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Through the transparent window, a myriad of colors swirl through the air as the autumn-dyed leaves fall from the trees. The wind whisks away the colorful yellow, orange, and red leaves, carrying them from their homes and scattering them over the land. The forest, once bright and filled with vibrant green foliage, is now preparing for another week of winter.

“Ugh,” I groan, “Why does winter have to come so soon?”

“Would you stop complaining?” Revus retorts, “It’s not that cold.”

“Easy for you to say,” I reply, pouting, “I’m always freezing, and it’s especially bad during winter.”

“Fine, cold or not, I don’t have time for this,” Revus sighs, “Now, do you want to join me or not?”

I lower my head and place my cheek on the table where I have spent the last few hours reviewing. Stay here and keep doing this or go outside where it’s colder and help Revus… “Honestly,” I mope, “neither sound appealing.”

“If you’re not coming,” Revus says as he turns toward the door, “then I’m leaving.”

“Ugh! Fine,” I bellow, “I’ll go.” I stand up from the chair, and stretch my limbs.

“You don’t have to come, you know,” Revus remarks, turning back toward me, “I’ve been doing this for years by myself.”

“Yes, but even though you’re capable of doing so,” I state as I put my hands on my hips, “I want to help when I can, even if it’s something small like this.”

“Do as you like,” Revus shrugs. He points at me, staring intensely, and barks, “but while we’re out, you listen to me and don’t go off on your own.”

I wave my hand dismissively, “Yeah yeah. I know.” I’d rather not fly into another spider web… A shiver creeps through my body.

“Just because you know, doesn’t mean you listen though,” Revus exhales, “Sometimes… Nevermind.”

My gaze flashes to him and my eyes narrow. “Please, finish that sentence,” I hiss, “I’d love to know how it ends.”

“Stop being a pain,” Revus sighs, “We have to get enough food to last us until winter’s over, and we’re already running late.”

“I’m sorry,” I groan, and turn to him and smile, “but someone kept lecturing me this morning.”

Revus opens the front door and walks out. As I follow behind him, he replies, “I wouldn’t need to lecture you if you just studied the material properly.”

The soft glow of the late-afternoon sun paints the forest in a fiery mixture of colors. The brisk wind sends a chill throughout my body as Revus and I both manifest our wings, and rise into the air.

“I’ve been doing this every day for almost two months now,” I complain, “It’s exhausting, boring-” and annoying dealing with you.

“Oh, now you’re not going to finish your sentence?” Revus inquires.

“You’re annoying,” I humph.

“Annoying, am I?” Revus questions, “Well, I guess that makes two of us.”

Silence falls over us for a brief period as I angrily stare ahead at the infuriating fairy. The only sound is of our wings and the wind rustling through the woods. I watch the colorful leaves dance through the air and glance at his black wings, a stark contrast to the autumnal landscape we are in. I roll my eyes and look down, “Tch.”

I fly up next to Revus and ask, “So, what’re we going to get?”

Revus looks over at me, “What would you like to eat this winter?”

“Mhm… Something to warm me up,” I answer.

Revus shakes his head and sighs, “Is it really that cold for you?”

“Yes!” I roar then continue, “I’m not complaining about the cold at night, but the cold I feel during winter…” I trail off and murmur, wrapping my arms around me, remembering just how frigid it gets, “It’s different.”

“Different how?” Revus asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels like it’s not just my body that’s cold,” I mutter, “Everything just feels…” I hesitate for a brief moment, look Revus directly in the eyes, and whisper, “Cold.”

“When we get back,” Revus says as he furrows his brows, “I’ll examine your soul.”

I blink a few times, “And why would you do that?”

“To confirm that there’s nothing wrong with you.”

I fall silent as we fly through the air, effortlessly avoiding branches and trunks. After a minute, I turn to him again and ask, “So… I might be sick?”

“Sick? No,” Revus denies, chuckling lightly, “fairies don’t get sick.”

“Then what’s wrong with me?”

“I don’t know if anything’s wrong with you,” Revus remarks as he drifts next to me and jabs my forehead with his finger, “That’s why I’m going to check.”

As I rub my forehead, I ask, “What could be wrong with me then?”

“Mmm,” Revus ponders for a moment, “Your soul isn’t adjusting to your new form yet? Or maybe your soul is damaged?”

