The Fairy Kingdom Part 1

  We carefully crawled toward the edge of the cliff, trying not to attract the attention of the elusive creatures. Stella handed me a pair of binoculars so that I could get a better look at the structure ahead and understand why the cave exploration had been halted once again.

  In front of us stood Tifa’s birthplace, the Fairy Kingdom, in all its small, not-so-impressive splendor.

  The entire Fairy Kingdom was nothing more than a single castle. It was not exactly tiny, nor was it medium-sized. At its center stood the largest structure besides the ruins—a beautiful tree adorned with cyan and pink leaves. It looked like something from another world, blending perfectly with the neon glow of the surrounding cave.

  The advantage was that the fairies were no taller than 15 centimeters, so they didn’t require much space. Despite the limited area, every inch was used efficiently. Thousands of tiny houses were scattered everywhere, even on vertical walls. Small plots were used to grow miniature berry bushes. A small stone guard tower had been transformed into the highest point of the tiny kingdom. From there, a curious kind of magic seemed to make water flow gently downward, forming rivers within.

  "We have to go to them."

  "It's important! I have to get there!"

  "I need to speak to them!" Tifa said from my shoulder, highly motivated.

  "Not so fast."

  You know how they are. You explained it to me yourself. They’re incredibly fearful of the world.”

  "They've been hunted and mistreated by everyone because of that stupid myth about them granting wishes."

  It’s normal for them to run away the moment they see us coming.”

  “But I have to go!”

  I have to let my parents know I’m alive!"

  "I need to give them my notes on how to improve agriculture!"

  "Human knowledge about producing large amounts of food could finally make us self-sufficient."

  We might never need to visit the cruel lands of humans again to gather anything!”

  “I think the Fairy Kingdom has bigger problems than gathering food right now,” Tamamo said, looking through binoculars.

  “What do you mean?” Tifa asked, deeply worried.

  "Just think about it for a moment."

  "The Fairy Kingdom used to travel freely on the surface, moving between different human realms."

  For them, humans are a huge problem. They’re their enemies. Humans are dangerous to fairies.”

  “...”

  “And yet, here they are, underground.”

  In the only place humans haven't reached yet—because there are monsters down here that are far more ferocious and still pose a massive threat to them."

  “So why is the Fairy Kingdom here?”

  "I understand the idea of hiding in a place untouched by humans..."

  "But is the risk worth it? With creatures worse than humans prowling around?"

  "Maybe they were forced into it because there was no other solution on the surface."

  "Then we have to rescue them!"

  Tifa turned to look at me as she said it out loud. Her eyes nearly brimmed with tears. She was waiting for me to offer a solution to her inner pain. I knew just how much this all meant to her. I’d seen how deeply she suffered from leaving her parents behind without saying goodbye. The pain of being captured by surprise. The pain of being saved while her companions back home were not. I’d seen how passionately she worked to learn everything she could about plants, greenhouses, fertilizers, and seeds while helping my mother with her secretary work.

  Tifa turned to look at me as she said it out loud. Her eyes nearly brimmed with tears. She was waiting for me to offer a solution to her inner pain. I knew just how much this all meant to her. I’d seen how deeply she suffered from leaving her parents behind without saying goodbye. The pain of being captured by surprise. The pain of being saved while her companions back home were not. I’d seen how passionately she worked to learn everything she could about plants, greenhouses, fertilizers, and seeds while helping my mother with her secretary work.

  As her husband, I could do nothing but help her in however way I could, even though my soul burned with the urge to continue searching for the Celestial Forge. My mind didn't want to lose a single second more. I didn't want to, nor did I care about the Fairy Kingdom. Yet I had to give it my all and do the best job I ever could for Tifa’s sake.

  Forgive the delay, Nanami, but if thousands of years have already passed, a few more days won't matter, will they?

  "It's okay. Don't worry. We're going to talk to them," I told the fairy. She smiled innocently, like a little girl whose wish was about to come true, upon hearing that.

  After organizing the group, we set off cautiously, not wanting to be seen until we were very close to the floating island. Meanwhile, Stella would continue managing the scouting groups farther ahead, searching for the entrance to the Celestial Forge. Maria, Lisa, and Voranoa stayed behind with the other angels while we took care of these matters. The fairies were already far too cautious and fearful. I didn’t want to scare them more by heading all toward their only city together. Obviously, Tifa had to come, and Tamamo was better at these things than I was, so they both accompanied me.

  The closer we got, the more careful we were to hide. We walked slowly toward our goal, which gave us more than enough time to notice certain peculiarities about the floating island that I had overlooked the first time. For instance, that tree seemed oddly familiar, as if I had seen it before. The berries growing everywhere gave off a familiar scent. How had they managed to grow in a place without sunlight? My doubts about the Fairy Kingdom deepened, along with my concern that it was just another echo of Atlantis more.

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  As we expected, sooner or later, we would have to reveal ourselves. That moment came when the first to notice us were the sentinels—three fairies armed with small crystal spears that appeared to be made from their surroundings. Upon seeing us, they ran to ring a bell, and the entire floating island began to stir in alarm. The fairies sought refuge within the inner walls. Others began flying near the edges, trying to form a defense, even though they feared it wouldn't last long.

  "Hey, isn't that Tifa? The one who went missing months ago!"

  "She brought them here! She sold us out to the humans—no, worse—to the fox tribes!"

  "We're going to be enslaved and sold off!"

  "Form a defense line! Just like we practiced yesterday!"

  "This is the end of our kingdom!"

  Multiple voices could be heard coming from the floating island. Even the guards seemed to have different opinions about what was happening. One of us stepped forward to speak with the frightened fairies and try to de-escalate the situation.

