My mind was a flash of images, coming in fast, almost hard to read but I saw it all, only the strongest moments came in the clearest, staying within my mind the longest. These were Larana’s memories and her emotions.

I felt the rushing of wind around me, a gentle breeze, a haze of blackness fading away to see an open forest, filled with greens, amid summer. I recognised this as Larana’s home, where I had gone to get the goddess plume. I saw fairies flying past including a young Larana, struggling to keep up with the others.

“I can’t do it.” Larana whined stopping mid-flight.

“My dear girl.” An older fairy flew closer to her. “You have been gifted with the power of the wind, a rare gift and one day you will take my place as Guardian of this forest.” Larana was just like me working hard to become a Guardian, a protector.

“Mother.”

She gently touched her cheek. “Now then, you must sense the wind, not just feel it as you fly, you’ll get it.”

I watched as Larana worked hard, mastering her gift over wind, taught solely by her mother. Larana was graceful, powerful and the fastest of all the fairies within the forest. She was amazing to watch.

“Today we gather to celebrate my daughter, Larana the wind fairy taking my place as the Guardian of the forest. She is surely a gift from the goddess and will continue to protect us from those who follow the eternal dragon.”

Every fairy cheered within the forest. Larana smiled showing everyone a display of her power, that she was ready for what her mother expected from her, but I could sense her doubts and she had even brought them up with her mum.

“Can I really protect everyone from the hunters, there becoming so powerful and so few of us are left.”

“Our home was given to us by the goddess, she will protect us.” Her mother soothed.

“Her light is fading with each of us hunted, they even force the others to use their power, they kill us not once but twice. I’m so scared.” Larana wept.

“Larana you’ll be fine, you’re meant for greatness.” But Larana was right to be afraid as a few years later their home was attacked and I saw what happened to her, what she had told me before.

The forest surrounded in a blaze of fire, strange creatures with no fur, like naked Hominidae. They wielded talismans, shooting out fire and as they did, I could hear the screams of the spirits trapped within, they were forcing their power out, this was the nightmare they had all faced.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Everyone move, get out of here!” shouted Larana. The fairies flying off in whatever direction they could, but most were trapped within the blazing fires. “No.” Larana’s wind struggled against the blaze. Then I saw this spark within her, pure white energy as she began to manipulate the blazing heat through the wind, trapping the hunters within it and allowing her friends to escape. Larana then released the remaining flames creating the fog that surrounds it today.

Larana’s power spent she was easily captured by the hunters, placed in a small cage with a few others. A metal cage with crystals attached to each bar, stopping them from using their power.

“Larana.” I called out her name, feeling the fear she felt as she and the others were taken away from the forest to a place made from metal, steam rising up into the skies, blocking out the light of the sun, what was this place?

Within I could hear the cries of pain. Larana with the others were dumped on a moving platform. Surrounded by dark crystals, emanating everywhere, the energy forced at them, draining all their strength until they could no longer move.

I watched Larana grow weaker, then she began crying out in pain as her very spirit was torn from her body. Items of so many shapes were coming on a different platform next to the cages and her spirit was forced within the bracelet I now wore.

The other fairies with her, didn’t make it within any items as their spirits crumbled away under the pressure of the dark energy.

The bracelet lay untouched as the place was attacked, the machinery coming to a stop, chunks of the ceiling falling, the place was coming apart.

From above came an Avis just like Athena with her stunning blue wings. “It seems I was too late to save you little one.” She picked up the bracelet faintly glowing with Larana’s power.

Larana remained within a slumber until someone touched her new form, someone who carried the very light of the goddess, Fang.

I watched as he coaxed her out, telling her how she could manifest her form, the two quickly became best friends and with Fang’s help he discovered the way to use talismans without affecting their life force.

Fang flew and danced within the winds with Larana, both got told off by the Avis who had rescued them many times.

Fang also made friends with three other spirits who I knew well, Mila, Raziel and Arata, together they caused all sorts of trouble within the city in the skies they called home.

Years past, Fang made the decision to head to the surface to fight with the light he had been given.

It was just like the stories I had been brought up hearing, as Fang fought the servants of the eternal dragon, stopping the strange naked creatures from harming what was left of the sacred animals.

With each fight Fang grew more powerful with the aid of Larana and the others, but the eternal dragon too grew in power and their fights became fiercer over the years.

I wanted to see more, how things turned out but then he stood their looking not just at Larana but deeper, he placed his finger upon his lips.

“You’re not meant to see this part yet.” I instantly recognised his voice as the one who had been calling out to me, it had been Fang, but how he had died centuries ago. Had he been so powerful he could somehow transcend time itself?

I didn’t see anything more after that it was almost like Fang himself prevented it, what was it in the past that he did not want me to see? I wondered if the answers would show themselves if I fused with one of my other talismans, but it would be some time before my sync rate would reach as high as Larana’s.