Back at the campsite, Sillia's brother noticed her return and greeted her. "Back already, little sister? Did you find the clearing I told you about?" he asked curiously.
She approached him, extending her hand, and cut straight to the chase, "Can you show me the stone?" Ignoring his question, she looked him directly in the eyes.
Confused by her abrupt behavior, her brother handed her the stone. She turned away from him and offered it to Aoi. To their astonishment, a white glow surrounded the stone, and Aoi's body became whole again.
"Ah... Finally! Thank you, princess! You saved me from certain execution and restored my body," Aoi expressed their gratitude, embracing Sillia. She smiled and wrapped her slender arms around them in return. After the embrace, Aoi's demeanor changed, and a dark aura surrounded them as he faced Sillia's brother. "Never again will you touch a stone of power without permission!" they sternly warned.
Sillia intervened quickly, calming Aoi's anger, "Calm down, Aoi! He's my brother, not under my father's employ. I'm sure he didn't know he was doing something wrong."
Aoi remained agitated but listened to her words. Sillia's brother, still uneasy, supported her explanation, "Exactly! I wanted to protect the stone from our father, so he wouldn't find it,.. It's been eight years since I've been searching for them... Proof that you've been protecting them well!" Despite his words, a hint of fear showed in his eyes, and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks, which Sillia noticed but didn't mention.
Aoi looked at him, surprised by his sincerity, and blushed, slightly, themself, shaking their head. "That doesn't justify stealing the stone!" Aoi retorted, turning away from Sillia's brother. The princess stifled a laugh at the amusing situation. "Anyway, I suppose you're going to want to retrieve the other stones?" Aoi asked her brother.
"That was the plan, yes. But I imagine it won't be easy, will it?" her brother inquired as Aoi turned back to face him.
"Indeed, it won't be easy, but if you can convince them that you don't want to use the stones for evil, then they should let you have them... well, we hope so," Aoi explained.
Sillia, now feeling at ease, sat down near her friend Zirar, admiring the campfire that the others had prepared during her absence. She smiled and allowed herself to drift back into her thoughts, feeling herself slowly dozing off.
"Sillia is with us; she is the only one who can help us confront Father," Joshua stated.
"That doesn't mean all the spirits will simply hand over the stones without a second thought. Even if they know who 'Llia is, they will test her," Aoi responded.
Unintentionally, Sillia's head rested on Zirar's shoulder as she listened to the crackling campfire, losing interest in the conversation between her brother and Aoi.
Sillia's friends noticed her tired state, and Z suggested that she should go to sleep. She agreed with a gentle nod but ended up falling asleep with her head still resting on Zirar's shoulder.
The next morning, she woke up inside a large tent, surprised by her brother's ability to transport it. Confused about how she ended up in the tent, she quietly left and found Zirar and her brother talking outside.
"Good morning, princess! For breakfast, we have toast with strawberry jam or some fruits. Choose whatever you want. We'll be leaving in an hour or two," her brother informed her.
Sillia thanked him and opted for a slice of toast. As she nibbled on her breakfast, her mind was filled with numerous questions about her role in saving the world and why it had to be her, not Hirana or Zirar.
"'Lila... have faith in yourself. And we're here for you," Zirar reassured her, offering to help with her training alongside her brother.
Feeling grateful, Sillia smiled but expressed her desire for a solitary walk. She donned her cape and set out on her stroll, promising to return to the camp before they departed. During her walk, she immersed herself in nature, admiring the beauty of the forest, its flora, and its fauna. Her pet rabbit, Luss, accompanied her, perched comfortably on her shoulder.
Upon her return to the camp, she was startled by Aoi's presence, now in their female form. Aoi was smaller than Sillia, possessing a slender body and captivating features. Their attire consisted of a puffy skirted dress with a sleeveless top that hugged her figure perfectly. A short cardigan complemented the blue and white dress, accompanied by tights and small boots. Sillia smiled at her friend and approached. Aoi, ever the enigmatic figure, responded to Sillia's compliment about her dual appearance with a mischievous smile.
"You always manage to be sexy as a man and extremely cute as a woman. How do you do that?''
"Magic, my dear! Anyway, if I followed you here, it's for a reason," they said, placing the wind stone into Sillia's hand. The princess immediately felt the surge of power and energy emanating from it.
"I entrust it to you, but first, try to use it," Aoi instructed.
"But how do I do that? I've never had any powers..." Sillia wondered.