I cringe, then worriedly say, “Those both sound bad.”

“If it is something like that, then it’ll heal over time,” Revus states.

“So it’ll go away on its own? I’ll be okay?”

“If that’s all it is,” Revus replies, then clears his throat, “However, if it’s something related to your family or the elements, then things might be more complicated.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Complicated how?”

“Your family situation is a bit different from a typical family of fairies,” Revus states. “Usually fairies will wait a couple of centuries between having a child,” he explains. “This is done so that the parents don’t lose too much of their own souls when creating the bud for their child.”

“Losing too much of their souls?”

“That’s correct. In order for fairies to have children, the parents must sacrifice a part of their souls to create a bud,” Revus clarifies, “The bud houses a spirit, and slowly, it transforms the spirit into a newborn fairy.”

That’s… I scratch my cheek. “So what’s the problem?”

“Your parents made four buds in four years.”

Four years? “Soooo…”

Revus sighs, “Among your siblings, you’re the youngest. And since your parents already made three buds, if they didn’t make your bud properly, that could cause problems for you, the child.”

“How so?”

“Your soul might need extra nourishment,” he explains, “and without it, then in the worst case, your condition may never go away.”

“Isn’t that bad then?” I ask worriedly.

“I doubt that’s the problem, but it is possible,” Revus murmurs, “Knowing your parents, a city is more likely to just disappear before they make a mistake.”

I tilt my head at him, then mutter, “I see.” A city though? Isn’t that a bit much? “Then what about the elements?”

“If it involves the elements, then I’d guess it’s related to either the ice or darkness element,” Revus states, “Either could cause you to feel cold and they would be easier to explain why you feel the way you do, but…”

“But what?” I ask eagerly, staring intensely at him.

“You don’t have any of the elements yet,” Revus glances at me, then smiles, “Which means that we can rule those out immediately.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

He points at my wings and answers, “Your wings are white.”

I glance back at my white wings, silvery glitter dispersing from them. “How does that explain anything?”

“A fairy’s wings reveal what elements they have within their soul, with each element being portrayed as a different color,” Revus elaborates. “You see, when a fairy is born, their soul is cleansed. Which means whatever axioms you had in the past, you’ve lost, and until you acquire them, your soul should be empty. Hence your white wings.”

“I see,” I murmur as I glance at Revus’ solid, black wings. What about yours, they’re only black… “So…” No. I’ll ask him later. “Speaking of the axioms. Will I be able to use them too?”

“I’ll start teaching you how next month,” Revus answers, “but there are some certain words that you’ll need to learn before I can explain things to you.”

“Ugh,” I groan, “More lectures.”

Revus once again jabs my forehead with his finger and states, “Be thankful I’m teaching you. I know someone that wouldn’t be as nice.”

I point at him. “If your lectures are nice then I’d rather not meet this person.”

“You won’t have a choice unfortunately,” Revus sighs.

“Why?” I ask worriedly.

“Because she’s…” Revus thinks for a moment, “Your parents’… friend?” I tilt my head and furrow my brow. A friend? “You could also say she works for your mom, “ Revus continues, “but more specifically, she’s currently in charge of watching you and your siblings.”

Me and my siblings… “Then,” I almost whisper, “Why are we out here by ourselves and… not with my family?”

Cough. Cough. Revus looks away from me and answers, “Sorry. I’ll explain everything later, but for now…” He trails off, then states, “Ah, looks like we’re here.”

Does he not want to tell me? Did something happen? Maybe he just doesn’t want me to worry about it… I sigh and look at the giant shrub in front of us. Several miones, large, round, red, fruit, hang from the branches. As I follow Revus, we fly around the bush. Revus scans the miones until he finds one he likes.

“This one looks good,” Revus declares as he creates a metallic blade and cuts the stem. Before it drops to the ground, he catches the mione with an air current and forces the fruit to hover alongside us.

“Impressive as ever,” I say as Revus dispels the blade, the metallic object disappearing into yellow particles.

“It’s not that impressive,” he retorts, “Now, let’s keep going. There is an oliot vine not far from here.”

“Sure.” I follow after Revus. While watching the red fruit flying beside us, I frown. It is impressive though. I’ve wanted to use the axioms for a long time.

