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Flickering wisps trickle through the air as I roll onto my side. Ugh… This bed is nice and warm, but… I grip the lumpy surface beneath me and adjust the knots. There, now… I turn over and push against the itchy, heavy material that is covering me. Mgh… That didn’t he- I snap my eyes open and am greeted by an endless black abyss.

Great… I sigh. I feel like this just happened. I push away the weighted mat that keeps pressing down on me. I can’t see anything… “Tsk,” I click my tongue as the rough substance rubs against my skin, rugged hairs scratching me. “What the heck is this and why is it so hot?” I bark as I roll onto my back, extending my arms and legs to keep the heavy mat from crushing me.

Ugh… My arms are already getting tired. I look around. Let’s get away from this thing first. I force the itchy material up as I get onto my legs and start walking on the lumpy ground. What is this place, some kind of inverted soul plane that’s really uncomfortable? I struggle between the two obstacles, marching in a random direction. I hope I find something- Hmm?

I stop as I feel the ground starting to slope downward. Yes, if I go down, hopefully this THING will stop crushing me. Slowly, I creep down the slope, putting my foot out to feel the ground before taking the step. With each step, the weighted material starts to decline along with the floor. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea…

I take another step and yelp, “Ah!” as I slide down between the soft, lumpy wall and the scratchy, hairy wall. “Ow,” I mutter as I land on soft, yet firm ground. I place my hand against it and, as I push down my hand sinks slightly, but is repelled. Kind of springy? I glance around and chuckle. Still can’t see anything. I lean back, rest against the lumpy wall, and sigh. Now that I don’t have to worry about being crushed I can think a little.

I extend my arm to the left and right. Plenty of space at my sides. Moving them in front of me, my hands come into contact with the itchy wall. Not much room to move, but manageable at least. I rotate my shoulders as my palms slide upward against the itchy wall. Seems to be space to stand up. I rise to my feet with my arms still extended and, as I stand on my toes, barely find where the two walls meet.

Alright, moving around shouldn’t be a problem, but which way should I go? I look to my left then right. Not many options but I don’t want to wander around like this for days again… “Hmm…” Which way…

“Evetta? Are you awake?” a muffled voice calls out.

“Faraine, is that you?” I shout, “It’s kind of hard to hear you.”

“Give me a moment,” Faraine replies, “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Guess this isn’t a soul plane… But where are we then? This doesn’t look like any tree or cave I’ve seen before. I sit down. Could it be some unique cave with squishy rocks? Maybe a plant with really big, hairy leaves? “Hmm…”

Loud, muffled voices echo through the air and gradually approach me.

“Evetta,” Faraine hollers, “We’re going to move the blanket now.”

Blanket? I furrow my brows. “Alright, go ahead.” I glance up at the lumpy wall. Was there a blanket up there?

A moment later, I hear Faraine’s muffled voice, but she is speaking a different language. Who’s she talking to? Suddenly, the itchy wall in front of me starts to move and gets pulled up and away from me.

Light shines down on me, blinding me for a second. As my eyes adjust to the dim lighting, I see Faraine hovering just above me. My eyes trail the giant moving blanket and lock onto a massive hand that is gripped tightly to the hairy cloth. What in the abyss? I take a step back as my gaze follows the raised wall of fur.

“Faraine,” I call out as she descends.

“Good to see you awake,” she says as she lands next to me.

I rush over to her and tackle her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“Ooh,” she mutters.

“Faraine! I’m so glad I’m not stuck in another plane by myself,” I whimper.

“Another plane?” she questions.

“Nothing,” I reply as I look up at her and loosen my grip, “Anyway what’s th-” I stop mid-sentence as I glance at the now still blanket. Instantly, I hide behind Faraine, clutching her clothes tightly as my heart drops into my stomach. An enōōfen… I peek around her and examine it.

Standing in front of us is a giant, blonde-haired girl. She has smooth, slightly-tanned skin with almost no blemishes. Her face is full with chubby cheeks. Large, round, blue eyes rest beneath her thin eyebrows. Pointed ears poke out through her thin, wavy hair. She has a thin build and is dressed in simple, light-brown clothes.

