Posted August 28, 2022.

Previously on AUF…

Roxy was in a spherical chamber, one where gravity pulled her to a rainbow sphere, in the center of the room. She stood atop the sphere, staring at the area around her.

The platform she stood atop suddenly began to glow with a pulsing rainbow light. Instinctively, Roxy flew off the sphere, but it was too late. She gasped as the sphere exploded, obliterating her completely and whole –

Then the scene changed. A woman with long, flowing brown hair and green eyes stared back at her. "Roxanne," she acknowledged. "You have come so far, but you are not done. You must face the Heart of the Earth."

"The what?" Roxy stared at her. "What is that?"

"All will be revealed to you once you come to see me," the fairy answered.

-o-o-o-

"Roxy, we haven't heard a thing from Musa and Krithi," Flora said frantically. "We've tried reaching them, but nothing is working!"

"Maybe because there's no cell coverage in the core of the Earth?" Roxy answered dryly.

"Roxy, this is serious!" Flora cried. "I have a bad feeling about this!"

"All right." Roxy sat astride Aonbharr. "I'm going to find them."

-o-o-o-

"My name is High Faerie Queen Uki Kallik le Fay," the hologram said. "If you are seeking this message, then that means the Heart of the Earth must be active or threatened to be active again. There are so many things I need to tell you, but I cannot tell you now."

The hologram began to fade; Roxy saw it was getting more and more distorted. The voice came out in bursts and gasps.

"Meet – me – Chamber – of – Visions" – Uki burst out. Then the hologram became silent, and was no more.


CHAPTER 49: UKI, FAIRY OF THE SOUTH

On the Matter of the Heart of the Earth

The Heart of the Earth was an ancient power source stored at the center of the Earth. As my fairy friends have told me, our world is a sphere, not flat, as my people seem to think. It siphons all the energy of the planet into its core, storing it inside.

It is believed the Heart was intended to serve as a defense mechanism. By siphoning the power of the world, it possesses unbelievable strength and power. Its magic knows no bounds. At the same time, it is said to be very, very dangerous.

As of now, the Heart is believed to be dormant. There is no more magic stored at the center of the Earth, no longer causing harm to the planet. At the same time, some say the Heart is still very much active, and may cause trouble in the future…

– from the Book of Fay


South Pole, Antarctic Circle

Roxy flew towards the South Pole, exhausted. After hitching a ride from a private jet to the Antarctic Circle, she was tired. But she couldn't sleep if she was going to save her friends. She stared down, her eyes narrowed.

The Warrior Fairies were picking apart the helicopter. Guess the invisibility booster ran out… She saw the fairies searching inside, checking for information. One of them saw the jet, and her eyes widened. "It's her!"

In response, Roxy flew out with Aonbharr, lifting the White Circle above her head. Creating a shield, she protected herself from the Warrior Fairies' onslaught, hearing them howl with rage. She held the Circle high as she flew into the portal.

It shot her down, a weird feeling enveloping her body. She was ejected out into the chamber below, staring at the diamonds around.

Better get a move on. The fairies would be after her any second. Sighing, she flew down towards the core.

She and Aonbharr soon reached a small chamber. It was covered from top-to-bottom in diamond glass, every part of it reflecting. "Woah!" She stared around, completely astonished.

"Where is she?" she heard a shout.

In response, Roxy blocked the entrance to the Chamber with the power of the Circle, creating a white forcefield. That's better. Dismounting Aonbharr, she sat on the ground in a lotus position, staring at the glass below. Her reflection stared back at her, her vibrant pink hair and bright cerulean eyes.

Then her reflection morphed into a new person's. A fair-skinned woman with long black hair and green eyes stared back at her, pride and strength in her eyes. She nodded to Roxy.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Visions," she said. "I am the first High Faerie Queen to rule. I united all of the queendoms into a confederacy and defeated the evil that was threatening to destroy the entire Earth. I wasn't born to power, unlike my nemesis – but I soon came to my responsibilities."

