As she awoke from her slumber, Illusen noticed the dark clouds of the Darkest Faerie were still high in the sky above her glade. There were two teenagers standing before her, a female acara and a male lupe. She recognized the boy, as he was the knight who assisted when she was first attacked. Illusen pushed herself from the ground, standing up to her full height. Her muscles were sore after the long sleep, but she had many more important things to focus on. She didn't say anything to her two saviors as she stood. She instead just focused her energy on dispelling the dark magic of the clouds from her glade. She lifted her hand, squinted her eyes, and let a light beam hit the center of the dark magic. The purple clouds quickly disappeared, leaving behind a sunny blue sky. She then looked towards her two saviors. "Thank you for your aid, brave ones," she said. "It was our pleasure, Lady Illusen," the girl said. "Now we need your help," the boy said. "A dark wall separates us from Meridell. It's fairie magic." Illusen thought about different ways to dispel the magic before finally settling on the best option. "A power of the darkest kind. But there is something I have that will aid you," Illusen told the young lupe. She walked over to the pedestal where her fairy orb was sat and said, "This fairy orb can pierce through such barriers. Take it, and use it well in your quest," she said, handing over the orb to the lupe. She then stood back and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Illusen," he replied. "You tried to save me once. You succeeded the second time. It is the least I can do, Sir... I'm sorry. I never caught your names." "Sir Tormund of Meridell, my lady," he said. The girl then said, "And I am Lady Roberta of Brightvale, my Lady." Illusen smiled at the two and said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances. Now, you must hurry. Her magic, it spreads so quickly, and it grows stronger by the minute. I need to aid my people in the rebuilding of the glade and will make sure her magic does not spread past this point." Illusen knew that she was up to the tasks now that her charm was returned to her. "Thank you again, Lady Illusen. We will bring the orb back when we are finished with our quest," Roberta said. Then, the two turned to leave her hut. "I wish you both the best," Illusen replied, watching the two leave.
After the two young heroes left her glade, Illusen came down from the treetops, flying to the ground where her people were crowded around. "Lady Illusen. You are alright," a blue techo said. "I am alright, my subjects. Thank you for your worry. A fairy known as the Darkest Faerie took over the lands of Neopia. We were saved by two young heroes who came to our aid. It is only because of them that we are joined together now. Now, it is my time to aid everyone. We will rebuild the houses that were burned down. We will restore everything to what it once was," Illusen said. Everyone cheered before moving to work. Illusen spent the day with her people, examining what was lost and what could be fixed. In the end, all of the houses were able to be fixed. Some small things were lost during the fires, but all agreed it was better than having lost their lives. The part that would take work was the reconstruction of walls and roofs. "I wonder if the bridge builder in Bogshot could aid us in fixing the houses," Illusen said to a male lupe as they inspected his damaged roof. "He may. I've heard he is good at construction. Would you like me to fetch him," the lupe asked. "If you do, take a group with you. No less than three people. Bad things have been happening, and I don't want anyone to end up hurt or injured." The lupe nodded before heading off to find people to take with him. Illusen continued working as the group headed out, cleaning homes with less damage, carrying piles of burnt lumber to a community fire pit where they would be used as firewood later, and helping the community chefs to prepare a feast for everyone later that night. By the end of the day, the builder from Bogshot inspected the homes and said he would help fix them, everyone was happy to hear that their homes would be fixed, and the entire community shared a meal around the large fire pit made from the burnt lumber. Everything finally seemed to be looking up, and Illusen was grateful for it.
