The crystals adorning the floor and walls illuminated the room. There were plants taking over the ceiling, avoiding the crystals. The open windows casted sunlight in. A long pool of water led up to a chair with someone seated in it. 

The person in the chair had multiple sets of crystalline wings. They were a dark blue and folded down, blending into their clothes. Their outfit consisted of a loose cream and blue dress with a crystal-like texture so long it reached the floor. They wore multiple types of headdresses, ranging from metallic to iridescent, blending into their silvery-blonde hair. 

Their skin glittered in the light along with their large crystalline horns. They had numerous pearls and beads strewn into their hair and along their horns. Creeping over their shoulders was a thin metal piece. Jewelry went around their neck and appeared to trail behind their back. 

"Please address me as Grayelle, and you may come in." He waved his hands and half the guards left. 

Grayelle waited for the two to come in front of the water. They both went down the walkway, the water still beneath them. They sat down on the chairs that had been placed there. 

"As Stasia sent you, please inform me of these turbulent matters."

Ren and Meyra took turns explaining what was going on, along with the connection to the forests and ocean. Grayelle furrowed his brows and beckoned one of his workers over. They frantically walked away before coming back with a small crystal. It glowed in the darkness of the worker's shadow. 

"We have been using these crystals to protect our guards that patrol the land. Unfortunately, we have been unable to procure enough for everyone. There have been some of us that have lost their wings to the powdery substance you speak of." Grayelle stopped and turned to the worker, whispering. 

The worker sheepishly removed the cloak from around their shoulders. Their wings appeared to have partially fallen off. The ends looked burnt, and their wings lost their iridescent nature. The worker hastily put on their cape and bowed before they took their leave.

"Similar dusts are natural to the forest, but they are rarely found and eradicated when spotted. We have drastically lowered the amount in recent times," Grayelle paused and looked away, "The amount has unnaturally increased recently."

Meyra told Grayelle about the tunnel she saw. Meanwhile, he was whispering to one of the guards by his side. They walked off, coming back with someone else. 

"Please explain to our guests how your patrols have been going."

The head guard began to explain their monster and dust patrols. There had been no reported sightings of a cave similar to the one Meyra saw, but this might be due to the vast amount of land. Ren brought up using the crystals as a treatment, but it had already been attempted with failure. 

"I recommend that Ren works with our scientists. I believe having a second opinion would be beneficial. Meyra, as the healing techniques used by the angelic are different from ours, I would like you to work with our healers,” Grayelle spoke as one of the workers wrote everything down. 

Ren and Meyra both agreed to split off and try their hand at helping the Fae. A flying creature landed on the window and chirped. One of the workers let it in and it sat on the stand beside Grayelle's chair. 

"How long would you like to stay here?" Grayelle asked while a worker held a tray beside them with writing utensils. 

Meyra and Ren decided to stay as long as needed. Grayelle smiled and wrote it down, whispering something and a crystalline seal appeared on the paper. The creature took off with the paper sent to Rendel who could pass the information onto Ayra and Kalin. The two thanked Grayelle before making their way to their destinations. 

In the magic department, there were numerous Fae working with the dust among other projects. Ren spoke with the advisor, and they began to form a plan. The team consisted of five Fae along with the advisor. They introduced themselves before developing a plan. 

The guards were stationed toward the exterior of the town along a cliff face behind the large building. Healers were there to take care of the considerable number of cases. A few healers still made rounds to the other Fae, but their numbers had dwindled due to the overcrowded healing station. People were running and flying around as Meyra flew up to the door. 

"Hello, I'm Leon, are you Meyra?" She nodded and the blond Fae opened the door for her. 

Leon explained that he was one of the lead healers in the region, as identified by the teardrop symbol on his cape. He brought her over to one of the side rooms and explained their crowding situation to her. His colleagues walked in one by one, giving a brief greeting before getting called back. He let out an exhausted sigh before telling Meyra that she would begin work the following day. 

