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“Alright, next,” Revus says, flying through the air next to me.

“Enough!” I shout.

Revus heaves a sigh, “Would you get over it already.”

“No,” I bellow as I glare at him, “Why do we need to have lessons while we’re flying?” I flail my arms angrily, “Flying is boring enough already.” Revus grinds his index fingers into his temples while muttering quietly under his breath. Don’t get mad at me. You’re making this trip worse than it already is.

I slump as I fly over the damp, sloped landscape that is covered in wet, yellow-orange leaves. The morning sun pokes through scattered rain clouds. The land whispers as a brisk wind washes over the color-saturated mountains. The morning fauna scurry about in preparation for the coming winter.

I glance over, see Revus staring intensely at me, and bark, “What?”

Revus blinks and sighs, “This is-”

“The best use of our time,” I interject, “I know. You’ve told me a hundred times already.”

“If you know then why do you keep-”

“Because it’s been the same thing day after day,” I state, “Can’t we do something fun for once.”

“Fun,” Revus mutters blankly.

“Yeah, fun,” I reply, “You know how to have fun, right, mister best-use-of-our-time.”

“Evetta, this isn’t the time for fun,” Revus argues, raising his voice, “We don’t know when we’ll encounter-”

“I know!” I interrupt dejectedly, “…I just…” I sigh as I look up toward the cloud-ridden sky.

“What’s wrong?” Revus inquires.

“I’m just tired of doing the same thing everyday,” I mope, “We fly all day long and have lessons while we’re flying.” Revus goes to say something but closes his mouth. I continue, “When I ask you about anything, you don’t answer me or just abruptly change the topic. At night, I review or try to grace my soul.”

“I’m sorry but-”

“I don’t want your apology,” I cut in, “Just… nevermind.” I fly ahead, slightly increasing my pace. I know he’s just doing his job, but can’t we take a break. Spend the day doing something other than just flying and lessons. My vision starts to blur as tears fill my eyes. And I’m starting to cry again… I wipe my eyes. Stupid emotions.

Revus flies up next to me and says, “Follow me.” He speeds ahead for a moment, before turning to add, “Tell me if you need to take a break.” He flies ahead while I stay behind him. We continue flying through the maze of trees and stone that covers the mountains for almost two hours, with neither of us so much as uttering a word to one another.

Revus slows down, turns around, and, as he matches my pace, asks, “You need a break?”

“No,” I shake my head, “I’m good.”

“Evetta…” Revus pauses, closes his mouth, and exhales through his nose. Is it still bothering him?

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I wish we weren’t in this situation,” Revus mutters, “but until we’re safe, we need to keep moving.”

“I know,” I smile halfheartedly, “I’m sorry for getting mad earlier. You’re just doing your job.”

Revus chuckles, “So… you want to continue our lesson from earlier?” I stare at him dumbfoundedly, my mouth slightly agape. “I’m joking,” Revus laughs, “Thought it might be funny.”

I look away from him, “Why must your fun always involve teasing me though?”

“Because you’re easy to tease,” Revus chuckles.

“Yeah, well…” I pout.

He grins and he leans forward, “Nothing to say?”

“You,” I puff my cheeks, then retort, “Leave me alone.” I shove his face aside and fly past him.

He flies alongside me and says, “Your flying’s gotten better.”

“If you’re going to immediately try to cheer me up,” I tonelessly respond, “Then why bother making me mad in the first place?”

Revus smiles, “Simple, you’re in a better mood now than you were earlier.”

“Even so-”

“Come on,” Revus urges as he pokes my cheek, “You’ve been moping long enough.” Urg… Don’t smile…

He pokes my side. “Ah!” I squeak as I flinch, then smile and roll my eyes.

“There, better?”

I humph, “Yeah. Now go back to being mister best-use-of-our-time so I can still be mad at you.”

“I don’t know,” Revus hums, “I think I prefer when you’re not mad.”