“Faraine,” I murmur, my heart pounding heavily against my chest.

Faraine puts her hand on my head. I glance up at her inquisitively and she smiles, “It’s okay.” She then flies to the elf girl and says something in a different language.

The elf frowns, replies, and walks away, disappearing through a doorway within the massive room. She just… left? I stare at Faraine as she descends to my side. What?

As Faraine looks down and locks eyes with me, I shout, “Faraine! What was that? Why is there an elf here and why were you talking to her? Where are we and-”

Faraine puts her hand over my mouth, pinching my lips together, and kneels down in front of me. Her face is worn and dark circles hang beneath her eyes. She blinks and, with her face in front of mine, sighs, “Too many questions. Do you understand?”

I nod as I scratch behind my ear.

“Good,” she snaps, “I’ll explain so just slow down.” She releases my lips and sits down aggressively. “We aren’t in any danger at the moment so you can calm down.”

“Okay…” I reply, tilting my head. I take a breath and ask, “Why is there an elf here?”

“Because this is their house,” Faraine answers.

“And why are we at their house?” I sassily question, raising my eyebrows.

Faraine takes a deep breath, glances back at the massive doorway, then faces me. She opens her mouth but she hesitates. “We’re at their house because I brought us here.”

“You brought us to an enōōfen’s house!?” I roar, “What were you-”

“What would you have done?” Faraine shrieks as she stands up quickly and lunges at me, gripping my shoulders. Her bloodshot eyes fill with tears. “I could’ve left you and Revus! I could’ve-” She stops mid-sentence, releases me, and puts some distance between us. “Sorry,” she mutters, “I… haven’t slept much these last couple of days.”

Ow… I rub my shoulders, glance at them, then return my gaze to Faraine. I open my mouth to speak, but struggle to find any words as, “It’s okay” is all that escapes my lips. “I’m sorry,” I sigh, “I’m awake now though, so we can leave now right?”

“We can, but…” Faraine looks up at me woefully, “If we leave, then we have to leave Revus here.”

I pause. Leave Revus… “What?” I blankly stare at Faraine, “What do you mean leave Revus?”

Faraine sighs and lays on her back, “It’s probably just easier if I explain from the beginning.”

I sit down next to Faraine as she rests the back of her hand over her face. I sigh, “Whenever you want to explain.”

“The other night, when Revus checked your back,” Faraine starts, “Do you remember what happened?”

“Sort of,” I reply, “I know ice appeared around both me and Revus.”

“Yeah, well… unlike the first time, it didn’t stop,” Faraine remarks.

“Can you elaborate?”

“At first I tried to melt the ice, but my fire wasn’t hot enough. So I tried to move you guys by carrying you within my water, but the water would freeze instantly,” Faraine explains anxiously. “And if I got too close to you or Revus the ice would spread to me too. I couldn’t melt the ice. I couldn’t move you guys. I couldn’t do anything.”

I lower my gaze. Faraine… “Then how’d we get here?”

“Initially, one idea came to mind, getting one of you to Valnia, but there were risks,” Faraine answers.

“What kind of risks?”

“I’d have to catch myself on fire, and stay like that while physically carrying one of you the rest of the way to Valnia,” she mumbles, “I’d have to sprint there, all while knowing that if I stop my flames, then at any point, I could become encased in ice.”

You… I scan Faraine’s body, not seeing any burns. I sigh. She looks okay.

“Heh,” Faraine chuckles, “Even if I got to Valnia… if I brought Revus with me, that would mean leaving you to potentially get worse… and I can only imagine Revus’ reaction.” Faraine sits up, the whites of her eyes bloodshot, “On the other hand if I brought you and we melted the ice, then when I returned for Revus, I’d have to leave you here since your wings haven’t recovered.”

I glance at my back and try to summon them. I open my eyes widely as my wings manifest. They’re back! I quickly face Faraine, “Faraine look!” I spin back around and freeze as I realize that my lower wings are still mostly missing, and the tips of my upper wings are gone. I glumly frown, “Nevermind…”

“Maybe a few more days,” Faraine smiles sleepily.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s okay…” Faraine sighs, “Basically I didn’t see any safe option to bring you both to Valnia.”

