Chapter 86: Wake Up Call
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Sangfroid was about to make a choice. Then, his mind suddenly flashed on something strange.
The Lord of the Dark Gifts..... Did he only ever meet him at the night that he transformed the royal family?
Why does it feel like..... he had known that golden eyes and toothy, mischievous grin long, long before that?
"Can you hear me?"
Sangfroid jolted, and looked around. King Leron looked curiously at him, following his line of sight. But there was no one else, just the two of them in this red and white splattered bed.
"Sangfroid? I'm asking you to make a decision now. What are you waiting for?" The King shook him, his blue-green eyes showing a bit of an annoyance.
"Don't you hear him, Your Majesty?" Sangfroid got up from the bed, dagger still on hand. He walked outside the room.
"Hear who?" The King frowned and joined him, but seeing that he was leaving the room, he assumed that Sangfroid must have chosen to fulfill his wish.
His face brightened, an unsettling kind of brightness. "Are you going to Veridia's room now? Be careful, don't make any sound or you would wake her. But if that does happen, don't hesitate to shout for me and I'll assist you."
He did not answer and walked in a daze, like a string was attached around him and he was being pulled. He soon realize that he was being brought to the windowsill, where the moon had once again shone high in the nearly-morning-but-not-quite sky. Laden with stars, yet the purple one shining brightly beside the crescent moon that resembles a devious smile.
"Can you hear me?"
The voice repeated, and now, it does seem to be coming from the moon.
Sangfroid looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Who... are you?"
"It's me, Min Libitino. My death. Wake up, and come back to me."
He found himself reaching out into the golden moonlight, and everything around him is slowly turning into a blur. King Leron shouted behind him, but he cannot make sense of any of it. There was a vague recollection in that voice, he knows that it truly was the Lord of the Dark Gifts. But there was also a memory of the two of them.... in a small hill... overlooking a field....
Warm morning, cold breeze. Violent laughter, calm hearts. Nonsensical poems, yet evoking an emotion so real.
He opened his eyes back to the tent they were sleeping in.
A glowing dragonfly rested on his nose, then almost grouchily left, haughtily fluttering its wings. When he saw the green fog surrounding them, he immediately left his bed and searched for Leron's tent.
"He failed the test, if not for your intervention."
He heard a cacophony of voices speaking, none of which he can discern whether it was feminine or masculine, young or old. Their campfire that used to be just small enough to only burn a chicken had now grown into a pillar of green flames. He quickly reached for his bow and arrow.
Another voice spoke, something more familiar than the first one. "It's all part of the deal, isn't it? I passed, and that's what matters. Even if he and Leron didn't."
"Vladstin...." Sangfroid muttered. His dream quickly flashed in his memory, and how it felt so real. Vladstin was the Lord of Dark Gifts. And then....
He's slowly losing grasp of that dream. The details are starting to blur.
The indiscernible voice spoke. "Who told you that you passed? You just found the alternative."
Vladstin answered again without his usual unhinged` tone. "Alternative? Hmm... so you mean to say I haven't found the right answer to this so-called test, either. But still, winning is winning."
Sangfroid tried to look for him everywhere, but he cannot be seen. But judging from the voice, he must be somewhere behind the green flame. If he wants to see him, he had to move, and he can't because he fears this unknown and potential enemy that has no form might see him.
"An enemy you can't see is the most dangerous indeed, right, Sangfroid?"
The former Huntsman jerked and immediately shoot in the direction of the voice, but the arrow just got stuck on a tree.
"But truly, what is more dangerous is not being able to see which is an ally and which is an enemy, which one you must protect and value, and which one you must despise. It is dangerous to not know the identity of everyone."
"Who are you?" Sangfroid shouted, drawing another arrow. "Vladstin, where are you?"
Vladstin answered back with the usual crazed tone. "Oh, Min Libitino! You are awake! Just wait here, I still have somewhere to travel to before we can be physically reunited again!"
