There was a storm in the distance.

The cool air blowing past her ears was a reminder that the day was slowly coming to an end. Streaks of crimson emerged at the edge of the horizon, heralding the arrival of the night sky and its twin moons. Her unintended watch was close to its end, yet despite the goosebumps, her gaze remained unrelenting. The distance was impossible to judge, but the sight of the raging clouds compelled her all the same. An ominous gut feeling swelled in her chest, growing stronger and more pressing with each second.

A stream of blue entered her vision from the right, blotting out the weather that has enraptured her until now. The fairy flinched and raised her hand almost without intent. Every little sensation rushed her at once, from the wind to the little pinpricks in a less than ideal pose for so long. Her little guest twisted and curled around her right, blinking at the fairy with its beady little eyes. She flashed a brief smile, before returning her gaze to distant lands, only to realize that whatever imaginary point out there had grasped her until now had vanished, leaving only the clouds.

Her attention returned to the being instead, watching with some amusement as it bundled up in her palm. The soft blue glow emanated from its strange body, if a stream of energy could even be described as having such. It peeked up at her again, eliciting another, much more earnest smile.

"What brings you out here?" she asked, cheeks flashing red upon realizing how hoarse her voice sounded. Apparently quite a few hours had passed, since she arrived here.

The creature perked up and bopped her wrist a couple of times, telling the fairy in its voiceless way that it had been looking for her.

"Ah. I guess I did lose track of time." she mused.

Familiar spirits have been the companions of fairies for as long as anyone could remember. Living bundles of magic, not unlike Lums, many believed their presence was tied to the future potential of young fairies. Needless to say, the fact that so many seemed drawn to Ly had not remained unnoticed.

It would have been a lie to say their company was unwelcome. For what it's worth, these little spirits often appeared in or around her home as of late, sometimes for just seconds at a time. Even without words, they offered a comforting presence, always there the moment loneliness would set in.

Her ears perked up as she heard a noise nearby. A brief glance was more than enough to confirm the new arrival, one as much, if not more welcome than her luminescent friend. Her familiar perked up as well from its brief rest, snaking up her arm before bounding off towards the woods again.

"How did you find me?" she asked, knowing he was well within earshot already.

"Easy, I just followed the signs!" came the reply almost immediately, followed by Rayman's figure emerging from the turn in the road.

"The what?"

"The sign. 'Ly's Stele'. You've been here so often the Teensies planted a sign down the road."

"I... didn't notice." she mumbled, a bit of crimson spreading across her cheeks again. "So much for my clever hideout."

"I'd remove it, but you know them, they'll plant two more instead." the limbless remarked, hopping up on the flat slab to sit down next to her by the edge. "Room for one more?"

"You know me better than to ask that."

"It doesn't hurt to be polite." he remarked.

The fairy smiled, looking off into the distance again. Rayman joined her, even as he didn't quite know she sought beyond the horizon. It wasn't hard to guess though. This wasn't the first, nor likely the last time he found her perched up all alone here. He trusted she would speak her mind as soon as she settled her thoughts.

"I can't see it." she said, after a while.

He remained silent. He knew what she meant without needing to ask.

"It's supposed to be there, somewhere." she pointed vaguely in the direction of the darkened skies. "But I don't know anymore.

She continued without pause now, her cheeks flushing.

"I never bothered to learn. I never thought it was important to remember. Now I can't even find it."

"It's still there, Ly."

"Is it?" she snapped.

Her voice was bitter. Too little time had passed. But that wasn't his fault. It never was.

Ly sighed and cupped her face, slowly dragging her fingers down her cheeks. She didn't need to be told how much of a pointless tangent that was. "I'm sorry." she muttered. "I've been out here for too long."

"I know. Betilla was looking for you." he said.

"I can't escape from her, can I?" she chuckled, though her voice lacked humor.

"She's worried about you."

She nodded. "I'll go see her before I head home. Did she send you?"

"I bumped into her along the way."

"Were you also worried about me?"

"No. I just don't want you to be alone."

The fairy chuckled again. "As if that's possible with you around."

She reached out, gently scooping him up so he could sit in her lap instead. As always, it was hard to deny his infectous positivity. It always made it easier to speak her mind.

"Honestly, I... don't really know what I'm supposed feel." she said. "Sometimes I'm furious or I could cry for hours, but then it's just nothing. Just an empty feeling."

"Ly, it's only been a few months."

"It feels a lot longer than that." she sighed, briefly letting her chin rest on top of his head. "I'm tired."

They had only barely beaten back the first wave of those mechanical monsters, when the ground itself shook under them. The sky flashed in sickly colors and a powerful sense of doom washed over them. Everything was like a shattered mosaic from that point onwards, brief flashes of running, Anetta all but dragging them out to sea, and crashing waves threatening to overthrow their makeshift raft. A small victory overshadowed by indescribable loss.

"I know." Rayman squeezed her hand for a moment, bringing the fairy back to reality before she could slip further back into those moments.

"I'd like to go back one day." Ly said.

"Betilla says it's too dangerous right now."

"She's right. Betilla's always right." She played around with the knot on his neckerchief to keep her hands occupied. "I can wait. I just have to... to see what's left."

"Once it's safe enough, we could go together." he said.

Such a statement would have seemed like a hasty promise to some, but Ly knew him better than that. He was not the kind of person to make such a offer lightly.

"I'd like that." she sighed, smiling once again.

She continued to let her head rest on his, enjoying the tranquil moment much more than the morose watch she's been engaged in for much of the day. Rayman glanced up and patted the fairy's hand, when her breathing slowed down.

"We should be going." he said. "You'll catch a cold, if you fall asleep here."

"A few more minutes." she insisted, her voice tired, but warm. "Until sundown."

Seeing as the bright crimson sky assured that wouldn't take long now, he was content with that answer. Their gaze drifted off towards the far reaches of the sea in unison. With Rayman around, she noticed quite a few things she somehow missed or better yet ignored earlier, such as the almost crystalline clear water, or the waning sun's light upon the snowy peaks. Gentle reminders of how much her vision could narrow down. Yet even with his presence, and in spite of his soothing words, there was still a storm in the distance.

And one day, she would venture into the eye of that storm.


I've had this story brewing for a long time now, and if you've been reading my previous stuff, the byline of "Ly being upset over Phrys" probably doesn't come as much of a surprise. I hope you'll enjoy the actual journey I've planned out for it! I'm aiming to see if weekly updates will work out, but even at worst, new chapters should arrive max. every 2 weeks. Finally, I've commissioned art for this chapter, which can be viewed on my tumblr, woodsofblight. The art was commissioned from asch2inspire, also on tumblr, please visit her page as well for more great fandom and OC art.