"Who are you?" Roxy asked, but the woman continued talking. Her voice slightly shook, and sadness appeared in her voice.

"If you are seeing this, that means that the world is again in grave danger. The Heart of the Earth will be opened again. I sealed it off so no one could access it, but clearly, that hasn't worked. And now, fairykind and humanity will fall.

"But fear not, listener, for my story will be instrumental in saving the world. I have seen it before, and have stopped death from coming across everyone. And you will stop it, too." Her eyes glowed. "My name is Uki. And this is my story."


Twelve-year-old Uki stood in the South Pole, smiling around. Snow was everywhere, and the cold was blocked by the warm coat she wore. She danced around, gazing at the beautiful landscape before her.

"Hello," a voice cooed towards her. A tall girl with long, curly dark brown hair and brown eyes walked towards her, her wings behind her back. Though she too was only twelve, she had already gained her Winx. "Good to see you, Uki."

"Meriwa!" Uki hugged her friend tightly. The two girls stood together, smiling at each other with friendship in their eyes.

She and Meriwa had grown up all their lives together. Despite their differing backgrounds, they were as close friends as anyone could be. She smiled, gazing at Meriwa with flaming cheeks.

She would never admit it, but she had a crush on Meriwa. And not a slight crush known for those of a young age – a large one. Fire bloomed in her chest, a flame of passion and love. She wanted, more than anything, to kiss those lips and become one with this girl.

But she knew she couldn't. Meriwa was, after all, the daughter of the tribe's chieftain, and she was just a lonely commoner. If she were to kiss her, she would be in major trouble.

She sighed, her expression turning grave as she stared down the hill. For decades, her people had been fighting the warlocks from beyond the cosmos, a group of intergalactic knights and warriors that intended to colonize the Earth. They were mostly settling towards the equator of the Earth, not near the poles; however, it'd only be a matter of time before they came to the Antarctic Circle. Meriwa's mother, Chieftain Nukilik, was muscling up for something major. She frowned, lowering her head as she stared down.

"Want to see something beautiful?" Meriwa led her down towards a large beam of light.

Uki stared at the South Pole Portal. For as long as she'd known, the South Pole had always had a portal. She'd heard that the same was true of the North Pole. She walked towards the portal, nervously saying, "Aren't we not allowed there?"

"So what?" Meriwa laughed. "Let's go."

A grin came over Uki's face. It would be good to let go of some of the stress that was going on. Laughing, she pulled her friend into the portal.

A pleasant feeling of weightlessness overcame Uki. She felt herself shooting down into the portal, laughing with glee. Soon they reached out to the other end. Uki stared at the baby diamonds, letting out gasps of awe.

"Isn't it something?" Meriwa grinned. "Now come on." They gazed down at the center of the core, and Uki let out a gasp.

A tiny sphere was at the very center, its gravitational core. It gleamed rainbow, brilliantly lighting up the core. "That's amazing!" she gushed.

"It's called the Heart of the Earth," Meriwa explained. "My great-great grandmother commissioned it. It's the project that our families are working on. I overheard my mother talking about it; it siphons power from the rest of the Earth and collects it, all right here. Isn't that amazing?"

"So that's our secret project," Uki gasped. She stared at the sphere, her eyes wide.

There was something very ominous about it. Beautiful though it was, she couldn't help but feel danger radiating from it. Her heart swallowed as she thought about it, her heart beating wildly –

"Girls!" a sharp voice hammered. Uki turned around, her eyes flashing in horror.

Chieftain Nukilik was flying towards them, fury in her eyes. Her Enchantix dress shimmered, and she stared at them in anger. Uki's heart lurched in fear.

They were in very big trouble.

"Get over here," she ordered. "You foolish, foolish girls! You had no right to come here! Now get out of this place right now!"

Heart hammering, Uki flew away from the Heart, staring up at the chieftain. Nukilik grabbed each of their shoulders, flying them up into the portal. They flew back to the South Pole, and Meriwa's mother glared at them.

"Whose idea was it?" she demanded.