Sangfroid then realized that Vladstin was not behind the fire, but within it. He hurriedly rushed towards it. "Why are you in there? What is going on? Where are you going?"
"All questions will be answered later." Vladstin said. "But for now....."
"I still have to pay Leron's mind a visit."
-----------------------------
"You must sacrifice yourself."
Leron gulped, walking to the ledge and watching the waters below, getting nauseous from the height.
But Triton placed a hand over his shoulder. "Or not. You can always let Sangfroid die. Who is he to you but a mere royal guard? His loyalty has already been well-appreciated, but you can still choose to live happily with the man of your dreams."
"Yes.... Your Highness...." Sangfroid spat out the blood. "Continue on without me.... Hah.....
His feet were slowly growing scales, and soon he will be a merman again, then into sea foam absorbed by this Palace's expensive carpet.
Vladstin's tears fell, and he shook his head. "No! I won't forgive you if you let Sangfroid die!"
"And I won't forgive you either if you ask Prince Leron to die for me." Sangfroid said.
Leron clenched his fist. "Isn't there any other way!? None of us will be satisfied with any of the outcome!"
Triton rubbed his chin, pretending to think carefully. "Well, you see.... That's the funny thing about love. There cannot be true. There can be two, a pair...."
"So your heart must choose. If you want Sangfroid to live and be together with him, you must stab Vladstin and become a merman again, returning to your kingdom where you have longed to escape. But at least, you wouldn't feel guilt. Or, you could let Sangfroid die like I said, and make the land of humans your new home, forget about your past completely."
"Or you could jump, and abandon both your past and future in exchange for..... What?" Triton chuckled." These two would not be happy with each other. Maybe they will over time, but do you really want that? Are you a selfless person, Leron?"
Every word the sea god spoke made Leron increasingly lose his mind, like he was slowly being crushed by heavy weights. It was like venom in his veins, corroding his heart and lungs and rendering him hopeless and breathless. There are too many thoughts, too many choices!
Suddenly, someone spoke.
"That's not the only option, though."
He turned around to the people behind him to look for who was speaking, but none of them opened their mouths. They just waited expectantly for his decision.
So, he looked down the water...
And there was a man floating in there, bathed in the silver moonlight.
It was Vladstin. But not the same one as the prince behind him. He looked like.....
He looked like a monster!
"Deny that any of this is real." He said, and despite the distance, it somehow reached his ear. "Leron, wake up. Stop looking for forgiveness and just accept things as it is. Accept that it is all over."
Leron's breathing quickened. Yes, Vladstin was not just a prince he was vying attention for...
He was someone he turned into a monster.
"You cannot save me. But you can still come back to Sangfroid, he's waiting for you on the other side."
At this, he recalled the butterflies again. The memory is vivid now. Their joys of childhood. Just because it was in the past... Doesn't mean it is irrelevant to the present.
Sangfroid needs him, and he had abandoned him for so long.
Vladstin grinned at him on the waters below, like he was the siren instead that lures sailors to their deaths. "Jump."
Leron nodded, and placed one foot on the ledge. Everyone's eyes widen.
Sangfroid immediately crawled in a pitiful bleeding state to stop him. "No! Your Highness, don't!"
Even the Vladstin in the Palace called out to stop him, as well as King Triton, but all their voices are unheard.
SPLASH!
------------------------
When Leron woke up, the green fog was already clearing up.
An angry dragonfly flew, before being squashed between the familiar clawed hands of someone pale.
"All done." Vladstin said, the flame behind him casting shadows over his face. It was an eerie green color but it got smaller and turned back to gold. Right bodies him was Sangfroid, who was looking at him with much worry.
They were all gathered outside the tents, and soon, he realized that there was a fourth figure with them.
The figure was an androgynous individual, with long flowing hair and emerald-like eyes. They wore a cloak of moss and vines. They have four thin wings, and a headpiece of crystals.