We both look forward and, after a brief moment, I turn to him and sigh, “Did you mean it?”

Revus glances at me, an eyebrow raised, “Mean what?”

“My flying,” I answer, “Do you actually think it’s getting better?”

Revus ponders for a bit, placing a hand under his chin. “Two things,” he raises his index finger, “First, your flying has vastly improved since we left.” I smile. That’s good. “Second,” he says as he raises his middle finger, “even though your flying has improved, the areas you’re lacking the most are your speed, stamina, and mobility. With the latter being the area you’re struggling the most.”

“And he’s back,” I mutter quietly as I roll my eyes. I look at the mountainous horizon and ask, “So, how much longer until we’re out of the mountains?”

Revus follows my gaze and replies, “Does it matter?” He looks back at me and jokingly continues, “Because of someone’s slow butt, we’ll have to-”

“Spend the winter here,” I interrupt, “I already know that. After winter, how much longer until we’re out of here?”

“At the pace we’ve been going,” Revus pauses, “Maybe a week?”

That long… I lower my gaze but keep Revus within my sight and follow him. I place a hand under my chin. So three more days of autumn, a week of winter, and possibly another week of spring before we’re out. I raise my head and ask, “How much farther is Kāālith after that?”

“At our current pace-”

“Is that necessary?”

“It is,” Revus affirms, “Getting here from Kāālith only took me about two weeks. But, at our current pace, we likely won’t make it before next winter.”

“So another month,” I complain as I hang my arms.

“Is there at least something interesting between here and Kāālith?” I ask. Please let there be something to do or see along the way.

“Not a fan of mountains?” Revus inquires.

“Svelta was in a gorge,” I answer, “So I don’t find rocks all that appealing.”

“Hmmm, I guess you’ve never seen any interesting rocks.”

I scoff, “Rocks and interesting don’t really go together.”

Revus chuckles, “Well, just don’t ever tell that to a gnome or you’ll be in for a heated argument.”

Gnome. Gnome… I pinch my lips together, then ask, “What’re those again?”

Revus looks to the sky and heaves an exaggerated sigh, “We’ve gone over this before, fairies go through soul forging to merge their soul with an element.” He turns to look at me with a dead look, “You do remember this, right?”

“Yeah,” I mutter as I look away, “Of course.”

He sighs again, “We’ll continue your lessons some other time. Gnomes are fairies that have merged with terra.”

“Right,” I say as I look back at him, “So ignoring the boring talk, you never answered my question.”

“Which one?”

“Is there anything interesting between here and Kāālith?” I say, watching as Revus looks away. “You weren’t hoping that I’d forgotten, were you?”

“Of course not,” Revus says as he speeds up.

“Hey, come on, tell me,” I shout as I chase after him.

“There’s nothing interesting,” Revus retorts from ahead, continuing to increase his speed.

I bellow in pursuit, “Then why are you running?”

“I’m not running,” Revus argues, “Simply increasing our pace.”

“And why don’t I believe you?”

Revus shrugs in front of me, “Who knows?”

As I reach out to grab Revus’ leg, he suddenly dives down toward the ground. I slightly overshoot him before following him down toward the ground. As we approach the hard, wet surface, Revus circles around a tree and begins to weave around several others. This jerk, just wait until I catch you. I smile as I follow behind him. We race under a fallen log, dive through a tunnel within a hill, and begin to climb up a cliff-face. You’re not getting away. I hound Revus, copying his movements in an attempt to catch up to him. We surge up and down over a series of rough boulders but, as we make our way toward a large clearing with only sparse trees, a sound echoes in the distance. Revus momentarily flinches, then bolts toward one of the trees in the field. I’ve got you now. I chase after him when he suddenly turns around and stops in front of the trunk, arms spread wide.

“Ah!” I shout as I slam into Revus and he catches me. “What’s the big-”

Revus holds a finger over my mouth and whispers, “Shhh.” I stare up at him and nod. He removes his finger and points down toward the ground.

