Chapter 1: The Forest Prince

A tiny nature sprite flew out from the leaves of the Great Tree, making its way down to the forest floor. The wind blew through the leaves, letting the sun peek through them as it worked its way up into the eastern sky.

Deep within the forest, at its very center and towering above the rest, stood the Great Tree, home of the Nature Goddess. The Endless Forest, as the realm was named, was her kingdom. The Great Tree was considered the landmark of the realm. Though it was not easily seen through the thick forest canopy, it was the tallest tree in the forest, standing hundreds of feet above any other tree.

It was at the top of this landmark that the nature sprite flew out from. Sprites were a common resident of the realms, as helpers of mana regulation. Though most of the work was left to the Gods, without the sprites, the realms would easily fall apart. Their bodies were almost humanoid, though more rounded with undefined, nubby limbs. Their faces were almost reptile-like, with rounded and soft features that made their large eyes stand out. Humans often referred to them as fairies, though it wasn't a term they were very fond of.

The nature sprite's translucent wings were multiple shades of orange and pink, arranged in a pattern reminiscent of a monarch butterfly. His skin was a deep emerald green, with darker green markings adorning his arms, legs, and nubs that continued into the antennae on the top of his head. His tail was long and slender, with leaf-like extremities that eventually ended into a pink lily.

The sprite paused in midair, quickly taking in his surroundings before spotting his target. Down among the tangled roots of the trees was the person he was looking for. The boy was considered extremely young for spirit, only having lived for around 120 or so years, as opposed to those who had lived for millenia. The roots were his home, inside of a hollow down beneath them. The roots provided adequate protection from the elements, and the moss and large flowers that bloomed underneath them provided excellent bedding.

The boy slept soundly, curled up into a tight ball in the center of a particularly large flower. Though he was down below the ground, light still reached him in plentiful amounts, dotting the area around him with the warm, yellow sunshine. Six magnificent wings, black with white tips on the right side, and white with black tips on the left side, covered him like a blanket. They protected him like a warm shell from the outside world. His feathers shifted ever so slightly with each breath.

He had messy, rose-brown hair with a set of small, nubby back horns sprouting up from it. Black and silver headphones covered his ears, the band carefully pushed behind his horns. He wore a long, oversized green jacket with a white fur trim on the hood and arms, with other gold and black features. He had on a white undershirt, and black ripped up jeans were tucked into black and white converse boots. As if to match his horns, a devil-like tail was curled up around him.

The sprite landed on top of the boy's head. He didn't even begin to stir as the sprite jumped up and down, it's weight barely noticeable.

"Caelian!" He called, sliding down the boy's head and landing down in front of his face. "Caelian! Wake up! Come on, you lazy bird!"

Caelian's wings shuddered before slowly opening up and revealing the small boy they were protecting. He groggily blinked his azure blue eyes before letting out a yawn. His wings folded neatly against his back as he lifted his head.

"What is it, Nathaniel?"

The Sprite flitted up from the root he was standing on to the top of Caelian's head, plopping down into a sitting position in one swift motion.

"Gaia wants to see you!" Nathaniel said.

"Oh, really?" Caelian said with a yawn. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, she- Hey!" Nathaniel let out a shriek as Caelian plopped his head back into the soft patch of moss he had been using as a pillow, causing the sprite to roll off into the roots. He let out puffs of annoyance as he climbed back up, slapping his tiny hands dramatically against the large root as he pulled himself up, not bothering to use his wings for assistance.

"Okay, wise guy. No. You've had enough sleep! It's time to wake up!" He emphasized the last two words as he pushed against Caelian's face, though it earned little reaction.

"But it's warm out, and I'm tired. Let me sleep, Gaia won't mind." Caelian said.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure Gaia will appreciate her disciple being lazy and not doing his job. I mean, why take the job seriously, after all? It's not like she needs someone to help monitor the barrier and take care of the forest denizens."

Caelian cracked open an eye.

"Poor Gaia," Nathaniel continued, "Having someone so young and lazy as a disciple. Surely, her work is cut out for her. So busy regulating the forest's mana so, you know, the whole realm doesn't fall apart. But I guess she'll just have to deal with it! Her disciple can't do his job, after all. I mean, for anyone else it'd be a great honor to serve her, but hey, if you're tired, go back to dreamland."

Caelian had fully opened his eyes at that point, and was giving the sprite a very blank look. Beside him, a soft green light began to dimly glow, growing in intensity over the span of several seconds. A moment later, a black lantern materialized, the now intense light becoming trapped inside of it's glass in the form of a sphere. Vines and flowers sprung to life around the lantern's exterior, covering it beautifully. A sparkling green aura enveloped the lantern as it slowly swayed in the air.

Caelian pushed himself up into a sitting position. He gave himself a light shake, stretching out his wings slightly as he ruffled his feathers.

"I do take it seriously," he said. "It is an honor to serve Gaia."

"Then up!" Nathaniel said. "Up, up, up!"

He didn't wait for Nathaniel as he climbed out of the tangled roots, though the sprite hardly needed him to wait, since he flitted out of the roots much faster than he ever could. Nathaniel waited, hovering patiently in the air as Caelian climbed out into the beams of light. He momentarily squinted at the bright light, before stretching out his wings to their full length, unable to do so back in the confined space.

"Great! Let's go!" Nathaniel said as he darted upwards into the sky. He paused a moment later and looked back down at Caelian, who hadn't moved. He wore a blank expression on his face as Nathaniel smugly called down to him.

"Come on! Make your wings useful for something!"

"You know I can't, Nath," Caelian said as the sprite zipped back down, stopping a foot in front of his face.

"Man," Nathaniel said as he stuck out his tongue. "Six wings and you can't even fly. What's the point of having them? Can't you just learn already?"

"I've tried, it doesn't work." Caelian said.

"Oh come on! I can fly with just two wings! Six wings has to be like, super easy!"

"I can't, Nath!" Caelian repeated.

"Sure you can! Just flap them a few times and fwoosh, you're flying!"

Nathaniel hung in the air, his arms raised up in exaggeration as Caelian stared quietly at him. After a few moments of silence Nathaniel sighed, mimicking a sitting position in the air as he rested his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand.

"Man, teasing you is no fun. You never get riled up."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Caelian asked.

"It's no fun," Nathaniel sighed. "You're so boring when you have Nyxidae out. Whatever, I guess we'll go the long way."

Caelian glanced over to the green lantern that hung in the air beside him as Nathaniel flew off. Nyxidae was the name of the sprite that resided in the elemental lantern. The green light that hummed softly within the glass. The elemental was what would influence his current personality and emotions.

He set off to follow Nathaniel to the base of the Great Tree. Surrounding it's giant trunk, blended into the wood seamlessly as if naturally formed, was a staircase that twisted all the way up to the top. It was quite the trek, and one Caelian was greatly familiar with.

Nathaniel waited as Caelian took the first few steps up the stairs, before flying off far ahead of him, only to stop and wait again for the boy to catch up.

Caelian still vividly remembered when he was younger and unable to feel anything. It was assumed that he was born without any emotion, if such a thing were possible. He had no memory of his early childhood, and couldn't remember the day Gaia had found him wandering lost in the forest. She took him under her wing, and eventually gave him the gift of four elemental lanterns that allowed him to finally experience emotion. To feel something. To finally experience being alive.

Back when he felt nothing, he couldn't understand that he was missing something that others had. The smiling, the laughing- They were all so foreign to him. He couldn't understand what made people do such strange things. Until Riemos, his fire elemental, had shown him what it felt like to be happy. Then he understood. What Gaia had given him was the greatest gift he could have ever asked for, and he hoped to never have to revert to the lifeless, blank slate that he used to be.

Nyxidae was the name of his nature elemental. The feelings she embodied were things like peace and tranquility. Hope. Duty. Caelian often relied on her to help him have a stronger sense of duty for his position as Gaia's disciple. She helped keep his mind on track, and undistracted by other things.

It was a while later that Caelian finally reached the top of the winding stairway. At some point during the climb, Nathaniel had gotten tired and decided to take a rest on top of his head. The stairs ended into the treetop, where a large platform made of woven branches was laid out underneath the canopy of leaves. It made a solid footing for Caelian to step onto. In the center of the platform, under the shade of the canopy, lay Gaia, a being that was several times larger than Caelian or any other normal spirit.

Her long brown hair flowed gently down along her body, brushing against her glowing tanned skin. Vines, flowers and leaves grew along her body, covering her like clothing. Her feet were cloven, light brown fur seamlessly blending into her skin. Beautiful white wings sprouted from her back, gently fanning themselves in the air. Atop her head stood two magnificent antlers, partially hidden by the flower crown that she wore.

She appeared to be resting against an enormous ball of moss, her eyes closed and her breathing light. It wasn't until Caelian stepped closer to her that she slowly opened her eyes with a smile.

"Good morning, Caelian," She said. Her voice reverberated throughout the canopy. It was a soft, soothing voice that gave the feeling of safety and comfort, like a gentle breeze among the leaves.

In response, Caelian quickly dropped into a deep bow, causing Nathaniel to let out a squeak and grab onto his horns to prevent himself from falling off.

"Good morning, Gaia." He said.

He maintained the bow until he glanced up at the sound of Gaia setting her hand down in front of him, her palm facing upward.

"Come, now. I've told you that you don't need to be so formal with me." Gaia said with a smile.

Caelian gave her a look of uncertainty as he straightened his back. Nathaniel let out a sigh of relief before quickly removing himself from Caelian's head and flitting off somewhere out of sight.

"Come, it's fine." She said.

Caelian gently climbed up onto her hand, fitting neatly into her palm. He sat with his hands resting in front of him, steadying himself as Gaia slowly lifted up her hand. She brought it up to her freckled face, stopping when her sky blue eyes were before him. She gave him a loving gaze as she lifted her other hand, using a single finger to gently stroke the top of his head.

"There you are," She said as Caelian leaned into her finger, that was now gently stroking the side of his face. "Are you only allowing Nyxidae's influence? You should just be yourself, Caelian. Don't worry about appearing diligent in front of me."

With that, three more lights began to shine around Caelian, growing in intensity before materializing into lanterns. Blue, Red and Yellow. Water, Fire and Celestial. These were the rest of his elemental lanterns, which embodied the rest of his emotions.

The water lantern had a rippling blue aura around it, and water sloshed around inside of the glass, dripping out through the door. Bubbles surrounded it along with the aura.

The fire lantern had a flickering yellow, orange and red aura, with magma inside of it's glass. Embers flew from the lantern.

The Celestial lantern had a rainbow aura, clouds filling it's glass and spilling out around the lantern. A holographic halo hung around the center of the lantern.

"There, isn't that much better?" Gaia asked. She laughed as Caelian made a sound reminiscent of a purr as he pushed himself into her finger. His tail wagged excitedly behind him, and the feathers on his wings were puffed up to look twice their size.

"My silly little sprout, you don't need to force yourself to one elemental at a time. They're designed to all work in tandem with each other. Allow them to do what they were meant to." She said.

"I want to be a good disciple," Caelian said, his cheek pressed against Gaia's fingertip. "Only Nyxidae really helps with that, the others distract me."

"You are a good disciple, Caelian," Gaia said with a smile. "Besides that, you're my darling little sprout, and I'd never wish for you to limit your emotions like that. Now, tell me, what have you been up to since I last asked for you?

"I've been checking the borders of the realm like you've asked me to!" Caelian said as he placed his hands against Gaia's thumb. "Your barrier still feels strong, nothing should be able to get in! But, um, what were we keeping out, again?

"There's just been some rumors going around. I want to take precaution. It's nothing for you to worry about, my little sprout."

"Oh, okay!" Caelian said.

Gaia stroked Caelian's head. "What about the forest? Everything seems normal?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything seems fine! I played with some deer the other day!"

"Oh?" Gaia grinned. "Did you, now? What did you play?"

"The headbutt game!"

"I see, is that what the cut on your cheek is from?" She mused, gently rubbing his cheek with her pinky finger. "Well, did you win?"

"Nope!"

Gaia laughed. "Perhaps next time, then. But please be careful, I don't want you to get too hurt."

"It's okay, the deer are nice! They wouldn't hurt me." Caelian said.

"I'm sure they wouldn't," She smiled. "Now, what about the forest denizens? Have they had any problems recently?"

"Oh, yeah! I visited them a few days ago! They told me to get lost!" Caelian said cheerfully.

"Is that so?" Gaia frowned. Caelian gave her a curious look as she let out a sigh. "I had been hoping they'd eventually come around…"

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"She means they don't like you, ya dingus," Nathaniel said as he came flying over to Caelian.

"Huh? What do you mean, don't like?" Caelian asked.

"It's one of the negative emotions you don't have, dear," Gaia said. "But nevermind that. We'll just have to keep trying."

"But Gaia, they're so mean to Caelian!" Nathaniel said. "They never tell him if they need help with anything! They just ignore him, and the poor guy can't even get mad over it!"

Gaia shook her head. "Caelian, I know it's hard for you since you don't understand why they treat you like they do, but don't be afraid to put your foot down if they disrespect you."

Gaia lowered her hand back down to the ground, and Caelian carefully climbed out.

"They do treat me kind of funny," Caelian said. "It's nothing like you or the sprites. They keep saying weird stuff, like that I'm unqualified to be your disciple."

"Nevermind them, Caelian." Gaia said as she laid her head down onto her hands, bringing herself down to his level. "I'm sorry you've been caught up in the middle of the dispute of who they think I should have chosen. But the decision was mine and mine alone, and I have chosen you to be my disciple."

"I know!" Caelian said as he wagged his tail. "I'm super happy to be your disciple, Gaia!"

"I'm glad to hear that, my little sprout," Gaia said with a smile. "For now, let's keep trying to convince the denizens you're a fine disciple, alright? I want you to go back to the town again today and see if anyone will approach you."

"Okay!"

Gaia reached out and gently patted him on the head. "It's true that you're young, Caelian… I don't doubt there's others that feel they're more qualified for the position. However, I sense great things from you. I firmly believe that you'll grow into something amazing. I believe in you, my love."

Caelian was pleased with the praise, and his feathers ruffled up to twice their size.

"Now, go ahead and run along," Gaia urged with a smile. "Come back and see me when you've finished checking in on them."

"Okay!" Caelian said before turning and running back across the root platform and towards the shining light of the sun.

Nathaniel followed Caelian outside. "Okay, so here's the plan. We- Hey- Hey, Cae- Caelian wait please no not today don't-!"

Nathaniel's screaming was ignored as Caelian kept running towards the edge of the platform and jumped off, doing a forward flip as he tumbled out of view.

He grinned as the wind ripped past him, tussling his hair and making the tail of his coat flap violently. His wings remained firmly pinned against his back, his feathers a mess from the wind. They begged to be let open, to catch the wind between their feathers and soar. But he knew better.

He took a moment to admire the forest during his long fall, since it was only from high up in the sky that you could really take in the vastness of the forest. As he grew closer to the ground, he turned himself so that he was facing upright with his legs neatly tucked underneath him.

The blue lantern's light that had been following behind him began to grow in intensity. Water shot out of the lantern, spiraling and wrapping itself around Caelian. It formed a sphere around him, encapsulating him in a giant bubble.

As it hit the ground, the water rippled violently as it absorbed the shock of the fall and bounced back up into the air a few feet. Caelian was thrown around inside for a bit, before the bubble finally settled into a soft roll along the ground.

The bubble of water burst just as Nathaniel caught up, making his way down to where Caelian was sitting. He sighed as he looked at the now drenched boy.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"It's quicker!" Caelian said as he stood up, shaking some of the water from his clothing. "Thanks, Iaestia!"

The blue lantern, whose light had now dimmed back to normal, made a satisfied chime as it circled around Caelian.

"You're going to get hurt one of these days," Nathaniel sighed. "It's good that you trust in your elementals to protect you, but… Jeez, I never realized how terrifying someone that doesn't experience fear can be.

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"You don't feel afraid so you don't stop and think about the possible consequences of your actions." Nathaniel said. When he was met with a blank look, he added, "Just- nevermind. Gaia asked you to go to the forest denizen's town, right?"

"Yeah! You wanna come with me?" Caelian said.

"Of course," Nathaniel said. "Someone needs to be there to get angry when they all start being assholes to you."

Caelian tapped his fingertips together. "It's weird, though. I know they're being rude and not saying nice things to me, but… I don't really feel anything from it."

"I mean, it doesn't make you feel good, does it?"

Caelian paused before he slowly shook his head. "No, I don't feel happy from it… or comforted… or anything else, really. It's just… a blank feeling. Like how I used to feel. I prefer to not feel that way. The only thing I really feel is when the children throw rocks at me. It, uh, hurts, in a physical sense, I mean."

"Don't worry, if we see those brats again I'm sending a blast of nature magic their way." Nathaniel said.

"Don't hurt them! They're just kids!"

"Kids that throw rocks," Nathaniel snorted. "Whatever, fine. Let's just get going."

Nathaniel flew ahead again, albeit this time at a much slower pace. Caelian took a moment to try and shake more of the water off, before following Nathaniel off into the overgrown forest.

Chapter 2: The Eternal Forest

"Caelian, aren't you done yet?" Nathaniel whined as he hung limply in the air.

"Not yet," Caelian said as he ran his fingers down yet another individual feather.

"But you've been doing this for hours."

Caelian glanced up at him before blinking up at the sun. It had definitely moved quite a bit in the sky, so the sprite probably wasn't lying about the time.

"I have to preen all of them or it's pointless, Nath. If I stop, I'll lose track."

"You've only done, like, three of your wings. It's going to be another two hours before you're done at this rate. Stop avoiding the town!" Nathaniel huffed.

"Fine, let me at least finish this wing."

"Ugh. Fine. I'll wait. Over there. Call me when you're done."

Caelian watched as Nathaniel zipped across the pond and to the other side of the meadow. He hovered above the flowers for a moment before settling down into the center of one, using it as a makeshift bed.

The sun was high in the sky, leaning more towards the west now. There were probably only a few hours left before darkness fell. Nathaniel was right, he needed to hurry up so he could finish the job Gaia had given him. He didn't want to disappoint her, whatever that meant.

Caelian shifted on the rock that he sat on, and looked down into the sparkling water of the pond. He had mostly dried off from the water of Iaestia's protective bubble, though his coat still felt slightly damp.

As he studied his reflection, he noticed a few leaves and twigs sticking out of his tangled hair. He brushed his hand through it, feeling his fingers getting caught in the tangles. After a few more tries of running his fingers through, the stuck leaves eventually drifted out, and the twigs fell into the water, scaring away some of the nearby fish.

Caelian sat back onto his heels as he looked over to his spread out wing beside him. His white wings always ended up looking more dusty and dirty than his black ones, so he always did them first. Maybe it wouldn't be toonoticeable if he walked into town with only half of his wings preened. The white ones were done, at least.

He returned his wing to a folded position against his back before sliding off of the rock and landing on the ground. He'd finish the rest of his wings later.

He walked gingerly around the pond, being careful, as always, to not step on any of the wildflowers that covered the ground. As he made it to the other side, he knelt down near the area he had last seen Nathaniel.

"Nath?" He called. Getting no response, he crawled over to the next patch of flowers, looking intently for the sprite's jade green body amongst the bright colors. After a few more moments, he spotted him curled up in a pale orange flower, appearing to be fast asleep. Caelian gently cupped his hands around him, lifting him up out of the pollen filled center. Nathaniel sneezed as he woke up.

"I thought you said it was too late in the day to be sleeping?" Caelian asked.

Nathaniel rubbed at his large eyes, "Yeah, well, it gets pretty tiring flying around all day. Not that'd you'd know, or anything. Can't fly and all. It's super exhausting."

"I see," Caelian couldn't help but crack a soft smile. "Want to sleep in my hood for a bit?"

In response, Nathaniel flitted up and out of Caelian's hands and into his hood. His weight was barely noticeable as he snuggled into the soft fur.

"Wake me up when we get there." Nathaniel said.

Caelian stood as he glanced back across the pond. A small family of deer had emerged from the other side of the clearing, some of them eyeing Caelian curiously as the others had a drink.

He held back the heavy urge to go play with them. They were his favorite animal that inhabited the forest. He managed to tear his eyes away from them and stepped back underneath the canopy of leaves.

It wasn't a very long walk. Not to Caelian, at least. An hour of pushing through the underbrush was nothing compared to the long hours he'd spend checking every corner of the realm, making sure that Gaia's barrier was still up and strong.

Pathways didn't exist in the forest. The spirits got around by memory and landmarks alone. Younger ones learned the landmarks from their elders. But the sprites were the ones that had been the one to show Caelian how to navigate the forest. Each and every scar on the trees was like an arrow, and every fallen tree and mushroom patch was neatly tucked away in his mind.

If it weren't for the fact that spirits could live for a millenia, he would have said that he had traveled throughout the forest more than anyone else had. But his short time in the realm wasn't comparable to some of the elders, who had surely explored the forest far more than he ever could in his 120 years of existence.

At least, he was pretty sure it had been around 120 years. It felt right, but it was a bit hard to keep track. He didn't have a calendar or anything of the sort. Maybe one of the denizens would be willing to let him have one? As he thought about it, he wouldn't really have much to mark into it, would he? He didn't even know his own birthday. The day Gaia found him was the closest substitute that they had for that day.

It was still a bit of a mystery where Caelian had come from. No forest spirit claimed him as their own. Gaia had merely been walking through the forest, which was a rare occasion in of itself, when she had stumbled upon him and a sprite that was watching over him.

Gaia had said she immediately sensed something off about him, but that it had taken her a few weeks to fully understand what was going on. It had then taken her years to formulate her plan: Gather powerful enough sprites of each element that were willing to help an abandoned child that nobody knew. It was something only she and one other god knew how to accomplish. Taking four different sprites from each element, each element embodying their own set of emotions. They would be reduced to pure elemental essence and bonded to Caelian through a soul link. This would grant him not only the ability to use the elemental powers of the sprites, but to feel the emotions they encompassed.

They took the form of lanterns, containing the elemental essence inside of the glass. They worked without Caelian even needing to do anything. While some emotions that embodied the sprites could overlap in similarity, while working together in tandem, they let Caelian feel a wide range of emotion.

He felt normal.

At least, those were his feelings on the matter. Perhaps he wasn't entirely normal. The forest denizens seemed to disagree on his thoughts of what normal was. There was a problem with Caelian: He was only able to feel positive emotions. Things like anger, sadness, loneliness, fear, regret, were all foreign to him. Gaia had explained to him that she wasn't able to give him those emotions, and that he'd be better off without them, anyways.

But the forest denizens thought he was a freak of nature, not only for being unable to feel emotion, but for only being able to ever feel positive emotions. He couldn't relate to them, they claimed.

When he stepped into the edge of the clearing that nestled the town, as soon as anyone nearby noticed him, they promptly turned their back to him or hurried off somewhere. Caelian only silently watched their reactions as he walked forward.

This was normal.

"Hey, Nath!" Caelian said as he tugged at his hood. A moment later he heard Nathaniel stir. He heard a soft yawn, and Nathaniel popped out of his hood, sleepily crawling up onto his shoulder.

"We there already?" Nathaniel asked.

Caelian gently lifted Nathaniel off of his shoulder and cradled him in front of him like a doll. As he walked, while most of the looks he got were full of disdain, there were a few expressions of pity. Not all of the denizens hated him. But those that did were the loud majority. There were only a handful that didn't mind him, and even fewer that were genuinely kind to him. He enjoyed visiting the kindest people last, because they always left him with good memories.

Caelian walked over to the town square, near the well. If Gaia wanted him to see if anyone would approach him, the town square would be the best place to wait. He sat down on the edge of the well, kicking his feet as he looked around.

Majorie was herding her goats today. David must have just baked a fresh batch of bread and was trying to sell it. Some passing by children gave Caelian a funny look. He merely smiled as they went.

"Oy, what are you doin', scarin' everyone away from the well?"

Caelian's head popped up as he came face to face with an older man. He had short cropped hair and a messy beard. He was tall and heavily built, standing almost a foot taller than Caelian.

"Oh, hi Garson!" Caelian greeted.

"Well, if it ain't the little forest prince," He sighed, a hint of a sneer in his voice as he said Caelian's nickname. "What d'you want this time?"

"Gaia asked for me to see if anyone would approach me with any problems!" He chirped.

Garson gave him a hard look, before letting out a sigh. "Look, kid. We've been over this. There ain't no point for you to even keep comin' here. Go back to playin' with your little forest animals."

"But Gaia said-"

"Kid," Garson interrupted as he folded his arms. "Ain't no one here gonna ask anything from a halfie."

"But I'm not a halfie," Caelian said.

Garson furrowed his brows, growing as he pointed a fat, calloused finger at Caelian, causing the boy to lean back and nearly fall into the well.

"You ain't a normal one, kid. You can't even feel no emotion without those little lanterns of yours. That's a halfie disease, guaranteed. One of your parents went and had a kid with a human, that's why you came out like y'did."

"It's not a disease," Caelian said. "I… I don't know why I was like that, but it's fine, now. Gaia helped me. I can feel emotion now. I'm a nature spirit."

There it was. It was happening again. Why was it that whenever Garson spoke to him he felt so void of emotion?

Garson shook his head. "You're just playin' pretend, is what ya are. You can't feel anythin'. You can't relate to nothin' and no one. You're not natural. I'll never understand Gaia's decision, choosin' some defective, lost little halfie as her disciple, over any of the well meaning folks in this here town." He sighed before adding, "Shame Ezekiel passed on. Him bein' the disciple during these times would've been 'a lot more comfortin'."

Caelian remained quiet. He felt nothing, but he kept a smile on his face. It was all he knew how to do in these situations. At least he came out of the void when Garson mentioned Ezekiel, which sparked his curiosity. Ezekiel was Gaia's previous disciple. He knew very little of him, aside from bits and pieces he had heard from others. He just knew that he had been with Gaia for a long time before passing on.

Garson turned away from Caelian and began to walk away. "Just go home, kid. Sure, you're Gaia's disciple now. You go ahead and store her excess power and whatever else she needs help with, but don't be expectin' anyone here to want anythin' to do with ya."

Caelian watched as Garson left, leaving him to his thoughts.

"What an asshole," Nathaniel grumbled. "Don't listen to him, Cae."

"It's fine, it doesn't bother me," Caelian said truthfully.

"Well, whatever. He was no help," Nathaniel said as he folded his arms. "Let's go walk around for a bit."

"Alright!" Caelian said as Nathaniel flew out of his arms and began to lead the way.

Caelian ended up wandering aimlessly through the town, quietly watching the other spirits as they went about their lives. He often felt curious about what it was like to constantly be around other people. He had been isolated for most of his life. Sure, the animals, sprites and Gaia kept him company, but the spirits here seemed so different.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he noticed a familiar face pass by him, causing him to immediately perk up and do a double take. A young man, closer to Caelian's age, was carrying a large water jug filled to the brim with well water.

Upon noticing Caelian staring at the boy, Nathaniel quickly flew down in front of his face, blocking his line of sight. "Oh no," He said. "We're not talking to Mathias today."

Why not?" Caelian asked, leaning over to peer around Nathaniel's tiny frame, "Maybe he needs help carrying that jug of water."

"Nope. He's fine. No need for me to experience second-hand embarrassment today," Nathaniel said flatly, moving to block Caelian again.

"What's that?" Caelian asked, taking a step back to look at Nathaniel, "Just let me check on him really quick."

"Don't worry about it," Nathaniel sighed with exasperation, "He's fine, Caelian, we have other things to do, okay?"

"... Okay."

"Okay, great. So let's- Hey!" Nathaniel let out a high pitched screech as Caelian ducked under him and bounced over towards Mathias.

"Mathi!" Caelian called excitedly, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him, causing him to nearly lose balance and fall over in surprise.

"Ah- Caelian," he shook some of his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes as he gave the boy an unsure smile. "Can I help you?"

"I, um- I actually wanted to ask you that. Do you need any help carrying water back to your place?" Caelian asked, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Huh? Oh, this? No, it's fine, I got it," Mathias said, adjusting his grip on the clay jug slightly. "Thanks, though."

"Oh, okay. Um, hey, Mathias-" He spoke quickly when he saw the boy start to walk away, "I was actually wondering if we could like- hang out or something sometime?"

Mathias paused, looking back at Caelian with a concerned frown, "Ah… Well… I'm pretty busy, you know?"

"I mean, whenever you're not busy!"

"Uh… I'll think about it," Mathias said with a strained smile. "Anyways, I really need to go, okay? Bye."

Caelian watched as Mathias left. His tail lay still in the dirt. A moment later, he felt the familiar plop of Nathaniel landing on his head.

"Ya done?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yeah!" Caelian said. "Do you think he'll hang out with me?"

"Oh, Caelian," Nathaniel sighed, lightly patting the top of his head. "We'll find you some nice friends someday, okay?"

"Huh? I have friends, though. I have You, Gaia, and the deer!"

"Wow, so I'm as good as some deer?" Nathaniel snorted. "Thanks, bud. Hey, why don't we just go visit Old Tamia and call it a day?" Nathaniel said as he jumped off of Caelian's head and back into the air.

"Okay!" Caelian said as he turned to follow Nathaniel. "Do you think Gaia will be upset?"

Nathaniel paused for a moment, before looking over his shoulder. "What makes you ask that?"

"I still can't really seem to get along with anyone."

"They won't even give you the chance to get along, Cae." Nathaniel sighed. "I don't know what they expect. They get mad at you for not always knowing what to do, but if they never give you the chance to try you're not going to improve."

"You mean back when some of them would try to ask me for help?" Caelian asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, like when that one guy accused the other of stealing that- what was it? A pig? Goat? Whatever it was, but they wanted you to do something about it? You're still a baby and don't know anyone here, of course you're not gonna have any idea whose animal it was."

"I didn't think anyone would lie about getting their animals stolen," Caelian said as he looked up at Nathaniel.

"Exactly! You haven't had time to learn. I think everyone here is too used to Ezekiel. They expect you to be able to settle everything as quickly as he did. Hell, I doubt anyone would've even tried a stunt like that if he were still around."

"Everyone always talks about how much they miss him. I wonder if someday they'll like me as much as they liked him?"

"Someday they'll respect you. They have to. Or else Gaia will smite all of them," Nathaniel huffed.

"Wait, she'd do that?" Caelian asked, quickly looking back up to Nathaniel.

"Well, no," Nathaniel said after a pause, "But we can threaten them with it."

"Oh, okay!" Caelian said as he stepped up onto a rickety old porch. Nathaniel landed on his head again as his footsteps creaked across the wood.

The house that they had arrived at belonged to Mrs. Tamia. Her home was more typical than that of most of the other forest denizens. It was a rustic looking old house, built out of wood and bricks. It had a carefully maintained flower garden and lovely patio, and numerous potted plants were hung on the porch. The house itself was a bit decrepit, with the all of the care clearly going towards the flowers.

Caelian stepped up to the door and gently took it's metal knocker into his hand. He rapped the metal against the wood a few times, before releasing it and taking a step back. He stood waiting patiently for a few minutes, before the door slowly creaked open. An older, hunched over woman with curly gray hair and large, round spectacles peeked out at him.

"Oh, why if it isn't little Caelian!" she rasped, opening the door wider as she balanced with one hand on her cane, "I was just wondering when you'd come visit again, dear. Come in, come in."

"Thanks, Mrs. Tamia!" Caelian said as he followed the woman into her home.

The inside of the home felt a lot smaller than how it looked outside, mostly due to the vast amount of things the woman had collected over the years. It had an organized clutter that gave the home charm. Numerous dim lights were spread throughout the room, giving just enough light to see the various collections of trinkets and books neatly displayed on the many shelves.

"How have you been, Dear?" Mrs. Tamia asked as she hobbled over to the kitchen area.

"I've been well," Caelian said as he followed behind her.

"How has Gaia been? Everything going well in the forest?"

"Gaia's fine! Everything seems normal right now. Just the usual stuff."

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear," She said as she opened a cupboard, "I've been worried about the Goddess as of late. Keeping that barrier up isn't an easy feat, especially with most of her excess power being gone. Not being able to leave the Great Tree, poor dear. But you take care of yourself too, Caelian- You're so young, I'm sure it's not easy for you to handle all of this responsibility, either. Here, sit down."

"I'm doing my best!" Caelian said as he sat down at the table. "But how have you been, Mrs. Tamia? Is there anything you need help with?"

"Oh, I've been fine," She said as she pulled a container out of the cupboard. "Don't you worry about an old hag like me. Here, love. I just made these this morning. Help yourself."

Caelian couldn't help but wag his tail and gently tap the table in excitement. Mrs. Tamia set the container down in front of him, removing the lid and revealing numerous different kinds of cookies, all neatly sorted into compartments.

"Thank you!" Caelian said as he took one of the cookies. He carefully broke it in half, trying to prevent any crumbs from falling onto the cream colored table cloth. He held one half up above his head for Nathaniel to grab onto and gnaw on.

Mrs. Tamia was probably the best part about visiting town. She had always been kind to him. The first time she had ushered him into her home, he had been amazed at all of her belongings. He would spend hours inspecting each and every trinket. His favorite was still the small, colorful bird that would tip back and forth while appearing to drink water. He could stare at that one for hours.

It was also the first time he ever got to experience eating such delicious food. Things like sweets, pastries, and cooked meals weren't things that he could find out in the forest. Tamia was always delighted to share her baking and cooking with him. As an older spirit, she had many offspring, and she was happy to treat Caelian as if he were one of them. The first time he had ever tasted one of her cookies, he had squealed in delight.

"Have you visited everyone else in town?" Tamia asked with a smile as she slowly sat down in the chair across from him.

"Kind of. Nobody really wanted to bother with me, though," Caelian said as he gave another piece of cookie to the small, greedy hand waving in front of his face.

Tamia let out a sigh, "Yes, it's unfortunate how the others view you. They complain that I'm always hosting you. Halfie this, halfie that. Bah, as if it'd matter even if it were true. You're a kind and gentle young man. I see why Gaia would have chosen you as her new disciple. You have many of the same qualities as Ezekiel."

"Do I?" He asked as he gazed up at her. "People mention him all the time, but I've never actually heard much about him."

She nodded. "Granted, he was much older than you, but I remember when he was young and first appointed as Gaia's disciple. He had the same childlike curiosity about the world as you have. He was a sweet boy, and a kind man, always going out of his way to help others."

"I guess we are a bit different, then." Caelian mused, staring back down at the cookies, "I don't really help others much."

"Your day will come," she said as she slowly stood up from her chair. Caelian watched as she walked over to the window, gazing out at the pink sky. "It's already getting late. Do you still sleep out in the forest, Caelian?"

"Yeah! In my hollow under the roots."

Mrs. Tamia frowned as she turned to look at him. "Will you still not consider moving into the disciple's house? I worry for you, especially as the colder weather approaches."

Caelian's looked over to the window. He had been shown the disciple's house once, long ago. It was a lone cabin, isolated, but not too far from the town. It was passed down and meant for each disciple to inhabit. He remembered the smooth wood floors. The blank, cream colored walls, and how strange it felt. Perhaps it was useful for the past disciples, but for him…

Tamia sensed his hesitation. "I know you find houses a bit odd, but I worry for your safety out there."

"That's okay," Caelian said with a smile. "I prefer the forest, honestly. It feels more natural to me. I like the roots and moss. Plus, I'm closer to Gaia there."

Tamia gave a soft smile. "I understand. But never forget I welcome you here with open arms, Caelian. Now, here," she walked over to the table, placing the lid back on the cookie container and then extended it out towards Caelian. "Why don't you take this with you as a treat?"

"Oh, but I don't want to take all of them-" Caelian said, but Tamia gently pushed the container into his hands.

Nathaniel flew back up into the air, allowing Tamia to gently ruffle Caelian's messy hair. "I can always make more. It's a gift, dear. Whenever you run out, come back to visit a lonely old woman, won't you?"

"Okay, if you're sure!" Caelian said. "I should go now, sorry I couldn't visit for long, Mrs. Tamia!"

"Don't be sorry, my dear, I know you've got a lot to do. You're always welcome here, even if it's just to grab a snack and leave. Never forget that."

"I'll try to make sure I can visit for longer next time," Caelian said, as he stood up and pushed in his chair. "Thank you!"

"Of course," the old woman smiled, walking with Caelian over to the door and gently opening it. "Stay safe out there, won't you?"

"I will," Caelian said as he stepped out the door. Nathaniel followed close behind him. "Bye, Mrs Tamia, see you next time!"

The woman waved to him as he walked until they were out of view. Nathaniel landed back down on Caelian's head as the boy looked down at the cookie container.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Nathaniel said.

"Mrs. Tamia is always nice, I'm glad," Caelian said with a smile. "I'd like to do something for her next time we visit. I don't know what, though…"

"Maybe you can make her something?"

"I don't really know anything I could make, though… I can't bake or cook like she does… or sew… or anything, really."

"Well… You'll have time to figure it out," Nathaniel said with a yawn.

"Yeah! I guess so."

The sun had nearly set by the time Caelian left town and went bumbling back into the forest. It was harder to navigate at night, so he wanted to get back as soon as possible.

"I don't think you'll make it before dark," Nathaniel said as he looked at the slowly disappearing blotches of light against the forest floor.

"But I want to make sure she knows I went," Caelian said as Nathaniel flew up off of his head.

"I'll tell her, don't worry. Just go ahead and go back to the hollow and I'll meet you there. I don't want you slipping and falling off the stairs or anything because you can't see."

"But Iaestia will just-" Caelian paused as Nathaniel zipped off ahead of him, apparently having already decided what to do, regardless of Caelian's input.

"... Use her water shield."

Caelian continued onward alone, at a less brisk pace. He really wanted to report to Gaia tonight, but he didn't want to make Nathaniel mad, either, so he'd just do as the sprite said.

Lost in his own thoughts, he wondered what he could do for Mrs. Tamia to show that he appreciated her. Maybe he could learn to cook? No, he'd have nowhere to learn. Maybe he could make her a trinket out of things out in the forest? If he could make it look nice she might like it. He smiled to himself at the thought.

It was then that he noticed that the forest seemed especially quiet. It was normal for the songbird's chattering to have died down by this hour, but there was a distinct lack of the chirping crickets that he always fell asleep to at night. He couldn't even hear the frog's chorus, either, despite their calls always being loud enough to echo throughout the forest.

He paused, standing quietly amongst the trees. The sun was gone at this point, the moonlight now taking over, doing its best to provide the forest with its soft light.

It was a feeling he couldn't quite place, like something familiar, but forgotten. Somehow, something felt off. The air he breathed in felt unusually cold, like an icy hand gripping his throat.

It was then he heard the snap of a twig from somewhere behind him, causing him to turn and look.

"Hello?" he asked, staring off into the empty forest.

Predators weren't a concern for him; none of the carnivorous animals in the forest ever hunted the mana beings. But there was still a weird feeling somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

He stood there for a few moments, waiting. There was nothing but silence. He took a step back, before turning and running off into the direction of the hollow.

He wasn't sure why he ran.

Chapter 3: Fallen Leaves

Rays of light began to peek through the forest's thick canopy as the sun rose into the sky. In the early hours of the morning the songbirds chirped, once again welcoming the warmth of the new day.

Caelian lay safely in his hollow under the roots, curled up into a ball on top of his oversized flower bed. He was more lazily splayed out than usual, his wings being a ruffled mess on either side of him. A beam of light slowly moved over his face, causing him to stir slightly. He groaned as he covered his eyes with one of his wings, before rolling over and out of the sunlight.

He never appreciated the sun using it's light as an alarm clock. He'd rather wake up whenever his body decided to, which was why he had taken to covering himself with his wings while he slept. Unfortunately, his tossing and turning in the night sometimes ruined his lazy sleep schedule.

He let his wings fold up against his back as his eyes drowsily blinked open. The memories of the previous day came flooding back to him. He still needed to return to Gaia. He sat up, yawning as he grabbed onto one of the thick roots above him. He used it as leverage to drag himself out into the open.

Finally having enough room to stretch, he let his wings unfurl as he raised his arms. His wings shuddered as they were held out at their full length, before folding up against his back again as he dropped his arms.

"Oh, you're alright awake."

The voice caused Caelian to crane his neck upwards to see Nathaniel hovering in the air above him.

"Good," Nathaniel said, "Don't have to waste 15 minutes of my day waking you up."

"It doesn't take that long, does it?" Caelian asked, watching as Nathaniel drifted down and landed on one of the high-arching roots in front of him.

"It does. Sometimes, even longer," He sighed. "But hey, you're up, so it's fine. Anyways, you better hurry up and report back to Gaia, she's waiting for you."

"Are you not coming?" Caelian asked, as Nathaniel fluttered back into the air.

Nathaniel shook his head. "Nah, I have stuff I need to do. Just don't fall or anything, okay? And no," He quickly interjected as Caelian began to open his mouth, "Do not just rely on Iaestia. Learn to like, at least glide or something. Sheesh. Six wings. Can't fly. Useless. Why have 'em."

Nathaniel continued to mumble to himself as he zipped off into the forest, disappearing amongst the trees. He left a small trail of glitter in his wake. Caelian sat there for a moment, staring off into the direction he had vanished.

He absolutely was going to rely on Iaestia.

Caelian stood and brushed off some moss that had been clinging to his clothes before starting to carefully navigate through the roots. As soon as his feet were able to hit solid ground again, he took off through the forest in the direction of the Great Tree.

If there was one thing Caelian could ever say he was good at, it was endurance. He wasn't particularly fast, or strong, but by the time he reached the top of the spiraling stairway leading to Gaia's dwelling, he wasn't even tired or winded. He had even ran to save time. Something Nathaniel definitely wouldn't have approved of, but he wasn't here right now to voice his worry about Caelian slipping and falling.

As Caelian stepped underneath the shaded canopy, he paused. "Gaia?" He called, not seeing her in her usual spot.

He took a few steps forward, glancing around before his eyes locked onto a smaller figure. They were standing in front of the giant opening in the back of the room that looked out over the forest.

"Gaia!" Caelian called again as he ran over to her.

The goddess turned as Caelian called out, giving him a smile as he stopped in front of her. Even at a more "normal" size and height, she was still a few inches taller than him.

"Good morning, Caelian," She said in her gentle voice. "I think this is the earliest you've ever come to visit me," She laughed.

"Is it?" Caelian asked, his tail lightly brushing across the floor.

"The sun isn't usually this low in the sky. That aside, Nathaniel said you'd visit today since you got back late last night. Tell me, is everything well in the town?"

"Oh, yeah! Everything seems to be, at least… Nobody really needed me for anything."

"I see," Gaia gave him an empathetic smile. "Regardless of whether they needed you or not, thank you for checking in."

"Garson told me to leave again," Caelian said. "He said that I should stop bothering to go back to the town."

"I see," Gaia said softly, turning to look out over the forest. She let out a soft sigh. "Garson is a prideful man. I'm sure you can tell by now that he thinks I should have chosen him as my disciple. I can tell that many of the denizens agree with him."

Caelian watched as Gaia turned and slowly walked towards the center of the room.

"But pride isn't what I need in a disciple," She continued, stopping to face Caelian again from the middle of the room. "His envy merely shows he was never suited for the position."

"Envy?" Caelian asked as he approached Gaia, stopping when he reached her side, "What does that mean?"

Gaia took a moment before answering, as she stared off in thought. "Envy is… something that starts from thoughts of comparison. Thoughts of inferiority and superiority. The outcome of someone thinking somebody else is better than them. It's a desperate and bitter sense of wanting what someone else has. Garson has an ego, and feels by me choosing you over him, that he doesn't measure up to you. That his accomplishments mean nothing, since he wasn't chosen. So in turn, he may hate you for it. Envy is like a poison that rots the soul."

"Oh, thats…" Caelian paused, "It doesn't… sound nice. Is… is that one of the emotions I don't have?"

"It is."

Caelian thought for a moment. Being something he wasn't able to feel, he couldn't really comprehend that sort of emotion. But from Gaia's explanation, he could almost understand the cause for whatever that feeling was, at least. Almost.

"Hey, Gaia?" Caelian asked after a few more moments of pause. "Before, you never really explained what kind of negative emotions there were to me… Why did you this time?"

"You're right, I usually don't," Gaia let out a soft sigh. "But I've been thinking lately… I'm no longer sure if shielding you from such things is what I should be doing anymore."

Caelian remained silent as she turned to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Caelian, tell me," She said quietly, "Last night in the forest, did anything seem unusual?"

Caelian racked his mind for a moment, "Well… after Nathaniel went on ahead, after the sun set, I felt… something weird? Like something was watching me."

"I see," Gaia frowned, "You didn't see anything?"

"Nope! Why?"

Gaia gently released Caelian's shoulder with a soft sigh, clasping her hands together and bringing them near her chest.

"I have something I need you to do today, Caelian," She said, "I'm sorry to bother you with tasks two days in a row."

"Oh, it's fine!" Caelian said, his tail wagging as he took a step forward, "What do you need?"

Gaia held out her clasped hands. Caelian watched with curiosity as a yellow glow began to envelope them. She gently lifted them apart as a yellow orb materialized in the space between them. Swirls of green were spread across it's golden surface, moving and twisting freely. It's pulsing light was enough to make Caelian squint as Gaia gently held it out to him.

Caelian carefully accepted the orb, noting that it was extremely lightweight, as if he wasn't actually holding anything at all.

"What is it?" He asked, turning it over in his hands as he examined it.

"It's mana in physical form. I need you to take this to each corner of the realm and leave a piece of it. Place a piece in the town, as well."

"Oh! Do I just break part of it off, then?" Caelian asked.

Gaia shook her head and gently placed her hand against the orb. She let her palm rest against it, before gently digging her fingers into it, her hand nearly disappearing as she scooped out part of the orb as if it were a liquid. The piece she scooped out reshaped itself into another, smaller orb. As Caelian was staring in awe, she pressed the smaller orb against the original, pushing with her palm as it reabsorbed that which she had taken.

"It should be easy for you to do this, since my power flows through you as well," Gaia explained. "But please, do be careful. This is mana in its purest form. It could easily harm someone if they were to try and touch it."

"But Gaia, shouldn't you be conserving your mana?" Caelian asked.

Gaia shook her head. "No, I can't afford to right now. I feel as though something, or someone, managed to slip through the barrier. That presence you felt last night… I believe you wandered dangerously close to them."

"But… is that even possible?" Caelian asked, tilting his head slightly. "The barrier is what you've been putting all of your energy into, so it should be super strong, right?"

"It is, however there are some beings that I'm aware of that could have possibly slipped through." Gaia said as she gently wrapped her arms around herself.

"Like what?" Caelian asked.

"I'll explain everything after you've finished this task," Gaia said softly. "For now, please get the mana fragments spread out. While it might seem odd for me to use my mana light this, having these spread through the realm will strengthen my influence. I won't have to use as much of my mana to keep the barrier up, and I may be able to sense what slipped through. I'll be able to protect the forest better. The orbs will eventually fade, so I may need you to do this multiple times. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be sorry, it's okay!" Caelian said. "But couldn't you just take back some of the reserved mana you gave to me? That's what it's for, right? I don't want you to be exhausted from using so much mana."

Gaia smiled. "I appreciate your concern, my little sprout. But don't worry. Even at my weakest state, I am this realm's Goddess, and I will do my best to protect it. I won't take back any of the mana I've given to you yet. With how little I've been able to store within you so far, I'm not sure it'd be enough to help with this situation. Plus, our connection would grow weaker, and you may not be able to handle the mana orb."

Caelian looked down at the glowing orb in his hands. "Oh, okay!"

Gaia reached out with a smile and gently patted him on the head. "Worry not, Caelian. It was a good idea, thank you. Someday in the future I may ask that of you, but for now, keep the mana I've gifted you."

"Okay!" Caelian said. "I'll place the fragments as fast as I can, then! Um, it might be a few days, though, the forest is pretty big…"

"I expected as much. I'm sorry, I'm sure it will be tiring for you, but I'm relying on you."

"Yeah, don't worry!" Caelian beamed. "I got it! It's too bad I can't fly, though… I could do it a lot faster that way, I think."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to teach you," Gaia said with a sympathetic smile. "Someday you'll mange, though, I'm sure."

Caelian nodded, "Yeah, I hope so. But okay, I'll be back in a few days, probably!"

"Leave a fragment in the town first, if you could," Gaia called after Caelian as he hurried away. "I'm worried for the forest denizens."

"I will!" Caelian called back, not turning his head as he replied. He squinted as he walked out from under the shade of the canopy. Clutching the mana orb tightly, he jumped off the edge of the platform.

Nathaniel wasn't around to yell at him this time.

As he fell, he briefly considered trying to open his wings and see if anything would come of it, but quickly dismissed the idea as Iaestia formed her protective bubble around him

He stood as soon as the bubble stopped bouncing along the ground and burst open. He tried to shake some of the water off as he ran off into the forest. The shade from the forest canopy mixed with his soaking wet clothes gave him a bit of a chill, but hopefully moving would warm him up.

As Caelian entered the town, he noticed some curious looks. They were looking at the orb he held close to his body. It was about the same size, if not a bit larger, than his head, so it was pretty attention-grabbing. But nobody stopped him to ask any questions.

He paused to look around, trying to determine where he should leave the fragment. Gaia had said it could injure someone if they touched it, so maybe somewhere out of the way?

"Ah, great. It's you again."

Caelian turned at the sound of Garson's voice to see the man walking towards him with an annoyed expression.

"An' what in the goddess' name is that?" The older man asked as he pointed at the mana orb.

"Be careful, Gaia said it can hurt you guys if you touch it," Caelian said as he took a step back. "She asked me to leave a piece of it here."

"A piece of it? What is it?"

"It's mana in physical form!" Caelian said. "Gaia said someone might have gotten through the barrier, so-"

"As if that's even possible!" Garson interrupted. "The goddess has been protectin' us for years, if she put up a barrier, ain't nothin' getting through it!"

"But Gaia said so herself, she thinks something did! So she asked me to leave a mana fragment here to protect the town."

Garson folded his arms across his chest as he stared Caelian down. "If somethin' did somehow get through the barrier, isn't that somethin' you should be takin' care of, forest prince?"

"I am, I'm going to-"

"No, I don't mean making Gaia weaken herself even more to scatter her mana throughout the realm so she can deal with it. I mean you take care of it."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"Ugh, this halfie can't do anythin',"Garson grumbled, as if Caelian wasn't standing right in front of him. "You know what a disciples job is, right? To assist the goddess and protect the realm? Or are you just planning to be a little mana jar for the goddess and nothing else?"

"I'm… not understanding what you mean," Caelian said, "What am I doing wrong?"

"What I mean is, Gaia shouldn't be havin' to run herself ragged over all this. You're the disciple, you should be huntin' down whatever it is that supposedly got through the barrier. But Gaia picked some weak an' stupid halfie so all she ever does is baby you since she's worried about you gettin' hurt. It's admirable of her, sure! But she shouldn't be havin' to expend more energy to protect a useless disciple, when it should be the disciple protectin' her."

"But… But I-"

"If Ezekiel were still around this wouldn't have even been a problem. Nobody would be havin' to worry about whether or not the Goddess is running low on mana, an' he'd have been off doing something about the problem without Gaia even havin' to tell him to."

Caelian stared at him blankly. Maybe Garson was right. That he should've been able to do more. It was true that if Ezekiel was still Gaia's disciple, with how long they had been together, that there would have been such a surplus of mana that Gaia wouldn't have needed to have mana orbs spread out at all. But he wasn't Ezekiel. He was himself, and he was trying his best.

"Gaia gave me an order so I'm going to follow it. I can't do more than what she asks of me. Do you know a good spot to put a fragment where nobody will touch it and hurt themselves?" Caelian asked, his voice almost unnaturally monotone.

Garson gave a snort, "What's wrong, halfie? Can't feel anger or shame so you just go all blank on me? Whatever, fine. Put it up in one of the trees supportin' the rope bridges, then."

"Okay, thanks," Caelian said, quickly turning and fast-walking away. He didn't need to look back to be able to tell Garson was still glaring daggers at him. At least as he got away from Garson, he could slowly start to feel his elementals' influence again.

He ascended a nearby staircase that spiraled around one of the trees that supported the intricate rope bridge system that was built above the town. The stairs were almost like a mini version of the ones around the Great Tree, except more obviously man-made and not neatly integrated into the tree trunk.

The rope bridge swayed as he stepped out onto it from the circular platform that surrounded the tree. He didn't go up onto the bridges very often, but whenever he did, he thought the swaying from side to side was fun. He couldn't understand why some people would feel nauseous walking on them, or whatever they meant when they said they were afraid of it.

He decided on one of the taller trees towards the center of town and quickly made his way over to it, the planks reverberating with each step he took. He looked up at the branches that sat a few feet higher than the platform reached. Carefully tucking the mana orb under one arm, he began to slowly climb up the side of the tree. He swung his leg over a branch at the first opportunity to do so, and sat down on it.

Caelian took the orb again in both hands, staring down at it. He took his left hand and gently pressed his palm against it, as Gaia had demonstrated. He dipped his fingertips into it, scooping out a handful of liquid that form into a smaller orb in his palm.

He admired it for a moment, before leaning forward and gently placing the orb in between some of the branches to keep it stable. He was surprised when instead, it floated up into the air a few inches before coming to a stop. Well, at least he didn't need to worry about it falling.

Caelian slipped back down the tree trunk and onto the round platform surrounding it, before making his way back down to the forest floor. He walked at a brisk pace as he left the town, the mana orb now a little bit smaller.

He slowed his pace as he got deeper into the forest, trying to decide where his next stop should be. He could probably make it to the southwestern corner before the end of the day. It would take him a few days to make it to the other corners of the realm.

Dusk had set by the time he made it to his destination. He left another mana fragment, this time tossing it into the center of a small lake. As he had expected, it gently rose above the water and reflected down like a miniature full moon.

Deciding to take a quick break, he climbed up onto one of the large nearby rocks and sat down. He held the mana orb tightly against his chest, quietly watching the fragment as it floated above the water. Crickets chirped loudly in the night, adding to the croaking of the frogs that inhabited the lake. Caelian noted that a few of them resting on the lilypads near the shore seemed to be looking in the direction of the fragment, as if they were admiring it, too.

Caelian's eyes felt tired. His urge to sleep was battling with his desire to not make Gaia wait too long. He was considering trying to push through the night, but wondered if it'd be smart to not rest. Would he walk slower if he was tired?

He stifled a yawn as he forced himself to stand back up. Though he was sleepy, his body at least wasn't physically tired yet. He'd try to push on for a bit longer. He paused when a soft yellow light appeared beside him, quickly forming into a lantern.

"What? No, I'll be fine," Caelian said, responding to a voice only he could hear.

"You should sleep, don't push yourself. You can't help Gaia if you're sleep deprived."

Ishtar, his celestial elemental, was about as protective over him as Iaestia. Though Iaestia usually protected him from physical harm, Ishtar usually worried over things that could affect his health in other ways.

"It's fine," Caelian repeated, rubbing at his eye as he spoke, "I won't go for too much longer, just until the moon is a bit higher up in the sky. Then I'll stop."

"Take care of yourself," The soft voice said.

"I will. Thank you for worrying."

Ishtar followed along behind Caelian as he slid off of the rock and looked into the forest. He headed east. It was a peaceful walk, with the mana orb and Ishtar gently illuminating his immediate vicinity with a soft yellow light as Caelian navigated through the forest. His mind was beginning to feel foggy. He was on autopilot as he swerved through the trees, which might have been why it took him a while to notice that the forest had grown eerily quiet.

He stopped, becoming alert as he listened to the loud silence. He couldn't hear any of the usual sounds of the forest. Not even the rustle of leaves as the wind ran it's fingers through them. He had a sudden recollection of when this had happened before.

That same weird feeling hit him.

He took a step back, gripping the mana orb tightly as his eyes darted around the dark forest. He had ended up in a small clearing of trees, where the moonlight shone down directly onto him, but still barely gave enough light to see under the dark forest canopy.

The feeling in his gut wouldn't go away. It was as strange of a sensation the first time he felt it. Like an emotion he had never felt before. But how? What was it that he was feeling for the first time, that his elementals had never given him before?

"Are you afraid?"

The voice made him whip around in surprise, his wings flaring out and flapping to help propel him backwards, causing his feet to skid lightly through the dirt. He immediately saw who had spoken to him. It appeared to be a cloaked figure, though they were low against the ground, as if they had been crawling. It was reminiscent of a predator, poised and ready to pounce on their prey.

The purple cloak concealed the person almost entirely, with the hood pulled up and hanging partially down into their face. But it couldn't cover the large, leathery gray ears that stuck out the back of the hood, nor the curved horns sprouting from the being's head. Strands of mint green hair poked out from the hood, and icy blue pupil-less eyes stared up at Caelian with an unreadable expression.

"My apologies," The voice said, in the same hauntingly soft tone that had made Caelian jump, "I forgot how strong Agiel's aura can be."

"W-what?" Caelian stuttered, "What do you mean?"

The figure remained still for a moment. They slowly rose from the ground, standing tall. Caelian took another step back.

"You're Caelian, aren't you?" They asked, "The nature Goddess' newest disciple."

"I am," Caelian said, "Who are you?"

"Someone who had been sent to give you your last elemental. I apologize that we were not able to contribute sooner."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, "I already have an elemental from each realm."

Caelian thought he saw something flash behind their pupil-less blue eyes, but they retained their calm, soft tone. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're unaware. Where I'm from isn't called The Lost Realms for nothing, I suppose."

"I've… never heard of The Lost Realms," Caelian admitted, "There's a fifth realm?"

"There is," The figure confirmed, "Realms of Nature, Water, Fire, Celestial… and Shadow."

"I'm sorry, nobody ever mentioned your realm- Wait, so you brought an elemental, too?!" Caelian asked.

"Yes. There's emotions you lack, is there not?"

"Well… yeah," Caelian said. "But you have another elemental, then?! For the emotions I don't have?!"

"Yes. The gift from The Lost Realms," The cloaked figure said, "We apologize that we are a few years late compared to the other realms- It's hard for us to come by sprites that are powerful enough to become elementals."

Caelian couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement at the thought of another elemental. He truly had no idea there was a fifth realm. He had never even heard anyone imply that there were more than the four he knew of. But it made sense. If there were emotions he lacked, then there would be a realm for an element that embodied those emotions, wouldn't there?

"Oh! That's great! I've always been curious about the emotions I don't have! Oh, but… Gaia always said that the ones I didn't have were bad and that I wouldn't like them… That I'm better off without negative emotions."

Though it was hard to tell, the person under the cloak seemed to silently tip their head to the side, ever so slightly.

"There's no such thing as negative emotions," They said, "They're all important. Are you really content feeling incomplete?"

"Incomplete?" Caelian asked.

"Tell me. Has nobody ever claimed you to be ill? Called you unnatural? A freak? That you can't relate to them because you can't feel the same emotions they do?"

Caelian remained quiet, the two of them standing there in the silence of the forest for a while, until the cloaked figure continued on.

"Are you truly fine with only having half of the emotions that exist? Would you not want to be thought of as normal?" They asked.

"Half?" Caelian asked, his eyes growing wide, "I… I only have half?"

The figure nodded, "Nature, water, fire and celestial only embody half of the spectrum of emotion. Toxin, ice, fear and shadow encompass the others."

"But… that's four elements, isn't it? Can just one elemental give me all of the emotions related to those?" Caelian asked quietly.

The figure smiled. "Bright, aren't you? You're correct, you'd need four elementals to get the other half of the emotional spectrum. Accepting this one will give you four."

He watched as the figure carefully extended their hand. He leaned forward slightly, seeing a familiar sight. It was a gemsoul. The physical embodiment of an elemental that wasn't bound to anyone. It sparkled brilliantantly in the moonlight. It glowed a dark purple, though glowing wasn't quite the right way to describe it. It looked like the gem was sucking in the light around it, and emitting an inky darkness.

It was beautiful, in a eerie way. It seemed suitable for an element based on negative emotions. Caelian wasn't at all familiar with the element of shadow. At least, that's what he assumed it was. Shadow seemed like it'd be purple. Or maybe Toxin? Surely it wasn't ice or fear.

"But… how does that work?" Caelian asked, looking up from the cloaked figure's hand. "How will one elemental give me four?"

"Take it, and find out." The figure said.

Caelian looked back down at the gemsoul. He remembered all of the times his emotions ceased and he felt the emptiness he knew all too well. But would having negative emotions feel better than that feeling? Surely they would, right? It wasn't normal to feel nothing like that. Caelian wanted to be normal.

Caelian's other three elementals materialized, huddling close to him alongside Ishtar. He thought they were trying to say something, but it was like a quiet whispering in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite make out.

But he did want it. The thought of never feeling that empty feeling again was enticing. The only thing holding him back was a weird feeling in the back of his mind. It was like his elementals were telling him not to take it.

But he had made up his mind. He wanted to feel normal, like everyone else. Maybe then the forest denizens would accept him. Maybe, if he could finally understand all of their emotions, they'd hate him less. Then he could be an even better disciple to Gaia.

He stepped forward, and reached out towards the gemsoul. He stiffened when the cloaked figure grabbed onto his arm. Their grip felt cold. The coldness shot up his arm, paralyzing him as he suddenly struggled to breathe. He wanted to pull his arm away, but it refused. He dropped the mana orb, grabbing onto his arm with his other arm, trying to pull it back. An inky black ooze began to climb up his arm. It snaked its way up, leaving a searing pain in its wake.

His elementals acted quickly, each one of them flying protectively in front of Caelian and releasing a blast of elemental energy towards the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure released their grip and jumped back before anything could hit them, throwing Caelian onto the ground. He fell backwards, landing on his rear as the ooze continued to snake it's way out from his arm and onto the rest of his body.

He felt hot. It hurt. Everything hurt. He wheezed as his vision began to go dark. What was happening to him? His mind was drawing a blank. He couldn't think anymore. He watched as his elementals dropped to the forest floor, their auras blinking in and out.

The last thing he heard before passing out was the sound of shattering glass.

Chapter 4: Blooming Decay

Caelian woke to a metallic taste in his mouth. He coughed, heaving violently as he got up onto his hands and knees, his wings draping around him. His body still felt hot. He sat up, holding his pounding head with one hand as he looked around, his vision spinning. Something felt extremely wrong.

Remembering the events of the day before, he quickly stood up, stumbling into a tree as his vision momentarily went dark. He braced himself against it, pressing the side of his head against the bark. Taking a deep breath, he let it settle before letting his eyes scan the forest. The cloaked figure was nowhere to be seen. Where did they go? Had his elementals chased them off while he was passed out? What had they done to him?

From the light that shone down through the trees, he could tell that it was daytime. But the leaves still looked as though they held the dull purple hue they'd turn in the moonlight. Squinting, he moved closer to a nearby bush and reached out to examine it. As his fingers touched it's branches, he winced and pulled his hand back. A small drip of blood gently dropped off his finger onto the ground.

He didn't remember those kinds of bushes having thorns. As his vision slowly focused, he realized that the bushes had indeed turned a sickly shade of purple. He looked around, examining the forest around him. There were still some patches of green scattered throughout. But as Caelian watched a patch of green leaves on a tree, he could see them slowly change to the same purple that was all around him. The green that had always calmed him was gone.

He took a tentative step away from the tree. Where had the mana orb disappeared to? He needed to find it. Gaia probably didn't even have enough energy to make another. Getting on his hands and knees, he tried to look under the nearby bushes, being careful of their thorns. It couldn't have gone that far, could it? Maybe he could ask his elementals to help him. They were small, and could-

His body grew rigid with a sudden realization. Why couldn't he feel the presence of his elementals?

Nyxidae?" Caelian called, waiting for the green lantern to materialize next to him, just as she always did. But the air was silent and still. A strange, bubbling sensation that was eerily familiar was beginning to rise in Caelian's stomach.

"Iaestia?" He called, whirling around, "Riemos? Ishtar?"

The silence felt heavy as he kept turning in circles, looking for any sign of them. He eventually came to a stop, panting heavily as he struggled to breathe. He placed a hand against his chest, swallowing as he felt his quickened heartbeat. What happened to them? What happened to him?

Caelian jumped at the loud snap that came from behind him. He whirled around in time to see a lantern materialize a couple of feet away from him, it's red aura intense and crackling wildly like electricity. He stared at it with wide eyes as it hung motionless in the air.

His heart was still pounding as he took a tentative step towards it. "Riemos?" He asked with uncertainty.

The elemental remained silent as Caelian took another step forward.

"Hello…?" He reached his hand out, intending to touch the glass, but yelped in pain when a shock emitted from the lantern. Quickly retracting his hand, he grasped it with his other as he stumbled backwards. Caelian gave the elemental a disbelieving look before looking down at his hand, gently opening his fist to see the black mark it had left on his palm. He frowned.

"...Not … us…"

Caelian snapped his head up, hearing the familiar echo of one of his elementals speaking to him. His eyes locked back onto the red-hued lantern that was remaining perfectly still.

"What?" Caelian asked, in a quiet voice. Moments of silence passed. "I couldn't hear you," He said, pushing for the elemental to repeat itself.

The lantern finally moved, though Caelian quickly stepped backward as it floated towards him. It stopped again after a moment, now closer, but not by much.

"You're not Riemos," Caelian said, "Who are you?"

There was another long pause, to the point where Caelian had thought he wasn't going to get an answer, until a single word flashed across the back of his mind.

"Fear."

Caelian stared at the elemental for a few moments longer. He took a few steps back, before turning and running off into the forest. He wasn't sure if the elemental was following him, but he didn't care to look behind him and check. He needed to return to Gaia and see what was wrong with him, and where Nyxidae and the others went.

His pace slowed as he continued on through the forest, getting lost as he realized he didn't recognize anything. There was nothing but the same sickly purple wherever he went, with bright green acid occasionally dripping off of the tree branches and onto the forest floor, leaving smoldering black spots in the already dead grass.

Where gnarled roots had once been were now thorny brambles, their thorns looking razor sharp as they glinted in the dull sunlight. Wilted flowers were everywhere he walked, though he noticed a few new ones growing among them, their buds turning to watch as he walked past. It was as if he had woken up somewhere that wasn't the Eternal Forest.

But he knew it was the same. As much as he wanted to believe it wasn't, every now and then, despite how different it looked, he could just barely recognize a few of the landmarks he once knew.

He walked into a familiar clearing, the pond now an unnatural, bright pink as opposed to the crystalline blue he remembered. He finally came to a stop, his arms wrapped around himself as he took in the sight. He didn't jump this time at the sharp crackle beside him, signaling that the elemental from before had appeared. Ignoring it, he walked down closer to the water.

He peered over the edge. Despite its change in color, it was just as reflective as before. Caelian almost didn't recognize himself when he saw his own reflection. The expression he had on his face seemed foreign to him. Why was he even making that face?

He stepped away from the edge, ignoring his urge to dip his hand into the bright pink liquid. Somehow, he felt that would be a terrible idea.

He tried to rack his mind to remember where exactly in the forest he was, but his thoughts were a swirling mess. He at least was able to remember that he could always spot the Great Tree if he climbed up into the trees and poked his head up above the canopy. It was how he returned home when he was younger and still learning how to navigate the forest. He'd just have to climb up into a tree.

Choosing one that had less acid oozing out of it compared to the others, he easily hoisted himself up the trunk and through the branches. His head popped up through the leaves and he looked around. He almost immediately spotted the Great Tree, and when he did, his heart sank.

He should've expected it, but it wasn't something he had even considered. Off in the distance stood the Great Tree, towering above the rest of the forest. But it's wood was a dull gray, and its leaves a decaying purple. Even from as far away that he was, Caelian could see waterfalls of acid spilling from the treetop.

He dropped down out of the tree and tumbled roughly onto the ground. He forced himself back up onto his legs, taking off quickly through the forest. The sight had left his stomach churning.

Gaia had always assured him that nothing could ever happen to the Eternal Forest. That she would be able to protect it. But something clearly had happened that she wasn't able to prevent. Was she okay? Was the forest going to be okay?

He was barely paying attention to where he ran, only making sure to keep to the same direction as the Great Tree. He hadn't considered from which side he'd be approaching, and when he accidentally stumbled across the forest denizen's town, he had barely recognized it. The same signs of death and decay had spread to it, many of the homes now uninhabitable, eaten away by the acid that fell from the trees.

He skidded to a stop, breathing heavily as he took a moment to take in the sight of the town. Just when he decided he'd check on the denizens later, as Gaia took precedence, someone shouted,

"Look! It's Caelian!"

As Caelian looked towards the person who was pointing at him, the red elemental blinked out of existence. Within moments he was surrounded, the desperate forest denizens all speaking at once as they crowded into him. It was a tangle of voices where he could barely pick out where one sentence began and where another ended.

"What happened?!"

"Is Gaia okay?"

"What's wrong with the forest?"

"The trees are dying!"

Caelian took a step backward, his eyes wide at their panicked cries. He only managed to stutter out in response, "I… I…"

"You!"

Silence immediately fell upon the crowd, and spirits shuffled out of the way to make room for the man whose resonating voice was heard above all the rest. Garson approached Caelian briskly, fire behind his eyes like Caelian had never seen before.

"What have you done?!" He yelled, getting right into Caelian's face. "What happened to the forest?"

Caelian shrunk away from him, taking a step back. "I- I don't know, I just-"

"Don't play stupid with me!" Garson snarled, grabbing Caelian by his coat collar. Other spirits tried to step in and separate the two, but Garson quickly blocked them with his free arm.

"You came by the other day with a bunch'a the Goddess' mana, an' the next day the forest just falls to ruin?! What did you do, boy?!"

"Why are you blaming me?!" Caelian spat, causing everyone to reel back in surprise. "I haven't done anything! I don't know what's going on either! I woke up and everything was like this!"

Garson recovered quickly, and he gave Caelian a shake as he spat back, "Because you're the disciple! Your job is to protect the forest an' you don't even know what's happenin' to the forest?!"

Caelian bit his tongue. He recalled the cloaked figure. Could they have done something? They did something to him, could it have somehow affected the forest? But surely it wasn't his fault? All he did was try to accept a new elemental. Elementals didn't have the power to do all this.

"Like you could have done any better?!" Caelian said. "Why do you always act so much better than me, Garson? What would you have done? Do you know what's going on?! You'd have only been a disciple for as long as I have, you wouldn't have absorbed any more of Gaia's mana, so what makes you think you'd be so special? You can barely even control the element of nature!"

Hushed murmurs engulfed the crowd around them, though Garson seemed unable to hear them.

"I would have stopped this before it could even become a problem!" Garson shouted.

"Stopped it how?! Do you even know what is happening? What would you have done? I followed Gaia's orders. Are you saying you'd have gone against what she said? You think that'd make you a better disciple?!"

Garson' face was a hot red at this point as he continued to shake Caelian as he spoke, "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?! You know nothin'! The goddess gave you a pointless task because you're not capable of anythin'!"

"Yet she still chose me over you, didn't she? So what's that say about you?"

Garson gripped Caelian's collar tighter, staring directly into his eyes.

"You weren't good enough," Caelian continued, "Look at you. Thinking you're so great. Then why didn't Gaia pick you? You're so qualified for the position, so why would Gaia have ever chosen me over you? Because you're not good enough."

"You…" Garson breathed, the veins on his neck and fist bulging.

"What, can't come up with anything to say?" Caelian taunted, "You can't, can you? Because you know I'm right. You try to act like you should be Gaia's disciple, but why should you be? Because you act important and pretend that you're helping the denizens? Are you sure it's out of good will or just because you want to pretend you're the disciple? You purposefully drove the denizens away from me. You're jealous Gaia chose me over you. You want me to have nothing so that-"

Caelian's tirade was cut short when he was thrown, the breath knocked out of him as his back collided with the ground. He tried to take in a breath, but it was quickly forced back out of him when Garson stomped his foot down onto his stomach.

"You fuckin' no good halfie!" He yelled, stomping his foot down a second time. The other spirits quickly intervened and pulled Garson off Caelian, though none of them bothered to check if Caelian was okay as he slowly heaved himself up into a sitting position.

"A full-blooded forest spirit is the only thing worthy of servin' the Goddess!" Not some half-blood that doesn't even know what element his spirit half is!" Garson spat, ripping himself away from the grasp of the two spirits holding him back. As soon as Caelian stood back up, Garson shoved him backwards, "You're a disgrace to the entire fuckin' forest! An' now look what's happened to it!"

Caelian kept his balance, glowering at Garson as the man towered over him. He could feel his blood start to boil just by looking at his face.

"I'm not a halfie, I'm a forest spirit," He said through gritted teeth. "And I'm not a disgrace."

"Bullshit!" Garson said, shoving Caelian back again, "You think you're worthy to be the Goddess' disciple?! Look at what's happened to the forest because you couldn't do nothin' to stop it! The forest is dying because we had a fuckin' no good halfie trying to do a spirit's job!"

"I'm-"

"Imagine how disappointed the Goddess will be," Garson interrupted, his voice more level as he stared directly into Caelian's eyes, "That her forest, her home, everything she loved, was destroyed by her own disciple."

Caelian glared at him.

"The Goddess should have let you rot out in the forest," Garson sneered, "Halfies don't bring anythin' good to anyone. The Goddess' kindness has cost us all."

"I've told you I'm not a damn halfie."

"You ain't no forest spirit. You're a disgusting, no good, mistake."

"I'm not-"

"Your parents probably left you in the forest because they were ashamed," Garson said, "that they brought such a useless, emotionless, piece a' shit halfie like you into the-"

"I'm not a halfie!" Caelian yelled. In an instant, dark purple ooze traveled up and around his arm, forming it into a monstrous claw as Caelian slashed it across Garson' face, sending the man flying backwards.

Caelian immediately froze, staring wide-eyed at Garson as he writhed and screamed in pain on the ground in front of him. He hadn't even noticed the purple lantern that materialized next to him, emitting a soft hum as the ooze slowly disappeared from his arm. Only the blood dripping from his own fingers remained.

"I- I'm sorry," Caelian stuttered, taking a step back as the other spirits rushed to Garson' side, "I- I didn't mean to-"

His words were cut off as three more lanterns materialized next to him, alongside the purple one. The familiar red one, its aura wild like electricity. An icy blue one, frost clinging to its glass and icicles hanging from the black steel. Then finally one that caused many eyes to fall upon it: A bright, neon green lantern that had thorns wrapped around it, as a familiar green ooze leaked out of its cracked glass, burning the grass it fell down upon.

"You…"

Garson's voice made Caelian rip his eyes away from the four elementals. When he saw him, sitting up with the assistance of another spirit, one of his eyes closed and bloody, he was surprised. There was no more anger in his expression. Only a look that, until recently, Caelian wouldn't have been able to place.

He looked at Caelian with fear.

"You've been corrupt, haven't you?" He almost whispered. "Your elementals… this is your fault. You… you caused the Goddess to become corrupt. It was through you. That's why the forest is like this."

Caelian's stomach sank at Garson's words, alongside the looks he was receiving from the others. They all looked at him the same way. They were afraid of him.

"What?" Caelian asked in a small voice, "But I'm not… how?"

Garson shakily stood up with the assistance of one of the spirits, "That's somethin' we should be askin' you, boy," He said, "Where did you get those dark elementals?"

Caelian stared wordlessly at Garson as the four elementals circled around him. How could he be corrupt? From what? His mind flashed back to the cloaked figure. The ooze that had traveled up his arm, burning and itching as it wrapped around him… Could that have been? Could Garson tell just from his elementals?

"I… I'm not corrupt," Caelian said, "I don't… how could I have been? I don't- I… I didn't… even feel… negative emotions…" He trailed off. His eyes swept across the line of forest spirits that still surrounded them, their murmurs filling his ears.

"The disciple is corrupt?"

"But he doesn't seem it."

"Did you not see how he just attacked Garson?!"

"He's dangerous, then?"

"He would have never lashed out at Garson's taunts before."

"Surely everyone has a limit?"

"No, he was incapable. Something is different. Something happened to the elementals the Goddess gave him. Look how that one spews the same acid as the trees."

"What are we supposed to do if the disciple is corrupt?"

"What are we supposed to do?!"

"What about the Goddess?"

What about the Goddess? Caelian focused on those words as they echoed through his mind. What happened to Gaia? Garson had said she became corrupt. But surely, she wasn't…? Not because of him?

He stared down at his hand as the blood dripped off of it. The denizen's murmurings had become a faint buzz in the back of his mind. Slowly, he took a step back. He needed to return to the Great Tree and speak to Gaia.

He turned and ran, deaf to the shouts that erupted behind him. He only made it a short distance before being tackled to the ground, his face skidding in the dirt.

"Get off!" He shouted, flailing his legs and wings as more spirits rushed over to hold him down, "I need to go to Gaia!"

"You won't be goin' anywhere, Halfie," Garson growled as he moved towards him. Other spirits quickly moved out of his path as he barreled through them.

"What should we do?"

Though Caelian couldn't see them with his face crushed against the earth, it sounded like the spirit that had their knee on his back was speaking.

"What do you mean what should we do?" Garson snapped. "The same that we do with any spirit that's been corrupt!"

A silence fell over the gathering, the only thing to break it being Caelian's heavy breathing as he lay still underneath the hold of the other spirits. His heart and lungs felt constricted, and sweat was beginning to form all over his body. His wings twitched helplessly under the hold of the other spirits. He wanted to get away, but he felt paralyzed, unable to fight against those holding him down. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes as his breathing grew more even more erratic.

They were going to kill him.

"I… I don't know about that, Garson," Caelian heard someone further away speak up.

"What do you mean you don't know about that?" Garson sounded like he was nearly boiling over with rage.

"I mean… He's still the disciple, isn't he? Should we really-"

"He's corrupt, Sen. Disciple or not, we can't just let corrupt spirits hang around and take the rest of us," Someone else said.

"But…"

"I agree with Sen. We shouldn't kill him."

"Are both of you stupid?"

"What if it negatively affects the Goddess? She became weak when Ezekiel left us."

"It's already negatively affected the Goddess!" Garson roared, drowning out the others. "Just take a look around you! You think this could have happened to the forest if she wasn't affected somehow?! We need to start by getting rid of the source of the problem. The corrupted halfie needs to be killed."

There was a shuffling behind Caelian, and he felt a weight lifted off of him. His first instinct was to run, but he was quickly kicked over onto his back, only to be held down again as Garson planted his foot squarely on his chest. Even with his hands free and his feet kicking at the air, it yielded him nothing. He grasped desperately at Garson's boot, trying to push him off and struggle out from underneath him, but it only caused the man to press down with more of his weight, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

Caelian could hear a commotion spark up around him, and thought that out of his peripheral vision he could make out some of the spirits trying to get past the others that were holding them back. But his focus was placed solely on the dagger that Garson had already raised above his head. Tears blurred his vision, and part of him was telling himself to just close his eyes, but they remained open in terror, even as the dagger was thrust downward.

"Garson! Don't you dare!"

Flowering vines sprung up around them within fractions of a second. One of them wrapped around Garson's arm and tugged it back violently, causing a loud pop to emit from his shoulder as his arm was twisted away from Caelian.

Garson's shout of pain caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare. Caelian also stared up in disbelief for a few seconds, before quickly flicking his eyes over in time to see the crowd part to let someone through.

Mrs. Tamia was storming towards the two of them as fast as she could hobble with her cane, a stony glare etched onto her face. Caelian looked at her pleadingly through his tears as his panicked breathing continued.

More vines wrapped around Garson and yanked him off of Caelian. He stumbled, barely being able to regain his footing as the vines released him and disappeared back into the ground just as suddenly as they appeared. He dropped the dagger as he grabbed onto his injured shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing, Tamia?!" He shouted as the old woman stood in front of Caelian, shielding him.

"I won't let you hurt this child, you stupid, ignorant man." She said.

"He's corrupt, Tamia!" Garson shouted, "He needs to-"

"Corrupt?!" She shouted back as she stomped her cane against the ground, causing Garson to clamp his mouth shut. "The lot of you are all fools! Look at him, tell me, does he look like a corrupt spirit?!"

Caelian had sat up by now, gulping back some of his tears as he stared up at Mrs. Tamia. Garson gave her an incredulous look.

"He attacked me, you delirious hag. Were you not watching?!"

"I would have attacked you too if you spoke to me like that, you damned oaf." She spat back with venom.

"But… his sprites- the elementals," Someone else spoke up as Garson glared at Mrs. Tamia.

"Yes, the elementals." Mrs. Tamia spoke sullenly, turning to glance at the four lanterns that still hovered around Caelian, "It does seem as though something has happened to them. He has dark elementals in place of his light ones, and they clearly are affecting him. But let's focus on the boy. Tell me, does he look corrupt?"

There was a silence as she turned to stare at them.

"Has he been transformed? Became deranged? Lost his mind? Yes, Garson, he attacked you. But I fail to see a corrupt spirit that only lives to kill and destroy. All I see is a scared and confused child, experiencing all of the negative emotions that he has never even experienced before in his life. The forest is in shambles. The elementals he knew are gone. He is overwhelmed. Look at him, you idiots," She stomped her cane into the ground just as Caelian sniffled and wiped some of the tears from his face, "You dare to tell me that this is a corrupt spirit?!"

"Corruption is corruption, Tamia," Garson hissed, "Even if it is just the elementals, they're tied to him. Everyone here knows that. What do we do if he can't control himself over the persuasion of his own corrupt emotions?"

"Are you not able to control your emotions, Garson? Actually, don't answer that, you're not a good example," She waved her hand, causing Garson to sneer, "I'm sure he'd be able to control the elementals in time. They're brand new to him. Give him some time. Regardless, he is a baby. I will not let you hurt him."

"He can't just stay here, Tamia," Garson growled, "He's a risk to us all."

"Then what is it you're planning?" Mrs. Tamia asked.

"If we can't kill him, we banish him," Garson said. Several spirits voiced their agreements.

Mrs. Tamia pursed her lips. "... Very well," She said. "If that's the only other solution that you'll accept."

"It is," Garson said.

Garson and Tamia stared at each other in a silent standoff before Garson stomped away. Though Tamia remained standing tall, Caelian noticed her shoulders droop as soon as the attention was taken off of her and put back onto Garson as he began to throw around orders. Caelian watched as she slowly crouched down next to him, gently placing her hand on his cheek as she gave him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry. This is all I can do to protect you," She whispered, "I'm so sorry this happened, Caelian. If there was more support for you, I'd push to have you stay. But I can already tell there's more that want you gone than those who don't."

"Tamia, I-" Caelian was cut off by a choked sob, and Tamia shook her head.

"It's okay. You don't need to say anything. Caelian… If i'm being honest, I can't say for certain if you're truly corrupt or not. I can tell you still have your mind about you. But I know you. Regardless of whatever negative feelings have taken over you, I know you'd never want to hurt anyone on purpose. I want you to live, and maybe someday, by some miracle, you will be allowed to return to us."

Tamia pressed her lips firmly together as two spirits roughly grabbed Caelian, dragging him away. He began to struggle again, until a sharp blow to his head made him still. The spirit that had knocked him out with their blunt weapon gave him a sympathetic look, as he and his comrade continued to drag Caelian out of the town and towards the edge of the realm.

Tamia stood and watched, until they disappeared into the forest. "Take care of yourself, Caelian," She said weakly.

When Caelian finally woke, it was to him being thrown onto the muddy ground. Though his vision was blurry and his head was spinning, he tried to push himself up. Rain battered against his face as he looked around at the glum scenery around him, before one of his hands slipped and his chin slapped back into the mud. Having no will to get up, he stared blankly ahead.

Behind him, unnoticed, the two spirits that had bought him there were quietly observing.

"Are you sure this is far enough?" One asked in a quiet voice.

"He's never left the realm before. He won't know how to enter," The other sighed, "So it doesn't matter how close we leave him. He won't ever be able to return. He'll be stuck in the human realm for as long as he lives. Even if he finds another spirit, I'm sure they wouldn't show him the way back. Only an idiot would be willing to hang around someone that's corrupt."

"Yeah… I guess…" The other said quietly.

They took a moment to look pitifully at Caelian before the two of them turned and disappeared into the forest.

Time felt like a lost concept. Caelian had no idea how long he laid there as the rain beat down onto him. It felt like years had passed when he finally pushed himself up, his arms shaky and barely able to support his weight. He didn't bother to wipe the mud from his face as he stood up. He wobbled off to the side, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support.

He sniffled as he surveyed his surroundings, barely able to see through the dark downpour. He was in a forest, but he could tell it wasn't the forest he had called his home. The trees and foliage looked normal, green and flourishing, just as the ones he once knew. But the air around him felt different. It was too still. It was lifeless, with a lack of mana. Where was he? They had said something about the human realm, but… where was that? Caelian had only heard about humans in passing, or when he was being insulted for being a halfie.

He stepped away from the tree, though he had no motivation to move. Even though at the moment he felt nothing, he knew that he needed to try and get to Gaia. No matter what had happened. He needed to return to her.

He wandered aimlessly through the forest, looking hopelessly for something that he didn't even know to look for. If he just kept walking, would he find his way back?

He wasn't sure if he was still crying or if it was just the rain. He raised his sleeve to try and wipe away some of the water, but only succeeded in smudging more mud onto his face. He let out a pitiful whine, stopping in his tracks to try and clear the mud from his eyes.

After a few moments Caelian blinked his eyes back open. They stung, but hopefully the rain could make itself useful and help wash away the mud.

Seeing blurry movement out of the corner of his eye, he spun around to face a deer that had poked its head out of the brush. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and when Caelian held out his hand, the deer turned and fled. Caelian stared after it in disappointment. Why did it run? Was it afraid of him? They never had been fearful of him before. What if it could tell he was corrupt? Could they sense something like that?

He gently wrapped his arms around himself as he stared down at the ground. Was this all he had to look forward to for the rest of his life? Stuck in the human realm, lost and alone? Maybe it was what he deserved.

Caelian frowned. No, he didn't deserve this. It wasn't his fault any of that had happened. How could it be? All he did was try to claim his fifth elemental. He wasn't sure what the cloaked figure did, or where his elementals went. But it had to be coincidence. It had to.

Maybe if the forest denizens hadn't forced him out he would have been able to do something about it. What were they going to do by themselves, anyways? He was the disciple. He could handle the situation better than anyone else could. Who the hell did they think they were to kick him out, anyways? He was essentially second in charge next to Gaia. They should have been listening to him. Maybe if Mrs. Tamia hadn't been so useless and quick to agree in banishing him-

He shook his head, as if to shake away the thoughts. He didn't like how he was feeling or thinking at that moment. What the hell kind of emotion was that? He knew the forest denizens were just trying to do what they thought would protect the forest. He knew Mrs. Tamia did what she could. So why was he feeling differently?

Hearing a chime beside him, he turned his head to see the neon green lantern floating beside him. Acid fell through the cracks in the glass, smoldering in the wet grass.

"... You, huh?" Caelian said, "Then stop."

He wrapped his arms back around himself as he trudged through the mud. He kept trying to not think about it, but the events of that day kept playing through his mind, getting more and more twisted with each passing.

"I said stop," He said, not bothering to look at the lantern that floated by his side. "Do you not understand? Just leave me alone."

The lantern merely chimed in response, and Caelian felt a flicker of annoyance that it still hadn't pulled back its influence. He turned to look at it and barely got his mouth open to speak before tripping over a raised root and slamming back down into the muddy ground.

He slowly pushed himself up, kneeling in the mud as he stared down at the ground. Feeling something inside of him break, he let out a sob. Why was this happening? What had he done to deserve this?

Caelian tensed at the sound of more elementals materializing. He flapped open his dirty wings, forcing the lanterns away from him.

"Leave me alone," He muttered, before dragging himself over to a nearby tree trunk. It provided little shelter from the rain, but it was better than nothing as he curled up into a ball with his wings wrapped around him.

All four of the lanterns gently floated closer, each making their own unique chiming and humming sounds as they crowded around him. Caelian stiffened again, pushing the blue one away as it got close to his face.

"I said go away," He said.

But they continued to draw near, staying within inches of Caelian as he buried his face into his knees. In the back of his mind he thought he could hear voices. They all echoed over each other, like a buzzing, incomprehensible mess as they struggled to be heard. Caelian's head began to pound, growing worse with each passing second, as the voices slowly began to grow in volume.

"Leave me alone," Caelian choked out, "I don't want you anymore. I don't like you. Look what you've done."

Ignoring him, they remained. It wasn't until the purple one gently drifted forward enough to touch him that he finally snapped.