She thanked him before heading to the home she and Ren were assigned. It was partially over the cliff face, looking into the waterfall below. Meyra claimed the bed that was furthest away from the cliff face and put her belongings away. 

She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath, before saying, "God, would you be able to come here?"

Meyra sat on her bed and waited. Not hearing by sundown, she got ready to sleep. Her bag fell to the ground with a large thump, the white fox jumping onto the chair she had placed it on. 

"I'm surprised it took you this long to call upon me. What is going on?" The fox laid down on the chair. 

"The Fae are dying and being incapacitated because of this dust. There are no positive results thus far, am I able to do anything?"

The fox squinted at her before looking off to the cliff face. It let out a sigh before motioning for Meyra to stand up. The fox jumped onto her back and yanked out one of her feathers, making her yelp, before jumping off her. 

Myra floated upwards while golden markings grew down her arms in an unknown language. The markings glowed and Five rings appeared around her: one around her wrists above her head, eyes, bust, hips, and ankles. They were bronze and had the same markings as on her body. 

Myra cried out as she felt her body heat up. The ring around her wrists began to glow red, and she tried to slide her wrists down and out. The ring was large enough for her arms to leave, but something made it impossible. The fox jumped onto her head, touching its tail to the ring around her wrists. It clattered to the ground before disappearing to dust. 

The fox let out a weak cough while sitting down and said, "I have released some restraints on you. Your strength of your specific abilities will be closer to what it was. You will be able to help." The fox disappeared in a cloud of smoke before Meyra could react. 

Meyra sat on the floor, rubbing her wrists. The golden symbols she had seen before were on her wrists. She held them up to a small pool of water in the room, and the symbols were not visible in the reflection. Meyra set out a sigh of relief before grabbing a cloth. 

She covered herself and changed. Meyra snuck to the medical building. The groans from the building were the only sounds of the late night, growing louder as she neared it. There was no one stationed on the exterior of the building, so Meyra walked in. 

A small child laid on the floor next to the front door. The beds were full, leaving the child with a small blanket and a pillow to rest their head. Their breathing was shallow as they coughed in their sleep. She pulled back their blanket and dropped it in shock. 

The white powder had spread over their back in a tree-like pattern from the base of their wings. It went from their back up their neck, but not reaching their furthest extremities. The child's hands were cold, tucked against their chest. Meyra gently moved the child, so they laid on their stomach. 

Their wings had nearly rotted away, leaving only small nubs. They were flaccid, leaning against their back. The color had faded, leaving a clear sheen. The ends were crispy, the base more wrinkled. 

Meyra placed a piece of cloth in the child's mouth, unsure if they would wake up. She placed her hands against the child's back and began to cast a spell. Her symbols began to glow and become hot. She felt her energy leaving her, as if she was being drained. The child let out a muffled groan before waking up. 

The child yanked the gag from their mouth before saying, “it hurts. I want to go home.”

The child’s eyes welled up in tears. Meyra consoled the child, gently playing with their hair and placed them into their lap. 

“Do you miss flying?” She asked as she held them. 

“Yes,” the child quietly spoke as they looked at the ground. 

“What if I could help you fly again?” Meyra said with a smile. 

The child turned to her with a wide grin, completely turning around to hug her. Tears began to stream down their face as they giggled. The child sat back down, facing away from her with a straight back. 

“Please help me, miss,” the child said. 

“This will hurt, please use this to not wake the others.” Meyra handed the child the gag and they looked at her. 

She helped them place the gag in their mouth, waiting until the child was ready. Meyra slowly began to use her magic, watching the child’s reaction. The child gritted their teeth as they clenched one of Meyra’s hands. She frowned at their discomfort, but continued to use the magic. 

Once the white was removed, Meyra leaned down to check on the child. They had passed out, sweat trickling down their forehead. She grabbed a cloth from her bag and began to wipe it away, not wanting to use more magic than necessary. 