"Well"… Uki stared at Meriwa. It was kinda her fault… But she didn't want to say anything and get her best friend in trouble.

Unfortunately, Meriwa's mother picked up on it. "It was you!" she snarled, glaring at Meriwa. "I knew you were up to no good!"

"Chieftain!" Uki cried, but Meriwa's mother was on a rampage.

"You good-for-nothing vagrant," she snarled. "The Heart of the Earth is filled with incredible power, power beyond the likes of you. If you ever try this again, I will have you disposed of myself!"

"Please!" Uki called out, tears pouring down her cheeks. She knew Meriwa's mother could be mean to her daughter, but this was a whole new level from what she'd seen before. "Please, let her go!"

The chieftain sniffed. "Very well." She glared at Meriwa. "Don't you ever do that again."

Meriwa glared at Uki – a look of betrayal in her eyes. "Thanks a lot," she huffed, turning away.

"Meriwa!" Uki ran after her, crying. "I'm sorry!"

There was no response. Uki sank to the ground, weeping; she couldn't believe this.

Now Meriwa will never speak to me again…


And she was right. Weeks stretched into months into years, and Meriwa never spoke to her even once. They grew more and more distant. Uki's heart was filled with regret, regret that she could never express in words.

Why didn't I just take the blame? That would've been so much easier. But no, she'd just sat by while her friend had been verbally abused.

But there was no time to be miserable. For, just on Uki's fifteenth birthday, she was in for a rude shock.

It started when she woke up. She had been eager the previous night, as on her birthday, she was usually promised a full seaweed stew imported from the north, her favorites. However, this morning was oddly quiet. She got up, frowning as the lack of sound filled her.

Then the universe erupted into chaos.

Uki gasped as she heard, from outside the igloo, a curious sound erupting from the sky. Running out to join her tribemates, she let out a cry.

Large, black discs were flying from the sky to the earth. As they got closer, she realized there were people – green-skinned people – in the discs, surrounded by a clear sort of pane. They were wearing black hats and black cloaks, and their faces were demonic. Legs stuck out from the discs, and they landed neatly on the snow.

"The people beyond the cosmos," Uki whispered, her eyes wide.

The leader – a woman with black hair and the ugliest mole Uki had ever seen – stepped forward. "I am Himiko, the Queen of Whisperia," she cackled. "I am here to claim this part of the Earth as my own." She raised her hands. "It is time for you to fall under the Himikan Empire!"

A ball of electricity formed in her hands. The people shrieked in fear as she shot black laser-darts at them. Meriwa's mother lifted her hands, roaring, "You will not defeat us!" She shot blue energy at Himiko, her expression furious.

The rest of the warriors fought long and hard. Although they were outnumbered by the Whisperians, they were clearly much, much more powerful, since it was their home-territory. Uki saw Meriwa battling several warriors at once, and felt a pang of admiration, followed by sadness that they were no longer friends. Queen Himiko glared at all of them, her expression furious.

"We'll be back," she snarled. Disappearing into their ships, they flew upwards, leaving the tribal people's mouths gaping wide.


"I need you for a mission."

Uki was sure there'd been some mistake. She stared up at Meriwa's mother, confusion coming across her features. "M-me?" she stammered.

"Yes, you," Chief Nukilik continued. "I need you to travel across the world and find us some allies. We defeated the Whisperians, for sure, but they will be back for more. We must be prepared."

"But why me?" Uki wanted to know.

"Because you are expendable," Nukilik answered with a sneer. "Not very useful, in fact. So if you die on this expedition, it won't be much of a loss."

Uki winced at Nukilik's words. "Okay," she mumbled. "I'll do it." Not like I have much of a choice…

Nukilik led her to the front of the igloo. Activating her Charmix, Uki flew back to her igloo, where she packed everything. Soon, she was set off on a boat from the Antarctic Circle, heading straight north.

