Celena's heart raced as she watched the fairies prepare their weapons, their gazes fixed on her. Silfie stepped forward, her wings spread wide and addressed the crowd.

"Wait! This is not a human!" Silfie proclaimed, beads of sweat rolling down her face and her voice ringing with authority. "She clearly is a fairy in our kingdom, and I vouch for her."

The fairies hesitated, their weapons still poised, but the air's tension dissipated. The child who had initially accused Celena stepped forward, curiosity replacing the accusatory look in their eyes.

''Les, you fool, what did I tell you about randomly pointing your finger at someone?'' A middle-aged woman approached the child, pinching his ear. The child reasoned with his mother for quite some time until the mother got enough of it.

Meanwhile, everyone dispersed, and besides the guards, Celena and Silfie stood side by side, eyeing the spectacle and fervently hoping it was a mistake.

''b-but Mom, she is a human,'' Les argued, teary-eyed, making the woman tighten her hold on his ear. promptly made Les whimper. She shook her head, locking eyes with Celena, brown orbs filled with pity and understanding. The woman spoke, bowing.

''I am so sorry for the misunderstanding and trouble my child has brought you. Les here doesn't know what exactly it means to have the trait of a fallen fairy; it's the first time he's seen one. Les is just two thousand years old. Please forgive him.''

'TWO THOUSAND YEARS OLD!' Celena gaped, looking at the wailing Les. Silfie peered at her and whispered.

''roughly two years old, in human years'' 

'oh..'

''It's fine, please... Don't be sorry,'' Celena pleaded, her hands fumbling with her sleeves. ''He's just a kid; I understand.''

With a gentle smile, the woman nodded her head and looked after Les. The guards, seeming to get the gist of the situation, departed, leaving Silfie and Celena alone with the two.

''Now that I think about it, you must have left the fairy realm a long time ago; I know everyone living here, and it's my first time seeing you. What made you decide to come back home and disrupt tradition? " The woman inquires, gazing at Celena.

''oh...I...I am just visiting a friend'' Celena grabbed Silfie's arm, anxiously grinning; the woman reciprocated the gesture and muttered.

''That's so sweet, but please don't come back here ever again; you know due fairies are bound to bring bad luck in the realm. I know that I'm being ruthless, but I am just looking out for everyone.'' The woman stared at Silfie, a silent message being passed between the two.

''We wouldn't want our hidden realm, a lie, to be uncovered by a fallen fairy; you are very well aware that Helios has a great distaste for fate, yes.''

''I get it, Cheri; you don't have to rub it into our faces'' Silfie pointed out, her body rigid, looking harshly at her.

Due to the two going away, both Silfie and Celena released a sigh of relief, which was short-lived, when an upright guard approached them holding a lance. Nearing the two, he cleared his throat and proclaimed:

''The two of you have been invited to the Castle, per request by the queen'' Pink eyes clashed with crimson ones as Celena gulped.

When they arrived at the entrance, accompanied by the same guard, Celena couldn't help but marvel at the structure; the castle was practically made out of crystals. Entering the building, they were led to a pavilion, where the queen was already seated. She gestured her hand at the unoccupied seats, and Celena instantly sank into the chair, with Silfie following suit.

''How was the human realm, Silfie?'' The queen's green hair gently cascaded along with the wind, creating an ethereal scene, her white orbs glancing at Silfie and then at Celena.

''It was fine, Mother'' Silfie murmured, gazing at the floor.

Wait, Mother...if she's the queen, then... Silfie is calling her mother... My best friend is a princess? ' Frozen in place by this sudden revelation, Celena gawked at the two.

''How's Liam...'' Silfie choked, finally looking up at her mother.

''Your son is perfectly growing up well. If you have the time, why don't you visit him? I'm sure he'd appreciate that;  he missed you so much.'' The Queen clasped her hands together, setting them on the table, smiling at Silfie.

''You know I can't do that...'' Silfie bellowed, looking like she was trying to leave.

''...''

After that small conversation the two had, everything was silent. Celena could hear her breath as she waited for them to finish whatever they started. Celena wanted to faint right there and then when she learned that firstly, her friend was the princess, and then, the next thing she knew, Silfie had become a mother. With thoughts in havoc, Celena jogged her memories to the first time she met Silfie. Anything fun to distract her from the depressing aura emitted by them Celena then recalled the book she read in their household archive, the fairies' abilities and purposes, and then their abrupt hatred for humans.

'Wait, what did the first fairy want—that it needed the assistance of the first king of the Kelvistein empire? ' With her full attention on this single question, Celena tried examining the query and the possibilities of what could have been the response to it—how bad was it that a fairy asked for help from a human? Sighing, she couldn't find the answer to the question. It was better for her to ask,

'There's literally a queen and princess in front of me' 

'' Hey, sorry to interrupt this somber mood you guys have, but I just gotta ask: What did the first fairy want when it pleaded to the first king for help?'' Celena inquired visibly, noticing how the two flinched, their bodies stiff at her voice, only noticing that there was another person on the table.