“What’s that look for?” Revus asks from my side.

“Nothing,” I reply, still eyeing the hovering fruit.

“You shouldn’t worry about using axioms,” Revus states, “If you’re anything like your parents, then using the elements will be easy for you.”

As an oliot vine becomes visible, I murmur, “My parents…” Mom… I shake my head. No, Revus said I have different parents… I follow Revus over to the oliot vine and, while he examines the oliot clusters, I land on a branch and sit down. But… What if they aren’t different? How would Revus know who my mom was… I shake my head and exhale. No, that doesn’t make any sense. Revus doesn’t know Sveltish, nor has he heard of Svelta before. So there’s no way so he’d know if Mom or anyone else was here… I curl into a ball and rest my head on my knees. But then why am I here?

As I hear the sound of fluttering wings resound in front of me, Revus asks, “What’s got you looking so glum?”

“It’s nothing,” I mope.

“Evetta’s list of worries, her past, bugs, her parents,” Revus states, “my lectures, the cold-”

“Is that necessary?” I interrupt as I lift my head, raising my eyebrows.

“I could’ve continued,” Revus shrugs, “So, what’s wrong?”

“My parents. They’re different from the ones in my past, right?”

Revus stares at me for a moment, blinks, and asks, “Do you know how a fairy is born?”

I shift on my branch and mutter, “From a bud…”

“That’s what they’re born from, but before that,” Revus inhales then continues, “When an enōōfen dies, their spirit leaves their body, and that spirit may end up in a bud. That bud then transforms that spirit’s soul into a newborn fairy.”

“So then…”

“From my understanding, the likelihood of parents and children remaining family after they become fairies is basically impossible.”

“Really?”

Revus’ bright-yellow eyes pierce through mine. “Evetta, there are many things that I haven’t told you yet,” he remarks intensely, “But I wouldn’t lie to you.”

I look down and smile softly, “Sleeps.”

Revus laughs, “Now are you going to help me or waste more of our time?”

“You know,” I chuckle, “You look perfectly capable on your own.”

“This,” Revus grins, “THIS is why I find you annoying.”

“Yeah, sorry,” I smile, “I just don’t feel like it anymore.”

Revus shrugs, shakes his head, and sarcastically remarks, “It’s fine, I was only going to have you carry a single oliot anyway.”

I look at the cluster of purple fruit and, with a straight face, say, “Yeah, a lot of help I would’ve been then.”

“Hey, you said you wanted to come,” Revus grins.

“Fine. Give me an oliot and I’ll carry it back,” I sigh, “At least I can say I DID help.” Revus smirks, pulls an oliot from the cluster hovering in the air, and hands it to me. I hold the large, purple ball in my arms and stare at its translucent surface. I glance back at the cluster of dozens of oliots and, while slightly shaking my head, roll my eyes. Yeah, a lot of help I am…

Revus sighs and then asks, “Do you want me to bring you back home?”

Home… “No,” I murmur, “I’d rather not be alone right now.”

“Alright, then just follow me while I gather everything else.”

“Okay,” I nod as I stand back up and then rise into the air.

I follow behind Revus as we make our way from one section of the forest to another. We stop at various shrubs and trees as Revus gathers different fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even some roots, all of which he adds to the ever-increasing pile of ingredients hovering in the air around him. The glow of the sun slowly fades as it begins its descent toward the horizon. The darkening sky, combined with the rustling of the wind and the distant roar of the river, gives the forest a quiet, soothing atmosphere. It’s strange how in a few days it won’t look anything like this…

“Alright with this I believe we have everything,” Revus states as he turns his body toward me, his colorful harvest hovering around him.

“Then we’re heading back now?”

“Ye-” Revus suddenly stops and sharply turns his head to his right. He narrows his eyes into a glare.

I look to my left, scanning the forest for the source of his sudden change. “What-”

“Shh,” Revus urges as he places a finger over his mouth, “Follow me.”

“Okay,” I nod as I follow Revus down into a low shrub. He quietly pulls our harvest into the brush and we stop behind a large cluster of leaves.

Revus pokes his head out from beyond a leaf as I whisper, “What’s going on?”