Their face is always changing into someone they vaguely knew, yet also a complete stranger. Because of their clothing, they can camouflage well into to woods and be barely noticed. It's like he was there, but also never was.
Like a dream.
"Congratulations, you three. I had a lot of fun." They said.
They turn to leave, but Sangfroid shot an arrow that hits them on the shoulder.
"You can't just go anywhere, you need to explain." Sangfroid said. "Vladstin said you are not human like him, but you're not a vampire either. What are you?"
"Hmm." Green sap flowed from the individual's wound as they took out the arrow. "I suppose I am what you people call a 'fairy'."
"Fairy..... Those are just another name for flowers that cause sleepiness." Leron said. "And even the ones in the myths from the books I've read do not cause large-scale illusions like this."
"You could say that I am a Fairy King or Queen, then. Whichever you prefer. " The fairy said. "Just like how the little wolf here is the Vampire lord and different from other vampires, so am I. Though unlike him, I had always been the only one of my kind, I never knew another Fairy King or Queen like me."
"Do you not have a name?" Sangfroid asked.
"It doesn't have an identity." Vladstin said.
"I do. Actually, thanks to our little playtime, I gain a shard of my former memories now." The fairy said. "Before.... I was called Mandrien by a group of young children playing in the fields here."
Mandrien bowed deeply to them. "Good to make your acquaintance."
And vanished as the sun appeared from the horizon.
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Sangfroid was about to make a choice. Then, his mind suddenly flashed on something strange.
The Lord of the Dark Gifts..... Did he only ever meet him at the night that he transformed the royal family?
Why does it feel like..... he had known that golden eyes and toothy, mischievous grin long, long before that?
"Can you hear me?"
Sangfroid jolted, and looked around. King Leron looked curiously at him, following his line of sight. But there was no one else, just the two of them in this red and white splattered bed.
"Sangfroid? I'm asking you to make a decision now. What are you waiting for?" The King shook him, his blue-green eyes showing a bit of an annoyance.
"Don't you hear him, Your Majesty?" Sangfroid got up from the bed, dagger still on hand. He walked outside the room.
"Hear who?" The King frowned and joined him, but seeing that he was leaving the room, he assumed that Sangfroid must have chosen to fulfill his wish.
His face brightened, an unsettling kind of brightness. "Are you going to Veridia's room now? Be careful, don't make any sound or you would wake her. But if that does happen, don't hesitate to shout for me and I'll assist you."
He did not answer and walked in a daze, like a string was attached around him and he was being pulled. He soon realize that he was being brought to the windowsill, where the moon had once again shone high in the nearly-morning-but-not-quite sky. Laden with stars, yet the purple one shining brightly beside the crescent moon that resembles a devious smile.
"Can you hear me?"
The voice repeated, and now, it does seem to be coming from the moon.
Sangfroid looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Who... are you?"
"It's me, Min Libitino. My death. Wake up, and come back to me."
He found himself reaching out into the golden moonlight, and everything around him is slowly turning into a blur. King Leron shouted behind him, but he cannot make sense of any of it. There was a vague recollection in that voice, he knows that it truly was the Lord of the Dark Gifts. But there was also a memory of the two of them.... in a small hill... overlooking a field....
Warm morning, cold breeze. Violent laughter, calm hearts. Nonsensical poems, yet evoking an emotion so real.
He opened his eyes back to the tent they were sleeping in.
A glowing dragonfly rested on his nose, then almost grouchily left, haughtily fluttering its wings. When he saw the green fog surrounding them, he immediately left his bed and searched for Leron's tent.
"He failed the test, if not for your intervention."
He heard a cacophony of voices speaking, none of which he can discern whether it was feminine or masculine, young or old. Their campfire that used to be just small enough to only burn a chicken had now grown into a pillar of green flames. He quickly reached for his bow and arrow.