“So you found an unsafe option?” I inquire.

Faraine smiles flatly, “Not intentionally… First, I managed to cut into the tree with my water, sloping the floor to get you guys outside. Once that was done, I formed a ball of water around you and got the ball to roll through the opening.”

“So you just let me fall out of the tree?”

“Not quite,” Faraine chuckles, “As you fell, I had my water become a slide and rolled you down the tree until you were on the ground.” Faraine glances back at the doorway, “Once I got you down, I did the same for Revus.”

“So… We’re both balls of ice, on the ground?”

Faraine laughs as she looks at me, “Yeah, pretty much.”

I furrow my brows, “Then, how’d you move us?”

“That was the difficult part,” she sighs as she lays back down, “I tried dragging you both on a leaf. I tried rolling you with my water. The most success I had was dragging you both on a large piece of bark.”

“Uh-huh?” I slowly nod, “And… How does that lead us here?”

“About half a day into dragging you both,” Faraine pauses, “An enōōfen found us.”

I gulp as I feel my heart drop to my stomach. We weren’t captured… I glance around the room. …and it doesn’t look like she killed them…

“At first, I thought about killing him,” Faraine comments.

“Gu- Really?” I inquire.

“I didn’t,” Faraine calmly replies, “because I recognized him as the elf that released us from the jar.”

“You mean… he was a part of the group that captured us?” I shout.

“Like I said, I immediately thought about killing him,” Faraine restates, “but he was alone and looked… injured.”

“Even so-”

“We aren’t supposed to kill the enōōfen,” Faraine barks, “So whether I liked it or not, I let him be…” She takes a breath as she looks up, “Besides I had more important things to worry about, so I ignored him.”

“That’s it?”

“Pretty much. I let him be and continued toward Valnia.” Faraine continues, “Apparently, he was heading the same way, and started following me. From there, he asked about what I was dragging and asked if he could help.”

“So what if he wanted to help,” I bark, my voice growing more intense with each word, “He was still involved with the people that captured you. That captured me. Faraine, they ripped my wings off!”

“I know,” Faraine mutters, “but…” She locks eyes with me, “He also explained that he did it because his kids were taken hostage.”

“Why were his kids taken hostage?”

“He knew your location after encountering you and Revus a few months ago.”

“So… Revus was right,” I gripe, “They talked about us, but only knew where we were because I asked Revus to help them…”

“He wants to apologize and thank you.”

I furrow my brows, “Who does?”

“Rhys, the elf that released us,” Faraine answers, “He said you saved him from freezing to death.”

“Yeah… and look how that turned out for us,” I mope.

“Hence why he wants to apologize,” Faraine explains, “Not only for leading the hunters to capture us, but for not keeping his kids from talking about you guys.”

“So what,” I bark as my blood continues to boil, “We saved him and he thinks that helping bring us to Valnia is enough to repay us?”

“Definitely not,” Faraine replies, pauses for a moment, then asks, “Do you want to go see Revus?”

I open my mouth but stop. Right, where is Revus? “Is he here?”

Faraine nods at the doorway, “He’s out there.”

“And the enōōfen?”

“They’re also out there.”

My heart races within my chest as I stutter, “A-are you sure it’s safe here?”

Faraine inhales, “No. There is a chance we get attacked while we’re here, but it’s been over a day and so far… haaa,” she yawns, “nothing’s happened.”

“How much have you slept since, you know?” I inquire.

“None,” she smiles at me as she slowly closes her eyes, “I haven’t slept since we got here.”

“Why not?”

“Because I promised Revus that I’d keep you safe,” Faraine answers.

“Sleeps,” I say as I stand up, “And um…” I briefly stare at Faraine, “Did you mean what you said earlier?”

Faraine tilts her head as she raises her brow, “Mean what?”

“About leaving us… and…”

Faraine exhales heavily and, a moment later, replies, “I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind but…”

“Well, sleeps,” I wholly smile at Faraine, “for not leaving us.”