The journey was long and hard. Uki had never seen anything beyond the South Pole, and was taken by amazement at all of the new fay she came by. Undines – underwater fairy-folk such as mermaids, oceanids, and sea sprites – helped her as she boated across the ocean. Throughout her mission, she made friends with the undines; they led her in the correct direction northeast. Without them, there was no way she would've survived.

After months of travel, she eventually reached the tip of a new continent, one she had never seen before. Unlike her home territory, this place was hot and wet, and she was forced to shed her parka and capes for loose cotton clothing, clothing which revealed her arms, midriff, and legs. She wandered throughout the continent, staring at the places she saw.

She saw many fairy queendoms, nations that were much larger than her home nation. The fairies here were far more advanced, and had plenty of foliage for food. She also came across fairy-folk of many other types; in the forests, gnomes such as sphinxes, gnomes, and sprites; in the deserts, salamanders such as dragons, phoenixes, and drakes; and in the air, sylphs such as griffins and pegasi. She met fairies – the queens of the fairy-folk – everywhere, though many were unfriendly. Quite a few narrow escapes she had, mainly due to rivalries between different queendoms. The world was so unfamiliar to her, filling her with wonder and confusion.

She couldn't understand why there were so many battles between different queendoms. Why couldn't everyone just get along as one? After all, there were no battles in the South Pole aside from those against the alien invaders. She sighed, frowning as she stared ahead of her.

She had reached just about the hottest part of the continent. It was filled with wet jungles and intense sun, which nearly peeled the skin off her back. Everyone in these lands were dark-skinned, which made her white skin stand out. She looked out in front of her, and let out a gasp.

Four dark-skinned, fairy-like creatures were standing before her, except they had no wings. In addition, their bodies were less slim, and their ears were round instead of pointed. They wore no clothes save for a white cloth around their lower bodies. They were speaking the language of this part of the continent, which she had only just picked up on while travelling here. She stared, amazed, as the creatures turned towards her, their eyes widening.

"Humans?" she whispered, staring forward.

She had heard of humans before, of course. Throughout her travels, other fairies had told her about these strange creatures – creatures that lived on this continent and did not get along well with fairies. While fairies lived symbiotically with nature, humans reveled in its destruction. She stared at them, fear rising in her throat as one human narrowed his eyes.

"Fairy!" he bellowed. "Let's kill her, before she kills us!"

"Wait!" Uki tried to stop them, but the humans were too fast. They held out their clubs and spears, shouting and advancing on her. She held her hands out, desperate to hold against the onslaught –

"Vine shield!"

Vines appeared in front of Uki, preventing the humans from attacking her. Two fairies flew from behind her, attacking the humans with a spell. They glared at the humans, landing right before them.

"How dare you attack a fairy?" one of them snarled. "You disgusting, disgraceful creatures! You lie in your own filth and leave your stone tools all around! You burn down fields just to gain control over the fay! You have no right here!"

"You threaten our lives," the lead human retorted, pulling himself off the ground. "You attack our people for merely existing. You stop us from our hunts!"

"Hunts that lead animals to extinction!" the fairy screamed back. "We're gonna finish you off!"

"Stop!"

Uki didn't know why her voice had projected so loudly. All she knew was that she couldn't let these two groups rip each other apart. The humans may be destructive, but they've got a right to live here, too. The fairies and humans turned around at her. "Who – who are you?" the fairy demanded.

"My name is Uki." Uki stepped forward. "I am of the South Pole. And I want you to stop fighting each other and lay your weapons down. We can talk through this!"

The fairies and humans burst out laughing. They shook their heads, fury in their gazes.

"They have burned down our homes with their fire," the fairy snarled. "Fire – a power that only salamanders and fire-fairies should control! They don't know their place!"

"And they steal our women and children!" the human added. "Do their best to burrow into our civilization and stop us from thriving! They want us all to die out!"

"Oh, and you don't want the same for us?" the fairy retorted. "You don't want the guardians of nature to die out, so you can plunder the world in peace?"

"The old stories say that the gods descended from heaven to earth as fairies," the human snorted. "Well, maybe that never should've happened. You should've stayed up in the clouds and left us alone!"

