Thriving as a living being, was the only way to be able to overcome the difficulties they faced, no magic could help them in the cruel world they found themselves in.
Faith could see the change happening in Rad. More and more she was able to see the boy she fell in love with shining through.
For her, even being lost in the harsh conditions of the jungle was worth it, to be able to see that special light in his eyes being ignited again. The light of humanity, of emotions, of self-acceptance.
It made her fall in love with him all over again.
The monstrous world the others had told them about, actually managed to turn Rad into a better person.
It challenged him. It made him faster, stronger, better.
In their own world, he was always too consumed with magic to truly know the world and understand people around him. He couldn't even fully understand himself.
Trying to overcome natural obstacles, he started realizing that nature shouldn't be controlled by magic, it should be nurtured.
Finally, he could see that people were born to be one with nature, not to change it to fit their goals.
Even hungry as they were, Rad was able to appreciate how truly beautiful and powerful nature was. It was hard to survive, but Rad realized that he was a fast learner and with Faith's help he managed to get them what they needed.
Although Faith was still exhausted, with Rad's help she managed to keep on moving in their search of civilization.
They were not sure what they would find once they found humans, but it was clear they couldn't survive in the jungle forever.
On the third day after their arrival, while they were trying to clear a path for themselves, they heard a rustling in the leaves.
It sounded like something big was approaching them. Something huge.
Rad held his finger in front of his mouth in a hushing sound as they both tried to figure out what was coming for them.
After a few intense moments, they started seeing a huge shape separating itself from the growth of the jungle.
For a few seconds they were terrified, thinking that whatever it was, it was too big for them to fight it off. However, when they finally managed to see the shape clearly, they realized it was just a human.
Faith let out a sigh of relief, but Rad was not sure if relief was the right emotion.
From all the stories he heard about humans, he realized that they could be more dangerous than any wild animal. After all, wild animals only killed for food. Back home there were rumors of humans killing for pleasure which Rad couldn't even comprehend.
"What are you doing here?" a huge sweaty man standing before them asked.
Faith started to tell the truth, but Rad interrupted her before she had the chance to condemn them to death.
"We are just lost. We thought we would be able to find a way back, but we couldn't." Rad said trying to sound as nonthreatening as possible.
"Bloody tourists, always getting lost and ruining my plans," the man grumbled under his breath.
"Alright you two, let's get you back," he said to them.
The guy was kind enough to lead them to civilization and it was more than Rad expected from someone as savage as humans. Not that he knew any humans, but the stories he heard from the elders must have been true.
It wasn't like back home, but they appreciated being saved.
As they were led to what the guy called 'city', Rad couldn't breathe properly.
The air was suffocating and both Rad and Faith were suffering from fits of cough for quite some time before they got used to the terrible air.
"You must be from the countryside?" the man's voice boomed.
Not sure what that meant, they just nodded their heads in unison.
It was the safest option.
"It figures," the man said, "country folk aren't as strong as we are, that's for sure. By the way, my name is Jack."
After introducing themselves, the man ended up helping them a great deal. As much as they appreciated his hospitality, all they wanted to do was go home.
At least one of them did.
Soon enough, they found out that there was no trace of magic anywhere in the city to help them go back, so they figured they should visit the countryside, whatever that was.
Their first priority, however, became learning the way of the humans because it became strikingly clear that humans despised anything that was in any way different and more often than not would seek to destroy it.
Fitting in was necessary for their survival, so they decided to stay with the dense but kind human until they could figure out all the intricacies of the new world.
After a few weeks spent with the humans, they started realizing that humans were the most unpredictable beings they had ever met.
One day, humans could be the most wonderful beings ever and the next they could be complete monsters.
They mistreated and disrespected nature and Rad couldn't help but think how similar they were to the beings living in the Magic Realm, at least some of them.
Although the ones living in the Magic Realm didn't realize it, they were bad for nature. They control it with magic and potions. That, in turn, prevents the natural flow of things.
Rad didn't realize how careless they were about nature that gave them life until he saw the carelessness of the humans in this Realm.
What else did he miss in his quest for power and fame?
The whole situation he and Faith were in made him think about many things he hadn't considered before.
Trapped in the incomprehensible world, he found his salvation.
Although he wanted to go back and help his loved one, he was happy he got the chance to finally get to know himself. He was given an opportunity to grow into the person he should have been all along.
One night, as he was staring at the barely visible stars, surrounded by the city bustling with life, he realized he needed to know one important thing to truly understand himself and who he was.
"Faith? Can I ask you something?" he asked.
"Sure what is it?" Faith said.
"Was I terrible in the magic realm? What did you think of me?" he asked feeling like he already knew the answer.
"Yes, you definitely were. You were a self-center egoistical idiot and most people disliked your mere presence," she immediately answered.
"Well, that's... ahem... honest. And you? Did you hate me to the very core, too?" He couldn't help but ask.
"No, I could never hate you. I just couldn't understand you," she said.
"How come? If everyone else hated me, why didn't you?" Rad asked brushing away a strand of loose hair that fell into his eyes.
"That's a good question," Faith said twirling her hair nervously.
"I guess I could never hate you because the boy that I knew was somewhere in there, deep, deep down." She said trying to be as honest as possible while not revealing her true feelings.
"I honestly don't know what happened to me. One day I was playing with you and the other village kids in the mud and the next I NEEDED more power.
"At first, it was fun, something to do to make you laugh but suddenly it became more. The power consumed me and there was only a ghost of me left behind. Even that I tucked away safely on the furthest shelf of my mind.
"I lost myself to magic. By the way, I am sorry," he said.
"For what?" Faith asked.
"For everything that I have ever said or done to hurt your feelings." Rad answered.
"You are forgiven," she said.
It felt good to Faith to see 'her Rad' coming back, and she couldn't help but hope that maybe one day... maybe somehow...
"When I go back I will be the best person I can be for my Andromeda, for my love," Rad said.
Just like that, in one sentence, he crashed Faith's hopes and dreams, for something that wasn't even there, that was never there.
He couldn't see that the whole perfect love story with his princess was just a figment of his imagination.
Faith didn't want to break his heart, not now, that it finally seemed like he had one.
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