“Sorry for snapping at you earlier,” she apologizes as she rises to her feet.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for yelling too.”

Faraine chuckles lightly, “Anyway, you ready?”

“Yeah, just nervous,” I answer. I pause for a moment as anxiety swirls in my stomach.

“You okay?” Faraine asks as her wings appear behind her, the red glitter lacking its usual sparkle.

“Yeah, but could you… nevermind.” She’s already put in enough effort. I peek up at her tired face. Asking for more would be…

She looks down at me and I instantly look away, “What?”

“Nothing,” I state as I look at my back. “Hey Faraine, um… Do you think I can fly now?”

“Let me see your wings,” she requests.

I conjure my wings, turn my body away from Faraine, and glance back at her, “So?”

“You can try but…” She tilts her head, “I can’t imagine it going well.”

“Only one way to find out,” I optimistically declare as I spin around and start to flap my wings. Slowly, I feel my back start to rise into the air. YES! I smile, but as soon as my toes stop touching the ground, I start to descend. “What?” Again, I try to fly but, the moment my feet leave the ground, I drop back down.

“Looks like it’s still too soon,” Faraine comments, “Your wings can’t sustain you once you’re completely airborne.”

I sigh heavily as I slump forward. A few more days. Just a few more days… “Well, I tried to avoid you needing to carry me… but” I mutter.

“That’s okay,” Faraine replies, “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting your wings to return for another week or two, so seeing this much progress is relieving.”

I smile as Faraine picks me up and we rise into the air. As we ascend higher, I look around the room and realize what we were on. A bed and a pillow? Then… I glance at the gargantuan blanket. …that hairy wall really was just a blanket.

We fly through the doorway and enter a long, wooden hallway with three doors and a stairway leading down connected to it. A crystal orb emitting a soft light rests on the wall with an ornate pattern written beneath it. What’s that?

Faraine guides us through the hallway and, once we get to the stairway, we start to descend. The stairs are straight with a wall on the right and a railing on the left. Just before the bottom, the stairs meet a corner of the room and turn left. Along the same wall is a door and just past that, near another corner, is a window leading outside. Sunlight shines in from beyond the glass fixture.

I examine the larger room as it comes into view. Cabinets and cooking utensils line the corner wall beneath the window. A few more windows dot the wall as it extends farther into the massive main room, allowing a lot of natural light to illuminate the open space. A large wooden table sits in the middle of the room with five chairs surrounding it. Past that is a wooden couch. Fur pelts and lumpy, pillow-like cushions sit atop both the chairs and the couch.

The entire house has a rustic, wilderness atmosphere. Shelves are scattered along the walls with various bones, powders, leaves, and roots resting atop them. Beneath one of the windows is a drying fixture with several dried flowers resting on it. Adjacent to the drying fixture is a mortar and pestle with green remnants lining it.

Faraine carries me down and I focus my attention on the two enōōfen in the room, both sitting at the table. The first is the girl from earlier who removed the blanket. The other is a much larger man who looks similar to the girl. As we approach, they both stand up, the man visibly winces as he does so.

He is tall with a modest build, long limbs and is almost twice the height of the girl next to him. His face is swollen. Cuts dot his sharp jawline and straight nose. He has thin, blue eyes that shine mystically, but are masked by a purple bruise surrounding his eyes. His pointed ears shoot out from within his short, wavy, blonde hair. He is adorned in simple, brown, leather clothes that fail to hide the bandages covering his arms and chest.

We descend down to the table, there are dishes prepared, as if ready to serve a meal. A white flower vase sits in the middle and Faraine lands behind it, putting me atop the wooden surface.

“One moment,” she says as she turns to the elves, “I’ll tell them to get the others.”

“Okay,” I anxiously nod as Faraine rises back into the air.

As she flies around the vase, I trail after her, placing my hands on the smooth object and poking my head out from behind it. Faraine darts toward the man and, as he stares at her, says something. A moment later the elf nods and walks toward one of the doors farther into the room.

My gaze follows him then returns to Faraine. I really need to learn this language. I sigh. But that requires more lessons… I look up, close my eyes, and huff. …Maybe it’s not that important.