"Go away!" he yelled, flinging his arm out with the same purple claw he had used on Garson. He knocked all four of the lanterns away in a single blow, hard enough to send them all flying into the muddy ground. The purple ooze around his arm disappeared quickly as Caelian buried his face into his hands, sobbing. The new emotions that swirled around inside of him were fighting to be heard. But one stood out to him the most. A small voice in the back of his mind told him what it was. Hatred.

"Go away, leave me alone. Go away, go away, go away. I hate you. I hate this. I hate all of you. I'd rather feel nothing. Just let me feel nothing if I can't have the others back. Let me feel nothing. Go away."

His desperate babbling continued as the lanterns remained still in the mud. Their light began to slowly dim, before they disappeared one by one. When the last had vanished, Caelian fell silent. He sat perfectly still as the rain pattered around him for hours, him never moving an inch.

It was nearly pitch dark by the time Caelian slowly lowered his hands from his face. He let them fall lifelessly to his sides as he stared down at the ground between his feet, his eyes dull and lifeless. The elementals had finally listened to him.

He felt nothing.

Chapter 5: Cheery Incompetence

Claw marks accented the paw prints that the young woman left behind in the damp earth. They led into the brush, close to where Caelian was sleeping. She had been eyeing him for a while now, curious about the pile of black and white feathers that were pressed up against the tree trunk.

She began to inch closer, pausing when a twig snapped underneath her foot. Seeing that the pile of feathers didn't stir, she continued to stalk closer and closer.

A scream pierced the forest, sending any nearby birds flying away in a panic. Having felt something jump onto him, Caelian had reflexively twisted and shoved away whatever it was. He scrambled to his feet, flapping his wings in a panic as he tried to maintain his balance. The person that had pounced on him was still sitting where Caelian had pushed her off, her head tilted to the side and staring at some feathers that were slowly drifting to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?!" Caelian shouted as he a step back.

"Hmm, Evelyn disappointed. She thought you were a big bird. Oh well!" She said, seemingly unbothered by his hostility.

"What? Who is Evelyn?!"

"Evelyn is Evelyn."

"I don't know who- Ugh, who are you?" Caelian asked with a frustrated sigh as he folded his ruffled wings against his back.

She looked up at him with her bright green eyes, "Evelyn is Evelyn," She repeated.

"You're Evelyn?"

"Yes."

"Could've just said that," Caelian mumbled, calming down a bit, "Wait, you're... a spirit."

Evelyn stood up from the almost feral-looking crouched position she had been sitting in. She was a lot taller than Caelian- which wasn't exactly saying much, considering how short he was. Her hair was bright pink and fell down to her shoulder blades. She had long ears, and a tail that almost seemed bigger than her body, both sporting soft, pink feathers instead of fur. The tan skin on her legs sprouted black feathers just above her knees, covering them down to her paw-like feet. Her clothing showed a lot of skin, consisting of a black top and shorts, along with a sheer purple jacket. A heart choker with green gems and black feathers adorned her neck.

"Yes," She said, placing her clawed hands on her hips and giving him a prideful grin. "Evelyn is fire spirit!"

"You're… not afraid of me?"

"Mm, no? Should Evelyn be?"

"Nevermind," He said quickly. "Uh, wait, you said you were a fire spirit? You're not from the Eternal Forest, then?"

"Nope! Evelyn is from the Scorched Lands, like other fire spirits."

"Oh," Caelian said blankly. "You couldn't help me, then," he said as he turned away.

Evelyn's hands fell to her sides as she watched Caelian begin to leave. He only got a few steps in before she dashed in front of him, blocking his way. He stiffened as she folded her arms with a frown.

"What?" He asked.

"Evelyn introduced herself, so Birdie should introduce himself to Evelyn," She huffed.

"Does it matter?"

There was a long stretch of silence as Evelyn stared at him expectantly. Caelian let out a reluctant sigh. "My name is Caelian."

"There!" Evelyn beamed, flashing him a toothy grin. "Not so hard to be polite, yes? Now, what is it Birdie says Evelyn can't help with?"

"Why ask my name if you're not gonna use it?" Caelian mumbled. "You're a fire spirit, you're not going to know how to enter The Eternal Forest."

Evelyn tapped one of her claws against her teeth as she thought for a moment, "Mmm… nope, Evelyn not know how to get into forest. But, Birdie is forest spirit, yes? Shouldn't he know?"

"I've never left the spirit realm before. So nobody ever told me how I'd go back."

"But if Birdie not know how to get back, why leave?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it without a word. Grimacing, he quickly walked past her while saying, "I don't have time for this."

Evelyn frowned. She waited a few moments before turning to follow him, "Wait, Birdie is forest spirit, yes? Evelyn needs to find flower. Birdie can help, yes?"

"I just said I don't have time, go find someone else."

"But Evelyn not find any other forest spirit," She said. "Evelyn has been looking for a long time, because her friend needs, but Evelyn can't find it..."

"Why are you even here? Couldn't you have asked someone in the Scorched Lands to help you?" Caelian asked, not breaking his stride.

Evelyn bounced along beside him, "Evelyn not find it there, and nobody she ask knew. So Evelyn thought she'd try forest, because lots of plants there. Is called pig's foot, do you know it?"

Caelian glanced over to her, "There isn't any kind of flower called that."

"There is! Friend says so."

"Uh, no. I know all of the plants here. There isn't anything called pig's foot."

"Birdie just not know," Evelyn pouted, "But is okay, Evelyn will find it eventually."

"There's not- Ugh, whatever," He mumbled.

Caelian felt lost as he wandered aimlessly through the trees. While he knew it was foolish, he kept hoping to see something that he'd recognize. Something to signify he was still in the Eternal Forest, and not banished to some unfamiliar land outside of the spirit realm. But the further he walked, the more that hope of his diminished. It wasn't just some nightmare he had in his sleep. Everything that had happened was real. Something terrible was happening in his home, and he couldn't even find a way back to try and fix it.

He looked up helplessly at the sky. The forest canopy wasn't as dense here as it was in the Eternal Forest. He could easily see the blue sky through the treetops, which allowed more light to filter in than he was used to. It reminded him of how bright it was when he climbed the Great Tree on his way to Gaia. He looked back down to the ground, quickly pushing those memories out of his head. They were making him feel something he didn't like.

"... Why are you still following me?" Caelian asked, giving an annoyed look to Evelyn, who had been trailing behind him for the past several minutes.

"Because Birdie seems lost," She said, "So Evelyn not want to leave him alone."

"I'm fine," He mumbled, "So you should leave."

"But-"

"Would you just get away from me?!" He snapped, stopping to whirl around and face her. "You can't help me, and I don't know anything about your stupid flower! So leave me alone!"

Evelyn stood silently as Caelian marched off, leaving her alone in the forest.

Caelian sat quietly at the edge of the lake he had stumbled upon, picking the mud out from his feathers. He felt guilty for yelling at Evelyn. It was an unpleasant feeling, the way his heart felt heavy as he replayed the moment over and over again in his mind. He had told the elementals to leave him alone, but it was clear that he was still feeling their influence.

As if on cue, he heard a soft ringing that made him turn and look up. The frosty blue lantern had appeared next to him. He stared at it blankly as it floated down closer to him, before he scoffed and slapped it away.

"I told you to leave me alone," he muttered before going back to tending to his feathers.

As he washed them with water from the lake, he occasionally felt an odd compulsion to pluck one of them out. He winced each time he did so, pausing to watch blood well up from where the feather was ripped out. He glanced over to the pile of feathers beside him with a frown, sighing as he added another to it.

The chiming of the elemental had continued for several minutes now, despite him ignoring it. It was like a child begging for their parent's attention. It was starting to aggravate him, and he rolled his eyes when it made a particularly loud noise. He turned to look behind him, intending to tell it to stop, but instead stiffened. A few yards away stood Evelyn, turning the lantern over in her hands as she examined it.

He shot up, wasting no time in running over to her, "Hey, let that go!" He shouted, making her flinch in surprise. She took a step back as he stopped in front of her.

"It's dangerous, get away from it!" He said.

"Hmm," Evelyn mused, glancing down at it, "Not seem dangerous. Just cold. What is it?" She asked, before doing as she was told and gently releasing it from her grasp. The lantern floated back to Caelian, slowly circling around him now that it was free.

Caelian wasn't sure which he was more perplexed by. The fact the sprite hadn't done anything to harm her, or that she seemingly had no idea what it was. Her reaction was vastly different from the forest denizens. She didn't look at it in fear, but merely with curiosity and awe.

"You don't know what an elemental is?"

"Nope! Is a fancy word for light box?"

"You mean a lantern? No, it- I mean, it's a lantern, yeah, but…" He trailed off, frowning as he looked at the circling elemental.

"Is Birdie's?" Evelyn asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah… It's mine," He mumbled, "But… Aren't you afraid of it? It's a corrupt sprite."

"Oh!" Evelyn suddenly perked up as if a light bulb went off in her head. "Is sprite! But in a lantern… You call them elemental? Evelyn not recognize it… Mm… If light blue, and cold... Is just normal ice sprite, yes?"

"Is it?" He asked, giving her a doubtful look.

Evelyn frowned. "Oh, is Caelian one of those spirits that not like dark spirits?" She placed her hands on her hips, "Very prejudiced, you know."

"Prej- what?"

"Everyone say dark spirits are negative emotions, so they're bad! But Evelyn know some dark spirits, they not all bad! People assume and misunderstand them," She huffed. "Why does Caelian have ice sprite with him if he not like them?"

"It's not like I asked for it," He said in defense. "It used to be a water sprite. Then it became… this. That's why it's corrupt."

Evelyn placed her hand on her chin as she examined the lantern as it circled Caelian. "Evelyn never hear of water sprite turning to ice sprite. Strange. But, seems like normal ice sprite. Dark elements not mean corrupt element, you know."

"Yeah… well… water sprites don't usually just turn into ice sprites, right? So obviously something's wrong. Elementals work by influencing the person they're connected to with certain emotions based on the element. This sprite is connected to me, so it's probably better if you just… stay away from me."

Evelyn frowned. "Evelyn never heard of elemental, but she not afraid of ice sprite."

"I guess it makes sense you wouldn't know," He sighed. Thinking back on it, none of the forest denizens knew what elementals were at first, either. Caelian was well aware of what they were, since they were his, but they must not have been something spirits commonly knew about. "But anyways, just don't mess with it, I don't want it to hurt you, or… have it make me hurt you."

He turned to walk away, before pausing to say, "Don't follow me this time."

He only got a couple steps away before he heard footsteps behind him on the grass, causing him to roll his eyes as he turned back around to say, "Look, I already told you I can't help you."

"Mhm, is fine," Evelyn said, "But Caelian need to find a way back to Eternal Forest, yes? Maybe he ask in human town?"

"... What?"

"In human town," She repeated, "Human sometimes know how to enter spirit realm. They not able to go themselves, because they not have enough mana, but see spirits enter. Evelyn pass through a town on her way here."

Caelian felt an odd churning in his stomach. "I… don't want to talk to any humans," he said in a quiet voice.

Evelyn frowned at him. "First Caelian not like dark spirit, now Caelian not like human? Hmph. Nothing wrong with dark spirit, or human!"

"I just… wait, you just… let the humans see you?"

"Mhm! They not mind… usually. Ones in town Evelyn passed by were nice, a bit surprised, but seem happy to see Evelyn. Evelyn ask if they know about pigs foot there, too, but they said no."

Caelian frowned as he considered it. There was a possibility Evelyn was right, someone might have an idea how. But he really didn't want to go to a town full of humans. He had spent so much of his life trying to convince others that he wasn't half-human that the thought of being around them made him uneasy.

"Evelyn will go with if Caelian afraid," She said.

"I'm not afraid," He said. "I just don't want to… But… If you think they can help then… Maybe, I guess…"

"Good!" She grinned, "Evelyn can show the way. And not to worry, humans there were very nice. They probably be even nicer to forest spirit! Evelyn see… um… Evelyn not remember name, but things that show what human worship- they were of forest goddess."

"Of Gaia?" Caelian asked in surprise, "The humans there worship Gaia?"

"Seems so, yup! Evelyn will show, follow!"

"Huh…" he mumbled as he watched Evelyn bounce along ahead. He followed at a slower pace, thinking to himself. He hadn't considered that there could be humans who also worshipped Gaia. He was surprised they'd even know about her. How much of the spirit realm could humans possibly know about?

He was startled out of his thoughts by the noise his ice elemental made when it phased back out of existence. It was sharp, almost like the sound the crackling red one would make- but more like a shattering sound than a crack.

He wondered about Evelyn. He didn't know why she'd want to help him, or how she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. How could the forest denizens look at him in fear and she not be phased at all? Were the denizens biased against dark sprites, like Evelyn had accused him of being? If it was a dark spirit that made all of this happen to him, was it really so wrong to be biased against them?"

He stared at the ground as he folded his arms. Or maybe Evelyn wasn't afraid simply because she hadn't witnessed how he had attacked Garson. He hadn't meant to. He didn't want to attack Garson. At least… Now he could say that he didn't want to attack Garson. But he could still vividly recall how he felt at that moment. It was like a fire festering in his stomach that he was convinced would only be put out if he hurt him. He'd have to try not to let his emotions get the better of him like that again. Being emotionless was better than that, and he couldn't afford to chase away anyone that was willing to help him, even if he couldn't understand why they'd

want to.

Chapter 6: The Everglade Inn

Caelian lingered behind Evelyn, reluctant to step out from the tree line. While she had stepped out into the sunny plane with ease, he felt uncertainty brewing in his stomach as he gazed out at the rolling hills, where trees and brush seemed scarce.

The trees stopped near the edge of a cliff that was high enough to let him see a town in the distance. Windmills stood tall against the buildings, their blades turning at a slow pace. He could see numerous lights shining through the stone buildings' windows, barely visible as the sun just began to set.

"Come!" Evelyn called from below him. "It gets dark soon, so let us get there before then!"

"It's a ways away," Caelian mumbled, not intending for Evelyn to hear him. "It will be dark before we reach it, anyways…"

He finally stepped out from the trees, pausing as a cloud drifted overhead, casting a shadow down onto him. The shade felt comforting, even if it only lasted for a few moments.

He carefully followed the path he had seen Evelyn take, sliding down the series of steep ledges until the ground evened out beneath him.

The wind was blowing strong as they traveled along the dirt path. Caelian thought it was a good thing that the path existed, as Evelyn had gotten them lost multiple times in the forest before they had reached where they were now. But then, even if it didn't exist, it'd be pretty impressive for Evelyn to get them lost when they could see the town in the distance.

… But then, Caelian didn't doubt her ability to do so.

Evelyn had been cheerfully babbling almost the entire time they had been traveling. At first it had grated on Caelian's nerves, but he had slowly learned to tune her out as she went on about things he didn't care about. How many siblings she had, or why lilies were her favorite flower, were inconsequential to him. The only thing he was thinking about was how he could get back into the Eternal Forest.

But then at the same time, he wondered: Why? Why bother with it? They clearly didn't want him to try and help. He should just leave them to their demise. But even so, he was forcing himself forward to try and get back to the Eternal Forest, not because he wanted to, but because he knew, under normal circumstances, that he'd do anything to go back and try to help Gaia. But at the moment it was hard to make himself do anything. It all seemed pointless. He didn't care about any of it. His heart was fighting against his brain, and his brain was barely pulling ahead.

"-ie…. BIRDIE!"

Caelian flinched, closing his eyes as Evelyn nearly shouted directly into his face, breaking him out of his thoughts. He peeked one of his eyes back open to see Evelyn looking at him with a frustrated expression.

"What?" He asked.

"We are here," She said.

"Oh," Was all Caelian was able to mumble out as he looked up at the stone walls that towered before them. Dusk had fallen, and he could just barely make out two figures standing on either side of the open gate that led into the town.

"Let's go!" Evelyn said as she grabbed Caelian's arm, practically dragging him towards the gate. He tensed as they walked past the guards, though they did little but curiously observe them as they entered in through the gate. He tensened even more when he saw the amount of people wandering about the streets.

"Okay, we're here, now what?" Caelian asked tersely.

"Mm…" Evelyn released his arm, tapping her claw against one of her fangs as she thought. "Is dark now, so not as many people out right now…"

Caelian glanced over at a group that was chatting nearby. This was considered not many? There were people everywhere.

"But Evelyn know of nice lady, she let Evelyn stay during the night. A place she called… an inn, Evelyn thinks? She was… this way, maybe?" She said, before heading off in a random direction. Caelian sighed, knowing that Evelyn had no idea where she was going, but since he didn't know where anything was either, he followed.

The townspeople didn't bother to try and hide their stares as Evelyn and Caelian walked through the streets. It made Caelian uncomfortable, as they reminded him of the stares he got whenever he went to the forest denizen's town. Even if he could tell the looks were more out of curiosity than malice, he still didn't like it.

Thinking back to the forest denizen's town now felt strange. He had a whole new perspective on so many things. The looks he got, the reactions people gave him. The people there hated him. He understood it now. And for what? What did he ever do to them?

"Oh, wait! Evelyn knows where we are, now! Is this way!" Evelyn said abruptly, before running off and leaving Caelian behind.

Caelian paused at where Evelyn had left him. It appeared to be the town square, being an open area decorated with flower beds. He passed by some closed market stalls, before stopping in front of the giant fountain that stood in the square's center. He looked up at the statue that resided in the middle of the water.

It was of a woman with long hair, wings, and antlers. It reminded him of Gaia, though it seemed more akin to if someone had tried to describe what she looked like to somebody who had never seen her before. But he guessed it was close enough. The humans had clearly tried their best.

Hearing a sudden gasp from behind him, he turned to see a little boy staring at him with wide eyes. Caelian turned to leave, but was cut off by the child as he bounced over in front of him.

"You're a spirit!" He said, nearing dropping the large bag of rice he was holding onto with both arms, "Wow! Look at your wings! They're so cool!"

"Uh… Thanks," Caelian said as he moved his wings away when the child tried to reach out and touch one. He didn't seem to notice Caelian moving his wing away as he quickly grabbed onto his bag as it began to slip again.

Caelian had already begun to walk away, but stopped when the boy finished speaking. "You saw the spirit with bright pink feathers?" He asked.

"Yeah! My mom let her stay at our inn for a night since she seemed kinda lost."

"...Where's your inn?"

"Oh, do you need a place to stay, too?" The boy grinned. "I'll show you, it's this way!"

Caelian watched as the boy walked away, constantly having to adjust his grip on the large bag as he took uneven steps. He took a moment to look back up at the statue that watched over the square, before turning to follow.

"He was right behind Evelyn earlier, though…" Evelyn said, her face wearing a worried expression as she gazed out the window.

"I can help you look for him if you want, Evelyn!" A young girl said, standing a few feet away with a broom in her hands.

"It's too dark out, Sam," An older woman said as she threw another log into the burning fireplace. "You stay indoors and finish sweeping."

The ground floor of the inn was empty aside from the three of them. The fireplace cast an orange hue onto the smooth wooden walls and floor. The tables had already been washed and cleared much earlier, and the innkeeper, the older woman with tied-back black curly hair, had moved on to wiping down the bar counter. There was the occasional creak from upstairs as a patron stepped on one of the squeaky floor boards, but otherwise it was comfortably silent as the fire crackled.

Sam sighed as she went back to violently sweeping the floor, "You let Jack go outside at night…" She grumbled.

"Jack was supposed to be back before the sun set," The innkeeper said irritably as she placed a drinking glass into a cupboard with a soft clink. "I'll certainly think twice before sending that boy out for any more errands this late in the day."

Evelyn made a whining noise as she sat down on the padded bench underneath the window. "Evelyn doesn't remember the last place she saw him…"

"Give him a bit, Evelyn," The innkeeper said sympathetically. "You said it was an inn you were looking for, right? There's only a few inns in this town, I'm sure he'll find his way eventually. I don't want you going out there and being lost at this hour, either."

"Birdie not seem used to human towns, though," Evelyn said, "Evelyn not think-"

"I'm back!" Jack shouted, slamming open the door and stomping inside.

"Jack, don't shout!" The innkeeper said in a hushed-yell, "You'll-"

"Hey!" Sam screeched, jabbing a finger towards Sam, "I just swept that! Get your dirty feet off my clean floor!"

"Well, sorry I can't float!" Jack said as he stuck out his tongue.

"Both of you, shush! I don't need more noise complaints tonight!" The innkeeper said.

"Sorry, Mom…" They said in unison.

It was at that point Caelian strolled inside behind Jack, causing Evelyn to let out a happy squeal as she jumped up and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. The innkeeper merely sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Birdie! Evelyn thought she lost you!"

"Maybe look behind you more often," He mumbled as he tried to tug himself away.

"Well, that worked out, I suppose," The innkeeper said with a grin. "Welcome to the Everglade inn, stranger. Name's Ann. I see you already know Evelyn and met my son, Jack, there," She glanced over to him, who was begrudgingly taking off his shoes as Sam glared at him. "And the lass over there is my daughter, Sam."

He nodded as Evelyn released her grip on him, and there was a long pause of silence before he noticed Evelyn staring expectantly at him. Remembering something from earlier, he muttered a quick, "My name is Caelian."

"Ah, figured your name wasn't 'Birdie'. Evelyn likes her nicknames," Ann chuckled. "Well, now that both of you are here, let me see if I can find you anything to eat."

Evelyn perked up at the mention of food, and happily skipped over to the bar. She sat down as Ann pulled something out from the oven, leaving Caelian to watch quietly from afar as Jack joined her.

After Sam finished putting away the broom she had been using, she walked over to Caelian and grabbed a hold of his sleeve, not noticing the grimace he gave her as she tugged on his jacket.

"Come on!" She said, practically dragging him over to the counter despite her small size. What was with people and dragging him around? Was this how others normally act?

Caelian ended up sitting in between Sam and Evelyn, with Jack on the other side of Evelyn. Ann was already plating something up, while Evelyn excitedly tapped her claws against the countertop.

"So did you find that thing you were looking for, Evelyn?" Sam asked, leaning forward onto the counter to look over at her.

"No," Evelyn said sadly, "Evelyn has not found it yet… Birdie say he not know either."

"Aw, that's too bad," Jack said.

"Yeah, but you'll find it eventually! Don't worry!" Sam said.

"Mm, Evelyn hopes so…"

"Alright, here you lot are," Ann said, placing steaming plates and silverware down in front of Evelyn and Caelian. "And don't worry Evelyn, Sam's right, you'll find it eventually."

Caelian couldn't help but frown at what was on the plate in front of him. Meanwhile, Evelyn had already begun eagerly tearing into the turkey with her hands.

"Yeah, we've been asking anyone that comes here, too, to try and help," Jack said, "We haven't had anyone that knows, yet, though…"

"Yeah, we've been asking everyone! Someone eventually has to know, so be sure to come back to visit every now and then!"

"Mhm, Evelyn will," Evelyn mumbled around a mouth full of food.

Ann returned with two more plates, this time setting them down in front of Jack and Sam.

"Oh, yeah!" Jack said, "That reminds me, we-"

"I, um," Caelian mumbled, interrupting Jack and causing the three humans to look at him in surprise while Evelyn continued, blissfully unaware. "I don't eat meat."

"...Huh?" Jack and Sam said in unison.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it? Mom cooks it just fine. It's good, just eat it," Sam said.

"Sam, shush," Ann said, giving her a look before turning to Caelian, "I'm sorry, dear. I guess I should've asked."

"Just eat around it. There's other stuff. See?" Jack said, scooping up some mashed potatoes onto his fork.

"No, everything is coated in gravy. If he doesn't eat meat he can't eat that. Let me get something else for you, Caelian," Ann said before turning and heading back to find him something else.

Evelyn swallowed loudly before looking over at Caelian, "If Birdie no eat it can Evelyn have it?" She asked innocently as he pointed at his plate.

Wordlessly, Caelian scooted the plate towards her. She smiled and gave a few claps before taking the plate and tearing into the food, having already finished her own.

"Why don't you eat meat, though?" Jack asked. "Do you not like how it tastes or something?"

"Yeah, that's weird," Sam commented.

"I can get by eating other things, I don't need to kill and eat animals," He said flatly.

"Oh, uh… I guess," Jack said, glancing down uncomfortably at his own food.

"I just think they taste good," Sam shrugged as she took a bite of turkey.

"Here you are," Ann said as she returned. She placed down what looked like a vegetable and bean mixture, with a side of toasted bread and some kind of red sauce drizzled over it. "Sorry this is the best I can do, most of my cooking includes meat in one way or another."

"Whatever, it's fine," Caelian mumbled just under his breath.

By the time they had all finished eating, Ann had ushered Caelian and Evelyn upstairs to show them to their rooms. Caelian had tried to object and say he preferred sleeping outside, but Ann had quickly waved him off.

"I'd feel awful knowing you were out sleeping in the cold. Don't worry about it, it's fine! Sleep well!"

"But I don't-" Caelian paused when the door shut, leaving him alone in the room, "... Like being indoors…"

He stood there awkwardly for a few moments before taking the time to glance around the room. It was dimly lit, the only light source being a lamp on the bedside table. There wasn't much for decoration, either: Aside from the Bed and bedside table there was just a table and chair set pushed up in the corner of the room with a few books piled on top. It was pretty barren, but he guessed it must've been easier to clean that way.

He tucked his wings closer to his back as he made his way over to the bed, looking down at it with uncertainty. He grabbed onto the blanket and sheets, bunching them up into a round shape with a dip in the center. He added pillows around it to try and make it hold it's shape more.

He didn't bother to take his shoes or jacket off before climbing into his makeshift nest, curling up like an animal with a sigh. It felt foreign to him, but admittedly, it was cozier than sleeping out in the open. He just missed the smell of the bark and lilies that surrounded his moss bed back in the forest. Would he ever be able to go back to those times? Were they really going to figure out how to make it back into the Eternal Forest without the help of another forest spirit? He hugged one of the pillows close to his chest and closed his eyes.

Chapter 7: Tales of the Lost

By the time Caelian had finally woken up and went downstairs, Sam and Jack had already been sent out to run errands while Evelyn was helping Ann serve breakfast to the late risers.

"Holy shit, there's another one."

Caelian heard the man speak to his friend as he passed by one of the tables. They didn't bother to hide their stares when he turned to look at them. He stood there a moment before continuing on to where Ann and Evelyn were working. Evelyn was just leaving to take a tray to a table.

"Good morning, Birdie!" She said as she passed him. Ann chuckled as Caelian gave an exasperated look in Evelyn's direction before sitting down.

"Don't mind some of the travelers here being coming off as rude from their amazement, we haven't seen any spirits 'round these parts in quite a while, aside from Evelyn a few days back." Ann said.

"Well, yeah, I've never heard of spirits going to the human realm," Caelian said.

"That so?" Ann asked as she scooted a plate of waffles over to him. "You and Evelyn are here."

"Yeah, well, I don't really have a choice," He mumbled.

He hadn't really meant for Ann to hear, since she had been walking away, but she gave a sympathetic nod.

"Ah, that's right, Evelyn mentioned it this morning while you were still asleep. You need a way back into the spirit realm," She said while wiping down a glass "I'll admit, I didn't really know that there were different realms that each one of ya lived in. Kind of figured it was just one big place, kind of like it is out here."

"No, it's different from the human realm" Caelian said, "Why do you even know that?"

"Oh, I asked Evelyn why she couldn't just let you back in, but she said she only knew how to get into some place called the Scorched Lands. Guessing that's what you lot call the fire realm. I've gotta say, though, I was surprised when she mentioned you were a forest spirit. What, with your little horns and tail there I figured you might've been a dark spirit or some-"

"I am a forest spirit!" Caelian said loudly as he slammed his fist onto the counter, garnering a few looks.

Ann was taken aback, but quickly recovered with a smile as she set down the glass she had been working on. "Alright, alright, didn't know that was gonna come off offensive, my apologies."

Caelian frowned down at his untouched plate of food as Evelyn returned.

"Why Birdie shouting and hitting things?" She asked with a frown. "No yell at Ann, she-"

"It's okay, Evelyn. I said something I shouldn't've," Ann said.

Evelyn gave a small "Hmph," as she sat down next to Caelian, "Still, no need be grumpy. Birdie, be nice."

"Whatever," Caelian mumbled.

"Anyways, thanks so much for helping out, Evelyn. The travelers seem enthralled to see spirits in person. I'm sure they'll be talking about you for ages."

"No problems!" Evelyn beamed, "Now that Birdie is awake and Evelyn is done, we should go out and ask for if anyone can help Birdie."

"Alright, take care, you two!" Ann said with a wave as Evelyn grabbed Caelian and practically dragged him out. "Let me know before you leave town for good, otherwise I'll be worried!"

Evelyn took Caelian back out into town. Caelian hung back and let Evelyn do most of the talking, while also doing his best to keep up with her. He didn't feel like getting lost again, even though he could probably find his way back to the inn. He didn't want to walk around by himself.

They were met with shaking heads each time Evelyn made an inquiry, and Caelian was starting to get annoyed with how often they'd get stopped and met with curious questions. What spirits were doing in town, what kind of spirits they were, how they liked the town so far, and so on. Evelyn was always happy to answer the human's questions, but Caelian always ignored them, which he could tell bothered Evelyn. But he didn't really care. He wasn't there to make friends with humans.

Caelian was ready to leave after an hour or two when it became apparent that nobody was going to know anything about entering the forest realm, but Evelyn kept insisting they continue for a couple more hours. It wasn't until Caelian turned around and began to walk back himself that Evelyn finally relented.

"Sorry, Birdie," She said, sounding crestfallen, "Evelyn really thought someone might know…"

"Yeah, well, it makes sense none of the humans here would know, otherwise we'd have seen humans entering the forest all of the time," He said.

"But humans not able to enter themselves," Evelyn reminded. "They not able to channel mana."

Caelian paused. Channeling mana wasn't something even he knew how to do. Gaia had instructed him how to do it once, but he never had a reason to actually try it. It was starting to feel more and more impossible to return to his own realm.

As they approached the inn, they were surprised to see Ann standing outside, looking worried. She gave a smile when she noticed them.

"Welcome back, you two," She said, sounding slightly on edge. "Did you have any luck?"

"No, no one knew…" Evelyn sighed. Caelian remained silent.

Ann frowned, "Sorry to hear that. You two wouldn't have happened to see Sam and Jack while you were out and about, did you?"

"Mm, no, Evelyn not think she see them. Why?"

"They should've been back hours ago. I tried asking if anyone's seen them, but nobody has since this morning. I'm worried," Ann folded her arms and stared off past the two of them, "They kept going on about how they wanted to help you two out… If you didn't see them out in the city, I'm worried that they might've done something stupid, like go to the forest themselves…"

"Oh? What so stupid about that?" Evelyn frowned.

"People get lost in that forest all the time, and neither of my kids have very good senses of direction," She sighed. "I'm afraid that if they went there to help look for that flower or find a way back to the spirit realm that they're lost."

"Annie is worried Sammy and Jackie got lost in the forest?" Evelyn asked. "Caelian and Evelyn can go look!"

"I hate to bother you two when I know you have your own problems, but could you?" Ann asked.

"Mhm, of course! Happy to help!" Evelyn beamed.

Caelian had opened his mouth to say something, but Evelyn had already grabbed him and took off.

"Evelyn- Evelyn, Hey!" He said, only to be ignored as she dragged him through the town. He let himself be dragged along, resentment slowly festering inside of him until they almost made it to the treeline, when he finally ripped his arm out of her grasp.

"Evelyn," He said once she turned around to give him a surprised look. "What exactly do you think we're going to be able to do here? We got lost trying to find our own way out and the forest is huge, what makes you think we're going to find two kids?"

"We have to try!" Evelyn said firmly, "Is our fault Sammy and Jackie got lost! Wouldn't have gone to forest if not for us!"

"We don't even know for sure if they came here! We could just be wasting our time, and either way, it's wasting my time because I have more important things to do than worry over some humans!"

Evelyn gave him an icy glare before stepping forward and jabbing him in the chest, "Evelyn spend her time trying to help you, and humans were nice enough to give you a place to stay and try to help. You want to be ungrateful? Fine. But Evelyn do good things for the people that do good things for Evelyn."

With that, she turned and ran into the forest.

Caelian stared off into the forest where Evelyn had disappeared. He let out a sigh. Now what? He had no leads, no idea what to do… At least Evelyn wouldn't be bothering him anymore.

He tentatively stepped under the canopy of trees, deciding that he'd have to try and figure out how to re-enter the Eternal Forest by himself. At the very least, maybe he'd be lucky and stumble across a forest sprite. They would know how. He just hoped Ann was exaggerating about there being no sprites out in the forest.

Just like the last time, he found himself lost pretty quickly. But he wasn't left wandering for too long before he heard a scream echo through the trees. He looked on in surprise in the direction it came from. His first thought was Evelyn, but it didn't quite sound like her voice. Could it have been Sam?

A second later Evelyn came jumping out of some nearby bushes, leaves tangled in her hair and feathers. She was looking wide-eyed in the direction the scream came from. Giving Caelian a look, she grabbed a hold of him and tugged on his arm.

"Follow," She said sternly, before releasing him and bounding off through the forest.

Though he was annoyed with her demand, Caelian did as he was told and took off after her. He would've lost her if it weren't for all the noise she made when running straight through the brush.

It was only a few moments later that they stumbled upon Sam, sitting against a tree. She was sniffling as she wiped tears from her eyes. While Evelyn immediately went to tend to her, Caelian's attention was caught by something else.

A few feet away lay a small green body, the purple flower on the end of its tail contrasting starkly with the grass around it. Caelian walked over to it and knelt down, gently scooping it up into his hands. His heart dropped. It didn't take him long to realize the sprite was dead as it's blue blood leaked from between his fingers, dripping into the puddle that had pooled underneath its body.

Evelyn and Sam were discussing something behind him, but he paid no attention. What had happened to the sprite? It was covered in wounds. It's body hadn't evaporated into mana yet, so it must have died recently.

"Birdie! Are you- Oh…" Evelyn paused when she noticed what he was holding. "Is it…?"

Caelian gently laid the sprite back down on the ground and stood up, "What happened to it?" he asked, looking directly at Sam, who was giving him a wide-eyed stare.

"I… I… Another spirit did it, I-"

"Another spirit?" Caelian asked incredulously.

"Sammy say that she and Jackie got attacked and that another spirit saved them," Evelyn said.

"Attacked by what? The sprite? They wouldn't attack anyone," Caelian said.

"It did!" Sam said. "It… it went all weird and attacked us. Jack ran off and the spirit that helped us followed after him- you- you need to go find him!"

"Evelyn will take Sammie back to Annie, Caelian needs to go find-" By the time Evelyn had helped Sam up onto her feet, Caelian had already taken off through the forest.

He didn't believe that another spirit would have killed a forest sprite. There'd be no reason to. Something else had to have happened. Was whatever happened in the eternal forest causing this?

He paused as he listened carefully. He hadn't noticed it before, but he could sense an energy in the forest that wasn't there before. It had felt lifeless and stagnant. Now there was a hint of mana on the wind, but something felt off about it.

Moving onward, he was unsure how he was going to find whatever had killed the sprite. Until he had stumbled upon another sprite lying on the ground. Then another. And another.

His blood felt hot as he followed the trail of death, and he found himself gritting his teeth. Whatever- whoever had done this, was going to regret it. It had dawned on him that it was possible that the cloaked figure from before could very well be the type to kill sprites. They had done something to his elementals, after all.

Maybe that's why he didn't feel quite as surprised when another spirit came into view through the trees. Caelian arrived just in time to witness a sprite fall to the ground, blood dripping off of the spirit's sword and onto the ground. They were giving it a pitiful look.

Caelian was fairly certain this spirit wasn't the same as the cloaked figure. This one appeared masculine, and had white hair tied back into a messy ponytail, fluffy ears, and a short, fluffy tail. They wore dark black and gray clothing, causing their pink eyes and bandana to stand out.

They didn't notice Caelian as they turned to move away from the body on the ground, the sword disappearing from their hand. A moment later they felt a searing pain in their left shoulder as something knocked them forward, causing them to stumble before quickly regaining their balance.

Caelian already had his purple claw-like hand raised and ready to strike a second time, but by the time he slashed towards the other spirit, they had swiftly jumped out of the way, spinning to face him while grasping their injured shoulder. Blood trickled onto the ground as they gave Caelian an incredulous look.

"What the hell are you doing?" They asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

In response, Caelian pounced forward again, aiming another swipe at them, but they easily dodged his clumsy attempt. Caelian clenched his teeth so tightly he thought they were at risk of cracking as he spun himself around.

"You fucking murderer!" He shouted, "You come here and kill forest sprites and ask me what I'm doing?!"

"Are you stupid?" The other spirit asked, "You're from the Eternal Forest and you don't know-"

"Shut up!" Caelian said, missing another swipe with his claws.

Easily dodging a slew of attempts made by Caelian, the other spirit let out a sigh as Caelian stopped, breathing heavily as he glared at them.

"You want to do it this way? Fine." They said, releasing their hold on their injured shoulder. "Annette."

A purple and black sprite popped out from somewhere that Caelian couldn't see. What kind of sprite was that? Why did they have a sprite with them?

With a snap of the other spirit's fingers, Caelian suddenly felt something wrap around him and yank him down to the ground, pinning him tightly. As he struggled, he realized that black, wispy chains had materialized from the shadows among the ground. What kind of power was this?

The other sprite walked calmly over to Caelian and knelt down. The black and purple sprite, now glowing with a purple aura, hovered along behind them.

"Feel like calming down yet?" The spirit asked in an almost bored voice.

"Shut up!" Caelian hissed through his teeth, still struggling to push himself up from the ground, but the shadow chains gave him no leeway.

"Charmer," They mumbled as they stood up, "Look, I can keep you here all day until-"

They stopped mid sentence as a soft chime echoed through the clearing as Caelian's shadow elemental materialized. The purple lantern hung in the air above him as he still struggled against the chains.

The spirit's eyes widened. "You have an elemental?"

Before Caelian could decide if he wanted to answer or not, the shadow elemental began to glow brightly with a menacing aura. It trailed down to where Caelian was pinned, appearing to be absorbed by him. A moment later the aura could be seen snaking around the arm that was still normal, causing flesh to quickly melt away into another oozing purple claw.

One of the shadow chains holding him down snapped as he struggled against them, now even more fiercely. The other spirit quickly moved back as the rest of the chains broke, but wasn't quite fast enough to entirely dodge Caelian's lunge. This time Caelian managed to draw blood as he left a gash on their cheek.

The spirit placed their fingers against their cheek and examined the blood left behind on their fingers. They frowned. They extended their arm and gripped a slim sword that materialized from thin air. It looked made out of a similar material as the chains.

"Where did you get an elemental from?" The spirit asked. "A shadow one, at that?"

"Doesn't concern you!" Caelian spat back.

Caelian was prepared to lunge at them once again, regardless of the weapon they now possessed, but stopped short when something shot out of the nearby bushes and crashed into him, causing him to topple over.

Teeth snapped shut near his ear, and whatever was now clawing at his face was breathing heavily as it's claws slashed against Caelian's skin. It was only a moment later that it was cleaved in half by the other spirit, freeing Caelian from it's grasp.

Caelian sat up in a daze, looking to where the being had fallen. He was confused when he saw the body of a nature spirit, a gash through its midsection.

His brain began to process things at a furious pace. Where had the sprite come from? It wasn't what had attacked him. Whatever it was, it was large, much larger than the tiny sprite. He hadn't gotten a good look at it, but he was able to see that it was a mixture of green and purple, and had more sharp teeth than anything could possibly need. But there was a dead nature sprite next to him. What the hell was going on?

Caelian's thoughts were interrupted by a scream echoing through the forest. The other spirit whipped their head in the direction it came from, before turning to give Caelian a glare and run off.

"H-hey, wait," Caelian said, shakily pushing himself up from the ground. He just then noticed that his shadow elemental had disappeared. Both of his hands were back to normal, which sent irritation through his veins. He had no other weapon to attack with, and he wasn't sure he could command the shadow sprite to do it again. It just seemed to happen whenever he felt his blood boil with the desire to harm someone. He glanced back at the dead sprite. Maybe it wouldn't be too hard to make it happen again.

Caelian took off in the direction they had gone, which was the same direction the scream had come from. He was pretty sure he knew who the scream belonged to. It sounded like a young boy, and Jack was the only other person he knew that'd be in the forest right now. Sam had mentioned that the other spirit had helped them. For what reason? How was killing sprites supposed to help them?

It didn't take him long to catch up. He arrived just in time to see a creature lunge towards Jack, who was cowering against a tree. Before Caelian could even think to react, the spirit from before kicked the creature away before stabbing it with their blade. Caelian watched as its limbs slowly stopped flailing before falling still.

It was an ugly creature, almost insect-like in nature. It's flesh appeared to be constantly moving, with multiple eyes that had been darting around in all directions before they glossed over. Purple in color, holes in its body oozed a green substance that was eerily familiar. The writhing mass of flesh melted away into a nature sprite.

Caelian stared blankly at the sprite, unable to speak. Not even when Jack noticed him and came running over in tears was he able to tear his eyes away from the fallen sprite. What the hell had happened?

"Caelian," Jack sobbed. "I'm sorry, me and Sam- we wanted to try and- and help you find a way back- and help Evelyn find the flower she needs- But we got attacked by those monsters… The shadow spirit helped us…"

"Helped how?" Caelian asked, "They've just been murdering sprites."

"Never seen a corrupted sprite before, I guess," The spirit said casually, their sword dematerializing in their hand.

"What do you mean?" Caelian questioned, finally turning his eyes away from the tiny body.

"Unless your sprites usually look like that," The spirit shrugged, "Which I'd have to say I doubt, since they show their true form upon death. Despite what you so clearly think, I don't go around killing sprites for fun," The sprite that followed them landed on their head, as if to prove a point. "But creatures that only have the desire to kill can't be kept alive."

"... Why did they get corrupt?" He asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I came here. Then I had to play hero," They said, motioning towards Jack. "I heard something happened to the Eternal Forest so I wanted to check. But judging from the corrupted sprites infesting this place, I think I got my answer."

"And what answer is that?"

The spirit raised an eyebrow. "You live here, do you not? Has nothing unusual happened?"

Something clicked in the back of Caelian's mind.

"So what you're implying," Caelian said. "Is that the Eternal Forest… has been corrupt. And that's why… the spirits are corrupt, too."

"Am I wrong?" They asked.

"... I guess I just… Didn't want to realize what had actually happened," Caelian mumbled.

"Hm. A shame."

"Birdie!" Evelyn came bursting out from the bushes, making everyone jump in surprise. "There you are! Evelyn got lost again, but she smelled you and… Oh, who is new friend?" She asked, noticing the other spirit.

"My name is Damien," They said, "I take it you're with the humans and… Birdie?"

"My name isn't Birdie," Caelian snapped. "It's Caelian."

"Evelyn is Evelyn!" Evelyn said happily.

"Um... What?" Damien asked.

"... Her name is Evelyn," Caelian said.

"Ah. I see," Damien said. "Anyways, now that that's all cleared up, why do you have an elemental?"

"Why do you care?" Caelian asked.

"Because I-"

"Birdie, we need to bring Jackie and Sammy back to Annie!" Evelyn pouted. "She is worried!"

"Ah, right…" Caelian said, looking down at the sniveling boy who was still clinging to him. Damien was giving an annoyed look.

"Damie can-"

"Do not call me that," Damien said, quickly cutting her off.

There was a pause.

"... Kitty can ask their questions when we get back."

Damien gave her an incredulous look as she, Caelian and Jack turned and began to make the trek back to town.

Thankfully, Damien had a better sense of direction than any of them, and was able to lead them out of the forest without any problems. Sam was waiting nervously for them at the treeline, and upon seeing Jack, ran and embraced him. THe two of them stayed close together as they were led back into the town.

As soon as they stepped foot into the inn, Ann had already flown out from behind the bar and tightly embraced Sam and Jack.

"I'm so glad you're both okay," She sobbed, "Don't you ever do that again, you two aren't leaving this inn for the next month."

"But mom…" Jack whined.

While Evelyn stayed with the reunited family, Damien had managed to convince Caelian to step back outside. The sun was just beginning to set, casting an orange hue over everything.

"So, again, why do you have an elemental?" They asked.

"... I have four." Caelian mumbled.

"... Who are you?" They asked suspiciously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Spirits aren't just randomly given elementals. What the hell have you done to be given four? And why the hell is one of them Shadow? You're a light spirit."

"Does- that part really matter?" Caelian asked uncomfortably, looking away. "I have them, why do you need to know why I do?" He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to admit to being Gaia's disciple. Though, was he, after everything that had happened?

Damien let out a sigh, "Fine, whatever. I'll get straight to the point, then. I'm a field researcher. I study sprites and their effect on mana flow. I came here because I wanted to observe the corrupted nature sprites, but…"

"But?"

"I've been trying to find someone with elementals for a long fucking time."

"So, what?" Caelian frowned, "You want to experiment on me or something?"

"I guess you could say that, but you don't seem like a very agreeable person," Damien sighed, "So I'd settle with you answering some questions for now."

"Why should I even bother to help you? I don't know you. We just met, I still don't like you. Even if you had a reason to kill those nature sprites."

"For fucks sake, they were corrupt!"

"I know! I… I know… I know that now… But I just… When I saw them lying there on the forest floor, dead like that, I..."

Damien frowned. "Look, like I said, I don't enjoy killing sprites. They're a soft spot of mine, you could say."

The shadow sprite that accompanied them flew off from Damien's head and fluttered in front of Caelian's face, giving him a curious look.

"This is Annette. She's a shadow sprite, as you can tell. She's been with me for quite a while. While studying sprites I sort of tried to… make my own elemental, you could say? Obviously, she's still a normal sprite, but she's able to help enhance my own elemental abilities, similar to that of an elemental. She's bound to me like an elemental, even if she isn't one."

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Caelian asked suspiciously. Annette shook her head.

"No, I'd never hurt her. She may not be able to speak, but we've been together long enough that I can tell what she's feeling, and when she's too tired to help me." Damien paused. "And no, her not being able to speak isn't a result of anything i've done. She's always been that way."

Annette nodded as she landed back down on Damien's shoulder.

"Yeah. Okay. Still don't see why I should help you."

"Would a trade interest you?" Damien asked.

"What kind of trade?"

"Whatever you want it to be. State what you want and if it's reasonable, I'll do my part, and you answer a few questions."

Evelyn came bouncing out of the inn and over to Caelian and Damien, curious as to why they had been outside for so long.

"Unless you happen to know how to enter the Eternal Forest, I don't have anything I'd want in a trade," Caelian said.

"How would me knowing how to enter the Eternal Forest benefit you at all?" Damien asked.

"Oh! Birdie not know how to get back into spirit realm, so Evelyn has been trying to help him find someone who knows!" Evelyn said.

Damien gave an expectant look to Caelian, and when he didn't speak, he asked, "Wait, are you serious? You're a nature spirit and you don't know how to get back into your own realm?"

There was another silent pause. Then Damien burst out laughing.

"S-shut up," Caelian said, his face growing hot, "I never had to leave before and nobody ever taught me how! If you can't help then fine, but I'm not answering any of your stupid questions!"

"Hahaha, that's fucking rich," Damien said as he wiped away a tear, "But yeah, fine kid, I'll show you how to get back into the Eternal Forest."

"I said I'm not- W-wait," Caelian stopped, "What did you say?"

"I know how to enter the Eternal Forest."

Chapter 8: The Forest that Cries Acid

"Why does a shadow spirit know how to enter the Eternal Forest, anyways?" Caelian asked as the trio made their way through the forest.

"Why wouldn't I? How to enter all the different realms is common knowledge," Damien said.

"But Evelyn not know how to enter anywhere except Scorched Lands…" Evelyn said, her ears drooping sadly.

"Yes, well… Anyways," Damien mumbled while pushing up their glasses, "Thankfully the Eternal Forest has a relatively simple entrance. Realms like the Depths and the Highlands can typically only be accessed by their own residents."

"Why's that?" Evelyn asked.

"Because you need to be able to breathe underwater or fly, respectively."

"Oh… But Birdie has wings! Could get into Highlands," Eveyln said.

Caelian remained quiet, opting not to share the information that he wasn't able to fly.

"Right... Anyways, here we are," Damien said, stopping in a clearing.

"... This is still the human realm," Caelian said.

Damien sighed. Meanwhile, Evelyn had taken notice of a ring of flowers and mushrooms. She walked over and crouched down, inspecting them with silent admiration.

"I'm aware this is still the human realm, Caelian," Damien said, as if they were talking to a small child. "However, this clearing has what we need to get out of the human realm."

"What, some flowers?" Caelian asked.

"It's called a fairy circle," They said as they walked up next to Evelyn. "Thankfully found in abundance in this particular forest."

They knelt down, placing their hands into the ring of flowers and mushrooms. Their hands glowed with a purple aura, before shadow magic transferred from their hands and seeped into the ground. They stood up and took a step back. A moment later the inner ring of the fairy circle glowed with a bright green light, magic steadily rising up and forming into an oblong shape above the ground. Within the portal Caelian could see a different forest than the one they were in. Sensing the mana that poured out of the portal, he immediately recognized it as the Eternal Forest.

"Alright, everyone through," Damien said.

"Why us first?" Caelian asked.

"Because the portal will close as soon as whoever opens it goes through it."

"Evelyn will go first!" Evelyn said excitedly as she stood up and jumped through the portal without hesitation.

Caelian watched as Evelyn ran out of view before hesitantly sticking a foot in through the portal. He heard an annoyed sigh before he was pushed the rest of the way through, nearly falling flat onto his face.

"What was that for?!" He asked, whipping around to face Damien as the portal disappeared behind them.

"I don't have time for you to fuck around," They said.

Caelian rolled his eyes, pausing for a moment as Evelyn ran past them again with a giggle. He observed his surroundings, noting that things looked surprisingly normal. The foliage was their normal green color, with beautiful flowers surrounding their feet.

"Hey… are you sure that the forest has been corrupt?" Caelian asked with uncertainty, "It doesn't look like what I saw last time. This is normal. Could it have not actually-"

"We're probably on the very outskirts. It may have not spread here yet, but it will," Damien said.

"Oh…" Caelian frowned, noting that it was eerily quiet. There didn't appear to be any birds around, and there wasn't even any wind to rustle the leaves of the trees.

"Evelyn smells a weird smell," Evelyn said as she bounced back over to the group, looking troubled. "It smells like when Evelyn's food go bad, but worse."

Caelian inhaled. "I don't smell anything."

"Evelyn can probably smell better than we can," Damien said, "It's probably from whatever's happening due to the corruption. Anyways, so about those questions I had- Uh, excuse me?" They had been retrieving a notebook from the bag they carried with them, but upon looking up, found Caelian had begun to walk off.

Evelyn stood there in confusion as Damien ran after Caelian, forcing him to a halt as they stood in front of them.

"We had an agreement," Damien said irritably, "I was nice, I brought you back to your forest, now answer my questions."

"Can't it wait until I'm done?" Caelian asked.

"Done with what?! No!"

"Then ask while I walk," Caelian said with a sigh as he moved past Damien.

Damien clutched their notebook with a bit more force than necessary. Annette, who had been sitting on their shoulder, noted their frustration and gave them a gentle pat on the cheek.

"Yeah yeah, fine, sorry," They mumbled quietly so that only she could hear. They waited for Evelyn to run past, before begrudgingly turning to follow.

"Fine, first question, then," They said as they flipped open their notebook, "Why do you have four elementals?"

"Gaia gave them to me."

"No shit, jackass. I meant why did Gaia give them to you."

"Pass."

"Uh, no. No Pass. Either answer the question or I'll drag you back out of this forest myself."

"I don't want to answer personal questions," Caelian said.

"Well surprise, sometimes science gets personal," Damien said. "So answer or you're going back out and you're staying out until you decide to cooperate."

"... She gave me them so I could feel emotion."

Damien had begun to write his answer down but paused half-way. They looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "... What do you mean so you can feel emotion?"

"I was born without the ability to feel emotion. So she gave me elementals of each element. Each one embodies certain emotions, or something, so they work in tandem to let me feel emotions."

"Ha. Amazing, that's exactly the thing I wanted to study. Wait, you said one of each element. That'd mean you have eight, not four."

"I…" Caelian stared uncertainly at the ground. "I forgot about the others, I guess. I didn't have toxin, ice, fear or shadow."

"But you have shadow." Damien said. "I saw it."

"Oh… um…"

Damien folded their arms. "There's something that's been bothering me ever since I first saw it. You're not a dark spirit, but you have a shadow elemental. If Gaia was going to give you only four elementals, I can't imagine they wouldn't just be all of the light elements. No reason to include shadow, especially with how hard it'd be for her to get a shadow sprite. Explain this to me."

"N… no."

"No?"

"I don't want to," Caelian said quickly as he took off walking again.

"I don't care if you want to, you're going to," Damien said as they followed him.

"Damien, if Birdie doesn't want to talk about it, maybe Damien shouldn't make him…" Evelyn said, sensing how tense Caelian had become.

"No, I'm not letting this go. It makes no sense. You're lying about something. So what is it?"

"It's none of you're fucking business!" Caelian snapped as he turned around to face Damien.

A moment later he slammed onto the ground on his stomach, struggling against some familiar shadowy chains.

Evelyn let out a surprised gasp. "Damien!"

But they merely held their hand up in a 'stop' motion before kneeling down in front of the struggling Caelian. Annette was hovering in the air next to Damien, giving off a deep purple aura as she observed.

"This won't be like last time, you won't be breaking them," Damien said, "So just answer the question."

Caelian continued to struggle against the chains, and Damien sat back with a sigh. "Fine. I'll wait."

Several minutes went past with Caelian struggling against the chains. He summoned his shadow elemental, but it only floated there watching as he tried to stand. The shadow claws wouldn't appear.

Finally, Caelian stopped struggling against the chains. He was breathing heavily with a lump in his throat as his eyes got glossy.

"Fine, I- They- I got corrupt, okay?! I had nature, water, fire and celestial and they got corrupt and changed to whatever they are now, okay?! Are you happy?!"

Damien stared at him blankly, before sighing as their expression turned into a pitiful look. The chains disappeared, releasing Caelian, who immediately sat up and scooted away from Damien with a sniffle.

"Not what I was expecting, but you don't seem to be lying," Damien said as Evelyn sat down next to Caelian with a worried expression. "It's interesting, though, if elementals have heavy influence over their user, going as far as influencing their emotions, that you're not also corrupt."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, wiping away a tear as he glared at Damien.

"You're not corrupt. If what you say is true, your elementals may be, but you're fine. Well, as fine as you can be, I guess."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a shadow spirit. You light spirits always like to say we're the closest thing to a corrupt spirit and you're asking me how I'd know?" Damien shrugged. "Anyways, you're not trying to mindlessly kill everything in sight, so you're not corrupt.

Evelyn had tried to give Caelian a hug, but was quickly pushed away, causing her to pout.

"Are you sure?" Caelian asked, "The forest denizens were all certain I was corrupt. That's why they…" he paused, uncertain if he should continue.

But it was too late as Damien gave him a hard look. "... Holy shit, they threw you out, didn't they?" They asked, "That's why you left without knowing how to return. Haha, of course. Light spirits are such fucking cowards. They'd banish a kid over some dark elementals… incredible."

"... Yeah," Was all Caelian managed to say.

He stood up, not bothering to brush the dirt off of himself. Damien sighed as they stood up as well.

"Well, this throws a wrench into my plans. I really needed to study light elementals, not dark elementals. So in that case, what you have right now is Toxin, Ice, Fear, and Shadow. Well, I guess it's better than nothing. I'll give you a break for now, since you're a bit distraught at the moment," They said as they scribbled something down in their notebook. Annette landed on their shoulder again.

"Gee, thanks." Caelian mumbled before turning and walking off.

Evelyn followed close to Caelian, a worried expression on her face. "Did they hurt Birdie when they throw him out?" She asked.

"You mean when I was banished? … Yeah, actually. They were going to kill me, but… a friend of mine stopped them." He said.

"They were going to kill Birdie?!" Evelyn gasped, "But, Birdie didn't even do anything, did he?"

"... I… Um…. I did, actually… I attacked this one guy… but he deserved it."

"I was going to chime in with a 'it's hardly your fault if your shadow elemental has that tight of a grip on you' until you got to that last part," Damien said. "But then, that might still be the shadow elemental."

"What? He did deserve it. He's a dickhead."

"What is a 'dickhead'?" Evelyn asked, causing Damien to snort in amusement.

"... Nevermind, Evelyn," Caelian said.

As the three of them continued on, signs of corruption began to slowly appear. A dead tree here, some acid there, until they got into the heart of the forest and they were surrounded by the sickly purple foliage and acid-dripping trees that Caelian was uncomfortably familiar with.

"It smells bad," Evelyn said, covering her nose, "Same smell like before, but worse."

"The acid does have a bit of a potent smell," Damien observed.

"You can go back, Evelyn," Caelian said, "I don't know why you're still following us, anyways. Don't you have a plant to find?"

"Evelyn does need to do that, but she wants to help Birdie, too!" She said. "Even if forest is scary… Besides, maybe plant is in spirit realm forest!"

Caelian rolled his eyes, "There's nothing to help with. I made it back, that's all I needed."

"But…" Evelyn's ears drooped, "Well… Evelyn look for flower in forest, at least."

"It's not here, I assure you."

Evelyn let out a whine.

"Anyways, why did you want to come back here, again?" Damien asked, looking at a patch of acid-burned grass, "It doesn't seem livable."

"I just…" Caelian paused, "Need to make sure someone is doing okay."

It was nearly impossible for Caelian to recognize his usual landmarks with how much the scenery had changed. He was crestfallen, feeling even more lost than he did in the human realm's forest. It was a miracle he was able to lead them to the forest denizen's town. Though it was so unrecognizable, he had nearly walked right past it.

"Jeez… What happened here?" Damien commented, looking at the destruction around them.

Houses that once stood tall were crumbled to the ground, decayed and eaten away by the acid. Some of the trees had been uprooted, falling over onto the buildings, further destroying them as acid continued to leak out from their bark.

Where was everyone? Caelian had been peeking into any structures that were still standing, searching for any signs of life. But none of the denizens were anywhere to be found.

"Is strange, looks like town, but nobody is here…" Evelyn commented as she looked around.

"It is a town… at least, it was," Caelian said.

"They all probably took shelter somewhere," Damien said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they fled to the human realm."

"No, I don't think they'd go to the human realm," Caelian said, "They have to be around here somewhere."

A moment later the two of them heard a squeal from Evelyn. Not knowing where she had run off to, they looked around until Caelian spotted her over by one of the fallen trees. Standing next to her was someone that he recognized. They were staring at Evelyn with their weapon drawn. A moment later it was ripped out of their hands by a chain that materialized from the ground.

"Okay buddy, let's not go pointing a bow at Evelyn, she's harmless," Damien said as the chain retracted back into the ground, leaving the bow lying in the grass.

"Y-you're a shadow spirit," The man spat, "What are you and a fire spirit doing in our- you!" He yelled, pointing towards Caelian, "How did you get back in here?!"

Caelian frowned as Evelyn quickly darted away from the man and hid behind Damien, who stepped forward. "I let him in. Lovely of you guys to throw out one of your own with all of this going on."

"You are corrupt! I knew it! You're working with the shadow spirits!"

"Oh, come on," Damien said. "Are all light spirits conspiracy theorists?"

"Lonnie, where are others? Where did everyone go?" Caelian asked.

"Why would I tell you?! You did this to us!"

When Evelyn and Damien gave him a curious look, he grew quickly flustered. "I didn't do anything, the forest getting corrupt wasn't my fault!"

"Oh, so it was just a coincidence that it happened at the same time you got corrupt? The Goddess' disciple failed her!"

"The Goddess' what? Wait, her what?" Damien asked.

Caelian flinched as both they and Evelyn gave him a wide-eyed look.

"Aah! Birdie- C-Caelian is a disciple, Evelyn is sorry she is rude!" She said, quickly lowering her head and giving him a bow.

"C-cut it out," Caelian huffed before quickly moving over to Lonnie, who backed away with a disdainful look, "Lonnie, where are the others? You have to take me to them."

"I have to do nothing."

"At least now I understand why Gaia gave him elementals," Damien mumbled under his breath. "Just not feeling emotion didn't seem right, itd be stupid to grant them over that… Elementals would make a normal spirit too powerful. Wonder why make him a disciple in the first place though… As an excuse to give him elementals? Seems like something the forest goddess would do. Hey, asshole, shouldn't you be listening to your guys' disciple?" He said to Lonnie, who was in a glaring match with Caelian.

"He's not our disciple. Not anymore."

"What, are you gonna try to say Garson is your disciple now?" Caelian spat.

"Garson… Garson is dead."

"What?"

"He's dead," Lonnie repeated, "He led an expedition to see what happened to the Goddess. The others made it back but he…. He got attacked."

"Attacked by what?" Caelian asked.

"By the Goddess."

"Bullshit," Caelian said, "Gaia would never hurt one of the forest denizens!"

"That's what we thought," Lonnie said gravely. "But she… that thing isn't the Goddess anymore."

"Don't you dare speak about her like that," Caelian said, stepping towards him.

"Don't believe me? Go see for yourself. Maybe she'll get along with a corrupt spirit."

"Oh fuck off, Lonnie," Caelian said, "Where are the others?"

"I'm not-"

Lonnie was cut off when Caelian slammed a purple claw into his shoulder, pinning him against the fallen tree trunk. He winced as acid soaked through the back of his vest.

"I said where are they?!"

"F… fine, it's not worth dying over," Lonnie choked. "Let me go and I'll take you to where we've holed up."

Caelian released him, the purple claw disappearing from his hand as Lonnie stumbled to the ground. He quickly stood up, glaring at Caelian as he walked past him and picked up his bow.

"Don't try anything." Caelian said.

"Between you and that shadow spirit, there's nothing i'd be able to do," Lonnie mumbled.

As Lonnie led the way, Caelian hung back as he followed. Damien and Evelyn walked alongside him, Evelyn looking at him curiously while Damien stared blankly ahead.

"So, when were you going to decide to grace us with the knowledge that you're the nature disciple?"

"... I didn't think it was important," Caelian said.

"Bullshit you didn't," Damien sighed, "But whatever. It doesn't change anything. You still owe me."

"Right… Can you stop looking at me like that?" Caelian asked, looking over to Evelyn.

Evelyn gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry, Evelyn just never personally meet a disciple before… very important job!"

"Yeah, I guess," Caelian mumbled, "Not like I can even do my job anymore."

Evelyn looked at him empathetically, while ahead of them Lonnie turned to get their attention.

"The camp is straight ahead," He said. "I'm not gonna take the blame if you go and attack everybody, so I'm out. Keep walking and you'll find them."

"Tch, what a coward…" Damien said as Lonnie ran off in another direction.

The camp quickly came into view. It was a clearing devoid of any trees. Caelian could imagine that they selected this location because no acid would drop down onto them. Tents were sprung up throughout the area, and most spirits were sat at the campfires they had set up.

It didn't take long for someone to notice the newcomers, and when they did, they immediately froze. More and more people noticed Caelian as he weaved among them, and quickly moved to get out of his way. Caelian knew that with Garson gone, it was unlikely for anyone to approach him. There were others that disliked him just as much, but he was the only one that was aggressive about it. Evelyn and Damien tried to stay close to Caelian as they walked. Damien was unbothered by the looks they received, but Evelyn was starting to feel nervous from the hostility.

"Caelian?" A young girl stood up from where she was sitting, looking at him in surprise. "What are you doing back?"

"Oh, Daisy…" Caelian said, taking a step back as the girl came over. "I got some help."

"It's been awful ever since they threw you out," She said, watery-eyed. "Everything's been getting destroyed, and… Garson died, you know…"

"I heard."

Daisy frowned, taking a step back. "I know you didn't like him, but…"

"I really don't care that he died," Caelian said flatly, "Daisy, where's Mrs. Tamia?"

Daisy gave him a surprised look, before dropping her head to look at the ground. "She… isn't doing well. I don't know if Sanders will let you see her, but I'll take you to where she is."

The group followed Daisy as she led the way while explaining everything that had occurred while Caelian was gone. How Garson had immediately taken charge, how they moved when their homes began to fall apart, how Garson had led a group to go see Gaia, how they had returned without him and recounted how he died.

"... Ever since then, we've kind of just… been sitting here waiting for something to happen, I guess," Daisy said quietly, "But now you're here! You're our disciple, you can do something, right?"

"None of you seemed to think that before," Caelian said flatly.

"O-oh… I…"

"It doesn't matter," Caelian said as he walked past her and towards the tent she had indicated Mrs. Tamia was in. Thankfully Sanders, her son, didn't seem to be around at the moment.

"We should probably wait outsi-" Damien started, but stopped with a sigh when he saw Evelyn following Caelian into the tent. "Or we just don't give him any privacy, that's fine," He mumbled as he followed.

"Mrs. Tamia?" Caelian said quietly as he stepped into the tent. It felt weird to see Mrs. Tamia lying there in a tent, not surrounded by all of her trinkets. He felt a pain in his heart when he realized that all of her belongings were all gone, eroded away by acid. He'd never be able to see or play with them again.

"Caelian?" The old woman asked, moving her head to look at her visitors. Damien held Evelyn back near the entrance of the tent while Caelian moved to sit down next to Mrs. Tamia.

"Oh, Caelian, I'm so glad that you're alright…" Mrs. Tamia sighed, her breath fogging up her glasses.

"Mrs. Tamia… are you okay?" Caelian asked. He felt afraid of the fact that he didn't feel like he actually cared. That he was just going through the motion of what he knew was right. Mrs. Tamia had always been kind to him, so why was his last memory of her held with such disdain?

"I'll be fine, dearie," Mrs. Tamia said, "The acid just doesn't agree with these old bones. How did you get back in?"

"I got help," Caelian said, glancing over to where Damien and Evelyn stood, "Will you be okay? Everything is destroyed…"

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Worry for the others," Mrs. Tamia sighed, "Garson led a group to see how the Goddess was holding up, but, well…"

"I heard," Caelian said with little emotion, "He's dead."

"He acted cruelly towards you, Caelian, but he was well-loved in the community. He and the others we lost will be missed."

"I'm sure."

"You need to go to the Goddess, Caelian," Mrs Tamia said. "The survivors came back with… stories. Of what happened. Of what they saw. Gaia is corrupt. That's why the forest is like this. But I'm sure you've already realized it."

"I guess I might've," Caelian said as he stared at the ground, "But what am I supposed to do?"

"You have to kill the Goddess."

"What?!" Caelian jumped in surprise, "You're joking, right? I-I can't kill her! Besides, she's a god!"

Mrs. Tamia shook her head. "The only way to save Gaia is to kill her, Caelian. Trigger a rebirth. If you don't the forest will be poisoned for thousands of years to come, until she dies naturally."

"What do you mean die naturally? She's a god, she can't die!"

"Death for her doesn't mean the same as it does for the rest of us," Mrs. Tamia explained. "Whenever one of the gods dies, they rebirth. I'm surprised she never told you this, Caelian. It's part of the disciple's job. When a god rebirths, they're essentially a child. It's the disciples job to raise them and help restore their power. The disciple greatly affects the outcome of the rebirthed god. It's why she chose you, Caelian. You have a childlike innocence. Just like Ezekiel, and just like all of those before him.

"But, I… How am I supposed to kill her? I'm not strong enough."

"You are," Mrs. Tamia said softly. "Disciples are nearly as powerful as the gods due to the amount of mana stored within them. If their god ever falls out of sound mind, it's their job to kill them. Now is one of those times, Caelian. You must kill Gaia."

"But Gaia hasn't stored that much mana in me!" Caelian said.

"She's stored enough," Mrs. Tamia said. "It may not be as much as the other disciples, but it's enough. With your elemental's powers, you're equal to the others. It is a shame, though," Mrs. Tamia gave a sad smile, "If you had the max amount of mana stored within you, I'd be a lot less worried. I believe you'd be the strongest disciple, if that were the case."

"That… That doesn't sound right, though," Caelian said softly. "I… I can't kill Gaia, Mrs. Tamia. I can't."

Mrs. Tamia reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Caelian… I know it's a lot to ask of you. You love Gaia and couldn't dream of hurting her. But you must. For her, and the sake of the forest. Gaia will understand, Caelian. Do it for her."

"... Okay," He said quietly. "I'll… I'll try."

"That's my boy," Mrs. Tamia said with a smile. "I believe in you, Caelian. You'll succeed."

"We'll see," Caelian said as he stood up. "Stay safe, Mrs. Tamia…"

"You as well, my dear. Please be careful."

Caelian pushed past Evelyn and Damien as he exited the tent, walking at a brisk pace in the direction of the great tree. The two of them quickly caught up to him.

"Was that Birdie's mom?" Evelyn asked, giving Caelian a curious look.

"I don't think he'd address her like that if she was his mom, Evelyn." Damien said with a roll of their eyes. "So, what? You're actually going to try and take on your god?"

"If that's what I have to do." Caelian said.

"Or you could just leave."

Caelian frowned. It was true, he could just do that. Part of him wanted to.

"If… if I have to kill Gaia to save her, and the forest, then I will."

"You sound pretty uncertain about that." Damien said.

"I'm not," Caelian said defensively, "I'll manage it."

"It's okay, Birdie. Damien will help!"

"I never offered my help," Damien said flatly. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Mm, but seems too scary for Evelyn, so... "

Caelian wanted to say that he didn't need help, but something inside of him told him it'd be better if he got it. How was he supposed to kill a god by himself, anyways? Even if he was a disciple, it just didn't seem possible.

"Yeah, fine," Caelian mumbled. "Hey, just remember, if I'm dead I can't help with your shitty little experiments."

Damien clicked their tongue. "Fine, I'll help."

"Yay!" Evelyn cheered. "Damien will help Birdie!"

"You're coming too," Damien said, making Evelyn pause.

"Huh? But, Evelyn not know how to fight…"

"You're a fire spirit, you don't need to. Just blast her with fire."

"Oh… yes… Fire, right…" Evelyn mumbled.

"Regardless, Caelian theoretically should be able to take care of this just fine, but I'd like to be safe."

It took Caelian longer than usual to find his way to the Great Tree, due to having to take detours to avoid the pooling lakes of acid. The more of the forest he saw like that the more his heart hurt. Even the roots that he had once called had been melted away. He'd never be able to sleep nestled among them ever again.

The trio stopped at the edge of the clearing of the Great Tree. It looked pale and lifeless, with waterfalls of acid pouring down from its leafless branches. Caelian tried looking to see if Gaia was visible without any leaves blocking his line of sight, but he wasn't able to make anything out from so far down.

With a deep breath, he took his first few steps towards the stairs that would lead him up to the top.

Chapter 9: Gaia

Caelian ascended the steps slowly, finally taking Nathaniel's warnings to mind. It was ironic. He never thought there'd be a day where Iaestia wouldn't be there to help him. He had always been so confident she'd always be at his side, and that confidence showed in his carelessness. But she was gone now, replaced with an unfamiliar spirit that he wasn't sure would help him in his time of need, let alone if it even had the power to do so.

Where was Nathaniel, anyways? Was he okay? Had he fled somewhere, or had the corruption sunken its icy grip into him, corrupting him just like the flowers and trees that surrounded them? What if he was one of the many sprites Damien had cut down? If he was, would he resent the shadow spirit even more than he already did, or would he understand it to be the mercy killing that it was? He wasn't sure.

It all hardly mattered at the moment. He carefully side-stepped a stream of acid that was dripping down from above. He wondered if Iaestia would've been able to protect him from the acid, just like she did with other things.

His heart sunk down into his stomach as he peered over the edge of the stairs, down at the ground far below them. They had managed to climb over halfway to the top. Damien and Evelyn were further back, both of them being even more careful on the ascent up than he was. It wasn't a surprise that they were terrified. It was their first time making the climb, and it was more treacherous than usual. Caelian had years of climbing the stairs under his belt. The only thing making him take it easy was the acid and his previously defunct sense of self preservation.

"A… Are we almost there?" Evelyn asked, daring not to lean out and check.

Caelian ignored the question as he climbed another section of the stairs. Thankfully the ones near the top weren't as eaten away by acid or fallen away like other sections down below had been.

"We should be almost there, Evelyn," Damien said, leaning out to peer upwards. Evelyn let out a whine.

It was then that the forest shook with an otherworldly howl. Not beautiful, like a wolf- but deep and guttural, as if whatever made it seemed to be angry at the visitor's disturbance.

"... Though I'm not sure we want to be," Damien added.

Caelian stared up through the branches. Was that Gaia? No, it couldn't have been. She couldn't make a noise like that. But then, something deep inside of him was telling him that it was.

When Caelian stepped onto the familiar platform at the top of the long flight of stairs, he paused. Acid had formed large pools under the naked canopy, though it somehow didn't eat it's way through the wood. Damien and Evelyn quickly pushed past him, both of them glad to be off of the staircase and onto more solid ground, if it could even be called that.

As Damien and Evelyn worked to get their breath back, Caelian took a tentative step forward.

"Gaia?" He called. There was no answer.

There was a large purple mound in the middle of the room that was making Caelian uneasy. It was still, but if he stared at it long enough, it almost looked as if it were slowly rising as falling, as if it were breathing.

Caelian took another step forward. "Gaia?"

He saw the mound shiver. He watched in horror as it slowly raised up, whirling to face him and leaving him pale. The being that stood before him was hideous. She was barely recognizable.

Her bottom jaw was gone, and bug-like appendages sprouted out of her open throat. The lip on her top jaw was torn away, leaving her fangs to stick out of her boney face. Only one of her antlers still stood, while the other had been snapped off, leaving only a sharp stump of bone.

The mound appeared to be the main part of her body, her torso sticking out of the writhing mass of purple flesh. Her arms had been turned into long claws, reminiscent of a praying mantis, and her wings looked plucked down to the bone. Thorns and vines ensnared her body, leaving acid to pour out of the wounds.

One of her eye sockets was completely empty, with acid slowly leaking out. It looked as though she were crying. She looked down at Caelian with an unreadable expression.

"Caelian…" Her voice was strange. It still held a vague tone of kindness, but it sounded garbled, as if numerous voices were speaking at once.

"Gaia…?" Caelian's voice quivered as he took another step forward, mesmerized by the goddess he barely recognized. He couldn't believe that the monstrous being before him was the same Gaia he once knew and loved. What had happened to her? Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. His blurred vision, along with his let down guard, let him miss the fact she had slowly raised one of her razor sharp claws into the air.

"Caelian!" She screeched, causing him to stop like a deer in the headlights. If it weren't for Damien leaping forward and shoving him out of the way, he would have been impaled as Gaia brought down her claw, splintering the wood beneath it.

She let out a ghastly howl as she dug her claws into the floor and dragged herself forward.

"What have you done?!" She screeched, her voice echoing and shaking the treetop. "What have you done to the forest?! This is your fault!"

Caelian sat on his hands and knees, shaking violently as he stared at the floor. He barely budged as Damien shoved him.

"Hey! Get a grip! Ugh," Damien growled, "Annette, get ready."

The shadow sprite ascended from their shoulder and began to glow a dark shade of purple as Damien pointed a glowing hand towards Gaia. She already had a claw in the air, poised and ready to strike. She was brought to a halt mid-swing, causing her to let out a cry as shadow chains wrapped around her, keeping her claw hanging in the air. She struggled against them, but they held strong.

"Caelian, snap out of it!" Damien called, leaning down to shake him. "You need to fight! "

"But… But I…" His voice shook as tears ran down his cheeks. "What happened to her…?"

"It doesn't matter!" Damien said. "This isn't the Gaia you knew, Caelian! You have to kill her!"

"But-"

Caelian was interrupted by the sharp snap of metal as the chains that were holding Gaia back broke. Damien tried to dodge the hit, but ended up getting slammed into a nearby thick branch as Gaia swept her claw sideways, just narrowly missing Caelian due to how close he was to the ground. Damien coughed as they got up onto their hands and knees, thankful that they hadn't been knocked clear off the platform.

Gaia turned her attention to Damien as Caelian was left shaking on the floor. Evelyn watched from behind a giant branch as Damien just narrowly rolled out of the way of Gaia's claw smashing into the ground. She let out a whimper as she shook.

Damien stumbled back up to their feet before summoning their sword, slashing at Gaia's claw the next time she brought it down towards them. Gaia let out a hiss as she smacked them with her other claw, leaving them tumbling across the ground towards Evelyn, who quickly hid down below the branch.

Gaia turned her attention back to Caelian, who had slowly managed to stand up. He looked dazedly up at her as she towered over him.

"Look at what you've done," She said, "Have you seen it? The forest, your friends. How many lives were lost because of you?"

"I… I didn't mean-"

"You did this!" She screeched, lowering herself so that her face was in front of him, spewing her rancid breath onto him. "This is your fault."

Deny it.

"Are you happy now with your new elementals? Were they worth it?"

"How- how do you know-"

"Answer me!"

Deny it.

The voice in the back of his head was buzzing like static. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," Caelian said as he lowered his gaze, "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Don't lie to me, Caelian," Gaia hissed. "I know exactly what you've done. Look at what you've caused."

The green lantern that spewed acid materialized next to Caelian with a chime.

"No! I've done nothing wrong!" Caelian said defiantly. "This isn't my fault! The forest denizens deserve it for how they've treated me! It's your fault this happened! If you had just told me about the other elements none of this would have ever happened! You're the goddess, why didn't you prevent this from happening?!"

"I was already weakened from keeping the barrier up," Gaia said. "And was further weakened when you were corrupt. All you had to do was what I asked of you. All of this was due to your negligence. You knew something evil got through the barrier, and yet you foolishly chose to believe a spirit you had never met before."

"I believed her because you never told me to not trust shadow spirits! If you had just told me-"

"Silence!" Gaia shouted, bringing down her claw. Caelian stumbled out of the way as it smashed into the floor, splintering the branch and sending chips of wood flying. Caelian didn't have time to move when Gaia knocked into him with her other claw, throwing him into a pool of acid. He screamed in agony as it burned his skin. He jumped up and out of the pool, doing his best to shake it off. He whimpered, wishing he had Iaestia with him.

The remnants of acid continued to burn him as Gaia slammed the dull side of her claw down onto him. He struggled against the ground, feeling his ribs crack as she dragged him towards her. His breathing grew heavy as she lowered her head down towards him.

"I should have never chosen you as a disciple," She said. "Look at what it's gotten me. The denizens were right about you."

"N… No they weren't!" Caelian gasped, trying to push her claw off of him. "I- I was doing my best! I tried!"

"Sleeping all day and playing with the deer was your best?" She breathed. "Pathetic. I was wrong. You're nothing like Ezekiel."

Tears formed in the corners of Caelian's eyes as Gaia pressed down harder onto him. "Stop blaming me for everything!" Caelian cried. "You said you believed in me but that was just a lie, wasn't it?!"

Caelian was surprised when thorny vines sprung from the ground, wrapping themselves tightly around Gaia and the claw pinning him down. Gaia's eyes widened as they wrapped around her throat and violently tugged her claw off of Caelian, freeing him. She tried to break free of them, but the thorns dug deep into her skin as the vines held her tightly.

More vines sprung forth, wrapping themselves around her as she slowly became covered in them. She screeched as the thorns ripped into her skin, causing blood and acid to leak out of her wounds.

Caelian's eyes moved between the flickering lantern and the vines. Were the vines the elemental's doing? Did that mean he could control them? But how? He had never actually controlled his elemental's powers like that before.

Caelian slowly moved his arm forward, as he had seen other spirits do when commanding their elemental powers. He focused, imagining the vines bringing Gaia down to the ground. He was surprised when they obeyed, causing Gaia to slam down into a puddle of acid. She screeched, causing the treetop to rumble violently. Caelian winced at the sound.

In the background, Damien was watching Caelian intently. "Caelian! Now your chance, use your shadow claws to kill her!"

Caelian froze. Kill her? Even if she was trying to kill him, the thought of killing her still horrified him.

"But… But I don't know how to make them appear!" Caelian called, not being able to rip his eyes away from the struggling goddess.

"Then figure it out!" Damien snapped.

Caelian's heart sank. He was angry, but he didn't want to hurt Gaia. He slowly stood, his legs shaking underneath him. The corrosive acid was slowly eating away at Gaia's skin, starting to show bone. Something inside of him broke as he began to sob. There was no winning in this situation. He had to kill her, at the very least to put her out of her misery.

He tried for several seconds to try and summon his shadow claws, with no success. He was beginning to panic, as Gaia's screeching was putting him on edge. What did he do? What could he do? Then a horrible idea came to him. He looked at Gaia with tears in his eyes. Then, slowly, he raised his hand. The vines around Gaia's throat tightened, cutting off her screams.

"I'm sorry," Caelian whispered, tears dripping down onto the branches below him."I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

Slowly, Gaia's eyes grew glossy as she stared at him. Caelian covered his face, still sobbing as her body stopped struggling and stilled. The forest felt unnaturally silent aside from Caelian's crying. The vines slowly began to disappear, sinking back down into the ground as they gently released their hold on Gaia's body.

Why had it come to this? He didn't want to do this. He felt sick.

"Caelian…"

He jumped in surprise when he heard Gaia speak in a familiar tone. Warm and gentle like the breeze, but quivering. He removed his hands from his face, blinking away the tears as he watched Gaia's body begin to shrink. Pieces of her drifted up and away into the air as a breeze picked up. Parts of her disappeared into thin air until all that was left was a spirit-sized Gaia in the form that was familiar to him.

"Gaia?!" Caelian called as he ran over to her, ignoring the pools of acid around her as he skidded to a stop on his knees.

"Caelian…" She managed a weak smile as he turned her over and pulled her into his lap. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean those things I said. I do believe in you… I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."

"No, don't apologize," Caelian sniffled. "You- You're going to be okay, right?"

"In the end, I will be. But I am going to die, Caelian."

"But… But I don't want-"

"Hush, it's okay," Gaia said, gently reaching up and touching Caelian's face. "Death for me isn't the same as it is for you."

"I- I know," He said, his voice breaking. "But you- I- I still don't want you to die, Gaia. What if you're not the same when you come back?"

"That will depend on you, my little sprout," She said with a smile, "But there's something that troubles me… Caelian, your elementals…"

She paused as the Toxin elemental drifted down to her. She weakly outstretched her arms, and the elemental allowed her to take hold of it. She closed her eyes, and her hands glowed with a dim green energy. The glass on the lantern began to crack, before it shattered with a shrill scream.

For a moment Caelian was horrified, but seconds later the glass mended itself. The thorns on the vines that surrounded the lantern sunk in, disappearing as flowers bloomed in their place. The green aura inside the lantern darkened into a forest green, replacing the eye-piercing acid green that had previously taken residence.

"Nyxidae!" Caelian exclaimed, reaching an arm out and touching the lantern as it made multiple soft chimes. "You- you're back!"

"As I thought," Gaia smiled, "They can be purified… However…"

A familiar acid green lantern appeared next to Nyxidae. Caelian looked at it with surprise, before feeling his stomach drop.

"... I cannot fully remove the dark elemental from you."

"O-oh…" Caelian said softly. "So… I'm still going to feel all of the negative emotions?"

"Unfortunately. I'm sorry, Caelian…" Gaia said. "But, Caelian... listen closely. I need to tell you something important."

"What is it?" He asked, looking down at her.

"As I said, Caelian, how I act after my rebirth will be up to you… which is why your corruption is a problem."

Caelian felt himself deflate, "So… I really am corrupt? But isn't corruption not able to be purified? How did you purify Nyx?"

Gaia shook her head, "In a way. You both are and are not. Your elementals are a part of you, Caelian. With them being corrupt, you'll act in ways that aren't yourself. I'm sure you've already experienced this."

Caelian thought back to the times he had felt the desire to harm others. "Y-yeah, I guess so… But…"

"If you were to tend to me after my rebirth as you are now, I'd turn out as if I were corrupt. Perhaps not as bad, but it wouldn't be the me you're familiar with. As for the Elementals… They are different from both spirits and sprites. They have no physical form. This makes it easy to tear the corruption away from their essence without harming them. However, I lack the ability to remove the corruption from them entirely."

"I-I see," Caelian said. "So you purified Nyxidae… can you purify the others, too?"

Gaia weakly shook her head. Her eyes were starting to look dull. "I can only purify your nature sprite. I don't have enough energy to try and purify the others even if I could. Caelian, you need to go to the other gods and request that they purify your elementals. Go to Leviatha, Ifrit, and Sol."

"I won't have time for that!" Caelian said. "I need to stay here and take care of you after your rebirth!"

"I can postpone my rebirth by lying dormant until you return," Gaia said.

Caelian's shoulders dropped. "But… But I-"

"Shh, sweetheart," Gaia smiled as she wiped away his tears. "I had hoped I'd never see you cry… But that was foolish of me. I should have told you everything instead of trying to protect you from the unpleasant things in life. I'm so sorry... I love you, Caelian. I need to go now."

"No!" Caelian wailed, "Please don't! Please don't leave me! I… I can't go to all the other realms by myself!"

"I believe in you, Caelian. I was right to choose you as my disciple. Return to me when your elementals are purified."

Her hand fell from his face. Her eyes remained open, dull and lifeless. Caelian sobbed as her body melted like sand through his fingertips, becoming a pile of green sparkling powder on the ground.

"I love you too, mom…" He said.

A moment later a large flower bud sprouted forth out of the powder, giving off a gentle green aura as it swayed in the wind that picked up, sending the green powder flying out into the forest. The forest would slowly begin to heal even while it's goddess slept.

Caelian stood up with a sniffle as he wiped his face on his sleeve. Damien and Evelyn, who had been giving him some space, slowly walked up to him as he turned and looked at his nature elemental.

"At least you're with me, Nyx-" Caelien's words got caught in his throat. The world around him began to spin, and the last thing he saw was Evelyn gasping and Damien jumping towards him as his vision went black.

Caelian woke up with his face pressed against grass. He groggily pushed himself up and looked at his surroundings. This wasn't the eternal forest. It was a forest, but everything seemed dark. The sky was black, and everything looked transparent and cast in a blue tint. It almost looked as though the foliage around him was glowing. Looking down at his hands, he saw that he, too, was transparent and tinted blue.

"So you've awoken."

He jumped at the loud voice, and quickly stood up. Looking around, he couldn't see anyone that was near him.

"Bother not looking for me, for I am not which you can see."

"W… what?" Caelian asked, "Who are you?"

There was a long pause.

"You may call me the Dreamer. It is what I went by, long ago."

"Am… Am I dead?" Caelian asked.

"No, you are not. It seems purifying an elemental wears more on it's user than Gaia thought… But this is not a realm you are meant to be. Not yet. But I am glad you are here, even if your visit must be brief."

"I don't get it," Caelian said as he stood up. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere between where the realms meet. Follow the path. Someone is waiting for you."

"Who is?"

"You will see. I must go, but we will meet again, Caelian."

"Wait! How do you know my name?!" Caelian asked. But he got no reply.

He looked at the strange forest around him. Follow a path? He didn't see a path. Taking a step forward, he was surprised when the foliage seemed to suddenly come to life, parting to reveal a pale blue path along the dark ground.

That was unsettling. Everything around him felt unsettling, with the eerie blue glow it all had. Caelian tentatively took a step forward, the tip of his boot barely touching the glowing path. With a deep breath, he started forward, following its twists and turns as it led him deeper into the ethereal forest.

He felt uncomfortable. Though he heard the sound of the wind, the leaves around him remained perfectly still. No animals could be heard, either. It almost reminded him of the corrupt forest. Sensing the mana in the air made him feel… surprisingly calm. It almost made him feel sleepy. Just what was this place?

The path eventually led him to a clearing, which opened up before him. In its center, on a fallen log, sat someone Caelian couldn't recognize, but felt eerily familiar. He had impressive antlers like a deer, and long, tied back hair. He couldn't tell what color it was, as the being was a pale blue, like everything else in the forest. He took notice of Caelian as soon as he stepped into the clearing and gave him a smile.

"Hello Caelian," He said. "Nice meeting you. I'm Ezekiel."

"You're… huh?" Caelian asked. "But then… so I am dead."

Ezekiel shook his head with a laugh as he slid off of the log. "While this is the realm of permanent dreams, you're very much alive."

"Then if I'm not dead, why am I here?"

"It's quite the mystery, isn't it?" Ezekiel grinned. "But it matters not; I can show you back to the realm of the living, so don't worry too much about it. Follow me."

Caelian hesitantly followed after Ezekiel as he led the way. "So… If this is the realm of the dead… Does that mean I could find Gaia here somewhere?"

"Oh, has Gaia died?" Ezekiel asked, sounding nonchalant. "She doesn't really die, so she shouldn't be here."

