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The vibrant forest is filled with flowers that bloom in a myriad of colors. The sweet aroma and beautiful sights of flora dotting the land make for picturesque scenery. The woody territory is noisy with the chatter of bugs and birds, while both large and small creatures roam the region. Overhead, an intense sun burns bright beyond the green canopy.

The hot summer air bakes my lungs each time I take a breath. My restricted clothing, paired with the heat, makes me sweat, causing my clothes to stick to me. As I soar through the unbearably hot weather, I shout, “I can’t take it anymore!” and begin to descend down toward a nearby shaded tree branch.

Revus flies down alongside me and grumbles, “This is why I told you to change earlier.”

“This is why I told you to change earlier,” I mock under my breath as I roll my eyes. I land on the branch, pull my bag from my back, and place it on the ground.

Revus lands beside me and complains, “We wouldn’t be this far behind if you’d just listened to me.”

“Would you shut up!” I bark as I pull a flowy, light, dress from my bag, “Now go somewhere else so I can change.”

“Aeth, you’re unbelievable,” Revus sighs, shaking his head, before he flies around to the opposite side of the tree.

I glance at both sides of the tree to confirm he is not looking at me, then begin to change my clothes. Geez, just because I didn’t want to wear a dress and you get so mad. Besides, whether we stop for a bit isn’t going to change anything. Once I finish swapping clothes, I sigh, “Ah, much better.” I look down and check out my appearance. As much as I prefer pants, I have to admit, this… isn’t so bad.

“Are you done yet?” Revus inquires from behind the tree.

“Yeah,” I holler.

Revus flies around the wooden structure and stops nearby, hovering in place. “Are you ready, we need to go or-”

“Or what? We’re going to be late?” I retort as I glare at the black-haired fairy, “Look, you already said we’re not going to make it through the mountains before winter, so can’t we slow down.” I state as I put my previous clothes into my bag. “My back is killing me and the heat isn’t helping either.”

Revus places a hand over his forehead, lands on the branch, and replies, “And I already told you that I want to get as far away from the enōōfen as possible.”

“Please, we’ve been flying for hours already and-”

“Hours?” Revus bellows, “We barely left an hour ago at most.”

“Right,” I grumble as I look up toward the sky. This guy’s going to drive me insane. “Then what about yesterday? Or the day before that? Huh.”

“I’ve already explained-”

“We haven’t seen any enōōfen or besāād since we left.”

Revus closes his eyes, inhales, then exhales. He opens his eyes and sternly says, “It’s been three days. We haven’t even left the forest yet, and you want to stop when we don’t know where the enōōfen could be.”

“Exactly!” I roar, tightening my fists, “Wouldn’t it be better to let me rest just in case we do run into any enōōfen?”

Revus clasps his left hand over his face, gripping it tightly. “Fine,” he answers roughly as he runs his hand through his hair, “We’ll rest for a bit.”

I sigh frustratedly, “If it’s that big of a deal you could just carry me.”

“No,” Revus declines.

“Oh? Not fond of the idea?” I grin at him, “Even though we’d-”

Revus plants a palm over my face as he walks by me. “Three reasons,” he states as he pulls his hand off me and places his bag down.

“Ow,” I complain quietly as I watch him sit down, “Jerk.”

“First,” he holds up his index finger, “Me carrying you wouldn’t help you learn to fly any better.”

“Yeah yeah,” I dismiss waving my hand as I sit down next to my bag. “I know I’m bad at flying, but what do you expect? I wasn’t allowed outside for over a month.”

“Are you still mad about that?”

“What gave you that idea?” I gasp as I widely open my eyes and hold a hand over my mouth. “Who wouldn’t be when they’re told they’re not allowed to fly, and then get yelled at for not being good at flying?”

“Fine, I’m sorry,” Revus says half-heartedly.

“Thanks,” I gripe harshly, crossing my arms and turning away from him.

“As for the second reason,” Revus continues, “It’s too hot to carry you.”

“Fair,” I mutter as I look back at him. “So what’s the third reason?”

“You’re heavier than you used to be.”

I stare at Revus blankly and blink a few times. I turn my head slightly and say, “I’m pretty sure the bags weigh more than me though.”

“Right, I’d have to carry both bags and a heavier you,” Revus continues, “Hate to break it to you, but you’re not as small or light as you used to be.”

I tilt my head and close my eyes. I don’t know if I should be mad about that or not. “Fine,” I mutter after a moment of silence, raising my hands, “I’d prefer flying on my own anyway.”

“If only you could do that well,” I hear Revus murmur quietly.