A day later, Meridell was freed from the Darkest Faerie's influence. Everyone rejoiced as the land was finally free from the purple clouds. Illusen hoped the young heroes were able to free Fairieland quickly and rid the world of the Darkest Faerie forever. The rebuilding of the glade continued throughout the next two days when a shocking sight came falling from the skies. Faerieland was falling towards Meridell and fast. Illusen hoped the young heroes would be able to stop it in time. Everyone gathered where the trees separated to watch, holding their breath as the kingdom fell. A few minutes later, which felt like hours, a rainbow of light enveloped Faerieland as it rose back to its original position in the sky. The dark clouds surrounding the kingdom disappeared. As this happened, the ground shook like an earthquake as a forgotten kingdom appeared from seemingly thin air. The kingdom was Altador. Queen Fyora personally visited Illusen that day. When she did, Illusen was relieved to see that the queen was unscathed. When they sat down to talk, Illusen asked, "Did the Darkest Faerie get to you?" "She did. But I did not let her phase me. I kept calm and waited for the perfect moment to strike. She underestimated my power." "She put me in a deep sleep, full of nightmares of torture. It truly took a toll on me mentally. I will be staying in my glade for longer periods of time until I know my people are alright." Fyora looked at Illusen and said, "What happened is not your fault. She had the werelupes attack at the same time as her, knowing you would be overwhelmed. She then used your fear to her advantage, playing with your mind. Don't fret any longer, my dear. She is safely being watched over in Faerieland and will not be placed in the bottom of the ocean again. I learned my mistake the first time." Illusen nodded and told her queen, "I am glad to hear that. This was an event that should only happen once in a lifetime." The queen laughed and said, "And I've dealt with her twice now. You are young, my child, and will realize that in due time. For now, I feel that everyone deserves a bit of peace. Soon, I would like to host a gathering of all the people that the young heroes saved so we can all thank them. They will be given the title 'defenders of the realms.'" Illusen nodded, "They were both extremely brave and noble in their efforts. The two of them aided everyone without seeking anything in return. Altador has been saved after thousands of years due to their efforts. All is as it should be in Neopia and Faerieland. I would be honored to take part in this celebration and thank them for their service to the realms." "I would be honored to have you their, Illusen," Fyora said. "But, I must be going. I have much to plan in so little time and have many people to still visit." Illusen said, "I was honored to have you as my guest. I hope to have you visit again sometime soon." Illusen pulled the older woman in for a hug goodbye as they stood before watching her out the door. "I will gladly take you up on that offer sometime soon," Fyora said before taking flight towards Meridell.
A few days later, the celebration was held in Faerieland. King Skarl of Meridell and King Hagan of Brightvale were there, as well as Tormund's family, Seradar of Brightvale, and Lady Illusen. The crowd of people watched as the two heroes were given their new titles were given by Queen Fyora. After the titles were given, the crowd made their way down to the end of Faerieland, where six of the heroes of Altador appeared. Queen Fyora once again thanked the two for their courage and bravery in restoring Altador to the land. She then unveiled a new statue on Faerieland's center fountain. She told them that this was the place where the Darkest Faerie would be spending the rest of her days and was the best place to keep an eye on her. After that, Fyora announced a feast for all who would like to join before making her exit. Everyone approached the heroes as a group, congratulating them before heading to the feast, so Illusen waited until everyone else left to approach the heroes. "Lady Illusen," Roberta said as she approached. "Sir Tormund, Lady Roberta, it is good to see you both again. I would like to once again thank you for coming to my aid." "Of course, my lady," Tormund said. "Any time, my lady," Roberta said. "And as thanks, I would be glad to welcome you both into my glade at any time. We are almost finished repairs, and everything is almost back to the way it should be." The two both gave Illusen thanks for her offer. She then said, "You both taught me a very important lesson as well." "What is that, my lady," Tormund questioned. "Well, it's a long story. You see, when I first noticed the Darkest Faerie's presence, I didn't say anything. I was too scared to say anything. Then, she attacked at the same time as the Werelupe's, knowing that I would give into fear and let my magic falter. It's how she got the upper hand. But, I've realized through her attack and her torture methods that bravery must be shown during the darkest, hardest times to triumph over evil. It's something I've never had to do, until now. Now, I will defend my home and my people until my dying breath." Tormund and Roberta both nodded. Tormund then said, "Lady Illusen, you were brave to take on both fights at once when you were attacked. Yes, you were overwhelmed. But you didn't give in and kept fighting. That there shows true bravery." "And, you can always train yourself to become stronger. I'm still working on my magic and will be for the rest of my life," Roberta said. Illusen nodded at the two heroes before saying, "Thank you both. Now, how about we join the feast." The two heroes agreed before following Lady Illusen into the castle. Everyone had a great time at the feast before heading to their respective homes. From that day, everyone lived happily ever after.