"O-Oh," Caelian said, sounding disappointed.

"How did she die, if you don't mind me asking? She shouldn't be old enough yet."

"I… I had to kill her. She was corrupt. I didn't want to," He quickly added.

"I see," Ezekiel turned and gave him a sympathetic look. "I can only imagine how hard that was for you. I don't think I would've been able to, myself."

"Why do you say that? Everyone always talks about you. How well you protected everyone and the forest. I'm sure you would've managed." Caelian said.

Ezekiel gave a small laugh. "I suppose in the end I'd have to. But hm, they're still talking about me? Shouldn't they be focused on you?"

"Nobody… really likes me."

"Let me guess. They think you're too young?"

Caelian looked surprised. "Y-yeah, they do…"

"And they think you're unworthy of being her disciple."

"How do you know that?" Caelian asked.

"History is bound to repeat itself, I suppose." Ezekiel said.

"What does that mean?"

"I was rejected at first for the same reason," Ezekiel said with a soft smile. "I was very young when Gaia chose me. Practically a baby, hadn't even lived a century yet. Oh, the looks and sneers I got…"

"But everyone loves you now," Caelian said. "So how?"

"Well… I just never gave up, I guess," Ezekiel shrugged. "Even if they hated me, I did what I could to help. I guess eventually people started to view me as someone worthy of being called a disciple."

"How could you help them when they hated you?"

"I ignored the looks and comments. It wasn't easy, but there were some who were kind to me. I started with them, and slowly, slowly worked my way out."

Caelian frowned. "It feels too hard. I want to just ignore them and focus on helping Gaia."

"Part of the disciple's job is helping the denizens. By helping them, you help Gaia," Ezekiel reminded. "You'll get there, Caelian. Believe in yourself. Gaia chose you for a reason."

"Y-Yeah, but… what kind of disciple am I now? I can't even help Gaia after her rebirth with how I am right now…"

"Are you referring to your elementals? Hm, yes, that's a problem… But they can be purified, no? After that, you should do a fine job. Helping Gaia after a rebirth. I had to do it once myself, you know."

"You did?" Caelian asked. "What- what was it like?"

"Well, after Gaia got too old and died, she sprouted into this giant bud. Then one day it opened and there was a child inside of it. That child was Gaia. I essentially had to raise her like she was my own," He chuckled.

"So Gaia will turn into a baby?"

"Not quite. She'll have the appearance of a young child, but she'll maintain some of her wisdom. She'll grow at a much more rapid pace than a normal spirit child, so don't worry too much."

"But... I've never even held a baby before…"

Ezekiel let out a laugh. "Well, like I said, don't worry too much," Ezekiel grinned. "You'll do a fine job. Anyways, this is where our paths divide."

Caelian hadn't been paying attention to where they were. He looked around, noting that the darkness around them had turned to a bright white.

"W-wait, I have more questions I want to ask!" Caelian said, but Ezekiel merely shook his head.

"It's best if you don't dally here any longer than needed. This isn't a place you belong. Now, wake up."

Chapter 10: Fish Out of Water

Caelian woke for a second time, his eyes fluttering open as he let out a groan. Not recognizing where he was, he groggily sat up. It took him a few moments before realizing he was inside of a tent. Was he back at the denizen's camp, then?

The memory of what happened to Gaia hit him like a rock. He touched his chest, feeling a dull pain in his heart. He took a deep breath, quickly wiping away the tears that had formed. He'd have to try and not think about it. Gaia was fine, and she had given him a task. He'd fulfill it, no matter what.

"Oh! Birdie is awake!"

Caelian heard Evelyn's voice come from the tent's entrance. He looked over just in time to see her excitedly enter. He saw Damien peek inside of the tent, but they remained outside.

"Is Birdie feeling okay?" Evelyn asked as she crouched down next to him. "He fall over suddenly so Damien carry him back to where other spirits are."

"I'm… fine, I guess," He mumbled. "My head hurts."

"Hmm, Evelyn will get Birdie some water, wait here!"

As Evelyn bounced out of the tent, Damien took their turn entering. They stood with their hands in their coat pockets.

"You gonna be okay after all that?" They asked. "Didn't really expect the emotional trauma to make you pass out."

"I don't really think it was that," Caelian said as he rubbed his head. Evelyn returned, carrying a wooden cup filled with water. Damien took a step back so that she had enough room to crouch down and hand it to Caelian. He hesitantly took it.

"Anyways, the denizens all seem pretty confused as to what's going on, you might want to explain what happened," Damien said.

"I don't care about them," Caelian said flatly as he took a sip of water.

Evelyn frowned, "But they all seem worried about Birdie…"

"I doubt that," He said.

"Regardless, it's your job as the disciple to take care of them, right?" Damien said, causing Caelian to pause mid-drink. "The acid has started to disappear and the forest got its color back. They all seem pretty confused. I think at the very least you should explain what happened to Gaia."

"... Yeah, fine," Caelian grumbled as he set the cup down on the ground next to him. He shakily stood up, shooing Evelyn away as she tried to help him stand.

"I didn't mean right now-" Damien said as they reached out to try and help Caelian regain his balance, but Caelian quickly waved them away as well.

"I'm fine," He said, before quickly walking out of the tent, only to stop as soon as he stepped outside. There was a lot for him to take in at once.

The first thing he noticed was the crowd gathered around the tent that were all now staring at him. The second thing he noticed was the gentle breeze that ruffled his hair, causing him to look upwards, squinting his eyes against the sun. What Damien had said was true. While the damage the acid had caused still remained, the trees had regained their emerald green leaves. Looking down at the ground around him, he noticed that flowers had begun to blossom as well.

Damien and Evelyn exited out of the tent behind him as someone from the crowd stepped forward, "Caelian, what did you do?" They asked.

A chorus of voices rose up around him,

"Is the Goddess okay?"

"How did you get rid of the acid?"

Caelian nervously took a step backwards, overwhelmed by everyone trying to speak at the same time. It was then that Nyxidae materialized next to him, and a calming sensation washed over him. She gave a soft chime and gently nudged Caelian forward.

"...Right," He whispered, before taking a deep breath. "Gaia… Gaia's rebirthed," He announced, causing silence to fall around him as the denizens stared with wide eyes.

"But… how?"

"You killed her?!"

"Shut up," Caelian said, shocking them back into silence. There was anger behind his voice, but he remained calm.

"It's what needed to be done. After Garson died you all were too afraid to do anything about it. So I did. I'm the disciple. You all think I'm so useless-" Nyxidae nudged Caelian again, but he ignored her. "But now look who's helped all of you."

"W-We didn't think that of you!" Someone in the crowd said, "We knew you could do something! We were worried when-"

"No you weren't," Caelian snapped, "You didn't, and you weren't. The only person that stood up for me was Mrs. Tamia. Everyone else was fine to let Garson try to kill me. Don't act like you cared, or thought I could do anything."

There was a long silence. Then Daisy quietly nudged her way forward through the crowd.

"... You got Nyxidae back." She said softly.

"Yeah," Caelian said, lowering his gaze, "I did."

"How?"

"Gaia purified her for me."

"So… you're not corrupt?" Someone asked.

"No, and I never was," Caelian spat, looking back up to face them, "Gaia said I'm not corrupt. My elementals are, but I'm not. But only Nyxidae has been purified. I have to go to the other realms and get the gods to purify the others."

"You can't just leave!" Someone exclaimed, "Who will help Gaia during her rebirth?!"

"Gaia is lying dormant until I return. She said I can't help her as I am."

"But… but... what will we do without both our goddess and disciple?"

"Whatever you were doing before I came back," Caelian said as he turned away. "Doesn't matter to me."

Caelian walked away, leaving the crowd staring after him with uncertainty. Damien and Evelyn followed after him.

"Don't you think you should've been a bit more gentle in your approach?" Damien asked, unimpressed. "They were obviously trying to apologize for treating you like shit, albeit in a way that absolves them of any blame."

"I don't care what they were doing. After what they've done, they'll be lucky if I ever forgive them." Caelian said, before ducking into a tent, "Mrs. Tamia-"

"I'm here, Caelian," Mrs. Tamia said with a smile. She was sitting up, propped up by some pillows. "I heard what you said. And I must say, while I do think they deserve it, I do agree you should work to be kinder to the denizens in the future."

"But-"

"I understand, Caelian," She said with a sigh, "They've treated you horribly. But if you do so in return, the trust between them and you as a disciple will never develop. Think of it for Gaia's sake, if you must."

"... Fine."

"Aside from that, I'm proud of you, Caelian," Mrs. Tamia smiled. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you to do what you did… The forest is already beginning to heal."

"But now I have to go to the other realms… I don't even know where they are."

"Evelyn knows where the Scorched Lands are!" Evelyn chimed in.

"An entrance to The Depths is probably closer than a volcano, though." Damien sighed. "But we're going to have a problem getting in without a water spirit to let us."

"I see you've made some knowledgeable friends," Mrs. Tamia smiled, "I'll leave Caelian in you young one's hands, then. Though I must agree, The Depths is more in reach with all of the rivers and lakes around the forests, but if you don't find a water spirit... Well, they typically hang out around in those areas, I'm sure you'll find someone willing to help out."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tamia," Caelian said, "I'll return as soon as I can… I promise."

Evelyn darted around near constantly, rustling the underbrush and nearly tripping Caelian over every other minute. She seemed to still be intent on finding whatever flower she had set out to find, even though Caelian was certain it didn't exist. Damien had already snapped at her earlier for nearly tripping them, so she was giving them some distance. She dug eagerly at the dirt under a nearby bush. A moment later her ears drooped in disappointment. Not here, either. Her ears quickly flicked back up, alert and swiveling as she listened to the sounds around her.

"We are by a river, yes?" She asked, bouncing back over to Caelian.

"We're by the Ethereal River," Damien said, "Humans believe it to be directly connected to the Depths, hence the name. They're not technically wrong, but a little off base."

Much to Caelian's chagrin, the three of them had made their way back out to the human realm. Damien had explained it was the only way to travel between realms, and while Caelian was aware of that, he just really didn't want to spend a lot of time in the human world.

Spirits were meant to take care of humans, but recently, due to pollution and deforestation, spirits had begun to look down on them. It was like humans were spitting in the faces of the spirits that had given them their world. While Caelian wasn't a fan of those two things, either, he still mostly disliked humans simply for being accused of being a halfie.

"It's also named that since there's often water spirit sightings around the area, so hopefully we'll find someone dumb enough to let us in." Damien continued.

"Oh! Evelyn sees, so friends just follow river, find water spirit!" Evelyn exclaimed before running off ahead of the others, disappearing into the brush as she headed towards the sound of gurgling water.

"Hey-!" Damien sighed as Evelyn's bright pink fur disappeared amongst the leaves, "Is she… always like this?"

"Like what?" Caelian asked blankly.

"High-energy, to put it nicely."

"I don't know."

Damien narrowed his eyes, "Don't know, or don't care?"

Caelian paused for a moment, flashing his bright blue eyes at Damien as he stopped beside them. "I've known her for about as long as I've known you. My current… condition, has no effect on the matter. I don't know because I don't know."

The answer seemed to satisfy Damien, and they turned and quietly continued on in the direction Evelyn had run off to. Caelian took a deep breath as he pushed down the feeling of annoyance he was experiencing. What was Damien's problem? It's not like he wanted to not care about everything.

Hearing what sounded like a distorted breeze, he looked up in time to see a lantern materialize next to him, it's dark purple haze consuming the light around it as it's inky dark aura oozed into existence.

This just made him feel even more annoyed. He glowered at the lantern before swatting at it, smacking it away with a clank.

"Get out of here, I don't want you around."

The lantern bobbed backwards in the air after the strike, but after evening out, continued to hang lazily in the air, as if strung up by an invisible rope as it gently swayed in the breeze. Caelian let out a low growl as he stepped forward, arm raised as he was ready to strike it again.

Stop.

Your anger feeds it.

It wants to upset you.

Ignore it. Calm yourself, Caelian.

He looked around, unsure of where the voice originated. It was a voice that ressignated in his head, quietly echoing into his thoughts. A voice he felt like he hadn't heard in a long, long time.

"... Nyxidae?"

He looked back to the purple lantern that was still floating motionlessly in the air. It almost felt like it was goading him into attacking. Placing a hand on his chest, he took a deep breath to calm himself. The haze around the lantern faded ever so slightly.

"These are the emotions you must learn to manage. Don't let them overcome you."

Caelian closed his eyes, and when he opened them, a deep green light was slowly shining into existence beside him. Forming into a lantern, the green light solidified into the solid black metal, with vines and flowers curling around it as they sprouted out, protecting the elemental hidden within the glass.

Though he could still feel the sense of annoyance, Nyxidae's presence helped calm him. He looked over to the purple lantern with a frown. He didn't need to resort to it's tactics. He didn't need to act in violence. Turning on his heel, he walked quickly in an attempt to catch up with Evelyn and Damien. The Nature and Shadow elementals trailed along close behind him.

The trickling of the water grew louder as Caelian approached, and he could faintly smell the damp earth as he pushed a group of large leaves out of his path. Stepping under a low-hanging branch, he nearly walked straight into Damien.

"Gods, there you are," They said irritably. "Where have you been?"

Caelian brushed a wing past him. "Don't worry about it. Where's Evelyn?"

Damien motioned with his head, and Caelian followed him to see Evelyn in a clearing, sneaking up on another spirit that appeared to be resting on a large, flat rock. The sun shone down on him, causing the white, orange and black scales on his tail and earfins to glimmer radiantly. The various gold jewelry he wore also reflected the light, in contrast to his dark skin, dark hair, and black, tight-fitting clothing.

A water spirit! But what was Evelyn doing?

Caelian began to walk towards them as Evelyn sniffed at the stranger's tail. She eyed it curiously as his fin tapped against the smooth stone. Then, with a grin, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into the soft pink flesh.

A howl of pain erupted into the forest, startling any of the wildlife in the immediate vicinity. Evelyn quickly released her grip on the tail and ducked under the rock while Damien watched in mild amusement. The water spirit thrashed his tail about as he sat up, whipping around to see what had bitten him, only to come face to face with Caelian. There was a long pause as the two of them stared silently at each other, the water spirit's eyes growing wide. Caelian looked confused.

"Holy shit, the water spirit mumbled under his breath, before quickly snapping out of his trance. "Hi there! I'm- wait, that wasn't you that bit me just now, right?"

"N… no?" Caelian said.

"Okay, great! So anyways, Hi, my name is Zephyr," The water spirit said with a wide grin, displaying his fangs as he lied down on his stomach with his head resting in his hands. "What's yours?"

"C… Caelian?"

"Oh, that's unique! It kind of reminds me of Cecile or something," The spirit said, his floppy tail slapping against the rock excitedly. "Hey, has anyone ever told you that you have very pretty eyes?"

"No," Caelian said, "They haven't."

"Really? Because they're-"

"Fishie!" Evelyn interrupted, popping up next to Caelian and startling Zephyr. "Fishie is water spirit, can take us to water realm!"

"Uh… what?" Zephyr asked.

Damien sighed as they walked forward to join the group, "What she's trying to say is that we were hoping to find someone to let us into the Depths."

Zephyr sat up, giving the group a suspicious look. "Why do you want to go there?"

"I need to talk to Leviatha," Caelian said.

Zephyr frowned. "Why is that?"

"Personal business." Caelian said.

"Is that so?" Zephyr said, looking unimpressed. "Well you can find yourself someone else, because there's no way I'm going back there."

"But Fishie has to!" Evelyn cried.

"Why not?" Caelian asked.

"You haven't heard? Entire place is a shitshow. Leviatha got corrupt and everything's gone to hell. Everyone's encased in ice or dead at this point, probably… Anyways, I wouldn't go there, if I were you."

"Wait, Leviatha is corrupt?" Damien asked in surprise. "How?"

"Beats me. Probably happened gradually, she's been a bitch for a while now." Zephyr mumbled.

"It doesn't matter," Caelian said, "I have to go there."

"Did you not hear me? Leviatha's corrupt, there's no point going there." Zephyr said.

"I need Leviatha to purify my elemental, Gaia said that she could. If I have to purify her beforehand then fine."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Zephyr asked, a hint of panic in his voice, "What do you mean purify? You can't purify corrupted spirits."

"Spirits, no," Damien said, "But you can force a god to rebirth by killing them. That'd purify her."

"You expect to kill a god?" Zephyr scoffed.

"We already have," Damien said, "The Endless Forest suffered a similar fate, but after killing the Nature Goddess and forcing a rebirth, the realm is beginning to turn back to normal."

"Well, you're not gonna be able to kill Leviatha, she's too powerful," Zephyr said as he lied back down on his rock, "And you're not gonna get the chance to, anyways. You won't be able to get into the Depths without a water spirit's help, and I'm not going back there."

"But Fishie has to!" Evelyn exclaimed, "Birdie needs to go to water goddess and get his elemental purified!"

"His what?" Zephyr asked.

"It's… a lot to explain," Damien sighed.

"Look, I'm going because Gaia asked me to, and it's my duty as her disciple to comply with her request." Caelian said.

"W-wait," Zephyr paled, "You're a disciple? The… nature goddess' disciple?"

"I am," Caelian confirmed.

"Is… Is that so..." Zephyr paused, "So… That's it? Your god asks you to and so you decide to risk your life over it?"

"It's my duty," Caelian said flatly, "I owe it to her."

"We owe nothing to the gods," Zephyr said bitterly, "They don't care about us. Why do them any favor?"

His comment surprised the trio, who stared at him as he aggressively flicked his tail.

"But… the gods have always taken care of us," Evelyn said quietly.

"Gaia cares about me, " Caelian said with annoyance, "I don't know what makes you think you have the right to try and say she doesn't."

"Yes, she cares so much that she sends her disciple out to face off against the gods. Powerful beings that could easily kill him," He said sarcastically, "Look, all I'm saying, is that what's happening in the Great Depths isn't of your concern, and if you valued your life, you'd stay far away from that place."

"Well, thank you so much for your words of wisdom, water spirit." Damien said mockingly, "That's what your kind is known for, right? Wisdom and empathy? You sure show loads of that, don't you? You seem to care so much about the wellbeing of your people."

Zephyr narrowed his golden eyes at Damien, his pupils forming into narrow slits, "I'd say it's pretty wise avoiding something that can kill you, which is why I have no desire to go back there. As for empathy? Well, I can assure you that's a lie. Nobody in that place gives a shit about another's suffering."

Damien rolled their eyes, "Come on, Caelian. We'll find someone else to help us."

Caelian frowned as Damien left. He didn't immediately follow them. Evelyn looked nervously between everyone before quietly following Damien. Caelian glanced over to Zephyr, who was glaring after Damien. The water spirit turned and gave Caelian a concerned look.

"I'm serious," He said softly, "Whatever you experienced in the Eternal Forest… the Depths is a lot worse. Leviatha is powerful. She's been corrupt for a while now. It's not worth risking your life over. We… we're not like the gods. We're weak. We only get one life. There's more at stake for us."

Caelian shook his head, "It doesn't matter, I have to."

"But why?"

"I just do," Caelian frowned as he turned away, "It's my duty to Gaia. She didn't send me out knowing Leviatha was corrupt. I don't think she had any way to know. I just know I need my elementals purified, for myself as well."

"You keep mentioning this elemental thing, but…"

Caelian shook his head. "Never mind, it's none of your concern."

With that, Caelian left Zephyr staring quietly after him as he left to join Damien and Evelyn. As soon as Caelian caught up, he fell in line next to them. Evelyn quickly switched sides so that she was walking next to Caelian and not by Damien.

"Will Fishie be alright?" Evelyn asked.

"He might need to disinfect his tail, but I'm sure he'll be fine." Damien snorted.

"Oh, yeah… Evelyn, why did you bite him?" Caelian asked.

"Oh! Smell like fish, yes! Fish tasty! And Evelyn hungry, so..."

"You don't eat other spirits, Evelyn." Damien sighed.

"E-Evelyn knows." She pouted.

Caelian listened to the two of them talk as he glanced over to the embankment they were walking along. They were on a cliff, with the river below them. The running water was loud, and when Caelian walked closer to the edge, he saw that there were rapids. He jumped slightly when he felt Damien nudge him.

"We seem to have company," Damien mumbled, motioning behind them with their head.

Confused, Caelian turned to look behind him just in time to see Zephyr stop walking. He gazed after them, a frown on his face.

"Fishie worried about us, maybe?" Evelyn asked.

"He has issues," Damien said dismissively, "Just ignore him."

"I… I guess," Evelen said, not fully convinced.

"Anyways, Evelyn, you said you were hungry, right? Maybe we could-"

Damien's sentence was cut short by a deep rumble followed by a cracking noise. The two of them looked in time to see a chunk of ground near Caelian fall away and hurtle towards the river below. Caelian stood perfectly still, staring wide-eyed.

"… Caelian," Damien said in a measured tone, "Step away from the edge of the-"

Before they could finish their sentence, another low rumble was heard underfoot. Caelian tried to scramble backwards, but his heel got caught on a rock, causing him to stumble just enough to ensure he was dropped off the edge of the cliff amongst the debris.

The last thing he heard was Damien and Evelyn letting out a shout as he slammed into the cold water. His wings splayed out as he tried to kick back to the surface. But between his heavy clothes and now water-logged wings, it was a futile effort. For a brief moment he thought of Iaestia, and how she would have been able to help him in this situation. But she was gone, and he was alone.

Back up on the surface, Damien had a firm hold on Evelyn, who was struggling against their grasp.

"Cut it out! It won't help anyone for you to try and go down there, it's rapids!" They snapped as she let out a wail.

"He not swimming!" She cried. "He can't-"

Both of them paused as a splash was heard further up the river. For a split second Zephyr was visible just above the water, before quickly slipping down into the rushing current.

"Shit, come on," Damien said as they ran ahead, following the embankment. Evelyn quickly followed after him.

Much further down the river, Zephyr carefully tugged an unconscious Caelian out of the water. Water dripped and pooled below the two of them as Zephyr got down next to Caelian and quickly pressed an ear against his chest. He gently nudged Caelian's chin up and pinched his nose shut. Placing his mouth over his, he gave him two breaths before starting on chest compressions.

It didn't take long for Caelian to jerk away and cough up a mouthful of water. Zephyr remained quiet as the boy sat up, spitting and sputtering as he worked to regain his breath. Caelian looked around in a panic before his eyes rested on Zephyr, panting heavily as he gave him a questioning look.

"You alright?" Zephyr asked.

Unable to speak, Caelian merely nodded.

"Can't even swim and you want to go to the Depths," Zephyr mused. "You realize it's underwater, right?" When Caelian didn't reply, he added, "You can breathe underwater with a water spirit's blessing, at least…"

"Then give me one," Caelian rasped.

Zephyr smirked, but shook his head. "Why are you so intent on following Gaia's instruction? Regardless of if she knew or not, she basically asked you to go and fight a god. The almighty, powerful beings that created us and the world around us. Do you really not see how ridiculous of a request that is?"

"Gaia wouldn't ask something of me she thinks I couldn't do. Besides, I'm a disciple, I can fight the gods" Caelian said, seeming to finally catch his breath. "And I… It's my fault she got corrupt. It was my fault. So I have to make things right again."

"Ah, jeez… Look, you're her disciple, right? That's why you're doing all this?"

Caelian nodded.

"She's not reborn yet, is she?"

He nodded again.

"So why not just go live a life of freedom? Stay here with me, I can show you how nice not being tied down to anything is. Gods don't care about their disciples-"

"Thats not true," Caelian spat. "I don't- maybe it's different for other Gods, I don't know. But Gaia… Gaia has always been there for me. She found me as a baby. She took me in when nobody else wanted me. She raised me by herself. She's a God, she didn't need to do any of that. She could've just told somebody else to do it. But she did it herself. She's done so much for me, I would've just… I'd have been a husk my entire life if it wasn't for her. I want to go back to those times, when I could feel happy. I want to be with her again. I'm her disciple. She believes in me, so… I know it's possible to do what she asked of me."

Zephyr was quiet for a moment.

"So... she was like a mom to you, in a way, is what I'm gathering?"

"… Yeah, I guess." Caelian said softly. "I never wanted to actually… say it out loud, because I felt like it wasn't how I should think of her. I mean, she's a god, after all. But I've always kind of… seen Gaia as my mom."

Zephyr made a small hum of understanding. "What do you mean you'd just be a husk, though? isn't that a bit melodramatic?"

"I can't feel emotion."

Zephyr gave him an odd look. "Could've fooled me."

"No, I mean..." Caelian sighed. He closed his eyes, searching for the individual strings of mana that flowed through his veins before calling forth his elementals. Lanterns of forest green, ice blue, stunning red, and hazy purple materialized around him. He purposely left out toxin, because as far as he was concerned, it was no longer his elemental. But to Caelian's disdain, it materialized anyways, refusing to be left out. Zephyr observed them with curiosity.

"Are those… sprites?"

"They are. But they've become elementals." Caelian explained. "I was… born without emotions. When Gaia found me, she gave me these, and… I've never really been able to fullunderstand how, but they let me feel emotion. She wants the other gods to purify my elementals. She managed to purify my Nature elemental before she… faded."

"I see," Zephyr said softly. "What exactly do you mean by purify them, though? What's wrong with them?"

"These three used to be water, fire, and celestial," Caelian said, motioning to the three lanterns. "They… got corrupt."

"I see," Zephyr frowned. "What about that one?" He pointed to the toxin elemental. "You seem to have a nature one…"

"Ah… that's what was left over when Gaia purified my nature elemental," Caelian said. "She wasn't able to fully remove the corruption…"

"Why does it matter what kind they are?"

"The emotions I feel depend on the element, so because they're corrupt, I can only feel negative emotions. Except for nature, which is positive. But before that it was only negative."

"I see… That's so strange," Zephyr said, "But I'm sorry to hear that happened. I hope you can get your elementals purified, in that case, But… I'll be honest, I'm not sure Leviatha would purify your elemental for you even in her un-corrupt state."

"I have to try anyways." Caelian sighed as he shakily stood up. "I… I don't want to be like this forever. I just… Want everything to go back how it used to be."

Zephyr watched him take a few shaky steps away before standing up himself. He walked over to Caelian and steadied him when he was about to fall over.

"You should probably at least rest a moment, you almost drowned." Zephyr said.

When Caelian shook his head, he let out a sigh.

"Fine, then at least lean on me. Let's go find those other guys you were with."

Chapter 11: An Icy Welcome

The group was quickly reunited, with Evelyn and Damien running into Zephyr and Caelian as Zephyr helped guide Caelian back uphill.

"Oh! Birdie is okay!" Evelyn sighed in relief as their paths crossed, and Damien seemed to relax a bit.

"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised you bothered to help," Damien said as they crossed their arms. "You seem reluctant to."

"It's water, it's not a big deal to me. I wasn't going to let him die over something like that," Zephyr said.

"Then help!" Evelyn pleaded, getting into Zephyr's face and causing him to back up a step. "Corruption will hurt many people! Birdie is disciple, can fix it!"

"Just because he's the nature goddess' disciple doesn't mean he can help. You don't think people have already tried to kill Leviatha?" Zephyr asked.

"I can do it," Caelian said as he stepped away from Zephyr. "I'm a disciple, I stand a chance. You don't have to stay with us, just let us into the Depths."

"That… isn't…" Zephyr hesitated.

"Come on," Caelian said.

"You don't get it, do you?" Zephyr sighed. "I'm not going back there."

"But I need my elementals purified!" Caelian said, taking a step forward and standing on his tiptoes as he pleaded. "I can't stay like this!"

"I, uh…" Zephyr looked flustered. "Listen, I don't-"

"Please."

"F… Fine, I'll let you into the Depths. But that's it, don't expect a tour."

"Yay!" Evelyn cheered as she raised her hands into the air. "Fishie is going to help!"

Zephyr gave her an amused look as she excitedly spun in a circle. "Right… Let's head back to where I fished you out, then." He said with a sigh.

The group followed Zephyr back to where he had dragged Caelian out of the water. It was where the rushing river ended and emptied itself into a large lake.

"This should work fine as an entrance," Zephyr said. "Should be deep enough."

"So how exactly does this work?" Caelian asked, "Like, where will the portal be?"

"It will be at the bottom of the lake, where the light doesn't reach," Zephyr said.

"... And how do we get there?"

"By swimming, of course- Don't give me that look, I'll help you, alright? Just hang onto me," He said.

Caelian was glowering at Zephyr, but didn't respond to his comment.

"If the lake is that deep we're going to drown before we even get there, so how-" Caelian was promptly cut off when Zephyr bent down and gave him a kiss. It was short, and when Zephyr straightened back up, Caelian was giving him a blank stare. Zephyr couldn't help but laugh.

What the hell was that? Was he supposed to feel annoyed over that? He felt like he should feel annoyed. Or angry. Or something. But he felt nothing aside from that familiar emptiness. Nobody had ever kissed him before. He felt like he should be feeling something, so why the hell was he blank?

Evelyn gasped, hitting Zephyr on the arm. "No! Bad Fishie, Birdie not say that okay!"

"Relax, Evelyn," Damien said. "That's how the water spirits give their blessing. He'll be able to breath underwater for a while now."

"Oh," Evelyn paused as she side-eyed Zephyr. "... Evelyn not want to kiss Fishie."

"How long can you hold your breath?" Zephyr asked.

Evelyn thought about it for a moment, before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, But Evelyn not like kissing boys."

"That's fine," Zephyr said before giving her a quick peck. "I don't like kissing girls."

Evelyn let out an offended gasp as Zephyr kissed Damien, who had little reaction. Zephyr hummed to himself as he walked over to the water's edge and waded partially in.

"Okay. You, with me," He said, motioning to Caelian. "And you two follow."

Evelyn happily splashed into the water with Damien quietly wading in after her. Caelian hesitated. He just had a near-death experience and wasn't looking forward to getting back into the water. Noticing his fear, Zephyr calmly walked over to him.

"You'll be fine," He murmured. "I promise."

"What if your blessing didn't work?" Caelian asked.

"I can kiss you again if you'd like?"

Caelian shook his head.

Zephyr chuckled as he gently took his hand. "Come on, then." He guided him over to the lake, wading in up to his waist before stopping.

"Hang onto my back, alright?" He instructed, and waited for Caelian to nervously wrap his arms around him. "Right, let's go."

Caelian wasn't expecting Zephyr to launch into the water with quite as much force as he did, and nearly lost his grip. Once they were in the water, he turned to look and see Evelyn and Damien jump in after them. He tightened his grip as he rested his cheek against Zephyr's shoulder.

Even though Damien had said they'd be able to breathe underwater, he found himself holding his breath for as long as he possibly could, before sucking in a cough. He panicked, before realizing that Damien wasn't wrong. He could breathe just fine. He was pretty sure Zephyr laughed as he worked to catch his breath. It was hard to tell underwater.

As they went deeper down into the lake, the light that filtered in from above became more and more dim. Caelian's heart pounded as he was surrounded by the inky water, unable to even see his own hand in front of his face. Closing his eyes made no difference, but eventually, one of the times when he blinked them open, he saw a faint light. Slowly it grew, and within a few moments they surfaced out of the water.

Caelian spat out the leftover liquid in his lungs as Zephyr swam above the water. He was concerned when all around him he only saw more water. But to his surprise, Zephyr dragged the two of them up onto land, where the water was shallow and only came up to their ankles.

Caelian let go of Zephyr's back and stood. He looked around, squinting at the sun that hung in the sky. All around him was reflective, mirror-like water. There was no signs of actual land or life anywhere. Was this really supposed to be the Depths?

Behind them, Damien and Evelyn surfaced. They swam over to where Caelian and Zephyr were waiting, and climbed onto the shallow shelf of water. Zephyr remained sitting while they stood up.

"Evelyn is tired, arms hurt," Evelyn whined as her arms hung limply by her sides.

"This doesn't look like what I heard the Depths to look like," Damien said suspiciously as they looked over to Zephyr.

"This is what the outskirts are like. Reflective water all around, real easy to get lost." Zephyr said.

"That not sound like fun," Evelyn pouted.

"Which way are we supposed to go?" Caelian asked.

"That way," Zephyr said, motioning in a direction, "But it's real easy to get turned around here."

"So what, you bring us here and are gonna leave us to try and hope we don't get lost?" Caelian asked.

"That was the deal," Zephyr said, donning an annoyed expression. "I told you I want nothing to do with this place."

"But we're going to get lost!" Caelian said.

"That's not my problem."

Zephyr watched as Caelian knelt down in front of him. Ugh. What were those puppy dog eyes?

"Stop it," Zephyr said, looking away.

"Stop what?" Caelian asked, genuinely confused.

"That look."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caelian said. "But you need to take us to where Leviatha is."

"I have to do no such thing," Zephyr said.

"You do!" Caelian snapped, his patience wearing then. Seeing the look Zephyr gave him, he immediately deflated. "Sorry…"

Zephyr let out a sigh before grinning at Caelian. "Say please and I'll consider it."

"... Please." Caelian said. One of his eyes closed as Zephyr gently swiped his tailfin up under his chin.

"Good. That's how you ask for a favor," Zephyr said. "Not by snapping at me. Do that again and I'm out. Got it?"

Caelian nodded.

Damien couldn't roll their eyes hard enough.

Zephyr stood up with a stretch. "I get you only feel negative emotions right now, and I feel bad for you, but you can still control them." He said as he dropped his arms. "Well, let's go, then. I'm not taking you to Leviatha, but I can point out where you need to do."

The three of them followed Zephyr as he led the way, the sun beating down on them as they sloshed through the water. Evelyn kept whining as they walked.

"Now Evelyn feet are tired," She said, plopping down into the water.

"Evelyn, now's not a good time," Damien sighed.

"But Evelyn tired! It harder to walk through water! And she still hungry!" She cried.

"You can try to catch some fish," Zephyr offered.

"And make a fire to cook them?" Damien said, motioning their arms out to the still water surrounding them.

Zephyr shrugged. "I just eat them raw."

"That's disgusting."

"If you say so. We'll make it to land eventually"

The four of them traveled for what felt like hours. Evelyn's near constant whining didn't help make the time go by any faster. Damien kept their teeth clenched to avoid snapping at her. Meanwhile, Zephyr seemed to have no problem traveling through the shallow water, and Caelian wordlessly marched on beside him.

The switch from warm to cold felt like it happened almost instantaneously, and it was Zephyr's turn to appear extremely uncomfortable. They stepped out from the water onto a shelf of ice, slipping and sliding as they did their best to continue on without falling.

The sun was blotted out by dusty gray clouds, and snow began to lazily float down from the sky. The snow thankfully provided some grip, and helped them not to slip as much. As they continued on, the wind picked up, causing the lazy snow to turn violent as it whipped past them, stinging their eyes as they strained to see where they were going.

Evelyn shivered violently, "Evelyn's feathers turned to ice…" She commented. Never getting the chance to fully dry off, the drop in temperature caused ice to form on whatever was still soaked.

"At least you have something to keep you warm," Zephyr said, hugging himself.

Caelian's half-frozen coat crunched as he moved some hair out of his face. For the first time in his life he regretted wearing his warm coat, as it's thickness betrayed him. It had still retained most of the water it absorbed from their swim in the lake. Now instead of keeping him warm, he was pretty sure it was just making him colder, but he didn't feel like taking it off to confirm that thought.

Damien has their hands firmly planted inside of their coat pockets. They had unstrapped their sleeves and rolled them down to try and keep themselves warm. Meanwhile, Annette has cozied herself up inside of their bag.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the four of them stumbled upon land. Damien and Zephyr immediately busied themselves gathering things to burn, while Evelyn ran off to find food. Caelian remained where he was, quietly observing their surroundings.

It was an unusual looking forest, with trees and bushes reminiscent of a coral reef. What was once full of color was now all a washed out grey, with icicles hanging off of the coral tree's branches as they held stiff in the fierce winds.

Caelian sniffed and rubbed at his stinging face. He was sat up against a tree, facing away from the wind. It's narrow trunk did little to help block the wind, but he took what he could get. Looking down at his hands, he noticed his fingers looked white. Would explain why he couldn't even feel them anymore. He couldn't feel his face, either.

The mana here felt different. It wasn't the calming sensation of the Eternal Forest or the thick, heavy feeling it gave when the forest was corrupt. It felt frigid, just like the air around him, and gave him a sense of isolation, as if he were the only person to exist in the realm. He wondered what the mana felt like before the corruption.

Thankfully Damien and Zephyr returned shortly with some twigs and logs to burn. Zephyr motioned for Caelian to follow them, and Caelian slowly stood. He shivered as he followed Zephyr and Damien to a small cave, away from the elements.

With Evelyn not being back yet, they worked on trying to start a fire by rubbing some sticks together. Caelian watched blankly as they worked. With enough patience, they were able to start a successful fire after multiple attempts. Caelian scooted a bit closer to the warmth, while Zephyr and Damien basked in its glory.

Evelyn found them shortly after, returning with an armful of fish. She paused at the cave entrance, giving a shiver. She stepped carefully around the fire and plopped the fish down, letting Zephyr work on cooking them as she sat down further away from the fire. Within a few minutes, they enjoyed their cooked fish.

"Aren't you cold?" Zephyr asked over his shoulder, seeing that Evelyn was still sitting away from the fire.

"Mm… huh? Oh, Evelyn is fine, she is warm over here," She said quickly, causing Damien to give her a questioning look.

"If you say so." Zephyr said with a shrug as he turned back towards the fire. "Are you not hungry or something?" He asked Caelian, noticing that he hadn't touched his fish."

"I don't eat meat," Caelian said.

"Oh," Zephyr said, looking surprised. "What are you going to eat, then?"

"It's fine," Caelian said, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"We can see if maybe-"

"It's fine."

Zephyr paused at his brisk reply. Damien rolled their eyes.

"Really? Just eat the damn fish," They said.

"I don't want to," Caelian said, glowering at Damien.

"Hey, leave him alone. It's fine if he doesn't eat meat," Zephyr said with a frown.

"Is kind of strange, though…" Evelyn commented, leaving Caelian to let out an annoyed sigh as he stood up. The three of them watched in quiet surprise as he walked out of the cave. Zephyr quickly set his food down before jumping up to follow him.

"Hey- are you okay?" Zephyr asked.

"Fine," Caelian mumbled as he brushed some snow off of a strange looking bush. He pulled back with a wince as the sharp ice that covered it cut his hand.

"Ah… here," Zephyr took Caelian's hand and held it between his. A blue aura rippled around their hands, and when Zephyr pulled away, Caelian's hand was healed.

Caelian examined his hand as Zephyr spoke. "Everything's dead from the frost. I'm not sure there's anything to eat around here if that's what you were hoping to find…"

"I'll find something," Caelian mumbled as he left Zephyr behind him.

Caelian shivered as he wandered the forest. He had meant to look for berries or something else for him to eat, but he ended up walking aimlessly without searching for anything. Why did he even bother keeping company? It's not like they cared about him. They were just using him for their own benefit. Evelyn because she thought he could help with that plant, and Damien for his research.

A powerful gust of wind brought him out of his thoughts. Looking around at the white around him, he realized he had no idea where he was. Deciding he should probably just head back, he turned around and began the trek back towards the cave and campfire.

At least, it's where he thought it was. After a few minutes he quickly realized that with the snow covering his footprints, he had no landmarks to help guide himself back. He kept trying to find his way back for almost half an hour, before giving up and sitting down in the snow, bundling himself up in his icy jacket and pulling up the hood.

He wondered if they'd even realize he was lost, or if they'd continue waiting for his return. He let out a sigh, his chapped lips cracking and bleeding as he moved them. He swiped his hand against them, leaving a bloody trail on his skin.

As he sat there, he became as lost in his thoughts as he was lost in the forest. His mind kept wandering back to Gaia, and he felt his heart ache. What if he couldn't get his elementals purified? What if he failed? Then what?

Did he really deserve to be called her disciple? He already failed her once, causing her and the entire forest to get corrupt. His own gullibility harmed him and everyone around him, and in the end, Gaia died for it. He killed her. It didn't matter that she would come back, he killed her. How could a disciple that killed their god be considered worthy of their title?

He used his bloody hand to wipe away a tear as he let out a sniffle. He wondered if the sniffle was from the cold or from what he was feeling. The Denizens were right. If Garson had been the disciple it was unlikely he'd have fallen for the shadow spirit's trick. Everything would have been how it should be. But then it wouldn't have been fair, would it? He wanted to be the one close to Gaia. Was that selfish of him?

He let out a shaky sigh as he wiped more tears from his eyes. He jumped when he heard the crunching of snow nearby, and turned to see Zephyr gingerly approaching.

"There you are, I- … Oh… Are you okay?" Zephyr asked, noticing that Caelian was crying.

"I'm fine," Caelian said tersely, turning to face away from him as he wiped at his face.

"Are you sure…?"

"What's it to you?"

"I was just wondering if it was anything I could help with," Zephyr said as he crouched down next to Caelian.

"It's not," Caelian said as he stood up, "It's stupid for me to cry over, anyways."

Zephyr frowned as he looked up at Caelian. "There's nothing wrong with crying over things you're sad about, you know."

"I don't like it."

"Well, nobody likes being sad," Zephyr said as he stood up, "But that's just… part of existing. Anyways, come on, let's get back to camp."

Caelian dejectedly followed Zephyr as he led the way back to the cave. Damien didn't say anything to their return, though Evelyn turned and gave them a smile and wave.

The group rested for a while in silence, when Evelyn said, "Evelyn is tired… what time is it?"

"I don't think it's the best idea to try and sleep right now, you might not wake back up," Zephyr said.

"We should've come more prepared," Damien sighed, "How long until we get to the city?"

"It's still probably a few more hours…"

"We'll have to keep going," Damien said as they stood up, earning a whine from Evelyn, "We can't sleep here. If we make it to the city we can find shelter and won't risk freezing to death."

Evelyn reluctantly stood up, and Zephyr took the lead again. Caelian followed behind the group instead of walking alongside Zephyr this time, causing Zephyr to keep glancing back.

"Is there a problem?" Damien asked after Zephyr looked back for the tenth time.

"Oh? No, It's just… Is he gonna be alright?"

"He'd have more energy if he ate."

"There was nothing for him to eat," Zephyr said. "I'm surprised you guys don't have snacks or anything for him."

"It's not my job to baby him," Damien said, earning an unimpressed look from Zephyr.

"I'd baby him if I could," Zephyr mumbled before turning to face ahead.

It took several hours of alternating between walking and resting at campfires before the blizzard began to calm. Snowflakes driftly gently from the sky, and in the distance, tall buildings could just barely be made out.

As they grew closer, the group were amazed at the city within the Depths. It was a city of Marble, Gold, and Aquamarine. Marble buildings of various sizes sat on either side of the flat, winding bridges that stood over water that was now a thick sheet of ice. There were central areas in between the bridges, where taller and more impressive buildings stood. Raised water canals deposited decorative waterfalls in the numerous fountains dotted around the city, the water now frozen in mid-air.

Most impressive was a palace that stood in the center of the city. It's central location connected all the bridges and waterways together. While it wasn't the tallest building, even from a distance one could tell it was the most intricately crafted.

"Wow… Is beautiful!" Evelyn said.

"Yeah… anyways, Leviatha is in that palace there, good luck," Zephyr said as he turned away.

"You're leaving?" Caelian asked.

"I told you. This was the deal." Zephyr said, looking over his shoulder at Caelian. "You can make it on your own from here."

"But it'd be useful to have Fishie show us around the city…" Evelyn said with a frown.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Caelian would appreciate it as well," Damien said loudly while looking over to Zephyr.

Zephyr smirked at Damien. "Sorry, but it's not worth my life. See ya around, maybe."

Caelian watched as Zephyr left. He didn't look back as he walked. Caelian turned to the city before them, gazing out over it. It was time to meet Leviatha.

The three of them made their way down the cliff they were standing on and headed into the city. Walking down among the marble, Damien and Evelyn couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship all of the buildings had. Caelian was uninterested, his mind set only on his task. Nyxidae materialized next to him.

"Is so pretty!" Evelyn said as she looked at her reflection in one of the marble buildings as she walked around it. "Do you think- "

Evelyn let out a shriek. Damien and Caelian looked towards her, their eyes widening when he noticed what made her scream.

Encased in ice was a water spirit. A terrified expression was stuck on their face, their arm extended as they looked like they were running from something.

"What happened?!" Evelyn asked, her voice shaking. "What make him get frozen like that?"

"Is… he dead?" Caelian asked.

"It's very likely," Damien said, "I don't think you can actually thaw someone and revive them. We're looking at a corpse right now."

Evelyn let out a whine.

"I have a feeling I know what caused this," Damien said with a frown. "And if I'm right, it's going to cause a lot of trouble for us."

"What is it?" Caelian asked.

"Corrupt spirits."

Caelian frowned. He recalled what he had been told about corrupt spirits. Beings that had lost all sense of reason, their mind gone. They lived only to kill and destroy.

"Could a corrupt water spirit encase them in ice like this, though?" Caelian asked. "Isn't the element here water?"

"If a spirit is corrupt for long enough, they turn into the dark equivalent of their element." Damien said with a sigh. "It's… why so many people like to call us dark spirits corrupt."

"But it's different, right?" Caelian asked.

"It's different."

The trio quietly left the frozen spirit behind. It didnt take long for them to discover several more as they walked. They all were stuck in poses that suggested they were fleeing from something, expressions of panic and horror frozen on their faces.

"Is there anyone even still alive?" Caelian asked.

"There's a few."

The group jumped in surprise at the stranger's voice. They looked around in confusion until a young woman stepped out from behind a large chunk of ice. Her skin was dark, and her long, black hair was pinned up. She wore long and elegant, red, teal and white flowy clothes, and had the tail of a shark.

"May I ask who you are?" She asked, her voice soft and clear.

"I'm Damien, this is Evelyn and Caelian," Damien introduced the three of them. "Who are you?"

"My name is Gale, I'm one of the water priestesses." She said, taking a step forward. "I haven't seen anyone out here in quite a while, foreigners at that… How did you get here?"

"We had some help from a water spirit," Caelian said. "I need to speak to Leviatha."

"I see," Gale said with a frown. "Unfortunately, Leviatha isn't quite in a state to be spoken with at the moment."

"So I've heard," Caelian said.

"Ah, so you do know," Gale said. "But if you knew, then why have you come?"

"I'm the nature goddess' disciple," Caelian said. "If Leviatha is corrupt, then I'll kill her and trigger a rebirth."

"Oh!" Gale looked hopeful as she stepped over to Caelian. "You truly are?" She asked. "That's… that's wonderful news. If you can stop Leviatha, then… Then everything can go back to normal."

"That's if we can stop Leviatha," Damien said. "It's yet to be seen if Caelian is actually powerful enough."

"Oh…" Gale said, looking crestfallen. "But surely, if you've been sent to help us, the forest goddess must believe in you?"

"Gaia does believe in me," Caelian said. "But… I wasn't exactly sent to help you guys."

"Oh? Then why are you here?"

"I need Leviatha to purify my corrupt elemental," He said.

"Pardon, but what is an elemental?"

"It's… a lot to explain," Caelian said, his eyes moving over to Nyxidae. Gale followed them, examining Nyxidae with curiosity. "But it's important, so if I need to kill Leviatha first, I will."

"I see," Gale smiled. "I guess you're not quite the savior I assumed. But regardless of your reason, the denizens of the Depths will appreciate your assistance, disciple."

"Where is the Depth's disciple in all of this?" Damien asked. "Shouldn't this have been their job?"

"Oh, our disciple…" Gale's face fell. "We… we don't know what happened to him. He wouldn't have been strong enough to do anything, regardless. Leviatha didn't store any of her mana into him. She doesn't trust her disciples."

"That's unfortunate," Damien said. "Well, it's your lucky day then, I suppose. Caelian's dead set on getting his elementals purified, so he'll try even if it's a death sentence for him."

Caelian nodded, not quite understanding Damien's words.

"We appreciate it," Gale said, giving a deep bow to Caelian. "Oh, but it's late, have you been traveling long? Surely you're tired?"

"We could use a rest if you have accommodations for us," Damien said.

"Of course. Please come with me, I know someone who has room in their home for refugees."

Chapter 12: The Depths

Caelian woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He groggily sat up from the nest he constructed on the bed, rubbing at his eyes. It was still cold indoors, but with the blankets and pillows, he had been just warm enough to fall asleep through the night, and apparently half of the day.

Damien opened the door with an annoyed sigh. "Did you ever plan on getting up?" He asked.

"Yeah, But I was still sleeping," Caelian said with a yawn.

"It's almost 2 o' clock, get up," Damien said before walking away and leaving the door open.

Gale had guided them to a house belonging to someone named Jeryl, allowing them to rest. It was a large, upscale house with multiple rooms, and many people were staying there together, sheltering from the cold.

Caelian still hadn't eaten, and his rumbling stomach reminded him of that fact. He sighed as he slowly climbed out of bed, shivering as he left the warm embrace of the blankets. He tugged on the hood of his jacket as he exited the room and took the winding staircase downstairs.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," Damien said as Caelian entered the living room. Some other spirits that were there glanced over to Caelian, but quickly went back to what they were doing.

"Good morning, Birdie!" Evelyn said with a grin.

Caelian wordlessly sat down next to them.

A moment later Gale entered the room, a box of crackers in her hand. She knelt down to Caelian and handed it to him with a smile.

"Your friends mentioned you hadn't eaten in a while, so I wanted to give you this. I'm sorry it isn't much, we're starting to run low on food."

"Oh, that's fine," Caelian said as he took the box from Gale. She stood as he struggled to open the packaging.

"So will you be heading to the palace today?" Gale asked, looking towards Damien.

"If that's where Leviatha is," They said.

"Then please, allow me to come with you," Gale said, placing her hands on her chest. "I may not look it, but I know how to fight. I'd like to escort you and make sure you arrive safely."

Caelian ripped open the bag, causing crackers to spill everywhere. He wordlessly began to pick them up and stick them back into the box.

"If we can't handle what's on the way to the palace then I don't know how you think Caelian can handle a god," Damien said.

"That's true," Gale frowned. "But I just can't sit and do nothing. This is my people's problem, after all. It doesn't feel right to let outsiders handle it by themselves. So please, let me accompany you."

"Evelyn thinks it's a good idea!" Evelyn said. "Let pretty fish lady come! More help the better!"

Gale let out a soft laugh, "It's settled, then."

"I hope you actually do know how to fight, then." Damien said as Caelian began to stuff crackers into his mouth. "We're not going to have time to bring you back here if you don't."

"I may be a priestess, but my elemental abilities are well honed, don't you worry," Gale smiled.

The group waited for Caelian to finish his meal of crackers. It was awkward listening to him loudly crunch them with little table manners, so they ended up chatting to pass the time. Eventually Caelian stood up, having finished the whole box. He felt a little better, though crackers weren't really the nutritional meal he'd have preferred. At least his stomach should quiet down now.

"I can't believe I'm going through all of this just for research purposes," Damien sighed as he stood up, "Evelyn, are you sure you still want to come along with all of this? It's not going to get any easier."

"Fighting gods is scary," Evelyn admitted as she stood, "But Evelyn wants to help!"

"Alright then," Gale said as she stepped out the door and into the frigid air outside. "Let us be off. I'll go on ahead and try to clear a path."

Zephyr's bare feet left perfect footprints behind in the snow, while his tail swished from side to side, covering them up. He was hugging himself, trying to keep warm as he walked along the bridge's thick marble railing. He let out a sigh. What was he doing? Why was he still here? How did he even get here? Because he couldn't say no to Caelian's pleading eyes back in the forest? That guy had no right to be that cute. Why was he so weak against pretty boys?

It felt like it had been so long since he last walked these streets. How long had it been, exactly? A month? It was something around that. Everything looked so different. He could barely recognize anything.

Zephyr climbed down from the ledge he was standing on. Looking warily down the street, he jogged out of the open space and hid amongst the buildings. He kept looking over his shoulder as he walked. He made his way over to one of the tall buildings, and cautiously cracked open the door.

"Hello?"

He was met with silence. He pushed the door the rest of the way open and entered the shop. He looked over the frozen merchandise as he walked along the ends of the aisles. Upon seeing that the elevator was out of order, he took the stairs up to the top floor. He heaved open the door that led to the roof, pushing snow out of the way as he did so. He stepped outside just as a gust of wind blew past, freezing him to the bone. Maybe he'd grab a jacket from one of the stores when he went back down.

Zephyr stepped over to the ledge of the building and sat down, gazing out over the city. It killed him to see his home like this. Even if he thought they all deserved it, there were still a few good people.

He spotted some moving figures down below, and grinned when he recognized Caelian and the others. Caelian was in the lead, with Damien following closely behind. Evelyn was trailing behind, playing in the snow as they walked.

Good. At least they were still alive. For how long, who knew. Leviatha's palace was a ways away from here.

"Enjoying your freedom, Zephie?"

Zephyr jumped, nearly falling off of the ledge as he whipped around to face the speaker. A young man with blonde hair and green eyes stood behind him. His fins and tails were blue with dark green stripes. He was bundled up in winter clothes, something Zephyr wished he had.

"Garrett, what do you want?" Zephyr snapped, still tense.

"Hey, easy. I haven't done anything to you," Garrett said.

"You may as well have."

"Bitter as always, I see."

"Would you not be?"

Garrett let out a sigh as he stepped over to Zephyr and sat down beside him, dangling his legs over the edge of the building. "I would be," He said. "Everyone thinks you died. Where've you been?"

"Human realm," Zephyr said. "Escaped during the initial chaos."

"You don't think you should've stayed and helped?" Garret asked.

Zephyr gave him a glare that was colder than the frigid air that blew past them. "Why should I have? What would I even have been able to do?"

Garrett shrugged. "I don't know. Something, anything."

"There was nothing I could've done," Zephyr said.

"I'm sure there was something. You just didn't want to," Garrett said.

"Whatever. Don't tell anyone you've seen me."

"What about your sister?"

Zephyr paused.

"Not even her," He said.

"If that's what you want." Garrett said. "She and your parents were pretty beaten up over you supposedly being dead, though."

Zephyr scoffed. "As if I care about my parents."

"They were trying to do what was best."

"For who? Me or everyone else?"

Garrett frowned. "You did better than anyone else."

"It doesn't matter," Zephyr said as he looked out over the city. He stiffened at what he saw down below them.

"I need to go," He said quickly as he stood.

"Hey- wait," Garrett called as Zephyr ran to the door and paused. "Why are you even back here? You said if you got out you'd never be coming back."

"Honestly? I don't know," Zephyr said as he walked through the door.

The trio left the house Gale had brought them to and began to make their way through the lonely streets. The city had an eerie atmosphere, with everything being perfectly silent. The only noise was the crunch of snow under their feet. Snow still drifted down at a leisurely pace, with their breaths freezing in the air.

"Is more spirits," Evelyn said quietly as the group stumbled upon a cluster of frozen spirits. All of them held the same horrified expression, frozen mid-run as they tried to escape from something.

"How many of them are there?" Caelian asked.

"A lot by the looks of things," Damien said as he inspected them. They frowned when they noticed some of them were frozen on the floor, wounds covering their bodies. "Whatever did this was pretty brutal, by the looks of things."

Caelian followed his line of sight to one of the spirits that was lying on the ground. He crouched down next to them, examining the large hole in their abdomen.

"Um, friends?" Evelyn said, her voice shaking a bit. "Is strange spirit coming."

Caelian and Damien looked up to see a water spirit shuffling towards them. Their eyes were wide open, looking dull and lifeless. They looked unusually pale, with icicles clinging to their skin. Their ears and tail were pure white, blending in with the surrounding snow. They limped as they walked, heading straight towards the group.

"Are they okay?" Caelian asked as he stood up.

"Both of you, be careful," Damien said as he summoned his shadow blade and took a hold of the hilt. "That's not a normal spirit."

Evelyn began to back away, while Caelian hesitated, intently watching the spirit. Damien was right, something felt off about them. It felt familiar in a way, but he couldn't quite place it.

Caelian took a step backwards when the spirit raised a hand in their direction. He thought that they weren't doing anything, until he heard a sharp crack behind him and the sound of gurgling. He turned in horror to see a large icicle had formed out of the ground and impaled Evelyn through the stomach. Blood ran out of her mouth as she stared down at herself before going limp.

"Evelyn!" Damien shouted, rushing over and trying to help her off of the icicle.

Caelian turned his attention back to the corrupted spirit. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He summoned his shadow elemental, who gave a curious chime as it floated around him. He tried imagining his hands melting away into dark purple claws. He focused solely on that. Within moments he felt a familiar sensation, and the next time he opened his eyes, long, shadowy claws were on both of his hands.

He stared down boredly as he clinked them together. Finally. It had taken him long enough to figure out how to do that. He had asked Damien for some advice earlier, and he was glad it paid off.

Flexing out the individual claws, he rushed towards the corrupt spirit and pounced. He was surprised when his claws were caught mid-air by the spirit's hands, blood gushing from them as they dug into flesh.

Caelian was momentarily held up in the air before he slammed back down against the ground, his feet slipping slightly on the ice as the corrupt spirit pushed him away. A concentration of ice began to form underneath him, and he managed to jump away just in time to dodge the icicle that jolted out of the ground. He managed to dodge a few more before it finally caught him. Ice snaked up his leg, freezing him in place. He tried to free his leg in a panic, but the ice only traveled further up.

Was this what happened to the frozen spirits?

He struck the ice as carefully as he could, but he still managed to cut himself as his claws shattered the ice. The corrupt spirit charged forward, punching him in the gut and knocking the wind out of him as he fell and slid. The blow caused him to lose focus, and made his shadow claws disappear in a black mist.

As more energy began to form underneath him, he tried to stand in a panic, but only ended up slipping and hitting his chin against the ground. He tasted blood as his teeth sank through his tongue. He tensed and closed his eyes, expecting to experience a similar fate to Evelyn, when he was thrown backwards. He blinked his eyes open in confusion. Had someone shoved him backwards? No, he saw Damien still tending to Evelyn.

It was then that he noticed the icy barrier that surrounded him. Its surface was rough and craggy on the outside, but smooth on the inside. It must have formed around him just before the icicle struck, causing Caelian to get thrown away as soon as the sharp pillar exploded from the ground.

Caelian heard a soft, almost inaudible chime. Looking over, he saw the light blue aura of one of his elementals just as it disappeared, the ice shield disappearing with it. Had one of the corrupt sprites really helped him? Has Iaestia somehow gotten through?

Caelian managed to scramble to his feet in time to slide out of the way of numerous small, sharp icicles erupting out of the ground in a row. He summoned his shadow claws again before pouncing on the corrupted spirit, easily knocking them to the ground. He hesitated. He didn't want to, but he knew there was no alternative. He slashed the spirit's throat as they writhed underneath them, and they eventually stilled.

He stared down at the spirits as his claws vanished. This was the second time he had killed someone. No, it was the first time. Gaia wasn't truly dead. But this spirit? This person would never be coming back. His stomach churned as he thought about it.

He felt disgusting. He had just killed someone. Even if they were corrupt, they were another spirit. They had a life. Family. Friends. All of that was gone now, and they'd lie here in the cold, waiting to be found by someone that recognized them. Caelian shook his head.

He suddenly remembered Evelyn and quickly rushed over to her and Damien. Damien was using his coat to try and stop the bleeding, but Caelian could tell from his expression that it wasn't looking good.

"She's… not going to die, is she?" Caelian asked.

"I don't know," Damien admitted.

It was then that the two of them noticed a familiar face approaching, a concerned look etched onto his face. Zephyr was sprinting towards them, sliding on the icy ground into place next to Damien. He paused, his hands held mid-air as he considered what to do.

"Let me help," He murmured, reaching over and gently removing Damien's coat from Evelyn's wound. It was a grizzly hole in the center of her stomach, blood still gushing out of it with no sign of stopping. Zephyr placed his hands on top of the wound. A blue aura rippled around his hands. Caelian recognized it from the time Zephyr had healed his cut. But could he heal a wound that big?

Zephyr's eyes were closed in concentration, and for a while Caelian was worried that he wouldn't be able to help. Then Zephyr removed his hands from Evelyn's stomach, revealing smooth new skin where the hole had once been.

"You never mentioned you knew healing magic," Damien said, giving him a suspicious look. "That's pretty rare."

Zephyr merely shrugged. "Nobody asked."

"That's- Mm," Damien let out a growl.

"Anyways, I see you ran into one of the corrupt spirits," Zephyr said as he stood up and wiped his hands on his shorts, "It's even worse than I thought it was. You guys really should just turn back."

Caelian shook his head, "I have to get my elemental purified."

"Is it worth dying for?" Zephyr asked, "Look, Leviatha was really bad even before she got corrupt, who's to say she won't just go back to being that way after the rebirth?"

"How was she bad?" Caelian asked as Damien gently laid Evelyn on the ground. She was still passed out, not showing any signs of waking.

Zephyr sighed as he rubbed his arm. "She… She didn't care much for her people. She only cared about being amused."

"What does that mean?" Caelian asked.

"She wasn't a caring goddess," Zephyr said. "She only cared about not being bored. She always demanded gifts be brought to her everyday, and it couldn't be anything she already had. She would also always demand singers, dancers, anything to keep her entertained. But the thing is, as soon as you made her bored, or if you made a mistake during your performance… she'd kill you."

"What?" Caelian asked. "But… but she's a god. She's supposed to care for and protect her people."

'Yeah, well, she didn't," Zephyr said. "But anyways, because of that, people stopped wanting to perform for her. That… really pissed her off, and she ended up rampaging through the city. She killed a lot of people, I guess. This was long before my time, so I can only repeat what I've been told.

But after that, she started demanding that her disciples be performers. Not wanting another rampage, the people gave in. The disciples from that point onwards were basically designated sacrifices. They just performed their best, waiting for the day they'd eventually die."

"Who would choose to be her disciple if that was their fate, though?" Caelian asked.''

Zephyr gave a grimaced smile. "That's the thing. Nobody wanted to. So people started forcing it. People would give up their children, all just to keep Leviatha happy. They'd sacrifice another just to keep themselves safe. And everyone here just accepted that as normal and went about their lives. It's disgusting."

"I just… I can't believe a god would-"

"Yeah, well, believe it," Zephyr said as he turned away. "Everyone here got what they deserved. That's what I believe."

Caelian watched as Zephyr walked away, disappearing amongst the glaciers. Caelian frowned as he turned back to Damien and Evelyn. Evelyn was just beginning to stir, her eyes slowly blinking open.

"Ooh… what happened?" She asked, groggily looking up at Damien. "Did Evelyn fall asleep…?"

"You don't remember?" Caelian asked.

"No…?"

"It's probably better that way," Damien said as they helped her stand up. "How are you feeling?

"Tired… But Evelyn will be okay!"

"Glad to hear," Damien said as he tried to hide a grin. "Go ahead and lean on me for a while as we walk, okay?"

"Okay…" Evelyn slurred.

The group continued onward towards the palace, Damien doing his best to keep Evelyn standing as she clumsily slipped on the ice. After a while she got her bearings about her and no longer needed their assistance, much to their relief.

"There you are!"

The group turned to see Gale hurrying towards them. Five swords of water floated behind her, and they quickly disappeared as she approached.

"I was so worried, I thought something happened to you," She said with a frown. "What took you so long?"

"Something did happen," Damien said, glancing over to Evelyn. "But it's fine now, so don't worry about it."

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better," Gale said. "But I'm glad to hear that you're alright. I'll walk with you this time."

"Gale, what do you know about Leviatha?" Caelian asked.

"Leviatha? Mm… We revere our goddess, but she isn't exactly… a kind god."

"I heard that she kills her people, including her disciples. Is that true?"

"Oh. Yes, it's true," Gale said with a frown. "Unfortunately… We've gone through many disciples these past few thousand years. Our current disciple has lasted the longest out of any of them, though. I was quite proud of him."

"Proud?" Caelian asked.

Gale looked embarrassed. "Maybe that's not quite the right word to use… But you see, the current disciple is my older brother."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Our… our parents tricked him, I think," She said softly. "You see, he's an amazing dancer." Her face lit up. "He really flows like water when he dances, it's amazing to watch- Oh, sorry. But our parents… they convinced him to try dancing before Leviatha. He didn't know the extent of how she treated her disciples, and he thought it was just to show off. He didn't know she'd demand that he become her newest disciple."

"So he ended up becoming her disciple?" Caelian asked.

"He did," Gale said. "He had little choice. The palace guards wouldn't let him leave. They'd drag him back into the building. He was ripped away from everything he loved. I… I became a water priestess just to stay close to him. Give him some familiarity, you know?"

"Did they treat Gale's brother badly?" Evelyn asked.

"Oh, no. They treated him wonderfully, on the contrary. The disciple's quarters are the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen. He got everything he wanted. Professional chefs would always make him his favorite food. They always made sure he was comfortable. It's like… they feel bad because they know they're going to die, so they try to make the last bit of their life as nice as possible, I think."

"That's... morbid," Damien said.

Gale nodded. "And my brother hated it. He hated every moment of it. He didn't want the fancy linen bed or his favorite foods. He wanted out. He wanted to be free." She let out a shaky breath. "I remember… I remember him crying all the time. He'd beg the guards to let him leave. They always looked so uncomfortable, but they wouldn't let him go. He started having nightmares. He'd beg for me to not leave him at night because he didn't want to fall asleep. He was terrified of dying."

"Evelyn feels really bad for him…" Evelyn said.

"And you don't know what happened to him?" Damien asked.

Gale shook her head. "Nobody has seen him since Leviatha transformed."

"When you say transformed," Damien said.

"I mean became corrupt, I suppose. It's just… I wonder if she wasn't a little corrupt before all of this happened." Gale sighed.

"Can we keep going, now?" Caelian asked. "I really need to get my elemental purified."

"Oh," Gale looked a bit taken aback. "Yes, let's continue. Sorry."

"Don't mind him," Damien said as they walked, "He only knows how to be rude right now."

"What do you mean?" Gale asked.

Damien gave her a quick rundown of how the elementals work. Gale looked at Caelian with wide eyes. "Is that so…?" She asked. "That's fascinating."

"It is, which is why I'm still with this guy," Damien sighed. "The things I do for research."

"Why Damien research sprites, anyways?" Evelyn asked.

"There's… a lot to it," Damien said, "Let's just say it's to help a friend."

Evelyn seemed curious about their answer, but didn't have time to pester them on it. As they came out from behind a glacier, the palace stood in its full glory before them. They craned their heads back, taking in the sight.

"Here we are," Gale said as she began to walk up the stairs that led to the wide entrance. "Welcome to the palace."

Gale guided them through the lavish gold and marble hallways. They were well decorated, and at some point probably were an amazing sight, if it weren't for the destruction that had now befallen them.

Some furniture was tipped over and things spilled over onto the floor, probably from when spirits had run for their lives. Chandeliers encased in ice hung overhead, some of them having come crashing down and lying shattered on the ground. Statues, pottery, and other adornments littered the hallways, all depicting images of a large serpent, which Caelian guessed was supposed to be Leviatha.

Gale turned around to face them. "We're almost there," She said, "Just around this corner is the waterway and then… we'll…"

She trailed off as she looked ahead of her. It was a long, straight path that had a canal on either side, allowing water to run through. Near the middle of the path stood a familiar face, his back facing the group.

"Zephyr…?" She asked, taking a step forward, before breaking into a run, "Zephyr?!"

Zephyr appeared to jump, looking around him in what almost seemed like a dazed sense of confusion before turning just in time to catch Gale as she crashed into him.

"Gale?" He asked.

"Zephyr, where were you?!" She cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Nobody knew where you were! I was afraid that you died!"

"H-Hey, Gale, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," Zephyr said.

"You two know each other?" Caelian asked as he, Evelyn and Damien caught up to Gale.

Gale wiped her eyes with a sniffle, "He's my brother!"

"Wait," Damien said, locking eyes with Zephyr, "If he's your brother, then…"

"Where were you?! Where did you go?" Gale asked.

"I just- I went to the human realm," Zephyr said.

"You… You what?"

"I… I just-"

The chamber echoed with a slap. Gale stood away from Zephyr as he held a hand against his cheek.

"How could you?!" Gale said.

"How could I what?" Zephyr snapped, "What was I supposed to do?!"

"You abandoned everyone when they needed you! When they needed someone to look to! You could have helped calm them down but you just left everyone behind and escaped to the human realm?!"

"Help them how?! There's nothing I can do about all of this, Gale! You think just because I'm the fucking disciple I know how to lead anyone?! All I've been doing for the past hundred years is dancing, hoping that I don't die. I couldn't even pray that I'd be okay because it's our fucking god that would have killed me!"

"Zephyr-"

"No, Gale! I'm sorry I left you, I'm so sorry I made you worry. But I don't give a shit about anyone else. I couldn't risk anyone knowing where I was. I just want out of all of this. I want my freedom back. Nobody cared about me, Gale. Why would I have given a damn about what happened to them? Why am I always expected to be the bigger person? Why is it fair that I had to suffer while everyone else turned a blind eye and pretended like everything was okay? How much longer until my dancing bored her? Then what? You think anyone would have helped me? Would have cared? Or would I have just been yet another sacrifice they had to go through to keep Leviatha happy?"

Gale stared down at the ground, tears in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed as the tears fell, and she wiped off her cheeks. Zephyr slowly deflated. There was a long period of silence as he stared at her, before stepping forward and wrapping her in an embrace.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled.

"No, I'm sorry," She sobbed, covering her face. "I'm sorry that there was nothing I could do for you. I'm sorry you've suffered so much. You're right. You may be the disciple but it means nothing. You don't have to do anything, I'm sorry."

"I don't want Leviatha to be purified," Zephyr said. "Because that means I'll just be expected to come back. But I can't. I won't go back. Even if they find a new disciple, the cycle will just continue."

"We have to purify Leviatha, Zephyr," Gale said as she rubbed at her eye. "We can't leave things as they are. We can't leave the Depths like this. There's still some good people here. You know that. They're suffering."

Zephyr stared down at the ground. "I… I know. I know it can't stay like this."

"Then come with me," Gale said.

"No, you can't go," Zephyr said. "She'll kill you, Gale."

"I have to."

"You don't!"

"I can't stand by and let outsiders carry all of the burden!" Gale said. "This is our problem, Zephyr! We should have done something sooner! I should have done something sooner!"

"There's nothing you could have done against a god, Gale."

"I know," She said. "But Caelian is a disciple. He… he stands a chance."

"Then let them handle it," Zephyr said.

Gale shook her head. "I'll never forgive myself if I'm not in there, Zephyr. I… I know you're afraid. You don't have to come."

Zephyr shrank away. "I… I don't want to just let you go in there by yourself."

"I won't be by myself," Gale said softly.

"But still… I…"

"It's okay," She smiled. "I want you to stay safe. Get away from here, okay? Don't let anybody see you."

"Gale…"

Gale gently stepped past him. He watched as she walked towards the ornate doors. She looked tiny in front of them, but she put on a brave face.

Damien passed Zephyr with a glare, while Evelyn looked at him with wide eyes as she followed along behind them. Caelian lingered.

"Aren't you going?" Zephyr asked, noticing Caelian staring at him. "You're kind of the most important person, here."

"I am. I just wanted to know why you came back?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you here? It looked like you were on your way to Leviatha. What were you doing?"

Zephyr paled as he looked at his surroundings, as if he were just now realizing where he was.

"I… I dont…"

"If you hate Leviatha so much and are afraid of her, why come here?"

"I… I don't… remember coming here," He said in a small voice.

Caelian frowned. Strange. Why wouldn't he remember coming here? He walked here, didn't he? He didn't say anything as he moved past Zephyr, who stared at him as he left him alone in the middle of the pathway. He looked small in the huge room.

Caelian joined the others, who were waiting in front of the ornate double doors. With a deep breath, Gale pushed them open.

Chapter 13: Leviatha

Caelian, Evelyn, Damien and Gale all entered through the oversized doors and into the throne room. Inside, icy spikes covered nearly every surface, forming in clusters along the walls and floor. The drop in temperature from the previous room was noticeable, and Caelian began to shiver violently.

Despite the freezing temperatures, a channel of water was visible on the other side of the room. On the other side of the channel stood a giant, intricately crafted solid gold throne, decorated with various blue gemstones. It sat empty, looming over them and giving an unsettling feeling.

Caelian stepped forward in front of the others, looking around the room. "Where is Leviatha?" He asked.

As soon as he spoke, a tidal wave erupted from the water in front of them. The water flowed over the floor, soaking everyone's feet, before slowly retreating back to where Levitha was now waiting.

Her four eyes were pitch black, with her pupils being mere white slits that stared down at the group. Black, eel-like hair sprouted from the top of her head, writhing and moving as if it were alive. Numerous crooked fangs stuck out of her closed mouth, and tusks sprouted out of the sides of her face, curving inward. Her dark skin dissolved into a long, blue serpentine body. Her scales were dull, with only the occasional golden scale reflecting any light. Gold jewelry adorned her body, sparkling brilliantly. She tapped her claws against the ground as she rested her head on her other hand.

"Who has some here?" She asked. "Who dares to think they can enter without permission? Speak now, before I kill you where you stand."

"My name is Caelian, I'm the nature goddess' disciple," Caelian said with uncertainty. Leviatha was giving off a menacing aura that made him nervous. "I've come because I need… Because I need my elemental purified."

"Ah, so you're the child that dumb broad selected as her disiciple," Leviatha said dully. "Corrupt, were you? You come here to ask me to waste my time on something such as this?"

"I'm not corrupt!" Caelian said. "Just my elementals are. Please, Iaestia needs-"

"Silence!" Leviatha roared, slamming her fist down against the smooth white floor. "You dare raise your voice with me, child?!"

"She's not going to purify your elemental in this state, Caelian," Damien said. "Our best hope is to force a rebirth and hope she'll do it then."

Leviatha let out a shrill laugh. "Force a rebirth? You think I could fall by mere spirits such as yourselves?" She asked, her voice echoing through the room. "Disciple or not, you're no match. I can sense that you lack the power. Have you any idea the amount of spirits that have been slain by my hand?"

"Your reign ends here, Leviatha," Gale said as she stepped forward. "You've tormented the people of the depths for long enough."

"Oh? A water spirit had the guts to come here?" Leviatha said in amusement. "How quaint, I thought your kind had finally given up trying to resist me."

"They have, but I've decided that enough is enough. I stand with Caelian. You've slain enough disciples, and my brother will not be one of them!"

"Ah, so you're the dancer's sister, are you?" Leviatha asked. "I've been terribly bored without him. I hope the grief of losing his sibling doesn't affect his dancing too much once he returns to me."

"He'll never return to you!" Gale shouted.

"Is that so?" Leviatha asked, her tail rising out of the water as she swept it through the air. "We'll see about that. Enough talk. Go ahead and attempt what you've come here to do. Amuse me."

Leviathan waved her hand as clouds began to churn near the ceiling. They turned a dark gray as giant icicles began to rain down, impaling the floor effortlessly and sending cracks snaking off into multiple directions. The group quickly dispersed as they tried to avoid getting crushed.

Caelian summoned his shadow claws as he ran at Leviatha, only to be cut off as she slammed her tail down in front of him. He only barely managed to avoid it, stumbling backwards as he dodged. He took the opportunity to leap up onto her tail. He dug his claws into her flesh as he began to climb his way up her body.

Leviatha hissed, swatting at him like a mosquito. He leapt sideways, narrowingly dodging her blow as he managed to reach her shoulder. He jumped up and slashed at her cheek, drawing blood before getting thrown off.

He tumbled to the ground, slamming into it hard and getting the air knocked out of him. He lay there dazed for a moment, before managing to snap out of it just in time to roll over and narrowly avoid a falling icicle.

Evelyn whimpered from behind a glacier. She was cowering as she hid, doing her best to be undetected by Leviatha. She didn't want to be squished, and the falling icicles were scary enough. She should have just waited outside.

Damien stood further back, glaring up at Leviatha as they considered what they could do. Their sword wouldn't do much to such a large opponent. They were surprised when they saw Gale summon five water swords behind her. They glistened, not freezing despite the subzero temperatures. She launched them at Leviatha, and as they traveled, they grew in size. Leviatha winced as they cut into her, leaving large slashes in her flesh. Blood dripped down into the water, swirling and mixing into it.

Leviatha took her focus away from Caelian and turned to Gale. She smashed her hand down, breaking the marble floor as Gale effortlessly jumped out of the way. She landed neatly before summoning five more swords. She grabbed one as Leviatha swiped at her, bringing it up and parrying it against her flesh. She skidded backwards from the impact, before Leviatha quickly moved her hand away, shaking off the fresh blood that welled from the cut.

With her attention taken off him, Caelian used the moment to summon vines that grew through the marble floor, cracking it as they broke through. They shot up and around Leviatha, wrapping around her.

Leviatha growled, her gills flaring as she struggled against the vines. The more she broke, the more that took their place. Freeing one arm, she ripped at the vines, until shadow chains wrapped around her wrist, yanking her arm back down. Bound by chains and vines, she was yanked down to the ground, hitting the floor with a crash.

Gale took the opportunity to dash forward towards Leviatha's face. She brandished her sword before stabbing it into one of Leviatha's eyes. The goddess reeled backwards with a scream, standing back up as she struggled against the vines and chains, She pulled against them as they tried to drag her back down. Ice began to form over them, until they were completely frozen. Flexing her arms, they frozen vines and chains shattered, falling to pieces as they splashed into the water.

He hand hovered over the water blade that was still in her eye. She wanted to pull it out, but was afraid of the consequences. She sneered down at the spirits before her.

"Is the best you can do small wounds such as these?" She asked.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Gale taunted.

Leviatha growled. She raised her arm, and everyone braced themselves for an attack. But nothing happened. Caelian looked up at her in confusion, until he realized she was looking towards the entrance of the room. He followed her gaze, and his stomach dropped at what he saw.

Zephyr had entered the throne room. His walk was stiff and unnatural, and he stared straight ahead with glassy eyes. Gale followed Caelian's gaze and let out a gasp.

"Zephyr?! What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

Zephyr didn't respond as he continued to walk towards Leviatha. Gale rushed over to him, slipping on the ice as she ran as fast as she could. She stopped in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Zephyr!"

She let out a cry as she was shoved away, falling down onto the cold marble foor as Zephyr continued his stride. He walked up to Leviatha, who lowered her hand. He stepped up into her palm, before being lifted up into the air.

"Damien," Caelian said, "Is he…?"

Damien bit their tongue. They watched as Zephyr touched Leviatha's face. A blue ripple appeared around her injuries, and they slowly began to sew themselves shut. The gashes from Gale's swords closed, and the water blade that was still in her eye melted away, revealing a perfectly healthy eye underneath.

"He's not corrupt," Damien said. "He wouldn't be able to use healing magic if he was."

"Then what's going on?" Caelian asked

"A siren's call," Damien said. "Water spirits can hypnotize people using song. Think of it like mind control. I don't know how she's doing it without singing- She must be able to speak to him in his mind."

"Let him go!" Gale screamed as she stood up. "Leave him alone!"

Leviatha had Zephyr wrapped in a fist as she gently pet the top of his head with her thumb. "I never thought having a disciple would come in handy for other reasons besides my own amusement," She said as she looked down at him. "At least this one knows healing magic. How precious. Perhaps I'll keep him around for a while longer, despite the fact he left me. I was incredibly bored without you."

"He doesn't belong to you!" Gale said. "You'll never see him again after we're done!"

"Is that so?" Leviatha asked. "Regardless, I grow bored of this game. Allow me to show you how insignificant you all are."

Leviatha raised her tail, it's shadow falling over Damien and Caelian. Damien quickly leapt out of the way. When Caelian tried to follow, he slipped on a patch of ice, falling down onto his side. He winced as he pushed himself up, just in time to look up in horror as Leviatha's tail began to fall.

Shadow chains wrapped around Caelian's waist and began to drag him out, but it was too late. Leviatha's tail fell down onto Caelian, a small amount of blood spurting out from underneath it. Damien, Gale and Evelyn all stared in silent horror.

Leviatha sneered. She slowly lifted her tail, blood dripping off of it as what was underneath was revealed. Caelian lay curled into a ball, a white, spiky shield surrounding him. He looked up with uncertainty, looking surprised to see a shield there. Behind him hung the ice elemental. It let out a chime before the ice shield melted away.

Leviatha glared down at him as a blue ripple surrounded her tail. The puncture wounds in her flesh slowly mended, healed by Zephyr's magic.

"We need to get him away from her," Damien said.

"I'll do it," Gale said as she grabbed onto one of the swords that still floated behind her. She rushed forward towards Leviatha, passing the dazed and confused Caelian as she went. She leapt up towards Leviatha, piercing her with her sword. She shoved it in as far as it would go, her body weight dragging her down through Leviatha's flesh and making a large slice in her abdomen.

Leviatha winced as she reached down towards Gale. Gale released her grip on the sword just as Leviatha slapped at the area she was at, causing her to shove the sword even further into herself.

Gale grabbed another sword and leapt up onto the back of Leviatha's hand. She stabbed it down, burying the sword in flesh all the way up to the hilt. She held on tightly as Leviatha gasped in pain and tried to to shake her off. She was whipped around mercilessly, but her grip remained strong.

Leviatha grit her teeth as she brought the hand that held Zephyr down towards Gale. She intended to grab Gale with two fingers while still holding onto Zephyr, but Gale grabbed her final sword and leapt up onto her other hand, stabbing the sword down as far as it would go.

Leviatha's hand reflexively opened, and Zephyr dropped down into the water below with a loud splash. Gale followed after him, leaving Leviatha to cry out in pain as blood dripped from her wounds.

"You insolent brats," She said, "You're nothing more than annoying bugs to me. You think you can kill me like this?"

Caelian had shakily stood up, not quite over his near-death experience yet. But he lifted his arm regardless, causing numerous vines to break out of the floor and wrap around Leviatha. This time the vines had thorns, and they painfully dug into her skin. Caelian's toxin elemental appeared beside him.

"I've broken them before, I'll break them again, you stupid child," Leviatha hissed as she began to freeze the vines.

"That's fine," Caelian said blankly. He lifted his other arm, summoning his ice elemental forward. It chimed curiously, as Caelian knelt down to the ground, placing his hand against the cold floor.

"I just need them to hold you long enough to bring you down."

The vines tugged down on Leviatha hard, bringing her hurtling towards the ground. Her eyes widened once she realized what Caelian had done, but she didn't have enough time to do anything. The large icicle sticking out of the ground impaled her through the forehead, causing her to convulse violently. Caelian watched blankly as Leviatha slowly died before him. As she stilled, he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. He frowned, his stomach beginning to make him feel nauseous. He had killed again. She deserved it, but it didn't feel good.

Zephyr was unconscious as Gale dragged him out of the water and up onto the marble floor. As she gently laid him down, Leviatha's body slowly began to melt away into a smaller size as she reverted back to her regular form. Her body was still serpentine, but her four black eyes became two ocean blue ones. Her tusks melted away, making her face smooth, and her eel-like hair changed into a shorter cut that looked like the tentacles from an octopus.

She opened her eyes, somehow still conscious even as her forehead bled and her body slowly faded. Caelian stepped forward.

"Leviatha…"

"Stay away from me," She hissed through clenched teeth. "And let me die in peace."

Caelian frowned as he took a step backwards. While Leviatha lay dying, Gale had managed to rouse Zephyr, who looked around in a confused daze.

"Gale?" He asked quietly. "Where am-"

He shot up suddenly, his eyes wide and his breathing quickened. He looked around wildly in a panic until Gale gently placed her hand against his cheek.

"Shh, it's okay," She said softly, "She can't hurt you now."

Zephyr looked over to Leviatha, who was lying still on the floor. Blood was slowly pooling around her.

"Do you remember what happened?" Gale asked.

"No," Zephyr said, gulping down air. "What happened?"

"Do you remember singing at all?" Damien asked as they stepped over to him.

"Singing? I… I feel like I kind of remember something like that. It was weird, like it was in the back of my head, like one of my own thoughts…"

"As I thought, she was using her siren's song on you through the link between god and disciple," Damien said. "She must have hypnotized you to come back here."

"But if she could do that, why didn't she do it earlier when he had escaped for a month?" Gale asked.

"If I had to guess, it's because their bond wasn't strong enough," Damien said as they folded their arms. "When a god and their disciple are just starting to get to that point, they can only communicate through short distances. It isn't until a lot of mana is stored within the disciple that they can communicate from anywhere. And where have you been?" Damien asked as Evelyn slowly slinked up to them.

"Um… Evelyn… cheering, from the back…" She said guiltily. Damien rolled their eyes with a sigh, while Gale gave her an understanding smile.

"It's okay, Evelyn. I'm glad you're safe," Gale said. "I'm glad everyone is okay… But… What about Caelian?"

They looked over to him, who was still quietly watching Leviatha. They watched as what remained of Leviatha's body melted away, leaving behind a puddle on the ground. A few moments later the puddle gathered itself back up, forming into a large bubble that slowly rose from the ground. It hovered in the air, sparkling with iridescence.

Gale helped Zephyr up. Even though he didn't want to, he let her lead him over to where Caelian stood, in front of the bubble. Damien and Evelyn joined them, and the five of them watched the bubble with mixtures of curiosity and fear.

The bubble popped, plopping something down onto the ground. They looked on in surprise to see a much smaller Leviatha lying on the ground, her tail slapping against the marble floor as she lay on her back.

She struggled to sit upright, her fat, blobby body not wanting to cooperate. She grunted as she finally righted herself. She looked around, examining those before her before her eyes locked onto Zephyr. She pulled herself towards him, bobbing towards him like a seal. He immediately scrambled backwards, nearly falling as he tried to move away from her. She stopped her approach, looking up at him curiously.

Gale let out a sigh as she stepped over to Leviatha and picked her up.

"Gale-" Zephyr said, worry in his voice as he took a step towards her.

"It's alright," Gale said, cradling Leviatha in her arms. "She's harmless now."

"Still, be careful…"

Leviatha looked up to Gale with curiosity, before her eyes moved back over to Zephyr. He took another step back.

"... Do you not want to be my disciple anymore?" Leviatha asked in a child-like voice.

Zephyr stared at her in wordless surprise.

"I understand. I wasn't kind to you," She said. "So I'll let you go, if you wish."

"How is she… already so much different?" Zephyr asked.

"Because of however you are, I'd guess," Damien said with a shrug. "Reborn gods pull their power from their disciples. She's going to take after you a bit."

"I… I see," Zephyr said.

"But can you really just change disciples?" Gale asked, looking down at Leviatha. "The disciple doesn't have to die first?"

"Sure they can. It's not a 'til death do us part arrangement," Damien said. "A god can change their disciple whenever they see fit."

"So she not need to kill all of the past disciples…" Evelyn said quietly.

Leviatha frowned. "I apologize."

"I'll do it," Gale said. "I'll be Leviatha's new disciple."

"Gale, no!" Zephyr said. "You can't! She'll kill you!"

"I don't think she will," Gale said as she looked up to him. "Zephyr, this is our chance. We can change the Depths. She needs someone to raise her properly. I can do it. I… I know you never wanted to be a disciple. So please."

"No!" Zephyr exclaimed. "I won't let you! I- I'll stay as the disciple and raise Leviatha-"

"No!" Gale shouted back. "Zephyr, please! Take this as my apology for not doing more to help you! I'll stay here. Go explore the world like you've always wanted. Please."

"But Gale…"

Zephyr paused as Leviatha outstretched an arm towards him. He was prepared to hesitantly take her from Gale, but was surprised to feel energy being sucked out of him. He looked down at his hands to see that they were glowing with a pale golden aura. The aura formed itself into an orb, which momentarily hung over Zephyr, before crashing down over Gale, imbuing her with it's light.

"Gale…" Zephyr whined.

"It is done," Leviatha said.

"It's okay, Zephyr," Gale said with a smile. "Even if someone else was chosen, I would have stayed here as a water priestess. Now I can just boss the others around," She said with a laugh.

"This isn't funny, Gale. She's going to end up killing you," Zephyr said.

Leviatha gave Zephyr an apologetic look. "I know you'll never forgive me, and I deserve that, but please know I apologize for everything I've done. I don't wish to harm anyone again."

"As if it'd believe you," Zephyr snapped.

"It's okay, Zephyr!" Gale said, "The gods' personalities are based off of how they're raised, right? I'm going to teach you all sorts of manners," She said as she looked down at Leviatha, who stared back up at her in confusion.

Leviatha's attention was brought away when a lantern floated over to her and let out a soft chime. She blinked up at the ice elemental with curiosity. Caelian was surprised that it floated over of its own volition.

