"How was that?" Delphinium turned excitedly to where I could now see a few fairies hiding in the branches around us. "I've always wanted to introduce myself that way! Wasn't I cool?"

"I think you broke her, Delphinium-sama…" A smaller fairy with dark blond hair had flown up to me, and was now trying to grab my attention.

But, I couldn't stop staring. What? Another Fairy King? I thought there could only be one, and that it was Harlequin… How could-

"Oh, you're right." Delphinium laughed. "I'm not really a Fairy King; I'm more of a representative - a guardian, if you will. I just never get to introduce myself to new people, so I wanted to seem cool." He slumped slightly, dejected. "Guess it backfired, didn't it?" However, he quickly recovered, and his smile returned to his face. "So, what's another fairy doing here? I'm guessing you're from the other forest, but we've closed off the perimeter ever since that one burned down, so we don't really know what's happening out there. You're wondering why you never heard about there being another Fairy Forest? Ah, that's because we've kept ourselves separated from the beginning, only watching from a distance.

"Hey, why do you keep your wings covered? Why did you hide that you're a fairy from the people down there?" At this point the blue-haired fairy was inches from my face, curiosity glimmering in his eyes. I could barely keep up with his words, let alone that he seemed to be trying to answer my questions by reading my heart.

"I-I've had bad experiences from people knowing what I am, so I tend to hide it…" I trailed off, my mind wandering to the different occasions of discovery over the centuries. It wasn't so bad when they found out that I was a fairy - not always. What was worse was when they discovered that I was-

"Oh! You're not a full fairy?"

I almost fainted then and there.

But Delphinium didn't seem very upset; it was more like his curiosity only grew stronger. "Well that's not so bad, is it? But the question is, what's your other half? We've seen plenty of half-humans around here, and since you mentioned being here before our branch of the Spirit Tree grew, then you've lived far longer than a half-human. Giant perhaps? Though I don't know how that would work… Oh! What about-"

"Um, you said you'd seen plenty of half-humans here? That's normal here?" I cut him off before he could delve further. This fairy seemed kind, but I was not comfortable in the slightest with him knowing my secrets. Perhaps sending a bunch of my own questions his way would keep him at bay. "How can there be more than one Fairy King's Forest, and how and why are you - as you called it - a guardian? And how can this even be a 'forest'? There's only one ginormous tree in an open field. When did it even get here? And why… Why are you keeping yourselves secret from other fairies?"

He looked taken aback for a heartbeat, surprise flickering across his face, when he suddenly started laughing like crazy, bending over his knees to catch his breath. "Looks like you have as many questions as I do. If I answer all of yours, will you answer one for me?"

I nodded silently. Would this fairy really be satisfied with only one answer in exchange for many? I knew I wouldn't be, in his situation. However, I didn't really know Delphinium, so who was I to say what would satisfy him? Looking at the blue-haired fairy's honest eyes, I felt that he was most probably telling the truth.

"Well then, to start off with, yes, human-fairy hybrids are common here. You met some, in fact! All three of the humans you were staying with - while not half-fairy - have fairy ancestry. We've noticed that it tends to lead to humans with longer life spans and pointed ears, and more often than not they are taller than pure humans, and their hair and eye colors seem to match their fairy ancestry, no matter the coloration of the humans in the gene pool.

"I can already tell that you're wondering more of why it's common, though. Is it not common with other fairies?" He furrowed his brow in minor confusion. "Humans had settled at the base of the tree around the same time that I was born, and we've always seemed to get along with them, so I don't see why it seems unthinkable.

"And as for there being another Fairy King's Forest - I guess that you could say that this is just a branch of the original forest - an offshoot. As far as I can tell, a seed was planted while there was already a thriving Sacred Tree, so a secondary forest formed, separate from the parent and its Fairy King. And that leads into the next question about my being a guardian. Since there could only be one Fairy King at a time, and this forest needed something to defend itself, I was born. I was born from this Sacred Tree offshoot, in a manner similar to a Fairy King or a Fairy King's sibling, only, I wasn't given the powers that a Fairy King would have. What's it called again? Disaster? I don't have that power." He smiled sadly, looking out at the sea of leaves around us, which now seemed to be glowing pink-purple in the brilliant - yet fading - moonlight. "That's actually why there isn't an actual forest. Since I didn't have Disaster to help keep the plant life in check, this Sacred tree grew too dense of branches for anything to grow underneath it. The humans use any trees they find nearby just to keep themselves warm and dry in its shade. If I had that power, I could thin the branches and make this entire area into a thriving forest worthy of the name…" Delphinium paused, looking out into the distance at the rolling plains with weary eyes that made him seem like a completely different fairy from the excited, innocent one that was pestering me with questions earlier.

I was about to say something, but he took a deep breath and continued. "In exchange, though, I got other powers. My specialty is illusions. That's how we've kept others away for so long, and why we were so surprised when you arrived. I usually guide people away from the area without their ever realizing, but when you just appeared in a field like that!" He laughed, his previous self showing through, before shaking his head. "And as for when the tree got here? Hmmm… I don't really keep track of years like the humans do, but if I had to say… I was born maybe eighteen hundred years ago, I think, and the tree itself started growing about two hundred years before that.