Snap. The sound of a branch breaking resounds in the distance. A moment later, two voices enter earshot. Wait, there’s people out here? I place my oliot down, move alongside Revus, and poke my head out from behind the same leaf.

In the distance I see two giant men wearing tight fitting clothes and backpacks. One man has a series of jar-like containers on his belt, while the other is wearing a large, brown glove. Resting atop the glove is a bird, roughly the size of the man’s head. The feathered-beast has long talons, beady, black eyes, a sharp, pointed beak, and white feathers with a silvery glitter coming from them.

Wow that bird’s kind of- Revus suddenly pulls me back behind the leaf. He places his right hand over my mouth and, with his left hand, holds his index finger over his mouth. I nod. I hear the two men’s voices slowly growing louder. Are they coming toward us? My heart starts to race and my hands start to sweat. Their voices and tone become clearer the closer that they get. One of them sounds mad. Dang it, I wish I knew what they were saying.

We wait in the bush and, slowly, the voices of the men start to grow more distant. Are they gone? We stay hidden for almost another minute before Revus looks out from behind the leaf to check for them.

“Looks like they’re gone,” he sighs, relievedly, removing his hand from my mouth.

“Why’d we have to hide?” I ask, tilting my head as I stare up at him.

He looks at me and asks, “Did you see that bird?”

“Yeah,” I nod, “It was pretty.”

“A besāād, pretty? That thing would have attacked us the moment it saw us,” Revus retorts, “I’ve seen a couple of fairies die getting attacked by those damned things.”

“Wait, then why did those guys have one?”

“Because they were looking for us,” Revus curtly answers.

“But why?” I confusedly ask, furrowing my brow.

“Because we’re fairies,” he asserts bluntly, then sighs.

“But-”

“This. This is why we shouldn’t have gotten involved with those enōōfen a few weeks ago,” Revus barks quietly, “Dammit. It’s still too soon.”

“What is?” I ask, bewildered.

Revus places his hands over his face and groans. He slides his hands down, glances over at me, and harshly states, “Let’s head back. Stay close to me, and do exactly as I say.”

“Okay,” I murmur.

“If I tell you to fly home and leave me,” Revus looks at me, his intense golden-yellow eyes piercing my very being, “then leave me. Do you understand?”

“What?” Leave him? “But…”

“Listen to me,” Revus says, “If that besāād finds us, I won’t be able to stop both the enōōfen, and it. They’ll try to capture us, alright.” He pauses, grips my shoulders, and continues, “You told me you’d listen to what I say when we’re out here. Now, if they come back, fly home as fast as you can and stay there. Is that clear?”

“Yeah…” I mutter, “I understand.”

He looks beyond the leaf once more, then lifts our harvest back into the air. “Good now let’s go.”

I grab my single oliot and, as I rise into the air, look at Revus. He is tense with a sharp atmosphere about him. I’ve never seen him like this before. We begin to cautiously race back home, flying from tree to tree. Each time Revus scans the area before we move on to our next hiding spot.

“Why are they looking for us?”

“I don’t know,” Revus curtly answers while looking around from behind a large tree, “But I do know that they’ve tried capturing me several times in the past.”

“Is that why-”

“I said they were dangerous, yes,” Revus interrupts. He starts darting to the next tree. I chase after him as he continues, “I’ve had to move our home a few times over the years because they tear apart the area every time they find me.”

“So will we have to leave now too?” I ask worriedly. Leaving home…

“Depends on how long it will take for the enōōfen to find us,” Revus answers, arriving at the next stop, “it’ll likely be within a couple of months though.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t-”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Revus interjects, “I knew what the repercussions would be. If I didn’t want this to happen I wouldn’t have helped those enōōfen last winter.” He places his hand on my head, his intense expression softening as he smiles, “So there’s no reason for you to apologize.”

“Okay,” I mutter, “But that doesn’t change that, because of me, we’ll have to leave our home.”

“You don’t need to look so upset. I’m not mad that we have to leave, but that the enōōfen are earlier than I expected,” Revus replies, “I told you before, we’ll be leaving eventually anyway to get you back to your family.”

“R-Right.”

“Now let’s get home before anything else happens.”