"Normally, you don't need to 'know' how magic works; it's rather instinctive. But imagine that there's a stronger wind in the forest, or try to create a cushion of wind to make Luss fly," Aoi advised.
Sillia was surprised but willing to give it a shot. She decided against trying to make her rabbit fly and opted to manipulate the wind in the forest instead. Closing her eyes, she imagined the leaves and plants being gently caressed by a stronger breeze. However, her attempt went awry, and the wind became too forceful, making her struggle to stay steady.
"You went a bit too strong for a first attempt, princess," Aoi gently teased. "Now, imagine the forest calm again."
Sillia retorted with sarcasm before refocusing on regaining control. She managed to halt the gusts after a few seconds.
"You see, it wasn't so hard. I'm proud of you, princess!" Aoi praised her.
Grateful for Aoi's encouragement, Sillia expressed her concern about controlling the combined power of all the stones. "What will happen when I have all the stones? They possess great power, so combined, I can't even imagine. Will I fall to the dark side because of these powers?" she pondered, holding the wind stone with a hint of trepidation.
Aoi acknowledged the magnitude of their combined power and mentioned the need for an object to help channel their energy and aid in control. They then announced their departure, bidding farewell to Sillia.
Sillia watched Aoi leave with a mix of emotions but felt a sense of accomplishment for having controlled a fraction of the wind stone's power. Returning to the camp with Luss in her arms, she admired the beauty of the surrounding nature, realizing that her responsibilities as a princess had previously prevented her from fully exploring her own kingdom. Thoughts of her upcoming wedding and potential ascension to the throne crossed her mind, along with hopes that her brother would embrace his role as the rightful ruler.
They arrived back at the camp, where Hirana and Night were already awake, and Sillia greeted them with newfound courage, though her lingering doubts remained in the corner of her mind.
They gathered their belongings and fed their horses before setting off for the fairy kingdom. Sillia's brother led the way, Sillia herself behind him, with NC and Hirana closely following, and Zirar bringing up the rear. They traversed the Forgotten Woods, and after about half an hour, the forest gave way to a breathtaking flowery valley. The sun was already high in the sky, despite it being only nine o'clock, and the heat began to be felt, prompting Sillia to roll up her sleeves.
"There's a river about thirty minutes from here if we continue straight ahead. We can take a little break there and let our mounts rest. I think we'll arrive tomorrow evening, so for today, we'll travel until the evening, and then we'll try to find an inn or a place to camp for the night," Sillia's brother suggested.
"I agree with the inn. I need a shower or a bath; it's been a day without washing, and I feel all dirty," Sillia stated, gazing at the landscape.
Zirar playfully replied, "Don't start making demands, princess, or I'll make you sleep in a tent for the duration of the trip," as he passed by her. "Let's continue, or we'll never reach the second stone," he added, walking ahead.
They followed Zirar, with Sillia's brother walking beside him. Sillia, taking a few moments to admire the scenery, brought up the rear. The valley was a beautiful sight, adorned with flowers of all colors, and a dry dirt path allowed them to pass without damaging the plants. Cherry trees dotted the landscape, and in the distance, they could see the western mountain range, separating the land of wolves from the fairy kingdom.
The mountain range acted as a natural divider between the realms of mermaids, wolves, and elves on one side, and fairies, demons, humans, and vampires on the other. While their kingdoms coexisted peacefully, this division of lands made governing more manageable. Originally, all realms were united into one large kingdom, but with the arrival of humans, each species specialized in different areas. Mermaids retreated into the depths of the northern seas, protecting their territory. Fairies claimed the fertile land of the west and focused on agriculture. Humans settled in the southeast, where they had arrived on their ships. Wolves and elves, the two largest realms, settled next to each other in the center, fostering a strong bond between the two species. Vampires chose to reside in the dark, mysterious land of the northeast, the reasons for which remained unknown to Sillia, but she planned to ask Zirar about it.
As for the angels, their kingdom remained hidden by thick clouds in a separate land to the north. Stories spoke of their kingdom being a paradise accessible only in death, which explained why angels were rarely seen. Yet, in older tales, angels were known to be guardians of knowledge, and their kingdom was visible to all. The reason for the sudden shroud of clouds remained a mystery, as no one had managed to enter and return to share their experiences.