I look back at Faraine. Now she’s talking to the little girl. I pause and look down at myself. Wait… I’m actually a little girl… I sigh as I slump my arms.

“Evetta,” Faraine calls as she flies back toward me.

“What’d you tell them?”

“I asked Rhys to get his wife and son.”

Rhys? “Is that the man’s name?”

“Yeah,” Faraine answers as she directs her hands back at the elf girl, “And that’s Shelara, his daughter.”

Shelara stares in our direction and she waves at us. Quickly, I hide behind the vase and place a hand over my chest. Calm down. I take a deep breath. It’s okay. I glance at Faraine. She said they aren’t dangerous.

“You… don’t have to be scared,” Faraine comments drowsily, “If anything happens, I’ll deal with them.”

“Sleeps,” I bitter-sweetly smile, “Just don’t push yourself.”

“Too… late,” Faraine yawns.

“You said it’s safe here, right?”

“Mostly,” Faraine answers. “We’re outside the city.”

“There’s a city here!?” I excitedly shout, then cover my mouth, “Sorry.”

Faraine chuckles, “It’s okay.”

“I’ve been curious about what cities look like compared to Svelta ever since…”

“I get it,” Faraine solemnly comments, then continues, “This house is also a herb store that the elves run… It’s right next to Valnia.”

“So the forest with fire trees is here?” I murmur, then inquire, “Is that why it’s so warm here?”

“Yeah,” Faraine points to the window in the corner, “If you look out that window you’ll see them.”

Fire trees… It’ll be another first. I smile. Are the flames red? Maybe different trees have different colors? And it’s fire so it’s got to be hot, right? A knot starts to form in my stomach. Hopefully they’ll help dealing with my… condition.

“Looks like they’re back,” Faraine says while looking across the room.

Following her gaze, I see three elves walking toward us. Rhys, another man, and a woman. The other man looks younger, but shares Rhys’ traits, having blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and a sharp jawline. Unlike Rhys however, his eyes are intimidating, and he is on the shorter side. I guess that’s his son? Which means…

I look at the mature woman. She looks like an older Shelara, with dazzling blonde hair, spotless skin, and blue eyes that are just as magical as Rhys’. She wears a wondrous smile as she approaches. Wow, she’s beautiful. She must be his wife.

I tilt my head as I see a deep, orange energy radiating from her arms. That’s… I pause as I stare at her discolored hands, the color pulsing and shifting over her skin.

The elves advance, slowly growing more gargantuan with each step. Their menace, minimal when they first entered, swells as they approach. My pounding heart beats to the rhythm of their thunderous steps and my vision blurs. Before I know it, I find myself once again behind the vase.

Breathe… It’s okay… I place my hand against my chest and feel my heart slamming against it. I glance down at my chest and take a deep breath. I exhale slowly.

“Ah!” I squeal and jump as something touches my shoulder.

Looking over I see Faraine with her hand on me.

“You okay?” she inquires.

I exhale heavily as I lean my head against the smooth wall behind me. “Yeah,” I comment, “You just scared me, that’s all.”

“Sorry but you weren’t answering me.”

“You were asking me something?” I question, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I asked if you’re ready to meet them?”

I gulp, look in the elves’ direction without turning my head, and reply, “Y-yeah… I think so.”

“It’s going to be okay,” Faraine reassures.

“Right…” I murmur.

As Faraine walks around the vase, I chase after her and grab her shirt. While hiding behind her, I gaze up at the massive people standing before the table.

Suddenly the four elves bow their heads and Rhys starts speaking. I don’t know what he’s saying, but it looks like they’re apologizing. Once he stops, they all stay bowed.

Faraine looks down at me and says, “He’s apologizing for what he’s done, and is thanking you for what you did in the past.”

“What I did in the past?” I question. What’d I do?

“Something about saving him from freezing to death in a lake,” Faraine replies.

“Oh… right, that.” I glumly sigh. I look at the still-bowing elves. If not for that then we wouldn’t have been found by the enōōfen… But he also might’ve died.

“Can you tell him that I’m glad he survived and… ask why he…” my voice fades as I struggle to find the words.