“Oh, well I’m sorry for thinking flying would be easy!” I bark.

“Who said flying was easy?” Revus inquires.

I open my mouth and raise my hand, but freeze and remain quiet. Right… Why did I think flying was going to be easy…?

“Well?” Revus remarks, then shakes his head, “Actually it might be better if you keep your mouth shut, at least I won’t have to hear you complain anymore.”

I turn and hit him in the arm. “Jerk…” I lean against the wooden trunk and sigh, “I was just… thinking about how I used to dream of seeing the sky.”

“From Svelta?” Revus asks, softening his tone.

“Yeah…” I murmur.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine. I think talking about it helps,” I reply then continue, “At the time, I wanted to fly into the sky. So after gaining wings, I guess I just assumed that flying would be easy.”

“That’s a rather weird thing to think about flying,” Revus comments, “You weren’t able to fly in your past, were you?”

“Not without the proper tools, but we could fly,” I answer.

“So why didn’t you?”

“They weren’t something available to me,” I state, “and I died before ever obtaining them.”

“Tch,” Revus clicks his tongue, then sighs. I turn to look at him and, as he scratches the back of his head, he says, “Sorry,” with a bit of frustration still present in his tone.

I smile, “Me too.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Revus replies, “You’re flying isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“That doesn’t,” I bluntly remark, “after all, you’re now going to criticize my flying, right?” Revus remains silent while he turns his head away from me. I chuckle, “See.”

“Well, it definitely needs improvement.”

Yeah, yeah, I know,” I sigh, pause for a moment, then ask, “Is it weird that I’m struggling to fly?”

“No,” Revus answers, “but there’s plenty of other things that make you weird.”

“I recall you saying I was weird before…” I murmur, “but I… don’t remember you saying anything specific.”

“Oh? Then what did I say, little miss perfect memory?” Revus taunts.

“Please don’t call me that…” I cringe, “and I think you said I was clueless about girls’ clothes and other similar things.”

Revus stares at me flatly, “So you can remember that conversation… but not simple words from our lessons?”

I scratch my cheek, “Sorry, but…” How do I say this without sounding weird? “I don’t want to be weird,” I mumble, “so I try to remember conversations about it.”

“Doesn’t that make you a little weird?”

“Uh… Probably,” I dismally concede.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being weird though,” Revus adds. “Besides, everyone is weird in their own way.”

“You think so…”

“Sure,” Revus states, “You, for example, are weird because you don’t know Parazic, Annic, Eidish, or Oljin. All of which are the most common languages.” Parazic, Annic… Yeah, guess that’s true. I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. He pauses, points a finger at my forehead, and continues, “No, instead you know some unheard of language Sveltish and lived in an unknown region.” Was Svelta really that isolated? “Additionally, you know about the axioms but you’ve never seen fish or snow before.” He pulls his hand back as I plant my face on my knees.

“So I am weird,” I utter.

“Yes, and regardless of what you do, you’ll be weird,” Revus explains. “If you’re too quiet, too loud, too busy…” he pauses, “too different, then you’ll always be weird to someone.”

“So others find you weird too?” I ask as I look up at him.

“One of the weirdest,” he chuckles lightly, “but it doesn’t change who I am or what I have to do. That weirdness is a part of me…” he looks down, “and the only thing I can do is try to accept it.”

“Sleeps,” I smile, “That… made me feel better.”

A swift wind blows through the forest and bombards us with an instant heatwave.

“Ugh,” I groan, “It’s so hot today.”

“Do you miss being cold now?”

“Definitely not,” I exclaim, “This is incomparably better than being cold.”

“Even though you’re wearing a dress?”

“Look, if I was forced to wear dresses for the rest of my life in trade for not being cold anymore, I’d take that deal immediately.”

“If you say so,” Revus says as he shakes his head. As I look up at the canopy, I yawn. Revus asks, “Want to take a nap?”

“I might,” I muse, “Would it be alright?”

“If you can sleep in this heat, then go for it,” Revus answers, “but we’re leaving once you wake up.”

“Works for me,” I reply as I pull my blanket from my bag, lay it against the bag, and lean against it. I close my eyes and try to get comfortable.

As I lay there, I hear Revus begin to walk away and quietly sigh, “It doesn’t change anything.”

A fierce heat rushes by, drying my throat and forcing me awake. Cough. Cough. It’s still so hot. I stand up and stretch my limbs, while pain emanates from my back. Still sore too. I see Revus sitting silently a short distance in front of me, gracing his soul. I reach into my bag, pull out a wooden canteen, remove the lid, and take a drink.