The demon kingdom was created due to a war that occurred between the species a thousand years ago. The former queen of vampires somehow learned dark magic and created monsters to conquer the entire kingdom. All the leaders at that time allied to destroy these monsters, called the rakshas. These were enormous creatures, over four meters tall, walking on four legs, with sharp claws, a single eye, highly developed hearing, and a greasy body that regenerated too quickly to be harmed or weakened. The four leaders - those of the fairies, wolves, elves, and mermaids - faced the vampire queen and managed to defeat her, imprisoning her in the southwest part of the great kingdom and creating the demon realm. Strangely, there are two endings to this story. The first is that she still lives there and, with her monsters, keeps trying to escape without ever succeeding. The second is that she died of loneliness, and her monsters disappeared without dark magic to sustain them.
"Are you okay, Sillia?" Hirana asked, now standing by her side, bringing her back from her thoughts.
"Oh, um, yes, I'm fine, just lost in my thoughts," Sillia replied, giving Hirana a half-smile before looking away, now observing the cloudless pure blue sky.
"You know, if there's anything on your mind, you can talk to me. They say I give good advice, and besides, we need to stick together as girls. We'll need it with three men accompanying us," she added with a little laugh.
Sillia sighed and nodded, not taking her eyes off the sky. Never before had she been so far from home on her own. She was always accompanied by her father or mother, sometimes both, but those times were only for business, not to seek six stones of power. She held the wind stone in her hands, taking it out of her pocket, thinking back to last night. The meeting with her brother and Zirar, the revelation that she alone could save the world by controlling the stones of power before their father found them and used them to dominate the world. She recalled this morning, Aoi helping her understand how these new powers work. The wind she created, making her hair fly, leaves and branches of trees, plants, and bushes rustle.
Sillia hoped that everything would go well for her mother. Leaving her with her father, who must be furious about her departure, was hard for Sillia. Despite her father's appearance, she knew he loved her mother more than anything in the world, and the feeling was mutual. She believed he wouldn't harm her mother. Sillia yearned to find her own "soulmate" as her mother would say. Though she didn't entirely believe in it, she liked to entertain the possibility that someone was meant for her in this world. However, she knew it wouldn't be possible; she was promised to another and supposed to marry him in just seven days. She wondered how he felt about the impending marriage.
Suddenly, someone placed their hand on hers, which held the reins of her mount, pulling her out of her heavy thoughts once again. She turned her head and immediately recognized her brother. He smiled gently at her before speaking.
"We've arrived, but you seemed so lost in your thoughts that I didn't want to disturb you. The others finally convinced me to get you, they're sitting a bit further away. Are you coming?"
"I... Yes, I'm coming, sorry," Sillia said as she dismounted from Oxya, patting the horse's nose before following her brother, leading the mount towards the river so she could drink a bit. "By the way, do you really think I can do it? I mean, save the world?"
"You'll have to save the world only if Father declares war on you to get the stones. Otherwise-"
"Which is highly probable," Sillia interrupted.
"Maybe. Anyway, what I was saying is that if he doesn't declare war, then yes, I'm sure you can do it. Since you were a little girl, you dreamt of adventure and helping others. I'm sure that if I had really died that day, you would be at home right now stressing about your marriage with that stranger. You think about me and mom. But I'm not dead, and here you are with us, chasing stones with unique powers, traveling through the realms, hoping to return with a stone. Even if the journey will be tough, and you'll face several challenges, we'll be there. Zirar, Night, Hirana, Aoi, and myself. You have us with you," he said with a smile, embracing her. "I believe in you, little sister."
A few tears escaped Sillia's eyes as she responded to his hug, holding him back tightly. "I'm sorry for being so pessimistic. You know, I'm never sure of myself. I'm so glad to have you by my side again; I was lost without you. Life isn't the same without you."
As they heard laughter coming from a distance, Sillia and her brother decided to head towards the source and found the others splashing in the water while wearing their underwear. The sight brought a smile to Sillia's face, and her brother joined in the fun by taking off his clothes and diving into the water, playfully pulling Z by the ankle to make him fall in. Laughter echoed around them as Night and Hirana also joined in the playful water antics.
"Come on, Sillia! Relax!" Night called out to her.
Feeling embarrassed at the idea of undressing in front of the group of men, Sillia blushed bright red. Zirar noticed her discomfort and got out of the water, quickly grabbing a shirt from his bag and handing it to her.
"You can put this on if you're embarrassed. Don't worry, you're not the only girl here, but Hirana transforms when she touches water, so that doesn't count with her mermaid tail," he said with a shy smile.