"Why don't we do this?" Uki asked. "Work together in harmony with nature. Humans, hunt your animals, but only enough to feed yourselves. Fairies, stop attacking the humans – they have as much a right to live here as you do! Why can't everyone just live in peace?"

The humans and fairies looked at each other. "Well" – the human frowned. The fairy stepped forward.

"Very well," she said grudgingly. "We offer you a truce. But we will reevaluate tomorrow." She turned towards her fairies. "Let's go home."

Uki watched as the two groups of people headed away from each other. Sinking to the ground in relief, she let out an exhale.

"You know that won't keep them at peace forever."

Uki turned around. Her breath went away, and she stared in astonishment at who she saw in front of her.

A tall fairy with dark brown skin and high cheekbones stood in front of her. She wore a set of yellow robes, long and regal. A crown of silver and wood was in her hair. She gazed down at Uki, clearly impressed.

"You have the heart of a warrior," she said. "We could do with young fairies like you, especially against the onslaught of the invaders from Whisperia."

"You know about them?" Uki gasped. My mission might be easier than I thought!

"Of course," the woman answered grimly. "My people have fought against the warlocks for a long time. I have united many of the queendoms of this continent into my queendom. My name is Queen Ajareaty of Amazonia." She bowed.

"I'm Uki," she answered, bowing back in return. Ajareaty's eyes gleamed.

"Our only way of standing against the aliens is to unite," she said. "We need to join forces with this entire planet and fight against all the warlocks. There is no other way to win."

"I agree." Uki nodded. "In fact, I have been sent by my tribe to come here. We want to join you in the fight against the warlocks."

Ajareaty smiled. "You are wise, young fairy. I will incorporate you into the Queendom of Amazonia." Her eyes glowed. "Over hundreds of moons, my people and I have united queendom after queendom, so that we all form one large empire. And I am the head of it all. I will lead everyone into battle against the forces of Whisperia" –

"Hang on," Uki frowned. "You conquered the people of these other queendoms?"

"Joined them together," Ajareaty answered. "But yes. They all are united under my rule now."

"Why can't you let them have their own sovereignty?" Uki wanted to know. "Why do they have to be under your rule? I'm not sure my people will agree to" –

"The fairies need to be united under one ruler," Ajareaty interrupted. Her voice now sounded cold. "There is no other way. I thought you were a wise one." She turned around. "Goodbye."

"Wait!" Uki skidded after her. The queen turned to a halt. "I need your help! How will we defeat the Whisperian forces!"

"I gave you an option," Ajareaty answered coldly, "and you refused it. I have nothing more to say to you."

"I want to join you," Uki answered, "but my people have to be equals. We can't just lose our sovereignty."

"And what do you propose?" Ajareaty laughed. "A foolish battle plan? There is a reason why there should only be one leader. If I lead, I will rally the warriors without division. Besides, what do you have that I could possibly need?"

"We have powers," Uki answered. "We're very strong in our home environment; we know the secrets of the ice."

"What is ice?" Ajareaty sounded baffled.

There's no ice in Amazonia? Then again, Uki supposed it made sense; this place was so hot, so, so different from her native land. "We have something you don't have. There's a power called the Heart of the Earth, and it channels the power of the" –

"The Heart of the Earth?" Ajareaty's dark skin went white.

Uki stared at her. "You know about it?" Why does she look so pale?

"Yes," Ajareaty answered blankly. "Many years ago, I received a prophecy about it. The prophecy spoke of something very dangerous." She nudged Uki. "Show me this Heart."

"The… the Heart?" Uki stammered. "The only way to reach it is at the South Pole! Besides, we're not allowed to access it!"

"I've heard of this," Ajareaty mused. "Legend dictates there are two Poles – one at the North and one at the South. The magic of the two Poles connect them together, and at the center of that connection is the Heart. We have to go to your homeland and demand information."

"Chief Nukilik won't give us any," Uki protested. "It's a top secret. Not to mention, she'll have me killed for returning empty-handed."