“Ah, much better,” I remark as I put the lid back on.

“Ready to go?” Revus asks as he gets up.

I stretch once more before putting my blanket and canteen away, “Not really, but…”

“Alright then let’s get going,” Revus states. Figures. I watch as he puts his bag on, and fastens it to his lower back, leaving space for his wings. He conjures his wings while I secure my bag on my back. I evoke my own and we both rise into the air.

Revus takes the lead as we start flying toward a colossal mountain in the distance. While traveling, we cautiously progress from one area to the next, typically by dashing from one spot to another. With the midday sun penetrating the green ceiling, any direct contact with sunlight burns, so we try to stay in shaded parts of the forest.

I struggle to maintain Revus’ pace so I call out, “Can we slow down a bit?”

Revus glides forward, allowing me to catch up, then says, “Is this really how fast you can go?”

“I can go faster,” I retort, “but I doubt I’ll be able to maintain that pace for the rest of the day.”

Revus sighs while shaking his head, “Fine, but I want to focus on trying to fix your technique.”

“Meaning…”

“Fly properly,” Revus answers bluntly, “Watch me, and try to replicate it. Simple.”

“Right…” I groan. If only it was that simple.

Revus speeds in front of me, stopping a short distance away from me, and starts swaying left, then right, while I mimic him. “Keep doing that while I monitor you.” From there, Revus scolds me about how to lean when moving side-to-side, when ascending and descending, and how to correctly turn around. We progress onward with Revus explaining how to speed up or slow down, ways to come to a stop, and ways to conserve energy by gliding instead of constant flapping.

The hours soar by as the flying lessons continue. The terrain around us slowly becomes more rocky and rough. The land is still full of vegetation, but is also now ravaged with constant hills, valleys, and ridges that progressively get worse the closer we get to the mountain. The sun has already begun its descent from the midday zenith. Heated wind occasionally blows us off course, and periodic gusts of dust fill the air.

While flying along a steep slope, Revus declares, “Let’s stop here for the night.”

I furrow my brows as my eyes bounce between him and the sky, “Why? We could keep going for a few more hours.”

As Revus descends toward a thick-trunked tree, I follow him. “We’ll go to sleep early tonight, and leave before dawn tomorrow.” He turns to look at me as we both land. “That should keep the heat off of us for a bit longer.”

“That makes sense,” I comment as I look at the landscape around us. The large tree juts out from the inclined hill. Thin, densely-packed leaves surround us, preventing anything from finding us in the air. The branch we are on is high enough from the ground to prevent anything from seeing us from below, while also large enough for us to set up camp atop it.

We both begin to remove our bags and set up camp for the night. As I pull my bedding from my bag, I ask, “So, when are you going to tell me about Kāālith?”

“Later,” Revus replies, as he sets up a makeshift kitchen.

“You keep saying that,” I sigh, “Could you at least explain why you won’t talk about it?”

Revus pauses for a second, looks up as he puts his hand on his chin, and answers, “Because I don’t want to.”

I turn, glare at him, and snap, “Really? You don’t want to?”

He returns to his work and continues, “Simply put, yes.”

“Come on, there’s got to be more to it than that.” I assert as I refocus on setting up our beds, “You don’t want me to worry about something again, right?”

“No,” Revus replies, shaking his head, “Just don’t feel like telling you.”

I move my eyes toward Revus for an instant. Yeah right. So, the question is, why is he keeping information about Kāālith from me? If it’s something that I’d worry about then… maybe it’s about my past? I shake my head. No… then maybe it’s about my new family? I lay down and spread the blankets over a flat area on the branch. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it because he’s worried about someone there?

I spring to my feet and spin to face Revus, “What’s the name of the fairy that’s watching over my siblings?”

“Why do you want to know about her?” he asks.

“Is that why you don’t want to talk about Kāālith?” I inquire, “Because you don’t get along with her?”

“Hmm…” Revus ponders, “No, we got along fine. If anything, I’m extremely grateful to her.”

“Why?” I murmur as I finish setting up our beds and move to help Revus with dinner preparations. As Revus opens his mouth, I quickly cut in, “Also, what’s her name?”

Revus sighs, “Novaraine.”

“Novaraine,” I mutter as I look up at him, “So, what’d she do for you to be extremely grateful?”

“You could say she raised me,” Revus softly smiles. His smile… I feel a knot in my chest. “After your parents took me in, they put Nova in charge of watching me.” Nova… I purse my lips.

“S-so, you like her?”

Revus chuckles, “Probably.”