"You final question was why we keep ourselves secret from the other fairies, right?" I nodded at his confirmation. "Well, when I was born, I remember one thing in particular. The Sacred Tree shared a memory with me from when it was but a seed. It was two phrases repeated over and over again, up until it was able to take root, after which it never heard them again. The phrases were 'We can never return to the Fairy King's Forest. Not until it's safe.' and 'We can't let any other fairies know you're alive.' With those being my first memories, they kind of just stuck."

I flinched at the familiar phrases. They were things that Zephyranthes and I would say so much back then. Even though we'd both known those things, we'd had to keep saying them in order to stop ourselves (mainly me) from doing stupid things. But for this Sacred Tree to know those phrases, then that tree I planted must have been…

"So, that answers all of your questions, now it's time for you to answer mine." All the fairies half-hidden in the surrounding branches watched us expectantly. Meanwhile, I could feel sweat trickling down my neck out of fear. What would he ask? I'd agreed to answer a question, and even if he asked something personal, he'd know if I was lying.

Delphinium took a breath before tilting his head with a smile and asking his question. "Who are you?"

"Eh?" Was that really all he was asking? Like, was he asking what I was other than a fairy? Or perhaps why I was here, out of all fairies? What was he really trying to ask?

"What's your name?" He clarified. I could practically feel so many fairies around us droop with disappointment.

"Umm… My name's Zinnia." I scratched my cheek out of the embarrassment that I had suspected him of trying to get secrets out of me.

"Ah, so Zinnia-chan!" Delphinium smiled. "Or should it perhaps be Zinnia-san, since you aren't a fairy of my forest? Or maybe Onee-san? Oh! You could also be Zinnia-sama or Zinnia-dono, since you're the one that planted our Sacred Tree!" Gasps erupted from the branches around us. Apparently they weren't as good at heart-reading as Delphinium was.

"N-no… Just Zinnia is fine." I was sure that my face was bright red. Someone that was this forest's equivalent to a Fairy King addressing me so highly? I'd rather not. "Even if I was the one that planted it, it's obvious that you've done much more for it than I have, Delphinium-sama."

He waved away the name. "No formalities; just call me Delphi. Delphinium is too much of a mouthful and sounds too formal for my liking." He gestured to a lineup of the five nearest fairies, who gave off the aura of being older than the rest. "These are my advisers: Ana, Radcli, Ayisa, Youth, and Elque."

Elque, who had blue hair only a few shades lighter than Delphi's snorted. "Advisers? Since when have we been-?" He yelped, flinching away from the fairy next to him.

Youth - a smaller, blond fairy girl - had elbowed Elque in the side. "What Elque is saying is that we're more like Delphi's oldest friends." She smiled, her golden eyes catching the sunlight that was just peeking over the horizon.

Sunlight? As soon as the wandering thought crossed my mind, beams of glowing gold light spilled across the area, illuminating the field of bright pink leaves around me. Specks of colors adorned the leaves, revealing the locations of watching fairies. A sweet scent surrounded me as a light breeze picked up, causing ancient memories of a familiar scent to flair in my mind. Memories of an ancient forest with a pink-leaved canopy far above, fairies flying to and fro as they went about their days. Giant, twisting, gnarled roots would have spilled across the forest floor, trailing from countless trees stretching farther into the distance than even the most skilled eye could see. Rustles in the undergrowth would have hinted to the wildlife that made the forest its home. As I would fly from tree to tree, I would turn to see a familiar face smiling after me. I would call out the name-

"Woah!" Delphi's eyes were wide, pulling me out of the dream-like memory. His hair was an even brighter blue in the dawn glow, making it look brighter than even a royal's silk gown. "That's a very powerful memory you're feeling. Does this little glimpse of our Sacred Tree stir your heart that much?"

I shut down the memory, locking it away to where hopefully even the most observant fairy wouldn't be able to find it, before tucking my hair behind my ear and trying to focus on the world around me. "It's just that… I haven't seen a sight like this in a long, long time." After being silent for a moment, a realization dawned on me. Wait… Wasn't I supposed to get back before Zephyr returned?! "I-I need to head back now. My friend is probably worried about me."

"The black fox?" Delphi looked around. "He should be arriving any moment now…"

"What do you-"

Just then, a couple of small fairies burst through the tree cover, causing bystanders to leap away from them. A dark shadow bolted after them, but as the two flew higher into the sky, it was unable to follow. Instead, the shadow formed into the shape of a dark fox balancing precariously on the branches, half-obscured by pink foliage.

"Zephyr!" My surprised voice seemed to call out to him on its own.

His eyes widened when he spotted me, and he shook his ruffled fur. Zinnia! What are you doing here? I tried to follow the voices that we'd heard, but they… That was when his eyes started to roam over the area, even stronger surprise and incomprehension registering across his features. Why are there so many fairies? And… Is this a Sacred Tree? What-

One of the fairies that hadn't spoken before - Radcli, a pink-haired fellow with sharp red eyes that seemed to dare anyone to say anything about his hair color - sighed. "Here we go again…"