"Then we're going to the North Pole," Ajareaty answered. "We'll find our information there."

"But how will we get there?" Uki asked weakly. "It'll take many months! It already took me so much time to" –

Ajareaty whistled. At the sound of her tone, a roar sounded above her. Uki looked up and let out a gasp.

It was the largest dragon she had ever seen. The dragon was red and scaly, and had fierce expressions in his eyes. He roared a breath of fire in the air. Ajareaty flew up to him, landing neatly on his back.

"Come," she gestured to Uki. "Dragons are known to be able to travel very, very far. He will take us."

Uki hardly believed it, but there it was. We're going. She climbed on the dragon's back, and they sailed off into the sky.


Many weeks passed. Uki and Ajareaty scrounged for food together, slept next to each other, and saw the world together. As they went, it got progressively colder and colder; whereas Uki welcomed the change, Ajareaty declared it to be absolutely dreadful. They flew across vast stretches of water and endless geological formations, staring at the world before them.

They met many fairies on their way. Ajareaty was quite well-known – towards the earlier part of their journey, at least – and many welcomed her. As they went more and more north, however, people got more and more hostile. They eventually learned to avoid people altogether.

Unlike the previous journey, though, Uki never stopped to wonder if this one was worth it. She knew that they needed to find this North Pole and get help, so they could understand the Heart of the Earth. They flew farther and farther, soon reaching ice. Ajareaty cried out in astonishment at it, looking amazed at how beautiful it was.

In addition, the days got progressively longer and longer. After a few weeks, there was daylight all day round. Uki knew that this meant they were getting closer to the Pole; the exact same condition was there at the South Pole as well. The only difference was that, at the South Pole, it would be completely winter now.

One day, they reached a city made entirely out of ice. Ice formations made up the entire fortress, with walls everywhere. The entire city glittered in the sunlight. Uki stared in astonishment at the city, which was much more advanced than her home village could ever be. The North Pole. The people of the city looked up as they flew over them.

"Intruders!" they cried out in fear. They shot ice-daggers at them, and they bounced off the dragon's scaly body. The dragon roared out in pain.

"Stop!" Uki shouted. "We're not here to hurt you! Just please let us talk!"

"Indeed," a voice called. A woman with long white hair and brown eyes walked forward, and Uki stared at her in astonishment. She wore icicles in her hair, and a thick parka; more astonishingly, she spoke the language of Amazonia. "I have heard of them. I received a prophecy about their arrival several years ago."

The warriors lowered their weapons. Uki and Ajareaty flew off the dragon, following the woman towards an ice castle. The woman stopped and turned around, a kind expression on her face.

"Welcome to the Northern Tribe," she said. "My name is Chieftain Akna. What are your names?"

"Uki," Ajareaty pointed to her. "I am Queen Ajareaty of Amazonia."

"Welcome," Akna said. "What is your reason for coming here?'

Uki found herself telling Akna everything. About how she'd been attacked by the warlocks, how she'd traveled north for so long. She explained about how she'd gone to the core of the Earth as a child. When she got to the part about the Heart of the Earth, Akna gasped in horror.

"There are stories of the Heart of the Earth," she whispered. "A few weeks ago, a shaft of light shot out of the ground and into the sky." She pointed behind her.

Uki stared. A blue light beam towered into the air, straight from the ice floor. "That's exactly like the portal at the South Pole," she breathed. Akna frowned grimly.

"My people ventured into the core when the portal opened," she said. "They encountered a pulsing rainbow sphere, exactly like how you describe. They were attacked by warriors – who called themselves the people of the Southern Tribe. Before they fled, they saw a similar beam of blue light – towards the South Pole, presumably. Based on what they told me, I considered the sphere might be the legendary Heart of the Earth, but I convinced myself it couldn't possibly be. But what you've told me – it's clear evidence of what's going on."

"What is it?" Ajareaty asked.