As we both descend, I quietly ask, “What’s going on?”

Revus glares out at the sky and answers, “A besāād.”

“Where?” I say as I begin to scan the sky, searching the cloudy blue for any birds. Revus points his finger ahead and I notice one bird flying toward another. I focus on the winged-creatures and watch as they start to head in our direction.

“Looks like the enōōfen are nearby.”

“Can we avoid them?” I ask.

Revus glances at me, then returns his attention to the besāād, “Not while they’re this close.”

I groan, “Then what do we do?”

“We’ll wait for a bit and see what they do,” Revus states, “If they leave, then we’ll try to sneak around them, but if they stay…”

“Then what?” I stare at him as my heart rate increases.

Revus looks at me, his sharp eyes glowing, “Let’s just see what they do.”

I whimper anxiously as I shift my focus to the birds. Please just go away, please. We watch as the birds slowly fly overhead, passing above our hiding spot. Once they reappear, they continue to soar away from us, gradually getting smaller the farther away they become.

I turn to Revus, “Can we leave now?”

“Not yet,” he responds bitterly, “If we leave now and they come back we’ll be-”

Aaakreee. The distinct cry of the besāād resounds through the land.

“Damn,” Revus mutters.

I nervously ask, “What?” We stare at the two besāād as they turn around and begin flying back toward us. They fly over our tree again, causing us to turn around and wait for them to appear. Where are they? I frantically search the sky for them to emerge from beyond the tree’s canopy. I don’t-

“Ah!” I flinch as something touches my shoulder. I quickly turn and see Revus with his finger over his mouth. Geez, please don’t do that. I sigh, then nod. He removes his finger and points toward the canopy before slowly flying up. I follow behind him and we work our way up toward the branches. We veer around the sporadic wooden arms, gradually ascending higher into the tree. We stop on a branch, hidden beneath thick foliage that provides a good view of the surrounding area. Beyond the tree, I locate the two besāād flying back toward the area we initially saw them.

“What are they doing?” I inquire.

Without removing his gaze from the birds, Revus answers, “Returning to their owners.”

“The enōōfen?”

“Yeah, the enōōfen controlling them should be nearby,” Revus states, “I doubt they’re going to go too far on their own.”

“Then do we just wait here until they’re gone?”

Revus bites his lower lip and goes quiet. I look from him to the besāād. Please just go away… I face Revus and focus on his partially healed ear. …please.

“Okay,” Revus mutters, “This is what we’re going to do.”

“Are we leaving?” I hopefully ask.

“No,” Revus shakes his head, “You’re going to stay here. And not draw attention to yourself.”

“No,” I say in a hushed roar, “Me staying here means-”

“Yes, I’m going to-”

“No!” I raise my voice a bit louder, “What if something worse happens to you?”

Revus places a hand on my head. “I don’t plan on dying,” he smiles softly, “After all, who’s going to keep you safe if I’m gone?”

I remove his hand and grimace, “I’d still prefer you to stay here too.”

“We don’t know when they’ll leave, if at all,” Revus remarks, “If we don’t do something, we could be stuck here for days, and I doubt you want to spend winter in this tree.”

“Mmmm…” I groan, “Not really… but why do you have to-”

“If we leave together and get caught…” Revus interrupts, sullenly looking down, “I’m not confident that I can keep you safe.”

“But if you go fight them-” Revus jabs my forehead with his finger. Ow…

As I rub my forehead, he says, “Who said I was going to fight them? Remember the cliff we passed?”

“Yeah” I mutter.

“I’ll lure the besāād down there,” he states, “and hopefully the enōōfen will follow. Once I’ve confirmed that they’re down there, I’ll trap the besāād and we’ll use that opportunity to escape.”

I stare at Revus concernedly and ask, “How confident are you?”

“I’m certain I can handle this,” Revus affirms.

I close my eyes, gulp, and take a deep breath. I exhale as I open my eyes, “Okay, just… please come back.”