Caelian opened his mouth to say something, when Leviatha outstretched her tiny arms and took the lantern into her hands. She closed her eyes. A moment later she quickly brought her hands away from the lantern as the glass shattered. The broken glass began to fall down to the floor, when it froze in mid-air. It returned itself to the lantern, mending itself seamlessly. The lantern began to fill up with water, bubbles and water spilling out from the door as it began to glow with a blue aura.

"Iaesti-!" Caelian had begun to exclaim, only to be hit with a heavy feeling of dizziness and nausea. He staggered, swaying on his feet as he tried to steady himself, before eventually falling over onto the ground.

He awoke to familiar scenery, with ghostly blue plants to greet him. He sat up in a daze, looking around at the strange realm. Why was he back here?

"So you've returned," A voice echoed.

"Are you the Dreamer?" Caelian asked, looking skyward.

"I am."

The voice felt like it was coming from every direction at once. Caelian looked around with uncertainty.

"Where… are you?" Caelian asked.

"I possess not a physical form," They said. "I have something to show you. Come."

The plants in front of Caelian parted, revealing a pathway through the forest. He hesitantly stood up. Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled before slowly following where the Dreamer was leading him.

He eventually came upon a sharp cliff that looked down to a familiar setting. He looked down in surprise.

"Isn't that…" He trailed off. Below him was where he was in the waking world, but he didn't see himself or his friends. Instead he saw a tiny Leviatha sitting upon her throne, lavish gifts placed around her and a spirit bowed down before her.

"Who is that?" Caelian asked.

"That is Lei, the disciple that raised Leviatha through her last rebirth."

"He seems to be treating her well," Caelian said. "What does he do to make her turn out as she did?"

"Observe," The dreamer said.

Lei stood and stepped aside, just as music began to play. Dancers began to dance before Leviatha, while a singer accompanied them. Leviatha watched in awe, amazed at the performance. Others stepped forward as they offered more gifts, which Leviatha happily received.

"I don't get it," Caelian said. "She seems well taken care of. Isn't she happy?"

"Continue," The Dreamer said as another pathway opened up in the forest.

Caelian hesitantly stared down at the scene before him for a while longer before taking a step back. He turned around and walked through the forest. He came across another cliff that looked down upon a similar scene.

Leviatha appeared to older now, but still not at her full size.. She sat on her throne, her eyes dull as she rested her head on a fist. She was watching a singer perform. It sounded familiar, and Caelian recognized it as the same song they had been singing to young Leviatha.

Leviatha yawned, before turning to Lei, who stood next to her, and made a shooing motion with her hand. Lei nodded, looking uncertain, and after stepping forward and saying something to one of the palace guards, the singer was escorted away.

Leviatha sighed, looking down at the gifts that surrounded her. She picked up what looked to be a stuffed animal. After spending a few moments with it, she tossed it aside. Lei frowned as she jumped into the water and disappeared.

Another path opened. Caelian looked at it with curiosity. What else was he supposed to be shown? He didn't understand what he was supposed to be taking away from this.

It led to another similar scene. This time Leviatha was watching a young dancer. She seemed interested, her eyes sparkling as she watched with a smile. Caelian watched the performance for several moments, when the dancer suddenly tripped over her feet and fell. Leviatha seemed disappointed as the dancer tried to stand, only to wince at her ankle. Several spirits stepped forward to help the girl stand, when Leviatha leaned forward in her throne.

"No, have her continue," Leviatha said as they began to lead her away. They stared at Leviatha in surprise.

"Leviatha, she injured herself," Lei said softly, "She can't."

"I don't care!" Leviatha snapped. "Have her continue!"

The spirits looked down at the girl with uncertainty. She was looking up at Leviatha with wide eyes.

"I… I'm sorry, I don't think I-"

"I said, dance!" Leviatha demanded, her voice booming through the throne room.

The girl flinched. She looked surprised when the spirits nervously released her and stood back. She stood awkwardly, resting her weight on her uninjured foot. After standing there a few moments, she tried to dance again. It was clunky and awkward looking, as she continued to rest her weight only on one foot.

"Do it properly!" Leviatha said. "You were doing well before! I want to watch how you were dancing before!"

The girl winced. "I… I'm sorry, I can't-"

Leviatha glared at the girl as she spoke, before jumping into the water. She emerged on the other side of the canal, her tail swishing irritably behind her as she rested her elbows on the marble flooring in front of the girl. She loomed over her.

"I said dance."

The girl lowered her head. "Please forgive me."

A scream came from one of the spirits in the room, and the girl whipped her head up as she noticed a shadow over her. She had no tail to react before Leviatha's tail slammed down on top of her. Caelian flinched, grimacing at the gore that was left behind as Leviatha slowly raised her tail.

That could have been him.

This is what Zephyr was afraid of.

The spirits in the room stared at Leviatha in silent horror. Even Lei looked speechless at what had just occurred. None of them could find any words.

"Bring me a new performer!" Leviatha demanded, slamming her fist onto the floor. "A new one! Like the girl! I don't want to see the same ones!"

"But… But Leviatha," Lei said from the back of the room. "You... "

"Did I stutter?!" She asked, whirling around to face Lei. "I tire of the same old performances! I don't care where you find them, give me someone that can show me something new! I never want to see the same performance twice!"

"But Leviatha, that's impossible-"

"Do it! Or I'll kill everyone else as well!" She roared before disappearing back down into the water.

The scene before Caelian slowly began to fade. He blinked his eyes, rubbing at them, but the forest returned to normal around him.

"I… I don't get it," He said softly. "Why kill her? Why are you showing me this?"

"So you don't make the same mistakes," A voice said from behind him.

Caelian turned to see Lei standing there, wearing a tired expression.

"We revered our goddess, and I wanted her to have everything. I never would've thought i'd create a monster."

"But you were just trying to make her happy," Caelian said, "How could she have turned out like she did?"

"The gods need to be taught right from wrong. I never told Leviatha no. I wanted her to have everything. She was our goddess, she deserved it. I didn't realize how that would make her turn out."

"But that's… so extreme," Caelian said. "That sort of thing can make a god turn out like that?"

Lei nodded. "The god's emotions are extreme. You must be careful with how you raise and teach them after their rebirth. It's why having the proper disciple is so important. I… I failed at that," He said, deflating. "Teach Gaia humbleness and respect. That she can't have everything she wants."

"I will," Caelian said, still uncertain. He couldn't imagine Gaia ever being like Leviatha. But if such a small thing could make a god turn out like that, was he really qualified to raise Gaia after her rebirth?

"What happened after all of that?" Caelian asked. "After Leviatha killed that girl?"

"Pandemonium," Lei said. "Word got out quickly. Nobody wanted to perform for Leviatha after that. When we weren't able to find anyone, she went on a rampage. Many people died. I… I was one of them."

"I just… Don't get it, I guess."

"It is hard to grasp how such a small thing can affect a god so greatly, but it is what it is." Lei sighed. "But with my death, the cycle of disciples began. She wanted a performer to be her new disciple. So someone was forced to become it. Things were fine for a while, until she grew bored of the performances they had to offer."

"So the killed them," Caelian said.

Lei nodded. "Whenever a performer ran out of new things to show her or made a mistake, she would kill them. Her last disciple… Zephyr, I think his name was? Was quite impressive, nobody lasted for as long as he did. Most would last for a few months at most. He lasted for a hundred or so years. I'm sure he has quite the career ahead of him.

Caelian tilted his head slightly. When put that way, it did sound impressive. Zephyr must be an extremely skilled dancer to come up with new performances for that long. He wondered if he would ever show him one?

"But you've been here long enough," Lei said. "It's time for you to go back now."

"Okay," Caelin said. "Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to remember it."

Lei nodded with a tired smile. Soon, a bright light enveloped Caelian, and he awakened.

Chapter 14: About You and Me

Caelian blinked his eyes open, feeling warmth wrapped snugly around him. It took him a few moments to realize he was tucked into a bed. It felt strange, in a way. It was the first time he had ever properly been in a bed instead of curled up on top of one. His shoes and jacket were even off. It certainly was more comfortable this way, he had to admit.

He sat up and rubbed at his eyes. The bed had a familiar scent, but he couldn't quite place it. It was a bit fishy smelling, but strangely nice and comforting. The room he was in was simply decorated. He looked over to the full-length mirror, seeing his disheveled self stare back at him. There were a few posters stuck onto the smooth white walls, and a see-through glass floor that showed the rippling water underneath the building. Did that mean the ice had melted?

He looked towards the door when he heard another door slam somewhere else in the building, accompanied by muffled yelling.

"Don't talk to me! I want nothing to do with either of you!"

Caelian recognized Zephyr's voice. He heard quick footsteps approaching, and a moment later Zephyr opened the door, looking flustered. He didn't notice Caelian was awake until after he gently closed it and took a step forward.

"Oh, you're awake," He said.

"Where am I?" Caelian asked as Zephyr walked over and sat on the bed next to him.

"This is my room, sorry," Zephyr said. "You passed out so Gale said we should take you to my parent's house, since it was close by."

"Oh, okay," Caelian said, glancing around the room again. "Who were you yelling at?"

"Don't worry about it," Zephyr mumbled. "Anyways, how are you feeling? You hit your head pretty hard on the floor. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helping me," Caelian said. When he looked back to Zephyr, he noticed that he was staring. "What?"

"O-Oh, nothing, it's just… nothing," He mumbled. "Are you thirsty or- do you need anything?"

"No, I'm alright," Caelian said as he gently pushed the covers off of him. "Are Damien and Evelyn here too?"

"Yeah, they've been staying here too. They're out in the living room."

"How long was I out for?" Caelian asked as he shakily stood up, causing Zephyr to stand and grab hold of him to help him balance.

"A few days," Zephyr said.

"A few days?!" Caelian repeated as he nearly fell over.

"Yeah, you were out for a while…" Zephyr said as he carefully let go of Caelian, keeping his arms raised, ready to catch him, until he saw that the young man could stand by himself. "I put your stuff over on that bench."

Caelian gingerly stepped over to the bench that Zephyr had motioned to and sat down to work on putting on his boots.

"So, what are you going to do next?" Zephyr asked.

"I guess head towards the Scorched Lands," Caelian said as he finished quickly lacing up his boots.

"Already?" Zephyr asked.

"Well, yeah," Caelian said as he put on his coat, "I still have two elementals I need to purify."

"You don't think you should rest a bit more or anything?I can help out-"

"No, it's fine. Thank you, though." Caelian smiled, earning another stare from Zephyr. What was that for? And why was his face turning red?

"What about you?" Caelian asked. "You're not a disciple anymore, what do you plan to do?"

"A-ah, I'm not really sure, to be honest…" Zephyr said as he looked away. "I don't really plan on staying here, at least…"

"Yeah, that's understandable, I guess. You're free to come with us, if you want?"

Zephyr looked surprised. "And risk my life after I just got out of a bad situation?" He gave a flat laugh. "I think I'll have to pass, thanks."

Caelian shrugged as he moved towards the door, "Was just an offer."

He opened the door and stepped outside into a hallway. Immediately unsure of where to go, he waited for Zephyr to walk past him so he could follow. Caelian noticed that Zephyr looked uneasy when they left the room. As he followed him, they passed by a kitchen. Looking into it, Caelian noticed a man and a woman of striking resemblance to Zephyr and Gale.

The man had short, messily cut black hair and wore simple clothing that consisted of a shirt, jacket, and pants. His skin was dark, and he had a shark tail. The woman had darker skin than that of the man, and had long, elegantly pinned up black hair. She wore a regal but simple looking white dress, and had a koi tail. They were talking to each other in hushed voices, and stopped to give a concerned stare as they passed. Zephyr paid them no mind.

The hallway opened up into a living room furnished with white sofas, where Damien and Evelyn were sitting as they chatted with Gale, who was sitting in a matching chair. There were empty coffee mugs on the table in front of them. Shelves were hung up along the walls, displaying trinkets and many photos of Zephyr and Gale. The man and woman were in some of the photos, and Caelian noticed a photo with all of them in it where Gale looked much younger.

Gale was the first to notice as the two of them entered the room and gave them a grin. "Oh look, he's up."

Damien looked over to the two of them while Evelyn immediately jumped up and hopped over to Caelian, giving him a tight hug. "Is Birdie okay?!" She asked.

"Hey, Evelyn," Caelian said, letting her hug him. "I'm fine, don't worry."

As Evelyn released him from the hug, Damien stood up. "Well, good morning," They said. "You certainly slept long enough."

"Yeah… Sorry about that." Caelian shrugged. "Not like I really meant to pass out."

"Yeah, what was that about, anyways?" Gale asked with curiosity. "You got your elemental purified, right? You passed out right after."

"I'm not sure, but it happened last time I… Oh!" Caelian exclaimed as he stopped mid-sentence. He focused for a moment, reaching into the back of his mind before he summoned Iaestia, his water elemental, and gently took hold of the lantern.

"Well, at least you're happy." Gale laughed.

Caelian tilted his head slightly. Happy? He was thankful, but he wasn't sure what he was feeling was happiness. Not yet, at least. Riemos was in control of that emotion.

"Well, since you're finally up, I guess that means we should get going." Damien said with a stretch.

"He just got up, though. Let him eat something. You guys may have, but he hasn't had the chance," Zephyr said.

"Yes yes, let Birdie eat!" Evelyn said.

"I guess all I've had was some crackers however many days ago…" Caelian said.

"That's it?" Zephyr frowned. "I'll make you something, so just wait here," He said before quickly leaving the room.

Zephyr walked towards the kitchen, before pausing a few steps away from it. He took a deep breath before slowly walking in. He exhaled when he saw that his parents were no longer in the room. Good. He didn't want to be around them.

He opened up some cabinets and cupboards as he dug around for ingredients while Gale casually strolled into the kitchen. She spent a few seconds watching him as he set everything out onto the counter.

"Cute, isn't he?" She asked.

"Yeah, he's-" Zephyr stopped. He side-eyed her with a frown.

"What?" She asked with a grin.

"Leave me alone," He said with a sigh as he got out a bowl.

"It's adorable, though. I've never seen you fawn over somebody like that."

"Gale…"

"I mean, you were at his side the whole time he was sleeping, and now you're gonna cook for him." She giggled. "It's precious."

"Leave me alone," Zephyr said he worked on rolling out some dough.

"You're gonna go with them, right?" Gale asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they still have other places they need to go for Caelian's elementals, right? You've always wanted to travel. Why don't you go with them?"

"Gale, I just got out of being a disciple and not dying at Leviatha's hand, why would I go risk my life while they go- fight gods or whatever it is they're planning to do?"

"Because your crush is super cute."

"S-shut up," Zephyr said, his face turning red. "He is, but I don't think it's worth it. His personality could use some work."

"Yeah, but imagine what he'd be like with the rest of his elementals purified if getting his water sprite makes him polite."

"..."

"Imagine."

Zephyr let out a groan, "Gale please," He whined as he wiped off his hands.

"I'm just saying! He's probably going to get hurt again and your healing magic would really help," Gale said.

"I know," Zephyr said with another sigh, "I just… I'll think about it, okay? Now either get out or help me make this."

"Fine, fine," Gale said as she waved her arms. "I'll leave and keep your future boyfriend company."

Zephyr threw a wooden spoon at her as she left the kitchen, just narrowly missing her. Gale hummed to herself as she made her way back to the living room, where Caelian was now sitting on the couch between Evelyn and Damien, with Evelyn happily chatting away.

"-And Gale show us pictures of Fishie dancing! Do you think he will show us?" She asked.

"He looked pretty uncomfortable when Gale brought it up, so I doubt it," Damien said.

"I bet he will if Caelian asks," Gale said with a grin as she sat back down in her chair. Damien raised an eyebrow.

"Why me? Caelian asked.

"Just a hunch." She shrugged.

A while later Zephyr emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray. It consisted of a bowl of noodles in a light-colored broth alongside a smaller bowl of rice. He gently set it in Caelian's lap before moving over to where Gale was sitting and sat on the arm of the chair.

When he saw Caelian inspecting it in an unsure look, he said, "It's all vegetarian, don't worry. No meat."

"Alright… thanks," Caelian said.

The four of them chatted while Caelian ate the meal Zephyr had prepared for him.

"Anyways," Gale said. "I was just asking Zephyr if he was planning to stay with you guys or not."

"Gale…" Zephyr sighed.

"Oh, I already asked him," Caelian said between bites, "He said he didn't want to."

"Oh. Really?" Gale asked with a frown. "That's too bad, I figured it would've been a nice adventure for him."

"Fishie should come!" Evelyn said.

"It would be useful to have a healer around," Damien commented. "It's not like you see many of them very often."

"I'd just… rather not, sorry." Zephyr mumbled.

Gale frowned, "Fine, I'll quit pestering you about it." She placed her elbow on the armrest and rested her chin on her fist. "But in that case, before you guys go, let us show you around the city a bit."

"I don't think now's a very good time," Damien said.

"As good of a time as it's gonna get." Gale shrugged. "The ice is nearly all melted. Come on! You guys have been through a lot, why not have a day of relaxation?"

"I don't think-"

"Evelyn wants to see the city!" Evelyn whined, cutting Damien off.

"I think it's a good idea," Caelian said. "I am kind of curious about what it looks like without all the ice."

Evelyn turned and gave a hopeful look to Damien, who sighed.

"Fine," They said. "If you guys really want to then I guess we can postpone heading to the Scorched Lands for a day."

Evelyn raised her hands up in the air with a cheer, earning a laugh from Gale. "Great! Me and Zephyr can show you around, then. Caelian, you done eating?"

"Yeah," Caelian said as he handed the tray back to Zephyr, who had already stood up and walked over to him. "It was nice, thanks again."

"Y-Yeah… No problem…" Zephyr mumbled before taking the tray back to the kitchen.

"Okay," Gale stood up with a stretch. "I know exactly where we can start!"

As soon as Zephyr returned from the kitchen, the group followed Gale as she acted as their guide. They headed out of the house and down the street into the city. Zephyr trailed along behind the group, seeming to not really be into it.

Caelian was surprised at just how dark the Depths was even during the day. The ice and snow had made everything seem so light, but now with all of it melted, the sky appeared to be a dim purple. Two moons hung up in the sky despite the time of day,, and as the group crossed over a bridge, Caelian paused to watch two whales gracefully glide through the clouds.

"They really can just fly around like that?" Caelian asked as Zephyr caught up to him.

"Well, they're swimming, but yeah." Zephyr said.

"Wow," Caelian said. He stood leaning against the rails for a while longer, taking in the view. The glowing water beneath them was the Depth's main source of light, giving everything an almost ethereal look. He could see dark shadows of the fish that swam in the waters, their bodies blocking the light as they darted about.

It felt strange seeing people out and about, walking the streets. It seemed like just a little while ago that it was a desolate wasteland of ice and snow. But now as it melted, those who had survived the ordeal came out of hiding to clean up the damage.

Caelian let his hand trail against the railing as he walked. "Are you really not planning to stay?" He asked Zephyr. "It's beautiful here."

Zephyr shook his head. "It's all just bad memories at this point. Everything I loved has been ruined for me."

Caelian looked over to him with a frown. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine," Zephyr said with a wave. "I'll find somewhere else to make my life."

"Well, you're always welcome in the Eternal Forest, if you'd like. We have a lot of Lakes and rivers. I don't really think it compares to here, but, it's something."

"Ah… Thank you, I appreciate it."

Caelian nodded. "Also, is it always so dark down here? I can't tell if it's night or day," He asked as he stepped away from the railing.

"It is. It's the Depths, after all. Light doesn't reach this far. The sky darkens a lot when it's night, though. You'll be able to tell the difference once you see it."

"It's strange-" Caelian paused. Looking around, he realized he didn't see Gale, Evelyn, or Damien anywhere. Noticing his expression, Zephyr glanced around before realizing the same. Damn it. Gale probably did that on purpose.

"I didn't see where they went," Caelian said, standing on his tiptoes to try and look over the people that surrounded them.

"It's fine, we'll run into them eventually, I'm sure," Zephyr said with a sigh.

"I wanted to see where Gale was going to show us," Caelian frowned.

Zephyr glanced over to Caelian. "I… can show you around, I guess, until we find them. I don't know what Gale had in mind, but…"

That was a lie. He now knew exactly what she had in mind. He wondered if she somehow convinced Evelyn and Damien to go along with it, or if they thought that they really did lose the two of them.

"Oh, okay," Caelian said, "That works!"

Zephyr took the lead with Caelian walking along beside him. If he was being honest, he didn't really know what to show Caelian. He had lived here his whole life, and he had no idea what someone who didn't would find interesting.

He ended up taking Caelian down to the docks, where the glowing water was close enough to touch. Which is exactly what Caelian ended up doing, and Zephyr couldn't help but laugh to himself at the disappointed look Caelian gave when the cupped water in his hands didn't actually glow.

"It's not actually the water that glows, it's all of the bioluminescent plants at the bottom." Zephyr explained.

"Oh. There must be a lot for how bright it is," Caelia said.

"There are. I can take you to see them, if you'd like?"

"What, under the water?" Caelian asked. Zephyr nodded. "I… I think I'll pass, sorry."

"Are you afraid of water now?" Zephyr asked with a hint of disappointment.

"Well… I can't say I like it."

"I guess that's fair," Zephyr said. He paused, watching as Caelian, who was couched down, stared into the water.

"Hey… Do you mind if I asked you something?" Zephyr asked.

Caelian looked up at him. "What is it?"

"It's about your elementals- could you, uh, tell me more about them? Like, I know you said they help you feel emotion, but do you know how?"

Caelian thought for a moment. "Honestly I couldn't tell you how they do it. I just know that they do."

"Okay, that's fair… How many did you say you have?"

"Four."

"And two are purified now?"

"Yep."

"Your nature elemental and water elemental, right?" Zephyr asked, "Could you tell me what emotions those give you?"

"Uh, well…" Caelian paused again in thought. He never had really thought to try and describe the emotions his elementals give him.

"I guess, for Nyxidae, she makes me feel… calm? I like her a lot because she kind of lets me feel this sense of duty towards my job as a disciple- I, uh, know that's not really something you'd appreciate, but…"

Zephyr shook his head, "If it's important to you then that's all that matters. What about the other one- What did you call them? Esteria…?"

"Iaestia," Caelian corrected, "She… hm… I guess… she helps me consider what other people are thinking or feeling? She also helps me feel calm, but in a different way. I want to help people when I can feel her influence."

"I see, I kind of get it," Zephyr said, "What about the other two? What are they like?"

"Riemos and Ishtar. Riemos makes me feel happy and excited. I feel like laughing a lot with him. Ishtar… is kind of a weird feeling. I'm not really sure what it is. But I feel safe with them."

"You dont know what feelings Ishtar gives you?"

"I… I don't think so… I never really thought about what each of them made me feel, honestly."

"I see. The negative emotions are from your corrupted elementals, right?" Zephyr asked.

"Yep." Caelian said.

"Can you not feel them anymore once they're purified?"

"Oh… no, I can still feel them," Caelian said, remembering his earlier disappointment. "It seems like they're still left behind once they're purified."

"Strange, do you know why?" Zephyr asked.

"I don't know," Caelian sighed, "But I don't want to be feeling those emotions anymore."

"But I mean… it's normal though, right?" Zephyr offered, "Everyone gets sad or disappointed sometimes, it's part of life."

"But I don't want to."

"But-"

"I don't want to!" Caelian snapped, earning a surprised look from Zephyr. He immediately placed his hands over his face with a groan. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"See? They're important." Zephyr said.

"What?" Caelian asked as he uncovered his face.

"You felt regret after yelling, so you apologized. If you couldn't feel regret would you have said you're sorry?"

Caelian stared at him. Would he have?

"But… but if I didn't feel negative emotions I wouldn't have yelled in the first place!"

"Then what if something you say hurts someone?" Zephyr asked. "You can make others upset in other ways that aren't yelling. How would you know to say sorry if you didn't regret hurting someone?" Zephyr asked.

"I… I'm sure Iaestia would... She'd… I'd feel sympathetic."

Zephyr frowned. "Being sympathetic and being sorry are two different things."

"I… I guess so…."

Zephyr let out a sigh, "Anyways, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stress you out like that."

"It's fine," Caelian said as he stood up. "I think i'd like to not talk about it for a bit, though…"

"I understand."

"Can we go see somewhere else?" Caelian asked.

"Of course," Zephyr said.

Caelian followed Zephyr as he led the way back up from the docks. He was lost in thought now, considering what Zephyr had said. Were those emotions important? Did he really need to feel regret to just say sorry? Surely he could just know when to say it and say it, right? Negative emotions were unnecessary.

He tried to focus on the places Zephyr showed him, but he found it hard to enjoy himself. There were a few times he got distracted enough to stop thinking about it, like when he saw the soft stuffed deer at a market stall, but ultimately he kept getting sucked back into the same thoughts. He hardly even noticed when it became dark out and Zephyr announced it was night.

"Do you think the others are alright?" Caelian asked as Zephyr began to lead the way back to his home.

"I'm sure they're fine," Zephyr said, rolling his eyes at the thought of Gale. "If they were looking for us at all I'm sure they know we'd make it back to the house eventually."

"But what if they think something bad happened and they're still looking for us?"

"Well, we'll find out," Zephyr said.

The neighborhood Zephyr lived in was beautiful, with coral-trees and plants lining the pathways. The houses, while all made of marble with aquamarine roofs, all looked different and had their own unique charm to them. Some of them were round, others rectangular, while others had unusual shapes.

They approached the door to Zephyr's home, and as Zephyr pushed it open, Caelian could hear people chatting inside. Zephyr paused in the doorway, before reluctantly stepping inside so that Caelian could enter. As soon as Caelian crossed the threshold, Zephyr closed the door, and Caelian noticed the two adults that held a resemblance to Gale and Zephyr in the room with Gale, Evelyn and Damien.

Hearing the door, Evelyn's ears swiveled around as she looked over to them. "Oh! Look, they're back!" She said with excitement. She jumped up to greet them, but was surprised when Zephyr wordlessly walked passed her, giving a wide berth to his parents as he left the room and went straight down the hallway.

Caelian gave him a curious look as he left, but was interrupted when Evelyn bounced over and caught him in a hug.

"Evelyn was worried!" She whined, "But Gale say it was fine, Birdie and Fishie would return to house!"

"A-ah, yeah, Zephyr said you guys would probably come back here, too." Caelian said, before gently pushing Evelyn away.

"Zephyr not say hello to his parents, though," Evelyn said, glancing over to the two adults.

"He has his reasons," Gale said, giving her mom and dad a pointed look.

The man sighed, "It's true, he has reason to be angry with us… But you have to understand that we didn't-"

The man's voice trailed off behind Caelian as he left the room, following Zephyr's path down the hallway. He pressed open the door he remembered belonging to Zephyr's bedroom, and saw him lying face down on the bed. He quietly made his way over to him.

"What?" Zephyr asked, his voice muffled.

"Are you alright?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr sighed as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"No, I'm not," He said. "I don't want to look at them. I didn't want to come back here, I hate it here. I want to leave the depths as soon as possible."

"Because of what your parents did?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr gave him a surprised look. "You know about that?"

"Gale mentioned it," Caelian said softly.

"Yeah… It's their fault I became Leviatha's disciple," He said with a sigh. His tail flopped irritably. "They keep trying to make excuses for it. Saying things like, 'Oh, but you're so talented Zephyr, surely Leviatha won't get bored of you. You'll be fine.' But how can that be okay? Leviatha eventually gets bored of everyone. Just because I lasted as long as I did means nothing."

Caelian frowned. "Have they apologized?"

"Of course they have. But they still maintain the thought that what they did was right. I can't forgive them. I'll never forgive them," He sighed. "I… My parents don't love me. That much is clear. They were willing to let me die for the sake of everyone else, and they thought that it was okay. Why did they even have me? They always encouraged me to dance. If I didn't get into dancing would things have been better? I… I just..."

Caelian sat down on the bed next to Zephyr as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. Caelian hugged him as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Sorry," Zephyr said.

"It's okay," Caelian said. "You don't need to apologize."

"It's just stupid, I shouldn't be crying over it," He sniffed.

"You told me before that it's okay to cry if you're sad. It's okay, Zeph."

Zephyr couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Now I'm being told it's okay by the guy that thinks negative emotions are unnecessary," He said. "That's great."

Caelian frowned. "I'm sorry, I-"

"No, it's okay. I was just joking, sorry." Zephyr said. "It's getting late, are you tired? I'll get some more blankets. You can have the bed."

"Isn't this your room?" Caelian asked as Zephyr gently peeled him off of him and stood up.

"Yeah, but it's fine," Zephyr said as he opened the closet and rummaged around, "You're the guest, so you can have it."

"No, it's okay, I usually sleep outside so I don't mind not having a bed."

Zephyr paused as he looked over to Caelian, "You usually sleep outside?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you're definitely getting the bed."

"I'm not sleeping on the bed," Caelian pouted as Zephyr shut the closet door while holding blankets and a pillow.

"Well, I'm not either," Zephyr said as he tossed the blankets and pillow onto the floor. "Guess- Hey!" Zephyr said as Caelian slid onto the floor and began to work the blankets into a nest. "I'm serious."

"So am I," Caelian said as he curled up into the center of the messed up blankets. "So just sleep on your bed."

Zephyr stood with his hands on his hips, staring at Caelian. He sighed as he walked over and turned off the light and then walked over to the bed. Caelian felt a sense of victory, until Zephyr grabbed the blanket and pillow off of the bed and tossed them onto the floor.

"Guess we're both sleeping on the floor then." He said.

Caelian frowned as Zephyr lay down on the floor and pulled the blanket over him. The two of them lied there in silence for a while.

Zephyr sighed as he rolled over onto his back and stared at the dark ceiling. "Hey, I've been thinking," He said.

"Hm?" Caelian mumbled.

"I think… I will go with you guys."

"Really?" Caelian said, sitting up in surprise. "What made you change your mind?"

"I don't know," Zephyr admitted, "I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff."

"But weren't you afraid of coming with us?"

"I still am," Zephyr said. "But… But I've always wanted to travel, see the world. It's not like the other gods will be corrupt too, right? It should be safe?"

"I think so," Caelian said. "Evelyn didn't say anything about the Scorched Lands having problems, at least."

"Yeah. So it should be fine," Zephyr said, seemingly trying to convince himself. "Plus I kind of like you guys. You in particular. I'd like to get to know you better."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, like I said before, you're free to come with us," Caelian said. "I just want you to be sure."

"I am, " Zephyr said as he rolled onto his side and looked at Caelian. "I just… I really want out of here. Traveling with you guys seems like a good excuse to leave. But… I'll tell you now, if anything happens, like you guys get into a fight, I won't be helping. I'll heal anyone injured, but the fighting is all on you guys."

"That's fine," Caelian said. "Your healing will be really useful. It saved Evelyn back there."

"Yeah… It's setted then," Zephyr said as he rolled back onto his back. "I'm… getting pretty tired, so I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Caelian said, quietly lying back down into his blanket nest.

Zephyr rolled over onto his side, facing away from Caelian as he closed his eyes. He hoped he wouldn't end up regretting his decision.

Chapter 15: Long Journeys Ahead

Zephyr woke up to a face full of feathers. He gently moved Caelian's wing out of the way, pausing as he realized that the boy had his arms wrapped around him as he slept.

He couldn't help but grin as he peeled Caelian's arms off of him. He would've lied there and enjoyed the closeness for a bit, but he wanted to talk to Gale before everyone woke up. He rolled away and sat up. Pausing as Caelian moved in his sleep. He curled back up into a ball as his wings gently covered him. He snored in his sleep. Not horribly loud, but just enough to be annoying. It was cute, though.

Zephyr glanced over to the clock sitting on his nightstand. It read 5:09am. He always woke up early. As he stretched, he realized something. He hadn't had any of his nightmares. Why was that? He always had them. Could it be because he knew now Leviatha had nothing over him?

For now, it didn't matter. He stood up and walked over to the door, gently turning the knob. He did his best to make as little sound as possible so he wouldn't wake Caelian. He stepped outside of the room and gingerly closed the door behind him.

Gale should also be awake by now. She shared his early morning habits. He walked down the hallway. Wanting to check on Damien and Evelyn first, he poked his head into the living room. Damien was asleep on the couch, while Evelyn was curled up in the chair. Zephyr was glad nobody was upset over the fact Caelian got a room to share with him. He was injured, after all.

He stepped back into the hallway before heading into the kitchen, where he saw Gale sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. She was holding a book, and flipped the page before she noticed Zephyr enter the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning," Gale said softly.

"Morning," Zephyr said as he sat in the chair across from her. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm. You seem awfully calm this morning," Gale noted.

"I didn't have any nightmares," Zephyr said with a grin as he rested his head on his hands.

"Oh, really? Is it because Leviatha rebirthed?" Gale asked as she set down her book.

"I'm not sure," Zephyr said. "But, hey, there's something I wanted to tell you…"

"Mhm, what is it?" Gale asked.

"I've decided that I'm gonna go with them," He said.

Gale smirked.

"Don't give me that look," Zephyr said. "It's not because of Caelian… Okay it's kind of because of Caelian, but also I just… feel like it'd be good for me."

"I agree, I think it'd be good for you," Gale said with a genuine smile. "No offense, Zephie, but you're a bit of a coward."

"I know," He sighed. "I'd like to work on that. I don't plan on helping them in any fights, though."

"You've always said you wanted to go on an adventure," Gale said as she leaned back in her chair. "Besides, how bad could it be? Surely you shouldn't need to fight the other gods. Caelian is just going to ask them to purify his elementals, right? It should be pretty simple. You'll get lots of sight seeing in, I'm a bit jealous."

Zephyr let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that was my line of reasoning as well. It should be fine. Even if anything does happen, I can just stand back and heal them after they deal with it."

"Well, I'm really glad you decided to go with them, Zeph. This is gonna be so good for you. I'm so happy."

"Thanks, Gale."

Gale smiled as she picked up her coffee and blew on it before taking a sip. "Does Caelian know you're going with them?"

"Yeah, I told him."

"Good."

Caelian woke up to violent knocking followed by the door being thrown open.

"I swear to the fucking gods if I have to wake you up every single morning, Caelian," Damien snapped.

"I'm tired!" Caelian whined, "You don't have to wake me up every morning if you just let me sleep!"

"Oh my gods. Oh my fucking gods. Just get up."

Damien slammed the door shut as they stomped away.

Caelian sat up with a stretch and yawned. He looked over to where Zephyr had been sleeping only to see that the spot was empty. He wondered when he woke up.

He wiped the drool off his mouth before he stood up. He walked over to the door and pulled it open, leaving it ajar as he walked down the hallway, following the voices that came from the living room.

Gale, Zephyr, Evelyn and Damien were standing around chatting as they waited for him. Evelyn was the first to notice him, and gave him a wide, toothy smile.

"Good morning!" She greeted, which was echoed by Gale and Zephyr.

"You sure like to sleep," Gale giggled. "We're all ready to go."

"Are you going somewhere?" Caelian asked.

"It's my first official day as a disciple. I have to head back to the palace now, where I'll be staying." Seeing the worried look her brother gave her, she added with a smile, "It'll be fine."

"Evelyn gets to show her new friends her home!" Evelyn said as she tapped her claws together. "Oh, but Evelyn is going home without finding the pig's foot…"

"That plant you were looking for?" Caelian asked as the group stepped outside of the house. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist, Evelyn. Are you sure you got the name right?"

"Evelyn is sure!"

"I've never heard of it either," Damien said.

"It exists! And Evelyn needs to find it!"

"Well, I wish you luck finding it, Evelyn!" Gale said with a smile. "Alright, everyone. It was nice meeting you all! Take good care of Zephyr for me, okay?"

"Yeah, we will, don't worry," Caelian said.

Gale grinned. "Good. I hope I get to see you guys again someday. Until then," She gave Zephyr a quick hug before stepping back. "Stay safe."

"You, too," Zephyr said, giving her a sad smile.

They parted ways, Gale heading towards the palace while Caelian and the others headed back up towards the human realm.

The trek back was thankfully a lot easier than on the way in. There was no snow or blizzards, only perpetual twilight and thriving underwater plantlife. When it came to swimming back up to the surface, Caelian was nervous. But Zephyr gently ushered him into the water and once again instructed him to hold onto him, which he did for dear life. Zephyr was just pleased that he was able to kiss Caelian again. He asked before doing it this time.

They breached the surface of the water on the human realm's side shortly after diving in through the spirit realm's side. Caelian spat out water as Zephyr slowly made his way towards shore.

"Would you like me to teach you to swim sometime?" Zephyr asked. "That way you don't have to be so afraid of it anymore."

"That might be nice…" Caelian thought out loud.

"Not right now," Damien said as they reached the shore and sat down. "It's gonna be a long trek to the nearest volcano. I fucking hate the scorched land's entryway."

"Aw, is not so bad," Evelyn said as she stepped out of the water next to them.

Caelian released his hold of Zephyr and stood as soon as he was able to.

"What do you even have to do that involves a volcano?" Caelian asked.

"You jump into it," Damien said.

"You what?"

"You dive in," Damien shrugged, "After infusing it with mana, of course."

"Well that's terrifying," Caelian said.

"Is not so bad!" Evelyn said. "Not scary after you get used to it!"

"Well I don't think I'll be getting used to it anytime soon," Caelian said. "Zephyr, aren't you bothered by this?"

"Well… It's just an entryway into the spirit realm, there's not really a lot that can go wrong," Zephyr said.

"Uh, falling into lava?" Caelian asked.

"That's highly unlikely," Damien said.

"Yeah!" Evelyn said. "Evelyn do it correctly every time!"

Caelian let out a whine. How was the only one not okay with this?

"For now let's just work on drying off. I'll grab some firewood." Damien said.

Damien left the group to go find wood to burn, while Evelyn also ended up wandering away, leaving Caelian and Zephyr alone at the edge of the lake. Caelian crouched down next to the water, staring quietly at his reflection.

"Were you afraid of water before you almost drowned?" Zephyr asked.

"No… at least, I don't think so? I don't think I could experience fear back then, so who knows. I am now, though," Caelian said.

"Well, that much is clear," Zephyr laughed. "But don't worry, as soon as we have the time, I'll teach you. It's easy."

"Alright…" Caelian said with uncertainty.

Damien eventually returned with the firewood and set up a campfire. With Evelyn gone it took some time to start a fire, but they got it done soon enough. The three of them sat down to enjoy its warmth.

A while later Evelyn returned with some wild rabbits she had hunted down. They set up to cook them, and Caelian immediately looked uncomfortable. He began to stand up, resigning himself to find something to eat.

"Wait, I have something," Zephyr said, grabbing a bag he had brought with him. He pulled out a plastic wrapper and handed it to Caelian, "You can eat this."

"Oh, thank you," Caelian said quietly, taking it from Zephyr.

As the others began to eat their own food, Caelian opened the wrapper and examined what Zephyr had given him. It was a dark brown bar. When he bit into it he discovered it was crunchy on the inside, along with something else that had a very smooth consistency. It was sweet, and he salivated as he took another bite. It reminded him of the things Mrs. Tamia would make for him.

Once the group was done eating, they kicked out the fire and carried on with their journey. Evelyn led the way this time, claiming she knew where the nearest volcano would be. According to her vague estimations of how long it would take them, Damien was right in that it would be a while to make it to the Scorched Lands. This wouldn't be a short journey like going from the Eternal Forest to the Depths.

Which made it tiring for Caelian as Damien used this time to constantly ask about his elementals. He focused mostly on Nyxidae and Iaestia, and while Caelian wasn't irritated by Damien's questions anymore, it was still a lot for him to have to think about.

While the group was resting from their travels in a meadow, Damien had once again taken out their notebook and sat next to Caelian.

"May I see Nyxidae again?" They asked as they flipped open their notebook and set their bag down next to them. Annette was lying on Damien's head, watching with curiosity.

"Sure," Caelian said. He summoned Nyxidae, her flower-covered lantern phasing into existence as soon as she felt him request her presence. She let out a happy sounding chime as she floated down to Caelian.

"Damien wants to look at you again," Caelian said. In response, Nyxidae gently floated over to them.

Damien took a gentle hold of the lantern, turning it over in his hands. Caelian was never sure what he was scribbling down in his notebook. He was just looking at her, so what exactly was he noting?

"Have you ever tried opening the lantern door?" They asked after a while.

"Yeah, nothing really happens." Caelian said.

"The sprite can't come out of the lantern, then?"

"Oh no, they can. They can even manifest a physical form for a little bit. It just makes them really tired."

"Wait, they can manifest a physical form?" Damien asked with wide eyes. They looked back to the lantern, "Can you show me?"

Nyxidae made a soft chime. There was a long pause of silence, before the door on the lantern opened seemingly by itself. The green light that resided inside of the lantern gently floated out, stopping near the ground in front of Damien. The light morphed, transforming into the tiny body of a sprite.

Nyxidae looked up at him with curiosity. Damien gently lifted their hand down to her, and she flitted up onto it. They raised their hand up to his face, examining her. She was gorgeous for a nature sprite, having azure blue butterfly wings and eyes to match. Her tail was more swirly and leafy than a normal forest sprite's, and she had an unusually colored blue rose at the end of her tail.

Annette flew down onto Damien's arm and gave Nyxidae a curious look. Nyxidae merely smiled and gave her a curtsy.

"Can you speak like this?" Damien asked. Nyxidae shook her head. Damien looked over to Caelian, "Can they communicate at all?"

"I can hear them speak, but I found out a long time ago it's only me that can hear them," Caelian said, "But it's more like… A feeling I get in the back of my mind, and I just know what they'd say."

"I see," Damien said. They looked over to the lantern in their other hand. They set it near the ground before releasing it, and it remained floating. It moved closer to where Nyxidae stood. Damien guessed that she was still able to control it.

"Thank you, you can go back now. I don't want to make you too tired," They said.

Nyxidae gave a smile and nod before her body dispersed into a green light, and in one fluid motion the light returned to the lantern. The door shut and the soft, forest green light resumed inside of the glass.

Annette flew back up to Damien's head as they picked up the notebook from their lap and began to scribble furiously into it. Caelian watched him with curiosity, leaning out from the log they were sitting against.

"What do you write in there, anyways?" He asked.

"My findings," Damien replied.

"Yeah, but I mean like… what are you writing right now?"

"Basically that elementals can take physical form and still control the lanterns while doing so."

"Oh," Caelian leaned back against the log. "Why are you studying elementals, anyways?"

"I have a friend that's very similar to you," Damien said as they continued to write. "She was born only able to feel negative emotions. So I'm trying to figure out as much as I can from your elementals so I can see if there's any way to get her positive emotions as well."

"Can't she just get elementals?" Caelian asked.

Damien side-eyed him, "Do you really think Gaia or Sol would give elementals to some dark spirit?"

"Oh…" Caelian deflated. "Hey, why exactly does everyone seem to not like dark spirits, anyways…?"

"We're immune to corruption so everyone just assumes we're corrupted spirits," Damien said as he shut his notebook, "It's bullshit. As if we act like corrupt spirits at all."

Caelian frowned, thinking back to the shadow spirit he met in the Eternal Forest and the corrupted spirits he ran into in the Depths. He could see how he also would have easily fallen into thinking that shadow spirits were corrupt. But thankfully, while Damien was a bit rude sometimes, he didn't seem that bad.

Damien stood and looked up towards the sky, "We should continue on for a bit longer. It's still light out, we can stop when the sun sets."

"So do you guys just camp out or something?" Zephyr asked. He was sitting a few feet away from Damien and Caelian.

"We're going to have to," Damien said, "I don't think we'll run into any nearby towns that will have an inn."

"Guess it's a good thing I got used to sleeping outside when I had nowhere to go after running from the Depths," Zephyr sighed.

"Sleeping outside not so bad!" Evelyn said, popping out of the nearby bushes, "Get to see many stars!"

"Yeah, the stars are nice," Zephyr agreed. "It can still get pretty cold, though."

"Hmm, Fishie gets cold because he has no feathers or fur," Evelyn frowned. "Very sad."

"I'm fine sleeping outside," Caelian said quietly.

"I'd say we can get some camping supplies next time we're at a town, but carrying all of that stuff will just slow us down," Damien said, "Maybe some blankets if it's cold, but don't expect any tents."

"That's fine, I guess," Zephyr sighed.

The group continued on for a couple more hours, with Caelian and Damien in the lead. Zephyr was starting to lag behind a bit, and Evelyn was busy fussing around, still looking for the flower she set out to find. She let out a whine as she rejoined the group.

"No matter how hard Evelyn looks, she can not find it!" She whined, "What will she do? Friends will be disappointed…"

"Maybe you just got the name wrong, Evelyn," Caelian frowned. "So maybe going back is a good thing? Then you can make sure you're looking for the right thing."

"No! Evelyn is sure, they say, look for pigs foot."

"Are you sure they didn't mean an actual pig's foot? From a pig?" Zephyr asked.

"No! Is flower, they say is flower." Evelyn whined. "Oh, what to do…"

"If it exists, you'll find it eventually," Damien shrugged.

"Maybe…" Evelyn's ears drooped.

By the time night fell they were already prepared with a campfire. Evelyn sat further away from it than the others, who huddled around it for warmth.

"Why do you always sit so far away, Evelyn?" Caelian asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh… Evelyn just gets too warm! Too much feathers," She said.

"Oh… Okay then," Caelian said.

"It's gonna be cold tonight, I really wish I brought a blanket," Zephyr said.

"We'll leave the fire burning, it should provide enough warmth," Damien said.

"If you don't accidentally roll into it…" Zephyr mumbled.

The four of them set up to sleep, with Damien choosing to lean up against a tree, while Evelyn curled up in a comfortable looking patch of grass.

Zephyr stayed somewhere near the fire, but far enough away to not worry about rolling into it in his sleep. He shivered as he lay down on the ground. He was surprised when a few moments later he felt something get draped over him, and he looked to see Caelian giving him his coat.

"Hey, you don't need to do that," Zephyr said quietly as he sat up.

"You're cold, though," Caelian said.

"You'll be cold if you give me this," Zephyr smiled.

"I'll just use my wings as a blanket, I'll be fine!"

Caelian moved away when Zephyr held the coat out, and Zephyr let out a defeated sigh.

"Well… thank you," Zephyr said, lying down on the ground with Caelian's coat. He wrapped himself snuggly up into it. It smelled a bit bad, but it definitely helped him stay warmer.

Caelian followed Damien's idea and curled up near the base of a tree. He used his wings to cover himself. He tried to hide his shivering. He couldn't let Zephyr see that he was cold or else itd start an argument. He would have stayed near the fire, but sleeping out in the open made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

He closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep. It was hard when he was cold, and he tried wrapping his wings tighter around himself to create a better cocoon. He was unsuccessful, and he wasn't sure how long it took him to start to drift to sleep.

He stirred to a pounding noise. Opening his eyes, he parted his wings just enough to see around himself. It took him a couple moments, but he noticed that Zephyr's tail was hitting the ground. What was he doing? He looked like he was writhing in pain. Was he okay? Was he having a bad dream?

Caelian debated waking him up, but by the time he came to a decision Zephyr shot up, sweat dripping off his forehead as he panted heavily. He swallowed hard before looking around. Evelyn and Damien were sound asleep, and he must have thought Caelian was sleeping as well. Caelian watched as he looked down at the jacket before standing up. He wrapped it around himself and quietly stepped away from camp, disappearing amongst the trees.

Caelian unfurled his wings and stood up. Where was he going? He wasn't leaving, was he? Caelian followed after him, stepping quietly so he wasn't detected.

Zephyr walked a good distance away from the camp, which confused Caelian. It wasn't until he heard the river that he understood. They had passed by it earlier. Peeking out from the bushes, Caelian saw Zephyr sitting on the rocks at the edge of the river. He was staring down intently at it as the water rushed over his feet. The sound was soothing, and Caelian thought it would've been nice to sleep next to the river. Maybe that was Zephyr's plan?

After a few moments of hesitation Caelian stepped out of the bushes and approached him. Zephyr jumped when Caelian's shoe hit a small rock, and he turned to face him. They two of them stared at each other in silence before Zephyr turned back to the river.

"Sorry, didn't mean to worry you," Zephyr said quietly, "I just needed to calm down a bit."

"Did you have a nightmare?" Caelian asked as he sat down next to him.

"Yeah. I have them a lot," Zephyr said.

"It seemed pretty bad, what was it about?"

"Oh, it's just… It's stupid, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh, okay," Caelian frowned, "Well, you're okay now, nothing to worry about."

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess," Zephyr sighed, "It's always the same dream every night, though. So I have to worry about it next time I sleep."

"It happens every night?"

"Yeah. I never get any sleep because of it. I always wake up right when she…" He trailed off.

"It's okay," Caelian said, "Sorry to bring it up."

"It's fine."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, listening to the river. Caelian hugged his knees, resting his chin on top of them as he stared down into the water.

"By the way," Zephyr said, not turning to face him. "What's up with your shirt?"

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, tilting his head as he looked over at him.

"The back is completely open."

"Yeah?"

"It looks like one of those… Never mind," Zephyr said with a small laugh, "I'm guessing it's for your wings?"

"Mhm," Caelian said. "It's just one big hole instead of smaller holes like my coat."

"Yeah, I noticed that, doesn't your back get cold?"

"Well… sometimes, yeah."

Zephyr chuckled, "I guess that's the price of having wings."

"My wings are very warm, though," Caelian said as he lowered his legs and placed one in his lap. He paused, staring down at it. It looked messy and dirty. How long had it even been since he last preened himself?

"I saw you kind of using them as blankets," Zephyr said. "It was cute."

He glanced over to Caelian, but he didn't seem to notice Zephyr's comment. Caelian dipped his hand into the water and pinched his fingers over one of his feathers.

"What are you doing?" Zephyr asked.

"My wings are dirty…" Caelian frowned, keeping his attention on his wing.

"Oh, right… I should've offered to let you take a bath back at the house, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Caelian said absentmindedly as he worked on preening himself.

Zephyr wasn't sure how long the two of them sat there for, but halfway into his 2nd wing Caelian let out a big yawn. Zephyr was starting to nod off as well.

"We should probably get back to camp…" Zephyr said, rubbing at one of his eyes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Caelian said, folding his wings back up onto his back. He'd have to finish them later.

The two of them stood up and returned to camp. Damien and Evelyn were still sound asleep, none the wiser. The fire had died down at that point, and Zephyr sighed, not wanting to deal with gathering more branches for it. He wrapped Caelian's jacket around him tightly as he curled up next to the dying fire. He was surprised when Caelian lied down next to him and draped three of his wings over him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I don't want you to be cold," Caelian said, curling up next to him.

Zephyr watched him for a moment. He turned away when Caelian shut his eyes, and brought his knees up to his chest in a fetal position. As he closed his eyes, he agreed. Caelian's wings were very warm.

Chapter 16: Bird Bath

Zephyr woke up early the next morning. He wasn't surprised to find Caelian clinging onto him in his sleep. He certainly was warm all night with Caelian's wings around the two of them. He let out a yawn before gently prying Caelian's arms off of him and moving away. Remembering the jacket, he quickly took it off and draped it over Caelian.

He watched him for a bit as he slept. Did he realize that he liked him? He wasn't sure if he didn't mind the idea or if he just had no clue. Caelian couldn't feel love right now, could he? Maybe it'd be better if he was less forward about it for now. He didn't want to scare him off. Zephyr wasn't even entirely sure if he really liked Caelian aside from thinking he was cute, anyways. He understood that how he was right now wasn't what his real personality was like. But he was curious to see the real him.

It wasn't too long after that Damien and Evelyn woke up. They waited a while for Caelian, and just when Damien looked about ready to murder him, Zephyr decided to take it into his own hands and gently shook him awake. Caelian was dazed and confused for a few moments, but woke up quickly once Damien started going off on him for sleeping so much.

Noticing his coat draped over him, he glanced over to Zephyr, who gave him a smile. Caelian put his jacket back on, carefully pulling his wings through the holes made for them.

The group continued on for several more days, taking breaks every now and then so they didn't wear themselves out. To Zephyr's embarrassment, Caelian had ended up sleeping next to him almost every night. It made him flustered, but he didn't want to ask him to stop, either. Besides, it had its practicality. It kept him warm every night. Plus, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy Caelian cozying up next to him.

Zephyr was slowly finding out that he wasn't quite as brave as he thought when it came to wooing his crush. He never had an issue with it before, but for some reason, being around Caelian just made him feel shy. Was it because Caelian couldn't feel love and he was too afraid of later being rejected? He wasn't sure. But it was a scary thought.

For now, he wouldn't say anything to Caelian. It was probably better that way. Now he just had to not make it too obvious to the others.

At one point Damien must have noticed something between Zephyr and Caelian, because they started throwing questioning looks their way every time Caelian snuggled up beside Zephyr. Zephyr would always give them a nervous smile. Should he have been telling Caelian to not do that? He really didn't want to.

Then Evelyn noticed it. But instead of giving them questioning looks, she had decided to join in and cozy up to the both of them. Zephyr didn't particularly mind, as it threw off some suspicion, and Caelian seemed pleased at the addition. He seemed happy to just be able to cuddle others at night. Caelian had even ended up asking if Damien wanted to join them, but they had politely declined.

But at one point Caelian had decided to bring the cuddle party to them, and they ended up getting sucked into the close-knit sleepovers as well. At first they seemed annoyed, but recently Zephyr thought he saw a hint of an amused smile when Caelian and Evelyn curled up next to them. At least nobody was cold at night anymore. Caelian and Evelyn combined provided plenty of warmth for everyone.

When the group was traveling again in the afternoon, Caelian was happily munching on a granola bar given to him by Zephyr as he walked beside Damien.

Noticing the looks they kept giving him, Caelian asked, "Am I chewing too loud or something?"

"No. Well, yes," Damien said. "But the real issue is you fucking smell. Can you go walk by someone else?"

"What do you mean I smell?"

"I mean you smell," Damien snapped. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

"I mean, we were in the water when we left the Depths a few days ago," Caelian said.

Damien stared at him. "What- what is a bath to you, Caelian?"

"Huh?"

"What do you do when you take a bath?" Damien asked.

"Um… I don't know, I just kind of get wet in the water?"

Damien looked to be on the brink of insanity.

"Evelyn agrees, Birdie is kind of stinky…" Evelyn said during Damien's long bout of silence.

Caelian frowned as he sniffed himself. "I don't smell anything…"

"No shit you're not going to smell anything," Damien said. "You're used to it. Gods help me I can't fucking handle this, go walk by someone else, we're finding an inn and you're going to take a god forsaken shower."

"Evelyn wouldn't mind a bath, either," Evelyn sighed, "Feel dirty."

"Does that mean we're actually going to stay at an inn for the night?" Zephyr asked.

"Depends when we find it. If it's towards the end of the day, fine." Damien said.

"I mean, that's nice, but do we even have money?" Zephyr asked.

"Evelyn not have money," She said, her ears drooping.

"I don't either…" Caelian said.

Damien let out a sigh. "I'll pay for it. Fucks sake."

"Do humans even take spirit money?" Caelian asked.

"Gold is gold," Damien said, "If anything we'll get a discount just for being spirits. Zeph, don't the people around here worship you water spirits pretty heavily?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I guess we are in Daonshia now," Zephyr said, "Yeah, the humans here revere Leviatha and water spirits."

"Great," Damien said as they took the lead, "Let's go, then. Caelian, stay away from me," They quickly added as he began to follow him.

Caelian frowned as he stood still, letting Evelyn walk past him. Zephyr came up beside him.

"I'll walk with you, Cae." He said.

"Okay," He said, still seeming upset. "Hey Zeph, do I really smell that bad?"

Zephyr paused. "Well… unfortunately you don't smell good."

He smelled absolutely rancid. But he wasn't about to tell him that.

"I see," Caelian said as he looked after Damien and Evelyn. With a sigh, he began to follow along, with Zephyr at his side.

The group eventually came upon a sign that pointed out the nearest towns. Caelian stood there examining it, while Damien took a quick glance.

"Nearest town is 20 miles west," Damien said. "Works out perfectly, we'll make it there just before sunset. Come on."

As Damien and Evelyn continued on, Zephyr walked up to Caelian, who was still staring at the signpost.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"What does it say?" Caelian asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"What does it say?" He repeated.

Zephyr gave him an odd look before something clicked in his head. He looked over to the signpost.

"Jiniku Village - 20 miles, Rosewood - 38 miles, Vista Outlook - 65 miles. Can… you not read, Caelian?"

"Gaia never taught me how…" He said, still looking at the signpost.

Zephyr opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Damien.

"Hey! Come on, I'm not waiting forever for you two!" They called.

Caelian looked over to them. Zephyr sighed and gave Caelian a gentle smile.

"I'll teach you how to read sometime, okay?"

Caelian looked pleased. "Okay," He said, before walking off to follow Damien.

Zephyr watched him go. He had no idea how he was going to teach him to read. But he said it, so now he had to.

Darkness had just fallen by the time they reached the inn. As soon as they entered the reception area, the staff members looked at them in surprise. They stared for several seconds, before rushing over to enthusiastically greet them. Most of the attention seemed to be on Zephyr, who didn't seem to mind it. Caelian quickly backed away.

"Sorry about that," The young woman behind the counter said as Damien walked up to her. "They always get excited when they see spirits come in."

"Do you often get spirits here?" Damien asked as they pulled out their wallet.

"Not often," The woman said, "But every now and then they come to enjoy our hot springs."

Damien paid for the rooms, and the group headed upstairs to check them out.

"Did you only get two?" Zephyr asked as Damien opened one of the doors.

"I'm not made of money," They said flatly, "There's two beds in each room so it's fine."

"Who's with who?" Zephyr asked.

"Doesn't matter to me. Figure it out."

"Evelyn wants to be with Caelian!" She exclaimed.

"I- okay," Zephyr said, sounding defeated.

Damien handed off the other key to Caelian, who stared at it as Zephyr and Damien entered into their own room to put away their things.

"How do I use this?" Caelian asked as he turned to Evelyn.

"Oh! Is small hole in door handle, you put in and twist." She said.

Caelian stepped over to the door Damien had said was theirs. He struggled with the key, but with Evelyn's help, eventually got it open. The two of them stepped into the room and switched on the light. It was a surprisingly spacious room with two full size beds.

Evelyn pounced onto one of the beds and jumped on it as she giggled to herself.

"Oh, does Caelian mind if Evelyn takes bath first?" She asked.

"That's fine," Caelian said.

Evelyn jumped off of the bed and headed into the bathroom. Caelian sat down on the bed Evelyn hadn't messed up. He heard the water run through the pipes as the shower turned on. After waiting a few moments, he decided he might as well look around instead of wait boredly for Evelyn to finish. He stood up from the bed and stepped outside of the room, looking up and down the hallway.

As he took a few steps down the hall, he noticed that the door to Damien and Zephyr's room was open. He peeked inside to see the two of them speaking. Damien let out a sigh and rolled their eyes, meanwhile Zephyr had noticed Caelian in the doorway and gave him a smile. He said something to Damien in a quiet voice before making his way over to the door.

"Did you need something?" Zephyr asked as he stepped outside.

"Oh, no. I was just going to look around while Evelyn showered."

"Mind if I come with you?"

"'Course not."

Zephyr strolled alongside Caelian as they walked down the hallways. Every now and then somebody would notice the two of them and would give them a small bow. Caelian always stepped behind Zephyr when they did that.

"Do you not like humans?" Zephyr asked with a frown after a group of them passed by.

"It's not that I don't like them, I just…" Caelian trailed off.

Zephyr gave a soft sigh. "Look, I get it, water spirits are in the same boat. Humans have been causing a lot of pollution and it's like spitting in our faces for what we've given them. But not all of them are like that. There's nothing inherently wrong with them. Sure, they can be a little strange towards us, and some of them are more close-minded, but they're not all bad. The people here have been treating us nicely, haven't they?"

"It's not that," Caelian said, growing frustrated. "I mean, yeah, pollution is a good reason to not like them, it's been making Gaia sad, but… But that's not…"

"What is it, then?" Zephyr asked.

"Nothing, nevermind," Caelian mumbled.

Zephyr frowned as he dropped the conversation. Caelian stared outside of a large window. A moment later he placed his hands against the glass, gazing curiously at something.

"What's that?" He asked.

"What?" Zephyr stepped over next to him and looked out the window. "Oh, that. It's the hot springs."

"Can we go there?"

Zephyr paused, causing Caelian to look over questioningly.

"Um… I'm not sure about that, Caelian," Zephyr said.

"Why not?" Caelian pouted. "I wanna go. Please?"

Zephyr looked away. "Fine, alright," He said. "But let's let Evelyn and Damien know first, okay?"

Caelian seemed pleased. He removed his hands from the window, which Zephyr noticed had left a residue. Caelian followed Zephyr as they made their way back to their rooms, where Evelyn was waiting outside in a white robe.

"Hello, friends! Look! Nice human give Evelyn clothes that fit her tail!" She turned around a few times in a circle to show it off.

"Oh, good. Im surprised they keep that sort of stuff around. Did they have anything for someone like Caelian, though?" Zephyr asked.

"Yep! They give and say, this is for winged friend! Has open back!"

"Good, that means we can wash your clothes, at least," Zephyr said as he looked over to Caelian.

"Won't they get washed in the bath?" Caelian asked.

"N… No, Caelian," Zephyr said.

"The fact you have no idea how bathing works is almost impressive," Damien said as they came out of the other room wearing a similar robe to Evelyn's. "How old are you, again?"

"Um… Around 120, or so," Caelian said.

"Aww! Caelian is baby!" Evelyn gushed.

"It's not that young," Zephyr said.

Damien raised an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"... 224," Zephyr said.

"Yeah, you're a baby as well," Damien snorted.

"I am not," Zephyr said, his face turning a slight shade of red.

"How old are you guys?" Caelian asked.

"Evelyn is 3,184!" She said proudly.

"2,986," Damien said.

"Wow, you guys are old," Caelian said as he wrinkled his nose.

"Nuh-uh! Evelyn is young adult!" She huffed.

"Anyways, Caelian wanted to go to the hot springs," Zephyr said, changing the subject.

"Ooh! Evelyn wants to go too!" She said excitedly.

"That's fine. Shower up here first," Damien said.

"Won't there be shower rooms downstairs?" Zephyr asked.

"I'm not subjecting anyone down there to the amount of built up dirt on him."

"Well… okay, that's fair," Zephyr sighed.

"Evelyn go now! See everyone down there!" She said, waving as she hopped away.

"I'll go make sure she doesn't get lost. You two meet us down there when you're done," Damien said before following Evelyn down the hallway.

"Alright," Zephyr said, "Uh, I guess go ahead and take your shower, then. I'll wait for you out here."

"Aren't you taking one too?" Caelian asked.

"I will, just…" Zephyr paused, "Use soap and everything, okay?"

"Uh, okay…" Caelian said with uncertainty.

He left Zephyr in the hallway as he walked back inside of the room he and Evelyn were sharing. He shut the door before turning towards the bed. A white robe was laid out on it. He walked over to examine it, lifting it up and unfolding it. Like Evelyn had said, he back had been cut out to accommodate for wings. He left it there and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

It was still humid and damp from Evelyn's shower. He stared at the bathtub and shower head, unsure of how they worked. He had only ever bathed in the lakes back in the Eternal Forest. He walked over and inspected them. Seeing the faucet had arrows on it, it reached out and turned it. To his delight, water started to pour out of the spout.

He undressed, leaving his clothing in a pile on the floor as he stepped into the bathtub and sat down. He wondered why it wouldn't have been more efficient to just wash his clothes at the same time like he usually did. He was surprised when there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry, um, I just wanted to check, you know to use shampoo too, right?" Zephyr called through the door.

"Sham what?" Caelian asked.

There was a pause. On the other side of the door Zephyr had his hands on his knees , bent down as he stared at the ground. This is what he had a crush on?

"Shampoo. It's in a small bottle, wet your hair and put that in it to wash it. The bar soap is for everywhere else."

"Okay…" Caelian said. He looked around until he spotted a bottle, and frowned when he noticed there were two. Picking them up, he looked at the labels on them. They appeared to be different, and he wasn't sure which one was shampoo. Maybe he'd just use both? He sure wished he knew how to read.

When Caelian was finished, he poked his head out from the bathroom. After making sure that Zephyr had left the room, he quickly stepped out. The walked over to the bed, dripping water on the floor as he snatched up the robe. He threw it on as quickly as he could, struggling a bit to tie it shut. He heard another knock at the door.

"Cae, are you done?" Zephyr asked.

"Yeah," He called back.

The doorknob turned and the door opened. Zephyr stepped inside of the room, now donning a similar white robe to everyone else.

"Where'd you put your clothes?" He asked.

"On the bathroom floor," Caelian said. "Why?"

"I'm going to drop everyone's stuff off at the laundry room so it gets clean," Zephyr said as he stepped inside of the bathroom. He gathered up Caelian's clothes and stepped back out, before dumping them into a basket that Evelyn's clothes were already in. He lifted it up.

He and Caelian stepped back out into the hallway, where Caelian waited for him to go into his and Damien's room to gather up their dirty clothes. When he returned, they made their way down the hallway to the laundry room, where he started the wash.

Zephyr led the way down to the hot springs and stopped when they made it to the showering rooms.

"You'll need to leave your robe here," Zephyr said as he slid his off and hung it on a hook, "You're not supposed to take them into the hot springs."

"Wait, what?" Caelian said, tensing up. "Why can't I?"

"It's against the rules, they're considered dirty and don't want them touching the water. We'll need to rinse ourselves off before heading in, too."

"I'm not walking around naked," Caelian said.

Zephyr frowned, "I mean, there's nobody else here. Me and Damien aren't going to say anything."

"I don't- I'm not doing it," Caelian pouted.

Zephyr shrugged, "Alright… Are you sure? You seemed like you really wanted to come here. It's not because you're afraid of the water, are you?"

"I only don't like water if it's deep. I just… I don't want to be naked around you guys."

"Alright… Want me to walk you back up to the rooms?"

"No, it's fine, You go ahead."

Zephyr frowned as he watched Caelian walk back out of the shower rooms. He felt bad for him, knowing how much he had wanted to go to begin with. But he guessed he couldn't blame him for not wanting to be naked. As a water spirit it was something that was normal for him. It probably wasn't the same for nature spirits. He turned and headed into the hot springs.

Caelian sat down on the steps outside of the entrance. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the full moon was out. It looked pretty, alongside the thousands of stars that dotted the sky. It was always a treat when he was able to see them, since trees usually hid them away.

Hearing footsteps from behind him, he turned to see Damien exiting the shower room, wearing their robe and dripping water everywhere. They wore an annoyed expression as they climbed down the stairs.

"Are you serious? There's nobody else in there," They said.

"Damien, leave him alone," Zephyr said, shuffling out of the building behind him wearing his own robe.

"No, this is stupid. You don't need to be embarrassed about it, just use your wings to cover up until you get in," Damien said.

"I don't want to," Caelian mumbled.

"Caelian, it's like we're going to stare at you," Damien sighed, "Come on, you wanted to come here, so let's go."

"No."

"Stop being a goddamned baby!"

"I'm not!"

"Damien," Zephyr said.

"What are you embarrassed about?!" Damien snapped.

"Because I don't want you guys thinking differently of me!" Caelian shouted.

There was a long pause as they stared at each other. Damien and Zephyr turned to give each other a look as Caelian stared down at the ground.

"Hey," Damien said, their voice notably softer. "Look, I'm sorry. But neither of us would do that, okay? Whatever the problem is, it's fine."

Caelian turned his head just enough to stare up at them. Damien extended a hand to him. He looked at it for a few moments before taking it, allowing Damien to pull him up.

"Come on, let's go," Damien said as they led him back into the shower rooms, "We'll wait behind so you can go in first, okay? That way we won't see anything."

"Okay," Caelian nervously agreed.

Zephyr and Damien stood near the entrance of the building, chatting as Caelian quickly hung up his robe and did a quick wash in one of the showers. Using his wings to cover himself, he quickly shuffled outside to the hot springs. He felt it's heat even before he dipped a foot into the milky white water. Wary of how deep it actually was, he hung on to the side of the pool of water as he got in, but thankfully it only came up to his chest. At least that wasn't something he needed to worry about. Even though he knew there was really no reason to, he still felt shy about showing off his scars.

He sat down on the underwater ledge, panicking slightly when the water rose to his shoulders. But thankfully the water was calm and he didn't need to worry about it splashing into his face.

Caelian looked around, examining the area as Damien and Zephyr eventually returned to join him. There was a large wall that looked to be made out of some sort of lightweight canvas material that separated part of the spring.

"What's that?" Caelian asked.

"It separates the men's half from the women's half," Damien said as they leaned back.

"Oh…" Caelian said. He walked over to it, examining it with curiosity. "So Evelyn is on the other side?"

"Probably," Damien yawned, "Unless she went back alread-"

There was a loud splash as something fell over the top of the barrier. Damien sighed as pink ears popped up out of the water.

"Evelyn, as much as I don't care that you're over here, the humans are going to freak out if they see you," Damien said.

"But is lonely over there," Evelyn pouted, "Can hear friends but not see them,"

"It's fine, let her stay. They're not going to throw us out over it," Zephyr said.

Evelyn swam around the springs, her mouth under the water, blowing bubbles as she went.

"... Maybe stop doing that, though." Zephyr said.

"As long as none of the humans come here it should be fine," Damien said.

"Why as long as the humans don't come?" Caelian asked.

Damien opened an eye and glanced over to Zephyr, who looked at him in return.

"They'd kick her back to the other side," Zephyr said.

"But why?" Caelian asked.

"Uh, well…"

It took him a few moments, but Caelian understood. Zephyr felt bad at the upset look he gave.

"Would they try to make me go to the other side, too?" Caelian asked quietly.

"...No, because we'd have a big problem if they said anything about you," Damien said.

This didn't really seem to make Caelian feel any better. He stifled a sigh as he sat back down, away from where Zephyr and Damien were. Maybe he really didn't like humans, after all.

Thankfully no one bothered them during their stay in the springs. When they were done, Damien and Zephyr left first in order to make sure nobody would notice Evelyn, The group went back upstairs and to their rooms after collecting their clothes.

Thankfully no one bothered them during their stay in the springs. When they were done, Damien and Zephyr went first to make sure nobody would notice Evelyn, and the group went back upstairs and to their rooms after collecting their clothes.

Caelian was glad to have his clothing back, and was surprised at how soft it felt. It had been a long time since the fur that lined the hood and sleeves looked that white. He felt cozy just being in his own coat.

Evelyn had passed out on her bed almost immediately after returning from getting dressed, and Caelian glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. It was pretty late, but he didn't really feel tired. Maybe he'd walk around a bit again.

He stepped out into the hallway and gently closed the door behind him. He wandered around, looking out the windows. He ended up wandering upstairs to the third floor, where he stumbled upon the roof access. Unable to read, the sign that said staff only didn't stop him. He pushed open the door and stepped out onto the roof. He gazed up at the sky as he walked, before noticing Zephyr sitting on the edge of the roof, staring out over the land. Zephyr turned to look at him as he approached.

"Can't sleep?" Zephyr asked as Caelian sat down next to him.

"I'm not tired," Caelian said, "What about you? Can't you?"

"I… tend to avoid trying to sleep, honestly," Zephyr said.

"Because of your nightmares?"

Zephyr nodded.

"You haven't had them lately, though, have you?" Caelian asked.

"Yeah… for some reason I haven't," Zephyr admitted. "It still scares me from sleeping, though."

"I see…" Caelian looked down at the ground below them.

There was a silence between the two of them for a while.

"Hey, Zeph?" Caelian asked.

"Yeah?"

When you asked me if I didn't like humans earlier… the truth is, I don't think I do. But it's not really because of anything they've done."

"What do you mean?" Zephyr asked, giving him a curious look.

Caelian fidgeted as he spoke, "Back in the Eternal Forest, people always called me a halfie, since I couldn't feel emotion. I… I guess I don't like humans because of that. I don't want to be a half spirit."

"Is there something wrong with being a half spirit?" Zephyr asked gently.

Caelian thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I just don't want to be one."

"Well, I can understand if people always made it out to be a bad thing," Zephyr said, "But I think you should decide for yourself if that's really so bad or not. You said Gaia raised you, right? So you don't know your real parents?"

"No…" Caelian admitted, "I know I'm not a halfie, though."

Zephyr gave him a smile. "Well, hopefully someday you can find out who your real parents are and prove them wrong, if that's the case."

"Yeah," Caelian said as he looked back up towards the stars, "I hope so."

Chapter 17: By Rite of Fire

The group set out again early the next morning. Damien seemed grouchy, and kept giving dirty looks to Zephyr, who looked embarrassed.

"Why Damien look so mad?" Evelyn asked.

"I don't know, maybe because someone kept waking me up throughout the night by screaming?" Damien snapped, causing Zephyr to wince.

"It's not like I could help it," Zephyr defended himself.

"Be nice!" Evelyn huffed, "Not fishie's fault have nightmares!"

"Multiple a night?!" Dammien sighed. They pushed their glasses up their nose, "Whatever, I'm not sharing a room with him again."

"I will," Caelian offered, "It won't bother me."

"Fine by me," Damien said.

"Evelyn, we're almost to the volcano, right?" Zephyr asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh! Yes, should be very close!" Evelyn said as she clapped her hands. Her ears suddenly drooped. "But Evelyn still not have pig's foot plant…" She whined.

"It's fine, we're just double checking the name, remember?" Zephyr said.

"Okay…" Evelyn said.

"What's the Scorched Lands like, Evelyn?" Caelian asked.

"Oh! Very pretty!" Evelyn exclaimed, her ears popping back up. "Sunset all the time! Many big pretty rocks everywhere, too!"

"Big pretty rocks?" Caelian asked.

"She means gemstones," Damien said, "The Scorched Lands is known for having a lot of giant crystals. Ametrine is the most common."

"What's Ametrine?" Caelian asked.

"Big pretty purple and gold crystal!" Evelyn said, "You will see! Evelyn live in prettiest realm!"

"With a name like the scorched lands I would've imagined it to be more like a lot of burnt grass or something," Zephyr said.

"Oh, we have that too!" Evelyn said, "Prettiest parts are underground! Lots of pretty tunnels!"

"It gets pretty cramped down there in some of the tunnels," Damien said.

"Good thing I'm not claustrophobic," Zephyr said. "It sounds interesting, though. I'm kind of excited to see another realm. I've only ever seen the Depths and the human realm."

"What about the God? What are they like?" Caelian asked.

"Oh! Ifrit very nice! Very funny!" Evelyn said.

"Do you think he'll purify my elemental?"

"Of course! He be happy to help!"

"I hope so," Caelian said, looking a bit unconvinced.

"It should be fine," Zephyr said with a grin. "I've never heard of Ifrit being unreasonable. I'm sure he'd be glad to help."

Damien nodded. "It's Sol we'll need to look out for. I doubt he'll be willing to do a favor for an outsider. I wonder how Gaia convinced him to give her an elemental in the first place."

"Will it be that hard?" Caelian asked.

"Possibly," Damien said.

Caelian let out a whine. "I just want my emotions back."

"Oh, look!" Evelyn said excitedly as she pointed ahead.

A lone mountain slowly came into view in the distance. A smoke ring rose around it, looking like an ashen halo.

"Is the volcano Evelyn came from! Probably."

"Probably?" Zephyr asked.

"Mm, Evelyn doesn't quite remember. Volcano is a volcano, though!"

"It will serve its purpose," Damien said.

"How much longer until we make it there, you think?" Zephyr asked.

"Not sure," Damien said, "Let's take a break for now, though."

"It doesn't seem that far away," Caelian said, gazing out towards the volcano.

"Because it's a giant volcano. Once we keep walking you'll see," Damien said. They looked over to Evelyn, who was examining some of the nearby plants, "If you didn't find it before I don't think you'll find it now, Evelyn."

"Maybe Evelyn miss it," She said with a frown. "Evelyn need to find it…"

"I'll help you look, Evelyn," Caelian said.

"Just don't wander too far off," Damien said as Caelian and Evelyn walked off together.

"So what does this plant even look like?" Caelian asked.

"Is small curly red and blue flower," Evelyn said as she looked under a bush.

"Curly red and blue flower? And it's called pig's foot?" Caelian asked, "That's weird…"

"Why is weird?" She asked as she looked back at him.

"Because the naming makes no sense and i've never heard of it," Caelian sighed, "But it sounds easy enough to spot, so, let's see…"

Caelian spent the next few minutes helping Evelyn search around for the strange flower. It felt a bit useless, as the plains they were in had barely anything in it aside from long, yellow grass and the occasional shrub.

"I'm not seeing it, Evelyn," Caelian said. "Why did you need this flower, again?"

"Friends ask for it! Friend very sick, need it for cure!" Evelyn said.

"I see…" Caelian frowned, "Sorry about your friend… We should head back to Damien and Zephyr, though. Damien said to not get too far. I'll keep helping you look on the way to the volcano, alright?"

"Alright…" Evelyn said, her ears drooping sadly.

The two of them returned, and together the four of them set off. The long yellow grass swayed in the wind, brushing against their knees as they walked. It was warm out, with little to no clouds to protect them from the overbearing sun. Caelian's feet hurt by the time they made it to the base of the volcano, and after looking upwards, he wasn't excited to begin the climb. He usually prided himself on his stamina, but this was a lot even for him. He used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off of his face as Damien sized up the volcano.

"We should be able to make it in a day and a half," They guessed.

"That seems awfully fast," Zephyr said, "Are you sure about that?"

"If we keep up the current pace and don't take too many breaks, yeah." Damien said.

"I think we'll need a couple breaks," Zephyr said as he looked over to Caelian.

"It'd be better if we got this over with. Just deal with it."

"No," Zephyr said. "We're climbing a mountain, we need to pace ourselves."

Damien clicked his tongue. "Fine, whatever."

Evelyn sprinted ahead of the others before turning around. "Let's go!" She cheered.

Damien, Zephyr, and Caelian followed her with a lot less enthusiasm. Caelian looked over to the others. Damien and Zephyr appeared to be fine, but he wondered how tired the two of them actually were.

"Hey, Zeph, doesn't it hurt your feet to walk like that?" Caelian asked.

"What? Barefoot? Not really," Zephyr said.

"Oh, I didn't even notice you don't wear shoes." Damien said.

Zephyr shrugged, "I don't like wearing them. They get in the way of dancing anyways."

"Oh, yeah! You should show us one of your dances sometime!" Caelian said.

"Ooh! Yes, Fishie show dance!" Eveyn agreed.

"Oh… uh… yeah, sure!" Zephyr said. He looked a bit uncomfortable at the idea, but Caelian and Evelyn didn't seem to notice.

Evelyn bounced around everyone, constantly switching back and forth from a hyper ball of energy to depressed and mopey. She kept lamenting over not finding her flower and returning home without it. It got to the point where Zephyr had to hold Damien back so they didn't choke her.

There was no path or trail up the mountain, leaving the group having to forge their own. Caelian kept slipping on rocks as they walked up the steep incline, nearly falling on his face each time.

It switched from hot to cool as the sun went down and the stars came out, much to Caelian's relief. During the day, he thought he had been getting close to overheating. Iaestia had even materialized and gently dripped water down onto his head in an attempt to cool him down.

They set up camp, and in the morning it took them several more hours until the second nightfall before they finally made it to the peak.

"Here we are!" Evelyn said, raising her arms in triumph. The glow of the lava far below them was enough to illuminate her, casting an orange glow over her pink feathers. Caelian nervously peered over the edge, looking down at the searing red lava below them. He felt a rock form in his stomach and he stepped away from the ledge.

"We really have to jump?" Caelian asked.

"That's how you enter the Scorched Lands," Damien said with a shrug. "Evelyn, don't mess it up or we're going to get burnt to a crisp."

This wasn't making Caelian feel any better.

"No worries! Evelyn knows," She said as she knelt down and placed her hands on the ground. She closed her eyes as she focused her energy into her hands, sending it down in red streams towards the bottom of the volcano. The lava below them began to shimmer and glow with even more intensity, and Evelyn stood up.

"Okay! Everyone through!" She said.

"Go on, then." Damien said, nudging Caelian.

"Why me first?" Caelian asked.

"No reason, just go."

"But I-"

Caelian screamed. Despite having been the one to push him, Damien was surprised by how loud his scream was as he plummeted down towards the lava. Hurtling through the air, Caelian shut his eyes, whimpering and covering his head as the electrifying red elemental appeared next to him, falling down with him into the lava.

It felt smothering, but there was no heat. The next thing Caelian knew was that it felt like he was falling upwards for a moment, before falling back down to the ground with a grunt. He sat up, daring to open his eyes as he quickly took in his surroundings. It looked as though he was in some sort of burrow, with crystals jutting out from the walls. The floor beneath him was black and cracked, with red light beaming through the cracks.

He heard something fall behind him, and he turned to see Zephyr pushing himself off of the ground. A moment later Damien came falling out of the shimmering yellow portal, before Evelynn finally came through and it shut behind her.

"See? Not so bad!" Evelyn said with a smile.

Caelian felt like he was going to throw up.

"That wasn't very cool, Damien," Zephyr said as he stood up.

"What?" Damien asked.

"He was scared. You're such an ass."

"It's the entrance to the Scorched Lands. If he's a disciple he's going to have to get over it."

"You can help him get over without pushing him," Zephyr said.

"We don't have time for that," Damien said.

"Whatever," Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Where are we?"

"In Volcano! But much smaller than human realm, not to worry. We call them fire geysers," Evelyn said as she stepped up onto a ledge that twisted up and around the crater, seemingly leading to the surface. "Come, come!"

They followed Evelyn as she led the way up. Thankfully she was right about it being significantly smaller than the human realm's volcano, and they exited it within a few minutes.

"The sun is still setting here," Caelian said. "Is the time different?"

"Nope! Sun always setting in the Scorched Lands!" Evelyn said.

"This realm is in perpetual twilight," Damien said, "The sun never moves."

"That's so weird…" Caelian said.

"Is not weird! Is home!" Evelyn said happily.

Caelian looked at the realm around them. Everything was cast in a deep orange hue. Giant crystals poked out of the ground, shimmering in the light. They were as common as rocks, appearing almost everywhere on the ground. The shrubs there appeared dead and leafless, but upon closer inspection Caelian could see small, flickering flowers growing on the twigs. Tall grass spanned the horizon, and in the distance Caelian could see geysers spewing lava into the air.

Curious, he sensed the mana in the air. It was warm and sporadic. It made feel a yearning in his heart to explore the world, and see everything it had to offer. It felt fitting.

"Well, here is as good a place as any to camp," Damien sighed. "Let's start a fire."

"Do we even need one here?" Zephyr asked.

"Evelyn agree with fishie, no need fire!" Evelyn said quickly.

Damien sighed.

"How will we know it's morning?" Caelian asked.

"When we wake up," Damien said.

That, of course, didn't count for Caelian. It was morning much before he woke up, and Damien was sure to let him know. Caelian rubbed the spot on his head that Damien had hit as they woke him up. It seemed that with every day that went by, they grew more and more intolerant of Caelian's sleeping habits. Evelyn took the lead as they continued on.

"It's so weird that it's sunset all of the time," Caelian commented as he squinted at the sun, "Really though, how do you guys know when it's night and time to sleep?"

"Mm… Here, we just sleep whenever," Evelyn said as she walked, "No need sleep at same time as everyone else, just when tired."

"Oh… wish I could sleep when I was tired," Caelian mumbled as he looked at Damien. They sent a glare his way.

"Do you not have clocks here?" Zephyr asked.

"Oh! Clocks, yes, we have! Just not really-"

Evelyn stopped in her tracks, causing Caelian to walk into her. He backed up, and after giving her a questioning look, noticed that she, Zephyr, and Damien were staring at something. He followed their gaze.

The rotting carcass of some type of large animal stood in their path, it's bones bright white. Caelian frowned. Whatever the animal was, it had deer antlers, but was much too large to be a deer. Looking around, Caelian noticed many carcasses of the same animal strewn about. Caelian noticed movement on the closest carcass, and when he stepped forward to examine it, he found pulsating red webbing attached to the bones.

"Is… this normal?" Zephyr asked.

"No…" Evelyn frowned, taking a step forward as she gazed at the decay around her. "Not normal at all. No one here hunt this many and leave them."

Damien stepped forward, holding a curled finger to their chin as they examined the carcass.

"Evelyn, you said the Scorched Lands aren't corrupt, right?" They asked.

Caelian wasn't sure he liked where this train of thought was going.

"Mhm," Evelyn said. "Everything fine when Evelyn left."

"This pulsating webbing… It's a disease from fear sprites. It slowly eats away at flesh. I think something happened in the time you've been gone," Damien said.

"Huh? But… no, everything was fine when Evelyn left!"

"Fear is the opposite of Fire so it has to be- Hey, Evelyn, wait!" Damien called as Evelyn dashed off. They chased after her. Caelian and Zephyr quickly followed.

Caelian ran past the carcasses on the ground, pulsating webbing covering most of them. The landscape slowly began to change as they traveled. Large, curbing bones sprung out of the ground like tees, pulsating flesh sticking to them. The ground underneath their feet squelched with festering green pustules. It was as if the land around them had become infected by some unknown disease.

Evelyn stopped suddenly, teetering over the edge of a large crater. Caelian and the others stopped beside her and looked down. It appeared to be a man-made hole that had a village nestled inside of it.

Clay houses stood in rows. Many looked cracked and old, as if they had been in existence for a long time. Many spirits were out and traveling the dusty streets. Trees and plant life appeared to be scarce, with only a few spread out throughout the streets. Green hardly existed in the crater.

Evelyn descended down a narrow path that curbed around the outer perimeter of the crater. Damien and Zephyr followed her, but Caelian hesitated. He had a tight feeling in his chest that he didn't like. Taking a deep breath, he followed after Evelyn and the others.

"The village seems unaffected, at least," Damien remarked as they walked through the streets. Curious looks fell upon them, as they must have stood out a lot compared to the fire spirits.

"Evelyn still worried…" She said with a frown. "Evelyn not sure if- Oh! Vera!"

A young woman that had been walking down the street jumped slightly as her name was called. She turned to look at Evelyn, surprise in her eyes as Evelyn bounced over to her.

"Oh! Evelyn! You're back," She said.

"Mhm! Vera, is everything okay here?" Evelyn asked.

"What do you mean?" Vera asked.

"Has the corruption not spread to here yet?" Damien asked.

"Corruption? Mm… I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, sorry," Vera said.

Damien sighed. "It must have just started."

"Vera, how is Maya?" Evelyn asked.

"Maya? Oh, Maya! She's not well," Vera said with a frown. "Have you found the flower yet?"

"No, Evelyn hasn't found pig's foot," Evelyn said as her ears lowered. "Evelyn look everywhere, but can't find…"

"You have to find it," Vera gently urged. "What are you doing back here?"

"We have some business to take care of here," Damien said. "Also, are you sure this flower even exists? We have a nature spirit here that says he's never heard of a flower called pig's foot before."

Vera's eyes widened. "Is that so…?"

Caelian nodded. "I've never heard of it. Even by description, I don't think a flower like that exists."

"W-well… It's a very rare flower. My grandma told me about it, it can cure any disease. That's why we need it."

"Yeah! We need flower to help Maya!" Evelyn said.

Caelian frowned. "I see…"

Zephyr looked unconvinced as Damien sighed. "Well, whatever. We'll deal with that later. If you don't know anything about the corruption we may as well just head directly to Ifrit."

"Oh, Ifrit… He has been flying around a lot lately," Vera said. "I've seen him pass over the top of the village a couple times today."

"Probably working on cleansing the corruption," Damien guessed. "Come on guys, let's go."

"Bye, Vera!" Evelyn said with a wave. Vera merely nodded before carrying on her way.

They only made it a couple steps when Evelyn spoke. "Um, actually, if friends don't mind- can Evelyn check on a few things while she is home?" She asked.

Damien sighed. "We don't really have time, Evel-"

"I think it's fine," Zephyr said, locking eyes with Damien. "Who knows how long she'll be away from home, let her have an hour or two."

Damien glowered at him. "Fine," They said after a long pause.

Evelyn gave them a smile as she took the lead. She weaved through the streets, guiding the others as she made her way towards a small house on a hill. She pushed the unlocked door open, calling out as she entered.

"Mama! Mama, I'm back!"

"Evelyn?" A voice called from another room.

Evelyn ushered the others inside as an older woman hurriedly stepped into the room. She rushed up to Evelyn and gave her a hug.