"Thank you, Zirar," Sillia said gratefully, and she started to get undressed, not realizing that he was still in front of her. Only when she heard Zirar turning around did she blush even more, hurriedly putting on the shirt, which reached almost to her knees and hung loosely on her slender body.
After changing, she grabbed her things, and they all returned to the water. Zirar was a few steps behind her. As she was testing the water's temperature with her foot, strong arms suddenly lifted her up, causing her to scream in fear and cling to the person who picked her up. She took a breath before being completely submerged in the cold water.
As they resurfaced, she let out a small scream followed by a shiver. "But you're completely crazy, seriously! Don't scare me like that, idiot! My hair will be all frizzy and wet until tonight if I'm lucky, otherwise, I'll be sleeping with wet hair tonight!"
"Sorry, Princess, but just relax a little. We're taking a break, might as well have some fun!" Zirar said.
Blushing at the nickname, Sillia nodded before asking him to put her down, which he did, keeping his hands on her hips for a moment. She felt a burning sensation from his touch, even through the fabric. Suddenly self-conscious, she noticed that the shirt was sticking to her skin, perfectly molding her curves. Her eyes quickly shifted to the water, feeling embarrassed to be so close to Zirar.
Blushing even more, Sillia now resembled a tomato as she separated from the tall white-haired man, Zirar. "I... Yeah... I'll go relax by that tree over there," she said, pointing while still avoiding eye contact. "I don't really like water," she added as she left the river, taking a towel from her bag and trying to dry herself as much as possible while keeping the shirt on.
Sitting on the ground at the foot of a fairly large tree, facing away from the river, Sillia could hear her companions playfully arguing and laughing in the water. Truthfully, she didn't understand what came over her; she did like water. In her younger days, she had always loved swimming with her brother. She brought her legs up to her chest, hugging them and resting her head on her knees, lost in her thoughts. Memories of her times with her brother flooded her mind – playing by the river or building the treehouse, which still stood intact after ten years.
Then, she felt the power of the stone calling to her. Standing up, she approached her bag and took out the stone. Unlike yesterday or this morning, the stone was now sky blue and glowing. Glancing at the others still in the water, she moved a little away, not wanting anything to happen to her friends. Luss, her faithful companion, followed her until they were a few meters away from the river's edge. Once at her destination, Sillia took the stone in both hands and sat on the ground, with Luss standing in front of her. Gazing at it, she imagined Luss resting on a cushion of air. With her eyes open and focused, she made sure nothing happened to Luss. Suddenly, Luss started floating in the air as Sillia concentrated on moving her as she wished.
Standing up again, Sillia returned to the others, Luss floating alongside her on the cushion of air, looking around curiously. "Llia! How did you do that?" exclaimed Hirana as she saw Sillia's return with Luss floating.
"Well, I followed the advice Aoi gave me this morning. I'm quite proud of myself; I was afraid of hurting Luss. This morning, I couldn't quite control the wind perfectly, so it turned into a torrent. This time, I managed to create a small cushion of air to make Luss float," Sillia said with a smile, taking a seat on the small picnic blanket her brother had laid out.
Zirar quickly joined her, with a towel on his hair, and he patted Luss, who was still floating. They remained silent, watching the other three play with a ball. Sillia couldn't help but recall the scene from just a few minutes ago and blush slightly. She then focused on Hirana's appearance – her blue fish tail with turquoise and gold reflections shimmering in the water, her scales reaching up to her chest to cover her breasts, and her hair now a purer blue with green streaks.
"I'm sorry for earlier, Princess. I didn't think you would take it that way," Zirar said without looking away from the scene in front of them. "Sometimes I don't think about what I do and just go with the flow."
"Don't apologize for that, Z. I don't blame you. I might have overreacted at that moment. Let's forget about it," Sillia replied, turning her gaze to him.
Their eyes locked, and Sillia's cheeks turned pink again as she got lost in his red eyes with hints of orange and purple. Zirar approached slowly, his gaze shifting from her eyes to her lips. Her own eyes started closing slowly, anticipating the moment he would kiss her. But then she hesitated inwardly. She didn't love him, or at least, she thought she didn't. She had never fallen in love before. Despite the racing of her heart, they instinctively pulled back when they heard someone coming out of the water and approaching them.
"Come on, we need to leave before it gets dark, especially if we want to try and get a room at an inn for our princess here," announced Night as he stood in front of them, grabbing the towel he had set out earlier. Sillia could hear a faint growl coming from Zirar beside her.