“Don’t worry,” Revus grins, “I won’t leave you alone.” I timidly nod. Revus looks at the two birds through the opening between the leaves, glances back at me, and says, “Stay here, I’ll be back.” He then descends down the tree trunk. I catch a glimpse of him retreating back toward the cliff. As I watch him soar into the distance, he eventually grows too small for me to keep track of. Please be safe Revus. I turn my attention back to the besāād, they are now the farthest they have been from us. Are they really leaving? I sit and watch the besāād for a few minutes in silence until I see a small, reddish-orange ball flying toward the birds. What’s that?

Boom! Aaaaawk!

A sudden explosion of flames erupts from the ball followed by a screech from the birds. Thick smoke fills the area where the besāād once were. I thought he said he wasn’t going to fight them. Two figures appear from the smoky cloud and dash in the direction of where the fireball originated. Quickly, they speed overhead. I can’t see. I move through the tree, in search of a better spot to watch the besāād. I fly down to a lower branch with less foliage blocking the view and find the besāād darting after a black speck.

“Revus…” I mutter.

He flies in the direction of the cliff, the birds gaining on him, until he dives once again and I lose sight of him. I observe the besāād as they begin to descend toward the ground. They vanish over the ledge of the cliff. They’re gone… While I sit there watching the rocky ground, two more winged-creatures zoom down following the previous besāād. There’s more?

In a panic, I fly back up to my previous location and search the ground for any enōōfen. If Revus is right, then they should be here anytime now. I scan the area as calmly as possible, but my heart pounds violently against my chest. Come on, show up already. The longer they take, the longer Revus will-

Deep voices echo in the distance, breaking the silence. Where? I trace the sound and find three large people appear from behind a rock and rush in the direction of the besāād. I lean over the branch I am on and peer down as they head toward the tree.

Krih. An odd sound appears from behind me as something brushes against my leg. I freeze briefly, then glance behind me and see a large, brown bug. It has a flat body, with two antennae coming from its small head that is followed by its armored back-plate.

“Ah,” I squeak as I flinch and kick the bug in the head. Krih. I quickly turn around and crawl away from it in the process. A stink bug… I sigh as I realize it is not a threat.

Seconds later the bug screeches, KRIIIH.

Boomph.

Suddenly, a thick, heavy, foul stench explodes in front of me, clouding my vision, and filling my nose with a rotten miasma.

Cough. Cough. It’s horrible. I instantly rise into the air and fly away from the bug. My eyes water as the dense cloud assails my face. Cough. Can’t… see. I maneuver through the veil, trying to escape the pervasive pungence.

Bam.

A sharp pain jolts through my head. “Ow!” I choke as I begin to fall through the tree. Cough. A faint muffled sound reaches my ears. Cough. Need to get out of this. I work my way down until the air around me is breathable and I faintly open my inflamed eyes, unable to clearly make out anything in front of me. The muffled sound becomes louder and clearer. Cough. Stupid bugs. I gasp for fresh air while I wipe my eyes. That’s bett-

Loud voices ring in my ears. I blink and, as clarity returns to my vision, notice that in front of me are three giant humans. No. I freeze as my eyes go wide with shock. To the left is a man with graying hair and wrinkled skin. In the middle is a man with black hair and a thick beard. The man on the right has short brown hair and appears to be the youngest of the bunch. Run. All of them are dressed in light, tight fitting clothing that allows for easier movement. Each one is armed with a bag, a tool belt, a weapon on their side, and a thick glove that climbs up their arm. I have to run. An eternity seems to pass as we stare at each other, neither side doing anything. Run!

I turn around, but, as I start to fly away, a large hand reaches out and grabs me. Thick fingers wrap around my body and crush me. My delicate wings crumple between the meaty restraints. “Arh!” I scream. As I turn my head to look at the men, the bearded man with black hair pulls me closer to him. Instantly, I am face to face with a giant, terrifying visage. His wide grin reveals faint yellow teeth. I grimace as he chuckles, his breath causing an uncomfortably hot, foul stench to coat me once again.

