one lost its wings. I don't know how it reached the nest; maybe it was carried inside by the others, or Tyra did something I didn't notice in the last month.

Natatory Wasp's Evolution.

Upward - Hivemind Wasp - Swarm Awareness' help, insufficient accumulated mana.

Leap - Water Ant - insufficient accumulated mana.

"There are other Wasps with the hivemind Evolution, right?" Tyra asks me.

'Yes.' I answer, observing the creature. I don't know why it can Evolve into a different species, but since it is the only one that can between all the Wasps, I am sure one of the requirements already met was losing its wings.

"Then go for it. The Evolution will not heal its wings anyway, and I cannot treat anything else but my body with my magic, or I would have done it before."

I don't think the creature wants to change into something different, but it is the only chance it has at survival, even if it cannot understand that. It is on me to choose for the Wasp since it's not intelligent enough, but Tyra is sharing the burden's decision too.

"It will probably die in a few days without wings. Go on. It is the best choice."

Annoyed, I infuse the Water-Attuned mana inside its body, leaving the rest of the process to the Records. I see the mana form a strange membrane around its body, something rather similar to the insects' chrysalis. Intrigued, I try to see what is happening inside, but even my dungeon core's perception is completely blind. Without any other option, I order the others to protect it and leave it be.

I hope it will accept its new species; I know how hard it can be.