"Oh, dear, I've been so worried about you," Evelyn's mother said.

"We came to see her parents?" Damien grumbled under their breath.

"Let her," Zephyr said.

"Is okay, Mama," Evelyn said. She said something in a language Caelian didn't understand. He was surprised to hear Evelyn speak it, and her mother replied in turn. They went back and forth a couple times before Evelyn turned towards the others.

"Friends, this is my mama," Evelyn said as she extended an arm towards the older woman. "Mama, this is Bir-" She paused. "Caelian, Zephyr, and Damien."

"Nice you meet you all," The older woman said with a warm smile. "You can call me Freya. I'm so glad to see Evelyn making friends. She has such a hard time with it."

"Mama," Evelyn said with a frown.

"Sorry, dear. I just can't help it. It makes me happy. So you've all been traveling together?"

Damien went to open their mouth, but was quickly cut off by Zephyr. "Yes! We have been. Because of this one," He said as he motioned to Caelian.

"Evelyn is helping friend purify his elementals!" Evelyn said cheerfully. "While she look for other friend's flower, of course."

"Oh my," Freya said. "What's an elemental?"

"Evelyn will explain! Friends, please make selves at home!"

"Evelyn, come help me make some drinks and snacks for your friends while you tell me about your travels."

"Sure, mama," Evelyn said before switching back to the language Caelian didn't understand. She and her mother spoke in it as they left into the kitchen, leaving the others to themselves.

"What is that she was speaking?" Caelian asked. "It sounds weird."

"Hey, don't say that," Zephyr frowned. "It's rude."

"Oh. Sorry," Caelian mumbled.

"It's Forgerian," Damien said as they walked around the room, inspecting the decor. "It's one of the old languages. Forgerian is what fire spirits used to speak. Surprised she knows it."

"I know Eldrichian pretty well," Zephyr said.

"What's that?" Caelian asked.

"It's the old language of the water spirits," Zephyr said.

"Does every realm have an old language?" Caelian asked.

Damien nodded. "Everyone did, until they all switched to the common tongue. The languages have been forgotten by most. Why do you know yours, Zephyr? Aren't you a bit young?"

Zephyr shrugged. "My parents were adamant that I learn it."

"Can you say something in it?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr paused. He said something quickly in Eldrichian. Caelian stared. It sounded even stranger than Evelyn's language, but he decided to keep that to himself.

"What did you say?" Caelian asked.

"Um, nothing important," Zephyr said, avoiding the question. He certainly wouldn't ever tell Caelian what he said.

Caelian seemed a bit disappointed, but kept quiet as he began to look around the room. It appeared that the front door put them directly into the living room. It had a homey feel to it. Well-worn couches and antique furniture made him think of Mrs. Tamia's home. He noticed a fireplace, and walked over to it. He always loved cozying up next to Mrs. Tamia's fireplace in the winter. But this fireplace seemed like it had never been used. It was clean, with no soot or wood to be found. Caelian frowned. Maybe fire spirits never got cold enough to have a need for a fireplace? But then why have one?

He looked up on the mantle, examining the pictures that sat there. He noticed a lot of pictures of a younger Evelyn with an older man. He assumed that was her dad. But then where was he?

"Hello, friends!" Evelyn said as she walked back into the room, carrying a tray of drinks. "Evelyn has lemonade!"

She set the drinks down onto the coffee table, the metal tray clanging against the wood. Zephyr graciously took one, while Damien seemed less inclined. Caelian stepped over to the coffee table and picked up one of the drinks.

"Evelyn, who's that with you in those pictures?" Caelian asked. "Is that your dad?"

"Oh! Yes, is Evelyn's papa!" She beamed.

"Is he not here right now?" Caelian asked before taking a sip of the lemonade. He nearly choked when he tried it. He wasn't expecting it to taste sour. His lips puckered as he let out an involuntary shiver.

"Oh…" Evelyn became noticeably quiet. "No, Evelyn's papa… not around anymore."

Zephyr looked over to Evelyn with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"Caelian!" Zephyr said in a harsh whisper. Caelian jumped, looking over to him in confusion.

"Papa died in an accident," Evelyn said softly. "Back when Evelyn was little girl."

"Oh," Caelian deflated, now realizing why Zephyr had whisper-yelled at him. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have brought it up if I'd have known."

"Is okay," Evelyn said as she picked up one of the drinks from the tray. "Was long time ago. Evelyn feel better about it now."

She held the drink out to Damien. They took it, knowing they'd full well be an asshole if they refused after that. They let out a soft sigh as they stared down at the pale yellow liquid.

Evelyn quietly headed back into the kitchen. Zephyr immediately turned and gave Caelian a look.

"I didn't know," Caelian said quietly.

"Learn some context clues," Zephyr sighed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means- Ah, never mind, I'll tell you later." He said before taking a sip of lemonade.

Evelyn returned a while later, accompanied by her mother. She appeared to be in better spirits as she carried in a tray of sandwiches. She set them down on the coffee table.

"We have turkey, chicken, and beef sandwiches!" She announced. "Please take and sit down! Relax!"

As Zephyr plopped down on the ground next to the coffee table, Freya gently held out a smaller tray of sandwiches to Caelian. "Evelyn said that you don't eat meat, so I put these together for you."

"Oh, thank you," Caelian said as he accepted the tray.

"There's peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter, honey and banana, and vegetable sandwiches." She said with a smile.

Caelian nodded as he sat down next to Zephyr, placing his tray on the table. He had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before at Mrs. Tamia's house, though he wasn't sure about the peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches. When he tried them, however, he found that he enjoyed them. They were cute mini sandwiches, cut neatly into triangles. Caelian thought that it helped add to the flavor.

Damien still hadn't touched their lemonade, but they did take a couple sandwiches and sat down on the couch. Evelyn plopped down beside them.

"Now then, Evelyn has been telling me about the adventures you kids have been on," Freya said as she sat down in a comfy looking chair. "They sound rather dangerous, so I'm glad to see that you're all okay."

"Evelyn also tell mama about Birdie's elementals!" Evelyn said.

"Oh, yes. What marvelous little things. I couldn't imagine not being able to feel emotion, myself." Freya said.

"It's… not a pleasant feeling," Caelian admitted.

"But you have elementals to help you. How magical," Freya said with a smile. "Would you mind if I see one? I'm very curious."

Barely having to even think about it, Caelian summoned Nyxidae and Iaestia. They hovered in the air next to him, both of them making distinctly different chiming noises.

"Oh! They do take the appearance of a lantern. And they're sprites? How quaint."

"Well, they're kind of sprites," Caelian said after swallowing a bite. "Moreso the essence of a sprite."

"I see, I see. How fascinating." Freya smiled. "And that's why you're here in the Scorched Lands?"

"Yeah, I need to see Ifrit," Caelian said.

"Well, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you. Ifrit is a very kind and caring god. He warms up to others easily." Freya said.

The group chatted about other inconsequential things as they worked on eating the sandwiches. Eventually they were able to whittle them down to almost nothing. Meanwhile, Caelian had happily eaten all of the ones on his own tray.

"We should probably get going," Damien said as they stood up.

"Oh, but we just got here," Evelyn said with a frown. "Evelyn wanted to show friends her room."

"They're right, Evelyn. Think of your friend; I'm sure he'd like to get his emotions back quickly." Freya said with a gentle smile. "Perhaps you can show them some other time."

"Mm… Okay, some other time!" Evelyn said as she stood up.

"Thank you for the food," Zephyr said as he stood up alongside Caelian.

"Yeah, thanks!" Caelian said.

"Of course, of course," Freya laughed. "Evelyn's friends are always welcome here. Now all of you, stay safe. I know you said the corruption hasn't spread very far, but still. Be careful."

"We'll be fine," Damien said. "Don't worry."

"Yeah! Evelyn and friends be fine!" Evelyn said.

"I believe in you. Goodbye, everyone! Evelyn, I love you!"

"Love you too, mama!" Evelyn called as they walked out the door. Freya stood in the doorway, watching as they walked away from the house and back down the hill.

"Okay, now let's head back up to the surface and-" Damien was cut off when Evelyn spoke.

"Oh! Wait! One more place! Evelyn needs to go one more place!" She said.

"Seriously?" Damien sighed. "Now where?"

"Evelyn need to check on Maya!"

"Your sick friend?" Zephyr asked.

Evelyn nodded.

"Ugh, Evelyn, we don't have time for this," Damien said.

"But Evelyn want to check on Maya! Make sure she okay!" She whined.

"It's fine, just let her." Zephyr said.

"Just- Ugh, fine. We'll wait for you at the surface, okay? Just hurry up." Damien said.

"Okay! Evelyn be fast, no worries!" Evelyn said before skipping off.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go with her?" Caelian asked.

Damien shook their head. "Leave her. Let's go."

Evelyn skipped down the familiar streets. The dry dirt felt good between her toes. She smiled to herself as she passed by the market stalls. It was too bad she didn't have any money. Maybe she could have bought her new friends some trinkets to remember the Scorched Lands by. But then again, they did say that they'd come back eventually. They'd have to. They promised to see Evelyn' room.

Evelyn stopped mid-skip, her ears lowering as she saw a fire dancer performing a few yards ahead of her. They were talented, using their own fire abilities to aid in the dazzling appearance of their dance. She wondered when Zephyr would show them his dancing. Water probably looked a lot prettier in a dance. Safer, at the very least.

She slinked around the outer edges of the crowd that was observing the fire dancer, before continuing on her way. She let out a deep sigh. Sometimes it was hard avoiding fire in the fire realm.

She walked up to one of the many houses that stood in a neat line on the street. Stepping up to the door, she knocked a few times before waiting. The door was eventually opened by a meek looking girl, who peered out from the crack. She let out a small gasp.

"Oh! Evelyn, you're back," She said.

"Maya!" Evelyn gasped. "Should Maya be standing?"

"Huh? Oh, I… I can for a little while to open the door," She said. "But what are you doing back so soon? Did... you find the flower?"

Evelyn's face fell. "N… No, not yet," She admitted. "Evelyn still looking."

"Oh," Maya said. "That's okay! I know you can find it."

Evelyn cheered back up a bit. "Evelyn will try her best! But how is Maya feeling? Not getting worse?"

"No, I'm alright for now," Maya said. "Just… tired."

"Oh, okay," Evelyn said with a frown. "Well, Evelyn hopes Maya will be okay…"

"I will be, don't worry." Maya said with a smile. "You should run along now, though. Get back to searching, okay? Like I said, I'm sure you'll find it eventually."

"Okay, Evelyn will try her best!" Evelyn said. "Stay safe, Maya!"

"You too," Maya said, giving a small wave as Evelyn turned and walked away.

Good. Maya was still doing well. She looked healthy, at least. It was a slow acting disease, anyways. Evelyn would have time to search. It was just anxiety inducing. She wanted to find the flower as soon as possible to make sure Maya would be okay. She was one of her closest friends.

As she was lost in thought, Evelyn traveled back through the marketplace. She looked up when she bumped into the corner of a table, and quickly threw her hands up in time to catch a vase she had almost knocked over. She let out a sigh as she carefully put it back onto the table.

Her eyes couldn't help but be caught by a bouquet of flowers that stood a few paces down on the same table. She stepped over to it admiring the multitude of brightly colored flowers that were tied together.

"Admiring the flowers, missy?" The man behind the counter asked.

"Oh, yes! They very pretty," Evelyn said.

"Would you like them?" He asked, stepping over to stand behind the flowers.

"Mm, Evelyn not have any money right now, sorry…"

"Oh no, not to buy. These flowers will die soon, so I'm giving them away. They were just for display, anyways." He said as he gently lifted the bouquet out of the vase they were in. He shook off the water before handing them over to Evelyn.

"Really? You are sure?" Evelyn asked as she took the flowers.

"Yep! I'm sure."

Evelyn's tail gave a wag as she looked down at the bouquet of flowers. "Thank you!"

"Of course! Remember to put them in water when you get home!" He called as Evelyn skipped away.

She had considered bringing them home to mama, but had decided she'd give them to Maya, instead. She had always liked flowers, and they could be an apology for the fact Evelyn didn't find the pig's foot yet.

Evelyn stepped up to Maya's door again and knocked. She waited. Then knocked again. "Maya?" She called. Maybe she had gone to take a nap? Sick people did that a lot, didn't they?

Evelyn tested the doorknob. It turned. She entered Maya's home, being quiet so that she wouldn't wake her. As she was getting a vase out and filling it with water, her ears perked up as she heard voices coming from the other room. Curious, she gently placed the flowers in water before walking towards them.

"I don't know, Vera. I just feel bad. This feels so mean." Maya's voice sounded slightly muffled from behind a door.

"So what?! She's annoying!" Evelyn recognized Vera's voice. "You don't want to just be straight with her and tell her to leave us alone so this is the next best thing!"

"But making her leave just to look for some made-up flower is-"

"What else would you have us do?! This way she's gone and isn't bothering anyone! It's been so nice not having to worry about her coming to knock on my door and ask me to come out and play with her! Ugh, what is she, a baby? She certainly talks like one."

"But she's worried about me… Even if she's annoying, she's trying to be nice."

"So what? Let her be. She'll never find the stupid pig's foot so hopefully she'll be gone forever. It'll be a dream come true."

Evelyn gently closed the door on her way out of the building.

"Gods," Damien groaned, "She's taking forever. Where the hell is she?"

Caelian, Zephyr and Damien were still waiting for Evelyn above the village. Zephyr was sitting in the shade of a lonesome tree, while Damien was pacing back and forth a few feet away from him. Caelian was standing at the crater's edge, staring down at the town.

"Give her some time, Damien. She's checking on her sick friend." Zephyr said in an annoyed voice. His tone quickly switched as he looked over to Caelian. "Cae, want to sit by me?"

Caelian continued to stare down into the crater. He shook his head. "I think I'm going to go look for her," He said. "She has been taking a while."

"Ugh, no. You're not," Damien said. "I'm not having you be lost down there too."

"He's not gonna get lost, Damien," Zephyr snapped. "Quit treating him like he's an idiot."

"I will as soon as he quits acting like one," Damien said.

Zephyr calmly stood up.

Caelian glanced back as he heard yelling. He turned around to see them in each other's faces. He let out a sigh before he began the trek back down to the village. It took him a while, but once he reached the bottom of the path, he looked around. He had no idea where Evelyn's friend lived, but the village wasn't too big. He should be able to find her eventually.

He wandered the streets, weaving around the people that walked down them. It took him a while as he walked aimlessly, but eventually, in a lonely section of the village where there was hardly anyone around, he saw a blotch of pink in the distance. She appeared to be sitting with her back up against a rock, her head in between her knees.

Caelian walked up to her, slowing as he realized that she was crying. "Evelyn?" he asked softly.

Evelyn flinched in surprise, before slowly lifting her head, sniffling as she wiped away her tears. "Oh, hello, Birdie. Sorry, Evelyn take too long."

"Are you okay?" Caelian asked as he sat down on his knees beside her. "What's wrong?"

Evelyn tried her best to hold it back, but couldn't choke back the sob that escaped. She hiccuped as she wiped at her eyes.

"E-Evelyn's friends lied," She said. "Flower- Flower not exist. Pig's foot not real. Friends say Evelyn is annoying, that they don't want her around."

"Oh," Caelian said softly. He stared at the ground between them. "I'm sorry to hear that, Ev."

"Is okay," Evelyn said. "To be honest, Evelyn always kind of knew, she just… didn't want to believe it. But is true, Evelyn is annoying and nobody likes her."

"That's not true," Caelian said as he looked up at her. "I like you, Evelyn. We're friends, right?"

Evelyn turned and pulled Caelian into a hug, She sniffled, getting snot on his coat as she cried.

"Thank you," She said.

"There you are," Damien said as they and Zephyr ran up to the two of them. "We've been looking-" They paused. "Is… everything alright?"

Evelyn nodded. "Is fine… Evelyn's friends just.. They lie about flower, because they think Evelyn is annoying and wants her gone."

"That's awful," Zephyr frowned. "Don't listen to that, Evelyn."

"Is true, though." Evelyn said as she gently released Caelian. "Evelyn always have hard time making friends… Evelyn knows she is loud and annoying, but she doesn't mean to be."

"Well, don't worry about it," Damien said with a sigh. "Like Zephyr said, just ignore them. They're not your friends. You have three friends here. Right?"

Caelian was surprised to hear that coming from Damien. But they must have had a heart, knowing now wasn't the time to be an asshole. Evelyn nodded as she wiped away her tears.

"Thank you, everyone." Evelyn said as she slowly calmed down. "Evelyn appreciates it."

Damien reached down, extending their hand to Evelyn. She took it and pulled herself up. Zephyr did the same for Caelian.

"I guess this means you don't really have a reason to travel with us anymore, huh?" Zephyr asked.

"Mm… Evelyn not need to look for flower anymore," She said softly. "So… Evelyn might stay home now. Very tired. But Evelyn will at least show friends to Ifrit. He live in giant volcano. Friends can follow Evelyn."

Chapter 18: A Familiar Face

As Caelian and the others walked across the scorched plains, they were all surprised when a giant shadow momentarily fell over them. Caelian looked skyward, and he saw what seemed to be a giant bird with a human face and body fly over them. It's wings beat against the air, buffeting them with the air currents it generated. It flew off into the distance, disappearing into the horizon.

"What was that?" Caelian asked.

"Oh! Is Ifrit," Evelyn said cheerfully.

"Ifrit is… a giant bird man?" Caelian asked.

"More akin to a phoenix, but to put it bluntly, yes," Damien said, "He must have been scouting out the land. I wonder why he hasn't-"

Before Damien could finish speaking, fire rained down from the sky, surprising all of them and causing Evelyn to let out a loud yelp. She crouched down to the ground and held her arms above her head in an attempt to protect herself. The fire seemed to stay away from where they stood, only raining down in a radius around them.

Caelian watched as the corruption caught fire, blazing up into white smoke before both it and the fire vanished into thin air. The fire burned brightly on the bones sticking up from the dirt, melting them away to reveal the purple and gold crystal hidden underneath them. As suddenly as when it came, the fire disappeared, leaving everything purified in its wake.

"Ah. There we go," Damien said, "Guess he is doing his job."

"Evelyn, are you okay?" Caelian asked, gently touching her shoulder as she whimpered, "It's okay, it didn't hit us."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Damien asked as Evelyn slowly lowered her arms, "Did you really think your god would torch us like that?"

"N-no," Evelyn said as she shakily stood up, "Is just… Nevermind," She mumbled.

Zephyr frowned, "Hey, Evelyn, I've been kind of meaning to ask this, but… Are you… afraid of fire?"

"H-huh? No, 'course not!" She said defensively.

"Really? I just noticed with how you act around it, and how scared you were just now-"

"Evelyn isn't afraid of fire!" She huffed.

"Alright, sorry." Zephyr said.

"Anyways," Damien interrupted, "It looks like we don't need to worry about-" They paused as a sprite flew past them. They frowned as they watched red, sparkling powder fall down in a trail behind them, causing oozing green pustules to pop up in their wake.

"Spoke too soon," Damien said.

"What are they doing…?" Caelian asked as multiple sprites began to zip around them.

"They're spreading corruption," Damien said.

"They can do that?" Zephyr asked.

"Yes," Damien said. "Hey!" They shouted, surprising some of the sprites and causing them to flit away. They took off after them, leaving the others to take a few seconds to realize what was happening before joining the pursuit.

The plains around them turned into stony craigs as they ran, with sharp rocks jutting up out of the soil and cracks running through the ground. The sprites were far out of sight, but it was possible to still follow the trail they left behind.

As they rounded a corner, Caelian was surprised to see someone standing several yards in front of them. They had multiple sprites hovering around them, and as they held out their hand, one of them landed in their palm.

Damien came to a halt, and Caelian nearly crashed into them as he forced himself into a stop. Caelian frowned, squinting to try and get a better look at the figure. There was something familiar about them. He was surprised when Damien spoke.

"Mimzi?" They asked.

The figure turned around in surprise, revealing herself to be a young woman. She had long, mint green hair tied up into a ponytail, with pupiless light blue eyes. Her ears were long and bat-like, and beside them stood long, sharp horns. Her outfit was a mixture of black and purple robe-like garments and black boots, and her sheer tights were heavily ripped from wear.

After having just one good look at her, realisation hit. Caelian saw red, and without even thinking about it, shadowy claws formed over his hands.

"Damie-" She tried to speak, but stopped when Caelian launched himself towards her. Bat wings shot out from her back and she used them to effortlessly launch herself out of the way. Damien gave Caelian a shocked stare, and Zephyr and Evelyn also looked surprised.

"You!" Caelian hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hmm?" Mimzi's ears swiveled as she listened to her surroundings over the flap of her wings that kept her airborne. "Oh, it's you. The forest prince. Are you still enjoying that gift I got for you?"

All six of Caelian's elementals materialized around him. Mimzi frowned as her ears twitched, listening intently to something Caelian couldn't hear. "You have six now… two are back to normal?" She frowned.

"Mimzi, what are you doing?" Damien asked as they stepped forward.

"What should have been done a long time ago, Damien." Mimzi said in an annoyed tone.

"I was hoping all of this had nothing to do with you," Damien frowned, "But I guess that was me being foolish."

"It was foolish," Mimzi agreed.

"Can't you see he's just using you?!" Damien snapped. "Stop being stupid. You don't have to do this. Corrupting the other realm's gods won't do us any good."

"It will when the other spirits die and we take their place," Mimzi said. "They've wanted us out of the way for so long, but now it's our turn to push them out of the way."

"Don't you realize what it'd do to the balance of things if there's no light spirits?! The spirit realm will fall apart!"

"That's just a lie, none of the elements are needed for the spirit realm to function," Mimzi sneered. "I won't-"

Her eyes widened as thorny vines wrapped around her foot and yanked her down to the ground. She landed roughly on her stomach and just barely rolled out of the way in time as Caelian smashed into the ground. Icicles formed in a ring around him and shot out, nicking Mimzi on the cheek as she jumped up and moved aside. She glowered at him as four lanterns appeared around her, shocking everyone.

Acid green, light blue, electric red, and shadowy purple lanterns hung around her. Caelian recognized them well. But how could she have them?

More icicles materialized around Caelian. When they shot out towards Mimzi, an icy shield formed around her, causing them to shatter. Caelian launched himself at the shield, using his claws to shatter the ice. He jumped at Mimzi, but she moved back in time for him to miss and hit the ground.

"You'd really try to hit a blind girl?" Mimzi asked in a mockingly sweet voice as she lifted up one of her hands and directed thorny vines to wrap themselves around Caelian legs. He winced as the thorns dug into his skin, drawing blood.

"I don't have time to waste with you," She said as her red lantern flew forward. "Why don't you take a nap and wait for me to finish my work here?"

"Mimzi, stop!" Damien shouted.

A bright red light enveloped Celian, causing him to screw his eyes shut. The next time he opened them, he was surrounded by darkness. Be blinked a few times, his vision blurry as a scene slowly came into view around him.

He looked around in confusion and rubbed at his eyes. It looked familiar. But it couldn't be. It looked just like the Eternal Forest. Had she somehow transported him back?

He recognized where he was at. He was close to the Great Tree. He walked slowly, looking around as he went. Something in the pit of his stomach was telling him something wasn't right.

As he came across the familiar clearing, he looked up towards the crown of the tree. It's leaves looked luscious and full of life, unlike the last time he had seen them. Everything looked as though it were fine. Would Gaia's flower still be waiting for him up under the canopy? He felt the need to check and see.

He ran up the stairs. When he reached the top of them, he stopped short. How had he ascended them so quickly? Normally it took him a while, but this time it felt unnaturally fast. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he stepped forward onto the platform.

His stomach dropped when he didn't see the flower.

"Gaia…?" He asked with a small voice.

He walked forward, looking around the woven branches for any sign of the flower. Did Gaia rebirth while he was gone? Was she okay?

He turned around, ready to continue searching, when he saw her lying against the ground. She was in her adult form, her back facing him. She was motionless as he ran over to her. He fell onto his knees, gently taking a hold of her and turning her over. Her eyes were closed.

"Gaia? Hey, Gaia…" he gently shook her, trying to rouse her. When she didn't wake, he shook her a bit harder and spoke louder. But her eyes remained shut. He felt tears form in the corners of his eyes as he grew frustrated.

"Why won't you wake up?!" He asked.

"Because you killed her."

The voice made Caelian jump as he turned to face whoever spoke. He was surprised to see many of the forest denizens standing there. They all stared at him, hatred in their eyes.

"You killed her."

"You're supposed to be our disciple, how could you have killed the one you live to serve?!"

"You're a monster."

"W-what? No, I…" Caelian stumbled over his words. When he turned to look back towards Gaia, she had disappeared. He looked around in a panic as the world around him slowly turned into a black void of nothingness.

"You're useless. You couldn't do anything."

"You couldn't save her."

"You're a failure of a disciple."

"She died because of your own foolishness. Look at what you've done."

Caelian's breath got caught in his throat. He couldn't see anything, but the voices echoed all around him, leaving him feeling trapped. He hugged his knees up against his chest and covered his ears with his hands while closing his eyes. This wasn't real. There was no way this was real.

Nyxidae. He wanted Nyxidae to help calm him. But when he tried to summon her, nothing happened. His breathing grew quicker. He tried to summon Iaestia. Then the dark elementals. Nothing. He had nothing. His eyes grew glossy as he stared blankly ahead. He felt nothing. It was a familiar void that left them with little thoughts. He didn't even have the ability to feel disdain for how he felt right now. He felt empty. He was alone.

"Hey."

The voice didn't echo. It was solid and real. Caelian slowly opened his eyes, emotions flooding back to him. He turned around, seeing Damien standing there and looking down at him.

"You okay?" They asked.

Caelian looked around. He was back in the forest, away from the Great Tree. Away from Gaia and the echoing voices.

"Y… Yeah," He said as he stood up. "Where are we?"

"We're in an illusion," Damien said. "Mimzi trapped us all into our own deepest fears. I broke out of mine, so I came to help."

An illusion. So that's what it was. It wasn't real. Gaia was still alive, back at the Great Tree.

"But how are you here?" Caelian asked. "How did you get out of your illusion?"

"I knew it was going to be an illusion," Damien shrugged. "I managed to wake myself up. No big deal."

Damien said that, but Caelian couldn't help but notice they seemed a bit on edge.

"But then this is like… a dream, right? So how are you in mine?" Caelian asked.

"Luckily for you, I'm a void walker. I can enter people's dreams." Damien said.

"What's a void walker?" Caelian asked.

"A shadow spirit with certain abilities. I can enter dreams and sink into the shadows."

Caelian suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. "Do you often enter into people's dreams…?"

"No, I tend to respect people's privacy," Damien said. "But in this situation, I'd say it's valid. But it looks like you were close to snapping out of it yourself, anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"You were mumbling that this wasn't real. That's the first step. Now just focus on waking up."

Caelian stared at them for a moment. Focus on waking up. He closed his eyes. The next time he opened them, he was lying down in the dirt. He pushed himself up, looking around at his surroundings. He was back in the real world, with Damien sitting in front of him. Zephyr and Evelyn were lying down a couple of feet away from him, their eyes shut tight as they twitched in their sleep, still trapped in illusions.

"Alright, get up," Damien said. "Let's wake Zephyr next."

"Let's? Am I going with you?" Caelian asked.

Damien nodded. "You're closer to him, and he doesn't like me much. The most I can do is respect his privacy and not pry into what his deepest fear is. So I'm going to have you wake him."

"Well… Okay," Caelian said. "But how do I get into his dream?"

Damien walked over to Zephyr and knelt down. They motioned for Caelian to come over. Caelian knelt down next to them, and they took his hand. They placed their other hand on top of Zephyr's head and closed their eyes. A moment later, Caelian was transported to a familiar setting.

They had only been here a few days ago. The double ornate doors stood before them, with the channels of water gurgling on either side of them.

Damien folded their arms. "So that's it, huh." They mumbled.

"What?" Caelian asked.

Damien shook their head. "Nothing. Go wake him up. I'll wait here."

Caelian nodded his head. He stepped towards the doors, heaving one of them open just enough to be able to poke his head into Leviatha's throne room.

He was surprised to see Zephyr dancing before Leviatha. The water spirit commanded his attention almost immediately, and he was drawn in, feeling mesmerized by how gracefully he moved. But there was also a strange, almost robotic quality to his movements. Caelian focused on his face. He held an odd expression, looking resigned to something. He didn't seem to be enjoying himself.

Then he tripped. He hit the ground hard, the noise echoing unnaturally through the chamber. He froze, and Caelian watched in slow realization as Leviatha's rage became apparent on her face. Zephyr didn't even try to run as she lifted her tail high above him. He stared at the ground, remaining perfectly still.

"Zephyr!" Caelian shouted just before the tail crushed him. Everything went still. Leviatha's tail hung in mid air, frozen in place. Even the waterfalls in the room had stopped, with the individual drops of water frozen in time. Caelian hardly even noticed that time appeared to have stopped as he rushed towards Zephyr, falling down on his knees as he skidded into a stop just next to Leviatha's tail.

"Zeph!" Caelian called, looking under her tail. Zephyr was still lying there on his hands and knees, breading hard as he stared at the ground. His eyes were wide and glossy.

"Zeph?" Caelian asked quietly. He crawled under Levitha's tail and gently touched his arm.

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. He launched himself into Caelian, causing both of them to tumble out from under Leviatha's tail. He let out a wheezing cough as he tried to catch his breath. He grasped at his chest as he curled into Caelian, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he struggled to breath.

"Hey," Caelian said, "Are you okay?"

Zephyr shook his head as he hyperventilated. He swallowed hard as tears fell from his face, and Caelan hugged him as he buried his face into Caelian's shoulder. Caelian wrapped his wings around the two of them, trying to comfort Zephyr as he cried.

"It's okay," Caelian said softly as the world around them began to fade to black. "This isn't real, it's just an illusion."

Zephyr coughed as he struggled to take a breath. Caelian wasn't sure if he was trying to speak or not. He remained still, holding Zephyr close to him as he slowly began to calm down. He wasn't sure how much time passed when his breathing slowly evened out. Zephyr took deep breaths as he leaned more into Caelian's soft wings.

"I'm sorry," He managed to whisper.

"For what?" Caelian asked. When he got no answer, he shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for, it's okay."

"I feel stupid," Zephyr said as he wiped at his eyes. "I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Why would you feel stupid over that? It's okay, Zeph," Caelian said.

"I don't know," Zephyr said. "Sorry, I'll be okay. I'll be fine."

Caelian gently moved Zephyr away from him as he looked him in the eyes.

"Let's wake up, okay?" He asked.

"Okay," Zephyr said.

Caelian opened his eyes in surprise as Zephyr jerked away, panting heavily as sweat dripped off his forehead. He sat up, hugging his knees to his chest as he wiped away the sweat.

Damien was sitting a few feet away from the two of them, nonchalantly scribbling something into their notebook. They glanced up at Zephyr.

"You okay?" The asked.

"Fine," Zephyr said quickly.

Caelian glanced over to Evelyn, who was whimpering in her sleep.

"Are you going to wake Evelyn?" Caelian asked as he looked over to Damien.

"You're coming with me again," Damien said.

Caelian looked over to Zephyr. "Will you be okay?"

Zephyr nodded. His face was still glistening with sweat.

"Okay… I'll be back," Caelian before standing and walking over to Evelyn.

Damien met him next to her. They took Caelian's hand again and place their other on top of Evelyn's head. Caelian closed his eyes this time.

Caelian opened his eyes to a hot orange glow. Fire crackled around him, causing him to step backwards. He realized too late that he had stepped backwards in more fire, but when he jumped forward out of the burning inferno, he realized he didn't feel any pain.

Damien stood next to him. "It's an illusion, you won't feel any pain," They said.

"Oh, right," Caelian said.

He looked at his surroundings. They appeared to be in someone's home, though it was hard to tell with how much the fire had eaten away. He and Damien stepped out of the room they were in, and Caelian was surprised when he heard a crash somewhere in the house, followed by a wail. They headed towards the stairs, pausing when a wall collapsed in front of them. Caelian's instincts were to not touch the fire, but Damien walked right through it to the stairs. Caelian nervously followed.

As they made it to the ground floor, they could hear a soft sobbing. Damien's ears perked up, and Caelian followed them towards the sound. Through the thick smoke they could see a small figure sitting on the ground next to a fallen pillar. As they got closer, the scene came into view.

Evelyn was sitting next to an adult man. She looked small, like a child. She whimpered as she gently shook the man that was stuck under the pilar, unmoving. Caelian recognized him from the pictures on the mantle. It was Evelyn's father.

"Papa… get up," She whimpered. "We need to leave."

Evelyn took a deep, raspy breath as she shook him again. "Papa! Papa, get up! Wake up!" Tears filled her eyes, red and irritated from the smoke. They fell freely down her cheeks as she sobbed. "Papa…"

"Evelyn," Damien said.

The next time Caelan blinked, Evelyn had grown. She was now her usual self, staring guiltily down at the now fading body. The fire around them began to fade, as the world around them became enveloped in black.

"It was Evelyn's fault," Evelyn said as she covered her face. "Papa always said to be careful when using Evelyn's fire magic, but Evelyn not listen. Kept playing with fire. Then the curtains caught on fire, and then everything else…"

"It was an accident," Caelian said softly. "You didn't mean to do it."

"Does not matter," Evelyn said as she lowered her hands from her face. "Accident or no, it won't bring him back. It does not change what Evelyn has done."

Caelian woke up a moment later. Damien sat back as Evelyn pushed herself up. She sat with her knees against her chest, with her tail wrapped around her. Caelian put a hand on her shoulder, but she continued to stare at the ground. Caelian looked over to Zephyr, who was sitting in a similar position, rocking back and forth. Nobody seemed to be doing too well.

"Let's take a rest for now," Damien said as they stood up.

"Where are you going?" Caelian asked as Damien began to walk away.

"I'm going to check that it's safe. I'll be back soon. You stay here with these two, alright?"

"Okay…" Caelian said as Damien walked off, disappearing amongst the rocks. He looked back to Evelyn. She was taking deep breaths with her eyes closed.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Caelian asked.

She nodded. "What was that? Why Evelyn see that?"

"It was an illusion. It was caused by that shadow spirit's fear elemental," Caelian said, feeling his blood boil at the mere thought of her. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Illusion… but what happen was real," Evelyn said as she stared off into the distance. "Did Caelian have illusion?"

"I did," Calian said.

"What of?"

Caelian paused. "Gaia was dead. Not like a rebirth, but dead dead. I killed her. She was gone. Then the forest denizens appeared and started calling me a monster. I felt so useless. Like I couldn't do anything right. Then I think… I think I lost my elementals, and I just… felt nothing."

"Caelian not useless," Evelyn said with a sniffle. "Caelian do good job. Do his best."

"Thanks," Caelian said softly.

"What was Zephyr's?" Evelyn asked as she looked over to him.

Caelian paused. "I'm not sure I should say, I feel like it's kind of a private thing," He said. "You could ask him yourself?"

Evelyn shook her head. "He look sad. Caelian should go talk to him."

"Okay, but are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Evelyn will be okay," She said. "Had many years to think about what happen. She come to terms now, even if still afraid of fire or using her fire magic… Just didn't want to experience again."

"If you're sure," Caelian said as he stood up. He walked over to Zephyr, who looked up at him at he sat down next to him.

"You doing alright?" Caelian asked.

"I'm fine," Zephyr said with a smile. Caelian could tell that it was forced. "Is Evelyn okay?"

"She will be," Caelian said. "I… Saw you dancing, back in the illusion."

"Oh," Zephyr said, avoiding eye contact. "What… did you think?"

"It was pretty, but it seemed a little stiff. It didn't seem like you were having any fun."

"It's because I wasn't," Zephyr said as he stared at the groun. "I haven't enjoyed dancing in years. Everyday I did it just to survive. Every new routine I came up with was just to make sure Leviatha didn't get bored. So she wouldn't kill me. It used to be something I loved. I danced for myself. It made me happy. But it became all for Leviatha. It feels ruined."

"I'm sorry," Caelian said quietly. "That must be awful…"

"It's fine," Zephyr sighed. "I never have to dance for her again. I just hope that someday, I'll want to dance for myself again."

"I hope you do," Caelian said. "If that's how you danced when you weren't enjoying it, I couldn't imagine how you'd look when you're having fun."

Zephyr let out a small laugh as he shook his head.

"I'll be sure to show you if I ever do."

Chapter 19: The Scorched Lands

Damien returned some time later. Caelian tried asking where they had wandered off to, but was met with a shrug. They seemed reluctant to say, which made him confused. But he decided not to pry.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Damien asked.

"Evelyn is ready," Evelyn said as she slowly stood up.

Zephyr remained silent, but took a deep breath as he also stood. Caelian noticed that he had a far off stare in his eyes and looked tired. But he didn't complain when they started moving again. He hung several steps back from the rest of them.

As they made it out of the forest of boulders, they were met with a sea of lava. It covered the land in front of them, with the occasional island that held dead trees. They were covered in the pulsating webbing, signifying that fear sprites had been there.

They all stopped in their tracks as they stared at the sea of lava before them, except for Evelyn, who casually jumped onto one of the flat stepping stones that stuck up out of the lava. Noticing that they weren't following her, she turned around with a puzzled look.

"Are you not coming?" Evelyn asked.

"I guess so," Damien sighed as they stepped forward. They jumped onto the rock next to Evelyn. Evelyn beamed, before jumping onto the next rock, continuing on across the lava.

Caelian stepped up beside Zephyr, who was staring at the lava with wide eyes. "You can stay back here if you want," Caelian said softly.

Zephyr looked over at him in surprise. He forced a smile. "No, that's okay! This is fine."

"But you're-" Caelian was cut off as Zephyr jumped onto the first rock after Damien had continued on. He gave a noticeable shiver before jumping onto the next one. Caelian was surprised that he was willing to jump across lava. But he was glad that he'd still be with them. He jumped onto the rock after Zephyr.

The lava bubbled around them as they hopped from rock to rock. It was slow going, as everyone was being careful not to fall in. Save for Evelyn, who often had to pause and wait for the others to catch up.

"Have they considered building an actual bridge here?" Damien asked as they caught up to Evelyn.

"Why? This is bridge," Evelyn said.

"No, an actual one- Ugh, nevermind," Damien sighed.

The lava around them eventually thinned out, giving them solid ground to walk along once again. Puddles of lava surrounded them, radiating the same intense heat that made Caelian sweat. Embers flew through the air, stinging his eyes as the volcano loomed closer. Ash covered everything around them, leaving the shrubbery looking gray and lifeless.

A fear sprite zipped past Caelian, and he turned to look after it. Corruption flowed in it's wake, with bones and pustules sprouting out of the ground.

"How are they able to do that?" Caelian asked.

"What?" Damien asked.

"Spread corruption."

"Well… You know what corruption is, right?"

"Um… I know it stems from intense negative energy," Caelian said.

"Correct," Damien said. "So what they're doing is spreading negative energy based on what element they embody. Remember, sprites are essentially just physical embodiments of the elements. They help regulate the mana in the realms. We know light spirits can't handle intense negative energy. This goes the same for their realm. It can't handle the mana, so it gets corrupt."

"How come we not see sprites spreading corruption in other realms?" Evelyn asked.

"They were already corrupt when we arrived, so I'd assume there was no need to spread any more. Corruption can also spread by itself, so after they leave a trail of it, it should slowly begin to grow." Damien said.

"But it happened almost instantly in the Eternal Forest," Caelian frowned, "I know I wasn't out long enough for them to have spread it that much."

"Then it must have been because Gaia got corrupt. That'd make the spread extremely quick."

"When Leviatha was corrupt the ice spread extremely quickly, so that's probably the case," Zephyr said.

"Why bother trying to spread corruption if Ifrit is just purifying it, though?" Caelian asked.

"She probably is intending to make him use his energy and tire him out," Damien said.

"By 'she' you mean that girl with the bat wings," Caelian frowned.

"Her name is Mimzi."

"I don't care what her name is. How do you even know her?"

"She is… was one of my closest friends," Damien sighed.

"Was?" Caelian asked.

"We had some differences that drove us apart," They mumbled, "I'm sure you could guess what they were."

"What, the fact she's going around corrupting everything?" Caelian asked.

"She's just being used by Thanatos," Damien growled. "I don't get how she doesn't see that."

"What do you mean? Who's Thanatos?" Caelian asked.

"Thanatos is the god of the Lost Realms."

"What is he using her to do?" Caelian asked.

Damien paused before answering, "You know how Nature, Water, Fire and Celestial all have their own realms? Well Toxin, Ice, Fear and Shadow all have to share the same realm. That's a lot of spirits in an already small realm. We're running out of room."

"So, he's trying to expand your guys' realm by corrupting others? Is that what you're getting at?" Zephyr asked.

"Essentially. He wants to take over the other realms, and to do that he's corrupting them so that it'd be suitable for the dark elements," Damien said.

Caelian walked for a while in silence, lost in thought.

"... Hey, Damien," Caelian finally said. "There's something I don't get, though. Can a sprite corrupt a god?"

"... No, they can't." Damien said, seeming to sense what Caelian was about to ask.

"Then how would a god get corrupt?"

"... Dark spirits can spread corruption as well," Damien said, earning surprised looks from Zephyr and Evelyn.

"So, it's that girl's fault, isn't it?"

"Not all dark spirits can do it," Damien said. "But Mimzi is the shadow disciple. Out of anyone, she's the one with the most power to do so. That's how she was able to corrupt Gaia and Leviatha."

"So Ifrit really is in danger with her here," Caelian said.

"If she was able to corrupt the two goddesses, I'm sure she'd be able to succeed with Ifrit."

"... What about you?" Caelian asked after a moment's pause. "Can you spread corruption?"

"I can," Damien said as they turned their head to face him. "Does that scare you?"

"No," Caelian said. "Because I don't think you'd actually do it."

Damien watched his expression for a moment before turning their head back to face where they were walking. Caelian looked down at the ground. So the shadow disciple was the one causing all of this. She seemed to be doing it for a noble cause, but was going about it in an incredibly selfish way. The fact she didn't mind killing light spirits was sickening.

"Couldn't some of the dark spirits… move? Without corrupting the other realms?" Caelian asked.

Damien looked at him. "Do you really think anyone would be okay with a dark spirit living in their realm, knowing what you now know?"

Caelian looked up with a frown. "But…"

"Besides," Damien said as they looked away. "We shouldn't be made to move. We should've been granted enough space to begin with, like every other element was."

Caelian had nothing to say to that. He did agree, it seemed unfair that the dark spirits all had to share the same realm. They seemed so different. Caelian couldn't imagine living in somewhere like the Scorched Lands.

"Wait," Caelian said as he realized something. "What do you mean by granted? Didn't all of the realms just… exist?"

"Have you never heard the children's stories?" Damien asked.

"No?"

"They're children's stories, but they're based on truth, presumably. Long ago, all of the gods used to be one god. But that god grew lonely, being the only being in existence. They created many worlds over the course of their existence, but it could only create lesser beings that eventually would revere and worship the god. It wasn't what they wanted. Then they had the idea, what if I were to split myself into multiple gods? Then I could have friends that were like me."

So they split themselves into Gaia, Leviatha, Ifrit, Sol, and Thanatos?" Caelian asked.

Damien nodded. "The god created the spirit realm, designating homes for each piece of himself he was to split off. He then split himself apart based on emotions. But he balled all of his negative emotions up into a singular being, because he was worried about having too much negativity. So even though Thanatos was given reign over four different kinds of emotions, there was only one realm for them."

"Why didn't Thanatos just make new realms?" Caelian asked.

"Once the original god was split apart, the gods no longer held enough power to create new realms."

"Oh…" Caelian said softly. "Why did he split himself based on emotion? Wasn't it by the elements?"

"The elements didn't exist back then, actually," Damien said. "The gods created the elements themselves, based on their emotions. They eventually relearned the other emotions, so they were more well-rounded."

"How did they relearn them?" Caelian asked.

"Supposedly through interacting with the other gods." Damien said. "Then, as you know, they made sprites to help regulate mana. Then, like the original god, they tried making beings they could be friends with."

"Us?" Caelian asked.

Damien shook their head. "Humans came first. But being low-mana beings, they revered the gods for their powers. So the gods tried again, this time expending a bunch of their energy to make us spirits. We still revere the gods, but we're more comfortable around them. Plus there's disciples. I guess they're happy with how things are now, since they're not making any new creations."

"I see," Caelian said. "But wait, how did the humans get their own realm? The original god didn't account for them, did they?"

Damien grinned. "Correct. So here's the fun part. All of the gods worked together to create the new realm for humans. Which means, it's actually entirely possible for new realms to be made for us dark spirits. All of the gods just would need to combine their powers for it. But there's one god that refused to do so."

"Who?"

"Sol," Damien said, hate flashing in their eyes. "As the opposite element of shadow, he hates us. All light spirits snub us. It's their fault we don't have enough space."

"But why hate you?" Caelian asked.

"They're afraid of us," Damien said. "Because we can spread corruption. Light spirits are the most likely to succumb to corruption. They're cowards. They think if they can keep us down, they won't have to worry about us growing too powerful. But now look at what they've done. Our retaliation is harming even the other realms."

Caelian frowned. "There's really no way to convince Sol?"

"Thanatos has tried numerous times," Damien said. "It never got anywhere."

Caelian stared down at the ground, lost in thought. "Hey, Damien… did the original god have a name?" He asked after a while. "The other gods have names, so did he?"

"They did. They were called the Dreamer."

Caelian stopped in his tracks.

Damien gave him a funny look as they turned around. "What?"

"Nothing," Caelian said quickly before resuming his stride.

Soon, they were coming upon the base of the volcano. Caelian could see the streams of lava cascading down from the peak, glowing a hot orange and leaving the smell of smoldering rock in the air.

Caelian was surprised when Evelyn veered them away from the volcano and guided them towards a crater in the ground. This one was smaller than the one the village was nested in, and appeared to lead far down into the ground.

They followed the winding staircase down that circled around the edge of the crater. The path was lit by lanterns on the walls that glowed dimly, seemingly powered by lava. The walls were covered in various gemstones, all sparkling in the dim light, casting a multitude of colors upon them.

As they made it below ground, they found themselves in a web of tunnels. Evelyn navigated them without problem, guided only by the dim lanterns on the walls. The walls here were also covered in gemstones, leaving little dirt visible.

Eventually The tunnels opened up into a giant underground cavern that held a city. A giant slab of rock was held up by giant chains, which is what the city rested upon. Lava spilled from the sides of the cavern, flowing underneath the city and casting an eerie shadow onto everything. Glowing stones lined the streets, and the buildings appeared to be made out of iron and stone.

"Welcome to Gursthern, Scorched Land's biggest city," Evelyn said with a smile.

"Wow, it's amazing," Caelian said as he admired the city. "But where is Ifrit?"

"He further in, in cavern near back of city," Evelyn said, "He under volcano. Flies in and out."

"I've never actually heard of the city being underground," Damien admitted as he looked around, "Everything I've read just mentioned it being near the volcano."

"Wait, you haven't been here before?" Caelian asked.

"Of course not," Damien said, "You think they'd let a shadow spirit wander around by themself?"

"Wait, but… you made it sound like you have been. How did you know about the other things?" Caelian asked.

"By reading about it, like I have everything else."

"But… have you not been to any of the other realms?"

"Again, I am a shadow spirit." Damien said.

Caelian looked perplexed. Damien always seemed so knowledgeable about everything, but it had never occurred to him that it was through reading about it in books and not from first hand experience. He wondered what it was like, then, to finally get to see the places they had read about in person.

They walked through the crowded streets, still following Evelyn as she led the way through the dimly lit city. Caelian thought it almost reminded him of the Depths in a way, if the water was just lava instead. Though if he had to pick between the two of them, he'd probably pick the Depths, because of how pretty the sky was. Here there was no sky, and only dark, solid rock above them.

They made their way to the back of the city, where the crowds slowly began to thin out. By the time they reached the opening to the giant cavern Evelyn had spoken of, they were the only ones around. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnel as they walked, the hustle and bustle of the city fading behind them.

As they entered the chamber, Caelian noticed that it grew even hotter. Pools of cascading lava stood on multiple elevated levels before them, with a twisting trail that led upstairs to what looked like a giant nest. As they began to follow the trail, a voice called out to them.

"Ifrit's not here, if you were going to see him."

They turned to see a spirit sitting on the ledge of one of the lava pools, looking at them with a smile. He had glowing yellow eyes, and small lion-like ears poked out from his messy black hair. His clothing was loose and left a lot of skin exposed. They were a mixture of reds, blues and oranges. His long tail swished against the floor as he kicked his bare feet.

"Who are you?" Caelian asked.

"Oh! Is Xeke, Ifrit's disciple," Evelyn said.

"Nice to meet you," Xeke laughed as he slid off the ledge and hit the ground. "Can I ask what you're here to meet Ifrit for?"

"I'm Caelian, I'm Gaia's disciple. I'm here because I need Ifrit to purify one of my elementals that… that got corrupt," He said.

"Oh! You're Gaia's disciple! Nice to meet you! I remember when we got the messenger asking for a sprite to become an elemental," Xeke grinned. "Wow, you're pretty young for a disciple, huh?"

"I'm old enough," Caelian said defensively.

"Ahah, sorry, I didn't mean it in a rude way. You just have a really cute baby face," Seeing the look Caelian gave him, he waved his hands. "Sorry, sorry. But like I said, Ifrit isn't here right now. He's out taking care of the corruption that keeps popping up. Weird stuff, huh? And you say Riemos got corrupt as well? Poor guy."

"Yeah. Do you know when Ifrit will be back?" Caelian asked.

"Hard to say," Xeke said as he placed his chin on a fist and tilted his head slightly, "But you're free to stick around until he returns."

"Thanks, I think we will," Caelian said, "I need it done as soon as possible."

"It's weird though, I didn't know elementals could get corrupt. Obviously you aren't- you seem to be of sound mind. How did something like that happen?"

Caelian glanced over at Damien, who was looking away and examining the lava pools.

"It's… kind of a long story, but basically I got tricked by a shadow spirit."

"I see… You have a shadow spirit with you there, yeah?" Xeke said, looking over to Damien.

"It wasn't Damien- Damien's fine," Caelian said quickly.

"Oh no, sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. I'm just surprised to see one here. Not that I mind. I don't really buy into the whole 'every dark spirit is bad' spiel."

"Well aren't you progressive," Damien sarcastically mumbled, not bothering to face Xeke as he spoke. Xeke merely grinned in response.

"Anyways, make yourselves at home. Just mind the lava." Xeke said.

"Thanks," Caelian said as he held back a sigh. He really wasn't looking forward to staying around the heat, but he had little choice if he wanted to meet Ifrit as soon as possible.

The group spread out, wandering around the chamber as they examined things. Caelian noticed that Zephyr seemed to be lingering around him, but didn't think much of it.

Caelian knelt down to one of the lava pools and inspected it, squinting his eyes as the heat hit his face.

"Hey, be careful," Zephyr said from behind him.

"I am," Caelian said, "Hey, Zeph, what do you think would happen if you or I used water magic on the lava?"

"It'd just vaporize it or something, I think." Zephyr said.

"It wouldn't harden it?"

"Maybe with enough water."

Caelian turned to look at him, but his attention was caught by something else that made his stomach drop.

Though the hood concealed her mint green hair, he was able to recognize her immediately. She was standing there next to Xeke, speaking quietly while he watched her with a confused expression.

"Xeke! Get away from her!" Caelian shouted as he stood up and ran towards them.

Xeke looked over to him in surprise. Once his attention was off of her, Mimzi grabbed a hold of his arm, surprising him as he tried to jerk it back out of her grasp. A black aura surrounded Mimzi's hands, and a black ooze began to travel up Xeke's arm. Mimzi released him, stepping back as it slowly began to consume him.

"Mimzi, stop!" Damien shouted, running over to her. She ignored him, however, as she watched Xeke writhe on the ground as the ooze slowly sunk into his skin.

"Maybe it would've been better to think that all shadow spirits are bad," Mimzi said before turning and walking away.

Caelian summoned his shadow claws and leapt at Mimzi in one smooth motion. A sheet of ice sprung forth from the ground, causing him to slam into it. He glared at her through the ice, her distorted image not even bothering to turn and look at him as she kept walking.

Caelian turned his attention back to Xeke, who was still writhing on the ground. The others were gathered around him, staring down in concern. Caelian rushed over to them.

"Zeph, is there anything you can do?!" Caelian asked.

"I… I can't… do anything for this," Zephyr said. "You can't heal corruption."

"But then what do we-"

Caelian's words were cut off when a blast of heat came from Xeke's body, pushing them all back. Caelian rubbed at his face, and the next time he opened his eyes Xeke was standing up, staring down at the ground. A faint black aura could be barely seen around him, and his eyes looked dazed and unfocused.

"It's too late," Damien said. "He's corrupt. Everyone back off."

Caelian took a step back, and as soon as he did Xeke's head snapped up to face him. He extended a hand, and Caelian just barely got out of the way in time to dodge a stream of fire that came flying towards him.

"Annette," Damien said, summoning forth the small shadow sprite from their bag. She glowed with a dark aura as Damien summoned shadow chains to wrap around Xeke's arms and legs. They held him for a few moments before they slowly began to melt, turning into molten metal as they slid off.

Evelyn and Zephyr stayed back, Evelyn quaking in fear while Zephyr was trying to calm her down.

"Shit. Caelian! This is a disciple, he's going to be a lot stronger than the other corrupt spirits we've come across," Damien called. "Be careful!"

Caelian frowned. He had little to no combat experience, and as a disciple, he had very little of Gaia's power. He doubted he was any match for Xeke, but he'd have to do his best.

He jumped in surprise when he felt heat coming through the bottoms of his boots, and just barely leapt away as the ground beneath him melted away into molten rock. Xeke stared at him as fire enveloped his hands, forming claws made of fire.

He leapt towards him, slashing out with his fiery claws. Caelian got caught on the arm, yelping in pain as they seared into his sleeve and cut into his flesh. He stumbled away, leaving himself open for another attack that slashed through his other arm and caused him to tumble onto the ground. He rolled away in time to avoid being gutted by another strike, and he jumped back up.

He tried to get close enough to slash at Xeke with his own claws, but was promptly kicked in the stomach and sent rolling. He flinched as the fiery claws were brought down upon his face, but opened his eyes in surprise when he heard a sizzling noise. A water shield had formed around him, and Iaestia materialized next to him. The fiery claws were caught on the outside of the shield, causing the water to sputter and vaporize as Xeke struggled to cut through it. Caelian jumped up just in time for when the shield broke and Xeke's claws smashed into the ground.

Caelian staggered backward, pausing to look at Iaestia as she circled around him. He had never used her abilities to attack before, but it looked like it was time to try.

Concentrating, he motioned forward as a blast of water erupted from Iaestia, slamming into Xeke and pushing him backwards. Caelian used this opportunity to rush forward and slam into him, knocking him over as Caelian pinned him down to the ground.

Xeke easily kicked Caelian off and pinned him down on his stomach. Caelian struggled to get up, before, to his surprise, his Toxin elemental materialized next to him. Vines shot up from the ground and grabbed onto Xeke, pulling him back off and allowing Caelian to pin him back against the ground.

Xeke struggled against the vines as the thorns dug into his skin. Caelian could see them starting to melt from the searing heat his body put off, and he posed himself to strike. He held his claws up, ready to end it, when he hesitated. Just a few moments ago he had seen Xeke laughing and joking around. He seemed so happy. Why did he have to become corrupt? Was there really no other way than killing him?

"Caelian!" Damien shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Xeke had reached up and grabbed onto his throat, and Caelian could feel his skin starting to burn. In a panic, he used his claws to slash at Xeke's throat, but the spirit was quick to block it with his arm that was covered in hardened lava. Caelian jumped up and backwards, ripping himself away from Xeke's grasp. He stumbled in his panic, and within an instant Xeke had him pinned down. Caelian's eyes were wide, unsure as to what Xeke was going to do as he lifted his hand, when a blazing inferno shot out from somewhere on the left, knocking Xeke off of him.

Caelian lied there for a few seconds, momentarily stunned. When he turned his head, he saw Damien and Zephyr staring at Evelyn, who was standing there, shaking violently with her arm raised.

Xeke stood up, shaking his head as embers flew off of him. He looked up at Evelyn, who was still shaking as she stared back at him. Fire covered his body, before erupting into an inferno, the heat causing a blast that sent Caelian tumbling along the around, and slamming Zephyr and Damien into a wall. Evelyn shielded her face from the heat, her claws digging into the ground to keep herself in place. When she lowered her arms, she saw Xeke charging at her.

She yelped as she leapt out of the way as Xeke swung at her. He went to swing at her again when a blast of fire sent him stumbling backwards. Being a fire spirit, it did little damage to him, but the force was enough to knock the breath out of him. Another immediate blast of fire knocked him to the ground.

Just as Xeke started to get up, a waterfall began to pour down onto him, causing the spirit to slam down onto his stomach. Evelyn looked over to see that Caelian had stood back up and was commanding Iaestia.

Xeke struggled to push himself up against the torrential downpour. It eventually petered out, with Iaestia growing tired. As Xeke began to stand again, he was caught in an inferno sent by Evelyn. It crackled wildly as it raged, but Xeke managed to stand regardless.

Xeke's focus still appeared to be on Evelyn. He ran towards her, just as she brandished claws made out of fire and swiped them across his face. He flinched as blood splattered out from four deep gashes to his face. He tackled her to the ground, and they rolled as Evelyn kicked and bit at him.

"Evelyn"! Caelian called. His toxin elemental glowed as vines sprung out of the earth and wrapped around one of Xeke's legs, thorns digging into his dig as he was yanked off of Evelyn and hung into the air. Xeke swung up and cut the vines with his claws, causing him to fall back to the ground.

Caelian was surprised when Evelyn launched herself at him, her teeth clamping down onto his tail. He snarled as he kicked her in the side, causing her to roll away. He jumped down onto her, pinning her down as the two of them slashed at each other, ripping into skin and flesh as they fought.

Caelian's mind was racing. What did he do? Iaestia was tired out, ice melted and vines burned. Every time he tried to attack with his shadow claws he couldn't get close enough. What else did he have to use? What other element would be useful in this situation?

His stomach churned when he came up with an idea.

He reached out as the electric red lantern materialized beside him. A scream erupted from the lantern, causing him to flinch as a red aura shot out from it. It zipped towards Xeke, who had little chance to avoid it. The aura absorbed into him, causing him to freeze. Evelyn stared up at him as he fell off of her, convulsing onto the ground before he stilled. His breathing was heavy, and he kicked his legs as he was trapped in the nightmare that was his illusion.

Caelian slowly walked over to him as Evelyn stood up. She gave Caelian a pitiful look at they looked at each other. He didn't want to. But there was no alternative. Corrupt spirits couldn't be healed. He took a deep breath, pushing his feelings aside as he brandished his claws. Evelyn's ears lowered as she stepped back and looked away. He knelt down and stabbed Xeke in the chest.

The spirit convulsed as blood dripped out of the wound around Caelian's claws. He died quietly, not knowing what happened to him. Caelian removed his claws from the spirit's chest, willing the shadow claws to disappear in a sickly ooze, leaving behind only the blood on his hand.

Zephyr and Damien rushed over to them.

"Are you alright?" Zephyr asked. He gently placed his hands on the burns on Caelian's neck and began to heal him.

"I'm fine," Caelian said with a wince.

"And Evelyn?" Zephyr asked.

"Evelyn is fine," She said quietly, still looking away from Xeke's body. "But… Xeke…"

"I know… I'm sorry, Ev, I didn't want to," Caelian said as Zephyr motioned for him to sit. He sat down, and pulled down his coat just enough so that Zephyr could get to the slash marks on his arms.

"Ev is hurt too, Zeph. Make sure you tend to her." Caelian said.

"I will," Zephyr said as the wounds slowly began to close on Caelian's arms.

"I can't believe you actually used fire," Damien said as they looked at Evelyn.

"Evelyn couldn't just let Birdie get hurt…" She mumbled softly.

"But you attacked him after that, too," Caelian said as he looked up at her. "That was brave."

Evelyn nodded, seeming lost in thought.

Caelian looked over his elementals that still hung around him. Iaestia, Toxin, and Fear. He wondered why his dark spirits kept helping him unprompted. They were corrupt, weren't they? But they helped him and listened to his orders. Just what was he supposed to think of them?

For the first time, he wondered if the dark elementals even had names. If he asked, would they respond? Lost in thought, he didn't notice the beating of wings as they approached from above.

Chapter 20: Ifrit

Ifrit landed on the edge of the uppermost lava pool, gazing down at the spirits below him. His wings and tail glimmered radiantly, flames rolling off of them with dignity. His eyes blazed like fire, as did his long, side-swept hair. Black, slightly curled horns sprouted from the dark skin on his forehead. He wore a necklace with a sapphire inlay, of which fire sprouted from. His clothing choice was incredibly simple and not at all eye catching, for he only wore a pair of tan, baggy, tied off shorts.

"What happened here?" He asked. He gazed down at the lifeless body next to Caelian, unsure what to think.

"I-Ifrit…" Caelian stuttered out. "I- I'm sorry, he got corrupt, I… I had to…"

Ifrit jumped from the ledge, gracefully gliding down to them. He shrunk as he neared the ground, until he was a more normal size. Taller than the average spirit, he stood a few inches taller than Damien and Zephyr. He stepped over to where Xeke's body lay, as Caelian nervously stepped away.

"Oh, Xeke…" He said mournfully. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you." He turned his attention to Caelian. "Don't be afraid, I sense you have no ill intent. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Caelian. I'm Gaia's disciple."

"Oh, yes. I remember hearing of you. It feels like only yesterday I sent Riemos to the Eternal Forest…" He paused as he looked down at Xeke.

"I- I'm sorry I had to kill him," Caelian said. Ifrit shook his head.

"No, it's I that should be sorry. It's my duty to protect the denizens of the Scorched Lands, and I failed at protecting the one closest to me. Tell me, how did he come to be corrupt?"

"It was a shadow spirit. She corrupted Gaia and the Eternal Forest, too," Caelian said. "She's behind the corruption here as well. She-" Caelian paused, turning around and examining the chamber. She wasn't still here, was she?"

Sensing Caelian's uncertainty, Ifrit reached out with his power, sensing his surroundings. He searched the chamber, and out into the city.

"The only shadow spirit I sense is this one here," He said, motioning towards Damien, "But I assume this one is your friend."

"Damien is friend! They'd never do anything so awful!" Evelyn said. Damien remained silent as they stared at the ground.

"It was a shadow spirit with green hair," Caelian said. "Um… I'd be careful, she might try corrupting you as well."

"I see," Ifrit sighed. "I suppose now it's possible. With Xeke gone, so is a large percentage of my power. Though it pains me, thank you for putting him out of his misery. It's for the better that I didn't meet him while he was corrupt, as it could have more easily transferred over to me."

Caelian frowned. He wondered then, if Gaia had more easily become corrupt because of him. He watched as Ifrit knelt down and placed a hand on Xeke. Ifrit closed his eyes, and Xeke's body slowly began to fade.

"Thank you for your service, my friend. Forgive me. May you have safe travels to the afterlife," Ifrit said. He stood, and Xeke's body turned to a fiery dust as it faded away.

"What will you do now, Ifrit?" Evelyn asked with concern.

"I will need to find a new disciple as soon as possible," He said. "If there remains someone out there that is seeking to corrupt me, it's imperative I regain my strength."

"It'd probably be a good idea to stop using your energy on purifying the land," Damien said as they finally looked up from the ground. "I think that's what Mimzi was getting at. She's trying to make you spend as much energy as possible so that when you're exhausted she can strike."

"You may be right. However, I simply cannot allow my people to suffer under corruption."

"Which is more useful to your people: A dead god or one that's alive?"

"Damien," Zephyr said under his breath.

"You have a point, my shadow spirit friend," Ifrit said. "However, as god of the Scorched Lands, I'll simply have to manage."

Damien shrugged. "It's your choice. I just don't want to see anything bad happen here."

"And I thank you for your concern. I will have to hold an audience with the people and discuss such matters."

"You're that open with them?" Damien asked.

"I exist to serve them. Of course I value transparency. It will be necessary for everyone to gather so that I may select a new disciple as soon as possible." Ifrit sighed. "Normally I wouldn't choose a new one so quickly, but it seems I'm left with little choice."

"Ifrit has always spoken to us directly," Evelyn said, "Is why he is so close to city! Big perch for him to talk from, too!"

"As for other matters," Ifrit said as he turned to Caelian. "I assume you had reason to come here."

"It's about Riemos," Caelian said, looking embarrassed as he spoke to the god of fire. "The same shadow spirit that's been causing problems here caused problems in the Eternal Forest, and… well…"

He motioned to the crackling red elemental that hung in the air beside him. Ifrit gave it a curious look.

"I… got corrupt. My elementals, at least. I need you to purify Riemos. I've had Gaia and Leviatha purify Nyxidae and Iaestia - my nature and water elementals - and now I've come to you to help Riemos."

"I see," Ifrit said as he gently took a hold of the lantern. "Fascinating. You both are and aren't corrupt, and yet you have your mind about you."

"Are and aren't?" Caelian asked.

"Has anyone ever told you why you can't feel emotions, Caelian?" Ifrit asked as he turned the elemental over in his hands.

Caelian frowned. Please don't say it's because I'm a halfie, he thought to himself. Seeing the uncertain look on his face, Ifrit gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's because you have no elemental energy flowing through your body," Ifrit said. Seeing the confused look Caelian had on his face, he elaborated, "Everyone inherently has elemental energy flowing through their veins. It's what allows us to feel emotion. Even humans have this trait. For spirits, the energy we have the most of is what decides what element we belong to. A fire spirit will have fire energy running through their veins, yes, but they will also have trace amounts of the other elements. You lack this."

"So… My elementals are a replacement for that?" Caelian asked.

"Your elementals are this," Ifrit said, "And that's what makes this so fascinating. When a spirit becomes corrupt, it's their elemental energy that becomes corrupt. Their emotions go haywire. Essentially, you are corrupt because your elementals- your own elemental energy- are corrupt. However, since your elemental energy exists outside your body, you've been spared suffering the ill effects of corruption."

Caelian noticed that as soon as Ifrit had started talking about elementals, Damien had gotten their notepad out and began to furiously scribble things down.

"How did you know I can't feel emotion, though?" Caelian asked.

"I learned of it when Gaia asked for a sprite to become an elemental for her disciple. Now then, allow me to purify Riemos here."

Caelian took a step back as Ifrit closed his eyes. A moment later the glass shattered. It was a familiar scene by now, but it still made Caelian feel nervous. The glass mended back together, and within seconds the lantern set ablaze. A fiery aura shot out of the lantern as magma filled the bottom of the glass. Caelian felt his stomach jump as his heart filled with an emotion he sorely missed.

"Riemos!" He cried as the lantern shot out from Ifrit's grasp and hurdled tow

It was then that the other familiar feeling hit him. He felt dazed, and the world around him began to spin. He managed to sit in time before he passed out, only falling a short distance as his head knocked against the ground. Zephyr and Evelyn immediately rushed over. Zephyr gently sat Caelian up, supporting him with a frown.

"Oh dear," Ifrit frowned as a concerned look crossed his face. "Is he alright?"

"He will be," Zephyr said Caelian. It knocked into him, and Caelian happily embraced the lantern with a laugh.

"Happen every time elemental gets purified," Evelyn said.

"Hmm… I see," Ifrit said as he rubbed his chin, "It must take a lot out of him, understandably. Bring him here, he can rest in Xeke's old abode until he wakes."

Caelian woke in the familiar blue-hued forest. His head felt light as he sat up. Grass was stuck in his hair, and dirt stuck to the side of his face. He brushed off his cheek before standing up and looking around at the forest that surrounded him.

"Hello?" He called. He frowned when he got no answer. Was the Dreamer ignoring him?

"Hello," He called again as he stepped through the underbrush. He took a few more steps before a pathway opened up before him. He hesitated a moment before following it.

He was led to a clearing where he found someone he recognized instantly. Xeke was looking around, seeming frightened and confused. When he saw Caelian he frowned, his eyes big as he stared.

"Xeke…" Caelian said quietly. "I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Xeke said softly. "You did what you had to do. But… this place… is this really the afterlife? It feels so… lonely."

Caelian frowned. He hadn't considered that. When he thought of the afterlife he thought of somewhere peaceful, sure, but Xeke was right. This place felt eerily lonely.

"Wait... why are you here?" Xeke asked with sudden realization, "I… I didn't kill you, did I?"

"No," Caelian said, "I'll be fine, don't worry about it."

Xeke seemed confused, but accepted his answer. "Will you stay with me for a bit, then? I… I don't want to be alone here."

Caelian felt pitiful for the ex fire disciple. He remembered him laughing and joking around, but now his sad appearance broke Caelian's heart. Why did things have to turn out this way? He clenched his fists. That shadow spirit, Mimzi, would pay for everything she's done.

"Caelian?" Xeke asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Caelian said quickly. "I'll stay as long as I can, don't worry. Here, why don't we walk for a bit?"

"Walk where?" Xeke asked as Caelian took the lead.

"Anywhere," Caelian said as he took a step into the underbrush, causing it to open up before him. He wasn't sure why, but he could feel something tugging him in that direction. A ghostly sensation that spoke to him, willing him to follow it's words.

The two walked in silence for a long while, until, to Caelian's surprise, they reached the end of the forest. It opened into a plateau, where a city stood. Unlike the forest's ethereal feeling, the city felt alive. Caelian could see many spirits traversing the streets of gold, walking in between the pure white buildings. Windmills turned gently in the breeze that picked up, and for the first time Caelian heard noises that weren't just of his own footsteps. He heard laughter ringing through the air.

Xeke looked in awe at the city, taking a step forward. "What is that…?"

"It's where you're supposed to go, I think," Caelian said. Xeke looked back at him with uncertainty.

"I never really considered what the afterlife was like," Xeke said as he gazed back upon the city. "But I wouldn't have guessed it was like this."

"I wouldn't have, either," Caelian admitted. "It must not be too bad, though."

"I… Guess this is it, then," Xeke said, still staring at the city. He looked back to Caelian with a soft smile. "Thanks for walking with me, I think I'll be alright now."

"Of course!" Caelian grinned. "I hope you'll be able to get used to things here."

"It might take a while," Xeke said. "But I think I will."

He walked forward, leaving Caelian behind as he headed towards the city. He hesitated a moment, before turning back to face him.

"Tell Ifrit thank you for the time we had together!" He called, getting misty eyed.

"I will!" Caelian said.

"Thank you. Goodbye, Caelian!" Xeke said before turning and walking off. Caelian watched him slowly fade until the world around him became a pure white.

"Well done," A voice said as it echoed around him.

"Why did you have me take him there?" Caelian asked.

"It can be comforting to have someone you remember in the mortal realm with you when passing over," The Dreamer said. "Since you were already here, I thought it'd be nice for him."

"I guess so," Caelian said. "Do I get to wake up now?"

"Yes," The Dreamer said. "You may."

Caelian's eyes felt heavy as he slowly opened them. He wasn't surprised anymore to find himself waking up in a bed. It seemed to have become the norm after every purification. Feeling a presence next to him, he turned to see Zephyr resting on the edge of the bed. His head was lying on top of his arms, and he looked peaceful as he slept.

Caelian yawned as he looked around the room. It was cluttered, with clothing strewn about the floor and furniture. Squinting at a clock on the wall, he saw that it was around 4am. That was probably the earliest he's ever woken up in his entire life.

He slowly sat up and scooted his legs over to the side of the bed. This motion caused Zephyr to wake, and he looked at Caelian with bleary eyes before smiling.

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning," He said.

"Good morning," Caelian said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up…"

"It's fine," Zephyr said with a yawn. He scooted over to allow Caelian room to get off the bed.

Caelian stood and walked over to where he had seen his boots and jacket. "You don't have to take these off for me when I pass out, you know," He said as he began to lace his boots.

"Oh, do you not want me to?" Zephyr frowned. "Sorry."

"Oh, it's not that I don't want you to. You just don't have to, you know? I usually sleep with them on, anyways."

"I just wanted you to be comfortable," Zephyr said.

Caelian stood and tugged on his coat. "Thank you. How long was I out this time?"

"Not as long as last time. Just a few hours."

"Oh, that's an improvement I guess," Caelian laughed. When he looked over to Zephyr, he noticed that he was staring at him. "What?"

"O-oh, nothing, sorry," Zephyr said, a huge grin spreading across his face. "So, Damien said as soon as you're up we need to discuss how we're meant to get to the Highlands."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr stood up from the floor. "You'll see," He said.

Caelian opened the door and stepped out into the next room. Zephyr followed him as he walked through the short hallway and into the front room. Damien was sitting in a chair reading a book. Upon noticing them, they closed it and put it in his bag. Evelyn was sleeping on the couch, snoring as drool dripped down onto the cushion.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Damien mumbled.

"See what?" Caelian asked.

"You wake up before 1pm," They said.

"Well, why are you up? This should be early for anyone," Caelian said.

"I don't think he sleeps," Zephyr murmured, earning a surprised look from Caelian.

Damien rolled their eyes. "I do sleep. I just wasn't very tired tonight, so I woke up. It's fine."

Zephyr walked over and gently shook Evelyn, causing her to whine as she rolled over. Damien sighed.

"It's fine, leave her be. So. Do you remember what I said before about entering the Highlands?" Damien asked.

"Uh… Not really?" Caelian said. "Had you mentioned it before?"

"You have to be able to fly."

"Oh… right."

"So," Damien said as they leaned back into the couch, "We're not going to be able to accompany you this time."

Caelian gave him a blank stare.

"Why not?" He asked.

Damien gave him an incredulous look.

"Because we don't have wings. We can't fly like you can." They said.

There was a long, awkward pause. Caelian shrunk a bit.

"I can't fly," He mumbled inaudibly.

"What?" Damien sighed. "I can't hear you."

"I… I don't know how to fly."

There was another long pause. Zephyr and Damien were both staring at him, making him grow hot. Evelyn sleepily sat up on the couch and rubbed at one of her eyes.

"You're joking, right?" Damien asked in a flat tone.

"I… I never learned how-"

"You have. Six wings. And you don't know how to fly?" Damien pinched his nose.

"I'm sorry," Caelian said quietly. He was being reminded of a certain someone, except Damien felt a lot more judgemental about it.

"Well, I hope you're fine with having three out of four elementals purified." Damien said.

"W-what? No, I need all of them!"

"Well then you better start flapping and get your ass up to the highlands," Damien said as they stood up.

"But…!" Caelian deflated.

"Damien, come on," Zephyr said, "There has to be another way."

"None of us can fly," Damien snapped, "How exactly do you expect us to get up there?"

"Pardon my intrusion,"

Everyone turned to look as Ifrit walked in through the door.

"I believe I may be able to help with your predicament."

Chapter 21: The Highlands

Caelian stared at the fiery bird with uncertainty. It glowed and flickered, though Caelian couldn't feel any heat emitting from the fire it or the others put out.

"I don't know about this," Zephyr said with a frown, "Is it safe to ride on a bird?"

"You'll be perfectly safe, I assure you." Ifrit said.

The group had traveled up to the surface and back to the human realm. Ifrit had even left the Scorched Lands temporarily, as he had summoned four phoenixes that the group was supposed to ride into the sky. Everyone seemed a bit hesitant.

"Are you sure you still want to come with us, Ev?" Caelian asked as he looked over to Evelyn. "You don't have to search for that fake flower anymore… You can stay home and be safe."

"Evelyn thought about it," She said as she looked over to Caelian. "Evelyn thought a lot about it… and Evelyn decided she wants to keep traveling with Birdie and friends for now."

"Why, though?" Zephyr asked.

"Because Evelyn wants to help!" She said. "And… And Evelyn tired of being a coward. Fighting is scary. Evelyn not like it. But she want to help her friends. Evelyn can't be afraid of her own powers anymore. So Evelyn wants to stay friends and learn to be brave, like Caelian."

"Aw, I'm not that brave," Caelian said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You are!" Evelyn said, lifting her arms up and clenching her fists. "Caelian super brave! Does whatever it takes to get elementals purified! Evelyn want to be like that!"

Zephyr laughed. "Then I'm sure you'll get there someday, Ev."

"Evelyn hopes so…" She pouted.

Ifrit nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, Evelyn. I'm sure your fire powers will help them out tremendously."

Evelyn grinned. "Evelyn will do her best!"

"Now, as for these phoenixes…" Ifrit said as he turned towards them. "Don't worry about being burned by them. They appear to be made out of fire, but they're actually quite cool to the touch. They're excellent flyers. They'll get you to the Highlands in no time at all."

"I don't know why you summoned four of them," Damien said. "I won't be going."

"Huh? Why not?" Caelian asked as he looked over to them. "You have to!"

Damien snorted. "I have to do nothing. I'd be an idiot to go step into the Highlands."

"Why?"

"Is it not obvious?" Damien sighed. "How often do you forget that I'm a shadow spirit?"

"Well… Honestly, it's not something I think about a lot," Caelian admitted.

"My kind doesn't get along with stuffy celestial spirits. I don't feel like getting attacked."

"But surely not all of them are like that, right?" Caelian asked. "Just like how not all shadow spirits are like… are like Mimzi."

Damien glared at him. "This is different," Damien said as they wrinkled their nose.

"I'll tell them off if they do anything," Caelian said. "Come on, Damien!"

"No."

"If you don't come in not helping you with your elemental studies anymore!"

"Then don't."

Everyone looked shocked. Caelian stared at them. Were they being serious? Damien was looking away from him, nervously fidgeting with their hands. What were they so afraid of?

"But… But Damien," Caelian whined.

"You're really giving up, just like that?" Zephyr asked in amazement."

"You have to come!" Caelian said. "When's the next time you'll find a light elemental, huh?"

"I've got enough data on them by now," Damien said.

"But you have no data on celestial elementals," Caelian said.

Damien glared at him.

"... I really hate you right now," They mumbled. "Fine, I'll go."

"Aw, so you liked me before?" Caelian asked with a grin. He quickly stepped back when a blast of shadow magic hit the spot where he was standing before.

"Don't push it," Damien said.

"Damien!" Evelyn chided. But Caelian smiled to himself as he turned away.

"Thank you for helping us," He said as he looked towards Ifrit.

"Of course," Ifrit said with a smile.

Caelian was the first to climb onto the back of a phoenix. It squawked as he sat down. He was careful to avoid sitting directly on its wings. It felt awkward, and he had to hang on by its neck as it stood and spread out its wings. It was a large bird, and despite there being flames dancing around Caelian, he wasn't burned. As Ifrit had said, they were cool to the touch.

Evelyn was the next to climb onto a phoenix, followed by Damien, and finally Zephyr. Caelian's phoenix beat its wings, easily lifting off of the ground even with the extra weight. All of the phoenixes rose to the sky, flying up towards the sun.

Caelian looked in awe at the view around them. He could see far, much further than he could while standing on the top of the Great Tree. The wind felt nice as it blew through his feathers, and it made him wish that he knew how to fly himself. It felt fun.

"So what exactly is the Highland's entrance, anyways?" Caelian called out over the buffeting wind.

"Rising above the clouds," Damien called back. "Everyone start channeling their mana or it won't work."

Caelian was glad that Damien had previously shown him how to channel his mana. It was like how he summoned his shadow claws. This time, he let it flow through his body as they rose through the sky.

The birds seemed to know exactly where they were going and what to do, as it was only a few moments later that they shot through the clouds, rising above the sea of white. Caelian's eyes widened at what they saw above the clouds: A floating city of gold. Marble pillars stood on fluffy clouds, and intricately designed pathways of gold formed into stairs that connected the varying levels of the city. It was a huge mass that soared through the sky, sparkling like a beacon of light.

"How does it stay floating?!" Caelian asked. Damien merely shrugged. Caelian couldn't help but notice that they looked nervous. He frowned. Maybe he shouldn't have made them come along.

The phoenixes glided through the air gracefully as they came upon the city. Caelian noticed that they were flying towards a platform that was guarded by a golden gate. They landed softly, folding their wings against their back as they lowered themselves to the ground.

"Thank you," Caelian said as he carefully slid off of the bird's back. "We'll need a way back down once we're done here. Would you mind waiting for us?"

The bird nodded, understanding his words. The others dismounted their birds as Caelian looked towards the gates. They were tall and ornately crafted from what looked to be pure gold. Caelian guessed they were mostly just for show, as anyone could just fly over the top of them.

"The city looks gorgeous," Caelian said as he observed it from a lower vantage point.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just do what we came here for," Damien said as they walked up alongside Caelian.

Caelian looked over to them with a frown. They really were on edge, their eyes darting everywhere as they tapped their foot on the ground. It was so unlike them. But he tried to not mind it as he led the way through the gates into the city.

Damien stayed closed to Caelian, keeping their head down as they traversed the golden streets. Clouds formed into trees lined the walkways, and the buildings were made out of gold and marble. Clouds formed arches and bridges, being solid enough to step on without sinking.

As they walked, Caelian noticed that they were getting two kinds of looks from passersby. The first were curious looks aimed at which, the reasoning for which he was uncertain of. The others were the looks of surprise and open hostility when they saw Damien. Spirits halted upon seeing them, staring as they walked by. This annoyed Caelian. Why were they so hostile towards dark spirits?

"Just ignore them," Caelian mumbled.

"Trying my best to," Damien mumbled, a clear edge to their voice.

Caelian paused at a crossroads. He wasn't really sure where Sol would be. It didn't seem to be like an obvious location. All of the buildings here were large and fancy looking. Should he ask someone? Would they talk to someone that wasn't a celestial spirit?

Caelian didn't get the chance to ask anyone when a blast of light magic came hurtling at them, straight towards Damien. They ducked just in time for it to go sailing over their head, and a moment later they were tackled to the ground by a celestial spirit.

"Disgusting shadow spirit!" He yelled as Damien grabbed both of their wrists and held them away from them. "What are you doing here?!"

Caelian was stunned into inaction, but Zephyr and Evelyn quickly scrambled to yank the celestial spirit off of Damien, throwing him onto the ground. Caelian quickly shook his head, snapping out of his trance before standing in front of Damien as they sat up. More celestial spirits surrounding them, giving Caelian questioning looks.

"Why are you defending it?" Someone asked him. "Step out of the way!"

"Why are you attacking them?!" Caelian snapped. "They haven't done anything to you!"

"No, but they will!" Someone else said.

The celestial spirit that was thrown to the ground stood up with a sneer. "Why is someone from the royal family protecting a shadow spirit?! Is there something wrong with your head, boy?!"

"The royal family? What is that?" Caelian asked.

"I've never seen him before," Someone said as they eyed Caelian.

"Royal family or not, get him out of the way and kill that damn shadow spirit before it corrupts us all!"

Damien stood up, their legs shaky and obvious fear written over their face. They should have never come here. It was stupid to agree to it. Caelian glared at the celestial spirits before them as Evelyn and Zephyr stood on either side of Damien. What was wrong with these people?

As one of the celestial spirits tried to shove his way past Caelian, he summoned Nyxidae. Vines sprouted out from the clouds, surprising everyone as they wrapped around the Celestial spirit's leg and whipped him backwards.

Another celestial spirit took to the air, flying over Caelian and shooting light magic down towards Damien and the others. Caelian stepped back and summoned Iaestia, who quickly protected them with a bubble shield. The blast of light slammed into the shield, dissipating into the air as it bounced away.

"How can he use the other elements?!" Someone asked. Caelian looked over to them. He wasn't going to explain what an elemental was to these people.

As more spirits began to surround them, Zephyr and Evelyn began shooting out water and fire magic to keep them back. Zephyr's attacks did little to nothing, while the heat from Evelyn's fire was more than enough to keep them back, despite the fact she trembled violently as she used it.

Caelian was caught off guard when a celestial spirit stepped forward and put him into a headlock, dragging him down towards the ground. He kicked at the spirit, grunting as he summoned his shadow claws. The spirits around him gasped.

"He's corrupt! He's corrupt, that's why he's with the shadow spirit!"

Caelian pause. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to use his shadow abilities. But it was too late now. He slashed at the spirit that held him, causing them to back off.

"Someone get Athena! Get Athena!"

Caelian saw some celestial spirits fly off in a panic. He didn't know who Athena was, but he had a bad feeling.

"We need to go," He said as he stepped back towards Damien. "We'll figure something else out, we need to get out of here. Get back to the phoenixes."

"Fine by me," Damien said as they stepped back and ran. Caelian and the others followed them, with Caelian catching up to take the lead.

"Don't let them get away!" Someone called.

Caelian stopped dead in his tracks when some celestial spirits flew down and landed in front of them. Damien stopped beside him, gritting their teeth.

"Fuck this. Annette!" They called. Annette flew out of their bag, hovering in the air as she began to glow a dark purple. A long serpent popped out of Damien's shadow, reeling back and hissing at the spirits in front of them. They stared up at it in fear, taking a few steps back before it launched itself at them, biting down onto the top half of one of the spirits. They screamed as the serpent threw them away, as the other spirits ran for cover.

Caelian continued to charge forward, Damien following as the serpent melted away into a puddle of black ooze. Zephyr and Evelyn were close behind them.

They had almost made it back to where the phoenixes were when they stopped short. A line of armored spirits stood before them, stoney stares etched into their faces. Caelian's stomach sank. What were they, guards?

"Where is it?!" A voice called from above. Caelian looked up to see a celestial spirit with six, fluffy white wings hovering above them. "Where is the shadow spirit?!"

Her bright blue eyes scanned the group before her. They momentarily narrowed at Damien before she noticed Caelian. Seeing the six wings on his back, her heart skipped a beat. She stared down at him, her eyes wide.

"You…" She whispered.

She landed quickly, her feet barely making a sound as they hit the ground. She was tall and thin, with pale skin. Her blonde hair was long and pushed out of her face, falling down near her waist. She wore a simple white dress with a sheer overlay accented with a gold belt, and black gladiator boots with a high heel. Gold jewelry adorned her neck, arms and ears.

She stepped towards Caelian, who readied himself to fight. But he noticed that the woman wasn't displaying any signs of aggression. She was staring at him, not Damien. She took another step forward, barely remembering to breathe as he examined his face.

"You," She said quietly, "What is your name?"

Caelian furrowed his eyebrows. Why did she want to know? Was it a good idea to answer that question?"

"Answer me!" She demanded. "What is your name?!"

"... Caelian," He said.

She stared at him. Caelian's was caught off guard when her eyes began to water, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at him.

"It's you," She whispered. "It's really you."

"What do you-" Caelian was cut off, his eyes widening as she ran at him. He was about to attack when she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly. He stood there in shock, not able to do anything as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Athena, what are you doing?!" One of the guards called.

"Stand down!" She said, lifting her head to look at them.

"He's corrupt!"

"He is no such thing!" She said. "If any of you harm him you'll answer to me!"

Damien, Zephyr and Evelyn were all staring at her with wide eyes. Caelian finally snapped back to his senses, pushing her away from him.

"What are you doing?!" He asked.

Athena looked at him with a soft expression. "I don't expect you to recognize me. I've only seen you once, when you were a baby," She said. "But I recognize you. I never thought I'd see you again."

"What… what are you talking about?"

Athena gently grabbed a hold of his shoulders as she stared into his eyes. "You're Caelian. You're my nephew. You're the son of Apollo, my brother."

Caelian stared at her. "I… I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person."

The woman shook her head. "No, I'm certain. I remember your wings," She said as she reached out and gently ran her fingers through his feathers. "Three black and three white. They were so small back then. You were so small. You've grown into such a handsome young man."

"I… I'm sorry, but I'm a nature spirit."

"No, you're not. Is that where you've been all this time? The Eternal Forest? Look," She outstretched her own six wings, "You have seraph wings. Only the spirits in our family have them."

"I'm not a celestial spirit!" Caelian snapped as he ran out of patience. He pulled away from the woman, leaving her looking at him with surprise. "Just because you have six wings means nothing! A lot of spirits have wings!"

The woman held her hands against her chest as she gazed upon Caelian with sadness. "No. Only those related to the Celestial god, Sol, have six wings."

Caelian stared at her. Related to the Celestial god, Sol…? Just what was she saying?

"... Caelian," Damien said in a measured tone, "I think she may be right."

"How do you know?" Caelian asked as he turned to face them.

"It's something I've always been curious about, but I thought maybe I was wrong… You didn't seem like them, and you always said you were a nature spirit… but… it's true that only Sol's descendants have six wings."