Meyra held the child in her lap, leaning against the wall. Although she had some magic remaining, her hands trembled. She steadied her breathing as she watched the child relax and fell sleep. Meyra took off her face mask, placing the cloth into her mouth. 

Meyra placed one of her hands against the child’s back, while using the other to keep their mouth shut. She took a deep breath and tried to heal their wings back. Gritting her teeth, she pushed until she felt a shock run from her heart to her hand. The child jolted awake and their nubs of wings fell to the ground. 

Meyra raced to remove the nubs from their sight, but the child began to cry. They tried to get out of her lap, squirming in her arms. She looked around, unsure of what to do. 

“Sleep child,” a voice whispered and the child fell asleep. 

The fox’s snout came out of the darkness and said, “You may use sleeping magic now. Please use that to prevent further disruptions.” Then it left. 

Meyra ensured the child was asleep before continuing. She placed both of her hands against the child’s back, pushing all of her magic into them. Her hands dropped as she slumped down, her magic entirely drained. She watched the child, unsure if anything would occur. 

Small buds appeared on their back, growing into a cocoon-like mass. The child remained asleep, cuddling her arm. The child flinched as the cocoons quickly fell away. New wings emerged, still damp. 

Meyra began to cry, grabbing a cloth to re-cover her face and wipe her tears. The child woke up, instinctively flapping their wings to dry them. The child looked back in shock and began to wail in her arms. Meyra smiled and helped them outside, quietly leaving while they sat on the stairs. She ran until she was unable to be seen, watching as someone came to check on the child. 

The next morning, Meyra went to the medical building. The healers were chatting amongst themselves. She knocked on Leon’s cracked office door, which creaked open. He was bent over the desk, writing. Meyra waited by the entrance, watching as he leaned back when he finished. 

"Good morning, have you heard about what happened last night?" Meyra nodded and he continued, "It's a miracle." Leon smiled while looking towards the window. 

"You will be working with Hale for the foreseeable. They would appreciate any new information you could provide." As if on cue, a new person walked in that Leon identified as Hale. 

Hale was tall and lean, their wings flushed against their back nearly dragged on the ground. They wore a set of cloth clothes that were form-fitting, with a small satchel attached to their waist. Their long hair was clipped back by various flowers, and it was braided behind their ears. Hale and Meyra made their way to the main room by the front door. 

Meyra helped various people throughout the day. She worked on everyone individually, preventing the spread of the dust further into their systems. By the end of the day, her body was shaking, and she rested in one of the storage rooms. 

Each night she went home with the workers, walking back with her new neighbors. Deep in the night when everyone was asleep, she changed and went back. At those times, she relied on the magic that was contained in the rings. The patients were no longer regressing, but Meyra didn't have the power to heal them all.

During this time, Ren and Meyra had barely spoken, as they returned and left at separate times. Meyra kept their place tidy, seeing the state Ren returned in. She stayed quiet at work, focusing all her energy on healing. During her down time she read through her journal, not having interest in making friends when they would be leaving. 

As the days passed, the crowding in the medical building began to lessen. Meyra continued to use the once sealed powers at night, leading to fatigue building from the lack of sleep. When Meyra came back late one night, Ren was sitting in the kitchen. They watched her enter, their head resting in their hands as they sat at the table. 

“Looks like you've been busy…” Ren trailed off, watching Meyra shift in place, “Where are you getting all the additional magic from?”

Meyra fiddled with her fingers as her eyes darted across the room, “That is something I am unable to disclose.” 

Ren huffed, leaning back in their chair. They glared at her as Meyra scurried to her room to change. She came back out, Ren scowling at her as she did so. 

“You know Kalin and Ayra are the nice ones here. I was suspicious of you from the start. I'm glad to see that I was correct,” they smacked their hand down on the table as they stood up. 

Meyra stood in silence, looking down while her hands shook. Ren waited for a moment before going to their room, slamming the door behind them. She slumped to the ground, her wings splayed out around her. Her feathers ruffled as she felt an unknown breeze wash over her.