Another voice spoke, something more familiar than the first one. "It's all part of the deal, isn't it? I passed, and that's what matters. Even if he and Leron didn't."
"Vladstin...." Sangfroid muttered. His dream quickly flashed in his memory, and how it felt so real. Vladstin was the Lord of Dark Gifts. And then....
He's slowly losing grasp of that dream. The details are starting to blur.
The indiscernible voice spoke. "Who told you that you passed? You just found the alternative."
Vladstin answered again without his usual unhinged` tone. "Alternative? Hmm... so you mean to say I haven't found the right answer to this so-called test, either. But still, winning is winning."
Sangfroid tried to look for him everywhere, but he cannot be seen. But judging from the voice, he must be somewhere behind the green flame. If he wants to see him, he had to move, and he can't because he fears this unknown and potential enemy that has no form might see him.
"An enemy you can't see is the most dangerous indeed, right, Sangfroid?"
The former Huntsman jerked and immediately shoot in the direction of the voice, but the arrow just got stuck on a tree.
"But truly, what is more dangerous is not being able to see which is an ally and which is an enemy, which one you must protect and value, and which one you must despise. It is dangerous to not know the identity of everyone."
"Who are you?" Sangfroid shouted, drawing another arrow. "Vladstin, where are you?"
Vladstin answered back with the usual crazed tone. "Oh, Min Libitino! You are awake! Just wait here, I still have somewhere to travel to before we can be physically reunited again!"
Sangfroid then realized that Vladstin was not behind the fire, but within it. He hurriedly rushed towards it. "Why are you in there? What is going on? Where are you going?"
"All questions will be answered later." Vladstin said. "But for now....."
"I still have to pay Leron's mind a visit."
-----------------------------
"You must sacrifice yourself."
Leron gulped, walking to the ledge and watching the waters below, getting nauseous from the height.
But Triton placed a hand over his shoulder. "Or not. You can always let Sangfroid die. Who is he to you but a mere royal guard? His loyalty has already been well-appreciated, but you can still choose to live happily with the man of your dreams."
"Yes.... Your Highness...." Sangfroid spat out the blood. "Continue on without me.... Hah.....
His feet were slowly growing scales, and soon he will be a merman again, then into sea foam absorbed by this Palace's expensive carpet.
Vladstin's tears fell, and he shook his head. "No! I won't forgive you if you let Sangfroid die!"
"And I won't forgive you either if you ask Prince Leron to die for me." Sangfroid said.
Leron clenched his fist. "Isn't there any other way!? None of us will be satisfied with any of the outcome!"
Triton rubbed his chin, pretending to think carefully. "Well, you see.... That's the funny thing about love. There cannot be true. There can be two, a pair...."
"So your heart must choose. If you want Sangfroid to live and be together with him, you must stab Vladstin and become a merman again, returning to your kingdom where you have longed to escape. But at least, you wouldn't feel guilt. Or, you could let Sangfroid die like I said, and make the land of humans your new home, forget about your past completely."
"Or you could jump, and abandon both your past and future in exchange for..... What?" Triton chuckled." These two would not be happy with each other. Maybe they will over time, but do you really want that? Are you a selfless person, Leron?"
Every word the sea god spoke made Leron increasingly lose his mind, like he was slowly being crushed by heavy weights. It was like venom in his veins, corroding his heart and lungs and rendering him hopeless and breathless. There are too many thoughts, too many choices!
Suddenly, someone spoke.
"That's not the only option, though."
He turned around to the people behind him to look for who was speaking, but none of them opened their mouths. They just waited expectantly for his decision.
So, he looked down the water...
And there was a man floating in there, bathed in the silver moonlight.
It was Vladstin. But not the same one as the prince behind him. He looked like.....
He looked like a monster!
"Deny that any of this is real." He said, and despite the distance, it somehow reached his ear. "Leron, wake up. Stop looking for forgiveness and just accept things as it is. Accept that it is all over."