“Sure,” Faraine answers. I look up at her soft smile as she continues, “but you’re going to need to let go.”

“Ah, right, sorry,” I quickly blurt, then release my grip on her shirt.

Faraine flies over to Rhys, near his ear, and says something to him. I guess us being small means our voice isn’t very loud…

Rhys snaps a quick glance at her, then says something to his family in their language. The elves stop bowing, stand up straight, and look at Faraine before shifting and locking onto me. Their piercing gazes once again make me feel uncomfortable, and I take a step back.

Rhys sits on the floor, his eyes level with the top of the table. Following him, the others begin to sit down, their bodies mostly hidden beneath the edge of the wooden surface.

Faraine returns to my side and states, “I told them you were scared… so they’re sitting, hoping to make you more comfortable.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s comforting,” I look at Rhys’ head as his blue eyes stare at me. “It’s kind of scary in its own way.”

“Come with me,” Faraine requests as she grabs my hand.

“O-okay,” I murmur, as I follow behind her. We stop closer to the edge of the table while maintaining a distance from them. The two girls are on the outside, while the boys are in the middle. I glance up at Faraine and ask, “What are we doing?”

Faraine glances at me, then looks at the elves and nods.

I trail her gaze and see Rhys put his hand on his chest, “Rhys,” he bellows.

Next to him, the older woman places her hand on her chest and softly states, “Sana.”

“Rydel,” the boy next to Rhys roars.

Finally, the smallest elf waves and, with a smile, says, “Shelara.”

I turn my head toward Faraine, my eyes still locked on the elves.

Now, Faraine places her hand on her chest and says, “Faraine.”

I look up at Faraine, then once again face the elves, their attention completely focused on me.

“Uh…” I gulp, awkwardly wave at them, and murmur, “Evetta.” Immediately after my name escapes my mouth, I run behind Faraine. Nope. Nope. Nope.

“Evetta?” Faraine says frustratedly.

“Faraine, could you ask them to leave,” I hurriedly blurt as my heart races.

Faraine sighs heavily, then separates herself from me. She flies over to the elves who, after a brief conversation, all stand up and disperse, except for Rhys. Why’s he not leaving? Faraine lazily flies back to me, picks me up, and we rise into the air.

“Faraine!? Where are we going? And why isn’t he leaving?”

“We’re going to see Revus,” Faraine bluntly states.

I watch Rhys’ back as he leads us to another door. Revus. Please. Rhys opens a door on the furthest wall from the stairs. He remains in the room as Faraine and I enter. “This is a storage room,” Faraine comments as we slowly soar through the dimly-lit room, past boxes and shelves filled with various objects, jars, and tools.

Hidden behind some boxes and resting on a table is a flat device. Cyan light faintly radiates from the object, and an intricate pattern adorns its flat surface. Sitting in the middle of the pattern, is a clump of solid ice. As Faraine descends toward it, I can make out a black-haired figure within.

“Oh n-,” I whimper, “Revus…”

Faraine lands on the table and puts me down. I glance up at her, but before I can say anything, she explains, “This is a device Sana made that helps to absorb elemental energies. With me melting the ice, you still spent a couple of days like that.” She looks down at me, her eyes heavy and empty. “Now it’s Revus’ turn. He should be fine in a few…” she yawns, “days.”

I stare at Faraine’s sleepy form, then to Revus’ imprisoned one. Dang it! I clench my fists and dig my fingers into my hands. Why? Why do I have to be so… I approach the device, place a hand on its smooth, cool surface, and punch it.

“Ow,” I whine as pain shoots through my hand. I close my eyes and say under my breath, “If only I… If only I wasn’t…”

“Did you say something?” Faraine questions as she yawns.

I turn around and smile at her, “If you want to get some sleep, I can keep watch over Revus for now.”

Faraine smiles back, “That would be… nice.”

Without hesitation, the groggy fairy lays on the ground, turns on her side, and closes her eyes. “If anything happens… wake me uh…” Faraine goes quiet, and her breathing, heavy.

“Don’t worry, I will,” I woefully whisper, “Sleep well… and… sleeps.”