''You brought a HUMAN into the palace?! '' The queen's voice shook in rage, facing her daughter. 

''Not now, Mother'' Silfie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

''What do you mean not now? How long will you keep up with this behavior? I tried so, so hard to understand you, sometimes putting myself in your place'' Her voice trembled. '' Until when will you learn to grow up and fix your riddles? You know they don't magically solve themselves, Silfie. Why won't you see Liam?" The queen panted, clutching the armrest, at the word Liam. Silfie's orbs welled up and trembled.

''We're LEAVING right now, Celena'' Silfie slammed both of her hands on the table and sternly stared at the queen. She raised herself from her seat, ready to leave.

''Wait...'' the queen composed herself and looked at Celena.

''Mother, I cannot be with you, not now, not ever'' Silfie's orbs hardened.

''You wish to know why the fairy sought help from the human king, am I correct?'' The queen's eyes looked thoughtful toward Celena.

''That's right,'' she responded, scratching the back of her neck.

''MOM!'' Silfie shouted. 

The queen raised a hand, gesturing to Silfie to be quiet, which did the trick, but Celena could see the clenched fingers Silfie held and clicked her tongue.

Celena's heart pounded in her chest as she waited anxiously for the queen's response. Thoughts raced through her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within her. What could be the reason that compelled the first fairy to seek help from the human king?

The room fell into silence as the queen's piercing gaze settled on Celena. She took a moment, her green hair gently swaying in the breeze, before she spoke, her voice carrying a weight of significance.

''A fool'' Silfie scoffed, promptly earning a glare from the queen.

"The first fairy sought help from the human king because of a grave mistake," the queen began, her voice steady but filled with a sense of gravity. "A fool had come into possession of a special item, a gift from a God. Unaware of its true purpose, the fool cast it out into the human world, seeing it as nothing more than oppression and a reminder of the wretched deal the God had made with us fairies."

Celena's eyes widened as she absorbed the queen's words. The item held power, and in the hands of humans, it could unlock a great source of strength. The implications of this revelation hung heavily in the air as Celena's gaze instinctively shifted to her necklace, which suddenly felt heavier against her skin.

''We're leaving now,'' Silfie interjected, taking hold of Celena's hand and dragging her out, but without Celena waving at the queen since she couldn't leave her hanging.

Leaving the realm, Celena looked around the place; nothing changed except for the fact that they were back on the cliff and back to their usual size. She observed the site in great detail since the moonlight illuminated their surroundings; she saw a small forest near a very big structure, that looked a lot like a castle. She broke her gaze at the scene, opting for Silfie's slumped figure.

''Um, tough family, right?'' Celena spoke, putting a hand on Silfie's shoulder.

''Tell me about it, Silfie sighed. "What now? We could have enjoyed more sights, but I'm sorry we had to leave early'' She replied regretfully.

''Hey, don't feel so bad; I did see some wonderful sights straight out of a fairy tale, but you're right, it is early; we could go to the small forest near the big castle; I bet someone out there is just waiting to find their true love'' Celena muttered with a grin.

''Really? Celena, you're not finished with this small charade; didn't you learn a lesson or two when you almost died'' Silfie pointed out with a grimace.

''Less talking, more walking! "Celena announced, beginning her trek with a tired Silfie behind her back.

When they arrived, there was nothing there but trees; there was a big lake, though. As both of them were prepared to leave, Celena heard something just above a whisper, and her disappointment instantly vanished. She quietly raced through the lush greenery, leaving Silfie shouting for her to slow down. Tree by tree, flower against many flowers, winds blowing on her face—she didn't stop. With adrenaline in her body fueling her speed, Celena stopped and hid behind a shrub, where she saw a man staring off into the moon.

"Damn, he's handsome, but also the biggest red flag I've ever seen," Celena muttered in a whisper, gawking at the young man with untamable spiky blond hair and the most beautiful sunset-hued eyes she ever witnessed.

Finding the courage to finally let the man notice her, she took a step, only to take it back. The young man promptly left her with a sigh, but She heard the man whine.

"Not tonight..." 

Celena stood there, eyes wide, not knowing what to do. The man just left her just as she was trying to do her magic when Silfie caught up to her. She was smacked back in the head and received a scolding from Silfie, but Celena was not paying attention to what Silfie said, as if she were in a trance. She couldn't help but recall the man just standing a couple of steps away. She promised herself to come back another night and let the man set his eyes on the person he loved most.

'There are a lot of men that resemble him at least; blond hair and sunset-hued eyes must be common here; he's not the one I'm destined to be, right? '