Leron's breathing quickened. Yes, Vladstin was not just a prince he was vying attention for...
He was someone he turned into a monster.
"You cannot save me. But you can still come back to Sangfroid, he's waiting for you on the other side."
At this, he recalled the butterflies again. The memory is vivid now. Their joys of childhood. Just because it was in the past... Doesn't mean it is irrelevant to the present.
Sangfroid needs him, and he had abandoned him for so long.
Vladstin grinned at him on the waters below, like he was the siren instead that lures sailors to their deaths. "Jump."
Leron nodded, and placed one foot on the ledge. Everyone's eyes widen.
Sangfroid immediately crawled in a pitiful bleeding state to stop him. "No! Your Highness, don't!"
Even the Vladstin in the Palace called out to stop him, as well as King Triton, but all their voices are unheard.
SPLASH!
------------------------
When Leron woke up, the green fog was already clearing up.
An angry dragonfly flew, before being squashed between the familiar clawed hands of someone pale.
"All done." Vladstin said, the flame behind him casting shadows over his face. It was an eerie green color but it got smaller and turned back to gold. Right bodies him was Sangfroid, who was looking at him with much worry.
They were all gathered outside the tents, and soon, he realized that there was a fourth figure with them.
The figure was an androgynous individual, with long flowing hair and emerald-like eyes. They wore a cloak of moss and vines. They have four thin wings, and a headpiece of crystals.
Their face is always changing into someone they vaguely knew, yet also a complete stranger. Because of their clothing, they can camouflage well into to woods and be barely noticed. It's like he was there, but also never was.
Like a dream.
"Congratulations, you three. I had a lot of fun." They said.
They turn to leave, but Sangfroid shot an arrow that hits them on the shoulder.
"You can't just go anywhere, you need to explain." Sangfroid said. "Vladstin said you are not human like him, but you're not a vampire either. What are you?"
"Hmm." Green sap flowed from the individual's wound as they took out the arrow. "I suppose I am what you people call a 'fairy'."
"Fairy..... Those are just another name for flowers that cause sleepiness." Leron said. "And even the ones in the myths from the books I've read do not cause large-scale illusions like this."
"You could say that I am a Fairy King or Queen, then. Whichever you prefer. " The fairy said. "Just like how the little wolf here is the Vampire lord and different from other vampires, so am I. Though unlike him, I had always been the only one of my kind, I never knew another Fairy King or Queen like me."
"Do you not have a name?" Sangfroid asked.
"It doesn't have an identity." Vladstin said.
"I do. Actually, thanks to our little playtime, I gain a shard of my former memories now." The fairy said. "Before.... I was called Mandrien by a group of young children playing in the fields here."
Mandrien bowed deeply to them. "Good to make your acquaintance."
And vanished as the sun appeared from the horizon.