Caelian felt sick. It was like his world had just turned upside down, and he refused to believe it. There was no way. There simply wasn't. He was a nature spirit. He wasn't a celestial spirit. He couldn't be. But then… if he were to believe it… If he was a celestial spirit, did that mean…?

"Does… does that mean my parents are here?" Caelian couldn't help but ask.

Caelian's stomach dropped when the woman's face fell. "Oh, Caelian… I'm sorry, but your father passed long ago."

Caelian looked down at the ground. "How?" He asked.

"Nobody knows," The woman said softly. "We hadn't seen him for years. We only know because Sol could sense it."

"Wait, so you don't actually know for sure?"

"No, it is certain."

"But-" Caelian deflated. "And… a mom?"

The woman hesitated. "Your father wouldn't tell me who your mother was."

Caelian furrowed his brows. What was that supposed to mean? Maybe his mom was a nature spirit? No, that's wrong. Both of his parents were nature spirits. It couldn't be any other way. He wasn't a celestial spirit. He wasn't.

His thoughts were interrupted when the woman gently took his hand. "Come with me to the palace," She said, "Please, let me show you your home."

Caelian quickly retracted his hand. "My home is the Eternal Forest," He said, leaving her looking hurt.

"Caelian, don't we need to go there anyways?" Zephyr said quietly.

Caelian paused. Sol. The palace. That's where this realm's god was located.

"Were you heading to the palace?" The woman asked.

"It's a lot to explain, but we need to see Sol. Caelian needs to ask a favor from him," Zephyr said when Caelian remained quietly staring at the ground.

"Then please! Come!" She begged.

"Fine, we'll go," Caelian said, finally relenting.

"We?" She asked, glancing over Caelian's friends. "I… I'm not sure bringing a shadow spirit to the palace would-"

"Either they come too or I'm not going."

There was a pause.

"... I'll ensure their safety, then." She said.

"Caelian," Damien said in a harsh whisper. "There's no way in hell I'm going to the six-wing's palace."

Caelian turned to look at them. "Why not? If it's where Sol is, it's where we have to go."

"Because they-"

"Come along, then," Athena interrupted as she took Caelian's hand and began to lead him away. He looked back to Damien with a frown.

Evelyn and Zephyr both looked at each other before they slowly began to follow Caelian. Damien, not wanting to be left alone, had little choice but to run after them.

Athena led the group to the palace, which was bigger than Caelian could have imagined. The construction was similar to that of a greek palace, if it was on top of fluffy white clouds. Raised walkways connected different parts of the building, supported by multiple marble pillars.

She led them up a winding pathway that delivered them to the palace's entrance. They walked inside, and Caelian was again in awe. Statues and pottery lined the walls, along with shelves of trinkets and other items.

"The palace is home to all of our family," Athena said as they walked down one of the hallways. "Not many of us move out, and instead choose to stay here. We're all very close with each other."

"Sounds obnoxious," Damien muttered. Athena either didn't hear them or chose to ignore them.

"Everything so pretty and elegant!" Evelyn gushed, "Evelyn would love to live here!"

Athena let out a giggle, "I'm glad you like it. What do you think, Caelian?"

"It… Looks nice," Caelian said, struggling to find words. "Um, sorry, what did you say your name was again…?"

"Athena," She said with a smile. "You have many other aunts and uncles, as well as cousins. Sol is your grandfather."

"How many is 'many'?" Caelian asked, feeling a bit sick.

"Don't worry, you'll meet them all soon!" Athena beamed.

Caelian was less than excited.

"I can have rooms prepared for you and your friends while you stay here. Daniel," She called out to a young man that was dusting an urn. He rose to attention as he looked over. "Could you please prepare four rooms? Have one of them be close to mine and Audrey's, if you could."

"Um, it's fine- I don't think we're going to be staying that long," Caelian said.

"Nonsense, surely your friends are tired. Daniel, if you would."

"Of course, my lady," He said with a smile. He glanced at Caelian before turning and walking away.

"That was Daniel, he's one of the servants that work for us," She explained with a smile. "We have quite a few of them. Now, hm, what can I show you… oh, I know! Follow me!"

Caelian reluctantly followed Athena as she led the way down another hallway. He noticed that the only one that shared his sentiment seemed to be Damien. Evelyn and Zephyr were looking around with curiosity, while Damien was staring forward, a hint of fear still etched onto their face.

Athena had led them to an indoor pool. It was gigantic, and lined in gold. The still water sparkled, and when Caelian looked into the water, he could see his reflection.

"Please make yourself at home and feel free to use it whenever you'd like," Athena said.

"Thanks, but… I don't really know how to swim."

She frowned. "Oh, that's a shame. But no worries, we'll fix that easily! Arnett is an amazing swimmer, I'm sure he'd be happy to-"

"Uh, actually, Zephyr said he'd teach me how to swim."

"Oh." Athena frowned. She looked over to Damien, Zephyr and Evelyn. "Zephyr being… your water spirit friend there?" Caelian nodded. She paused before smiling. "Well, he'd certainly know what he was doing, wouldn't he? That's fine. Please feel free."

Athena led them back down the hallway. She began rambling on about other things to show Caelian when he interrupted.

"Could you take us to see Sol, please?" He asked.

Athena paused. "Sol… Isn't in a very good mood right now. It might be better if you waited to ask him for any favors."

"But it's important that I-"

"It might be a good idea to wait like she says, Cae." Zephyr said quietly. "What if he's like Leviatha? There doesnt seem to be any corruption here, so it's not like we'd… you know."

Caelian frowned, thinking back to how Leviatha was. "Okay, I guess… But how long will we need to wait?"

"I promise I'll inform you as soon as there's a good opportunity," Athena said with earnest. "For now, why don't we retire to our rooms? It's late, after all. I'm sure you all are exhausted."

"Evelyn could use some sleep," She admitted. Zephyr shrugged, and Damien remained silent.

Athena showed them one by one to their rooms. Evelyn first, then Damien, then Zephyr. She finally led Caelian to his room, and he was surprised at how grand it was. The bed was centered in the room, and had a sheer white canopy draped over the top of it. There was a lot of empty space around the bed before you got to the walls, which had various furniture pressed against it. A dresser and comfortable looking chair were on one wall, while a bench and table sat on another.

A door led into a gigantic walk in closet that surprisingly had a decent amount of clothing inside of it. Another door led to a large bathroom, that housed an equally large bath. It looked deep enough to come up to Caelian's waist if he was standing in it.

Daniel was standing in a corner of the room as they returned, finishing dusting one of the shelves that hung on the wall. Athena turned to face Caelian with a smile.

"Like i've been saying, make yourself at home, okay? I'll be back bright and early tomorrow, I have so many questions to ask you… If… If that's alright, of course."

"That's fine, I guess," Caelian said.

Athena nodded, keeping her smile. "Wonderful! Then goodnight, Caelian. Sleep well. Daniel, make sure he stays comfortable."

"Of course," Daniel said as Athena turned and left the room. He waited a few moments before turning and walking over to Caelian.

"Anything I could do for you?" He asked with a grin. "More blankets or anything?"

Daniel was a petite young man, only one or two inches taller than Caelian. He had messy brown hair that was cut to just below his ears and emerald green eyes. He wore all black clothing with gold accents, and had feathered ears and a thin, long tail that ended in a fluffy tuft.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm fine." Caelian said.

"Of course," He grinned. "Well, let me know if there's anything you need or want, alright? I'll come check on you again later."

"Sure…" Caelian said as he watched him leave through the door. He shut it behind him, leaving Caelian alone in the room.

Caelian sighed as he looked out the glass door that led to the balcony. He walked over and gently pushed it open, stepping out into the crisp night air. With no clouds above, the night sky looked beautiful in all of its starry glory. He leaned against the railing as he looked out over the city. It looked just as pretty at night as it did during the day.

He felt tired. Not in the sense that he wanted to sleep, but mentally exhausted from all of the new information he had learned today. So he was a celestial spirit. Not a nature spirit. Presumably. He wasn't sure if he really believed it or not still. But then he also asked himself: Why was he being so stubborn about it? He used to dream of knowing his family, and now he finally got the chance. Why didn't he feel happy?

After a few more moments he walked back inside and shut the door. He looked over to the bed. He considered climbing into it, but he didn't want to be alone right now. Deciding on what he wanted to do, he walked over to the door and opened it, walking out into the hallways.

He followed them down to where he remembered Zephyr's room to be and gently knocked. He waited a few moments with no response. He knocked again. Still no response. Frowning, he gently turned the knob and cracked the door open. It was dark inside of the room. Had he already gone to sleep?

"Zephyr?" Caelian asked quietly as he stepped into the room. He closed the door behind him, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness that fell back over the room. Seeing a lump under the blankets, he quietly walked towards the bed.

"Zephyr?" He called again as he leaned onto the bed. He heard a groan as Zephyr's eyes opened.

"Caelian?" He asked drowsily.

"Zephyr, can I sleep with you? I don't want to be alone right now."

"Huh? Yeah, that's fine," Zephyr yawned as he sat up. Caelian sat on the edge of the bed and quickly began to untie his bootlaces. "I don't really know where extra pillows and blankets are th-"

Zephyr was surprised when, after kicking off his boots and throwing his coat onto the ground, Caelian crawled underneath the blankets and snuggled up next to him. There was a moment of silence, and he was glad that it was dark, because his face was bright red.

"Oh," He said quietly.

"Thank you," Caelian said.

"Yeah, of course…" Zephyr said, not able to wipe the grin off of his face. He watched Caelian for a moment before slowly and carefully lying back down. He felt his face become even hotter when Caelian snuggled up even closer to him. It was one thing for him to wrap his arms around Zephyr in his sleep without knowing, but to purposely do it while he was awake…

Well, Zephyr wasn't going to tell him to stop. He let out a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He could hear the sound of Caelian's tail gently tapping the mattress as it wagged, him slowly drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 22: The Royal Family

The palace was in an uproar the following morning when Athena entered Caelian's room and found him to be missing. Servants and family members alike were rushing around, searching and calling out for him. It wasn't until Daniel opened the door to Zephyr's room did things begin to calm down. He looked in to see Caelian curled up onto Zephyr's chest. He quietly shut the door and ran off to inform Athena that he had found him.

Zephyr had noticed that the door opened, but opted to pretend to be asleep. He wasn't sure who it was that opened it, but he assumed they were looking for Caelian. He looked down to the sleeping boy, who was resting peacefully and blissfully unaware. He let out a soft sigh as he reached down and gently ran his fingers through Caelian's hair. This woke him up, and he blearily looked up at Zephyr.

"Good morning," Zephyr said with a small laugh.

"What time is it?" Caelian asked as he rested his head back onto Zephyr's chest. He thought his heartbeat sounded a bit fast. That was strange.

"Time to wake up," Zephyr said. "I think they're looking for you."

As if on cue, Athena opened the door and stepped inside of the room. Her face showed relief when she saw Caelian.

"Oh, I was looking everywhere for you, dear. I'm sorry, I didn't know you two were... together," She said.

Zephyr's face grew hot as Caelian lifted his head and gave her a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you two… well, dating?"

"No, Zephyr's my friend."

Athena looked a bit confused. "I see…" She said, not seeming to fully understand. "Well, regardless, it's time to get up. I wanted you to meet your other family members today."

Caelian frowned. He wasn't sure he wanted to be around a bunch of new people that all claimed to be his family. Sensing his thoughts, Athena added, "We can start slow, if you're nervous."

"Alright…" Caelian said as he reluctantly climbed out of bed. Zephyr remained where he was as Caelian sat down on the floor and began to put on his boots.'

"Oh, no no no," Athena interrupted, causing Caelian to look up at her. "You don't need to put those on. Let's go start you a bath and put you into some clean clothes."

"But-" Caelian was pulled up onto his feet and dragged out of the room by his arm, leaving his coat and boots behind. She left the door open behind her, leaving Zephyr alone. With a sigh, he stood up from the bed. He reached down and gently picked up Caelian's coat. It certainly was dirty, and still had the rips Xeke had put into the arms. Zephyr didn't know how to mend clothing, but at least maybe he could wash it for him.

"I found him!" Athena called as she led Caelian down the hallway. There was a group of women gathered around each other talking amongst themselves, and when they saw Athena with Caelian, they immediately rushed over.

"Oh my goodness, look at him!" One of them gushed as she placed her hands on his face and squished it, "He's precious!"

"Isn't he?!" Athena said. "Caelian, this is your aunt Nemara. And this is aunt Lillia, aunt Sariah, and your cousins Poppy and Josephine."

Caelian's mind barely glossed over the names as Athena introduced them. This wasn't what he could consider 'slow'. He felt embarrassed as the older women gushed over him, complementing his features and stroking his wings.

"Okay girls, okay, let's give him some space," Athena said as she noticed Caelian was looking overwhelmed. "We'll come see you again after we get him freshened up."

"Let me help pick the outfit!" One of the younger girls said. Caelian thought he remembered her name being Poppy.

"Oh, alright." Athena laughed. "Let's go, then. Daniel, are you still here? Oh, there you are, good. Be a dear and start a bath for Caelian."

Zephyr wandered around the palace aimlessly. Earlier he had gone to see if Evelyn and Damien wanted to come with him, but Evelyn had already disappeared and Damien refused to come out of his room. Which was fair enough. Zephyr noticed the hostile looks he kept getting last night when Athena was showing them all around. Then there was how they got attacked out in the city. The celestial spirits hadn't left a good impression so far, regardless of how nice Athena was trying to be.

He would've liked to spend time with Caelian, but of course, he was busy being dotted on by his family. To think that he was actually a celestial spirit. Zephyr was a bit shocked, to say the least. He never had any reason to doubt that Caelian was a nature spirit like he said. But then, he couldn't blame Caelian for being wrong. If he had grown up somewhere, he would've naturally assumed that was where he was born as well. It wasn't like it was obvious through appearances, like water spirits. Lots of nature spirits had wings. Zephyr had no idea about the six wings either.

He wondered if this would change anything about Caelian, but then he realized that was a silly thought. Of course he'd still be the same old Caelian. He frowned. But if he decided to stay here with his family, high above the clouds, it was unlikely he'd ever see him again.

He had been offered to stay in the Eternal Forest, but it was unlikely Caelian could convince them to let him stay here. While the looks he got weren't openly hostile like Damien's, he still got some questioning and disapproving looks. He knew little of celestial spirits. The only thing he knew was that they thought highly of themselves, which so far, Zephyr got the feeling was accurate. But Caelian was nothing like that.

He found himself walking along one of the raised pathways. He reached out with one of his hands and gently dragged his fingers through the clouds. They had an odd consistency. It felt about as dense as cotton candy, but also felt damp like mist. They were kind of fun to play with.

It was then he heard the sound of bare feet slapping against the golden bricks. He turned to see Caelian running towards him, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise at what he was wearing.

Caelian stopped in front of him, hands on his knees as he panted. "Zeph-" He wheezed, "You need to help me. I can't take it."

"Take what?" Zephyr asked, his eyes looking Caelian up and down. His outfit was somewhat revealing, at least compared to what he usually wore, consisting of a black, tight-fitting cropped top and shorts, and a sheer black tunic with gold accents draped over them. Gold jewelry decorated his arms and legs, and a gold leaf circlet was placed upon his messy brown hair.

"My family," He said, still struggling to breath, "They're smothering me, I can't handle it. This is the fifth outfit they put me in"

Zephyr frowned. "Do you not like them?"

"I mean, it's kind of revealing- No offense, I have no idea how you wear this kind of stuff-"

"No, I meant your family."

"Huh? Oh, no. I mean yes. I mean," Caelian groaned as he held his head. "I… I don't know what to think of them. For so long I've just… kind of accepted I didn't have a family. That i'd never find them. But now? I suddenly have all these aunts, and uncles, and cousins… and I find out i'm a god's grandson? It's… It's too much."

"I get it," Zephyr said. "I'd be pretty overwhelmed too. Do you just want some time away from them for a bit?"

Caelian nodded. He stepped into place beside Zephyr as they began to walk down the pathway.

"So how does it feel to find out you're a celestial spirit?" Zephyr asked.

"Honestly, I'm still not sure I even believe it," Caelian said. "It's just… a lot.

"What would they gain from lying, though?" Zephyr asked.

"It's not that I think they're lying! Just… mistaken, maybe? I don't know."

"They seem pretty sure," Zephyr said. "Plus with the whole six wings thing…"

"I… I know," Caelian sighed. "It just feels wrong. It felt right being a nature spirit."

"Well, sure. You lived in the Endless Forest your whole life."

"I wonder how I even got there if I'm a celestial spirit?" Caelian wondered out loud. "If my dad died, then how… Was… was my mom a nature spirit?"

"It's possible," Zephyr mused. "Athena said your dad wouldn't tell her who your mom was, right? They seem to look down on anyone that isn't a celestial spirit. He might've kept it secret because of that."

"Maybe," Caelian said. "Maybe Athena knows. I… Haven't really had a chance to ask her any questions about my dad yet."

"What did she say his name was? Apollo?"

"I think so."

"Ask her about him," Zephyr encouraged. "I think it'd be good for you to learn about him."

"Yeah, I guess I'll-"

"There you are!"

Zephyr and Caelian turned to see Athena hurrying towards them.

"I've been looking all over for you!" She said with a sigh. "Why did you run off?"

Caelian looked over to Zephyr, who gave him a nod.

"Honestly? You guys are smothering me," Caelian said. "I don't want to play dress up. That's not why I agreed to come here."

"Oh," Athena said, deflating a little. "I… I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't treat you like a child. Here," She said as she gently reached out and grabbed his hand. "Let's go back. No more dress-up, okay?"

"Will you tell me about my dad?" Caelian asked as she began to lead him away.

"Of course. My little brother was a big sweetheart. He was a gentle and kind man…"

Zephyr watched as the two of them disappeared back into the building. He hoped Caelian would be alright.

Damien pushed open the door to their room and peered outside. While they were grateful it had its own bathroom, there wasn't much to do when it came to them becoming hungry. Annette sat atop their head, peering down the hallways as Damien cautiously stepped outside the door and closed it.

"Tell me if you sense anyone coming," Damien said. Annette gave a small nod.

They started down the hallway, heading towards the direction they remembered the kitchen being. It was a large building, and they hoped they remembered Athena's tour enough to find their way.

Though they were doing their best to remain quiet, their steps echoed through the hall as they walked. It was night, and they had held out for as long as they could before hunger got the better of them. They slightly regretted not agreeing to go to dinner with everyone else. At least Caelian and the others would've been around to protect them. But they were stubborn, and didn't want to leave the safety of their room. At least since it was late, there weren't as many people walking around.

Just as they thought that, Annette quickly tapped the top of their head, causing them to stop and listen. Hearing footsteps approaching them, they quickly moved to a shaded area of the hallway and sunk into the shadows, disappearing into the floor. They waited for the man to pass, before poking their head back out. They glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before climbing out of the shadows and back onto solid ground with a suppressed sigh.

A while later they poked their head into the dining room, which was a long room with a gigantic table in the center. Paintings and mantles of armor adorned the walls. The table and chairs appeared to be made out of fine mahogany, and a floral table runner was laid over the top.

Damien was surprised to see Evelyn sitting at one of the many place settings on the table, happily eating away. They looked left and right, making sure nobody else was in the room, before stepping inside and walking over to her.

Evelyn noticed them as soon as she took a big bite of chicken leg. "Oh! Hello Damien!" She said with her mouth full of food. "Come to eat, too?"

"I came to find food…" They said, glancing over the buffet she had laid out before her. "Where did you get all this?"

"Palace people give to Evelyn! Super nice!"

"I see…"

"Sit! Damien eat too!

Well, they wouldn't say no to that. At least they knew the food wasn't poisoned. Damien sat down next to Evelyn and grabbed a plate. They were helping themself when one of the palace servants came out of the kitchen. They resisted the urge to say anything when she visibly scrunched her nose at them.

"Everything tasting okay so far, Evelyn?" She asked.

"Yep! Everything very good! Thank you!" Evelyn said.

"Wonderful. I'm happy to help Caelian's friends." She smiled. "No matter... who they are," She added, glancing over to Damien with a frown. "Anyways, just call if you need anything! Excuse me."

Damien watched as she turned and went back to the kitchen. They let out a sigh as Annette flitted down to the food they had put onto their plate. Damien cut off a small piece of chicken for her and nudged it over. She happily picked it up with her hands and sat down to nibble on it.

"Damien, why celestial spirits not like shadow spirits so much?" Evelyn asked in a surprisingly quiet voice.

Damien looked over to her. "It's not just shadow spirits, it's all dark spirits. They're afraid of us," They said. "Because we can spread corruption and all. They see us as beneath them."

"But have dark spirits ever done anything to celestial spirits?"

"No, we've never done anything to them specifically. They've just always hated us. They blame us for corruption existing in the first place, even though it can happen without our interference. It's just a lot more rare."

"Well, Evelyn think it dumb to blame dark spirits for corruption," She said as she jabbed her fork into some potatoes. "They not want to hurt others just because they are dark spirits. It depends on person, not type of spirit."

"You're referring to Mimzi."

Evelyn nodded. "Were Damien and Mimzi close?"

"We… were pretty close, yeah. I knew her ever since we were kids. She was born with only negative emotions because her father was a human." Damien paused, before shaking their head and continuing. "Humans and spirits aren't supposed to breed, so it caused problems for her. Mimzi's mother loved her very much, though, and everyone kind of helped to take care of her and keep her out of trouble. My mom was friends with her mom, so we saw each other a lot. She was kind of mean, I'm not gonna lie," They said with a small laugh.

Evelyn looked over to Damien. "Why friends if she was mean?"

"I guess I kind of felt bad for her, you know? It wasn't her fault she was like that. She didn't have any friends. And it wasn't always like that, she was fine to be around. She just had a hard time realizing how to act around others, and what was acceptable. I was happy to help her learn that kind of stuff. Mimzi… She's the reason I started researching sprites and elementals, you know."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I want her to be able to experience happiness, and all of those other emotions. I know she'd never be able to get elementals from the gods- well, positive elementals, at least, so that's why I've been studying them. Finding out how they work. There has to be some other way to let her feel positive emotions. Some other way to receive elementals aside from a god's gift. I mean, I connected Annette to myself," They said, looking down at the sprite. "And it enhanced my shadow elemental powers. So it has to be possible. Spirits have to be capable of doing the same thing, it's just that I need to figure out how they do it."

"Evelyn understands," She said, "That why Damien so interested in Caelian. Because they want to help their friend."

"Yeah…" Damien sighed. "Except… then one day she was summoned by Thanatos and became his disciple. She changed. Started spreading corruption to help facilitate Thanatos' agenda. I couldn't agree with that," Damien shook their head. "I hadn't spoken to her since. I'm… not sure we're even still friends anymore. But I still want to help her. I want her to see what she's doing is wrong. Understand that hurting people is wrong."

"Evelyn feels sorry for her," She frowned. "Must be hard. Can't imagine only feeling negative emotions…"

"She cried a lot," Damien admitted. "She wanted nothing more than to be normal. But now she's given up on that dream and is just… embracing the negativity. So I need to hurry." Damien finally cut off a piece of chicken and put it in their mouth. "Anyways, sorry. Thanks for listening to me ramble."

"Oh, of course! Evelyn happy to listen."

Caelian's legs were dangling off the side of the bridge as he sat next to Athena. Three of her wings were wrapped around him as they sat close together.

"So, what did my dad look like?" Caelian asked. "Did he look like me at all?"

"A little bit," Athena said. "He had your eyes. The most beautiful azure blue I've ever seen. Let's see… he was a thin man. Very tall. He had long blond hair that reached down to a bit below his shoulders. It was a little wavy, not perfectly straight. I'd say his most defining feature, next to his eyes, were his six golden wings. They were easily recognizable, so whenever anyone saw them, they knew it was the disciple."

Caelian looked surprised. "Wait, my dad was the disicple?"

Athena nodded. "He was a wonderful disciple. Everyone loved Apollo. He did his job thoroughly and fairly. He was our disciples for centuries until… Well… Sol sensed his death. He grieved heavily. "

"I wish he was still alive," Caelian said softly as he deflated. "He probably would've been able to teach me a lot."

"Oh, I'm sure there's many things he could have taught you. He would've loved to be able to raise a son. Who taught you most of the stuff you know now?"

"I kind of figured it out myself, I guess."

"Really?" Athena's eyes were side. "You raised yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, no no no! Gaia raised me. I meant about being a disciple."

"Being a…" Athena trailed off. "Wait, you're…?"

"I'm gaia's disciple!" Caelian beamed. "It's a super hard job, but I enjoy it! The forest denizens are kind of mean to me, but that's okay, because Gaia has always been super nice! I'm really happy to be her disciple."

"I see…" Athena said softly. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Would you ever become another god's disciple, you think?"

"Why would I?" Caelian asked. "I'm a natu-" He stopped. "... I'm happy being with Gaia."

Athena let out a small sigh. "It's just that, Sol never picked a new disciple since Apollo died… I thought that maybe…"

"I'm Gaia's disciple, Athena," Caelian said with a frown. "Not Sol's."

"I know," She smiled. "It was just a thought. But you're right, you're Gaia's disciple. I guess that means… it's unlikely that you'll stay here."

Caelian shook his head. "As soon as my elemental gets purified I need to go back. I'm sorry."

"But your family is here," Athena said softly. "You belong here."

Caelian suddenly felt torn. She was right. He was a celestial spirit. His dad had lived here, and this was where his family was. It still felt strange and new to him, but was this where he actually belonged?

"I… I'll think about it," Caelian said. "I'm just… not sure."

"I understand," Athena said.

"By the way, how is Sol…? Is he in a good enough mood to purify Ishtar yet?"

"Not yet," Athena said quickly. "He… hasn't been very reasonable as of late," She said, staring off into the distance. "But anyways, it's late. We should get you to bed."

"But I wanted to hear more about my dad," Caelian said as Athena stood and gently pulled him up.

"We'll have time to talk about him more tomorrow, don't you worry."

Caelian followed Athena back to his room, where she tucked him into bed. He remained still as she reached down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Caelian," She said softly. She walked over to the door, staying in the door frame as she shut off the lights. "Sleep well."

Chapter 23: A Dark Truth

"But the horns and tail are strange, aren't they? They make you wonder who his mother was…"

Caelian walked down the long hallways of the palace. Every now and then he'd come across whispers about him. It bothered him at first, but now he had just learned to ignore them. They weren't purposefully malicious, at least.

Athena had said she had things to take care of that morning, but that she'd be happy to spend more time with Caelian later in the day. He looked forward to it, but until then, he had to figure out something to do to keep him occupied. He had come up with an idea, he just had to go ask the others if they'd be willing to join him.

He opened the door to Zephyr's room, disappointed when he saw that he wasn't there. Where did he go? He needed him the most for this to work out.

He walked down the hallway, on his way to Damien's room. He was surprised to see all three of his friends sitting there together when he opened the door. They looked back at him with equal surprise.

"What are you all doing here?" He asked as he entered the room.

"Damien protection squad!" Evelyn exclaimed, raising her arms into the air.

"Protection squad…?" Caelian asked.

"Someone tried getting in here last night," Damien sighed. "The door was locked so they couldn't get in. It… kind of rattled me a bit, so I ended up going to Zephyr's room for the night.

"Yeah, scared the shit out of me," Zephyr sighed.

"Hey, I woke you up out of your nightmare, at least," Damien said. "Be grateful."

"But then why are you all back here?" Caelian asked.

"Because if someone tries it again they won't be expecting three people," Zephyr said.

"I don't get it," Caelian said.

"If anyone tries coming in here they're getting three blasts of magic to the face," Zephyr said.

"Oh!" Caelian said. "Well, thanks for not blasting me with magic!"

"We would never blast Caelian with magic!" Evelyn said.

"Glad to hear!" Caelian grinned. "But does that mean you guys are too busy to come to the pool with me?"

"Wait, what?" Zephyr said, immediately perking up. "You want to go to the pool?"

"Yeah! I was hoping you'd teach me how to swim," He said.

"Evelyn wants to go swimming!" Evelyn said excitedly.

"Hell yeah I'll teach you how to swim!" Zephyr said, way more excited about it than he should have been. His tail slapped happily against the floor.

"We don't really have swimsuits," Damien said.

"I mean, what I wear now is basically a swimsuit," Zephyr shrugged. "Water spirits always wear clothes like that."

"Evelyn not need a swimsuit! Can swim in clothes!" She said happily.

"There's some swimsuits we can borrow, Damien." Caelian said. But Damien shook their head.

"I don't really enjoy swimming. I'll come keep you guys company, though."

"Okay, if you're sure," Caelian said.

The four of them left Damien's room together and walked down the hallway, chatting as they went. They went to Caelian's room first so he could retrieve a swimsuit, before they made their way to the indoor pool.

Evelyn immediately cannonballed into the water, with little regard to who she splashed in the process. Damien sighed after they got soaked. Caelian couldn't help but laugh. He changed in one of the adjacent changing rooms, coming out feeling a bit embarrassed by how much skin he was showing. His chest being visible also made him extremely uncomfortable. But nobody stared at him as he got down into the water, with Zephyr quickly jumping in after him.

While Damien sat and wrote in his journal and Evelyn swam laps in the giant pool, Zephyr started off with trying to teach Caelian how to float. This proved to be a challenge of itself, as whenever Zephyr let go of him, he turned into a flailing, panicky mess.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Zephyr said as Caelian clung onto him. "Don't worry, it's shallow on this end. I'll keep a hold of your arm but you need to just relax and let yourself float on your back, okay?"

"Every time I do it feels like my face is going to go under the water," Caelian whined.

"You won't, I promise. I'm right here Cae, nothing is gonna happen," He laughed.

"Okay, okay," Caelian said as he released his hold on Zephyr. "I'll try again…"

Zephyr took a gentle hold of Caelian's arm as he took a deep breath. He lied down on his back, resisting the urge to panic when the water went over his ears. He screwed his eyes shut, expecting himself to sink under the water. But after a few seconds passed with nothing happening, he risked opening one of his eyes. He saw Zephyr looking down at him with a grin.

"You're doing it!" Zephyr said. Caelian could just barely make out his muffled voice over the water in his ears.

He let himself float for a while longer before standing back up. He shook the water out of his head.

"Told you it'd be fine," Zephyr said. "Let's move onto dog paddling next."

By the end of their long swim session, Caelian had learned how to dog paddle. It was clumsy and awkward, but he could at least say he kind of knew how to swim.

"I'll teach you more next time, okay?" Zephyr said as the group walked down the hallway back to their rooms. Caelian had returned to his normal clothes, and was still drying his hair off with a towel.

"Okay," Caelian said cheerfully.

"There you are!"

The group turned to see Daniel walking towards them with a smile.

"Oh! Daniel, hi!" Caelian said with a wave.

Daniel waved back. "Athena's had me looking for you. Oh, did you go swimming?"

"Yeah! Zephyr was teaching me how."

"Wow, really?" Daniel tilted his head slightly. "That must be so cool, getting swimming lessons from a water spirit…"

"Yeah. it is cool!" Caelian beamed. He paused, before turning to look at the others. "Um, sorry guys, you can go on without me, okay?"

"Oh, but-" Zephyr had started to say something, but was interrupted by Damien.

"Yeah, we'll see you later, Cae." They said, as they practically drug Zephyr away from him.

The three of them shuffled back into Damien's room, closing the door behind them.

"You really need to stop being so clingy to Caelian," Damien sighed.

"Clingy?" Zephyr asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Zeph. You have a thing for him. It's obvious."

"Is it that obvious?" Zephyr grinned.

"Is very cute," Evelyn said with a smile. "When Zephyr tell Caelian?"

"So you don't think he knows?" Zephyr asked.

"He's a bit… oblivious," Damien said. "I doubt he's realized it."

"Good," Zephyr said. "He doesn't need to know yet."

"But why not?" Evelyn asked.

"I mean, he can't feel love yet, can he?" Zephyr frowned. "I don't want to put him in a position like that. He's a nice guy. I can only imagine that he'd want to try and make me happy regardless of if he can feel love or not. I don't… really want my feelings to be messed with like that, either."

"What, you think he'd get with you even if he doesn't like you?"

"Kind of," Zephyr said. "But I think that he'd just assume that he'd like me after his light elemental gets purified. But then what happens if he doesn't, you see what I mean?"

"I get it," Damien said. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm not saying anything for now," Zephyr said with a sigh.

"Evelyn thinks Zephyr should tell Caelian," She said with a frown.

"But why? Didn't you hear what I just said?" Zephyr asked.

"But what if Caelian do like you?" Evelyn said, looking determined. "Fishie should tell Birdie!"

"A-ah… I don't know, Ev," Zephyr said, a light blush coming over his face. "Telling him would be nice, but…"

"So tell him!"

"I will! I'll tell him after his light elemental gets purified. But… for now don't tell him, okay?"

"Don't tell who what?"

Zephyr jumped at Caelian's voice. He twisted around to see him standing in the doorway, giving him a curious look.

"Nothing!" Zephyr said.

"But-"

"Hey, Caelian! I've been thinking," Zephyr said, trying to change the subject. "I promised you I'd teach you how to read, right? Why don't we make today a learning day and I try to teach you some of that as well?"

"Okay!" Caelian said excitedly, completely forgetting about the earlier question. "That works, because Daniel came to tell me that Athena said she's gonna be done with her daily tasks a bit later than usual! Damien, Evelyn, do you guys want to come too?"

"I wouldn't mind reading some of the books they have here," Damien mused.

"What about you, Ev?" Caelian asked.

"Mm, All that swimming made Evelyn hungry, so Evelyn going to go get some food!" She said.

"Aw, okay. Have a good dinner, Ev!" Caelian called as the fire spirit skipped out of the room.

The three of them headed towards the palace's library. Athena had shown it to them on their tour of the palace. It was a well-stocked library, with an assortment of books spread out across three floors.

"I'll let you two do your thing," Damien said as they disappeared amongst the bookshelves.

"Alright," Zephyr said, looking around at the assortment of books. "Let me see what I can do here…"

Zephyr did his best to try and select a few books that would be easier to read. Caelian sat close to him, practically touching faces as Zephyr pointed out letters and explained their sounds. After an hour of frustration, Zephyr eventually grabbed some paper and a pencil and had the idea to make flashcards for Caelian. If he didn't learn the letters first there'd be little hope.

"And Z, as in Zebra." Zephyr said as he finished the alphabet. Looking over to Caelian, he smiled when he noticed that the boy looked sleepy. "Let's take a break for now, okay? We'll work on it again later."

"Okay," Caelian yawned. "This is harder than I thought. Learning how to swim was easier."

Zephyr laughed. "Well, I'm probably better at teaching people how to swim. I'll be honest, I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to teaching people how to read."

"Really? But you seem to be good at it," Caelian said. "I'm just having a hard time remembering stuff."

"You'll get it eventually, don't worry," Zephyr said with a smile. He watched as Caelian rubbed at his eyes. He really was cute.

"... Hey, Cae?" Zephyr said after a moment.

"Hm?" Caelian looked over to him.

"There's… something I've been wanting to tell you for a while."

"What is it?"

Zephyr chewed on his lip. Shit. He couldn't do it. He wanted to but he couldn't do it. Caelian tilted his head and gave him a confused look. Gods, he had no right to be that adorable.

Zephyr took a deep breath. He couldn't tell him what he wanted, but he could say something else. It was risky, but…

"If I'm being honest… I kind of… um… I kind of…" He paused. "I've noticed something."

"Noticed what?" Caelian asked.

"You remember my nightmares?" Zephyr said, swallowing hard as he looked away.

"Yeah?"

"I haven't had them in a while. But then they started again. I've noticed that It's… always when you're sleeping close to me that I don't have them. I think you- Ah, never mind, it's dumb, I'm sorry."

"It's not dumb," Caelian said. "But you're saying… I make it so you don't have nightmares?"

"Y… Yeah. I just… feel really calm around you."

Caelian couldn't help but grin. "Oh… Well in that case, I'll have to be sure to sleep near you from now on!"

Zephyr's heart leapt up into his throat. "Ah- that's okay! I don't want to inconvenience you!" What he really wanted to say was: Yes, please. Stay with me forever.

"It's not an inconvenience," Caelian laughed. "I like cuddling people, It's nice. So I'll be happy to help with your nightmares!"

"T-Thank you," Zephyr said.

"Of course," Caelian beamed.

"Caelian!" Athena's voice rang out through the bookshelves. "Caelian, are you in here?"

"I'm here, Aunt Thena!" Caelian called.

"Oh, there you are," Athena said with a smile as she walked over to the table Zephyr and Caelian were sat at. "I'm done with my morning duties, Caelian. Did you want to walk with me while we talk about your dad?"

"Yeah!" Caelian said excitedly, before shrinking as he looked over to Zephyr. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Zephyr said with a smile. "Go ahead."

Caelian nodded as he slid off of the chair he was sitting on and pushed it in. He walked up beside Athena, following her as she led the way out of the library.

"So, why don't we go for a fly while we talk?" Athena asked.

Caelian paused. "I… I um, don't actually know how to fly."

Athena looked surprised. "Really? Well, I guess it's to be expected, you haven't had anyone with six wings around to teach you how…" She said sympathetically. "Here, come with me."

Curious, Caelian followed Athena as she led him outside. She took him to an open area on the palace grounds that had swing sets and slides scattered around. It looked like a child's playground. She led him over to an area with multiple platforms, all at different heights.

"This is where we teach the little ones how to fly," Athena said.

"Wait," He said. "Are you going to teach me how to fly?" When Athena nodded, he couldn't help but be a bit excited.

"Go ahead and climb up onto that middle platform there and we'll see what you can do," Athena said.

Caelian used the ladder to climb up the side of the platform. He hesitated at the top, looking down at Athena. "Now what?" He asked.

"Show me what you can do! Jump off!" Athena said.

Caelian froze. The clouds below him would cushion his fall just fine, but he was reluctant to embarrass himself in front of Athena. He took a deep breath, before leaping off of the platform. He spread his wings out, flapping them frantically as he fell. He landed in the clouds with a piff. He slowly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, his face red.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, Caelian," Athena said softly as she stepped over and knelt down beside him. "Everyone learns like this. You won't be an amazing flyer right off the bat."

"I know, but still…" He whined.

Athena smiled as she reached out and gently patted his back. "Let's try again, shall we?"

Caelian stood up, brushing the clouds off of him as he turned and climbed back up the platform.

"Caelian, let's try gliding for now!" Athena called. "Fan your wings out and keep them steady as you jump."

"Don't flap them?" Caelian asked. Athena shook her head. "Okay…"

"Keep your body leaned forward, but not too much. Try to have your wings mostly horizontal to the ground."

He extended his wings to their full length, making him look tiny in comparison. Keeping them outstretched, he again leapt off the platform. He closed his eyes, expecting to get buried in the clouds, but was surprised when he was only met with a pleasant breeze. He opened his eyes, looking around in amazement as he glided gently through the air.

"There you go!" Athena said as Caelian's feet reached the ground. "Perfect! Have you ever glided before?"

"No," Caelian said, surprised with himself. "I've never tried it…"

"You're doing great!" Athena said. "Let's glide for a while before we try flying again.

Caelian enjoyed gliding. It was fun, like a lite version of flying. He enjoyed the breeze that ran through his hair as he slowly neared the ground. Athena eventually had him trying to fly once again, which put a damper on his mood when he fell face first into the clouds again. But he didn't give up.

He listened to and watched Athena's demonstrations. He had been trying to flap his wings in order, when he needed to focus on flapping them all together, at the same time. He tried again, and was surprised when he found himself able to shakily hover in the air.

"Good!" Athena praised as Caelian fell down into the clouds. "You're doing well, Caelian!"

"But I still fell," He pouted.

"You're improving," Athena smiled. "Try again."

"Okay…" He said as he climbed back up onto the platform. He took a deep breath before leaping off, flapping his wings hard as he hung in the air. He kept flapping his wings with the same intensity, doing his best to not fall.

"Good! Good job!" Athena cried. "Now try moving forward!"

"How?!" Caelian called.

"Lean your body forward as if you were gliding!"

Caelian nervously leaned forward. It was the smallest movement, but it moved it a noticable amount. He gasped in surprise, leaning backwards to stop himself. This made him lose balance, and he flopped over into the clouds once again.

"Oh, Caelian, you did it!" Athena said as she helped him stand up. "You flew!"

"Did I?" Caelian asked.

"You did!" She grinned. "Try again! Once more."

"Okay," Caelian said, He climbed up once more, jumping off of the ivory platform. He spread his wings out to their full length, beating them as hard as he could. When he stayed in the air, he leaned forward slightly, flying forward at a slow pace as his balance wobbled.

"You're doing it!" Athena exclaimed as she hopped up into the air, her beating wings easily carrying her through the air. "Can you try getting a bit higher? Flap your wings harder."

With a few hard beats of his wings Caelian managed to climb in altitude. His body was tense, afraid of messing up and falling. He seemed to be doing alright, though. This was the longest he had been in the air for.

"Caelian, try to follow me!"

Caelian looked up in surprise when Athena zipped off, leaving him behind. He swallowed hard as he leaned forward, slowly flying in a straight line.

Athena flew down next to him, doing a somersault in the air. "You'll have to go faster than that!"

Caelian frowned. He leaned forward more and flapped his wings harder, willing himself to go faster. It felt a bit too fast for his liking, but he hadn't fallen yet, so his building confidence kept him moving onward. Though he was much slower and awkward than her, Caelian managed to follow Athena as she rose up over the building, flying swiftly over the rooftops. Athena slowed down for him, falling in line beside him.

"You're doing it, Caelian!" She exclaimed. "You're flying!"

Caelian paused. He hadn't even realized it. He had been too focused on not falling to realize what he was actually doing. He was flying.

"I am!" He laughed as he swooped down lower to the ground. Athena followed him as he flew around, exploring what he was able to do. His breathing was heavy and he was starting to sweat from the effort he was exerting, but now that he had got it down, he didn't want to stop. He flew up higher, until the building and city looked small below him.

"What do you think?" Athena called out as the two of them soared over the city.

"It's great!" Caelian called back. He was having the most fun of his life.

The two of them swooped back down towards the palace, where Caelian spotted someone walking along one of the raised platforms. He looked back towards Athena, who gave him an encouraging smile. He flitted down towards them, being careful to not descend too fast.

Zephyr was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the sound of beating wings getting closer to him. The sound was something that he heard often enough around here, anyways. It just blended into the background noise.

"Zephyr!"

He looked up. His mouth dropped open when he saw Caelian hovering above him, his wings beating frantically to keep himself in the air.

"Holy shit," He whispered. "You're flying?"

"Yeah!" Caelian laughed. He wobbled, before falling down to the hard brick pavement. Zephyr shot forward to try and catch him, but was too late. Caelian skinned his hands and knees on the ground, wincing as he sat back up. Zephyr knelt down beside him.

"Are you okay?!" He asked.

"I'm fine!" Caelian said with a grin. "Did you see me, though?!"

"I did," Zephyr said, his worried expression turning to that of a gentle fondness. "When did you learn to do that?"

"Just now," Caelian said as he stood up. "Athena taught me. You're the first person to know!"

Zephyr stood up. "Well, that's amazing. You finally learned how to fly," he laughed. "Guess Damien can't mock you for it anymore."

"Nope!" Caelian said as he spun around. "I fell again, though, so I need more practice. I can do it, though! I just need to be sure I don't fall off the edge of the Highlands…"

Zephyr paused. "Yeah, please don't."

"Hey, Zeph! When I get better at flying want to go with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'll carry you and we can fly around together!"

Zephyr stared at him for a moment, before covering his mouth and letting out a small laugh. "Sure, why not. Just don't drop me, okay?"

"I won't! That's why I won't do it until I'm better at flying. But don't you worry, soon I'll be a flying pro!" He grinned.

"I look forward to it, then," Zephyr said with a smile.

The two of them walked together for a while, chatting about nothing as they went. They reentered the palace walls together, Zephyr walking close to Caelian, gently brushing tails with him.

The two of them were on their way to eat some dinner when an explosion echoed through the hallways. They both paused, before running towards the source. They skidded to a stop as they came across a demolished part of the hallway, the flooring and walls reduced to rubble as the outside light shone in.

It was then he noticed Damien lying amongst the rubble, their back to the ground. They held their shadow sword in their hands, struggling against another sword as they did their best to block it. A six-winged celestial spirit stood above him, trying to force their blade down through Damien's throat.

"Filthy… shadow… spirit!" She grunted. She was surprised when a shadow hand reached out from the shadows of the rubble and grabbed onto the blade of her sword. It was ripped from her hands, and Damien kicked her shin, bringing her down to the ground as they jumped up.

"Fucking six-wings," Damien spat.

"Aunt Cassandra?!" Caelian asked, running over to the two of them. Damien glared at him as he stood between them. "What's going on?! What are you doing?"

"Out of the way, Caelian!" Cassandra said as she brandished another sword of light. "Get away from the shadow spirit before it corrupts you!"

"Aunt Cassandra what are you talking about?! Damien is my friend!" Caelian pleaded. He was surprised when Cassandra grabbed his shirt and pulled him out of the way to get to Damien. Damien parried the blow she struck with her sword, brandishing their fangs as they stared the celestial spirit down.

Caelian jumped back up, shoving Cassandra and causing her to stumble. He was surprised when Damien went to strike her, and he blocked the blow with an ice shield. It cracked under the pressure of Damien's sword.

"Damien, what are you doing?!" Caelian cried.

"I've had enough, Caelian!" Damien spat. "I've tried behaving and not saying anything since they're your family, but I can't spend another second with these fucking murderers!"

"What are you talking about?!" Caelian asked.

Evelyn and Athena came running up to the scene, stopping beside Zephyr. Athena covered her mouth.

"Cassandra, what are you doing?!"

"Don't pin this on me, you wench!" The woman snapped. "You're the one that told me to do this!"

"What?" Caelian asked in a small voice. "What do you mean? Aunt Thena…?"

A worried look crossed Athena's face as she struggled to come up with something to say. "I… Caelian, you have to understand…"

"Understand what?!"

"This is what they do, Caelian," Damien said, pressing their hand against a bleeding wound on their stomach that Caelian hadn't noticed. "They've been trying to exterminate my people for centuries. All celestial spirits hate us, but it's the six-wings that hate us the most. They've raided the Lost Realms in the past and decimated it. We're still trying to recover to this day. They're murderers."

"They what?" Caelian asked, shrinking back. " But why…? Aunt Thena?" He looked to her for answers. This couldn't be true. It just couldn't be.

"They're afraid of us so they try to kill us," Damien sneered. "Instead of understanding what we are they just make assumptions and try to fix their perceived problems by killing us."

"Aunt Thena, say something!" Caelian demanded.

"Caelian… We're just trying to protect you and our people," She said softly. "Shadow spirits spread corruption-"

"Damien is my friend!" Caelain snapped. "They'd never do anything to hurt me!"

"It's a ploy, Caelian!" Athena said. "You're a six-wing, they hate us much as much as we hate them! They're using you for something, I know it!"

"No! You're wrong!" Caelian said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I thought I could trust you. But I was wrong." He said as he grabbed Damien's hand and dragged them away.

Athena reached out to him, before letting her arm fall as he disappeared around the corner. Evelyn and Zephyr gave her a disdainful look as they both moved past her, following Caelian down the hall.

They reunited in Caelian's room, where Caelian had gently pushed Damien onto the bed. They were tense, but they relaxed enough to let Zephyr use his healing magic on their wounds.

"Sorry, Caelian," They mumbled. "I've been trying my best not to cause a scene, but…"

"No, it's okay," Caelian said, the disappointment obvious in his voice. "I remember you saying that celestial spirits and dark spirits hate each other, I just… I didn't expect Aunt Thena…"

Damien gave him a pitiful look. Caelian let out a sigh.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Caelian said. "What happened?"

"I was in my room when I heard a knock. I thought it was one of you guys, so I opened it. I wasn't expecting to be hit with light magic."

"I'm sorry, Damien," Caelian said softly. "I shouldn't have brought you here…"

Damien shook their head. "I should've known better than to come here. Nothing good could have come from it.

"Still…" Caelian looked down to the burn marks on their arm that Zephyr was working on healing. "I just… I can't believe she'd do that."

"It seems there's some dark secrets about your family you don't know about," Zephyr said softly.

"They're not my family," Caelian said. "Not if they do things like this. I…" Caelian paused. Was his father the same way? Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "I have no family."

"Caelian does have a family!" Evelyn said. "We his family!"

Damien snorted. "Fucked up little family we have here, then."

"Hey, at least we don't try to kill each other," Zephyr said.

Caelian laughed as he wiped away his tears. "Thanks, Ev. Don't worry, Damien. We'll leave soon. I promise."

Damien gave him an unconvinced look. "Weren't you waiting for Sol to get into a better mood or something?"

"I don't care anymore," Caelian said. "Tomorrow, I'm asking him to purify my light elemental. He has to purify Ishtar."

Chapter 24: The Fall

The next morning, Caelian opened his bleary eyes to the sound of snoring. Evelyn was on his left side, sleeping loudly. On his other side were Zephyr and Damien.

The four of them had decided to stay together in Caelian's room in order to ensure protection for Damien. Caelian was still having a hard time believing that his aunt had did, but he knew he couldn't leave Damien alone.

He yawned as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He was glad the bed in his room was big enough for everyone. He looked over at them. They were still sleeping soundly. There wasn't a clock in his room, but from the fact darkness was still visible through the window, it was either very late or very early.

Caelian carefully wiggled his way out of the blankets and crawled off of the bed. His socks touched the cold floor, prompting him to put his boots on quickly. He tapped his toes together as he looked down at them. He had still been wearing the outfits Athena and the others picked out for him. He frowned.

He stood up and walked into the large closet, doing his best to stay quiet as he pulled his own coat down from the hanger. He changed quickly into his normal clothes. He didn't want to wear the frivolous clothing any longer.

As he walked out of the closet, he checked on the others again. They were still asleep. He tiptoed over to the door and carefully opened it, closing it behind him as he left the room. Zephyr sat up and looked at the door.

Caelian walked down the hallways, his footsteps echoing. He hoped he wouldn't run into anyone. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. As he reached the outside pathways, he sat down on the edge of one of the bridges and watched as the sun slowly rose.

Sol…

He needed to speak to him. What would he be like? Athena had said he had been in a bad mood lately, but surely he'd be willing to purify his grandson's elemental? It shouldn't be that much of a challenge.

Caelian stood up with a stretch. Athena had pointed in the direction Sol's throne was during the tour. He remembered it well. It was down a long, winding raised pathway that eventually turned into stairs. The very one he had been sitting on.

He could see the sparkling golden platform in the distance, with golden steps leading up to it. They floated in the air, with nothing to hold them up. Caelian took a deep breath before starting onward.

He ascended the steps easily, pushing through the clouds that drifted in front of them. As he came out from one of the clouds, he paused. He had reached the platform, and before him stood a large throne. Sol looked down at him.

Sol appeared to be an older man, with long, white hair and a long, white beard. A criss-crossing crown with many eyes sat upon his head. He had many wings, both on his back and on his head. He wore a mix of gold armor and loose, flowy white and blue cloth with celestial patterns on them. He gave off an intimidating aura that made Caelian shrink back.

"Who hath approached me?" Sol spoke, his voice like thunder as it rumbled through the sky. "Speak."

"H… Hello," Caelian said meekly. "My name is Caelian! I'm… I'm your grandson."

"Of which of my children do you speak? I recognize you not."

"I'm the son of Apollo."

Sol's face immediately changed. His stoic expression turned into that of anger, his teeth showing as his lips pulled back into a snarl.

"My son has been dead all these years, and yet you appear now to mock me?!"

"H… Huh?" Caelian asked. "I'm not mocking you, Sol… I… I came here because I need my elemental purified! You remember Ishtar?"

"Elemental… Yes, I had given Ishtar to Gaia, a century ago. So she has been the one harboring you all this time. And she made you her disciple. How utterly disgraceful."

Sol stood from his throne, looming over Caelian.

"Caelian!"

Caelian jumped in surprise, turning to see Zephyr, Evelyn and Damien running towards him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Caelian asked as they gathered around him.

"You really think we were going to let you get your last elemental purified without us?" Zephyr asked.

"Yeah! Evelyn want to see Birdie's last elemental purified!" Evelyn said.

Sol's eyes locked onto Damien.

"First you mock me by daring to show your face here… Now you bring to me a shadow spirit?" He asked.

Damien looked up at Sol with a frown. They knew they shouldn't have come here, but Eveyln and Zephyr had insisted.

"Hey, Caelian, what does he mean by you mocking him?" Zephyr asked.

"I… I don't know," Caelian said. He gazed up at Sol. "So, will you purify my elemental?" He asked, as he summoned forth his shadow elemental.

"I will not." Sol said.

"What…?" Caelian asked.

"Why not? He's your grandson, isn't he?" Damien asked.

"Do not speak to me, cretin!" Sol sneered. "This abomination is not my grandson. I bear no relation to him."

"But I'm Apollo's son!" Caelian said.

"You may be my foolish son's child, but I disown you as my own." Sol said as he stood, a lightning bolt appearing in his hand. "I may have failed in my attempt all those years ago to cleanse you from this world, but I will not fail now. I may not have been able to prevent my foolish son's death, but now I can finally erase his mistake."

Caelian's eyes widened as a lightning bolt was thrown straight at him. He took to the air, while the others leapt out of the way. He hovered awkwardly for a moment before Sol reached out and snatched him from the air, gripping him tightly. Caelian could hardly breath as Sol continued to squeeze him.

"Caelian!" The others all shouted in unison. Evelyn and Damien charged forward, while Zephyr stood there, staring up with wide eyes.

Evelyn shot an inferno blast at Sol, while Damien shot out a bolt of darkness. Sol didn't bother to move. He let their attacks hit him head-on. When the dust settled, Sol appeared unscathed. Caelian was unable to even let out a whimper of pain.

"Consider this mercy," Sol said as he looked down at Caelian. "You do not belong in this world."

He squeezed tighter, intending to end it, when a ripping shadow fell upon him. He looked up to see a dragon made out of water. It's long body swam up and down majestically as it flew straight towards him, it's mouth open in a snarl as it roared.

Sol didn't have time to react before it crashed into him. The weight of the water pulled him down, drenching him as he was brought to his knees. He dropped Caelian, swho tumbled through the water and was washed up towards the center of the platform. Damien and Evelyn stared wide-eyed at Zephyr as he ran over to Caelian.

Sol's blood boiled. He stood just as Damien and Evelyn rushed over to Caelian and Zephyr. He summoned another lightning bolt, throwing it straight at them. It hit it's target, crackling wildly as both Caelian and Zephyr were electrocuted. Damien and Evelyn were thrown back from the blast, only sustaining minor injury. Burns covered Caelian and Zephyr. Zephyr winced as he remained sitting up with Caelian lying on the ground in his lap. Caelian could barely lift his head.

Sol looked at the four spirits that lie scattered on his platform. To him, they were like disgusting insects that served to annoy him. With a scowl, he knelt down and swept his hand across the platform, throwing them tumbling off of the edge.

Evelyn let out a scream as they fell, snapping Caelian out of it enough to realize what was happening. Clouds zoomed past them, the wind ripping through his hair as he fell. Zephyr was clinging to him, his eyes closed.

Caelian shot out his wings and began to flap them, only to stop short. A sharp pain ripped through him, originating from his wings. He winced as he tried to fold them back up onto his back, but the rushing wind made them stay trailing behind him.

What could he do? What could they do?

Caelian looked down. Through the clouds, the ground came into sight. Rolling hills lay below them, covered in wildflowers. It would be their deathbed.

Caelian looked up just as Iaestia materialized next to him. A protective bubble formed around the group just before they hit the ground, hard. The bubble popped upon impact, sending everyone flying in different directions. Caelian could hear a snap as he and Zephyr hit the ground. He tumbled violently down a hill, coming to rest at the bottom of it.

Caelian stared off ahead of him, his eyes unfocused and dazed. His entire body was in searing pain. He supposed he should be grateful for that, because it meant that he was alive. But what about the others?

He tried to push himself up on his wobbly arms, but he fell back down, his cheek hitting the dirt. He took a deep breath. He could hear Iaestia chime beside him, pressing against in as she urged him to get up.

In the distance Caelian thought he saw something. She was blurry, but it looked like a woman and standing with her hands covering her mouth. A basket lie toppled over next to her, its contents spilled out onto the ground. Why was she staring at him?

His vision went black.

Chapter 25: Clipped Wings

Caelian's vision was blurry the next time he opened his eyes. Pain resonated throughout his entire body, making him wince as he buried his head into the crook of his arm. He paused at a familiar feeling. He was lying on something soft and warm, with something spread over him. A blanket? He was in a bed. How? When did he get there?

The burning feeling on his back intensified as he tried to sit up. He had been lying on his stomach, and the blanket slid off of him slightly as he got up. He flexed his wings, trying to-

Wait.

Why couldn' he flex his wings? No, it wasn't that he couldn't flex them. Why did the blanket slide down so easily as if it didn't catch on anything?

He stretched himself around, trying to peer at his back. He reached back with one of his arms, feeling for his wings. There was nothing there. Where did his wings go? No. No no no no no. He let out a shout as he jumped up out of the bed.

In his state of panic, Caelian hadn't even noticed Zephyr, who had been lying on the bed next to him. He was lying on his back, fast asleep. He jumped up at Caelian's shout. For a moment he forgot where they were, and sat there, drowsy and confused. Then he remembered. Seeing Caelian, he called out to him.

"Cae-"

Caelian launched himself into Zephyr's arms, much to the surprise of the water spirit. He trembled violently, tears falling from his eyes as he hyperventilated. Zephyr hugged Caelian tightly, pressing the side of his face against the top of his head.

"Shh, Cae," Zephyr said softly as he rubbed Caelian's upper back, just shy of where a pair of wings should have been.

"Where are my wings?" Caelian whined. "Where are they? What happened?"

The door was pushed open as three people rushed into the room. Evelyn and Damien were looking at Caelian with alarm. Caelian didn't recognize the woman that was with them.

"You're awake, thank the gods," The woman said as she rushed over to the bed. She had long, reddish brown hair that was tied up in a fishtail braid that hung over her shoulder. Her eyes were a jade green, and her skin was tanned from years of being out in the sunlight. She wore simple, unassuming clothes consisting of a green dress with a white apron thrown over the top of it, and brown boots.

"Are you alright? Is there any pain?" She asked.

"Where are my wings?" Caelian whined.

"Oh, honey, they retracted so they could heal," The woman said.

"They… what?" Caelian asked.

"They retracted," She said. Evelyn, Damien and Zephyr all looked at eachother.

"But they can't do that," Caelian said.

"Well, sure they can. All light spirits can retract their wings."

"How do you know he's a light spirit?" Damien asked suspiciously.

"Well, he had six wings, which is a trait of high ranking light spirits. Am I wrong?"

Damien frowned.

"Who are you?" Caelian asked after a short period of silence.

"My name is Zinnia," She said. "I found you and your friends out in the nearby plains. They helped bring you two here. You and your friend there were pretty badly injured, so I wanted to try and help.

Caelian spent a few moments taking in what Zinnia said. He looked over to Damien and Evelyn, before looking up at Zephyr.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Well… I'm fine," Zephyr said with a shrug.

"No, what happened? What's wrong?" Caelian asked.

"Well…"

Caelian followed Zephyr's gaze down to his leg. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was wrapped tightly and placed into a splint. Caelian felt his stomach drop.

"Is… it broken?" He asked.

"Yeah, it is." Zephyr said.

"Does it hurt?"

"... Yeah."

Caelian deflated.

"So, how do you know having six wings is a trait of light spirits?" Damien asked as they looked at Zinnia.

"Well… I met a light spirit, once," She said.

"Zinnia has met light spirits before?" Evelyn asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

"I'm sure that went well," Damien scoffed.

"Oh, he was actually very kind," She said with a faraway look in her eyes. "He had six wings as well. He fell from the sky, just like all of you. Injured his wings pretty badly. Broken. They retracted, too. I guess it's just safer for them to heal like that. He had nowhere to go, since he couldn't fly, so I let him stay until they healed."

"What was his name?" Damien asked.

"I… I don't remember. Forgive me, it was years ago and he didn't stay for long. You spirits heal quickly, after all."

Damien didn't seem convinced. Meanwhile, Caelian had been poking at the spots left on his back. There were three black and three white spots leftover from where his wings used to be. They felt soft and feathery.

"So… They're not gone forever, right?" Caelian asked.

"You can extend them again whenever you wish," Zinnia said with a smile. "However, I'd wait until they heal. I'd hate to see you damage them any further."

"Oh, okay," Caelian said with disappointment. Of course. He had just learned how to fly and now his wings were broken.

"Anyways, you all are free to stay until you've all healed up," Zinnia said.

"I think it'd be better if we left," Damien said.

"Damien…" Zephyr gave them an unimpressed look. "It's not exactly like I can go anywhere right now."

"But wouldn't you rather get proper medical help for that?" Damien asked, motioning towards his leg.

"Well, sure," Zephyr shrugged. "But where am I going to find medical help? Where would I go?"

"There's some doctors in the Eternal Forest…" Caelian said softly.

"I can't walk, guys," Zephyr sighed.

"We can bring doctor to Zephyr, yes?" Evelyn asked.

"It did look like there was a forest nearby…" Damien mused.

"Evelyn can go! Bring doctor back." Evelyn said.

"I can go with you, I'm not sure they'll trust you," Caelian said.

Damien shook their head. "Doctors will look past the type of spirit and treat anyone. It's part of their code. Evelyn can go, you stay here and rest too. You look like shit."

"Okay…" Caelian said as Damien and Evelyn walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry that this was the best I could do," Zinnia said to Zephyr.

"It's fine," Zephyr said.

Caelian frowned. He felt that it was weird for Zephyr to be nonchalant for breaking his leg. Would it impact his dancing at all?

"In any case, I'll go finish up dinner," Zinnia said with a soft smile. "I'll bring you two up a plate when it's done."

Caelian watched as she left the room.

"Hey, Zeph?" Caelian asked, looking up at him. He was still being held tighty.

"Yeah?" Zephyr asked.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, your leg… will it affect your dancing at all?"

"Hopefully not. There's nothing I can do about it, so I'm trying not to think about it."

"Oh…" Caelian shrank back. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Zephyr said with a pained smile.

"Zephyr… I'm sorry."

"Why? I just said it was okay."

"No, I'm just… I'm sorry. For everything. It's my fault you have a broken leg.

"For everything. It's my fault you have a broken leg."

"Don't say something like that," Zephyr chuckled. "I'm the one that chose to go along with you."

"Yeah, but…" Caelian trailed off.

Zephyr reached up and ruffled Caelian's hair. "Look, don't worry about it. It's not your fault what happened happened. You couldn't have predicted that Sol would have done that."

"Yeah…" Caelian said, his face falling. "He hates me."

Zephyr gave him a sympathetic look. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was true, Sol hated his own grandson just for existing. Why would he try to kill the last link to his son?

"And then there's also the fact that I'm… I'm not even a nature spirit," Caelian said, realizing he never quite had the chance to vocalize his feelings on the matter. "All my life I've thought I'm a nature spirit… and now? I'm just suddenly supposed to be a celestial spirit?"

"Is it a bad thing to be a celestial spirit?" Zephyr asked.

"I… I guess not, even though I don't like how they treat dark spirits."

"You're not them, Caelian," Zephyr said softly. "You can be a celestial spirit and not hate dark spirits."

"I guess so. But I thought I belonged in the Eternal Forest," Caelian said.

"You do belong in the Eternal Forest," Zephyr said with a frown. "Nothing will change that. It's your home."

"Is it, though?" Caelian stared down at the bedsheets. "Do I even have the right to call myself Gaia's disciple? I… I wonder what she'd think if she knew she made a celestial spirit her disciple instead of a nature spirit."

"I doubt she'd regret her decision, Caelian," Zephyr said. "You're a good disciple. Look at everything you're going through just to ensure she has a smooth rebirth."

"But what if I'm just doing it for selfish reasons? I wanted my elementals back, too. Would I have done all this if it weren't for that?"

"Well, would you?"

Caelian paused. "... I would."

"Then what's the problem?" Zephyr said with a small laugh. "I don't think it's a big deal that you're actually a celestial spirit. You're still Gaia's disciple."

"Yeah, but…" Caelian trailed off.

Zephyr cuddled Caelian. "You worry too much. It's okay. I know it's all confusing right now, but you'll be okay. I promise."

"Thanks," Caelian said softly.

Zephyr let Caelian lie down next to him. The two of them lied in silence for a while. Caelian's eyes were just beginning to grow heavy when they heard footsteps approaching the door. They both sat up as the door clicked open. Zinnia pushed it open with her hip as she carried in a tray of food.

"Alright, boys. Dinner's served!" She said cheerfully as she set the tray on the bedside table next to Zephyr. She took one of the plates and handed it to him, which he accepted graciously.

"Um… Zinnia?" Zephyr asked as she picked up the second plate,

"Yes, dear?"

"Caelian doesn't eat meat."

Caelian looked over to Zephyr's plate. On it was a thick cut of roasted meat, surrounded by mashed potatoes, gravy, and an assortment of vegetables. He had to admit, it looked good, but the thought of eating an animal made his stomach churn.

"Oh… Oh!" She looked at Caelian with curiosity. "I'm sorry, I should have asked. Let me take this back and I'll bring you something else, alright, hun?"

"Okay," Caelian said as Zinnia rushed back out of the room. He sat there for a few moments before he realized Zephyr wasn't eating. "Are you not hungry?"

"Oh, It's just that you haven't gotten yours yet, so…" Zephyr mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Caelian grinned. "It's fine, Zeph. Go ahead and eat."

As Zephyr began to eat his food, Damien reentered the room.

"Cae, Zinnia wanted me to ask if you eat cheese."

"What's cheese?" Caelian asked.

Damien stared at him before letting out a sigh. "It's made from milk. It doesn't hurt the cow."

"Oh! That's fine, then!"

Damien wordlessly left. Caelian turned to Zephyr. "You can make things out of milk?" He asked.

Zephyr nearly choked on his food as he tried not to laugh. He quickly waved Caelian off, who gave him a concerned look. This was one of the things he loved so much about Caelian. He was utterly clueless about so many common and basic things, and it was adorable.

After clearing his throat, he said, "You can make a lot of stuff from milk. Cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt…"

"I know what butter is, but what are those last two?"

"Ice cream is super sweet, and yogurt can be too. We'll have to get some for you to try sometime."

Caelian seemed pleased with that idea. A few moments later Zinnia returned with a plate of steaming food.

"Here you go," She said.

As Caelian took it, he noticed that it was a plate full of the mashed potatoes and vegetables. Green onions and cheese had been sprinkled on top of the potatoes instead of gravy.

"I'm sorry it isn't much," Zinnia said. "I'll be sure to make something you can eat next time."

"No, this is fine. Thank you!" Caelian said as his tail wagged.

Zinnia smiled as he began to dig into the food. She reached out and gently ran her fingers through his hair, before letting out a soft sigh as she turned and exited the room. Zephyr looked after her with curiosity.

"That was weird," He said.

"What was?" Caelian asked.

"The way she touched your hair," Zephyr said before biting into a piece of meat.

"Oh, I thought it was nice," Caelian said.

"You're a really touchy-feely person," Zephyr shrugged, "You're happy to cuddle with people you just met."

"Is that a bad thing?" Caelian asked with a frown. "Do you not like it? I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No no no no no, that's not what I meant," Zephyr said quickly, almost choking on his food. "I'm, uh, glad you feel comfortable enough to cuddle me. It's… it's nice."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay…" Caelian said. He seemed a little unconvinced. He continued to eat his food in silence.

The two of them finished their meals and left their plates sitting on the nightstand. Caelian had begun to pace the room, pausing every now and then to inspect himself in the full-length mirror. He kept twisting himself around to inspect his back, as if they would suddenly appear.

"This shirt doesn't really cover a lot, huh?" Caelian asked as he looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn't put on his jacket since he woke up. He didn't want to know how weird it'd look on him without his wings. Even his white shirt with the open back looked strange on him.

"You could maybe ask Zinnia if she has any spare shirts," Zephyr suggested. "I'm sure she'd be happy to help."

"Yeah, maybe…" Caelian said as he touched his back.

"They're not gonna come back just because you stare, you know."

"It's just so weird," He said as he turned around to view his back in the mirror. "I look weird without my wings."

"I think you look just as handsome," Zephyr said.

"I just… don't think I look like myself without them," Caelian said with a sigh.

"Well, who else would you be?" Zephyr asked with a laugh.

"I don't know," Caelian frowned. "A nature spirit whose grand dad didn't hate him, preferably."

"Cae…" Zephyr regretted his words as Caelian let out a sniffle.

"Sorry," Caelian said as he wiped at his eyes, "I hate this stupid ice elemental."

"Come here," Zephyr said as he held his arms out. Caelian shuffled over to the bed, being careful to not knock into Zephyr's injured leg as he crawled into his lap. Zephyr held him tightly, patting his back.

"It's okay to feel sad, Cae. You've been through a lot, you know? Your grandfather just rejected you. You learned something about yourself you don't like. It's okay to cry," Zephyr said.

"I don't want to, though," Caelian said as he blinked away some of his tears. "Right now I just want my wings back…"

"They'll be back once they're healed, don't worry," Zephyr said softly. "Just rest for now, alright?"

"Alright. I guess I am kind of tired," Caelian admitted.

"Then sleep," Zephyr said as his tail gave a slight wag. "You've barely ever gotten to sleep in actual beds, so enjoy it."

"Moss is just as comfortable, though."

"It really isn't."

Caelian pouted as Zephyr released him. He moved over beside him, lying down on the bed and snuggling into the blankets. Zephyr carefully laid back down beside him, turning to face away from him as he closed his eyes. The two of them lied quietly for a while.

"Hey, Zeph?" Caelian asked.

"Yeah?"

"About what you did… back with Sol… thank you."

Caelian could hear the content thumping of Zephyr's tail against the bed. "Of course, Cae."

Chapter 26: Dearest

A couple of days had passed since the group's arrival to Zinnia's home. Evelyn had returned with a doctor from the Eternal Forest, who had announced that Zephyr's leg was broken in two different places. He was able to place it in a cast, with instructions to stay off of it, before returning to the forest. Thankfully, spirits healed quickly, and they wouldn't have to stay waiting for too long.

Caelian hadn't left Zephyr's side. He was worried for him, and felt like something bad would happen if he left him for too long.

Zephyr was gently applying ointment and wrapping Caelian's burn marks. He didn't have enough energy to use healing magic, or else he would have. Caelian had to mostly undress so that Zephyr could get to the ones on his legs. Thankfully, Caelian felt comfortable enough around him to not mind.

"Shouldn't you do yours first?" Caelian asked as he slathered ointment onto a burn on his thigh.

"I did them this morning while you were still asleep," Zephyr said. Seeing the look he gave him, he said, "I'm fine, stop worrying so much."

"Let me do it next time," He whined. "You're more hurt than I am. I should be taking care of you, not the other way around."

"It's fine," Zephyr said. He wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed pampering him. "I'm a water spirit, I heal quicker than you do."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts," Zephyr said as he picked up the roll of bandages and began to gently wrap them around Caelian's leg. "You should go see what Damien and Ev are up to when I'm done. You've been stuck in this room with me for two days now."

"But I don't want to leave you," Caelian said.

Oh, how nice those words sounded to Zephyr. He took a deep breath. "I know, but I'll be fine, I promise. You've been pacing non-stop though, I can tell you're bored. Just go out and do something, I'll still be here when you come back."

"Are you sure?" Caelian asked as Zephyr tied off the bandages.

"Well, it's not like I can walk right now," Zephyr laughed. "It's fine, I promise, Caelian."

"Okay…" Caelian said as he stood up and gently tugged his pants back on. He winced as they slid over his burns. He fixed his shirt as he decided he'd stay without his shoes. His socks padded across the floor, as he walked over to the door. He turned and looked at Zephyr, who gave him a reassuring smile. Finally, Caelian stepped out of the room.

Zephyr couldn't help but look after him wistfully. He let out a sigh. More and more he wanted to tell Caelian about his feelings for him. He wished Evelyn didn't encourage him. It was funny. At first he wasn't sure if he'd really like Caelian. Nothing more but thinking he was cute, if not a little rude. But as he got more of his personality back, he fell for him. Hard.

Zephyr snuggled up into the blankets, being mindful of his broken leg. Even though he wanted to, he knew neither of them were ready for it. He'd have to keep it to himself for now, as much as it hurt him. He slowly drifted off to sleep.

The only times Caelian had left the room was when he needed to use the restroom. He hadn't actually explored any of the house yet. It seemed to be of decent size, and had two stories. Caelian had figured that out when he looked out the window. They were on the second floor. The floor and walls were a smooth dark oak. Caelian ran his fingers along the wall as he walked down the hallway, the floor underneath him squeaking with each step. Hearing a sneeze, Caelian looked inside of an open door.

Inside he saw Damien sitting on the floor rubbing at their nose, surrounded by a mountain of books, which were then surrounded by numerous bookshelves.

"Oh, wow. It's almost like a library," Caelian said as he stepped into the room. Damien looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So you finally decided to leave your room, huh?" They asked. "But yes, she seems to have amassed quite the collection."

"Have you read all of these already?" Caelian asked as he sat down next to them. He picked up one of the books and looked at the spine, carefully sounding out each letter in his head. Sprites and Their Effects On Humans. At least, he was pretty sure that's what it said.

"This seems like something you'd be interested in," Caelian said.

"It is. That's the problem," Damien said.

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, looking over to them.

Damien slapped the book they were reading closed. "Why does a human have so many books about sprites? About spirit related things?"

"I mean… A lot of humans are into that kind of stuff, aren't they?" Caelian asked.

"They're not those kinds of books," Damien said as they stood up and returned the book to an empty spot on a shelf. "This is stuff no human should have access to."

Caelian frowned. Maybe it was odd, sure, but he didn't see the problem with it. Maybe Zinnia had spirit friends that got the books for her. Before he could say anything, he noticed Damien looking at something behind him, and he turned to see Zinnia standing in the doorway with a smile.

"I see you're finally up," She said as she looked at Caelian. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit," Caelian said with a small smile. "Thank you."

Zinnia gave a nod. "And Damien, are you still enjoying those books?"

"You have a large variety of things I haven't been able to get my hands on myself," Damien said in a measured tone, "I have to ask, though, how did you come across these?"

"I collected them over the years. I never did quite get around to reading them all, though." She said.

Caelian wasn't entirely sure, but for the briefest of moments, he thought he saw something flash across Zinnia's face as she spoke. It was only for a split second, but he could have sworn it was… sadness?

Damien didn't look impressed with her answer. "Well, regardless, I'll probably be spending most of my time in here now, if you don't mind. I appreciate you letting me know this was here."

"Oh, of course, hun. You seemed bored, so I thought I'd offer. I'm just glad you're a reader." Zinnia said. She glanced over to Caelian. "What about you, dear? Do you read many books?"

"Ah, um…" Caelian's face went a bit red as Damien smirked. "Not really, to be honest…"

"I see. Well, don't worry, I know plenty of people that get bored with books."

Caelian wouldn't really say he got bored with them. But then, he never really had the chance to find out, either. It was an interesting thought, though. Would he even like reading once he learned how?

"Oh, by the way, Zinnia?" Caelian asked, remembering something as a draft made a chill go down his spine. "I wanted to ask if you had any clothes I could borrow? Um, like I guess, maybe a normal shirt, since I don't…" He trailed off.

Zinnia's face brightened. "Oh, of course! I have some spare clothing that might suit you. Here, come with me."

Caelian left Damien behind as he followed Zinnia down the hallway. He was surprised when she pulled down a ladder from the ceiling, revealing an attic. She climbed up, and Caelian followed a few moments later.

The attic was dark, with only a single window giving off a small amount of light. Zinnia pulled on a chain from the ceiling, turning on a lightbulb that gave the room a little more light. The sloped ceilings made the room feel small, even more so with the amount of furniture and boxes scattered about the floor.

Looking around, Caelian noticed old dishes were neatly stacked on a table, with old documents sitting underneath it. There were a pile of children's toys in one of the corners of the room. He could see fabric sticking out of a dresser's drawers. Zinnia walked towards it, pulling open one of the drawers. Caelian stepped forward as she began to dig through them, when a light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to look in its direction, but saw nothing there.

"Here, Caelian," Zinnia said, getting his attention back. "Come pick from any of these."

Caelian walked over beside her and peered into the drawer. Inside were some neatly folded stacks of shirts. He eyed them for a moment, before picking out a black button up with white embroidered roses on the chest. He looked up when he noticed Zinnia walking back over to the ladder.

"I'll give you some privacy so you can change," She said before stepping down the ladder.

Caelian took off his white, open-backed shirt and threw on the black shirt. As he buttoned it, he couldn't help but frown. It fit him fine, it was even a bit big for him, but it felt constricting. He reached around and touched one of the feathered spots on his back through the shirt. With a soft sigh, he walked over to the ladder and looked down to where Zinnia was waiting.

"Um, Zinnia?" He called.

"Yes, hun?"

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can actually wear a normal shirt," He said, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"Oh, that's quite alright, honey! But go ahead and open the second drawer, there will be a few shirts with cut outs for wings."

"You have shirts with wing cut outs?!" Caelian asked in surprise. He turned and ran back over to the dresser without waiting for a reply. He closed the top drawer and tugged open the second one, pulling out the first shirt he saw. It was true, it had the makings of a normal shirt, but with three cutouts on the back, similar to his coat.

He removed the black shirt he was wearing and put on the baby blue pin-striped shirt he had selected. As he buttoned it up, he noted it was still a bit big for him, but the air against the feathered spots on his back felt right.

"Is that better?"

Caelian turned to see Zinnia climb up the ladder and walk over to him.

"It is," He said, brushing his thumb over one of his feathered spots. "Thank you."

"Of course, hun. Now, it's almost dinnertime, would you like to come downstairs and help me with it?"

"Sure!" Caelian beamed. He began to follow Zinnia back towards the ladder when he paused, noticing a stack of books in the corner of the room.

"Oh, are those more books?" Caelian asked. "Would Damien like those, too?"

Zinnia frowned as she followed his gaze. "Oh, no. Those are just some old photobooks."

"What of?" Caelian asked.

"My family, back when I was younger." She said with a sigh. "But come along, I sent Evelyn out to gather some vegetables earlier, she should be back soon."

Caelian and Zinnia descended the ladder, and Caelian waited for her to return it to the ceiling before he continued to follow her down the stairs.

Just as they entered the kitchen, Evelyn came bursting through the door leading outside, her arms full of vegetables.

"Evelyn got the vegetables!" She said cheerfully. Dirt covered her hands and feet, and had even gotten on her face.

"Oh, my. Thank you, Evelyn!" Zinnia said as she set them down on the table. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a bath to get all that dirt off of you?"

"Okay!" Evelyn said before taking off towards the stairs.

Zinnia smiled as she left. "Caelian, would you mind washing the vegetables for me?"

"Sure thing," Caelian said as he picked up a couple vegetables and brought them over to the sink. He had just begun to scrub a potato when Evelyn came back into the room, still covered in dirt.

"Evelyn, I thought you were going to take a bath?" Zinnia asked as she pulled a bowl out of a cupboard.

"Zephyr in the bathtub," Evelyn said. "But is okay! Evelyn can use lake!" She said before running outside.

"Evelyn-" Zinnia let out a sigh. "Oh, dear… Caelian, could you go upstairs and check on Zephyr? He isn't supposed to be moving right now."

"Sure," Caelian said as he gently placed the potato down into the sink. He wiped the water on his hands off onto his pants as he walked across the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs. He paused at the top, before remembering which way the bathroom was. It was right next to the room they had been sharing.

As soon as Caelian stepped inside, he could see Zephyr's tail spilling over the edge of the bathtub, alongside his casted leg. He walked over and peered down into the water where he was lying. He had his eyes closed, but he seemed to sense Caelian as he leaned over the tub. He opened his eyes, looking up at Caelian with a blank face. It took him a moment to sit up, water spilling off of him as he broke through the surface. His usual fluffy, curly hair was straight and stuck to his face.

"Whatcha doing?" Caelian asked, sitting down on the edge of the tub.

"Relaxing," Zephyr said.

"Zinnia said you're not supposed to be moving right now."

"It's fine," Zephyr said as he waved him off. "I leaned against the wall."

"Zeph," Caelian said with a frown. "You're going to hurt yourself. The doctor said you can't get your cast wet, either."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Zephyr said.

"At least ask me next time, okay? I'll help you. You can lean on me."

"Yeah, alright. I like that shirt on you, by the way. Blue clothing really brings out your eyes." Zephyr said.

Caelian grinned. "You think so? Thanks. It even has wing holes in the back."

"It does?" Zephyr asked, a confused look spreading over his face.

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong?" Caelian asked.

"I mean, it's just… Nothing, nevermind." Zephyr said.

"Okay… Anyways, Zinnia is making dinner, so you probably shouldn't stay in here for too long."

"Can you help me up, then?" Zephyr said as he pulled up the drain plug, allowing the water to swirl out of the tub.

Caelian reached down and hooked an arm around Zephyr's, while he carefully stood up using only his good leg. Caelian bared his weight as he carefully hopped out of the tub, doing his best to not slip. He leaned against Caelian as they left the bathroom, Zephyr dripping water onto the wood as they walked down the hallway.

"Sorry, I should have grabbed you a towel," Caelian said as they carefully descended the stairs.

"It's fine, it's not like I mind being wet," Zephyr laughed.

A few moments later they entered the kitchen, where Damien was already sitting at the table with a book, and Zinnia was stirring a pot. Caelian helped Zephyr sit down in the seat across from Damien, before he walked back over to Zinnia.

"Do you still need any help?" He asked.

"Oh, yes, if you don't mind. I finished washing up the vegetables, could you cut them for me?"

"Sure," Caelian said, looking around for where the vegetables were. He spotted them sitting on a cutting board a few feet away. He stepped over and immediately got to work.

A while later the door opened, and everyone turned to see Evelyn waltz into the house, her feathers wet and ruffled, looking as happy as could be.

"Where have you been?" Damien asked as she sat down next to them.

"Oh, Evelyn go take a bath!" She said cheerfully.

Damien furrowed their brows and opened their mouth, but paused. They seemed to decide against it, merely shaking their head as they returned to reading their book.

Caelian had gotten distracted as Evelyn entered, and wasn't paying attention as he sliced the vegetables. It only took a second for him to accidentally cut his finger. He yelped, dropping the knife as he looked at the blood welling out of the cut. Zinnia dropped what she was doing and rushed over to him. She calmed down when she realized the cut wasn't that bad. The others were looking over with curiosity as she took a towel and gently wrapped his finger in it.

"I'll be right back with a bandage," She said before leaving the kitchen.

Caelian felt embarrassed. He knew how to cut vegetables. He had helped Mrs. Tamia with it a lot. Now Zinnia probably wouldn't let him help.

Zinnia returned a short time later with a bandage, which she gently wrapped around the cut on Caelian's finger. "There we go," She said with a smile. "Be more careful, okay?" She said as she gently patted his head.

Caelian watched as she returned to the pot on the stove. He stood there for a couple moments before gently grabbing the knife and going back to cutting up the vegetables.

A while later, after dinner was finished and everyone had eaten, Evelyn had bounced off somewhere, while Damien helped Zephyr upstairs and to the book room. After Damien had mentioned it's existence, he had shown an interest in it. Caelian returned to the room he shared with Zephyr and flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. He twisted around and looked at the feathered spots on his back. The dull pain was still there. He wanted to try stretching out his wings, just to convince himself they were still there, but he knew that it'd be a bad idea. He didn't want to injure them even more.

How much longer were they going to stay here, anyways? He enjoyed Zinnia's company, but Caelian had a duty to attend to. He needed his light sprite purified. But how would they even get back up to the highlands? Even if his wings healed, he'd be too afraid to go by himself. Then there was Sol to deal with. Sol hated him. How would he ever convince him to purify his light spirit when the god wanted him dead?

Caelian let out a shaky sigh as he rolled over onto his stomach. His emotions felt so conflicting. He could imagine his elementals fighting amongst themselves. He had always thought of Gaia as his family. She was his family. His elementals were his family. Evelyn, Damien, Zephyr… he considered them all family, too.

But when he arrived at the highlands, and met his aunt, who spoke of his dad, something inside of him began to yearn for something more. He wanted to know his dad more. He wished he could have met him. And who was his mom? Was she still alive? Would he like her? Perhaps she had died in whatever event killed his dad.

Wet spots formed onto the pillow. He sniffed, before noticing that the pillow had the faint smell of Zephyr. It was oddly comforting to him, and he eventually was able to get his emotions under control enough to stop crying, even though he wanted to. He wanted to mourn the loss of the family he never got the chance to meet. He wondered if his dad loved him? His mom? Surely they would have, unlike Sol. But then why wasn't he raised with them? Why did he have no memories of them? Did they not want him after realizing he had no emotions?

Caelian let out a sigh as he turned his face to the side. He wiggled down into the blankets, cocooning them around him as he shut his eyes. It wasn't night yet, but he felt tired. He let himself drift off to sleep.

A couple hours later, down the hall, Damien was slowly helping Zephyr back to his room.

"Do you have to shove me so much?" Damien grumbled.

"In case you haven't noticed, I have a broken leg." Zephyr said.

"For a dancer I would've thought you'd still be a bit more elegant."

Zephyr shot them a dirty look. The two of them paused in the doorway. Both were surprised to see Zinnia sitting on the bed next to Caelian, gently stroking his hair as he slept. She seemed unaware of their presence. The two of them glanced at each other. Deciding to leave her alone, they hobbled back down the hallway. Zephyr would return to the room at a later time.

Chapter 27: Lost Memories

Caelian was laid out on the couch with Zephyr sitting next to him. He watched curiously as the doctor removed Zephyr's cast. It had taken about two weeks, which seemed fast to Caelian, but the doctor was confident Zephyr would be done healing by now. Damien, who was sitting on an adjacent couch with Evelyn, also agreed that two weeks was all it would take. Zinnia was sitting in a nearby chair, Caelian's coat in her lap as she worked on stitching up the holes it had.

Zephyr stretched his leg out after the cast was removed from his leg. He didn't seem to be in any pain.

"How's it feel?" The doctor asked as he put his saw back into his medical bag.

"Fine," Zephyr said. "It hasn't hurt for a while."

"Go ahead and try to put your weight on it."

Zephyr did as he was told and carefully stood up from the couch. He flexed his foot a bit as he shifted his weight from side to side.

"Seems fine," He said. "Just a bit stiff."

"Good," The doctor said as he stood up. "Be gentle with it at first. Avoid any strenuous activities for a week or so. But you should be good to go now."

"Great, now we can finally get going," Damian said as the doctor left.

Zinnia paused her work, trying to hide her disappointment. "Oh… I supposed you do have some unfinished business."

Caelian had told her of their adventures while they stayed with her, and she was aware of what happened with Sol. She seemed shocked that he would have treated Caelian like that, and expressed her condolences.

"But how are we even supposed to get back up there?" Zephyr asked. "We don't have the phoenixes anymore."

"Maybe Caelian can carry us?" Evelyn suggested.

"I couldn't before, I doubt I could now." Caelian said with a frown. "Besides, are my wings even healed yet?"

"They should be by now," Zinnia said. "Do you feel any pain at all?"

Caelian thought for a moment as he focused on the six feathered spots on his back. "No, I don't think so…"

"Then go ahead and try extending them again."

There was a long pause as Caelian stared down at the ground. He bashfully looked up at Zinnia. "How do I do that?"

Zinnia smiled. "Imagine yourself spreading your wings out from the spots on your back. Focus on that."

Caelian stared at the ground as he focused on the spots on his back. He tried imagining wings sprouting out from his back, stretching out to their fullest length. He got momentarily lost in his imagination when a fwoosh brought him back to reality. Feathers were raining down around him, and he whipped around to see six wings sprouting from his back once again.

He let out a laugh as he sat up and gently grabbed a hold of one of his wings. "They're back!" He laughed, "They're back!"

"I told you they would be," Zinnia grinned.

Caelian buried his face in his feathers. He was so happy, The thought of not having his wings was terrifying, and even though Zinnia had insisted they'd be fine, he was so worried they'd be lost forever.

Zinnia tied off a thread before standing up. She walked over to Caelian and held out his coat. He graciously took it and threw it on, his wings popping out through the holes in the back. Everything felt right again.