Together, we continue to make our way back through the darkening woodland. The entire trip is tiresome as we hide upon hearing any loud movement, or the squawk of any bird. Upon making it home, Revus puts our harvest away while I place my single oliot down on the table. I walk over to the cushioned chair that rests under the window and melt into it.

What an exhausting day… I look out of the window and see the dusk-dyed forest. I glance over at the Revus and then to the oliot I carried home. I chuckle silently. …Yeah. Exhausting for Revus maybe. All I did was carry that back. I really didn’t do much.

“Hey, I’m going to get a bath started, so go grab your clothes,” Revus declares as he walks across the house, “I’ll check your soul when you get out.”

As Revus enters the washroom, I get up from the chair. Right, there’s also my sickness. I put my hand on my chin as I walk across the room. Revus did say we can’t get sick though, so maybe it’s more accurate to call it my condition? I open my dresser, pull out a night-gown and some undergarments, and make my way to the washroom. Opening the door, I see Revus filling the tub with warm water. I hope it’s nothing serious like he said… I walk over to the counter and place my clothes down. …but if it’s because of my parents or the elements, what do I do then?

“Baths ready,” Revus states. I turn and watch as he walks by. “Also if you need help putting on your-”

“I’m fine!” I shout, “Now get out.”

“Sure,” Revus replies as he leaves the washroom, closing the door behind him.

Stupid jerk. I look down at my undergarments, lift up a bra, and glance down at my chest. I’ve grown so much in such a short time and now I’m starting to develop breasts. I sigh, put the bra down, and start to remove my clothes. Fairies are so different from humans. I walk over to the bathtub, look down at the water, and stare at the semi-transparent reflection of a young girl. I’m so different from before. Am I even the same person? What if I just have memories of someone else and they weren’t me? What if I’m not me?

I grip the edge of the bathtub, plunge my head into the water, submerging it completely, and scream. I pull my dripping head from the water and take a few deep breaths. That’s better… I sigh, climb into the tub, and, while leaning against the side, slide down until my chin is submerged in the water.

What am I supposed to make of everything he told me today? I’m sick, and it can be because something’s wrong with my soul, because of a mistake my parents made, or because of the elements that I don’t even have…

I lift my hands out of the water and scan my palms before turning them around. I twist them back and look at my palms once more, before slowly opening and closing them. What if I need nourishment from my parents? Then what am I supposed to do? They aren’t here. And I don’t want to be cold like this forever. I take a deep breath. He also mentioned the elements but, I shouldn’t have any of those because my wings are white. Revus’ wings are black though so he should only have one element too… But I’ve seen him use… eight, nine of them? So why are his wings black?

I sit up in the tub, begin to apply soap to my hair, and wash it. Revus also mentioned something about soul cleansing when a fairy is born too. Something about a spirit leaving the body of a dead person and that’s how a fairy is born. So… I really did die and became a fairy? What about Revus? And my family? I scrunch my face. My new family… My fairy family? Are they all people that died too?

I finish washing my hair, apply soap to my limbs, and begin scrubbing my body. And then there was all that stuff with those humans earlier. And that bird. They’d attack and try to capture us… because we’re fairies? But what would they do with us? And he said they’ve been trying to capture him for years. I chuckle meekly. He knew that they’d come for us if we helped those elves, but he helped them anyway. Rather than helping… I submerge my entire body under the water. …I’m just making things more difficult for him. I rise out of the water, climb out of the tub, grab my towel, and start drying myself off. A lot of help I’ve been. All I could do is carry a single oliot back, and now there’s humans looking for us too.

I finish drying myself off, put my clothes on, and return to the main room.

“Feel bett- oh,” Revus pauses, “You sure you took a bath? You look worse than when you got in.”

“It’s nothing,” I mumble.

“Really?” Revus questions, “Because it looks like the same nothing that you say whenever you’re worried about something.”

“If you’re trying to cheer me up,” I reply coldly, “then it’s not working.”

Revus sighs, “Come sit down,” he says as he directs me toward my bed. We walk over to it and, after we both sit down, I turn and face away from Revus with my back toward him. He begins to dry my hair with the wind he conjures from his hands. “So, what’re you worrying about this time?”

I sit there silently for a moment, open my mouth, and hesitatingly reply, “Am I… useless?”

“Where’d that come from?”

“I mean, I haven’t been able to help you with anything,” I blurt, “and instead of helping, now those… people are looking for us…” I trail off.