Sangfroid was about to make a choice. Then, his mind suddenly flashed on something strange.The Lord of the Dark Gifts..... Did he only ever meet him at the night that he transformed the royal family?Why does it feel like..... he had known that golden eyes and toothy, mischievous grin long, long before that?"Can you hear me?"Sangfroid jolted, and looked around. King Leron looked curiously at him, following his line of sight. But there was no one else, just the two of them in this red and white splattered bed."Sangfroid? I'm asking you to make a decision now. What are you waiting for?" The King shook him, his blue-green eyes showing a bit of an annoyance."Don't you hear him, Your Majesty?" Sangfroid got up from the bed, dagger still on hand. He walked outside the room."Hear who?" The King frowned and joined him, but seeing that he was leaving the room, he assumed that Sangfroid must have chosen to fulfill his wish.His face brightened, an unsettling kind of brightness. "Are you going to Veridia's room now? Be careful, don't make any sound or you would wake her. But if that does happen, don't hesitate to shout for me and I'll assist you."He did not answer and walked in a daze, like a string was attached around him and he was being pulled. He soon realize that he was being brought to the windowsill, where the moon had once again shone high in the nearly-morning-but-not-quite sky. Laden with stars, yet the purple one shining brightly beside the crescent moon that resembles a devious smile."Can you hear me?"The voice repeated, and now, it does seem to be coming from the moon.Sangfroid looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Who... are you?""It's me, Min Libitino. My death. Wake up, and come back to me."He found himself reaching out into the golden moonlight, and everything around him is slowly turning into a blur. King Leron shouted behind him, but he cannot make sense of any of it. There was a vague recollection in that voice, he knows that it truly was the Lord of the Dark Gifts. But there was also a memory of the two of them.... in a small hill... overlooking a field....Warm morning, cold breeze. Violent laughter, calm hearts. Nonsensical poems, yet evoking an emotion so real.He opened his eyes back to the tent they were sleeping in.A glowing dragonfly rested on his nose, then almost grouchily left, haughtily fluttering its wings. When he saw the green fog surrounding them, he immediately left his bed and searched for Leron's tent."He failed the test, if not for your intervention."He heard a cacophony of voices speaking, none of which he can discern whether it was feminine or masculine, young or old. Their campfire that used to be just small enough to only burn a chicken had now grown into a pillar of green flames. He quickly reached for his bow and arrow.Another voice spoke, something more familiar than the first one. "It's all part of the deal, isn't it? I passed, and that's what matters. Even if he and Leron didn't.""Vladstin...." Sangfroid muttered. His dream quickly flashed in his memory, and how it felt so real. Vladstin was the Lord of Dark Gifts. And then....He's slowly losing grasp of that dream. The details are starting to blur.The indiscernible voice spoke. "Who told you that you passed? You just found the alternative."Vladstin answered again without his usual unhinged` tone. "Alternative? Hmm... so you mean to say I haven't found the right answer to this so-called test, either. But still, winning is winning."Sangfroid tried to look for him everywhere, but he cannot be seen. But judging from the voice, he must be somewhere behind the green flame. If he wants to see him, he had to move, and he can't because he fears this unknown and potential enemy that has no form might see him."An enemy you can't see is the most dangerous indeed, right, Sangfroid?"The former Huntsman jerked and immediately shoot in the direction of the voice, but the arrow just got stuck on a tree."But truly, what is more dangerous is not being able to see which is an ally and which is an enemy, which one you must protect and value, and which one you must despise. It is dangerous to not know the identity of everyone.""Who are you?" Sangfroid shouted, drawing another arrow. "Vladstin, where are you?"Vladstin answered back with the usual crazed tone. "Oh, Min Libitino! You are awake! Just wait here, I still have somewhere to travel to before we can be physically reunited again!"Sangfroid then realized that Vladstin was not behind the fire, but within it. He hurriedly rushed towards it. "Why are you in there? What is going on? Where are you going?""All questions will be answered later." Vladstin said. "But for now.....""I still have to pay Leron's mind a visit."