  "Greetings, noble guardians of the Fairy Kingdom."

  "I am Tamamo-no-Mae, the Sovereign of the Lunar Mirrors and the Keeper of the Ancestral Pacts between Mortals and Immortals. Goddess of the Moon and Royal Nine-Tailed Kitsune."

  She paused, letting her nine tails unfurl into a fan of golden shadows. Each tail glowed with runes that told of millennia of dealings with emperors and spirits.

  "At my side stands Lady Elise, Harmony of the Primordial Tides. Her body mirrors the infinite ocean, and her blessings nourish the crops of a hundred and one realms. The Goddess of Water and Oceans."

  "We have journeyed through the folds of the world and the edges of the sky and night. We have traveled from the courts of the Jade Throne, where the True Dragons whisper treaties to their mighty Emperor of all, to the peaks where forgotten gods carve stars into the void.

  "We do not come as intruders, but as celestial emissaries answering the cry of shared blood."

  Princess Tifa, the flower of her lineage, has told us that your people, once free beneath the amethyst sky, now hide within the earth's depths. Though small in stature, your kingdom shines with the grandeur of an indomitable legacy."

  She raised her gloved hand, and an illusion bloomed in her palm: the cyan tree of the kingdom flowering under the full moon, surrounded by dancing fairies.

  "Such an exquisite garden does not deserve to wither between the jaws of beasts. The gods whisper that there is still hope if the seed of trust is sown."

  "We know your people have woven their existence in shadow, avoiding both human greed and the fangs of nameless beasts. It is a balance worthy of the finest celestial dance."

  "But allow this humble servant of the moon to ask you:

  What price must a kingdom pay for survival? Eternal exile? The renunciation of its splendor?"

  "We have seen empires fall and rise again like phoenixes from the ashes. We have the will to entwine your story with ours."

  "Not as beings seeking absolute worship, but as allies who recognize the brilliance of a lineage that deserves to endure beyond fear and myth."

  Tamamo spoke with the theatrical grace and perfect elegance of a true goddess, using her voice and gestures to sway the fairies. I flinched slightly when my wife introduced me as a goddess of water without warning. She quickly gave me a guilty little smile in return. Once again, the famed vixen and playful trickster was using performance and manipulation to tip the scales in our favor.

  Agreeing that this lie might help us be seen in a better light, I decided to play along. I shifted my slime body in front of them to show that I was made entirely of water. I replaced the slime I had been using as clothing with a replica of the kimono that Tamamo had given me, which was currently resting in my room back home.

  Tifa knew that Tamamo was lying boldly, too, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she put on the most serious expression she could manage. She also understood that sometimes it was necessary to lie, even to help others.

  From the heart of the living stone castle emerged a small, delicate figure, flying on semi-translucent wings that resembled a spring breeze trapped in ice. A ring of blooming thorns served as her crown, and her dress was a blend of petals woven with moss silk. She was the smallest among those present, yet each of the other fairies stepped aside as she passed. Each of her gestures seemed calculated and firm, as if she were making a great effort—one born of the need to project twice the dignity in a world where everything towered over her.

  She landed on the tip of a curved branch at the edge of the floating cliff. From there, she raised her voice, trembling at first but growing resolute. Her face quivered with a mix of confusion, fear, and duty. She was the sovereign of a kingdom on the brink of collapse and the shepherd of a community that barely believed in itself. She was suddenly faced with the impossible return of a supposedly lost inhabitant, brought back by no less than two celestial goddesses. It was a situation she did not fully understand, but she sensed that she had to take part in it because the fate of all might depend on it.

  "Are you truly who you claim to be? Is this fairy supposedly my daughter?"

  "Tifa, why were you lying to them? Don’t you see the power they hold—two goddesses!"

  Tifa opened her eyes but said nothing. Tamamo didn’t speak either. She only smiled—her light, gentle smile—and closed her eyes for a moment, as if the question needed no answer. It was a precise pause. A calculated one. It was a way of returning power to someone who had lost it.

  The Queen lowered her gaze. She wasn’t foolish. She knew something wasn’t right with Tifa doings. But she also understood the fragility of her people. Despair had long since taken root among them, and she couldn’t afford to uproot it without offering something in return.

  "If this is just another one of your so-called salvation games, Tifa, I beg you, don't carry it any further. Stop it now."

  “The world is not the happy place you think it is, Tifa. Just look at the number of misunderstandings your actions have caused.

  You have condemned our kingdom.

  We have already lost too many wings to those who play at being saviors.

  "If we are enemies, allow me to negotiate on behalf of my people.

  "If you are allies—" her voice broke for a moment—"then I ask for your help."

  "No empty promises. Just... time."

  She turned to her people. Many were still trembling, while others held their crystal spears tightly in small hands. Some cried without daring to speak. The queen turned back to us and gently landed on a mossy stone at the edge of the precipice, her wings lowered.

  "My name is Queen Aledra of Alnusil. I am the heir to the Eternal Bloom and the guardian of the Silenced Songs, the lost knowledge of the world."

  "If you have truly come for peace and not destruction, then in the name of my ancestors and the roots that sustain us, I invite you to speak beneath the shadow of the Mother Tree."

  The air beneath the Mother Tree was dense and sweet, blending the scent of wild honey with the dew of centuries trapped in its roots. The fairies, still wary, formed a semicircle around us, their tiny spears gleaming like splinters of fallen stars. Queen Aledra fixed her gaze on Tifa, and for a moment, under the cyan light filtered through the leaves, I saw her wings tremble. It wasn’t just fear. It was the weight of a question that had gone unspoken for months: Why did you come back?