Now that I’ve accomplished what I could to keep this gde hidden, I suppose I ought to be returning home.Mum will be worried, and I’d like to know how Mr. Loca is faring.Also, if the guards discover this pce despite my efforts, I have no intention of confronting them.I’ve already caused sufficient trouble directly outside the forest, and I don’t wish to give anyone an even greater reason to search for me.Besides, they’re simply doing their duty as they ought.
After putting a few finishing touches on the pnts hiding my small meadow, I proceed to bance my energies once again.They’ve meddled with my mind more than enough for one day.And it’s still only morning!Hence, making certain to not fill myself entirely, I gather my typical assortment of essence from my surroundings: wind from the gentle breeze, water from the trickling stream, and nature from the trees, along with only a tiny portion of earth and sunlight.Then Nibi and I proceed along the trail towards the edge of the forest.However, as we’re flying, I suddenly hear voices approaching.The guards must have entered the woods!I need to hide!
Swiftly flying to a rge tree, I position it between me and the approaching people.Nibi, of course, quickly realizes my intentions and hovers in pce directly beneath me.Hopefully, they won’t see our glow, as we’re both currently using magic.
Since we need to wait for them to pass by before I am able to safely do anything else, I decide to eavesdrop on their conversation.Judging by the voices, I don’t believe that I’m personally acquainted with any of this particur group.
“-your eyes open, we don’t know if there are any more of those creatures waiting for us at the end of this trail.”
“Do you truly believe we’ll find others? You heard the commander. Bears are always seen alone and are quite rare. Bears suffering from that dreadful corruption, this far from the Evergrove, even more so.”
Corruption?Oh, that poor animal.
Pa once told me that corruption is what occurs when magic becomes twisted, and Maline expined it to me as magic gone wrong, taking over rather than helping a creature as it should.As everything has magic to some degree, it’s possible that it can affect any living creature.Yet it seems to require higher levels of magic than most would usually encounter.Apparently, other nds have various names for this affliction, as people in Mum’s homend call it mutation.
I’ve never personally encountered anything affected by it, before today, I suppose, but those creatures that contract it have their bodies changed in some way, growing in strength and showing simirities to monsters.Moreover, as the word implies, their minds are corrupted, and in the same manner as a senseless monster, they’ll begin attacking all those in sight.Yet, they nearly always perish shortly afterwards, within days.At least, that’s what Maline said when I asked her about it.It was included in her mum’s lessons for her, evidently.
Thankfully, nowadays this affliction is quite rarely seen in animals and almost unheard of amongst humans.Something about humans generally being smart enough to not overly fill themselves with magic, or was it that people are resistant to it?In any case, only schors can offer an account of a time when it seems people truly feared it happening to them, during the supposed birth of monsters.Which some say corruption is responsible for, the mad animals changing fully into monsters over time instead of dying.A belief that may hold some truth, as the horrid forest far to the south, the monster-infested Evergrove, is said to spread it to many animals foolish enough to enter there, and it’s a much greater worry in those parts.Thankfully, brave soldiers continuously hold that twisted wood at bay, containing that evil within.
Hmm, if the bear was already suffering from such distress, perhaps that’s why it tore apart my gde?But why was there only a trail of destruction leading away from it?The pnts along the original path were unharmed, even though its tracks clearly showed in the soil.Yet it burst through the woods towards the road, as if it went mad.
Perhaps it wasn’t corrupted when it arrived?Or at least, not entirely?If so, it could mean that the cause of this ailment may have been in the pnts it devoured.Certainly, something within the gde was sufficiently attractive to the bear that it consumed only the gde itself, leaving the nearby forest untouched.But the only difference between that gde and the rest of forest…Was that I used magic there.
No, it couldn’t be.Yet…What if I somehow corrupted it!?Perhaps something I accidently caused with my magic?Could this mady be spread by fairies!?
The more I consider it, the more feasible it seems.I have magic of all different types avaible to me, and corruption is a magical ailment.Moreover, fairies are generally thought a myth, so if they are a source of corruption, no one would know.
Wait.Mum knows many a song, poem, and tale about fairies, and the ones I can recall are at least near to the truth.As I thought before, that means someone must have met them.Someone who lived a long, long time ago.Which is when people worried about becoming corrupted…
Oh shit!I can’t wait any longer!My return to the fairy gde needs to happen immediately!Guards, please walk faster!I must leave!
Ugh, why didn’t I fly directly home to begin with!?My family isn’t with me, and the thickly grown trees can’t block a fairy’s path, so we’ve no need for the trail.Yet, now they’ll see us if we move.If they’re searching for danger, surely they’ll notice lights moving through the trees.Also, apparently, they’re not in any great hurry.From the sounds of it, they’re still strolling along and talking.
“-worried about what could have so easily killed that bear. Yes, the commander said it only had a small portion of a rager’s strength, judging by the tiny spines on its back, but that was sufficient for it to overturn a fully loaded wagon. Yet, some mysterious creature caught it up and dropped it from the sky, as well as a portion of the meadow for good measure.”