“I see…” I mutter quietly.

“Hmmm, is someone jealous?” Revus asks as he lowers his head and grins in front of me.

“Of course not,” I blurt as I shove his face aside. Why would I be jealous? I’m a… girl…

Revus laughs, then gently says, “She’s the closest thing I have to a mother, and yet…” he frowns and goes silent. Something definitely happened.

“Alright, it’s not because of Novaraine. So, why don’t you want to talk about Kāālith?”

“Still don’t feel like talking about it.”

“Come on. All I know is that it’s a fairy sanctuary and that my siblings are there,” I plead, “There’s got to be other fairies? Is it some kind of city?” I pause for a second, put a finger on my chin, and continue, “No, if it’s a sanctuary, then maybe it’s a castle?”

“Do you want to know that bad?”

“Yes!” I exaggeratedly reply, “You keep leaving me in the dark. We’re heading there so of course I want to know.”

Revus chuckles, “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you though.”

“A surprise…” I murmur. Well, maybe not knowing isn’t so bad if he’s trying to surprise me with it but… “Can you at least tell me a little bit about it.”

“Fine,” Revus sighs, “Kāālith is a refuge for fairies in the mortal realm.”

“So it’s not a city?” I say, “Anything else?”

“It’s surrounded by several spirit trees to help keep it hidden. It’s…” he hesitates for a moment, “quite the sight.”

“You really need to stop doing that,” I state as I glance up at him.

“Doing what?” Revus inquires, looking at me.

“Whenever we’re talking, there’ll be these times where you just…” I pause, “I don’t know, sound sad?” I look at him concernedly.

Cough. Revus clears his throat, “It’s nothing.”

“I know you said I’d find out, but…” I stop. I shouldn’t, but I want to know. And maybe I can help him with his problems too. I inhale, resolving myself. “Did something happen to you?” Revus opens his mouth but before he can say anything I clarify, “And I mean, prior to me being born.”

Revus chuckles frivolously, “Nothing special happened.”

“If it’s nothing special,” I say, watching Revus start cutting up some vegetables, “then you shouldn’t have any issue with talking about it, right?”

Revus freezes, looks up toward the sky, and sighs, “I don’t…” He lowers his head and looks at me, “I don’t have any parents or siblings.”

“So you’re an orphan?”

Revus silently stares at me for a brief moment, then turns back and continues cutting the vegetables, while sullenly answering, “Yeah.”

“Well there’s nothing wrong with being an orphan,” I flatly say as I take the diced vegetables and start piercing them with a stick. “I used to know plenty of orphans, and several were better off than me.”

“Yeah well, where I lived,” Revus states, rubbing the back of his neck, “There were some people that didn’t like me.”

“Because you were an orphan?” I inquire, raising an eyebrow as I glance in his direction.

“Heh,” He lets out a small laugh, then mutters, “Something like that. Eventually, I happened to meet Lady Vestele and Sir Marth, and they took me in.”

“Then what?”

“I became your guard and,” he gestures toward the surrounding hills and trees, “here we are.”

I stop, look up at him, and blink a few times, “It feels like you skipped over quite a bit there.”

He smiles while nodding, “I sure did.”

I tilt my head as I look at the irritating man and sigh, “Care to elaborate?”

He shrugs, “Some important things happened, and some unimportant things happened.”

“Thanks,” I grumble. Why do I even bother? I sigh. “You really won’t tell me anymore?” Revus wordlessly takes the prepared skewers and places them over the fire. “Fine,” I gripe, “Then let’s talk about something else.”

Revus glances at me, refocuses on his work, and asks, “What did you have in mind?”

“You said you don’t know anything about my siblings, right?” I inquire.

“That’s correct.”

“Then how do you know I have siblings?”

“Simple,” Revus claims, “Your parents made four buds, however I-” he stops for a moment, “I know of your siblings, but I haven’t met them yet.”

“You’re doing that thing again,” I state.

Revus sighs, “Sorry.”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing,” I reply as I look back up at him, “but if you want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen. I-”

“Thanks,” Revus smiles, “We’ll talk about it some other time though.” I sulk as I lower my gaze. Revus continues, “Is there anything else you want to know?”

“Do you know their names?”

“Not specifically.”

I finish my final preparations, pass them to Revus, and begin wiping my hands with a cloth. “Since you don’t know much about them, there’s no real point in asking anymore, so next would be…” I trail off.

“Lady Vestele and Sir Marth?” Revus queries as he places the skewers over an open flame to roast them.

“Yeah,” I nod.