"We should get ready to go, then." Damien said as he stood.

"Oh, are you leaving right now?" Zinnia asked, her face falling.

Seeing the disappointed look she gave, Damien let out a sigh. "We'll leave in the morning. So everyone do whatever you need to do to be ready by then." They said before walking out of the living room and heading upstairs.

"Mm, Evelyn not sure she need to do anything…" She said as she rolled upside-down on the couch.

"Just enjoy yourself until then," Zephyr said. "I'm going to go on a walk, I think. I could really use one."

"Oh! Can Evelyn come with Zephyr?" Evelyn asked.

"Sure," Zephyr said. "Cae, do you want to come too?

Caelian shook his head. "I think I'll stay here and rest for a while."

"Rest? It's only noon," Zephyr grinned.

"So? You take sun naps all the time," Caelian said.

Zephyr laughed. "Fine, fine. Let's go, Ev."

Evelyn jumped off of the couch and followed him outside into the sunshine. Caelian watched them through the window until they disappeared. He gently pet his wings as he looked down to examine them. They were still pretty dirty from all of the traveling they had been doing. He never really got a chance to preen them. Maybe that'd be a good use of his time.

When he looked up, he noticed that Zinnia looked sad. She seemed lost in thought, staring at a wall as she twirled her hair.

"Are you okay, Zinnia?" Caelian asked, surprising her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm fine, dear. Thank you for asking. I just… I've been thinking about something. That I'd like to show you. Before you leave."

"Really?" Caelian asked, his curiosity piqued. "Like what?"

She took a deep breath as she stood. "Stay here and I'll bring it to you," She said softly before leaving the room.

Caelian was lost as to what was going on. Everyone had been acting weird lately. Zinnia seemed so sad, and Zephyr and Damien kept throwing weird looks her way. Did something happen between the three of them that he didn't know about?

He gently touched the stitch marks on his green coat. Zinnia was really nice. He really liked her. For a human, at least.. He'd miss her when they left.

He started to preen his feathers as he waited for her to return. One by one he licked his fingers and pinched the base of one of his feathers, dragging his finger's down it's length. He was so into it by the time Zinnia returned he hadn't even noticed her enter the room.

"Caelian?" She said, snapping him out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," He said, folding his wings behind him. He frowned. It was easier to sit on a couch without wings getting in the way. He hadn't thought there'd be any reason for him to ever retract his wings again, but maybe…

Zinnia walked over to him, holding a large book. She sat down next to him on the couch, gently placing the book in his lap. He gave her a curious look.

"Isn't this one of the books from the attic?" Caelian asked as he examined the cover.

"It is, it's one of the photobooks," Zinnia said. "I… I'd like you to look through it."

Curious, he flipped open to the first page. He saw photos of Zinnia with a man taller than her. He had long, messy blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He looked very handsome.

"Was this your husband?" Caelian asked. He knew that Zinnia's husband had died some time ago, due to a tragic accident. She hadn't elaborated much on it, and Caelian didn't pry.

"It is," Zinnia said.

Caelian turned to the next page. It was more photos of them together, looking happy. Same with the page after that. Why had she wanted him to look at this? He was just about to ask her when he flipped over to the next page and stopped short. In one of the photos he saw six, golden wings on the man's back. Caelian's breathing stopped as memories of what he had been told in the highlands came rushing back to him. His dad had golden wings. Only those of the royal family had six wings. His hand shook as it hovered over the photo.

He turned to Zinnia, who had been quietly watching him. "Your husband... was a spirit," He said. Zinnia nodded. Caelian looked back down to the photobook, chewing on his lip as he turned the page to see more photos of the man with six golden wings. He had a feeling he knew why ZInnia wanted him to see this book, and when he turned the page again, his suspicions were confirmed. Pictures of a baby were spread across the pages, slowly progressing to a child that had horns and a tail, along with six black and white wings.

Caelian stared blankly at the pages, unsure what to say. What could he even say? All of this was too much information to take in. All those years. All those years he had denied being a half spirit. But all that time. All that time Garson had been correct? He was just a halfie? Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. No. No, this couldn't be true. He wasn't a human. He was a spirit.

He looked over when he heard a sob, and was surprised to see Zinnia covering her face as she cried.

"I'm sorry," She sobbed, "I'm sorry."

"But… how?" Caelian asked quietly. He felt sick. His stomach nauseous and his head dizzy. "I'm over a hundred years old. Human's can't live that long."

Zinnia hiccuped as she wiped her eyes and quickly composed herself. "It's because of Theo," She said.

"Who's Theo?" Caelian asked. He was surprised when a light sprite landed on top of his head, bending down and peering into his face. He jumped backwards as the sprite let out a giggle, before flying over to Zinnia and resting in her lap.

"Apollo linked me with Theo to extend my life," She said as she gently pet the sprite. "Sprites have strange effects on humans, apparently. I won't live as long as a spirit. But he was searching for a way."

Caelian stared down at the sprite quietly. "But then… Where were you when I was growing up? Why weren't you with me?"

Zinnia's hand stopped. Theo looked up at her with a frown. She took a deep breath. "I'll tell you. So you know why. But know that it was wrong of me. I was a coward."

Caelian stared into her eyes as she spoke.

"Caelian, when… When your dad died, I didn't know what to do. He was the smart one. He always knew what to do. He was looking for a way for you to have emotions. He seemed to know how, he just couldn't do it himself. With him gone, I didn't know what to do for you. We had moved out into the middle of nowhere, because everyone we went, people…" She trailed off.

"People what?" Caelian asked.

"People would call you an abomination," She said quietly. "I didn't know the taboo of spirits and humans having a baby together, so I told people. The other children would bully you for having wings and a tail. You… you were never bothered by it, since you couldn't feel anything, but it just broke my heart even more knowing that.

We had to move. I had to move away from my family, my friends. My support network. I had no one to help me when Apollo died. I felt so overwhelmed. I wanted you to have the best life that you could, but I felt like I couldn't give you that. I remember crying so much, and you'd just stare up at me… I knew I couldn't let anyone see you. But what kind of life would that be for you, being hidden away as if I were ashamed of my own child? I wanted so much more for you. That's why… why I decided you needed to live in the spirit realm."

Caelian stared at her as she looked miserably at the ground. "Why the Eternal Forest, though?" Caelian asked. "Why didn't you give me to my family in the Highlands?"

"Apollo told me of his family," ZInnia said. "They wouldn't have accepted you. He hid you from them, just like he hid me. He left them and never looked back. I knew the nature realm's entrance lay in forests. I took you to one, and managed to come across a sprite. I begged them. 'Take my son to someone that could care for him better than I could.'"

"... That's why Gaia found me with a sprite," Caelian said.

"I'm so sorry, Caelian." Zinnia said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I debated telling you. But I felt you deserved to know."

"I… " Caelian stared at the ground. Would he have preferred to know? Or would he have rather lived in ignorance for the rest of his life? He didn't want it to be true. He didn't want to be half human. His mother gave him up to the forest spirits knowing she wouldn't be able to care for him. Was that really any better?

Caelian spoke after a while. "I'm sure it… was hard for you. I'll be honest, I don't know what to think right now. I don't know if I'm glad I know what happened or not. I… I don't want to be half human. All my life I was convinced I was a full blooded spirit. That's what I want to be. I… I think I wish you didn't tell me."

"I… I understand," Zinnia said, her face falling.

"Sorry," Caelian said as he gently moved the photobook off of his lap and stood up, "I need to be alone for a while."

Zinnia said nothing as Caelian walked upstairs. Each step creaked as he walked, breaking the heavy silence that hung in the air. As he walked by the open door to the book room, he could feel Damien's eyes on him. But neither said anything as Caelian continued on to the bedroom. He lied down on the bed on his stomach, turning his head to stare off into the wall.

How was he supposed to feel right now? He just felt… empty. Should he feel sad? Mad? Right now he just felt sick. He buried his face into his pillow as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Guess that answered the question of how he felt. Why did this keep happening? He would have been content to never know about his parents or family in the highlands. So why now? Why did everything have to happen all at once?

Why did he have to be half human? Garson was right. He had been right all along. He was just some halfie with a haflie disease. He couldn't feel emotions because he was half human. Zinnia was his mom. It was her fault.

"Hey, Cae."

Caelian heard Zephyr's greeting as he stepped into the room. He heard his footsteps pause, before they walked over to the bed and he felt the bed shift as his weight was put down onto it.

"Cae? Are you okay?" Zephyr asked, gently touching his shoulder.

"No," Caelian sniffled, "I'm not."

"What's wrong?"

Caelian rolled over as he rubbed at his face, wiping away the tears that still dripped out of his eyes. "Zinnia is my mom," he said. "But I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it. I think… that I wish she never told me."

Zephyr gave him a pitiful look. "To be honest, Cae, me and Damien had our suspicions about it…"

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"We weren't certain," Zephyr said. "Besides, would it really have felt any better hearing it from us first?"

Caelian deflated into the pillow. "No… I guess not."

Zephyr laid down beside Caelian. He wasn't sure what to say to him to make him feel better. Was there anything he even could say? He knew how much Caelian was put off by the idea of being anything other than a full-blooded nature spirit. Now both of those things had been ripped away from him, one after the other.

"You say you don't know how you're supposed to feel about it, but what are you feeling right now?" Zephyr asked.

"I don't know," Caelian murmured, muffled by the pillow. "I… I guess upset?"

"Why are you upset?"

"Because I'm half human!"

"I know," Zephyr said softly. "But is there any other reason?"

"I… I'm also mad because my mom gave me away," Caelian said as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He stared down at the wet marks on the pillow. "She said she did it because she couldn't take good care of me… But what if I would have been happier with her? If I knew all along I was a half human maybe I wouldn't be so upset right now. But I never had that chance. She got rid of me."

"Could you have felt happiness if you never became Gaia's disciple, though?" Zephyr asked.

Caelian paused. He hadn't considered that. Thinking about it more, it was unlikely he would have ever gained emotion while living with his mom. She wouldn't have known to ask Gaia for elementals. Is that what she meant by she couldn't take proper care of him?

"Also, do you regret your life up to now?" Zephyr asked. "Are you unhappy with it?"

"N-no," Caelian said, "I'm glad with how everything has turned out so far. I… I'm happy I got my elementals. I guess… I guess I would have never gotten them if I stayed with my mom. I guess I'm just… wondering what would have happened if she kept me."

Zephyr nodded. "And it's fair to wonder that. But… I think that if you're happy with how everything has turned out, there's no need to feel upset over what already happened, if it led you to being happy."

"You think she made the right choice?" Caelian asked as he looked over to Zephyr.

"I think that's something for you to decide," Zephyr said. "Did she?"

"I…" Caelian looked back down to the bedsheets. "I guess so," He said in a quiet voice.

"Are you not happy to have met your mom?" Zephyr asked.

"I don't know anymore," Caelian said. "I thought she was dead, like my dad. I kind of resigned myself to it. But… I never considered it before, but recently, I have kind of been wishing I could have met my parents. It just… feels weird like this."

"How would you have preferred to meet her?"

Caelian sat up. "I… don't know."

Zephyr frowned. "Maybe give her a chance, as your mom? You wanted to meet her, right?"

"Yeah…" Caelian tapped his fingers against his leg. "I think, maybe I was just too emotionally overwhelmed to handle it. I'm kind of afraid, honestly."

"I get it," Zephyr said. "I'm sure she'll understand if you want to take it slow."

"But we're leaving tomorrow," Caelian said, looking up at Zephyr with disappointment in his eyes. "I can't."

"I'll talk to Damien," Zephyr said. "I'm sure under the circumstances he'll understand and let us stay a bit longer."

"But should we?" Caelian asked. "My light elemental…"

"Is there a reason we need to be in a rush?" Zephyr asked.

Caelian thought for a moment. "I don't want to leave Gaia waiting."

"That's fair," Zephyr said. "But I think she'll understand. Do you?"

"She would," Caelian said, deflating.

"We don't have to stay if you don't want to," Zephyr said. "And you don't have to even give her a chance if you don't want to, either."

"I… I want to! I… I want to know my mom. Even… Even if she is a human. I just… I'm scared. What if I don't like her?"

"All you can do is find out," Zephyr said with a smile. "And I'll be here if you need me."

"Okay…" Caelian messed with the bottom hem of his shirt, "Should… should I go back down there?"

"If you feel like you're ready."

Caelian thought for a moment. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready. But he wanted to be. He wanted to be excited about finally meeting his real mom, and get to know her. Human or not, he wanted to know his mother. But he was only afraid right now. But then he thought, Zinnia seemed nice so far. He did like her. Would that really change with the fact she was his mom?

Caelian silently stood up from the bed. Zephyr watched as he exited the room, stepping lightly so the floor wouldn't creak. He walked down the hallway, pausing when he got to the top of the stairs. Hearing footsteps behind him, be turned to watch Zephyr enter the book room.

Caelian took a deep breath as he looked back towards the steps. As he walked down, he noticed that Zinnia was still sitting on the couch. She was staring wistfully at the photobook, seemingly unaware of Caelian's presence. She looked up when he approached. He wasn't sure what to say. He ended up sitting next to her and staring down at his feet. Why did he suddenly feel so shy? He was fine around her before he knew she was his mom.

Zinnia remained silent as well. She gently closed the photobook, causing Caelian to look over as she reached forward and set it on the table. Caelian stared at it. He hadn't finished looking through it earlier. He wondered how many more pictures were in it.

Zinnia set her hands in her lap, staring down at them. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it instead. Caelian looked over to her. She looked even more miserable than he had felt a few minutes ago. Without thinking about it, he reached over and gave her a hug. This clearly surprised her, as for a couple seconds she didn't reciprocate, staring off into the distance. Caelian almost began to think he had done something wrong, when she wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling him into her.

Caelian thought he could feel teardrops fall on top of his head, and he heard Zinnia sniffle. She must have been crying again. He closed his eyes with a silent sigh. He didn't want her to cry. He wanted to tell her it was fine, he forgave her, but he wasn't sure he could find the right words. But he knew he'd have to try.

"It's okay," He said softly, "I don't want to be half human, but if that's what I am… I guess that's what I am. I know you did what you thought was best. It… it hurts to know you gave me away, but I understand why you did it. If you hadn't done that, I don't think I would have been as happy as I am. I've had a happy life. Thank you."

Zinnia hiccuped as she hugged Caelian tighter. "I'm sorry," She said, "I wish I could have found a way to help you more. I didn't want to give you up, Caelian. You were all I had left."

Caelian's face fell. He hadn't even considered that. How did Zinnia feel, giving away her only child? She had lost her husband, and she had to make the tough decision of losing her child, too.

Zinnia gave Caelian a small kiss on the top of his head before she released him from her arms. He settled back down beside her as he eyed the photobook.

"Um, if it's okay, can I look at the rest of the photos…?" He asked sheepishly.

"Of course you can," Zinnia said as she reached out and grabbed the book. She brought it over to Caelian, laying it in his lap. He gently opened the cover, thumbing through the pages until he got back to the pictures of himself as a baby. He was kind of ugly. He had really chubby, red cheeks and squinted eyes.

"You were so cute back then," Zinnia said softly, "I loved poking your cheeks. It was kind of hard taking care of you as a baby, honestly."

"Why's that?" Caelian asked.

"You wouldn't cry."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Zinnia shook her head. "We never knew when you needed something. We had to keep you on a strict schedule for feeding, because you wouldn't cry to let us know when you were hungry, or when you needed changing. Me and your dad were always so worried of accidentally hurting you and you wouldn't tell us…"

"I'm sure you did fine," Caelian said as he stared at a picture of Apollo cradling him in his arms. "Hey… What was dad like?" He had heard Athena's version of him, but he was curious of what Zinnia thought.

"He was a sweet man," Zinnia said with a sigh, "A big softie. He loved to read; always had his nose in a book. He really enjoyed 'human books', as he'd call them. I guess they're different from books from the spirit world. He loved the made-up stories."

"To be honest, I don't know how to read," Caelian admitted, "I don't think Gaia really knew how to raise a child, so she didn't really think of it. But I've been trying to learn! I've been having Zephyr teach me."

"Oh, so that's why you said you didn't really read," Zinnia said in amusement. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you're trying to learn. I hope you enjoy them. I'd love to show you some of your father's favorite books."

"Yeah! I want to read those," Caelian said with excitement. "Oh! By the way, um, I want to ask, since you'd know… How do you spell my name?"

"Oh? Let me see," Zinnia said as she stood up and left the room. Caelian sat curiously until she returned with a notebook and pen. She sat back down next to him, and neatly wrote out some letters before handing it back to him. Caelian took it and looked over the word CAELIAN.

"Really?" He asked. "Wouldn't this have a 'c' sound, like with cat?"

Zinnia shook her head. "It's an 's' sound. There's other names, like Cecile, that are like that." She reached over and wrote the name out to show Caelian, who looked at it with confusion.

"Zephyr guessed it was spelled with an S, like S-a-y-l-i-a-n," He said, saying the letters slowly.

Zinnia shook her head with a smile. "Your dad chose the name. He wanted it spelled with a C."

"Huh…" Caelian looked back down to the photobook while Zinnia took the notebook and set it on the coffee table. He turned the page and saw pictures of him a little older, now able to walk by himself. His expression was blank in all of the pictures, and in many of them he was staring at toys.

"You didn't really like to play," Zinnia said with a frown, "We bought you all sorts of things but you'd just stare at them… If we showed you how to use them you'd imitate us, but you never quite seemed to understand."

"I guess not having emotions made me not care about playing," Caelian said.

"It was around this time we realized something was wrong… Your dad was so disappointed he couldn't make you laugh," Zinnia said. "A lot of things suddenly made sense when we realized you couldn't feel emotion."

"Was there anything you guys tried to do about it?" Caelian asked with curiosity as he turned the page.

"There wasn't anything I could think of, but I knew your dad had some idea," She said. "I know he took you somewhere once, by himself… I remember him coming back flustered. I'm not sure what he had tried to do, but whatever it was, it failed."

"He didn't tell you?" Caelian asked, looking up in surprise.

"He never offered the information, and I never asked. I trusted him. I knew he wouldn't have done anything that would have put you in danger."

"I see…" Caelian said as he looked back down to the book. He flipped to the last page, which was only partially filled. He frowned when he noticed that Apollo wasn't included in any of the pictures. They were all just of him.

"Hey… Do you know how dad died?" Caelan asked quietly.

Zinnia sat still. She was silent for a while before speaking. "I'm… not sure what the cause of it was. You and I were in the house, while he was tending to the goats we used to have. It was dinnertime and he hadn't returned, so I got worried. When I went out to search for him, I… He… I found him dead."

"Just like that?" Caelian asked. "You don't know what happened?"

"There were some strange marks on him," Zinnia said as she painfully recalled the memory. "They were dark purple and almost looked like deep bruises. But I have no idea what they were. All I remember is crying… Begging him to come back." She paused. "I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't tell you this."

"Why?" Caelian asked.

"You don't need to hear that kind of thing from a parent," Zinnia said as she wiped a tear. "It's inappropriate."

"Okay…" Caelian said, not sure he understood. He gently closed the book and set it on the table. He stared down at the floor as he kicked his feet. Now what could he do? He wanted to talk to Zinnia more, but…

"Um… Could you tell me more about how I was when I was a baby?" He asked.

Zinnia smiled. "Of course."

Caelian had stayed on the couch talking to Zinnia well into the night. By the end of it Caelian was cozied up next to her, practically puring as she rubbed his back.

"Oh, I didn't even notice the time," Zinnia said as she looked at a clock. "It's about time to get to bed."

"I'm not tired," Caelian said as Zinnia stood. She gave him a smile as she reached down and placed her hand on his head.

"Don't worry, I may be your mom but you're old enough to decide when you sleep. Stay up as long as you'd like, sweetie. But this old bag of bones needs some rest. Goodnight, my love."

"Okay… Goodnight," Caelian said as she left towards the stairs. He watched her until she disappeared at the top, and he let out a soft sigh. He wondered if Zephyr had convinced Damien to stay for longer. He hoped he did.

Caelian stood up with a stretch. He didn't feel the least bit tired. Where was Zephyr? He saw him walk outside earlier, and he hadn't returned. Deciding to go look for him, he stepped outside into the crisp night air. It was a cloudless night, and crickets could be heard in the distance.

Caelian walked down the trail that led into the nearby woods. The moon lit his path even through the trees. Fireflies were scattered around him, and he almost felt at home. He paused. Was this also technically his home if it was where his parents had lived? Did it count if he had never lived there?

Caelian heard the trickle of a nearby stream and figured if Zephyr was anywhere, it'd be by water. He veered off the trail to follow the sound of water, before happening upon a clearing. He saw Zephyr in the center of it, and he was about to call out to him, when he realized something. He was dancing.

It was his first time seeing Zephyr dance in the real world, and he looked graceful in the moonlight. Caelian quietly hid behind some nearby bushes, not wanting to disturb him. He also didn't want him to stop just because he was there. Maybe it was rude, but he wanted to watch him dance for a while.

His body flowed like water, and Caelian wondered how everything seemed so perfectly in time when there wasn't even any music for him to dance to. At least, it seemed on time to him. Everything seemed perfect. He was utterly fixated on him, unable to tear his eyes away. It was almost as if he were hypnotized. Zephyr was an excellent dancer.

When he had finished, Caelian sheepishly revealed himself. He almost wanted to clap, but figured that'd be a bit too much for the situation. Zephyr jumped in surprise when he had noticed him.

"Sorry…" Caelian said as he walked up to Zephyr, "I just really wanted to watch and was afraid you'd stop if you knew I was here."

"I probably would have," Zephyr admitted with a sigh, causing Caelian to feel guilty. "But it's fine."

"You did amazing," Caelian said.

"No, I messed up a lot," Zephyr said, looking down to his previously broken leg. "Everything feels stiff. It'll take a while to get back into things."

"Well, I think you did great! It was really pretty."

"Thank you," Zephyr said with a smile.

"It looks fun, too," Caelian said. "Hey, Zeph, do you think you could teach me how to dance?!"

"Ah… well… I don't really know if i'd be the best teacher," Zephyr admitted. "Plus it's kind of a lot to learn."

"Oh… Okay," Caelian said, sounding disappointed. It tugged on Zephyr's heartstrings. He thought for a moment.

"Well, actually… I guess there is one type of dance that's easy enough to show you." He said.

"Really?!" Caelian perked up.

"It's nothing like what you've seen me do, though." Zephyr said. "It's a two-person dance. It's really basic, a lot of people can do it."

"That's fine!" Caelian said, hopping over to him. "What do I need to do?!"

"Give me your hand," Zephyr said. Caelian immediately obeyed. "Then put your other hand on my side or back, choice is yours."

"Okay…" Caelian stepped closer to him and placed his hand on Zephyr's back. "Now what?"

"Watch my feet and mimic what I do."

Caelian did his best to follow Zephyr's lead. He stared down at their feet, concentrating, while Zephyr watched him with a smile. Eventually they were able to pick up the pace, but this opened up a new issue: Caelian constantly stepping on Zephyr's toes. And considering Caelian wore boots and Zephyr went barefoot, it hurt. A lot.

"I'm sorry!" Caelian said as Zephyr winced, his foot getting stepped on for the 3rd time in the same minute. "I'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry!"

"It's okay," Zephyr said with a forced smile.

"Here, hold on," Caelian said as he let go of Zephyr and dropped to the ground. He began to take his boots off when Zephyr stopped him.

"It's fine, you don't need to do that." Zephyr said.

"But I keep hurting you!" Caelian said as he yanked his boot off. "This way it won't hurt as much!"

"Fine, fine…" Zephyr said with an amused smile as Caelian yanked off his other boot. Caelian paused for a moment as he considered his socks, before deciding to take those off too. He didn't want to walk around with dirty socks.

Their second try went a lot better than the first, with Caelian being more mindful of where he placed his now bare feet. He still stepped on Zephyr's feet every so often, but it didn't hurt him as much as before. They picked up the pace again, and with Zephyr adding in some things such as spinning him around, Caelian was enjoying himself. He grinned as they did a dip after Zephyr explained what to do.

"Can really anyone do this?" Caelian asked as Zephyr brought him back up. "It still seems hard."

"With practice," Zephyr said. "It's actually expected of a lot of people to know how to do this for certain events."

"Oh, really? Like what?" Caelian asked as Zephyr led them into a slower-paced dance. Caelian was able to keep his eyes on Zephyr and not on their feet for this speed.

"Well… for formal parties, I guess? Prom, soulmate parties…"

"They have soulmate parties?" Caelian asked. Being soulmates was the spirit equivalent of a human's marriage, though to spirits, it was a lot more sacred.

"Well, some do. It depends on the person."

"Huh…" Caelian got lost in thought for a moment. "Hey, Zeph, have you dated anyone before?"

"I have," He said, "A handful of people. Some lasted for a while, others didn't."

"Oh, I see," Caelian said. "What do you think it's like to have a soulmate?"

"It must be nice," Zephyr said, "To have someone to trust like that and spend the rest of your life with."

"I wonder what it feels like to have your soul be linked with someone else's…"

"Maybe a bit anxiety inducing," Zephyr laughed, "But it's kind of similar to how you're connected to Gaia, isn't it? You can speak to each other through your minds and stuff like that."

"I never got to that point, to be honest," Caelian frowned. "Didn't get enough mana stored within me."

"Oh, I see," Zephyr said. "Well, you'll get there someday. Let me know what it's like, alright?"

"Sure," Caelian laughed.

Zephyr smiled. He couldn't help but notice how nice Caelian looked in the moonlight. He hadn't really had any ulterior motives, but he had to admit, being this close to him while dancing with him was something else. He didn't want to stop.

"Have… Have you ever dated someone before?" Zephyr asked.

"No," Caelian said softly. "I... there was one guy back at the Eternal Forest I really liked, but I don't think he liked me back. At all. I dont think I'm very likeable that way."

"Oh. That's a shame," Zephyr said. "I think they missed out. You're plenty likeable."

"Really?!" Caelian asked, his face lighting up. "What makes you say that?"

Oh no.

"Uh, well… for starters, you're just a very sweet person. You're curious about everything, and it's fun to watch you learn about new things. You care about your friends, and worry about others. And… and you're very, very cute."

Caelian beamed. "Thank you," He said. "Nobodies ever really told me anything like that before."

"Really?" Zephyr said with a nervous laugh. "That's weird." He paused. "Hey, Cae?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?"

Zephyr chewed on his bottom lip. "I- uh… It's getting pretty late, we should probably head back."

"Oh, okay," Caelian said, looking disappointed.

Zephyr watched as he walked over and picked up his socks and boots. He let out a soft sigh. Why was he such a coward? He had never felt this shy about telling someone about his feelings for them before. He usually was very straightforward about it. But there was something about Caelian. Something that made him nervous to admit it. He should just tell him before somebody else took him for good.

But he was too afraid of him not feeling the same way.

Chapter 28: Return

"Are you sure you already have to go?" Zinnia asked sadly.

"I'm sure," Caelian said softly. "There's still something I need to take care of."

Damien had agreed to stay without complaint for a week, and it was already up. Caelian spent most of his time with his mom, and whenever he had tried to visit anyone else, he was usually nudged back towards her.

They were standing outside, in front of the house. Caelian and Zinnia stood facing each other, while Zephyr, Damien and Evelyn stood further back behind Caelian.

"I'll come back to visit, though, I promise!" Caelian said as he reached forward and hugged Zinnia tightly.

Zinnia hugged him back, holding him tightly as she lifted him up off his feet. "I hope you will," She said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I've spent so many nights dreaming of meeting you again, I hate to see you go."

"I know," Caelian said, "I'm sorry, I wish I could stay. But I promise I'll come back, I promise."

"I believe you," Zinnia said as she gently set his feet back down onto the ground.

"I love you," Caelian said as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too, sweetie. I wish I could come with you," She sighed, placing a hand on her cheek as Caelian released her and took a step back. "Oh, perhaps Theo could go with you?" She asked as the celestial sprite landed on her shoulder. "He might be useful, and I can sense things through him."

"If I might interject, I believe that'd be a bad idea," Damien said as they took a step forward. "If Theo is being used to extend your lifeforce, taking him away from you could cause some unwanted results."

"Oh... I see," She frowned. "I suppose not, then."

"Not to worry, we will keep him safe!" Evelyn said cheerfully.

"Yeah, we'll get him back to you," Zephyr agreed. "It's the least we could do after the kindness you've shown us."

"Oh, of course, dears," Zinnia smiled. "I trust you to take care of him, I just can't help but worry… Just whatever you do, please be careful."

"We will," Caelian said.

"Speaking of which, how are we going to get back up there?" Zephyr asked.

"We're going to have to head back to the scorched lands and ask Ifrit for more phoenixes," Damien said. "It's the only thing I can come up with."

"But how far away is the nearest volcano?" Caelian whined.

"I don't know of any volcanoes around here," Zinnia frowned.

"Ugh, the distance differences between the spirit and human realms is so annoying…" Damien grumbled. "We'll have to use a different realm to travel in so we can make it to a volcano faster."

"Which realm?" Evelyn asked.

"The Eternal Forest," Damien said. "People use it as a means of fast travel through the human realm all the time. The fairy circles form a web of connections between the spirit realm and human realm."

"Back before Gaia prevented anyone from entering, you mean?" Caelian asked. Damien nodded.

"Anyways, thank you for all of your help, Zinnia. We'll be sure to bring Caelian back to you." They said.

"Thank you, dear. And don't worry about it, I'm happy to have been able to help." She said with a smile. "Stay safe, all of you!" She called as the group began to walk away. Caelian turned and looked sadly back at her, before turning back around to face where he was going. As soon as he was done taking care of everything- purifying his elemental, and helping Gaia to rebirth- he would come back to visit.

The group traveled into the nearby forest that was behind Zinnia's house. Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to find a fairy circle. Caelian looked over at Damien expectantly once he noticed they weren't doing anything.

"Um, Damien?" He asked. "Aren't you going to open the portal?"

"I don't know, that sounds like a nature diciples job to me," They said with a shrug.

"Hey, come on, I don't know how."

"Guess it's time to learn."

Caelian sighed as he walked up to the edge of the circle and knelt down. He placed his hands into the circle like he had seen Damien do. What did he do next? Channel mana into it? He closed his eyes and tried to focus as Nyxidae appeared beside him. He felt streams of mana travel down his arms and disappear into the ground. The next time he opened his eyes the ground within the fairy circle was a sparkling gold. He removed his hands and stood up, just as a portal rose from the gold liquid.

"Ah, look at that. Guess you did know how," Damien said before stepping through the portal. Caelian waited his turn as Evelyn stepped through. Zephyr gave him a smile before jumping through the portal, which Caelian returned as he followed in after him.

Caelian immediately felt at home. Glowing blue mushrooms cast a soft light on them under the dark forest canopy, and he could hear birds singing in the distance. The mana in the air felt comforting, as if it were giving him a warm embrace as it whispered welcome home.

For a moment he considered ignoring the last elemental and staying here forever. He didn't want to leave again. What made him even consider staying in the Highlands? Why had he felt so torn? This was his home, and it always would be.

Caelian took note of where they were at. He recognized it easily, from the moss on the trees and clusters of flowers. The ways the trees leaned and what kinds of flora grew here. It was all put away in his mind. He would remember this place. This is where he would go when he wanted to visit his mom.

"So, how do we find a volcano from here?" Caelian asked.

"We'll have to retrace our steps," Damien said, looking to be lost in thought. "There weren't any forests near where we found the last volcano, right?"

"No," Evelyn said saidly. "No forest, just grass."

"Caelian, any chance you remember the fairy circle we used to leave the forest the last time?"

"I think so," Caelian said.

"Good, take us there then."

"That's still a lot of walking, though," Zephyr said.

"Caelian, does anyone in town have horses they'd let us borrow?" Damien asked.

"No," Caelian said.

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Nobody here has-"

"Oh no, they have them," Caelian said, "They won't let us borrow them."

Damien sighed. "Right, forgot they hate you," They mumbled, causing Caelian to deflate. "We're just going to have to walk, then. Popping in and out of the spirit realm won't do us any good."

"The Eternal Forest is weird, the Depths will always put you in the mirror desert, but here there's entrances and exits everywhere," Zephyr said as they walked.

"Not many volcanoes, so not many entrances to Evelyn's realm," Evelyn said.

"That's why the Eternal Forest is used for travel," Damien said. "It's a smaller realm than the human realm, so it's faster to walk here than out there."

"What about the Lost Realms?" Caelian asked. "What's it like?"

"It's even easier to enter than the Eternal Forest. Way more access points. People just don't use it for travel for obvious reasons." Damien said with a shrug.

"Oh… yeah," Caelian said softly.

The trek through the Eternal Forest was brief, and Caelian was disappointed when it was time to travel in the human world once again. It was growing warmer out, and the walk towards the volcano felt even worse than the first time. They had just barely begun when night fell, and Caelian spent his night curled up next to Zephyr.

The sun was already high in the sky when they continued the next morning, and Caelian was dying of hunger. Zephyr's snacks had run out, and he unfortunately hadn't had the chance to restock.

"I'm tired and hungry," Caelian whined.

"Yes Caelian, we know. This is the fourth time you've told us," Damien grumbled.

"I can't help it," He said.

"Then why don't you fly ahead and get the phoenixes and bring them back here?" Damien snapped.

"Huh?"

"It'd be faster. You can fly, we can't."

Caelian's brain took a moment to process this. It would probably be faster. But the thought of going alone gave him a sense of unease.

"Um… no, it's fine." He said quietly.

"No," Damien said, turning to face him. "I can't take your whining anymore. Go fly and get them."

"I'll be quiet!"

"Caelian!" Damien snapped.

"Hey, Damien, come on," Zephyr stepped in between the two of them. "His wings just healed and he probably doesn't have the stamina to fly for that long."

"It'd still be faster. I just want this whole journey over with at this point," Damien said.

"Flying is faster than walking," Evelyn said, "But if Caelian not want to…"

Caelian frowned. It was true, it'd be faster, and he had been itching to fly again ever since his wings healed.

"I… I guess i'll try it," Caelian said. "But what if I lose you guys?"

"You seem to have a good sense of direction," Damien said. "You'll be able to see more landmarks at an aerial view. We can stay next to this cluster of trees, and we'll keep a fire going, so you can see the smoke."

"Okay," Caelian said, still not fully convinced. "I'll try."

"Cae, you don't have to if you don't want to," Zephyr said.

"It's fine," Caelian said. "It's better for you too, isn't it? Too much walking could make your leg hurt."

"Yeah, but…"

"It's fine!" Caelian said with a smile. "I can do it!"

He stepped back and away from everyone as he spread his wings out to their full width. He hoped he remembered how to fly, otherwise he'd be embarrassed. But as soon as he flapped his wings and took off from the ground, the memories came flooding back to him, and he easily ascended into the sky. He grinned as the wind ruffled his hair and his wings cut through the air like it was nothing.

He paused as he got just below the clouds, hovering in place as he looked up. He could just go back by himself. It'd save everyone a lot of trouble. But he was afraid. How would he even convince Sol to help him? There had to be some way. There had to.

Caelian shook himself out of his thoughts as he swooped through the air. In the distance he could see the volcano, which felt amazing. He could see so much from so high up. How fast could he go? Guess it was time to find out.

The sun was setting by the time Caelian gently landed on the edge of the volcano. He felt dread as he looked down into its bubbling stomach. What if he messed up and burned to death? No, he shouldn't think about that. He'd be fine. He had to do this.

With a deep breath, he knelt down and closed his eyes. He summoned Riemos, just in case the type of mana somehow mattered. He sent mana traveling all the way down into the boiling lava, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the shimmering red, just like when Evelyn had done it. Good. He must have done it right. He'd be safe. Hopefully.

Caelian exhaled. Closing his eyes again, he jumped. The wind whipped around him, and he fought the urge to open his wings and fly away. A moment later he felt a surge of energy as he passed through the barrier, before he was dropped onto the other side. He stood and brushed himself off. He briefly admired the gemstones stuck in the walls before launching himself out of the small, dormant volcano, and up into the air.

He soared high into the crimson sky. Looking down, he frowned at what he saw. The corruption was spreading. Ifrit was considerably weakened after he lost Xeke, so it was to be expected.

Caelian wished he could fly through the tunnels, but he had to settle with walking. His wings felt tired, anyways. So it was probably for the better. Actually, his entire body felt tired, but he fought against it as he made himself traverse the tunnels and through the city.

When Caelian entered the cavern that Ifrit called his lair, he found him perched atop the highest lava pools. He had his eyes closed, but he opened them as Caelian approached.

"Well, if it isn't Caelian," He said with a tired looking grin. "Did you get your last elemental purified?"

"About that," Caelian said sheepishly, "We ran into some problems. We got kicked out of the highlands, so we kind of need to borrow phoenixes again, if that's okay."

"Kicked out?" Ifrit asked with surprise. "Well, are all of you alright?"

"Yeah! We're fine," Caelian said. "We had some injuries, but they healed."

"That's a relief," Ifrit said. "But of course, I'll summon four more phoenix for you."

"Oh, it can just be three this time!" Caelian said with a grin, "I can fly now!"

"Oh, congratulations! It's exhilarating, isn't it?"

"It is!" Caelian agreed, even though he wasn't entirely sure what that word meant.

"But in that case, three phoenixes it is," Ifrit said. With a wave of his tail, three phoenix materialized in a fiery inferno next to Caelian. He stepped back as they shook themselves off, embers flying everywhere.

"Remember, they can't hurt you," Ifrit laughed.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Caelian said as he walked up and pet one of the birds, who happily leaned into him. It's flames flicked around his hand, and while he felt warmth, it was only a comforting sensation.

"Hey, Ifrit, will you be okay?" Caelian asked after a few moments. "The Scorched Lands are looking kind of bad, and you seem tired."

"My power has diminished greatly since the loss of Xeke," Ifrit admitted. "I've been doing my best to tide off the corruption while also protecting myself, which unfortunately, as you can see, isn't a lot. Thankfully the denizens are willing to persevere. I called an audience and they agreed it was more important that I stay safe than to focus on purifying the corruption."

"Well, I'm glad they understand.I hope everything goes well for you," Caelian said.

"And you as well," Ifrit smiled.

Caelian hopped onto the back of the phoenix and walked them out. He may be able to fly, but he could at least take a rest while delivering the phoenixes to the others.

It wasn't long before he was soaring through the air again, this time on the back of a phoenix. The wind ruffled his feathers and he longed to spread his wings, despite how tired he was. The full moon shone above him as they flew through the night. Flying certainly was faster than walking, but it still took a while to get to the volcano. The others would surely be sleeping by the time he made it back. He wondered how safe it would be if he dozed off on the back of a phoenix. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around the bird as he closed his eyes. If he fell, it shouldn't be a problem. As long as he woke up.

The small fear in the back of his mind prevented him from actually falling asleep. He felt slightly rested just lying there with his eyes closed, at least. He saw the dim glow of the fire far below him, and the phoenixes circled around it before gently floating down to the ground. As he had expected, it appeared that Damien and Evelyn were asleep. Zephyr, however, was still awake, and stood as soon as Caelian landed.

Caelian slid off of the phoenix and stepped forward. "Why are you still awake?" He asked.

"I couldn't sleep. Was worried for you," Zephyr said.

"Oh. Sorry for keeping you up," Caelian murmured.

"It's fine," Zephyr said, his floppy tail wagging happily.

Caelian let out a yawn. "What are you doing?" He asked as he saw Zephyr step towards Damien. The water spirit looked over at him.

"They said to wake them up when you got back," Zephyr explained.

"This late?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr shrugged. He reached forward and gently shook Damien awake. They blearily blinked their eyes open. As they got up, Caelian couldn't help but notice how they looked a lot less grumpy when they were asleep. As they stretched, Zephyr moved over to Evelyn and woke her as well, but was met with a whine as she rolled over onto her back.

"Took you long enough," Damien mumbled as they walked over to one of the phoenixes and gave it a pat on the head.

"At least you all got to rest," Caelian said.

As everyone climbed onto their phoenixes, Zephyr couldn't help but give Caelian an uneasy glance.

"Hey, you look really tired," He said softly, as Caelian walked up next to him. "Why don't you ride on a phoenix, too? I can scoot forward."

"It's fine," Caelian said with a yawn, "It's not that far of a fly to get to the Highlands."

"Still," Zephyr said. "Come on."

Not wanting to argue, Caelian climbed up onto the phoenix and sat down behind Zephyr. He wrapped his arms around him just as the phoenix took off, easily soaring up into the air even with the weight of two people on its back. The other two phoenixes followed shortly after, rising up towards the Highlands, where they would once again confront Sol.

Chapter 29: Eclipse

The phoenixes landed in front of the palace. They didn't have to be guided, and it was almost as if they could sense where the group needed to go. Caelian slid off of the bird before Zephyr followed. He gave the bird a pat, thanking it for helping them out. His eyes felt heavy. Maybe he could convince everyone to rest before they went to see Sol? If they were going to have to fight, it'd be better if he fought while not exhausted.

But he didn't even have the chance to ask if they could rest before he saw Athena hurrying towards them. She must have seen the phoenix in the distance. Caelian was immediately pulled into a tight embrace by Athena, who had tears in her eyes.

"You're alright! Oh thank the gods you're alright," She cried.

Caelian couldn't say he was the happiest to see Athena after what she did, but felt bad seeing her cry like that. He didn't like being mad at her. But he couldn't forgive what she had done. He was surprised when she suddenly grabbed onto his shoulders and held him away from her.

"What were you thinking?!" She asked. "Why would you go see Sol?!"

"You knew, didn't you?" Caelian said. "You knew he'd have a reaction like that, so you lied about him being in a bad mood. Why couldn't you just tell me?!"

Athena frowned. She released her hold of his shoulders, fidgeting with her hands as she stared down at the ground. "It wasn't necessarily a lie, it was just… if it came to you, he'd always be in a bad mood," She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect you."

"So you knew I was half human?" Caelian asked.

"Yes, I knew," Athena admitted as she nervously twirled her hair around her finger. "Apollo had told me when I got to meet you as a baby. I just...I didn't think you should know. People would treat you differently."

"People already treat me different, Athena," Caelian said. "If I'm being honest, before I might have agreed with you. I wouldn't have wanted to know that I'm half human. But I'm okay with it now."

Athena smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Your dad loved your mom, Caelian. He gave up everything to be with her."

"I know," Caelian said. "But… Now I need to talk to Sol again."

"You'll do no such thing," Athena snapped. "He almost killed you, Caelian. Are you mad?!"

"I have to get my elemental purified, Athena!" Caelian said. "If I have to fight him then so be it!"

"You're being foolish," Athena said. "You're no match for him. What even makes you think he'd purify your elemental even if you did win? What if he doesn't? What then?"

Caelian frowned. "I have to try."

Athena sighed. "I can tell I'm not going to be able to stop you. But at the very least, rest first. It's late. It will give me time to think of something that can help you, as well."

"That's fine, I was hoping to be able to sleep," Caelian admitted. "Damien, come with me. I'll make sure nothing happens." He said as he side-eyed Athena.

Athena frowned. "About that, I-"

"If you're planning to try and apologize, save it," Damien said. "I don't care what any six-wing has to say to me."

"... Understable," Athena said. "But regardless, I'll ensure your safety for the remainder of your stay."

Damien rolled their eyes, while Caelian frowned. "I'm sorry, Athena. I don't trust you on that."

Athena nodded. She said nothing as Caelian and the others walked around her and entered the palace.

"Are you alright?" Zephyr asked softly when they were out of earshot.

"I don't like being mad at her," Caelian said as he looked down to the floor. "I don't have a lot of family left. It would've been nice to be able to be close to her, but I won't forgive her for what she tried to do to Damien."

"Don't forget about the rest of my people," Damien said. "She's killed hundreds of dark spirits, Caelian."

"How do you know?" Caelian asked.

"She's well recognized as one of the six-wings with the highest head count. She fights well."

"So you recognized her?" Caelian asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to ruin your family reunion," Damien said with a shrug.

Caelian found thar surprising. Damien didn't seem like the type that would care. The four of them made it to Caelian's room, and they all agreed to share the same bed again, since nobody minded it. Evelyn and Zephyr fell asleep quickly, but Caelian's thoughts kept him awake.

"Hey, Damien?" He asked softly.

"What?" Came Damien's tired voice.

"Do you hate me? For being a six-wing?"

There was a long pause. "You're not bad for a six-wing."

The sense of relief Caelian felt was immense. Damien rolled over and turned to face him.

"I hate your family more than words could say, Caelian. But I'm glad you didn't grow up here, because you're not at all like them."

"Do you think it's at all possible to change their minds about dark spirits?" Caelian asked.

"Unlikely," Damien said as they rolled back over. "But I can tell you're going to try it anyways."

"Not right now," Caelian said softly as he closed his eyes. "But someday, I think I will."

The next morning Caelian woke with a start. He sat up when he realized his friends weren't in the bed with him. Feeling panic, he jumped out of bed, stumbling as his vision went momentarily dark. He was just about to open the door when Athena opened it, looking surprised.

"Good morning, Caelian," She said. "Are you alright?"

"Where are they?! What did you do with them?!" Caelian asked.

Athena looked hurt. "Your friends went to Damien's room. They wanted to discuss plans without disturbing you while you slept."

"Oh…" Caelian said, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry…"

"It's fine," Athena said with a smile. "I suppose that's the image of me you have now. It's well deserved. But come, I'll take you to them."

Caelian let Athena lead him down the hallways to Damien's room. He was surprised when she opened the door and entered. He quickly followed in after her to see the others sitting in a circle on the floor. They looked up when the two of them entered, Damien looking warily at Athena.

"So, we've been discussing how to go about getting your elemental purified," Athena said.

"Wait, 'we'?" Caelian asked, turning to look at her.

"She's been trying to help," Damien said. "She apparently went to try and talk to him about it."

"He only seemed disappointed that the fall hadn't killed you and your friends," Athena frowned.

"I expected a fight," Caelian said with a sigh. "But I don't know if it will even help any. I don't want to kill him. Forcing him to rebirth feels unnecessary."

"We don't even know for sure if it'd make him change his mind like it did with Leviatha," Damien said.

"I don't think it would," Athena said.

"So everything is pointless, then?" Caelian asked. "There's nothing we can do?"

Damien shrugged. "We could force a rebirth anyways and hope."

"That's…" Caelian deflated. He wasn't even sure if he really could fight Sol. It had went poorly last time, and he didn't want to endanger his friends again. "Maybe if I just tried talking to him?"

"Didn't work too well last time," Damien snorted.

"I'd like to suggest waiting until night," Athena said. "Sol draws his power from the sun. He's weaker at night. It'd give you more of a chance."

"That gives me a whole day of dread to look forward to," Caelian said.

"Well, we'll just have to keep your mind off of it," Athena said.

Caelian didn't feel convinced. "Hey, by the way, there's something that I noticed that I've been wanting to ask," He said. "Where is Sol's disciple?"

Athena looked surprised by the question, and a moment later her face fell. "Sol… has no disciple."

"But… but it's been a while since Apollo died, hasn't it?" Caelian asked in surprise. "He really hasn't chosen a new one yet?

"It can take hundreds of years for a god to select a new disciple," Athena said. "And Sol is stubborn. He wants it to stay within the family, but no one is willing. So he'd rather not have a disciple."

"Did he ask you?" Caelian asked.

"He did. I said no." Athena said.

"So he has no disciple," Damien said. "That makes things a bit better for us. He can't call upon them to help."

Athena nodded. "I believe that we-"

She was cut off when a rumble beneath their feet caught everyone off guard.

"What was that?" Caelian asked.

Athena looked out the window. "Something is wrong," She said. Caelian followed her gaze. It was dark outside. Just a few moments ago it was a bright and sunny morning.

"Why it go dark?" Evelyn asked as Damien jumped off from the bed.

"I need to go check on Sol," Athena said as she turned on her heel and quickly stepped out of the room.

"Caelian, we need to go too," Damien said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I have a bad feeling," Damien said. "Only one person can summon an eclipse like that."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, but Damien was already running out the door. He followed after them, with Evelyn and Zephyr jumping up to run after them a moment later.

They were on Athena's heels as they ran down the dark pathways. She seemed surprised that they had followed her, but said nothing. The sun above them had turned black, leaving them in darkness darker than the night.

They all came to a halt as soon as they reached the platform Sol's throne was on. The scene before him was something Caelian had hoped wouldn't happen. Sol was on his hands and knees in his smaller sized form, wheezing as Mimzi stood before him. Dark marks littered his body, and he appeared to be struggling against something.

Mimzi noticed the group as they approached her. She clicked her tongue as she turned her head to face them.

"Figures you'd be here too," She said. She pulled back the arm she was holding out over Sol.

"Mimzi, you need to stop!" Damien snapped.

"Why should I, Damien?" She asked. "This is payback."

"Two wrongs don't make a right!" Damien said. "You need to stop spreading corruption! We can find another way, Mimzi!"

"There is no other way!" She spat. "You think light spirits would want to help us dark spirits?! After everything they've already done to us?!"

She turned back to Sol and raised her hand, ready to finish what she had started, when she was tackled from behind. She fell on the floor, she and Caelian becoming a writhing mess as they struggled. Caelian raised his shadow claw up into the air, ready to strike, when she met it with her own claws. She shoved Caelian off of her, causing him to tumble away. She stood, stumbling backwards.

"What are you even doing?!" She snapped. "He hates you, why would you help him?!"

"Because he's still my family!" Caelian said as he lay on his hands and knees. "And I'm not going to let you corrupt this realm!"

"Let's see you try!" She sneered.

As Caelian stood, he froze when he saw Mimzi's fear elemental. No, not again. That couldn't happen again. But how did he stop it?

He was surprised when his own fear elemental materialized next to him. Just as a wave of electricity shot out in a radius from Mimzi's elemental, Caelian's cast a bubble over him. Caelian watched as everyone around him dropped, now locked into illusions. But why hadn't he? Had his fear elemental protected him somehow?

"Ugh," Mimzi grit her teeth. "They help you of their own free will? Whatever, I'll take care of you another way."

Vines sprouted around Caelian's feet, wrapping his legs and digging in with their sharp thorns. He winced and tried to pull away, but only managed to make them dig in deeper. Mimzi's hands glowed a sickly neon green. She rushed at him, and in a moment of panic he summoned Riemos, which caused the fear elemental to disappear. The fire elemental sent out an inferno that blasted Mimzi with heat, making her stay away, and incinerated the vines.

Caelian sent a blast of fire Mimzi's way, but she ducked under it. She grabbed a hold of his arm, earning a cry of pain as Caelian could feel his skin melting under the acid. He managed to rip himself away, sending another stream of fire at Mimzi and making her move away. Iaestia appeared next to Riemos and doused Caelian's arm in water, trying to soothe the burns.

Mimzi wasted no time. She didn't give Caelian a chance to breathe before she was upon him again, her shadow claws slashing at his face. He stepped backward, nearing falling over before Iaestia protected him with a bubble. Mimzi's claws bounced off of it, and she cursed to herself. Her ice elemental appeared next to her and sent dozens of icicles flying towards Caelian. They easily burst Iaestia's bubble and pierced his skin. Caelian yelped in pain as part of him looked like he had gotten into a fight with an icy porcupine. He managed to dodge the second flurry of icicles, and leapt at Mimzi. He slashed at her with his claws, drawing blood from her arm as she moved away.

Caelian moved to swipe at her again, but had to jump back in time to avoid a giant icicle popping up from the ground. Several more shot up, causing him to stumble backwards until he took flight, avoiding them altogether. Mimzi followed him up into the air, where she blasted him with a shot of pure shadow energy, sending him reeling backwards.

Caelian's wings flapped furiously as he tried to remain in flight. He barely managed to dodge as a shot of acid flew his way, and he climbed higher into the sky. How was she able to blast elemental energy like that? She clearly knew how to use her elementals better than he did. At least, she knew the dark ones better. Caelian summoned Nyxidae, now having all three of his light elementals out at once, alongside his shadow elemental. Vines shot up from the ground and attempted to entangle Mimzi, but she expertly flew through the air as she dodged their reach.

Caelian shot a blast of fire towards her, but she again was too quick in the air, dodging it without problem. Caelian cursed to himself. What was he supposed to do if he couldn't hit her? The thought didn't stay long as he was hit by a stream of fear magic, the red energy making him feel panicked. Thoughts spun viciously through his mind, making his wings collide into each other and sending him falling towards the ground.

He wouldn't survive a fall from this height. Where was Iaestia? Why couldn't he sense her anymore? His heartbeat quickened as he fell. A moment later Riemos disappeared, the fear elemental taking his place. It swooped down to Caelian as he fell and emitted a calming aura, which confused him. How could a fear elemental calm him? It made him realize how little he understood about the dark elementals. But he tried not to question it too much as he flipped himself right side up, flapping his wings as he rose back into the air just before he hit the ground.

He soared upwards, knocking himself into Mimzi. The two of them fell together in a tangle through the air, and Caelian yelped as Mimzi bit him with sharp, poison fangs. He shoved himself away from her, slashing her across the face as he did so. She growled, blood dripping into her sightless eyes. Caelian tried snaring her with vines once again, but she easily flew out of the way.

She was blind. How was she able to dodge everything and know where he was coming from? He looked down to the bite mark on his arm. It itched and burned from the poison. He hovered in the air as she glared in his general direction. Looking at her, it suddenly hit him. Her ears. She had bat ears. She was listening for him. What could he do to counter that?

As he thought, he jumped when Mimzi lunged at him. He barely managed to get out of the way, but as he flew above her he was hit by a blast of shadow magic. He could feel it burn his skin through his clothing. He managed to dodge the next blast, and lurched when a blob of acid made contact with his boot. He quickly shook it off, and climbed higher into the sky as Mimzi gave chase.

What could he do? He was losing. His body was beginning to feel heavy from the poison. He saw a flash of red beside him, and he looked over to see his fear elemental chiming at him.

"What?" He asked irritably. A faint voice echoed in the back of his head.

"Let… me…"

Let it what? Caelian tried harder to listen, but was interrupted when Mimzi elbowed him in his stomach, interrupting his flight. She grabbed a hold of him and dragged her claws across his face, like he had done to her, before throwing him away. He tumbled through the air blind before managing to right himself. He shook the blood from his eyes as he gasped for air.

"Let me help," The voice in the back of his mind was clearer now. Help how? He opened one of his eyes and looked over to the elemental.

"Then just help," He snapped.

"Accept me."

"What?!"

"Accept me."

What the hell did that even mean? Caelian didn't have the time to think about it as he barely managed to flap his wings and dart away as Mimzi shot straight past him. She turned and came barreling back down, knocking into him and sending the two of them falling down towards the ground. Caelian struggled to get out of her grasp, but she kept a firm hold as the two of them fell.

He slammed into the ground with her on top of him. His head and back ached as she kept him pinned to the ground. His vision blurred as he stared up at her.

"You know, I was being nice by not killing you back then," Mimzi said. "You were a weak, useless disciple. I didn't need to do anything to you to get to Gaia. But I hated you. I hated you because of how like me you were."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked, blood dripping out of his nose. "We're nothing alike."

"We are and aren't," Mimzi said. "You could only feel positive emotions while I could only feel the negatives. You could feel happiness and joy. So I wanted to make you feel how I feel."

"You corrupted my elementals because you were jealous?!" Caelian snapped.

"I did!" She snapped back. "And the fact you can just waltz around asking the gods to purify them pisses me off! What about me?! Why do I have to suffer like this? Why can I only feel negative emotions and you get to have the positive ones?! It isn't fair!" Mimzi smashed her claws into the ground next to him, making him wince. "So I left you alive. I wanted you to suffer. But now I see I should've just killed you, since you keep getting in my way. So let me fix that."

Caelian struggled against Mimzi's hold of him as she raised her claws into the air. He kicked at her, but she wouldn't budge. When she brought her claws down upon him, he managed to wrap her arm in vines just in time to keep it held up and away from his throat. The vines ripped her off of him, sending her tumbling along the ground. Caelian sat up, wheezing. If she didn't kill him soon, the poison would. He needed to end this quickly. He looked over to his fear elemental that still hovered near him. What did it mean by 'accept me'? He reached out and gently took a hold of it.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Accept me."

"How?"

He didn't get an answer. He sniffed up the stream of blood that leaked out from his nose. What did it mean by that? He thought quickly as Mimzi began to get up. Did it want to be treated like he treated his light elementals? That was preposterous. Why would he do that? It was leftover corruption. Why would he be nice to it? Yet, then again, it had been willingly helping him. It had been kind to him. Did that not deserve kindness in return?

Caelian bit his lip. "Do… do you have a name?" He asked quietly. Mimzi stood.

"Ysel." The voice in the back of his mind said.

"Ysel… I'm… sorry," He said, struggling to find the words. "You've been helping me and I… I might have misjudged you."

"I want to be treated like the others," Ysel said. "I want to be loved. We're afraid. Don't get rid of us."

We're afraid? What did that mean? Caelian chewed on his tongue, tasting blood. He could see Mimzi running back towards him now. "I… I'm sorry. I'll try. Please help me again."

The elemental ripped itself away from Caelian, surprising him as he fell down onto his hands. He looked up to see it float up between him and Mimzi, before letting out an ear-piercing shriek. Mimzi stopped just a few feet away from Caelian and covered her ears, wincing as she screwed her eyes shut. Caelian thought he was going to go deaf, but after a couple seconds realized that he needed to take advantage of the situation. He stood up as quickly as he could, and rushed over to Mimzi, knocking her over and pinning her arms down to the ground. She struggled against him, but he summoned vines to help hold her against the ground.

The screaming stopped a few seconds later, and Ysel returned to Caelian's side. His shadow elemental floated around him, as if urging him to use it. But Caelian was hesitating. As Mimzi glared up at him, he knew he hated her. Nothing would ever change that. But did he want to stoop down to her level? Did he really want to kill her?

"Caelian!" Damien's voice called out from behind him, and he turned to see the shadow spirit staring at him with concern. Why were they giving him that look? Shit. It was because they were friends with Mimzi, wasn't it? After everything that had happened, Damien still considered her a friend. Caelian could have hated him for it. But somehow, he understood. They were asking him to not kill her.

Caelian carefully removed himself from Mimzi, stumbling backwards and falling down as his vision spun. Damien quickly walked over to him and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder as they stared over at Mimzi. As soon as the vines released her she jumped up onto her feet. She glared at Damien, before looking over to Sol.

"Don't," Damien growled. "You've done enough. Just go."

Mimzi stared at them. She took a step back, before flapping her wings and taking off into the air, disappearing amongst the clouds.

Damien stared off after her as Zephyr shakily made his way over to them and Caelian. He had managed to break himself out of the illusion, but he was still shaken up over the incident. He gently placed his hands on Caelian, who was struggling to breathe. Within moments Caelian felt a calmness spread over him, and his breathing steadied out. Damien left Caelian in Zephyr's care as they walked back over to Evelyn and Athena, who were still having trouble breaking out of their illusions. They placed their hand on Evelyn, opting to help her first.

Chapter 30: Sol

Caelian was feeling better by the time everyone had woken up. Zephyr stayed glued to his side, not wanting to leave him alone. Evelyn and Athena looked dazed, and Damien was giving Athena a dirty look after waking her up. They must not have liked whatever her deepest fear was.

Sol's dark spots were slowly beginning to fade. It appeared as though Mimzi's attempt to corrupt him had failed, likely due to the interruption. He sat glaring at everyone before him. He had been unaffected by Mimzi's fear spirit, and had watched the events unfold before him.

Sol slowly stood, and as he began to move towards Caelian, Athena came and stood before him, making him come to a halt.

"Don't you dare," She said defiantly. "He just saved you. Don't you dare hurt him."

"I am aware of what he's done," Sol said as he pushed Athena to the side. She followed after him as he walked over and stood before Caelian. Zephyr looked up at him with a glare. Caelian slowly lifted his eyes to meet Sol's. They were a deep Azure blue, just like his own.

"Show me your corrupt light elemental," Sol commanded.

Caelian was surprised, and somewhat skeptical. As he looked at Sol questioningly, the god said, "Do it, before I change my mind."

The shadow elemental appeared next to Caelian, and it appeared reluctant to go to Sol. But Sol reached out and grabbed a hold of it, even as the lanterned chimed and tried to struggle away from his grasp.

"I do this to repay a debt," Sol said solemnly. The glass on the elemental cracked, shattering into tiny pieces before mending itself. Dark purple turned into a brilliant gold, and clouds began to form around the lantern as a prismatic halo appeared around the lantern's center. Sol released the lantern and it floated down to Caelian, who could already feel like he was about to pass out.

"Now show me the corrupt remnants," Sol said. "And I will banish them."

"You… you can do that?" Caelian asked in surprise.

"Yes. Now, the dark elementals."

A myriad of voices suddenly erupted in the back of Caelian's mind. They were voices he didn't recognize, but one in particular stood out to him. It was Ysel's.

"Please don't get rid of us."

They were afraid. Where would they go after Sol banished them? What did that even mean? He could get rid of all of his negative emotions. He could just be happy again.

But negative emotions are important. Those words echoed through his mind, and he felt torn. He didn't want his negative emotions anymore. But were they important? Should he keep them? Why couldn't he have more time to decide? This should have been an easy choice, but why was he hesitating?

"Would… would I stop feeling negative emotions if they were gone?" Caelian asked.

"You would. It would be as it was before they were corrupt," Sol said.

Caelian's head was beginning to spin. He couldn't think. The voices in the back of his mind grew louder. They were begging him. His heart hurt.

"I… I'll keep them," He said before fainting.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, while Sol merely shook his head. "Foolish."

Zephyr gently picked Caelian up as he stood. Sol turned away from them.

"My debt is repaid. Now leave me. I tire. See that he leaves as soon as he awakens, Athena."

"But Sol," She said quietly. "He belongs here."

"There is no room for such an abomination in this realm," Sol said. "If you care for him at all, Athena, you will see that he leaves. Else I will take matters into my own hands."

Athena pursed her lips, saying nothing. She waited as Zephyr, Evelyn and Damien took Caelian back towards the palace, before following them.

When Caelian woke up, he wasn't surprised to find himself in his room. His entire body ached, and he noticed he had bandages covering his arms. Zephyr must not have been able to heal everything completely. He wanted to stand, but his body refused, and he lied back down with a groan.

He had somewhat been expecting the water spirit to be next to him when he woke up, and he found himself being slightly disappointed that it wasn't the case. He lied still for a while, before deciding to force himself up. His body cried in protest as he sat up on the edge of the bed. It was then that the door opened, and he looked up to see Athena standing in the doorway.

"Oh, sweetie, you're awake," She said softly. She stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too good," Caelian said. "Everything hurts."

Athena pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Caelian. Your water spirit friend did the best they could, but you were pretty badly beat up."

"Yeah, I know," Caelian said. "Where is he, anyways?"

"He's with the others," Athena said as she pulled away from Caelian. "They're all in Damien's room."

"Of course they are," Caelian said with a grin. He found it funny how they always ended up there. He paused for a moment, before closing his eyes and searching the back of his mind. Ishtar was back, weren't they? He opened his eyes, and a moment later the golden lantern popped into existence beside him. Caelian gingerly reached out and took the lantern, cradling it in his arms.

"You've got all your elementals back," Athena said softly. "Including the dark ones. Why did you keep them?"

"Honestly?" I'm not sure," Caelian said softly. "I just felt… like it was the right thing to do."

Athena nodded in understanding. "What will you do now?"

"I think it's time for me to go back to the Eternal Forest," Caelian said. "I've kept Gaia waiting long enough. It's finally time."

Athena smiled. "I wish you could stay here…" A single tear rolled down her cheek. Caelian looked up with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Thena," He said. "But my home is in the Eternal Forest. I'd be happy to come visit sometimes."

"I'd worry for your safety," She said as she wiped her tears away. "I don't want to risk Sol hurting you."

"It'll be fine," Caelian said with a smile. "I know you'll miss me, since it's only been a short time you've gotten to know me, but… I have to go back."

"I know," Athena sighed. "I know."

"Besides," Caelian said softly to himself, "Someone's gotta convince everyone to stop killing dark spirits."

Caelian let go of the lantern, allowing it to float back up into the air. He carefully stood up, with Athena reaching out to help steady him.

"I need to go tell the others it's time to head back," Caelian said.

"I'll come with you," Athena said. She and Caelian walked out of the room and traveled down the long corridors until they came to the door Caelian knew belonged to Damien's room. He knocked, and after hearing Damien's muffled "Come in", entered.

Damien and Evelyn were sitting together on the floor. They looked up at him as he walked over.

"Hey, we need to talk." Damien said.

Caelian sat down next to them. "What's wrong? And where's Zephyr?"

"He went to get a drink," Damien shrugged. "Anyways, we need to discuss what our next step is."

"What do you mean? We're just going back to the Eternal Forest, aren't we?" Caelian asked with confusion. "It's over."

"See, that's the thing," Damien tapped the tips of their fingers together. "You can go back to the Eternal Forest, help Gaia rebirth, and try to live a normal life. But what happens if Mimzi comes back?"

"Well… I'll have to fight her off again," Caelian said.

"And what about the other realms? What if she attacks them again as well?"

"... What are you getting at?" Caelian asked.

Damien let out a sigh. "What I'm getting at, is that nobody is going to have peace with Mimzi running around trying to fulfill Thanatos' wishes. We need to do something about it."

"Why us?" Caelian frowned. "I just want to go home."

"Now isn't the time to be selfish, Cae." Damien said. "We need to because we've been the ones to deal with it thus far."

"So let someone else take care of it," Caelian said. "I don't want to play hero. I got my elementals purified. That's all I set out to do."

"There is no one else," Damien said. "That's the problem. In case you've forgotten, you're the only living disciple aside from Gale, who was newly appointed. You're the only one that has a chance against Mimzi and Thanatos."

"But…" Caelian's face fell. "I haven't been a disciple for that long either, and I don't have a lot of Gaia's power with me."

"It'll have to be enough," Damien said.

"Evelyn not want her home become corrupt…" Evelyn said quietly. "So Evelyn want to protect it."

"Ev…" Caelian sighed. "Alright, fine. So what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"I've been thinking about it," Damien said as they twirled a pen in their hand and looked down to their notebook. "The only thing I could come up with is that we force Thanatos to rebirth."

"But Mimzi's his disciple," Caelian said, "She'll just raise him to be the same."

"It's a temporary solution," Damien sighed. "But I'm hoping that during that time, I can use all of the information I've gathered on my sprite research to help her. If she can have other emotions I might be able to convince her what she's doing is wrong.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Caelian asked.

"She won't hurt me," Damien said. "I'm probably the only person that has the ability to get close to her. I'm asking you to trust me. I'll find a way to help her."

"But… Can you really give her emotions?" Caelian asked. "It's something only a god can do… Can you really mimic that?"

"I don't know," Damien admitted. "But I have to try. I promised her that much."

Damien glanced over as Zephyr entered the room. "I'm back," He said before he noticed Caelian. "Oh, did you guys already go over our plans?"

Caelian glanced over to Zephyr before looking back to Damien. Then he looked at Zephyr again. He stared. Looking at him, it felt almost hard to breath as his heart pounded against his chest. A weird sensation spread throughout his stomach and his eyes widened.

"Is… something wrong?" Zephyr asked, noticing the look Caelian was giving him.

The feathers on Caelian's wings were puffed up. "N-No, it's fine," Caelian mumbled, his face feeling hot.

Damien gave him a weird look, before sitting back with a grin. Evelyn looked between Damien and Caelian, before something clicked in her mind. She stifled a giggle. Zephyr gave her a confused look.

"O… kay," He said. Caelian looked down at the ground as Zephyr sat down to join them. "So…?"

"We were just going over it," Damien said.

"What was the plan again?" Caelian asked as he remained looking at the floor. His mind was a jumble of emotions that he couldn't quite pick up on. One stood out, but he wasn't familiar enough with what it was to know it's name.

"We go to the Lost Realms and force Thanatos to rebirth," Damien said. "And then I try to change Mimzi's mind before she can ruin him again."

"How did Thanatos become like this, anyways?" Caelian asked, riskily looking up at Damien. He did his best to avoid looking at Zephyr.

"I haven't been alive long enough to have first hand knowledge, but it's said that it just kind of happened after many years. I… I can't really blame him. Our realm is a mess. Something needs to be done. I just don't believe in corrupting the other realms for our own gain."

"Are there some spirits that agree with Thanatos?" Zephyr asked.

"There are," Damien said.

"Will they be a problem for us?" Zephyr asked.

"No, they shouldn't be," Damien said.

"I'm still not sure about it," Caelian said.

"We need to, Caelian." Damien said.

"I know, it's just…" Caelian trailed off. Why did it have to fall on him? Like he was some sort of chosen hero? He was nothing of the sort. He accomplished what he set out to do, why did he have to do any more? Because it was the right thing? Sure, he didn't want the other realms to fall to corruption, but…

"Just nothing," Damien said as they stood up. "We have to stop Thanatos and Mimzi."

"I agree with Damien," Athena said. "If we want this to stop, it needs to be attacked at its source."

"Is Thanatos very powerful god?" Evelyn asked.

Damien shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure where his power level lies. He can control all four dark elements, so he's probably more powerful than Gaia and Leviatha, at least."

Caelian sighed. That wasn't good. "When should we leave?"

"As soon as possible."

Chapter 31: The Lost Realms

Caelian felt like a piece of him was missing when they left the Highlands. The Eternal Forest was his home, but over time, he had come to consider the Highlands as another home, and it hurt having to leave it, just like it hurt to leave Zinnia's home. He knew Sol was against him ever returning. But he knew there'd be a day when he'd go back anyways, and someday he'd face Sol again. But that was for another time.

Caelian kept avoiding looking at Zephyr. Every time he saw him he could feel his heart thump uncomfortably against his chest and he'd feel embarrassed for no reason. He had considered telling Zephyr about it, but for some reason his gut told him not to.

Zephyr noticed that Caelian kept avoiding eye contact and felt confused. Why the sudden change? He used to always sit close to him, but now it was like he was making an effort to avoid him. Had he done something to upset him? He had tried to ask him about it, but the words failed to leave his throat. He ended up silently walking along behind Caelian, not wanting to walk beside him if it made him uncomfortable.

It was painful for Damien to watch the two of them interact. They wanted to explain how stupid the two of them were, but they decided it wasn't their place, and would instead just let things run their natural course. So long as it didn't compromise their mission, what happened didn't matter to them.

Evelyn was more curious as to how everything would play out. She didn't say anything due to not wanting to influence anything, but was quietly hoping that the two of them would realize what was going on. She had been rooting for Zephyr, and she hoped Caelian wouldn't be scared away.

Damien had brought them to a shady spot under a tree. Caelian looked around curiously.

"So, what is the entrance to the Lost Reams?" He asked. "Is it very hard to get to?"

Damien shook their head. "It's the easiest realm to access, because you can enter from anywhere."

"Anywhere? Really?" Caelian asked. He watched as Damien knelt down in the shadows, placing his hands on the ground. The tree's shadow began to shimmer, and within seconds a dark void appeared in front of Damien. They stood and took a step back.

"That's… an unusual looking portal," Zephyr couldn't help but comment.

"Is there a problem with it?" Damien asked.

"No," Zephyr said. "I've just never seen it before."

"It's what portals to the Lost Realms look like. Get used to it." Damien said.

Zephyr decided to not say any more as he stepped through the portal and into the Lost Realms. Evelyn followed him shortly after, while Caelian hesitated.

"What, does the portal bother you, too?" Damien asked.

"No," Caelian said. I'm just still not sure this is what we should be doing."

"What else would we do?" Damien asked.

Caelian sighed. He walked up to the portal, hesitating only a moment before stepping through. The portal felt wet, as if slime were penetrating his clothes, but as soon as he came out on the other side, he felt dry.

It was dark, but neon light illuminated the area around them. Caelian looked up in surprise. Tall concrete buildings stood around them, dull yellow light illuminating from the windows. Litter lined the alleyway they were standing in. As Damien entered through the portal, Caelian stepped out of the alley and peered into the street. Neon signs hung from some of the buildings, casting ever changing colors down onto the streets. A crow cawed from atop one of the signs, its feathers taking on a pink hue.

Caelian jumped in surprise when a car sped down the street next to him. Amazed, he stared off after it. He was vaguely aware of what they were, knowing that they were a human invention. But he hadn't thought that spirits used them. He had seen them parked a couple times on their travels, but never seen them in action, as they tended to avoid any roads suited for cars.

The one thing that didn't surprise Caelian was how dark the realm was. Looking up, despite the light pollution, he saw numerous stars spanning the sky, accented by the crescent moon. He knew it was daytime, so he guessed that the realm was in perpetual night.

He stepped over to a nearby streetlight. It flickered, making a buzzing noise as it shone its yellow light down on the area around it. The others joined him.

"Is different than Evelyn imagined," Evelyn said as she stared up at the lights.

"What were you expecting?" Damien asked.

"Mm… Evelyn imagined a more pretty night realm? Lights are pretty- but Evelyn imagined more… natural, like other realms."

Damien let out a sigh. "It used to be that way. It's gotten worse lately. We have a few designated nature protection sections that we're not allowed to build in, but lately they've been considering scrapping that idea."

"Oh, thats sad," Evelyn said.

"I can't believe you guys actually use cars," Zephyr said as another one zoomed by. "Every spirit I know stuck their nose up at them. Even the humans that still worship us won't use them due to their pollution."

"They're useful little inventions," Damien shrugged. "We have some people here that studied how the human's cars worked and then made their own version using mana for energy. Not everyone uses them, they can be kind of hard to get a hold of."

"Does Damien have a car?" Evelyn asked.

"I do," Damien said.

"Ooh!" Evelyn clapped her hands excitedly. "Can we ride in it?! Please? Please?!"

"Calm down, we'll be riding in it," Damien said. "It beats walking. We need to get to my apartment first, though."

"What's an apartment?" Caelian asked as Damien began to lead the way down the street.

Damien motioned towards the tall concrete buildings. "These are apartments," They said. "We don't have enough room for everyone to have their own house."

"So you have to share everything?!" Caelian asked.

"Well, there's usually a single room with a kitchen and bathroom attached," Damien said. "They're called studios. Some have more than that, though."

"What do you have?" Caelian asked.

"I have a two bedroom."

"Living the high life, I see," Zephyr said.

"I am, actually," Damien said, shooting him a look. "The amount I have to pay a month to live there is ridiculous."

"You have to pay?!" Caelian, Zephyr and Evelyn all said in unison.

"You'll find that we've adopted quite a few human customs here," Damien said.

"But who are you even paying?" Zephyr asked.

"What happens if someone can't afford it?" Caelian added.

"The money goes to Thanatos' disciple, who then distributes it to pay others for their work. Building maintenance, road maintenance, scientific research, so on. Everyone gets a place to live, even if they can't afford it. The apartment they get is just really shitty."

"You must get paid a lot as a researcher, then," Zephyr said.

"Thanatos is interested in understanding how sprites affect mana flow and their individual effect on spirits' power," Damien said. "I must be making some progress, since he apparently learned how to grant elementals while I was away."

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"Mimzi didn't have elementals before," Damien said. "It was a surprise to me as well when she displayed them back in the scorched lands."

"You mean when mean bat lady make everyone fall asleep," Evelyn pouted.

"Isn't that good, though? You want Mimzi to have elementals." Caelian said.

"I want her to have light elementals. Thanatos won't be able to get his hands on light sprites powerful enough. He must have given her dark ones to enhance her power as a disciple."

"Are they that strong?" Caelian asked.

"The sprites used to make elementals are still weaker than a spirit. But the fact you get to command multiple elements makes up for it," Damien said.

"Oh, okay," Caelian said, frowning as he became lost in thought. "Hey, Damien? I'll ask Gaia if we can give you a nature sprite powerful enough to become an elemental. That would help, right?"

Damien looked surprised. "It… it would, if you're able to convince her."

"I'm sure Gale would be willing to do the same thing," Zephyr said, "I'll ask her about it."

"Ifrit not think dark spirits so bad! So Evelyn will ask him about elemental!" Evelyn said.

Damien looked flustered. "I, uh- Thank you, I hadn't really considered... " They trailed off.

"That's three out of four, that will let Mimzi feel most of the emotions," Caelian said. "That's enough, right?"

"... Yeah, it is."

"Looks like all you needed to do was make friends with some light spirits," Zephyr said with a grin.

"It was pure luck I managed to find anyone that'd have enough sway to ask for elemental sprites," Damien said. "But thank you, I appreciate it. If we do this shortly after Thanatos rebirths, we may have a shot at Mimzi raising him correctly. We might not have this problem again."

"Sounds like a plan," Zephyr said.

Caelian looked over to Zephyr with a grin, before remembering what looking at him did to him. He quickly looked away, his face reddening. Zephyr noticed how quickly he looked away and frowned.

As they walked, Caelian noticed pulsating red webbing attached to some of the buildings, along with crystals made of ice and thorny vines. "Do all of the dark spirits live here together?" He asked.

"Pretty much," Damien said. "There's certain sectors that take more after certain elements. But it's mostly shadow. To say the other elements are a bit bitter is… an understatement."

"Oh," Caelian said. "There's really not enough room for everyone to be happy, huh…?"

"No," Damien said. "There isn't."

"Do you think that-" Caelian was cut off when a hand wrapped around his throat, yanking him backwards and slamming him into the ground. He felt a weight on top of him, and out of the corners of his eyes he could make out two spirits standing on either side of him.

"Caelian!" Evelyn shouted from somewhere.

"The fuck are you doing?!" Zephyr said.

"What you doing with a six-wing, Damien?" One of the spirits that had jumped Caelian spoke.

"Get off him, Siggs." Damien said in a calm voice.

"What, you planning to kill him without us?" Siggs asked.

"I'm not, and you're not killing him either. Now get off him." Their voice was growing stern.

"What, going soft on us? Here, let me just-"

A choke came from the person on top of Caelian. The weight was lifted from him, and he turned his face to see a spirit being held up by a shadow hand, it's fingers around his throat.

It was a tall, lean spirit with a red faux-hawk hairstyle and stubble on their face. He had dark eyes and wore dark clothing that stood out against his pale skin. He had floppy dog ears and a long, thin tail.

"Hey, have you gone mad?!" One of the other spirits shouted.

Damien dropped Siggs a few feet away from Caelian.

"Now get out of here, Siggs," They said. "I don't feel like dealing with you today."

"Or else what?!" Siggs rasped.

The shadow hand grabbed a hold of his leg, and to Caelian's surprise, began to drag Siggs into the ground, his leg disappearing into the shadows. His eyes immediately went wide as he grabbed on to a nearby street lamp.

"Okay, okay! I get it!" He shouted.

Damien released him, and he quickly stood and brushed himself off. "Fuckin' void walker…" Siggs mumbled before turning and leaving with the other two spirits.

"Not a good look to be seen with a six-wing, Damien."

The new voice made Caelian turn his head to see another spirit standing next to Damien. It was a tall spirit, with long blue hair and straight-across bangs. White wolf ears sat atop her head, with black stripes adorning them and her long, furry tail. Her skin was especially pale, causing her light blue eyes to not pop out very much. She wore dark clothing in contrast to her otherwise light appearance.

"Kind of busy right now, Leona," Damien said as they glanced over to her.

"I see that," Leona said as she looked over to the three spirits that were still running away. "You're lucky you have Damien with you, kid. Those three would've killed you, no questions asked."

"But why?" Caelian asked as he stood up and rubbed at his neck. Zephyr walked over to him and looked him over, causing a light blush on Caelian's face that he hoped he didn't notice.

"Why? You're a six-wing, what do you expect?" Leona scoffed.

"What do you-" Caelian paused. "Oh…"

"Figure it out?" She asked.

"Why haven't you tried anything, then?" Caelian asked as Zephyr stepped away, seemingly satisfied that he wasn't too hurt.

"Because if Damien's protecting you, there must be a reason." Leona shrugged. "May not agree with it, but hey, I'm not about to fight him over it."

"Cae, retract your wings for now," Damien said. "Sorry, I didn't think of it. We can't have people here knowing you're a six-wi- Part of the royal family. Anyone that sees you is going to start something."

"Okay," Caelian said before retracting his wings. It was a weird sensation, and his back felt a little tight with them retracted. Evelyn stepped forward and poked one of the feathered spots on his back. It tickled.

"So why do you have a six-wing with you, Dames?" Leona asked.

"None of your business," Damien said.

"Hey, calm down. Just curious," Leona said.

"We here to make Thanatos rebirth!" Evelyn said. Damien shot her a death glare, causing her to shrink back.

"No shit?" Leona grinned. "I guess that's what happens when people get sick of your shit as a god. He had it coming."

"So you don't agree with him corrupting the other lands?" Caelian asked.

"'Course not," Leona said. "Most people don't. Thanatos is just off in his own little fantasy thinking it's what everyone wants. Now, mind you, if it were the Highlands, I wouldn't mind all of those motherfuckers dying," Caelian frowned. "But we don't want to take over the other realms. We just want our own realm." She sighed. "I want snowy landscapes. Buildings made of ice, subzero temperatures… It'd be the dream. But I want it to be our realm, not some hand-me-down bullshit from the Depths."

"We're not interested in giving you anything, anyways," Zephyr said flatly.

Leona shrugged. "Glad we agree. Anyways, I got some shit to take care of. See you later, Dames. And good luck. You'll need it."

Caelian watched as Leona left. Dark spirits really weren't all that bad. They were just misunderstood. Sure, he felt a bit offended that they hated him and his family, but it was well-deserved. He could get over it.

The group eventually made it to Damien's apartment building. They flashed a keycard at the door, allowing them to enter. Caelian looked at all of the doors as they walked by. They were all numbered. It felt like an inn. How could someone call this kind of place home?

Caelian was wary when they got onto an elevator, and wasn't a fan of the weird feeling as it moved up. Zephyr and Evelyn looked mildly uncomfortable as well, though Damien clearly wasn't bothered as they strolled back out as the doors opened with a ding.

They walked down the hallway until they stopped in front of a door marked 606, and Damien got their keys out and unlocked the door. As soon as they stepped in, it was chaos.

Sprites were zipping around near the ceiling, while one sat in the middle of the floor, crying. The refrigerator was tipped over, its contents spilled out onto the floor, long spoiled. Other furniture was tipped over and torn apart. Cotton and garbage was littered amongst the ground.

"Oh shit, he's back," One of the sprites said before zipping into another room. The others paused what they were doing, looking at Damien guiltily as he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What the fuck have you guys done?" They asked as they walked into the apartment. They walked over to the crying sprite and knelt down, gently taking it into their hands. Caelian followed Damien in, and noticed that the sprite looked young. It must have been a baby.

Annette came flying out of Damien's bag and landed on Damien's arm. She gently pet the crying sprite, managing to soothe it.

"Yorn did it," One of the sprites said.

"Did what?!" Another sprite asked. "You're the one that tipped over the fridge!"

"Did not!"

"Shut up!" Damien snapped. "I told you guys to not make a mess while I was gone and what do you do?!"

"Sorry," They said in unison.

Damien sighed as he turned to Caelian. "Here, hold her," he said as he gently deposited the sprite into Caelian's hands. Annette flitted over to Caelian's arm as Damien walked over to the fridge. Zephyr joined him, and the two of them heaved it back upright. Damien worked on picking up the mess as Evelyn looked around the apartment curiously. It was a mess, but before it was destroyed, it appeared to be a very modernly decorated space with lots of blacks and whites.

:Why do you have so many sprites here?" Caelian asked.

"They live here," Damien said. "It's a nice place for them to live while helping me with my research."

"Why is there a baby?" Caelian asked.

"I was incubating some eggs in the other room," Damien said as they dumped some of the trash into a bin. "One of them must have hatched while I was away."

"Yeah, we've been taking care of her while boss is gone," A toxin sprite said.

"Boss?" Caelian questioned.

"It's what they call me." Damien shrugged. "Ugh, I'll clean all this later. We need to get going."

"You're leaving already?" The toxin sprite said. "It's been forever, though."

"I have things I need to do. Sorry, Spitz," Damien said. "Why don't you clean some of this shit up while I'm gone?"

"Fine," The sprite whined. "Can you bring back cookies when you come home next time?"

"Only if it's completely clean by the time I get back," Damien said.

Damien walked over and grabbed some keys from a dish. They walked over to Caelian, who was gently petting the baby ice sprite with his finger. He looked up at Damien, before sadly handing the sprite back over to them.

"Let me set this little one up somewhere safe and then we can get going," They said before walking into another room. Caelian couldn't help but follow him out of curiosity, and was surprised by what he saw. Numerous beakers and vials sat on a desk on one side of the room, while the other was covered in open-roofed terrariums and heating lamps.

Damien gently set the sprite in one of the terrariums, adjusting the heating lamp connected to it. Or rather, it was less of a heat lamp and more of a cold lamp, judging by the looks of things. It sprayed the sprite with cold air, which made it give a comfy sigh as it curled up into a ball.

Caelian walked up and peered into the other terrariums. They all had small eggs held within a nest in their center. Various devices were hooked onto the sides of the glass, with most of them having heat lamps projecting down onto the fragile shells, with a couple blasting cold air instead of heat.

"Where do you get the eggs?" Caelian asked.

"They're from the sprites that live here, mostly," Damien said. "They trust me enough to take care of them. I'm not really one to go around stealing eggs, if that's what you were thinking."

"I wouldn't think that," Caelian said.

After making sure the ice sprite would be comfortable, Damien turned and ushered Caelian back out into the main room. The sprites were picking up the garbage from the floor and disposing of it, while Zephyr and Evelyn watched.

"Good, now keep it that way," Damien said. "I don't want to come back to squalor again, got it?"

"Got it," A few of the sprites sadly echoed.

As the group left Damien's apartment, Zephyr said, "I wasn't really expecting you to have a bunch of sprites living with you. It's like you have a bunch of kids."

"They act like children, yes," Damien sighed as they locked the door. "But they're very helpful to my research."

They took the elevator back down to the sub levels, where the parking garage was. Dim yellow lights illuminated cars neatly parked in rows, with a small amount of moonlight filtering in through windows in the concrete. Damien led them over to a fancy looking black car, it's headlights coming to life as Damien clicked the button to unlock the doors.

"Evelyn wants to sit in front!" She exclaimed as she climbed into the car.

"That's all well and fine, but I need to sit there to drive it," Damien said.

Evelyn looked at the steering wheel for a moment, before struggling to get over the console as she tried to get into the passenger seat.

"Ev, just get out and- oh, whatever." Damien said with a sigh. They waited for Evelyn to finish before sitting down in the driver's seat and closing the door.

Caelian looked at the car door curiously before Zephyr gently pulled it open. "Go ahead," He said.

Caelian murmured a thanks as he climbed into the car and scooted over to the other side. He twiddled his thumbs as Zephyr sat down next to him and closed the door.

The car roared to life, surprising Caelian, and Damien backed up out of the parking space. They slowly drove out of the parking garage, speeding up once they got out onto the roads. Caelian looked out the window in a trance, amazed as the world sped past around them. It felt more like everything else was moving past them rather than they were the ones moving. He didn't notice Zephyr looking over at him nervously. After a couple seconds, Zephyr gently reached over and tapped his shoulder, making him jump. At first he looked over questioningly, but quickly averted his eyes.

"Hey," Zephyr said softly, barely audible over the hum of the car. "I just wanted to ask, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Caelian asked.

"It's just that you've seemed kind of distant ever since this morning," He said. "Is there something I did to upset you?"

Shit. He was making Zephyr sad. He didn't mean to. Was it that noticeable? He was kind of avoiding him, but it wasn't Zephyr's fault. He'd need to suck it up. He didn't want to hurt his feelings. Caelian forced himself to look up at his face, doing his best to ignore the fluttering feeling in his stomach.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Caelian said.

"Then why do you have such a pained expression while you say that?" Zephyr asked with a disappointed face.

Caelian's face fell. "I… Do I?"

"Look, if I did something wrong, please just-"

"No! No, you didn't do anything, I swear," Caelian said. "It's just that… ever since…"

"Ever since…?"

Caelian bit his lip. Did he tell him? "I… I've just not been feeling very well, I guess."

"Oh," Zephyr frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Caelian sighed. He scooted closer to Zephyr and cozied up to him. It was something he used to do all the time, but now he felt embarrassed over it, even though it was something he wanted badly. Gods, did he want it badly. He practically purred as he leaned into him.

"Are you sure everything's fine?" Zephyr asked, seemingly unconvinced.