“Let me go!” I roar as I try to free myself.

The bearded man tightens his grip around my body. The older man to my left starts speaking, causing my captor to turn. The two begin talking with one another. The bearded man nods and holds out his other hand. The young, brown-haired man removes the thick, arm-length glove from the bearded man, liberating his second hand. The bearded man stretches his fingers and brings his other hand toward me.

“H-hey,” I bark nervously, “Wha-what are you-”

He spreads his fingers along my back, giving my wings space to move. Great, if he opens his hand a bit more I can- From my peripherals I see his second hand approach my wings. No. He can’t be thinking about… I turn and watch in horror as the bearded man’s fingers latch onto my wings.

I face the man and scream, “No! Please!” I shake my head and violently struggle to escape. “Please! Not my wings!”

“Aaaaaarrrrhhh!” I scream in anguish as my thin wings are torn from my back. It hurts. A cold burning pain unlike any I have ever felt bores outward from the gorge in my back. It hurts. Strength drains from my body and I collapse forward, leaning against the giant, meaty fingers that imprison me. It hurts. “Aaaaahhh,” I continue to cry through clenched teeth, digging my fingers into my hands. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

I lay limply in pain, groaning miserably. My tear stricken eyes barely stay open as I watch my captors move their mouths. Inaudible sound escapes their lips before they carry me to an open jar the young man is holding. I am dropped inside and sharp pain resonates through my already suffering body. It hurts. It… hurts… Revus…

“Ugh,” I groan as I roll over, faintly opening my eyes. Dull light covers an obscure, timber plank wall. Why’s it so blurry? I shift my gaze around and see a glass wall surrounding me. What- The enōōfen! My eyes widen and, as I sit upright, my gaze falls upon a woman that is also trapped in the glass prison. A fairy?

She looks like an adult, with a slender body and long limbs. Lengthy, straight, dark-blue hair flows down to the middle of her back. She is wearing a white blouse with peach colored frills, a peach skirt, and white boots. She is sitting on the ground, with her exposed back toward me. Her face is buried in her curled up knees.

“Excuse me,” I say. As I lean forward to stand up, I stop. My back, it doesn’t hurt? I look behind me and try to conjure my wings, but nothing happens. They’re gone…

While looking back, I direct my attention outside the jar, and see several enōōfen talking joyously with one another. They are merrily drinking over a feast of meats and other foods. Four wooden walls bound the structure. Two doors are located on adjoining walls, with three windows separating the interior from the freedom beyond. One window is next to one of the doors. The other two windows rest isolated on the walls with no door. Light shines brightly beyond the windows. Along the wall with both a window and a door, there is a large metal cage. Is that for the birds?

I look from the cage, to the giants. One, two, three…Six people. Looks like four humans and two elves? All of the enōōfen are sitting at a table except one, the man with black hair, scruffy beard, and yellow teeth. He is standing next to the table holding a mug in the air, cackling loudly. His deep voice echoes noisily through the transparent cylinder.

Dang it… if only I- Before a frown covers my face, I shake my head. No. This isn’t the time to be depressed. I need to get out of here. I turn back to the woman sitting near the glass wall.

“Excuse me,” I mutter as I walk toward her. She silently sits there, her face firmly planted atop her knees. “Um, I don’t think it’s safe here, so we should try to find some way to escape.” The blue-haired woman remains soundlessly curled up. Is something wrong with her? “Um, are you hur-”

“Leave me alone,” she says, her soft voice filled with sorrow.

“We shouldn’t stay here,” I repeat, “Do you know any way out?”

The silence following my question is only broken by the loud partying of the enōōfen. She pleads, “Please, leave me alone.”