“Hmm,” Revus ponders for a moment while I walk over to my cushioned bedding and sit down. “Where to begin?”

“How about the beginning?” I say candidly.

“The beginning,” Revus mutters, “My first impression of Lady Vestele and Sir Marth might’ve been the first and only time I truly feared for my life.”

“Are they that scary?”

“Not really scary, more like terrifying.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“When you live merely to survive, you become used to being treated a certain way.”

“I… know that feeling.”

“Is that so?” Revus murmurs, “Well, your parents, unlike everyone else I had met up to that point, treated me like I was someone and no one all at the same time.”

“Could you stop speaking in riddles,” I complain.

Revus sighs, “They made me feel welcomed. They weren’t mean or unfriendly, but at the same time, they made sure that I knew that at any moment, I could be executed.”

I stare at Revus blankly for a bit, “Isn’t execution, I don’t know, a bit extreme?”

“Was it?” Revus questions, “You hire an orphan and he is given the job of guarding their daughter. Wouldn’t most parents go to extremes for their children?”

“Maybe…” I mutter quietly as I lower my head. Not my mom though…

“Looks like I’m not the only one that does the whole, getting sad thing,” Revus playfully comments.

“Yeah… well…”

“Lady Vestele and Sir Marth are your parents,” Revus states clearly, “The woman in your past no longer has any ties to you.”

“Right…” I smile faintly, “Uh… Why do you call them lady and sir though? Are they important?” I guess they would be if they have servants that work for them, and even private guards for their kids.

“They’re definitely important,” Revus chuckles, “Maybe not the most important, but they’re among the most important.”

“Are they a-” How do I say bureaucrat in Zoic? “Ah, an important public leader or maybe the owners of a big business?”

Revus tilts his head as he stares at me, “A public leader? I guess you could call them that.”

“So, my family has money…” I note, then look up at Revus, “They are paying you enough, right?”

Revus laughs, “Yes, they’re paying me plenty.”

“Good,” I satisfyingly remark, “So, aside from being scary and important, what are they like?”

“Sir Marth is pretty quiet overall, so I don’t know much about him,” Revus answers, staring into the deep-green canopy, “but he’s strong.”

“Strong?”

Revus looks at me, then states, “Remarkably so. He’s also very diligent. He manages many fairies, but always pays them for the work they do.” He smirks lightly,” I may have more respect for him than any other fairy I’ve ever met.”

“He sounds like a good person.”

“He is,” Revus affirms, nodding slightly.

“Then what about…”

“Lady Vestele is…” Revus pauses for a moment, finishes cooking, and grabs two plates. He walks over to me, sits down, and hands me one. As I grab a skewer of roasted vegetables and meat, Revus continues, “She’s deceptively foolish.”

I freeze, “Huh?” I blink, furrowing my brow while holding the skewer in front of me. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask before taking a bite.

Revus chuckles as he eats. Once he stops, he answers, “She’s a bit like you.”

“How so?”

“She’s very outgoing, and finds enjoyment in even simple matters, but under her playful facade, she’s incredibly wise and cares more about others than anyone I know.”

I smile briefly, then softly murmur as it fades, “She’s so different from… that woman. She sounds nice…”

“She is,” Revus affirms.

Between bites of food, I ask, “Why aren’t my… parents… Are they not also at Kāālith?”

“No,” Revus denies, “About ten years ago, a problem arose in the spectral realm and it caused massive damage to several nations.”

“What happened?”

Revus eats another skewer, then answers, “I’m not sure, but many of the younger generation fairies were evacuated to the cardinal realms.”

“So my parents?”

“They’re still in the spectral realm,” Revus replies, “I assume they’re helping to amend the damages in the spectral realm before the fairies, like us, can return.”

I glance at Revus and ask, “You’re not lying to me are you?”

“I told you before. I won’t lie to you,” he clearly answers, “I honestly don’t know the status of the spectral realm, or your parents.”

“So they could be-”

“I can promise you,” Revus interjects, “Your parents are fine.”

I smile, “If you say so.”

Revus finishes his food, and asks, “You want a bath?”

I chew and ponder, before swallowing my food, and responding, “No. If we’re getting up early tomorrow, then I want to get as much sleep as possible.”

“Sleepyhead,” Revus chuckles.

“I am not,” I retort, “You just don’t sleep enough.”

“I sleep plenty.”

“Fine,” I grin as I finish my last skewer, “When we get to Kāālith, I’ll ask Novaraine whether or not you have…” I pause for a moment, and continue in Sveltish, “insomnia.”

Revus raises an eyebrow and smiles, “Do as you please.”