“Well, I admit that you haven’t been able to do much to help,” Revus states as I feel a piercing pain run through my heart. “You can’t protect yourself, you’re still learning to fly, you still struggle with certain words, and because you wanted to help those enōōfen, they’re looking for us.” Each statement is another needle stabbing through me. I knew it but… I really am- “But you’re by no means useless.”

I turn to look at Revus. “But I-”

“Look there,” Revus interrupts as he points to the oliot resting on the table, “You carried that back on your own.”

“Yeah sure but it’s basically nothing compared to you,” I retort, “And now-”

“It might be small now, but you’ll get better,” Revus puts a hand on my head, “There’s a lot of people that are excited about what you’ll do in the future, so it’s fine if you don’t help out right now… you were just born.” He smiles, “You’re still young, growing, learning… But one day, I hope to see the changes you’ll bring.”

“But how do you know that I’ll do something in the future?” I whimper.

“I don’t.”

“Then why?”

“Because… I don’t have a choice,” Revus mutters sullenly.

“Of course you have-”

“Evetta,” Revus glances away from me, then turns back and smiles sadly, “Just know that I don’t have a choice, so whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with each other.”

“What?”

“Enough of that,” Revus states as he removes his hand from my head and points, “Your hair’s dry so face that way, and lift up your nightgown.”

“What!?” I shriek as I tightly grasp my nightgown, “Why would I do that?”

“I need to examine your back to check your soul,” Revus replies, “and your clothes are in the way.”

“Can’t you just check it while I’m wearing them?”

“I won’t be able to accurately check your soul with them on,” Revus explains, “If we’re going to figure out why you’re cold then lift your nightgown.”

“Fine,” I groan. “But… don’t look,” I mumble as I feel my face get warm.

“You do know I’ve already seen-”

“I told you to forget that!” I roar as I turn around and slam my fist into Revus’ arm.

“Okay okay,” Revus repents, “I won’t bring it up again.”

“Hmph,” I huff as I turn back around. Stupid jerk. I know it was our first meeting, but why did he have to see me naked… I place my hands over my face as my body heats up.

“I’m going to lift your nightgown.”

“Wait!” I bark, “I’ll… do it.” I slowly lift the back of my nightgown and hold it at my neck.

“Alright, you might feel a bit of discomfort,” Revus says, “but try to stay relaxed and don’t move. Okay?”

“Okay,” I mutter.

Revus places his hands on my back. I feel a strange energy emanate from his hands and enter my back. The smooth energy spreads up and down my back, but does not extend beyond that. I sit there for several minutes while Revus quietly mutters to himself. How long is this going to take? After a few more minutes of idly sitting, the energy in my back retracts and Revus removes his hands.

“Are you done?” I ask anxiously.

“Yeah…” Revus mutters.

I pull my nightgown down, turn around to face him, and ask, “So, did you learn anything?”

“Yes and no,” he replies.

“What does that mean?” I tilt my head.

“Simply put, I couldn’t find anything wrong with your soul,” Revus answers, “Your soul appears to be fine, and there’s nothing internally that should be causing it.”

“So then what do we do about the cold?”

“I hate to say it but…” Revus trails off and shrugs, “I think you just get cold easily.”

I blink a few times, bite my lip, then shout, “I told you that it’s different!”

“Yes,” Revus affirms, “and I’m telling you nothing appears to be wrong with you.” He points at me, “Whether you want to believe me or not is up to you.”

“Arh,” I groan as I look down and place my hands on my head. I’m not cold easily right… That can’t be it.

Revus laughs, “Shouldn’t you be happy that nothing is wrong with you?”

“I guess,” I sigh.

I feel weight lift off of the bed. I look up and see Revus standing in front of it. “Alright, now that I’ve finished checking on you,” Revus says as he smirks, “If you want, you can help me make dinner.”

I pout, “If you’re trying to make me feel better, then it’s not working.” I get up from the bed and, as I walk toward the kitchen, ask, “What should we make?”

“You decide.”

“Hmmm…” I ponder for a moment as I glance at the food we gathered earlier today. I grab the oliot I carried off the table and say, “I want to use this.”

Revus chuckles softly, “Sounds good.”