"It is a superweapon," Akna answered bleakly. "It was created over a century ago, meant to annihilate the Whisperians. Both portals must be open in order to activate it. It is very, very unstable, not to mention dangerous."

"What happens with the Heart?" Uki wanted to know. "What happens if it is activated?"

"It will destroy everything," Akna whispered. "If it goes off, the world as we know it will cease to exist."

"We have to stop it!" Uki's heart clenched.

"There is only one way." Ajareaty stood. "Uki, you have to go through the portals back to the South. Convince your people to stop using the Heart of the Earth!"

"There's no time to waste," Akna added. "You have to go now."

Uki flew towards the white light, straight into its center. She watched as it dissolved her, sending her down into the dark.


Uki shot through the other end of the portal, flying through to the other side. Flying around the circular chamber, she could feel the gravity pulling her to the center, where the Heart was.

I can't be confused by it. She had to make it to the other side, and eventually fly up away from the gravitational center. If she didn't, she would never make it to the South.

Fortunately, the light helped her. As soon as she saw the light of the Southern Portal, she flew upwards, flying straight into it. It shot her up to the surface, and she opened her eyes, staring around.

Cold air surrounded her again, and she knew she was home. She flew out of the portal, towards her village. But something wasn't right. She could tell it as soon as she stepped out of the portal.

The sound of slashing suddenly filled the air. Heart hammering, Uki flew over the village. What is going o –

Then, she screamed. All of her tribemates were lying unnaturally still, their blood staining the ice. Uki stared upwards, and let out a cry of horror.

Meriwa was flying at her mother, her Enchantix dress shimmering in the sunlight. She shot straight towards her, shooting her with a spell. Fury rose in the young woman's throat as she shot her mother down.

"You never loved me," she roared. Her wrath knew no bounds, Uki saw; she was absolutely furious. "Fortunately, I was able to utilize you well. You opened the Northern Portal to activate the Heart, but you failed to account for one thing – me. I shall kill you, and then my name shall go down, as the person who saved the world from the Whisperians. I shall open the Heart – and you will never live to see it!" She shot a final blow at her mother, who lay deathly still.

Uki held her hand to her mouth, feeling shocked. Meriwa turned towards her, a cruel smirk on her face. "Hello, Uki." Uki shrank back in terror, looking horrified.

"Please, don't kill me," she whispered. "I'm – I'm" –

"Why shouldn't I?" Meriwa held a shard of ice at Uki's throat.

"Because you're not a murderess!" Uki cried out. "Please, don't do this, Meriwa. You – we can fix this! You can use your fairy-dust, and we can heal all these people you've hurt!"

Meriwa laughed. "They're not coming back, Uki. You know as well as I do that they're dead." She pressed the ice to Uki's throat. "I'll kill you myself." She began to dig the sharp dagger in –

"I'm sorry!" Uki choked out. "I'm sorry for abandoning you that day, for letting you take the blame for what we both collectively did! I'm sorry your mother messed you up! I'm sorry for – everything!"

That halted Meriwa. For a second, Uki felt the dagger press against her throat, not going in any further, but not relenting, either. Blood welled at her throat. She closed her eyes, ready for the end –

Then Meriwa pulled the dagger back, her eyes narrowed.

"I will spare your life," she said, "in memory of our previous friendship. But if you dare get in my way, I will dispose of you myself."

Uki gasped as Meriwa's mother's words came back to her, clear as day. Meriwa smirked.

"Goodbye, Uki," she said. And then she headed into the village.

Uki stared after her, stunned. What did she just – She fell to her knees and sobbed.

She had lost all her tribemates. They were all gone, thanks to Meriwa's cruelty. And now she would never see them again.

I have to get back to the North. She had to tell Ajareaty and Akna what had happened, before Meriwa changed her mind about killing Uki. She had to get help.

She flew straight towards the portal, her heart determined. Flying into the light, she watched as it swallowed her up whole.


Next chapter:

Uki and Ajareaty fly to the present-day Isle of Paradise.

The Whisperians launch a final attack.

Uki faces Meriwa for once and for all.