“Perhaps it woke a dragon from its slumber? What else could possibly fly with such a heavy animal for nearly a kilometer?”
Yes, I’m a dragon.Now run away!Stop walking so slowly!
Wait.The bear is dead?And they found it how far away!?That’s impossible!
“Hah, a dragon. As if a fabled creature like that would be sleeping in these woods. But say they do actually exist and one just happened to be passing by, the farmers saw no such thing, nor were there cw or teeth marks to be seen. Either on the corpse or on the ground.”
“Then do you suppose there’s a new breed of monster living nearby?”
“Perhaps, but I doubt a monster of such a rge size would be hiding in these dense woods. Not without leaving a trail of-”
At st!I don’t need to hear any more, they’re far enough away.Time for us to leave this pce.
Instead of continuing along the trail towards the road, I orient myself and travel through the forest in the direction of my home.The closely growing trees, while fully blocking the passage of humans, are of little hindrance to me and Nibi.Without wind essence thoroughly gusting through me, the return journey takes considerably longer than the outward trip, but we still arrive at the forest’s edge facing the vilge before midday.
In an attempt to remain unseen, I fly through the trees till I’m at the farthest possible distance from both the southern and eastern gates.Then, flying near to the grass, I rush towards the palisade, and once I arrive, quickly ascend to the top of it, Nibi following me all the while.From there, the small gaps between the tips offer sufficient space for me to peer inside.
Luckily, there doesn’t appear to be anyone currently nearby.Moreover, Mum and Talia are standing in the distance near where I first exited the wall, surely waiting for me.I should be able to reach them without trouble.Yet, the impending conversation is bound to be quite unpleasant.*Sigh*Mum will almost certainly scold me for my actions.Recently, I’ve been constantly worrying her, and this time, I even knew of the danger yet flew directly into it, instead of allowing the guards to do their duty.Perhaps I should continue on to the fairy gde immediately?She may be calm by the time I return…
No, I can’t.I told her that I would show her I could keep myself safe before leaving.Also, fleeing now would only make her worry more.I’ll simply have to expin myself the best I can.Ugh.
Before I fly to them, I need to make certain of one thing first, however.
“Nibi, could you please not use any magic near my family for the time being.”
I’m unaware of how, or even if, my magic caused the corruption in the bear, but it’s certain that something about my actions in our gde seemed attractive to that dangerous creature, and I truly don’t wish to draw more of them here before I leave.Nor do I want Nibi to do so either.
“Miep?”
“Because I’m worried something bad may happen to them because of it.”
“Miep?”
“Please, Nibi. Just till we return to the fairy gde.”
“Miep. Yes.”
“Thank you.”
With her assent obtained, I enter the vilge and speed towards Talia.When I cease maintaining my barrier a short distance from her, it vanishes, and Nibi also allows her magic to fade.Then we both swiftly slip under my sister’s hair and onto her shoulder.
“Aah!”
However, it would seem that she didn’t see us approaching.I nearly tumbled off when she got startled.
“Talia, it’s us!”
“Sis? Next time, give me a warning before you crawl onto me!”
Standing directly nearby, Mum didn’t miss her cry, of course.
“Talia? Did they return?”
For a moment, Sis pulls aside her hair to allow Mum a glimpse of us.
“Oh, thank goodness! I was worried when I heard what happened. Come, we ought to return home. Our visit must wait for another day. With an unknown creature abroad, no one will be allowed outside the walls for the time being without an important reason. Also, we need to talk.”
*Sigh*I was afraid she was going to say that.
Well, since I must only wait while they walk the short journey home, I ought to learn from Talia what I’m able.
“Sis, did you see Maline and her family enter the vilge?”
“Yes, I greeted Lulu when I saw her, but they were in a hurry to follow the ones carrying Mr. Loka to their home. He seemed badly injured. Mum and I would’ve gone with them, but we had to wait for a certain fairy to return.”
“Sorry. I, um, had a bit of a fright while I was away and had to clean up a mess before I could fly home.”
“Oh, so then, did you see the giant monster that destroyed the meadow!?”
Uh huh.The giant monster.That incredibly intimidating creature capable of immense destruction…Also known as a tiny girl with a staggering height of nine centimeters, thin butterfly wings, a somewhat childish appearance, and who is fairly ignorant about magic.*Sigh*How am I to expin this?I was there, and even I can scarcely believe it.What should I say!?
“W-we should wait till we return home, then I’ll tell both you and Mum together.”
That should earn me at least a little bit of time.
“Okay. Mum, let’s hurry home!”
Ack!She suddenly began running!And Mum quickly follows suit!Do they wish to hear my story that badly!?Beside me, Nibi is grinning, seemingly enjoying the ride, but the bouncing makes it difficult to stay in pce.And it certainly doesn’t help me work out what I ought to say!
Ugh, we’ve arrived at our home already.I’ve only till Mum gets seated before she starts asking questions.Think, Akari!…Agh!How do I expin such an impossible event?Moreover, I also wish to ask for permission to travel to the fairies immediately, a journey which Mum is certainly not going to be pleased with.And this when she’s surely already angry with me!