-----------------------------"You must sacrifice yourself."Leron gulped, walking to the ledge and watching the waters below, getting nauseous from the height.But Triton placed a hand over his shoulder. "Or not. You can always let Sangfroid die. Who is he to you but a mere royal guard? His loyalty has already been well-appreciated, but you can still choose to live happily with the man of your dreams.""Yes.... Your Highness...." Sangfroid spat out the blood. "Continue on without me.... Hah.....His feet were slowly growing scales, and soon he will be a merman again, then into sea foam absorbed by this Palace's expensive carpet.Vladstin's tears fell, and he shook his head. "No! I won't forgive you if you let Sangfroid die!""And I won't forgive you either if you ask Prince Leron to die for me." Sangfroid said.Leron clenched his fist. "Isn't there any other way!? None of us will be satisfied with any of the outcome!"Triton rubbed his chin, pretending to think carefully. "Well, you see.... That's the funny thing about love. There cannot be true. There can be two, a pair....""So your heart must choose. If you want Sangfroid to live and be together with him, you must stab Vladstin and become a merman again, returning to your kingdom where you have longed to escape. But at least, you wouldn't feel guilt. Or, you could let Sangfroid die like I said, and make the land of humans your new home, forget about your past completely.""Or you could jump, and abandon both your past and future in exchange for..... What?" Triton chuckled." These two would not be happy with each other. Maybe they will over time, but do you really want that? Are you a selfless person, Leron?"Every word the sea god spoke made Leron increasingly lose his mind, like he was slowly being crushed by heavy weights. It was like venom in his veins, corroding his heart and lungs and rendering him hopeless and breathless. There are too many thoughts, too many choices!Suddenly, someone spoke."That's not the only option, though."He turned around to the people behind him to look for who was speaking, but none of them opened their mouths. They just waited expectantly for his decision.So, he looked down the water...And there was a man floating in there, bathed in the silver moonlight.It was Vladstin. But not the same one as the prince behind him. He looked like.....He looked like a monster!"Deny that any of this is real." He said, and despite the distance, it somehow reached his ear. "Leron, wake up. Stop looking for forgiveness and just accept things as it is. Accept that it is all over."Leron's breathing quickened. Yes, Vladstin was not just a prince he was vying attention for...He was someone he turned into a monster."You cannot save me. But you can still come back to Sangfroid, he's waiting for you on the other side."At this, he recalled the butterflies again. The memory is vivid now. Their joys of childhood. Just because it was in the past... Doesn't mean it is irrelevant to the present.Sangfroid needs him, and he had abandoned him for so long.Vladstin grinned at him on the waters below, like he was the siren instead that lures sailors to their deaths. "Jump."Leron nodded, and placed one foot on the ledge. Everyone's eyes widen.Sangfroid immediately crawled in a pitiful bleeding state to stop him. "No! Your Highness, don't!"Even the Vladstin in the Palace called out to stop him, as well as King Triton, but all their voices are unheard.SPLASH!------------------------When Leron woke up, the green fog was already clearing up.An angry dragonfly flew, before being squashed between the familiar clawed hands of someone pale."All done." Vladstin said, the flame behind him casting shadows over his face. It was an eerie green color but it got smaller and turned back to gold. Right bodies him was Sangfroid, who was looking at him with much worry.They were all gathered outside the tents, and soon, he realized that there was a fourth figure with them.The figure was an androgynous individual, with long flowing hair and emerald-like eyes. They wore a cloak of moss and vines. They have four thin wings, and a headpiece of crystals.Their face is always changing into someone they vaguely knew, yet also a complete stranger. Because of their clothing, they can camouflage well into to woods and be barely noticed. It's like he was there, but also never was.Like a dream."Congratulations, you three. I had a lot of fun." They said.They turn to leave, but Sangfroid shot an arrow that hits them on the shoulder."You can't just go anywhere, you need to explain." Sangfroid said. "Vladstin said you are not human like him, but you're not a vampire either. What are you?""Hmm." Green sap flowed from the individual's wound as they took out the arrow. "I suppose I am what you people call a 'fairy'.""Fairy..... Those are just another name for flowers that cause sleepiness." Leron said. "And even the ones in the myths from the books I've read do not cause large-scale illusions like this.""You could say that I am a Fairy King or Queen, then. Whichever you prefer. " The fairy said. "Just like how the little wolf here is the Vampire lord and different from other vampires, so am I. Though unlike him, I had always been the only one of my kind, I never knew another Fairy King or Queen like me.""Do you not have a name?" Sangfroid asked."It doesn't have an identity." Vladstin said."I do. Actually, thanks to our little playtime, I gain a shard of my former memories now." The fairy said. "Before.... I was called Mandrien by a group of young children playing in the fields here."Mandrien bowed deeply to them. "Good to make your acquaintance."And vanished as the sun appeared from the horizon.