"Yeah, like I said, I just haven't been feeling well since my elemental got purified." Caelian said absent-mindedly. He'd have to work harder at hiding how flustered he got. He couldn't just avoid Zephyr, it wasn't what he wanted and it was clearly upsetting him as well. He didn't notice the fact that Zephyr stiffened slightly.

"Since… your elemental got purified?" Zephyr asked.

"Yeah," Caelian said, "It's fine, though."

"What exactly have you been feeling…?"

"My stomach has just been feeling weird," Caelian said.

"Uh-huh…" Zephyr said. He began to run his hands through Caelian's hair, making his mind go blank as he enjoyed the sensation. Caelian slid down to Zephyr's lap, laying his head in it as he closed his eyes. "Anything else?" Zephyr asked.

"Not really," Caelian said as his tail slowly wagged, "I mean, it sometimes kind of feels hard to breath, but I don't think it's anything serious."

Zephyr stared out the window. He kept his hands in Caelian's hair, messing with it gently as he played with the strands. "Is there any particular time when it happens?"

Caelian paused. "It's random."

"I see."

Caelian opened an eye and glanced up at Zephyr. He was still staring out of the window. Had he said too much? Zephyr looked like he was in thought over something. Caelian stifled a sigh as he closed his eyes again. Maybe if he got everything out of his system he'd be fine.

That thought was cut short when he flew forward when the breaks were slammed. Zephyr went with him, squishing him against the front seats before he fell down in the space for their feet.

"Fucking kids," Damien snapped as they leaned out of the window. "Stay out of the fucking road!"

"Fuck you, old man!" Caelian heard what sounded like a teenager yell back at him. He struggled in the small space before Zephyr helped pull him back up just as the car started to move again.

"Sorry," Damien mumbled. "Guess I forgot to explain seatbelts."

Caelian sighed as he was pulled onto Zephyr's lap. He had just been beginning to fall asleep, and now he was completely awake. He pushed some hair out of his face as he glanced out the window. Zephyr had his chin resting on the top of his head. Their eyes met in the window's reflection. Zephyr grinned at him. Caelian looked away. What was that for?

He felt a bit awkward with how close he was to Zephyr at the moment. It was one thing to have his head in his lap, but having his arms wrapped around him like they were was a completely different story. He didn't exactly want to ask him to stop, though. He tried to relax into it.

After a few moments Zephyr sat back with a sigh, lifting his chin from Caelian's head as he continued to stare out the window. Caelian was able to relax a bit. He considered asking Zephyr to let go of him so he could scoot off of his lap, but realized that might be suspicious, since normally he'd have no problem with how they were at the moment. Guess it was good practice to not let Zephyr see how flustered it made him.

Caelian looked out the window, watching as the skyscrapers and concrete buildings went by. Eventually they became less and less, and to his surprise, he began to see signs of nature. Bioluminescent trees and flowers zoomed past them, and Caelian found himself leaning into the window to observe their surroundings.

"I thought you said the Lost Realms is mostly all city?" Caelian asked.

"It is," Damien said. "But Thanatos resides in an area untouched by construction."

The road began to get bumpy, jostling everyone around as they drove onto uneven terrain. Damien pulled the car over to the side of the path, putting it into park.

"This is as far as the car ride goes," They said, "We'll have to walk from here."

"Aw, but Evelyn was having fun," Evelyn pouted.

"And here I thought we'd have an easy time getting to a god for once," Zephyr said.

The four of them got out of the car, and Damien locked it as soon as Zephyr shut the door. They placed the keys into their bag before turning to the others. "Thanatos' throne room is deep in a cave, so it'll be a bit of a trek."

"Nothing we're not used to at this point," Zephyr said. "Right, Cae?"

"Um, yeah. Right." Caelian said.

The walk through the hills was nothing unusual, though Caelian enjoyed looking at what kind of nature the Lost Realms had to offer. It was mostly pine trees, with glowing moss and mushrooms traveling up their bark. Glowing cattails lined the ponds they came across, and Caelian could hear frogs croaking from the lily pads. Most of the flora was bioluminescent.

While he was used to glowing mushrooms, like how they were back in the Eternal Forest, the other plants mesmerized him. It made for beautiful scenery. It made him wish he had one of the cameras his mom talked about. He would've loved to have been able to take photos of the places he had been to. Maybe someday he could borrow his mom's camera and go back to those places. He planned to return them eventually, anyhow.

Caelian noticed that Zephyr stayed close to him. Or perhaps he was just hyper aware of it now. He knew that he typically tended to favor him, but it just seemed that the water spirit was staying especially close. Whenever he looked over to him, he would smile. It was starting to make Caelian feel a little dizzy, but he did his best to play it cool.

Caelian was kneeling down, observing a flower, when Damien announced they would take a break. Caelian glanced over his shoulder to see Damien, Zephyr and Evelyn sitting together. He considered joining them, but then, he hadn't really had a lot of time to himself lately.

He stood and wandered off, being careful to not stray too far from the group. Finding a fallen log, he hoisted himself onto it, being careful not to hurt the nearby mushrooms.

Like Evelyn, this was more like what he had expected the realm to look like. It was a shame most of it had been taken over by concrete. He wondered how sad the dark spirits had to have been to give up so much of the land's natural beauty just to have places to live. He frowned as he imagined the same happening to the Eternal Forest. Would there ever be a day where the same would have to happen there?

What had caused the dark spirits to become so misunderstood, anyways? Was it really just fear? If that was the case, Damien was right. Fear really was the strongest driving emotion. But what would it mean for the world if all of the dark elements were to disappear?

Then Caelian thought about himself. Despite the choice he had made in the highlands, He still kind of wanted the dark elements to disappear from him. Was that a wrong way of thinking? He frowned. He didn't like feeling sad or angry, or afraid, or jealous. But were they all necessary? Zephyr had said that they were. That he wouldn't apologize without regret. Were there other similar things that held true to that? Then there was what his fear elemental- no, what Ysel had told him. That she wanted to be accepted. To be loved. Was he being unfair to those spirits? Were they not really corrupt as he thought?

He let out a soft sigh. He closed his eyes, summoning forth four elementals: Toxin, Ice, Fear, and Shadow. He opened his eyes and examined them as they hovered in the air. Then, gently, he reached out and took a hold of the Toxin elemental, cradling it in his arms.

"What's… your name?"

Chapter 32: Mixed Emotions

"My name is Aran," A voice whispered in the back of Caelian's mind. Caelian repeated the name quietly under his breath. Aran. So that was the toxin elemental's name.

He looked down to the elemental he held in his arms It's sickly neon green aura flickered curiously.

"Nice to meet you, Aran." Caelian said quietly. "I'm… Sorry for how I treated you before. I'd like to try and get to know you, if that's okay."

He heard a sneer. "Why apologize now? Don't pretend you care about us."

"I'm not pretending," Caelian said. "I'm sorry."

There was a long period of silence. "I don't have to forgive you."

"You're right, you don't have to," Caelian said sadly. "But I know you've helped me before. So, thank you."

Silence.

Caelian let out a sigh as he released the lantern. He watched as it gently floated away, leaving him alone. He looked at the other lanterns, lost in thought. They didn't have to forgive him. That much was true. But if he wanted to keep them, he needed to try and make amends. He needed to accept them.

Caelian reached out towards the icy blue lantern, and was surprised when it moved away from him. He leaned further out, his fingertips just barely brushing the cold metal. With a frown, he hopped up and grabbed it, before falling back down onto the log.

"Let me go," A soft voice echoed. "I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone."

"Oh," Caelian said. "I… Okay. Can you at least tell me your name?"

"Selkie," The voice said. "Now let me go. You don't like me anyways."

"I'm sorry," Caelain said softly. "I'd like to learn to like you, though…" He released the lantern. It hesitated for a moment, before slowly floating away from him.

He barely even had time to look for the red lantern when he found it suddenly hovering in front of his face. He grabbed it and gently pulled it down.

"You're not getting rid of us, are you?" Ysel asked. "You're not, right?"

"No," Caelian said. "I don't think that I will."

"Please. I don't want to not exist."

"Will you stop existing if I got rid of you?" Caelian asked.

"We're connected to you. We have no physical forms anymore. Where else would we go?"

"But… how did you come to be in the first place? Weren't you just corruptions of my light elementals?"

Caelian was surprised when the door to the lantern opened and the crackling red aura came pouring out. It twisted into a shape, before becoming the body of a sprite. Caelian's initial reaction was to recoil in disgust, but he managed to hold his composure.

The sprite was red, her bat-like wings torn and battered. Her head was nothing more than a blood-stained skull adorned with deer antlers, with small white pupils hovering in it's eye sockets. Bits of flesh were peeling off of her body, and her tail was nothing but bones.

"We're sprites," She said, "We're the leftover embodiment of the corruption your other elementals went through. We took over, but when the gods purged us, is when we really started to exist on our own."

"So the gods made you?" Caelian asked. Ysel nodded. "But isn't that kind of the opposite of what we wanted to happen?"

"There needed to be somewhere for the corruption to go," Ysel said. "We were purged from your elementals, and became our own."

"That's weird, but I guess I get it," Caelian said.

"But… You're still considering getting rid of us," Ysel said sadly. "I can tell."

Caelian frowned. He was considering what to say when Ysel's body disappeared, her aura traveling back into the lantern and shutting the tiny glass door.

"Please reconsider," She said. "We know our emotions aren't always wanted… but they're just as important."

With that, the red lantern floated away. Caelian sighed as he looked at the other lanterns. Shadow was hovering close by, and he looked over to it with a frown. Shadow. It was probably the element he liked the least. It got him into trouble, and it was hard to control. Anger was the emotion he hated the most. It was ironic, since hate came from the same element. But he reached out regardless, motioning for the lantern to come closer.

"Why are you pretending to play nice with us?" A voice ringed out in his head. "We all know how you really feel about us. You hate us."

"Whose fault is that?" Caelian said in a joking tone. When the elemental didn't laugh, he quickly murmured, "Because you uh, you make me feel- Sorry."

"You're naive. You should learn when it's appropriate to make a joke," The elemental said bitterly. "I know what you're thinking. Getting to know us won't make you like us if you don't like what the emotions do to you. What, are you simply planning to overlook that? You don't need to accept us. I don't want your acceptance. You need to accept your emotions. Understand why you have them."

Caelian paused. Accept his emotions? Didn't he already do that?

"Tell me, do you understand why you feel anger?" The elemental continued. "Why it's important?"

"I… I don't know," Caelian said. "I'd… rather not feel angry."

"Until you understand why these emotions are important to you, it's useless to try and make friends with us. Consider it more. You either want the emotions or you don't."

Caelian felt like a child that has just been lectured. He pouted as the shadow elemental drifted away. He realized he hadn't even got her name, but no longer felt like asking. He sat alone on the log, picking at the bark as he thought. Why were negative emotions important? Zephyr had mentioned it before, but he hadn't really paid it much mind.

He brought his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on a knee. Why would anger be important? He thought of all the times he had been angry. He was angry when Garson called him a halfie. He was angry when he thought Damien was senselessly murdering nature sprites. He was angry whenever he saw Mimzi. What would have been the alternative to these? He would have just been… okay with it all? He furrowed his brow.

That didn't seem right. It didn't seem like things he should be okay with. He shouldn't be okay with people insulting him. He shouldn't be okay with people doing things he believed to be wrong. He shouldn't have to forgive someone for doing awful things that hurt him and the people he loved. But wasn't there an alternative besides being angry?

"You okay?"

Caelian jumped in surprise. He turned to see Zephyr looking at him, a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." Caelian said. Zephyr climbed up beside him on the log.

"You seem lost in thought," Zephyr said.

"I guess I am," Caelian said. "Hey, remember what you said before? About it being important to feel regret so that I'd apologize and all that?"

"Yeah?"

"What about the other negative emotions?" Caelian asked. "Like fear, anger, sadness… Do you think they're important too?"

"Of course they are," Zephyr said. "They're not the funnest emotions to experience, but they're all important."

"Do you know why?" Caelian asked.

Zephyr smiled. "I think that's something you should figure out for yourself."

"Come on," Caelian whined.

"Sorry, it just seems to be something that's bugging you," Zephyr said as he gently wrapped his tail around Caelian, "So I feel like you should find the answer yourself. Why are they important, Cae?"

"I mean, I kind of know," Caelian said. "But everything just seems so confusing. Like it doesn't make sense."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I mean… being angry, for example. I felt angry when the forest denizens were mean to me. But surely there's a better emotion for that, isn't there?"

"Is there?" Zephyr asked. When Caelian frowned at him he added, "I'm not trying to be a smart ass. You have all of the emotions now, Caelian. So tell me. What else would you have wanted to feel in that moment?"

"I'd… I'd rather have felt calm, I guess," Caelian said. "But then I feel like, it'd be weird to just be calm, wouldn't it? Because they're being cruel, isn't it normal to react in anger?"

Zephyr nodded. "You're not wrong. It is normal. But you know you can be angry without acting on it, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's alright to be angry. But you don't have to scream, hit and yell. You can control yourself."

"That seems hard," Caelian said as he looked down at the ground.

"It can be, but it's something you need to learn." Zephyr said. "Because sometimes it's good to be angry. There's some things you should be angry about. You just need to learn to know how to control it."

"What about being sad?" Caelian asked. "What's the point of that one?"

"Well, you were sad when Sol rejected you, weren't you?"

"Yeah…" Caelian said.

"What would you have rather felt? Do you think you should have been okay with it?"

"Well… no…"

Zephyr grinned. "They all have their reasons to exist, Cae."

"But… But… I don't have to be okay with it, I just don't want to be sad about it, either."

"That's fair," Zephyr said. "But if you didn't feel sad, how would you recognize when sad things happen?"

"I…" Caelian trailed off. "I still don't like them."

"Most people don't. That's normal. But you have to understand that they're needed, and why they are, and why it's okay to feel those ways."

"Yeah… I guess," Caelian sighed. "I guess I'll just need to think about it more."

"You'll get it eventually," Zephyr said with a smile.

Caelian looked down to Zephyr's tail before freezing. He had gotten so caught up in his own head that he somehow forgot. He gently peeled Zephyr's tail away from him, trying to prevent the growing redness on his face. Zephyr merely watched him with a smile.

"Sorry, does that bother you?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I just…" Caelian trailed off.

"You've been acting weird ever since we left the Highlands," Zephyr said with a grin.

"Have I?" Caelian asked, avoiding eye contact.

"You can tell me if something's wrong, you know." Zephyr said.

"I…" Caelian hesitated. Should he tell him? He raised his head to look at him when he paused. Behind Zephyr he could see Damien and Evelyn peering out at them from the bushes. "What are you guys doing?" He asked.

Zephyr turned to look at what Caelian was referring to just as Damien and Evelyn's heads popped back down into the brush.

"I fucking told you to just leave them alone," Damien whispered harshly.

"But Evelyn wanted to see him tell him…" Evelyn pouted.

Zephyr's tail flicked in annoyance as Caelian slid off of the log and walked over to the bushes. He pushed them apart to find Damien and Evelyn, who looked up at him.

"Sorry! Evelyn was just… Looking for earring!" Evelyn said.

"Oh… But you don't wear them?" Caelian asked.

"Uh… because… is Damien's! But we find it! So no worries! We be leaving now!"

Caelian felt confused, but decided to not pursue the matter further as Evelyn and Damien stood up and left. He let the bushes snap back to how they were before and turned back to Zephyr, who had also dismounted the log.

"We should probably get going," Zephyr mumbled as he walked past Caelian.

"Wait," Caelian said, reaching out and grabbing Zephyr by the arm. Zephyr turned to look at him in surprise. Surprised by himself, he shyly released Zephyr's arm and looked down at the ground as he fidgeted with his coat's zipper.

"I… Um…" He mumbled to himself, still deciding if it was a good idea or not. Was it even a good time? He always heard there was no perfect moment for these kinds of things, but he wasn't sure how true that was.

Zephyr looked down at Caelian fondly. He looked so small without his wings. The way he was cutely fidgeting made him want to pick him up and hug him, but he refrained. That'd probably just make him clam up even more. Maybe he should just stop torturing the boy and stop being a coward and say it himself.

He just opened his mouth to speak when Caelian beat him to it. "I like you," He said quickly, his face turning an even deeper shade of red as he stared at the ground, refusing to look up. "More than a friend. At least, I'm pretty sure. Ever since I got Ishtar back, when I first saw you after, I keep getting these weird feelings. Like I can't breath, and I can't stand looking at you because it makes my stomach feel weird and my face feels really hot- But I also want to smile really bad whenever I see you. I want to look at you but I also don't, which is really weird."

He continued babbling on for a while as Zephyr stood there with the biggest grin on his face. He wasn't even sure what Caelian was talking about by the time he asked, "So what you're saying is, you love me?"

Caelian shut up. There was a long pause, and after he bit his lip so hard that it bled, he said, "Yeah. I love you."

Zephyr wordlessly stepped closer to him and cupped his face, bringing his own face inches away. "Thank the gods," He said softly, "Because I don't know what I would've done if you didn't." He pressed his lips to his, causing Caelian's eyes to widen. A moment later tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he closed them. As Zephyr ended the kiss and moved away, Caelian quickly wiped away his tears.

"Why are you crying?" Zephyr asked with a small laugh.

"I don't know," Caelian whined, "I feel relieved. Shouldn't I be happy? I mean, I am happy, but why am I crying?"

"Emotions are strange sometimes," Zephyr said, "Don't worry too much about it."

Caelian reached forward and wrapped his arms around Zephyr, pressing the side of his face against his chest. Zephyr wrapped his arms around Caelian and hugged him tightly. The two of them stayed like that for a while before Caelian spoke.

"Wait, so… You've liked me for a while, then?" Caelian asked, pushing away from Zephyr to look up at his face.

"A while, yeah." Zephyr said.

"But then… wasn't… wasn't it awkward when I kept being so… touchy feely with you.. And all the time's we… Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

Zephyr let out a laugh as Caelian's face went red again. "It's fine," He said with a grin, "You can make it up to me later."

"Oh," Caelian murmured. "If you say so…"

Zephyr gave Caelian another quick squeeze before releasing him. "Let's go catch up with Damien and Evelyn, they'll be wondering what's taking us so long."

"Okay," Caelian said. He took a step away from Zephyr, even though he didn't want to. "Should we tell them?"

"Tell them what?" Zephyr said as he gently took Caelian's hand and began to lead him away.

"About us?"

"They'll figure it out." Zephyr said with a shrug.

Caelian frowned, but said nothing as Zephyr led him back through the forest.

Chapter 33: In The Shadows

Evelyn was staring hard at Caelian and Zephyr. Specifically, at their interlocked hands. Her ears were perked up and alert, and she wore a dismayed facial expression. For a moment, Caelian was worried she didn't approve, but those fears quickly subsided when she let out a long whine.

"Evelyn missed it! Damien made Evelyn miss it!"

"Missed what?" Caelian asked.

"Confession!" She slid down the rock she was sitting on and down onto her knees. "Evelyn wanted to see!"

"Wait, what? You knew?" Caelian asked.

"Mhm! Very obvious."

"I…" Caelian could feel his temperature rising again.

"Have to say, I wasn't expecting it to happen out in the Lost Realms wilderness." Damien said.

"What, you were expecting it, too? Am I the only one who didn't know?" Caelian asked.

"Pretty much," Damien said. He smirked at Caelian's dismayed expression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Caelian said as he looked up at Zephyr.

"It's fine," Zephyr said with a smile. "You didn't get the emotion of love back until just a little while ago, anyways."

"Bold of you to assume he'd have figured it out even if he had gotten the emotion back sooner," Damien said as he crossed his arms.

Caelian let out a whine.

"Anyways, I don't want you two getting all lovey-dovey and distracted," Damien said. "I mean it," They added when they saw Zephyr smirk.

"We won't," Caelian said with a pout. "We'll stay focused."

"Good," Damien said before they turned away. "Now come on."

Caelian followed after them, with Zephyr keeping pace alongside him. They weren't holding hands anymore, something that Caelian could tell Zephyr wanted to do, but Caelian agreed with Damien to some degree. He could focus on his relationship with him later, at a better time. He turned to give him a smile to tide him over, which practically melted Zephyr's heart.

Evelyn skipped past the two of them, following closer to Damien. She glanced back at them a coupe times, looking overly giddy.

As they walked, Caelian went back to admiring the nature around them. A luminescent butterfly flew past him, and he watched as it disappeared off into the pine trees. He could hear the loud sound of running water in the distance, and they eventually came upon a waterfall. Caelian paused as he observed it. It was giant, and flung a fine mist into the air that made him feel damp even from several yards away. Damien paid little mind to it as they carried on down the river.

Caelian could see Zephyr eyeing the water with interest. He couldn't help but grin to himself. Zephyr was cute when it came to water. But this water was probably too fast for a leisurely swim for him. Caelian was expecting Damien to lead them to a bridge, but was horrified when they jumped up onto a fallen tree and crossed the river. They turned and looked at the group expectantly.

Evelyn easily climbed up onto the tree and crossed its smooth surface, but Caelian hesitated. Seeing his worry, Zephyr softly said, "I'll save you if you fall, don't worry."

It offered him a little bit of comfort, but he'd rather not fall in the first place. He carefully heaved himself up onto the log, already nearly slipping on its wet surface. Zephyr frowned as Caelian gave a shiver before he carefully stood. He didn't have claws to dig into the wood like Evelyn did. How did Damien cross it so easily in boots? It must have been possible, at least. He carefully eased his way over, looking back when Zephyr got up onto the log with him.

He felt a surge of relief when he was able to jump back down onto solid ground. Seeing that everyone had made it across after Zephyr slid down from the log, Damien turned and took the lead again. Caelian hurried to catch up with him and get away from the water. Zephyr watched him with a sad smile. He hoped that one day he wouldn't be so afraid of water. It meant a lot to him, after all.

"So what kind of god is Thanatos, anyways?" Caelian asked as he fell in line next to Damien. "Aside from the whole corrupting the other realm thing. He must care about his people at least, to do all of that?"

"Oh, yes, Thanatos loves the denizens of the Lost Realms," Damien said with a soft sigh. "He loves the lost realms as well. It hurt him to see the nature go. It was him that requested the protected nature zones like this."

"I can only imagine," Caelian said with a frown. "Gaia would be devastated if something like this were to happen to the Eternal Forest… There has to be a way to convince Sol to help so you guys can have more space."

Damien glanced over to him. "Sol hates us. He's not going to agree to anything that'd benefit us."

"But I'm his grandson, maybe… Maybe if I could get him to not hate me, I could-"

"Caelian," Damien said. "I appreciate you trying to help. But this situation is above you."

"But-"

"It's okay," Damien said, turning to look at him. "You can't solve every problem. It's not your job to. Hell, it's not even your job to do what we're about to do right now, I'm just requesting it of you. But there's some things you just can't do. One person can't help the relations between us and the highlands. One person can't solve our problems. You need to accept that."

"I… Okay," Caelian said softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about," Damien said as they looked back ahead of them.

They walked in silence for a long time before they came upon the giant maw of a cave entrance. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like teeth, dripping water like a salviating beast. Caelian was filled with a sense of dread as he looked into the inky blackness inside the cavern.

"So, how are we supposed to see in there?" Zephyr asked. When Damien pulled out a flashlight, he said, "Um, yeah, one flashlight for all of us isn't going to cut it."

"It's all we have," Damien snapped irritably. "So unless you're gonna pull a light out your ass, stop complaining."

"Wait, I can help," Caelian said as he timidly stepped into the shadows of the cave. A moment later, all eight of his elementals were summoned forth, their lanterns giving out varying arrays of light.

Ishtar, being the celestial spirit, naturally gave off the most light. They happily circled around Caelian before moving over to Zephyr and gently bumped into him.

"Oh, hey little guy," Zephyr said as they made a soft chiming sound towards him.

"Aw, maybe Caelian love sprite love Zephyr too," Evelyn gushed.

"It's possible," Damien said with a shrug as the shadow elemental hovered over his shoulder. Annette flitted out of his bag and landed on his shoulder, observing the lantern with curiosity.

"I don't think Ishtar has a crush on Zephyr," Caelian said with a laugh. "They just help me feel love."

"Have you ever considered that it's just what they want you to feel?" Damien asked.

"What they… what?" Caelian asked. He followed Damien as they began to move forward.

"I mean, what if the emotions elementals give you aren't actually your own, but rather what they want you to feel?" Damien asked. "It's something I've been trying to figure out by studying you, but I don't quite have an answer on it yet."

"What? But… of course they're my own emotions," Caelian said with a frown.

"But do you know for certain?" Damien asked. "You've never known anything more, so who's to say you haven't just been going along with it?"

"But… But I…"

"Knock it off, Damien," Zephyr said, looking over to them irritably.

"What, does it upset you to think that maybe he doesn't actually love you and it's just what his elemental wants of him?" Damien asked.

"Nothing of the sort, I just don't want you filling his head with bullshit," Zephyr snapped. "Don't listen to them, Cae. Of course they're your own emotions."

Damien scoffed. Caelian was staring down at the ground in thought. Damien had a point. What if they weren't really his emotions? He knew that his elementals were always observing what he did. Did they simply see what was going on around him and cause him to react based on what they thought would be best? He got a sick feeling in his stomach as he thought about it.

"Cae," Zephyr said softly, bumping into him and breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Caelian mumbled, not wanting to look at Zephyr. If they weren't his own emotions, would it even be fair to Zephyr to be with him? If he didn't truly love him?" But seeing how worried Zephyr looked, he kept his thoughts to himself and gave him a reassuring smile. Zephyr didn't look fully convinced, but he turned to face ahead of him once again as they walked, Ishtar floating along beside him.

Caelian wondered if his elementals would be honest if he asked them about it. Surely they would, right? But he was afraid to ask. He didn't want to know the answer if it was one he didn't like. The fear ate him up inside, and he felt stupid for even worrying about it so much. Emotions were emotions, right? Did it really matter where they came from? He felt what he felt, and there was no changing it for him. Maybe it'd be best to live in ignorance.

Iaestia and Nyxidae hung around Caelian, while Riemos was happily hovering around Evelyn as she chased after him. The lanterns provided adequate light in the darkness of the cave, lighting up their surroundings just enough to see where they were going. The multitude of different colors gave it an almost ethereal feeling.

Caelian noticed that all of the dark spirits were hanging out near Damien, which made him frown. It made sense, but he also wished some of them would at least want to be next to him. He realized it was a strange thought, and the opposite of how he used to feel. He used to want nothing to do with them, but now he was wishing for their companionship and acceptance. But he knew he'd have to earn their trust back first. But maybe Ysel would be willing to be with him?

"Nyx, could you go hang out with Damien for a bit?" Caelian thought in his head. He would have spoken out loud, but talking to his elementals in front of others always felt a little weird to him. Nyx seemed confused, but obliged as she floated over to Damien, who also looked surprised by her presence. "Ysel, would you come over?"

"Oh? I am being traded for a light spirit?" The voice echoed in the back of Caelian's head. For a moment he thought she wouldn't come, but within seconds she was by his side. "Do you need something?" She asked.

"No, I was just hoping you'd walk with me for a little while," Caelian said. "All of you are hanging out with Damien, so…"

"Of course, they understand us," Ysel said. "But I am happy to be with you. Thank you for asking."

"Yeah! Of course," Caelian said. "Everyone else is welcome over here, too…"

Caelian thought he saw Aran, his toxin elemental, start to head towards him, but he stopped suddenly and returned to Damien's side. Caelian gave a sad smile. At least Ysel was willing to give him a chance.

"Hey, Ysel, I'm sorry." Caelian said.

"For?" She asked.

"Rejecting you before," Caelian said. "I'm… I'm still kind of coming to terms with why negative emotions are important, but I understand that they are, now."

"As long as you're learning," Ysel said.

Caelian ended up taking the lead since the brightest lanterns were with him and Zephyr. Ishtar still shone the brightest, but Iaestia and Ysel's blue and red lights glowed nearly as bright, though Ysel's was more pulsating.

Caelian went back to thinking about what Damien had said about his elementals. It was making him doubt everything he knew about himself. Did that mean his entire personality could have been construed from his elementals? He tried to force his mind off it, since thinking about it made him feel sick, but it was difficult to shake.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zephyr asked quietly, noticing that Caelian looked unwell.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He said.

Zephyr reached forward and gently took Caelian's hand. "Don't let what Damien said get to you, okay? Of course they're your own emotions."

"But how do you know that?" Caelian asked, looking up at him. "What if it has been my elementals all along?"

"Does it really matter if it was?" Zephyr asked. "It's still your emotions. If you feel it, it's yours."

"But…"

"Why don't you just ask them?" Zephyr said, motioning towards Ishtar, who let out a soft chime.

"I'm… afraid of the answer," Caelian admitted. "But Zephyr, shouldn't you be more concerned about it? I mean, if Ishtar is just-"

"Are you going to stop loving me if it does turn out to be what you feared?" He asked.

Caelian mouth hung open in surprise. "Of course not! But isn't it unfair to you? I wouldn't really be in love with you because of the right reasons, it'd just be because Ishtar wanted me to because they thought it'd be a good idea." In the back of his mind he could sense that Ishtar wanted to say something, but he willed them to be quiet.

"Well, what do you like about me, then?" Zephyr asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What makes you like me?"

"I…" Caelian paused. "You're a really kind person. You're very understanding and you've helped me understand a lot of things, even about myself."

"And?"

"And you've been there for me when I needed someone."

"And?"

"... And…. Um… You're kind of…" Caelian mumbled something.

"What was that?" Zephyr asked.

"You're really attractive," Caelian said in a more audible tone, his face turning a bright red.

Zephyr couldn't help but let out an amused laugh.

"Don't laugh at me!" Caelian whined.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, you're just adorable," Zephyr grinned. "But aren't those all your own reasons to like me?"

"I… I guess?" Caelian said, avoiding eye contact. "But Ishtar could've picked up on that stuff, too…"

"I think no matter what, you could spin it that way," Zephyr said. "But I think you shouldn't worry about it so much."

"It just… feels weird, I've always considered them my own emotions, but-"

"They are your emotions, Caelian," Zephyr said.

Caelian let out a sigh. "You know what I mean."

"I do, I just don't think you should think of it that way." Zephyr frowned.

"Yeah, well… No offense, but that's easy to say when it's not your problem."

Zephyr looked a bit hurt, and Caelian immediately regretted what he said, even if he meant it.

"I know that," Zephyr said. "I just… I don't want to see you hurting over something like this."

"I get it," Caelian mumbled. "I'll… Ask them about the truth eventually. Just not right now. I don't want to know right now. But… If it does turn out they haven't really been 'my' emotions, you'll be there for me, right?"

"Of course I will," Zephyr said.

"Your opinion of me won't change?"

"No," Zephyr said. "Of course it won't. I promise."

"Okay…" Caelian felt a little relieved at that. The thought still scared him, but maybe Zephyr could help ease him into accepting it. He'd done the same for negative emotions. He was good at that.

Caelian was startled when a cluster of bats flew up in front of them. He realized he hadn't been paying attention to where they were walking. The cavern was slowly starting to shrink, and puddles of stagnant water dotted the cave floor. His boots sloshed in it as he carried onward.

He looked over to Evelyn, who was stomping around in the water, making it splash as Riemos circled around her. He then looked over to Damien and frowned. They held a far-off expression. Caelian wondered if they were unsure about going up against Thanatos. They seemed so confident about it earlier, though, to which Caelian still didn't agree. He had barely scraped by in previous fights, how was he supposed to defeat a god that reigned over four elements?

He put his thoughts aside as Damien spoke, causing him to jump as their voice echoed around the cavern. "We're almost there," They said.

Caelian looked ahead to see that the cave funneled into a narrow tunnel. He hesitated, and noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly. Why did he always have to go first? He stifled a sigh before stepping into the narrow pathway. Ysel flew ahead of him, keeping the path lit while Iaestia and Ishtar hung back with Zephyr. There was barely enough room for one person to move, and Caelian felt claustrophobic. He was relieved when the cave suddenly opened back up, and was amazed at what lay before him.

Constellations lined the cave walls, showing various animals and depictions of spirits. They sparkled brilliantly, as if they were composed of actual stars. Looking up towards the ceiling, Caelian momentarily thought that he was seeing the sky, but quickly realized it just looked like a night sky. There was no moon or clouds, only thousands of tiny stars lining the ceiling that otherwise looked like a black void.

In the distance he could see someone sitting on a throne. It was white with a tall back, with purple cushions. Gold threads kept the fabric sewn together, and the back of the chair showed depictions of the lunar cycle of the moon, starting with a tiny sliver of white on a black circle, and ending in a full moon.

The person sitting on the throne had his legs crossed, one arm resting on an armrest as he rested his head against his fist. His skin was dark like the night sky, and glistened with thousands of tiny stars. Black ram horns stuck out of his long, white hair that reached down below his lower back. He wore white and purple robes that flowed elegantly against his skin.

So this was Thanatos. Caelian noted that, unlike the other gods, he seemed to prefer to stay in his smaller sized form. This was evident by the size of the throne. Caelian felt fire in his stomach when he saw Mimzi standing next to him, but he did his best to push those feelings down. Zephyr, Evelyn and Damien came out of the tunnel behind Caelian just as Thanatos stood.

"Welcome, Caelian. I've been expecting you," He said, an air of elegance surrounding him as he spoke. His soft voice echoed around the cavern, bouncing off the walls.

"Is that so?" Caelian asked.

"Yes, I was informed of it by my dear assistant," He said. "I know what you seek to do. It's a shame that it's come to this."

"Why do you say that?" Caelian asked, taking a step forward. His foot squelched on something on the floor, and he looked down as he lifted his boot to see a puddle of black ooze. It stuck to the bottom of his boot, slowly dripping off.

"Tell me, what do you think of the Lost Realms?" Thanatos asked.

Caelian slowly lowered his foot as he looked back up to him. "What do I think of it?"

"The way we're forced to live. The loss of what made our realm beautiful. How we are forced to live thanks to the other gods' injustices."

"I don't think it's fair," Caelian frowned. "But I don't agree with you-"

"Yes, yes," Thanatos interrupted, "You don't agree with the corruption, I understand that. But what if I told you the corruption wasn't meant to destroy, but to make others notice our predicament?"

"What do you mean?" Caelian asked.

"The other gods have turned a blind eye to us for centuries. They refuse to acknowledge our hardships or even seek to offer aid. Sol, in particular, could have helped us greatly, and yet he refuses. They pretend that we don't exist. So I sought to give them a reminder."

"You call corrupting the gods and killing spirits a reminder?!" Caelian snapped.

"It was the only way to get their attention," Thanatos said. "I prefer to use words, not force. It saddens me that spirits had to lose their lives, but if fear of our power is the only way to make the others acknowledge us, then I have to play up to that."

"So you're trying to scare them into helping you?"

"Essentially, yes." Thanatos said as he pressed his fingertips together. "They won't listen to reason, but they'll listen to fear."

Caelian felt hollow inside. He couldn't deny that what Thanatos was saying made sense. With how everyone treated dark spirits, simply asking for help would have never worked. But he didn't approve of what Thanatos was doing, either. Corruption wasn't the answer.

"I can tell you're unconvinced," Thanatos said. "I understand. As I said, this is not the path I wanted to take. We seek only peace. It pains me to have to resort to violence."

"You really think I'd believe that?" Caelian asked. "You're angry. You're angry at the other gods for not helping."

Thanatos smirked. "Perhaps you're not as stupid as I've been told," He said.

"So you did want to resort to violence!" Caelian said. "You're not acting on behalf of the denizens of the Lost Realms. You just want revenge."

"Tell me, young one," Thanatos said. "What is it that you would do were you in my position?"

"I… I don't know," Caelian admitted.

"If you don't know, then why try to scold me as if I were a child?" Thanatos sneered. "I am acting on behalf of my people. I'm working to give them better lives. We've done nothing to harm others all of these years, and yet we're treated like we're lower than dirt. We've meekly lived our lives as others have stepped on us. Murdered us. And for what? Daring to exist? I refuse to allow this any longer. So a few sacrifices need to be made. I'll do it all over again if it's what I have to do."

"I won't let you," Caelian said, though his voice wasn't filled with determination. It faltered, and Thanatos noticed. He laughed.

"Are you so unsure of yourself?" He asked. "Worry not, I'll make this quick."

Caelian went to move, but found himself stuck. He tried taking a step forward, but something was holding his foot down. He glanced down, and saw that the black ooze he had stepped in was enveloping his boot. Surprised, he stumbled backward, falling down as it traveled up his leg. It spread out over him, covering him entirely. His elementals fizzled out, each of them disappearing one by one and leaving them enveloped in the faint light of the stars.

"Caelian!" He could hear Zephyr and Evelyn let out panicked screams as his vision went dark. He knew what this was. He remembered it well.

"Don't touch me!" Caelian said frantically. "Don't touch it!"

The ooze left an itching, burning sensation on his skin as it was slowly absorbed, even through his clothes. He felt like he was choking, and he began to wheeze. It enveloped him fully. Caelian felt sick to his stomach. Were his elementals going to get corrupt again?

Then, in an instant, it was all over. Caelian's vision slowly began to return, with blurry images of Zephyr and Evelyn standing in front of him. They had horrified expressions on their faces. Caelian blinked and rubbed at his eyes as Zephyr nervously approached him.

"Caelian?" He whispered, looking like he was about to cry.

"I'm fine, I think," Caelian said softly. Before he could say anything else, Zephyr fell to his knees and hugged him tightly. Caelian opened his eyes again to see Zephyr crying. He frowned as he wrapped his arms around him.

Evely joined the hug, falling down to her knees as she hugged Caelian from behind.

"Evelyn thought birdie would be corrupt," She cried.

"I'm sorry," Caelian said.

"Don't be, you're fine," Zephyr said with a hiccup.

"I am," Caelian mumured. "But my elementals…"

Zephyr gave him a shocked look. Caelian closed his eyes as he summoned his elementals. Would he have doubles of the dark elements now? Hearing a gasp, he opened his eyes. He gasped. His light elementals were still there. All eight were still as they were.

"Fascinating," Thanatos said as he curled a finger to his chin. "You truly are immune to corruption, now that you already have dark elementals. Well, Damien, that answers that question of yours."

Caelian stiffened. What did Thanatos just say? He looked over to Damien, who was avoiding eye contact. He realized that Damien was the only one that hadn't rushed over to Caelian when he was possibly being corrupted. He stood slowly, forcing Zephyr and Evelyn off of him. They stared up at him as he faced Damien.

"Damien?" He asked. "What does he mean?" When they remained silent, he repeated, "Damien."

"Sorry," Damien murmured as they took a step back.

"What are you-"

Caelian was cut off when a shadowy claw popped out from the ground and grabbed him. It's cold fingers wrapped around him tightly, digging into him as he let out a startled gasp. Zephyr and Evelyn screamed his name as he was brought closer to Thanatos as he struggled. They began to chase after the shadow hand, when Mimzi took to the air and landed in front of them. They both paused. Evelyn was clearly reluctant to go up against her, but Zephyr was beginning to summon forth water. Caelian noticed this, and quickly shouted, "Zephyr! Don't be stupid, you can't fight her!"

Zephyr didn't listen as he struck out with a whip made of water, which Mimzi easily dodged by flying up into the air. She knocked into him, barreling him over and making him hit the ground hard. She stomped down onto his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and pinning him to the floor.

"Zephyr!" Caelian shouted.

"Hmm, a shame you have such weak friends," Thanatos tutted. "Well, corruption isn't the only trick I have up my sleeve," Thanatos said with a grin. "And I have my assistant, Damien, to thank for bringing me four light elementals."

Caelian's stomach dropped. Assistant? Damien? It couldn't be true, could it? Damien used to work for Thanatos, but surely not now? Not after all of this? Was all of this just a trick? Just what had Damien done?

"What?" Caelian asked. "What do you plan to do?"

"Allow me to demonstrate," Thanatos smirked. He extended his arm towards Caelian, which caused the shadowy hand that was holding him to grip him even tighter. Caelian found it hard to breathe as his chest began to ache. Then he realized it wasn't because he couldn't breath. Something else was happening. A light formed near his chest, bright and white. It then changed to a multitude of colors, and Caelian could feel his breathing grow shallow.

Thanatos stepped down from his throne, descending the stairs as he made his way over to Caelian. The shadowy hand lowered him down to Thanatos' level. Caelian glared at him, but the look was quickly wiped off his face as Thanatos' arm shot straight into his chest. Caelian was left breathless as something was ripped out of him. It hurt, and for a moment he was convinced that Thanatos had just ripped out his heart. But when Thanatos opened his hand, it revealed that he had removed eight small crystals from Caelian. He stared blankly at them.

"I considered leaving you with your dark elementals, but clearly you can't be trusted with any of them," Thanatos said as the shadow hand released its grip on Caelian, dropping him down to the ground like a ragdoll. "So I'll be taking them back. You don't mind, do you?"

Caelian said nothing as he lay on the ground. He stared blankly ahead, his vision growing fuzzy as his chest ached.

"Well, thank you for the gift. These will enhance my power nicely." Thanatos smirked.

"What?!" Damien snapped. "That wasn't the deal, Thanatos! You said they'd go to Mimzi!"

Mimzi was staring at Thanatos, betrayal in her eyes. Evelyn gaped at Damien, and Zephyr stared at them with wide eyes.

"Oh, so sorry," Thanatos said with a fake pout, "Is poor little Damien upset the deal didn't go as planned?"

"I brought him here so you can take the light elementals and you give them to Mimzi! That was the deal! She's the one that does all of your dirty work, why do you need them?!"

"Damien," Zephyr grit his teeth, "You piece of shit."

"Damien… but why?" Evelyn asked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Caelian was going to help."

"Too bad, so sad," Thanatos laughed. "Mimzi failed her job, so I'll be taking over for her now that the little nature disciple is out of commission."

Zephyr shoved himself upward, causing Mimzi to lose her balance and remove her foot from his stomach. He stood, looking ready to kill. If only he could decide between Thanatos or Damien.

"Uh oh, the water spirit looks upset," Thanatos said with a grin. "But surely you don't plan to try and go up against a god? You're not even a disciple any more, after all," He laughed.

Zephyr let out a guttural growl. Evelyn walked up to him, placing her hand on his arm. He looked over to her. She gave him a pleading look, and he felt defeated before he even could try anything.

"Well, worry not, I'm a kind god," Thanatos said. The shadow hand picked Caelian back up and flung him towards Zephyr and Evelyn. He skidded to a stop in the dirt, and the two of them rushed over to him. "I wont kill you," Thanatos continued. "So you can take your shell of a friend and go."

"Thanatos," Damien growled as Zephyr and Evelyn tended to Caelian. "Give Mimzi the elementals."

"Or else what?" Thanatos asked. "Mimzi, who do you think the elementals should go to?"

"Huh? I, um…" She trailed off. "You… You said you'd give them to me, so that I could finally-"

"Should they go to the disciple that failed me in every aspect possible?" He questioned.

"N… No," She said meekly.

"Mimzi!" Damien called out with a disappointed look. She averted her gaze.

"There, you see? She agrees," Thanatos grinned. He looked down at the crystals in his hand. He clenched his fist, and eight elementals appeared around him. They seemed confused by what was happening. Nyxidae tried moving towards Caelian, but Thanatos stopped her.

"Ah-ah-ah," He said as a shadow hand grabbed the lantern. "You can forget about your old master. You obey me now."

"Caelian, are you okay?" Zephyr asked as he gently pulled him up into a sitting position. Caelian could only stare at him blankly. His head was spinning and his vision was going dark.

"Caelian…" Evelyn whined.

"Caelian, hey," Zephyr shook him slightly. "Don't- Don't pass out! Not right now!"

The last thing Caelian heard before passing out was Thanatos' laughter.

Chapter 34: Betrayal

Caelian awoke in a blue forest. He lay still for a long time before slowly pushing himself up. He looked around. It was a familiar sight. He knew where he was. But he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Caelian…" The voice rang out, echoing through the trees. "Caelian, can you hear me?"

"I can," Caelian said. He turned when something stepped out from the brush.

It was a beast with a long, serpentine body. Beige fur with blue stripes covered it. Several sets of horns adorned its lizard-like head. A white mane like a lion's surrounded its neck, slowly blending into its body. Numerous feathered wings lined its back. It's legs were strong and muscular, the front having paws with long claws while the back were feathered with hooves. It's tail was long and slender, with a tuft of white fur at the end.

It walked up to Caelian, who only stared at it. He felt no fear or awe. Though, his eyes felt strangely drawn to it.

"I never thought it'd come to this," The beast said.

"You're the Dreamer." Caelian said. It wasn't a question. He said it very matter-of-factly, even though it wasn't something he could be certain of.

The beast nodded. "This is the form I've chosen to take."

Caelian merely nodded. The Dreamer let out a sigh.

"I'm loath to intervene in my creation, but It's time to right my wrongs."

"Is it?" Caelian asked.

"It is."

"What will you do?"

"Something I should have done since the beginning, but I was a fool." The Dreamer said.

Caelian watched as the beast walked past him, disappearing into the forest.

"Retrieve your elementals, Caelian. Absorb the gemsouls and summon me."

Caelian woke to the sound of shouting. He blinked open his eyes to see Evelyn leaning over him. Her face showed relief, and as Caelian sat up, she hugged him. Caelian saw that they were back outside of the cave, in the forest that surrounded it. Crickets could be heard from somewhere, and fireflies buzzed past him, offering light in the shadows. He turned his attention to the shouting.

Zephyr was in Damien's face, wearing an expression he had never seen on him before. It was pure rage. Damien was glowering at him, but remained silent.

"I can't fucking believe you! After everything he's gone through, how much he's helped you! Your whole plan was to deliver him to Thanatos!" Zephyr said.

"He can get new elementals," Damien mumbled. "Mimzi Can't."

"How do you know that?! Do you think Sol would give him a new elemental?! He hates him!"

"So what, are you just angry because because your little boyfriend can't love you anymore?"

Damien was punched in the face. They staggered backward, before wiping the blood from their nose. Zephyr glared at them challengingly. They took the challenge, hitting him back square in the jaw. Before the two of them had the chance to start using their elemental abilities, a blaze of fire separated them, surprising them both.

"Stop!" Evelyn said, standing between them. Tears were in her eyes, but she looked determined. "Stop fighting! Not the time!"

Caelian watched the scene with disinterest. He thought back to the dream he had. Get the soulgems back. That must be what Thanatos took out of him. But how was he supposed to do that without his elementals? He couldn't. It was pointless. He might as well give up.

Zephyr was reluctant to back down, even with Evelyn standing in front of him. But he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned his head to see Caelian standing up, he quickly rushed over.

"Cae!" He said, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so," Caelian said.

Zephyr looked at him with a frown. "Can… can you feel anything at all?"

Caelian shook his head. Zephyr looked defeated.

"What do we do…?" Zephyr asked.

"It's fine," Caelian said. "There's nothing we can do."

"Don't say that," Zephyr said sternly. "I'm not giving up on you. Not now. Not after…" He trailed off, his eyes flicking to the ground. "We'll figure something out."

Evelyn moved over towards the two of them. "Yes, yes, we figure something out. We must. But… Evelyn not have any ideas." She admitted.

"I don't either," Zephyr sighed.

Evelyn turned to Damien, who was leaning against a tree with their arms crossed. "Does Damien have any ideas?"

"What? Why are you asking them?" Zephyr spat. "It's their fault we got into this mess in the first place. And your stupid friend didn't even get the elementals, did she?" He asked Damien.

"No," Damien said quietly. "She didn't."

"Fuck you," Zephyr growled. "Just fuck you, Damien."

They didn't respond.

"I'll fight Thanatos myself if I have to," Zephyr sighed as he looked down at Caelian, who was staring blankly at Damien.

"Evelyn will help," She said, "Evelyn afraid, but... Can not leave Caelian like this."

Zephyr looked back down to Caelian, who was still staring at Damien. "Why are you looking at them?" Zephyr asked. "They're not going to-" He stopped when he turned to face the direction Caelian was looking. It was then he realized that Caelian hadn't been staring at, but Mimzi. She stood next to them, her ears lowered and her hand on her chest.

"What are you doing here?" Zephyr snapped.

Mimzi jumped at being noticed. "I… came to speak to Damien," She said.

"I'm sorry," Damien said as he stood from the tree. "I couldn't get you the elementals."

"I can see that," Mimzi said. Seeing the look they gave her, she let out a sigh. "Sorry. I know you tried."

"What, you were in on it, too?" Zephyr said in disgust.

"It was the plan for a while, ever since we met in the Scorched Lands," Mimzi said.

Damien avoided eye contact as Zephyr glared at them. "I told her I had a way to get her light elementals," Damien said. "I'm sorry. Mimzi needs them. Like I said, Caelian can get new ones. Nobody will give light elementals to a shadow spirit."

"We were going to help, you fucking idiot," Zephyr snapped.

"You what?" Mimzi asked.

"There was no guarantee that was going to work," Damien snapped back.

"Caelian is the nature disciple! You know he could have gotten her a nature elemental!"

"She needs all four, not just one!"

"Well now you have none, congratulations," Zephyr said bitterly.

"Why would you be willing to help me?" Mimzi asked.

"No one should feel only bad emotions," Evelyn said with a frown.

"Plus it'd help a lot for when Thanatos rebirthed," Zephyr said. "You know, so maybe you could instill some values into him."

"But… Why? After everything I've done to you, everything I've put you through. You should hate me. Are you stupid? Why would you help someone that's corrupted your land and your gods? That's killed your friends and family?"

"I don't like you," Zephyr said flatly. "I think what you've done is unforgivable, but I also don't think it's entirely your fault. You don't have the ability to feel compassion for others, and you blindly follow Thanatos. But I think that you have the ability to change that."

Mimzi was quiet. She looked over to Caelian, who stared back at her. "I see. Would you still help after what happened?"

Zephyr went to open his mouth, but Caelian answered instead.

"Yes."

"Why?" Mimzi asked.

"Because I remember. What it was like."' Caelian said. "Nobody deserves to live like that."

"You still feel that way?"

"Right now, I feel nothing. But I know I would, if I ignored my anger. If I acted on my anger, I might kill you, honestly. But even though I can't feel anything now, I can think clearly. I know what I'd have wanted. I'm still willing to help you, despite everything.."

Mimzi seemed unsure. Damien gave her a soft look. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," Mimzi admitted. "Damien, you know what Thanatos is like. Why did you believe him?"

"Because I was willing to try anything," Damien said. "I'm not a god, Mimzi. I can't give you elementals. Bonding with sprites isn't the same thing. No amount of my research can help with that. So I tried my luck."

"I would have been fine with one elemental," Mimzi said quietly. "Anything, to not feel like this."

Damien looked down at the ground. "You deserve more than that."

"Then help us."

Damien and Mimzi looked up in surprise when Caelian spoke.

"What?" Mimzi asked, a sneer crossing her face. "Why would I help you?"

"Because there's nothing we can do now," Caelian said. "But you're a disciple. You could stand a chance against Thanatos."

"I'm not going against my own god," Mimzi spat. "We're going to corrupt the other realms and create new land for our people."

"Thanatos must not think very highly of you if he wasn't willing to give you the elementals," Zephyr said.

"What did you say?" Mimzi asked.

"He knows you would have benefited from them, and yet he took them for his own selfish needs. Why worship a god like that?" He asked.

"He… he needs them to succeed where I've failed, that's all," She said.

"But Mimzi only fail because of Caelian, yes?" Evelyn asked. "If Caelian no longer have elementals, Mimzi could do job, yes?"

"That… that's true," Mimzi said, her eyes flicking over to Caelian. "But I failed regardless. I don't deserve the elementals. Thanatos will do it himself, now."

"Don't say that," Damien snapped. "You do deserve them, Mimzi. You deserve to feel what happiness is like. What empathy is. You deserve to be normal, just like you want."

"To be normal…" Mimzi sighed. "Yes… that's what I want, but-"

"What would you rather have?" Caelian asked. "A god that no longer values you, or to be able to feel the emotions you lack?"

Mimzi was quiet.

"Stop pushing her," Damien snapped. "Of course she isn't going to go up against Thanatos."

"But she's the most qualified to do it, isn't she?" Zephyr asked. "It's part of the disciples job to kill their god if for any reason they fall out of sound mind. I'd say Thanatos is out of sound mind, wouldn't you?"

"His mind is perfectly sound," Mimzi said. "He's doing what needs to be done."

"There has to be another answer," Evelyn said.

"There isn't!" Mimzi said. "We're going to corrupt the realms and create suitable habitats for all of the dark spirits! Fear spirits will have their own home, and so will Ice and Toxin!"

"But how will that benefit you?" Caelian asked. Zephyr and Evelyn looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Mimzi asked. "It'll be to the benefit of our people."

"But why do you care about them?" Caelian asked. "Shouldn't you take care of yourself, first?"

Mimzi gave him a suspicious look. "It's my job as a disciple to care about the denizens."

"You're right. That is our job. But are you okay with never feeling normal?"

"What do you mean?"

"If all the gods are corrupt and the light spirits are dead, who will give you light elementals?"

Mimzi looked surprised, as if she hadn't considered this before. "I… Thanatos will give me the elementals after he's done, surely…"

"But do you know for sure?" Caelian asked.

He seemed to have struck a chord with her, and a worried look played over her face.

"Are you really willing to sacrifice yourself for people who don't even appreciate you?"

"N… no," Mimzi said quietly.

"Then help us," Caelian said. "You want light elementals? You'll get light elementals. But you have to help us first."

Mimzi seemed to be carefully considering Caelian's words. Damien was giving Caelian a thoughtful look.

"You know, Mimzi, he isn't wrong," They said. "Plus having light elementals would make you a fair bit stronger, as well. Might be useful in corrupting the realms, if that's what you still choose to do afterwards."

"... Fine," She said after a long time. "I'll help. But if you're lying about getting me light elementals, I'll kill you."

"Fine," Caelian said.

Damien grinned as Mimzi looked down at the ground. "So, what exactly do you need me to do?"

"We need to kill Thanatos," Damien said. "If you can get Caelian's elementals back to him, he can probably help you."

"Why wouldn't I just take them for myself?" Mimzi asked.

"Do you think Thanatos would let you keep them, Mimz?" Damien asked.

Mimzi thought for a moment. "No."

"We'll get you elementals," Zephyr said. "You don't need to take Caelian's."

"Fine, fine," Mimzi grumbled. "So I help get nature boy's elementals back, kill Thanatos, and then I get my elementals?"

"As soon as possible, yes," Zephyr said.

Mimzi narrowed her eyes. "How soon?"

"I'll ask Gale as soon as everything is settled down." Zephyr said.

"Evelyn can ask Ifrit right away!" Evelyn said.

"I'll ask Gaia once I get back to the forest," Caelian said.

"But that still leaves her without a celestial elemental!" Damien said.

"That's fine," Mimzi said. "What emotion does that give, anyways? Love? I don't care about that."

"But love is a wonderful thing," Evelyn said with a frown.

"Don't make her want it, Evelyn," Zephyr said in a harsh whisper. "Because we can't get it for her."

"Oh, sorry," Evelyn said meekly.

Mimzi ignored their whispering as she approached Caelian. "I still don't like you," She said, "But if it means I'll get to feel normal, I'll help."

Chapter 35: Thanatos

Thanatos frowned at the lantern that hung in the air before him. He detested celestial spirits, and yet he now had power over the element himself. He extended his arm, causing a blast of light magic to decimate a nearby rock while also illuminating the entire cavern. He smiled to himself as he looked down to eight gems in his other hand. They were beautiful, radiating colored light as they sparkled.

It was their aura in a condensed form, unattached to a soul. He was unable to absorb them, but that wasn't an issue. He could still control them. He'd just have to keep an eye on Mimzi, to make sure she didn't get any ideas about stealing them. The punishment for something like that would be greater than she could ever imagine.

He looked up when Mimzi entered the chamber, alone. "Finally back, are you?" He asked. She kept her head lowered as she approached him, before resting at his right side again.

"Hmph. Don't be so disappointed," Thanatos said with a wave of his hand. "This is why you can't trust others. Damien was foolish to think they could get you light elementals, and you were foolish for ever hoping for it. But perhaps if you behave, I'll consider giving you one of them."

"I understand," Mimzi said.

"Good," Thanatos said as he looked back to the celestial elemental.

"That you're a liar."

Thanatos was still for a moment. When he turned back to Mimzi, a cold expression was in his eyes. "What was that?" He asked.

In response, Mimzi summoned her toxin elemental and shot acid into Thanatos' face. Surprised, he tried to use his hands to wipe it off, but Mimzi quickly kicked the hand that held the gemsouls, causing some of them to scatter onto the ground.

"Go!" She called, but Caelian and the others were already running into the cavern at full speed.

Thanatos let out a hiss, "You ignorant child," He said before striking at her. Mimzi moved to dodge it, but a blast of shadow magic sent her flying to the ground, hitting her head hard against the rock floor.

"Mimzi!" Damien called. They broke away from the others and ran towards her, while Evelyn and Zephyr dragged Caelian towards the fallen gemsouls.

Thanatos wiped the acid from his face before shooting a glare towards them. He raised his hand and sent a blast of shadow magic their way, hitting just below their feet and sending them all flying in different directions.

Caelian hit the ground on his stomach and skidded to a stop. He winced as he opened his eyes, a sparkle catching his attention. As Thanatos bent down and angrily scooped up the dropped gemsouls, he noticed that one of them was missing. He looked up in time to see Caelian crawl over to the gem and touch it, causing a black and purple aura to envelop him as the shadow elemental bonded him with once more. Thanatos gave an unimpressed look.

"Happy now?" He asked as Caelian stood. "I suppose I didn't need that one much, anyways. The others will suit me just fine," He said as he looked down at the seven gems in his hand.

Caelian glared back at him. Anger was already festering inside of him as he summoned his shadow claws. They were longer than usual, clicking together as he moved his fingers. The shadow elemental materialized next to him, her dark glow sucking in any of the nearby light.

"You're welcoming it," A voice said in the back of Caelian's head. "You welcome the anger. Why?"

"Because I should be angry," Caelian said out loud. His eyes flicked over to the lantern. "What's your name?"

"Xeriae," The shadow elemental said. "Good. Let the anger fester."

Caelian's wings shot out from his back, throwing feathers everywhere as he flapped his wings and rose into the air. He looked over to Mimzi, who Damien was tending to. She was out cold. That wasn't good. She was the one who was supposed to fight Thanatos. He was only meant to assist.

Caelian grit his teeth. Guess it couldn't be helped. He looked down to Thanatos, who was watching him with a bored expression. He couldn't get too close to him, or he might rip out his elemental again. He suddenly got a strange feeling in the back of his mind. It wasn' a voice, but something that felt like an instinct. He raised one of his claws into the air.

"You hope to hit me from there?" Thanatos asked. "Are you daft?"

Caelian slashed his claw hard against the air. Four blades of shadow energy flew through the air at surprising speed. Thanatos didn't have enough time to react before they hit him, pushing him backwards as they dug into the earth and tipped his throne over. Behind Caelian, standing much further back, Zephyr and Evelyn watched in shock.

Four gashes remained in the earth, with Thanatos sitting on his rear as he looked up at Caelian. His face held an unreadable expression as he slowly stood and dusted off his robes.

"Very well," Thanatos said. "If you want to fight, then let us fight."

Caelian was surprised when a vine grabbed a hold of his leg and began to pull him down. He quickly slashed his claws through it, only for another to take its place. He kept slashing through more and more of them before one of them wrapped itself around one of his arms, rendering it immobile. Another wrapped around his other arm, and he was slammed down into the ground. Caelian struggled as Thanatos began to approach him.

"I had considered letting you keep it, but I'd prefer not to have to constantly swat at a gnat," He said. Just as he began to reach down towards Caelian, Amelia flew up in front of Thanatos' face and blasted him with magic. He stumbled back in surprise, causing the vines to loosen just enough for Caelian to wiggle out of them. He looked down at a shining object on the ground, and quickly slapped his hand over the dark green gemsoul. He was enveloped in a forest green aura, flowers blooming around him as Nyxidae, the nature elemental, merged with him once more.

Thanatos stood quickly, gritting his teeth. He had lost two of the elementals, and that was all that he would allow. He summoned the toxin spirit and shot acid at Caelian, which he just narrowly avoided. It ate away at the ground, bubbling and festering.

Caelian took to the air once more. This time, black, feathered wings shot out of Thanatos' back, and he followed him. Caelian summoned Nyxidae and closed his eyes, focusing on the soft breeze he could hear. It grew in intensity as Nyxidae materialized next to him, the breeze suddenly becoming a whirling tornado as glowing leaves shot out of the lantern. They whipped through the air, their edges sharp like a razorblade as they cut into Thanatos. Numerous cuts began to cover him before he summoned the fire elemental and his body erupted into an inferno, burning the leaves to ashes and leaving fire to swirl around in the tornado.

Caelian lifted his arm to protect his face from the heat, as the fire licked at his clothing and skin. He quickly flew out of the swirling vortex, his wingtips being singed on the way out. Thanatos flew towards him, his arm extended, but Caelian brought himself up just in time to avoid his grasp. His heart was beating fast as he bumped into the ceiling. Shit. There wasn't enough room to fly. He darted back down towards the ground, stopping midway.

Thanatos swooped around and blasted more fire at Caelian, who was unable to dodge it. He fell to the ground, his skin scorched and raw. He winced as Nyxidae floated over to him. He tried to push himself up, but his body refused. He was surprised when Zephyr rushed over to him and fell to his knees. He placed his hands on his burns and began to use his healing magic.

"Zeph, get out of here!" Caelian said.

"No, you're hurt," Zephyr said, his voice wavering.

"You're going to get hurt!"

"I love you too much to not take the risk."

Thanatos hovered above the two of them and tutted. "Ah, young love," He said, "How foolish."

A swirl of fire shot out towards Caelian and Zephyr. They both flinched, but were surprised when they felt heat but no pain. They opened their eyes to see a shield of brambles had formed around them. It was on fire, but it had protected them. Thanatos looked on with irritation. He prepared to send another blast their way, when vines sprung up from the ground and curled around his feet. They yanked down on him, pulling him out of the air and causing him to slam down onto the ground.

Caelian watched as another gemsoul bounced towards him. He reached out, touching the tip of his finger to the blue gem. Enveloped in a blue, swirling aura, Iaestia returned to him. Within seconds the blue lantern materialized, using her magic to help Zephyr heal Caelian as best as he could.

By the time Thanatos could stand, Caelian and Zephyr were already standing. Caelian gave Zephyr a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing him away.

"Get out of here," He said. Zephyr obeyed, quickly darting away. But Thanatos moved quickly and cut him off. He was about to attack when a blast of fire came from his left, enveloping him fully and scorching his hair and clothing. Evelyn stood there with her arm extended, a determined look on her face. It was enough of a distraction for Zephyr to escape.

Thanatos cursed to himself before turning his attention back to Caelian. Three elementals now hung around him. While Caelian still felt uncertain, the sprites in the elementals were determined. Thanatos shot fire at Caelian, only for it to be blocked this time by a shield of water. It fizzled and bubbled as the fire caused it to vaporize, but it held strong against the blast.

Thanatos slowly lowered his arm. The fire elemental next to him disappeared and fear took its place. Caelian froze. There was nothing he could do against a fear elemental. He watched in slow motion as Thanatos raised his arm again and a red light came zigzagging towards him. He closed his eyes, prepared to get lost in an illusion, when he felt something step in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Mimzi standing in front of him, with her own fear elemental. A red barrier formed around the two of them, blocking out the light from Thanatos' elemental. He clicked his tongue.

"I should have known better than to trust in a disciple," Thanatos said. "Such bothersome things. I allowed you to enter the other realms because it'd be less noticeable, but I should have done it myself from the very beginning."

Thanatos' fear elemental disappeared, and the barrier Mimzi put around her and Caelian fell. An ice elemental appeared next to Thanatos, and almost instantly a rain of icicles shot out from it. Both Caelian and Mimzi took to the air, though only Caelian was targeted by the icicles. As Mimzi neared Thanatos, the target changed to her. She swerved out of the way, easily outspeeding the projectiles. She swooped around and flew over the top of Thanatos as her toxin elemental materialized next to her, pouring acid down upon him. He merely stepped out of the way, letting it fall onto the cave floor.

Caelian flew in next to Mimzi and slashed toward Thanatos, causing four more shadow blades to travel towards him. Thanatos quickly took to the air, narrowly avoiding them. He sped towards Caelian and Mimzi, who split off from each other. This time he focused on Mimzi, chasing her through the air. Icicles and acid rained down, causing Evelyn and Zephyr to take cover.

Damien stood further back, watching the two of them carefully. In an instant, a shadow chain launched up from the floor and wrapped itself around Thanatos, causing him to come to a sudden stop. He struggled in the air. Hearing the sound of wings growing closer, he looked up just in time to see Caelian's claws as they were raked over his face. At the same time, he grabbed onto Caelian's tail. The momentum flipped both of them over, and they fell towards the ground. Caelian immediately regretted his decision.

As they tumbled downward, Thanatos raised his arm, ready to strike, when another chain, along with both thorny and flowering vines wrapped around his arm and yanked him back and away from Caelian. They crashed into the ground, with Thanatos landing away from Caelian.

Caelian quickly scrambled up, ignoring the pain in his limbs. His eye was caught by a shine on the floor, and Thanatos saw it at the same instant. Both of them dove for the gemsouls, but Caelian was faster. He picked up the light blue and electric red gems and leapt away from Thanatos, who was left crashing into the ground. Caelian's Ice and Fear elementals returned to him and materialized.

As Thanatos began to stand with a growl, ice shot out from the light blue elemental and ran along the floor towards him, encapsulating his lower body in ice. He struggled for a moment as icicles shot out towards him. His body turned to flames, melting the ice that trapped him while also neutralizing the projectiles. He rushed towards Caelian, shooting fire as he went. A water shield encapsulated Caelian, protecting him from the fire. As Thanatos got closer, he shot a blast of shadow magic that struck right through the shield and sliced through Caelian, propelling him backwards.

Caelian tumbled along the floor, only stopping when he slammed into a wall. His body flattened against the floor as his head began to spin. Even as Thanatos began to approach him, his body refused to obey him and wouldn't stand. The spot on his stomach that had been hit with the shadow magic throbbed, feeling cold like ice.

Mimzi flew down and landed in front of Caelian, her shadow elemental beside her. She shot out a blast of shadow magic towards Thanatos, who met it with a blast of his own. It created a combustion that threw Mimzi back into the wall, but she quickly bounced back and flung a stream of acid at him. Thanatos flapped his wings and flew into the air, dodging it enough that only a small portion of it landed on the hem of his robe, eating away at the material.

Mimzi went to follow Thanatos into the air, but found herself stuck to the ground by vines. She struggled against them as she flung acid onto them and cut at them with shadow claws, but more and more took the place of those that fell.

"I've had enough," Thanatos said as the celestial elemental materialized next to him. "I don't need a disciple anymore, so you can die for all I care."

Mimzi's eyes widened as a beam of light charged in front of the lantern, before firing at her and Caelian. The two of them were completely enveloped in a hot, searing light that disintegrated the vines and flung the two of them backwards into the cave wall. When the light slowly fell back into darkness, the two of them were left lying there, neither of them moving.

"Mimzi!" Damien shouted.

"Caelian!" Evelyn and Zephyr both called at the same time.

The three of them rushed over to their fallen friends, dropping down next to them. Zephyr checked Caelian carefully, relieved when he found that while his breathing was shallow, he wasn't dead. Evelyn stood in front of Caelian, glaring at Thanatos as he approached.

"If you value your lives, I suggest you step aside," He said, not breaking his slow stride.

Zephyr gently set Caelian's head down onto the ground and stood. His heart was beating fast and his palms were sweaty, but he wasn't going to willingly let Caelian lose his elementals again, or even worse, die. He stood with Evelyn, and a moment later Damien joined them.

"So you intend to fight, knowing you have no chance against me?" Thanatos sighed. "Very well."

He raised his hand as light began charging up in front of the celestial elemental. Before he could fire, Evelyn shot a fiery inferno at him. Light shot through the fire, landing at their feet and sending everyone flying. Thanatos stood unscathed, and when Evelyn stood and shot another blast of fire at him, he took to the air. He was surprised, then, when a dragon made of water crashed into him from above, sending him crashing into the ground with the torrential downpour. Shadow chains were summoned out of the ground and wrapped around Thanatos' body, securing him to the floor. Thanatos merely had an annoyed look as he pushed himself up, easily breaking through the chains. Damien grit their teeth as Annette flew up beside them with a worried look.

Evelyn and Zephyr shot fire and water at Thanatos, causing him to put his hands up in front of him. He appeared uninjured, but was slowly being pushed backwards. While Thanatos was busy blocking their combined attack, Damien rushed towards him as a shadow blade formed in their hands. They tried to slash at Thanatos' abdomen, but their attack was stopped when one of Thanatos' arms dropped and grabbed onto the sword. Blood welled from his hand as he tightly clutched it, and Damien had little time to react before they were flung upward into the stream of fire and water. Zephyr and Evelyn immediately stopped their attacks, but it had already done a number on Damien, who hadn't had any time to defend themselves against it.

As Damien dropped to the ground, Thanatos flung the shadow blade away and picked them up. Damien was barely conscious. Thanatos threw them against the wall like a ragdoll, before blasting them with light from the celestial elemental. Zephyr and Evelyn watched in horror as they stopped moving.

Zephyr took a step backward as Thanatos turned his attention back to them. He eyed Caelian, and ran towards him. Sensing what his plan was, Thanatos extended his wings and flew forward at an alarming speed. He grabbed Zephyr by his hood and flung him away before he had any time to use healing magic on Caelian. Zephyr hit the ground hard. Evelyn gasped and tried to shoot fire at Thanatos, but was quickly kicked to the side. She tumbled along the floor, only stopping when a blast of light hit her and threw her against the wall.

"Pathetic creatures," Thanatos mumbled. He extended his arm, intending to rain acid down onto her as she struggled to get up. But nothing happened when he tried to summon the toxin elemental. Furrowing his brow, he opened his left hand and looked down. Only the celestial gemsoul was in his palm. Where did the others go?

He looked towards Caelian, only to find that he was no longer there. His eyes slowly followed the trail of blood that led back to where he stood when Damien had tried to attack him earlier. Caelian was dragging himself painfully across the ground towards the two gems. Thanatos frowned as he touched his fingers to them, causing his body to absorb them in a brilliant glow of neon green and red light.

As Caelian struggled to stand, Thanatos sighed. This was too pathetic. He summoned a blade of shadow as he slowly began to make his way towards Caelian. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zephyr struggling to stand, and he smirked as he formed an idea.

Caelian was breathing heavily as the wound in his abdomen continued to bleed. His body felt heavy as he tried to stand, and he ended up slipping on his own blood. He felt cold. Did he have enough time to try and heal himself with Iaestia's magic? He paused when he saw something bounce towards him out of the corner of his eye. Looking over, he saw that it was the celestial gemsoul. Caelian stared at it in confusion. He looked up at Thanatos, who was smirking at him.

"Well? Aren't you going to pick it up?" He asked.

Caelian frowned. Something felt extremely off. Why would he just give Caelian the last elemental back? Regardless, he reached forward, falling on his chin as he lost his balance. He dragged himself forward a bit more as he just barely touched the tip of his finger to the gemsoul. His body was enveloping in a calming yellow aura, and he let out a sigh of relief as he felt his last emotions return to him.

"Caelian."

Caelian's eyes turned to Thanatos, who had called his name. His heart dropped. Thanatos was holding Zephyr by his hair, a shadow blade held up against his throat.

"How about we make a trade?" Thanatos asked casually, as if he were discussing the weather. "Your life for his."

"Caelian, don't," Zephyr said. He winced as the blade was pushed into his throat, causing a small cut that leaked blood out onto the cold, purple steel.

"What are you doing?" Caelian asked. "Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this."

"You think that matters to me?" Thanatos asked. "He followed you in here, intending to fight against me. I'd say that gives him plenty to do with this."

"Let him go!" Caelian said, his voice raising.

"Then you agree to trade your life for his?" Thanatos asked with a grin.

"Caelian, don't trust him, he's just going to-"

"Silence," Thanatos hissed as he pressed the blade deeper into Zephyr's throat.

"Just let me die," Zephyr said.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Caelian said desperately. His stomach felt twisted into knots. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? He could try to attack Thanatos, but that risked harming Zephyr. Zephyr couldn't die. He couldn't. Not when he knew how greatly Zephyr feared death. The fact that he was telling him to let him die made his stomach churn.

"I- I… I'll die for him."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Thanatos said with a smirk. "Then come here. Try anything and he dies."

Caelian struggled to stand. He managed to stumble up onto his feet with a grunt. He began to slowly make his way over to Thanatos. When he was close enough, Thanatos threw Zephyr aside and grabbed Caelian by his shirt collar.

"What a shame that your own emotions are what causes you to get killed," Thanatos said. He stabbed Caelian through the stomach, before kicking him down to the ground. He watched as the boy writhed on the ground as the shadow blade dissipated, leaving only the hole it made behind. He smiled as one by one, the elementals that hung around him flickered out, disappearing into thin air. Blood gushed out of his stomach, staining Caelian's white shirt and jacket an even darker crimson than from his earlier wound.

Caelian pressed his hands over the wound, trying to futilely stop the bleeding. His heavy breathing began to grow more shallow from the blood lost as his heart pounded against his chest. His vision was beginning to grow dark as Thanatos stood over him. He watched as he raised his arm, and he closed his eyes, prepared to die while being unable to feel anything. It was then that Zephyr tackled himself into Thanatos, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble. Caelian opened his eyes at the noise in surprise, and panicked when he saw Zephyr struggling to keep Thanatos away from him.

"Zephyr… Zephyr!" Caelian called, managing to painfully flip himself over onto his stomach. Blood pooled under him, and his body felt numb. He struggled to breathe as he yelled out.

"Stop!"

All eight of his elementals materialized around him, glowing brightly. Of their own volition, they began to charge up elemental energy, before firing it off into a single, condensed attack. Thanatos kicked Zephyr off of him just as he noticed the stream of white light flying towards him. His eyes widened, and he tried to fly away to escape the light, but it was futile. It hit him straight on, pushing him backwards across the cave, crashing into the opposite wall. The cave was lit up, causing everything to look white. Zephyr stared in shock and awe as the beam continued for several seconds, before slowly tapering off. Thanatos sat motionless against the wall.

Zephyr pushed himself up and rushed over to Caelian, who had fallen unconscious. "Caelian…" He said softly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he placed his hands over Caelian's wound. His hands began to glow with a rippling blue aura, doing his best to quickly heal him.

"Please open your eyes," Zephyr said, tears beginning to fall freely. "Please open them. You can't sleep right now, you'll die. Caelian. Please."

He began to sob as he realized his efforts were fruitless. Caelian had already stopped breathing. Yet he continued on, trying his hardest to heal him. He didn't notice when the elemental lanterns formed into a circle, a soft white light beginning to emanate from the center.

Caelian awoke in the familiar forest. He pushed himself up, looking around. His eyes focused on the Dreamer as he stood in front of him.

"I'm dead this time, aren't I?" Caelian asked.

The Dreamer nodded.

"Is Zephyr okay?"

"He is."

"Good," Caelian said with a soft, sad smile. "I didn't want to leave him, but…"

"You won't have to."

Caelian looked up at the Dreamer with curiosity.

"Come with me," He said.

Caelian slowly stood as the Dreamer began to walk through a white light. They were slowly enveloped, until they walked out of the other side of the portal the elemental lanterns had created. Caelian looked around in surprise. His heart broke when he saw Zephyr crying over his body, still trying to heal him.

"Can he see me?" Caelian asked.

"He cannot," The Dreamer said. Caelian merely nodded.

Caelian looked up as the Dreamer continued onward, his feet not even making a sound against the cave floor. He followed him as he walked over to Thanatos, who slowly opened his eyes.

"You…" Thanatos said softly, his eyes affixed onto the Dreamer. His body was already slowly beginning to fade. "Why are you here?"

"To fix my wrongs," The Dreamer said.

"I see," Thanatos said. "So you've finally realized."

"I realized long ago," The Dreamer said. "I've simply been unable to reach this realm until now."

"Get on with it, then." Thanatos said as he closed his eyes.

Caelian watched in surprise as the Dreamer lifted his claws and swiped through Thanatos, splitting him into four sections. The sections glowed with a ghostly white aura as they slowly dissipated into dust, before forming into four separate flowers. Caelian admired them in silent awe. One was bioluminescent blue, glowing brightly in the dark cave. One was an icy white, its petals covered in a thick layer of ice. Another was a glowing red, its stem looking to be made out of bone. The last looked dead and withered, black petals slowly falling off onto the floor.

"It's the four dark elements," Caelian said. He watched as the white, red, and black flowers were lifted into the air. "What will you do with them?"

"New realms have been created," The Dreamer said. "I will deliver them."

"You made new realms? Just like that?" Caelian asked in surprise.

The dreamer nodded. "My power is but a fraction of what it was, but this I am still able to do. With the last of my remaining power, I will right my wrongs."

"So, then, those are…" Caelian stared at the flowers.

"The gods of Ice, Fear, and Toxin." The Dreamer said. "The new realms will have a lot of work ahead of them. But I trust they will pull through."

"I see…" Caelian said as the Dreamer turned and began to walk back towards the white portal.

"Caelian," He said as he paused in front of the portal, "This will be my last act before I truly disappear."

"You'll disappear?" Caelian asked, his face falling.

"I will. But worry not, after this, I trust that there should no longer be a need for me in this world."

Caelian was silent. He wasn't so sure. What if something like this happened again? But he kept those thoughts to himself as he followed after the god.

As they passed Zephyr, Caelian hesitated. He was still crying over his body. He wished he could say something to him before he returned. But he knew that was impossible, and followed the Dreamer back into the white portal that closed behind him.

As they re-entered the dream realm, Caelian saw three different portals open before them. One that led to a world of snow and ice, one to death and decay, and another to rot and poison.

"Thank you for accompanying me this far," The Dreamer said as he turned around and faced Caelian. "I can take care of things from here."

"Oh, okay," Caelian said softly, with a frown. "What… what should I do, then? What's there to do?"

"You may wake up now, Caelian."

"Huh? But I-"

The Dreamer cut him off with a smile. "This is the realm of dreams. It is under my control. Though I may cease to exist, consider this my last parting gift. You may wake up, Caelian."

Caelian slowly woke from what felt like a long sleep. His eyes were heavy and his mind felt cloudy. For a moment he had forgotten just where he was, before Zephyr's crying reached his ears.

"Zeph?" He asked sleepily.

There was a pause. Caelian grunted as he was hugged tightly, as Zephyr began to cry again.

"You're alive!" He sobbed. "You're alive!"

"I am," Caelian grinned, "That kind of hurts, though."

Zephyr let out a small gasp as he loosened his hold on Caelian. "Sorry…" He said softly.

"It's okay," Caelian said as he was gently lowered into Zephyr's lap.

"You're so stupid," Zephyr said. It was said matter-of-factly, with no hostility behind it. "What if he just killed me after he killed you?"

"I'd rather have taken the chance," Caelian said.

Zephyr shook his head. "Dumbass… I love you."

"I love you too." Caelian grinned.

Chapter 36: A Realm Reborn

Caelian woke up in the bed with a yawn. Looking over to the clock on the nightstand, he saw that it was early in the morning. Zephyr's habits had been rubbing off onto him. Looking over at the sleeping water spirit beside him, he couldn't help but give a smile. He looked so peaceful as he lay there. Not wanting to wake him up, but unable to resist himself, he leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. Zephyr stirred, but cozied back down into the blankets without waking up.

Caelian carefully got out of bed and got dressed. He contemplated taking a shower, but decided he'd do so later so that Zephyr had plenty of warm water for his bath when he woke up. He exited the disciple's cabin and gently shut the door behind him. It hadn't been long that he had started living there, but since Zephyr was so vehemently against living in the tree roots, Caelian decided to give the home a chance. So far he had been enjoying it, even if he did miss his mossy bed under the roots.

He extended his wings from his back and gave a big flap, rising into the air. He flew amongst the branches as he headed towards the forest denizen's town to check up on everyone. It took him no time at all to travel this way, and he found himself landing at the edge of the clearing in a matter of minutes. Of course, it helped that the cabin was located close to the town.

"Good morning, Caelian!"

The denizens greeted him in the same fashion every morning. At first it had made him uncomfortable, but he was slowly growing used to his new treatment. When he had returned, he was met with many apologies. While there were still some that were wary of him, many of the forest denizens seemed to finally accept him as their disciple.

"Caelian!"

Caelian looked up when he heard the squeaky voice call his name.

"Nath!" He said with a grin as the forest sprite stopped in front of him. "Hey, you're okay!"

"Sure am!" Nathaniel said as he put his hands on his hips. "Man, this place was such a mess, I thought it was done for. But then I heard through the grapevine that things started to go back to normal, and that you came back! So I figured it was safe enough to return."

"It's good to see you," Caelian smiled. "Where were you hiding all this time?"

"The human world," Nathaniel said with a shrug. "I found these people in a cabin that worshipped nature spirits. They fed me all kinds of good stuff. Honestly, was kind of thinking about staying with them, but then I thought, nah, my bud Caelian needs me."

"Is that so?" Caelian asked with a laugh. "Well, glad to have you back, Nath. Want to come with me while I make my rounds?"

"Of course!" Nathaniel said as he landed on Caelian's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll fight off anyone that's rude to you."

"Oh, I dont think that's a problem anymore," Caelian said. He didn't elaborate when Nathaniel gave him a curious look, and the two of them headed off through the town.

"Caelian! We don't have enough manpower to rebuild the town square. Nobody is offering to help us."

"Really? I'll ask them myself. I'll find people, don't worry."

"Caelian, we need you to bless the funeral plots for those that died in the corruption. It's custom for the disciple to do this for the dead."

"Ah… really? I'll stop by the memorial site after I finish my rounds, okay?"

"Caelian, I'm sorry to bother you with something so trivial, but a lot of my late mother's jewelry was in my home when it was lost to the acid. Is there any chance you could take a look and see if anything is still there? I'd look myself but a lot of the acid is still there."

"Yeah, don't worry! I'll take a look when I can."

"Wow, look at you," Nathaniel said with a smug grin, "Mr. popular all of a sudden."

"Yeah," Caelian said, a bit embarrassed, "A lot of people need help after what happened here. They've all been pretty nice to me so far, at least."

"I'll say. You don't even need my help anymore!" Nathaniel shrugged.

"Aw, don't say that, Nath. I'll always take your moral support." Caelian said.

"You better!" Nathaniel said.

"Caelian!"

Caelian turned towards Daisy, who had called out his name. She was rushing over to him.

"Hey, Daisy. What's wrong?" Caelian asked.

"You have someone at the town hall waiting to meet you," She said with a smile. "We also got a letter delivered by a little shadow sprite."

"Oh?" Caelian said with curiosity. He had a feeling he knew who the letter was from, but didn't know who would be visiting him.

He followed Daisy to the town hall, pausing in the square with a frown. It was true, aside from the finished town hall, reconstruction appeared to be moving slowly. He'd have to try and motivate people to want to work, somehow. He hurried onward into the building, surprised with who he came face to face with.

"Evelyn!" He said with a grin as she ran towards him.

"Caelie!" She said happily, giving him a hug. "Evelyn missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Caelian said as she released him. "What are you doing here?"

"Evelyn just wanted to check on Caelie and Zephy to make sure things going well!" She said. "Been weeks! Evelyn worry!"

"I get it," Caelian said with a laugh. "Well, everything's been alright. It's been a bit exhausting, I'm not gonna lie, but I'm doing my best."

"Exhausting being disciple?" Evelyn questioned.

Caelian nodded. "How's everything in the Scorched Lands?"

"Is good! Ifrit find new disciple, girl called Sasha! Evelyn know her, good choice!"

"Wow, that was quick," Caelian said. "I thought it could take years to find a new disciple?"

"Ifrit say he want to try and move on quickly," Evelyn said. "No more corruption, but he still worry. Want to be strong for people."

"That makes sense," Caelian said.

"Caelian, here's that letter," Daisy said as she handed the piece of paper to him. He took it and unfolded it, beginning to read.

Caelian,

I hope this letter finds you well. I considered showing up myself to discuss these things with you, but in all honesty, even though you said you forgive me, I'm still ashamed of how I acted. I know Zephyr isn't very fond of me, either. So I figured it's best to say this through a letter.

Things are going well in the Lost Realms. The other elemental spirits have been slowly migrating to the new realms. We're still working out the names for them, but it's cleared up a lot of space here. We're considering tearing down a lot of the construction and opening it back up to nature. It will take some time, but I think it's a good step forward.

Mimzi has been busy with Thanatos. She said to thank you and Zephyr for the nature and water elementals she has now. I've sent a letter to the Scorched Lands thanking them for the fire elemental as well. She's been doing very well, I'd say. She understands why it was wrong to try and corrupt the other realms. She wanted me to let you know she's deeply sorry for how she's acted, and hopes that someday she can make it up to you.

I'm still working on my research, so I've been pretty busy as well. Even though I no longer need to worry about getting Mimzi light elementals anymore, ever since you told me your elementals had said they're unsure about whether they're truly your own emotions or not, I've wanted to see if it was something I could deduce. I'll let you know if I ever figure that out. I know it's something that's been bothering you deeply.

If there's anything I can ever do to help you out, please let me know. You know where to find me.

Signed,

Damien.

Caelian smiled at the letter. He was glad things were going well in the lost realms. He wished Damien wouldn't focus so much on the past, however. He forgave him and understood why he did what he did. But no matter what, Damien refused to look him in the eye. He hoped some day they could forgive themselves.

"Was it good news?" Daisy asked.

"Just some news from a friend," Caelian said as he handed the letter to Evelyn, who looked over it curiously. "Daisy, do you mind showing Evelyn around for a bit? I need to finish up a few things before I can enjoy any free time to hang out with her. Evelyn, how long do you plan on staying?"

"Mm, few days, maybe," Evelyn said as her eyes scanned the letter. "Evelyn knows Caelian is busy, so not want to bother too much."

"It's not a bother, don't worry." Caelian grinned. "Daisy, find her a place to rest too, if you could?"

"Of course!" Daisy said with a smile. "Happy to!"

"Thanks!" Caelian said. "Ev, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Evelyn said, lowering the letter with a smile. "See you later, Caelie!"

Caelian exited the building and immediately took to the air, surprising Nathaniel.

"Holy shit!" He squeaked. "You can fly?!"

"I can!" He said with a laugh.

Caelian flew up above the trees, bursting out of the leaves like a missle. Nathaniel jumped off of his shoulder and flew along beside him as he made his way towards the Great Tree, where Gaia resided.

No more did he have to climb the long, winding stairs. Now within a matter of seconds he could easily ascend and see her. He landed on top of the platform of branches and stepped forward, Nathaniel fluttering along behind him.

"Gaia!" Caelian called.

A woman with long brown hair, who had been looking out of the window, slowly turned towards him with a smile. She was the size of a normal spirit, and freckles lined her face.

"Good morning, Caelian." She said warmly. She opened her arms as Caelian ran towards her, pulling him into an embrace. His tail wagged excitedly.

"Good morning, Gaia," Caelian said. "Is everything well?"

"Yes, I believe so," She said, looking down at him as she gently released him. "Have you already finished your rounds?"

"Yep!" Caelian beamed. "I have some stuff I need to take care of, but I checked in with everyone. I just wanted to check in on you, too."

"I appreciate it," Gaia said. "You've been very busy as of late."

"Yeah, there's a lot to rebuild…"

"I'm sorry, I know I didn't make things easier on you," Gaia said.

"Huh? Oh, no, no! It's fine! I mean, you grew up pretty quickly," Caelian said with a shrug, "I was expecting you to be small for a lot longer. But I guess that's a god for you."

"I see." Gaia smiled. "Still, I wish I was at my full power so I could assist more."

"It's okay, there's not a lot you'd be able to do, anyways." Caelian said. "It's not your job to help rebuild the town. I just need to make sure people are pulling their weight."

"Many people are still recovering from the corruption, Caelian. Don't be too hard on them."

"Ah, yeah, I know…" Caelian said as he looked out over the forest. "I just want everything to go back to how it was before. But with the improved aspects," He quickly added.

Gaia let out a laugh. "I understand. But worry not, it will get there eventually. Everything will be fine."

"Yeah," Caelian said, looking over to her with a smile. "Everything will be fine."

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