“A-” I open my mouth, but stop. I lean my back against the jar and slide down until I am sitting next to her. I’m bothering her… I glance over at her, trying to see her face, but it is hidden behind her deep-blue bangs. An uncomfortable feeling surges in my stomach. “Sorry for bothering you,” I murmur, moving away from her. I guess some things never change. Even after being reborn, others still don’t want to talk with me. I smile sullenly. I wonder if Revus has only been nice to me because he’s my guard? I hope not… I bring my legs up to my chest, wrap my arms around them, rest my cheek on a knee, and stare at a window. I hope Revus is doing okay. He was being chased by so many besāād.

“Ha,” I chuckle. I’m getting all depressed again… I lift my head, stand up, and stretch. Okay, first things first, how can I get out of here? I scan the glass jar, the rounded cylinder stretches up until the sides meet a dark lid covering the top. If I could use the axioms I could break out of here, but… I glance at the woman sitting next to me. I could ask her but… I turn back toward the glass wall and place my hand against it. I could try to break it. I make a fist and knock hard on it twice. Bong. Bong. Seems solid.

I close my eyes, inhale, and hold my breath, before exhaling heavily. Okay, let’s give it a try. I spin around, step to the middle of the jar, and turn around once more, facing the glass barrier. Here goes. I sprint at the wall with my shoulder in front, and slam against it. Bong. Ow… I look up at the unfazed wall. Again. I rush back toward the middle of the jar and repeat. Bong. Again. Bong. Again. Bong.

I pant as I slide down against the stubborn prison. “Stupid… wall…” I rub my numb shoulder while I slump over on the ground.

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself,” a soft voice states.

I glance over at the lady sitting next to me. “I can’t… just sit here though,” I reply, “I need… to be able… to get myself out… instead of relying… on Revus to help me.”

“Even if you succeed,” the woman comments, “what are you going to do then?” What am I…? My gaze drifts toward the giant people partying, then to the bird cage. She continues, “You don’t even have any wings, so you should just…”

“Right…” I mutter as I stare at the hazards that would threaten my escape. If I can’t fly, the enōōfen would just capture me. And even if I did avoid them, the besāād are still out there too. I continue to scan the room and realize the jar we are in is resting on a table that appears to be a good distance from the ground. I don’t even know how I’d get down without flying or falling… I turn to look at the blue-haired woman and ask, “How… did you know I don’t have any wings?”

Several moments pass by before she answers, “Y-you seemed to be in a lot of pain,” she murmurs, “So, I did what I could to alleviate it.”

“You healed me?” I ask, now staring at her.

“Sort of,” she states while her head still rests on her knees.

“Sleeps.”

“Huh?” The woman turns her head slightly toward me, allowing me to catch a glimpse of her red eyes. Once our eyes meet, she instantly buries her face in her knees again.

I chuckle, “Sorry, when I was learning Zoic, I’d often confuse the two words, and since then, I’ve been using sleeps instead of thanks.” I smile, “Thank you for helping me.”

A moment of silence passes before she mutters, “Sure.”

“I’m Evetta,” I say as I rest my cheek on my knees, looking at her. She quietly sits there. No reply huh… “Um… Do you know where they are going to take us? Or what they plan to do with us?”

“Don’t know and don’t know,” She bluntly replies.

“Hmm…” I groan, “Do you at least know where we are? Also, how long was I asleep for?”

“Mountains. Two hours.”

I blankly stare at her. It’s almost like I’m dealing with another Revus… I lift my head and prop it against the glass. I hope he’s doing alright.

Aaaaawkreh. A distorted screech of a besāād echoes through the building. I turn around and place my hands on the glass. The enōōfen all stop as a thick tension fills the room. The bearded man shouts and the young, brown haired guy rushes to the window, looks outside, and immediately opens the door.

A smoking, charred, bird flops inside, landing roughly on the floor. As it hobbles toward the men, the giant people gather around it. They begin shouting, and a couple of them run outside and look toward the sky. I chuckle. Stupid jerk. I told him not to fight them.