Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Fairies

"They're coming," Pikshbxgra said happily, sensing them. She had been waiting for them.

She flew out of the hole, as dozens of presences approached and surrounded her. On another occasion, it would have been a meeting full of joy, happiness and magic. This time, the situation wasn't suitable for celebrations. The fairies looked at her, nodded, and each one left in a different direction, including Pikshbxgra herself. They had a mission to accomplish.

For them, it would normally have been impossible to get there. The miasma was very harmful to them, and a trip at full speed through the Lost Forest would have destroyed their essence. However, the dryads had created what was for them a highway.

They had followed the power of the dryads, free of miasma, to travel at tremendous speed to one of their sisters. She had been waiting for them, had called them. As soon as they had arrived, they had expanded their auras, and each one had chosen a target.

"Damn fairy! You won't be able to defeat me!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Help! A fairy is after me!"

"Swallow my Ray of Corruption!"

"Don't let her see me! Don't let her see me!"

The different shadows reacted in different ways to the approach of their enemies. Some were too terrified, so they fled or hid. Others were carried away by anger, and attacked the fairies.

Perhaps, the ones which made the best decision were those that used the Ray of Corruption, an attack with the accumulation of years of miasma. Without a doubt, it had the potential to even kill a fairy. Although it is also true that some had already unleashed it against the structure of the dryads.

In any case, there was a great disparity between the fairies and the shadows. The latter were the corruption of forest spirits, who were beings with little power that could become fairies. The corruption had given them power, in exchange for altering their personalities.

The fairies had gained power through a complete evolution, had joined the world, and had developed their body and mind. The latter was probably the biggest difference.

The shadows had the mind of a forest spirit, who was only a child. The fairies were adults, even though their appearance and behavior sometimes seemed to indicate otherwise. This was true even for Pikshbxgra, one of the youngest.

A bright shield covered the fairy and protected her from the Ray of Corruption. It was a small sphere of light that was enveloped in the darkest darkness. She seemed destined to be swallowed up, to be dissolved in the tide of corruption.

The shadow grimaced, there was smile of triumph on its face. The powerful attack would end up destroying the shield and annihilating the fairy. At least, that would have happened if the fairy had remained still, blocking that power.

She did not. She only needed to be protected for a few moments to fly out of the path of the powerful attack. The fairy headed towards the shadow after having taken a small detour. The corrupted spirit panicked. It was still releasing the power of its attack, so couldn't move or counterattack. Furthermore, it was impossible for it to move its offense, as the discharge of power was completely uncontrolled. The shadow could only concentrate and expel it. Everything else was beyond its control. Moving it was too much.

"Goodbye. Rest in peace. May your soul find the peace that has been denied before, and may it rise again from the earth," the fairy said goodbye sadly.

All those who received the attack of the Ray of Corruption acted more or less the same. There were even some who dodged it before needing the shield.

The shadows that faced them directly, without the Ray, were driven by rage. They weren't aware that their power was nothing more than a bad corrupted imitation of what it should have been if they had evolved. All their souls were freed, purified. Perhaps, they would have a second chance.

"So much hate... It should never have happened. You should've lived happily, carefree and curious. I hope that now you'll have the chance again," another fairy said, sorrowful.

Of course, there were also shadows that hid. Their fear prevented them from thinking clearly, or they would have realized the futility of their actions. They were scared because they could sense the presence of fairies. Therefore, the fairies could also sense the presence of the corrupted spirits, no matter how well they hid.

"Go back to the beginning, so you can rise again. Hopefully, our children will never have to go through this again," another fairy muttered.

They considered the forest spirits their children, so the shadows had been that in the past.

As for those which fled, perhaps they lasted a little longer. However, they were still a poor imitation. Their speed wasn't comparable to that of the fairies.

"You mustn't escape from your fate. It's time for you to rest, to return to your essence. Spirit, animal or plant, may the future be favorable to you," another of the fairies wished the shadow she had just purified.

"Our work is done. The rest is up to your friends. Take care, Pikshbxgra," the princess of the cherries said goodbye.

"I will. I'll come to visit you," she assured.

The fairies said goodbye, waving their small hands, as did Pikshbxgra. Well, only one of her hands. The other was occupied with a cherry seed that had just been handed to her.

With great care, she placed it directly on the roots of the dryads, in the hole where they had hidden before. It soon opened, and a small sprout appeared. The fairy watched as it grew, encouraged by the power of the dryads. Perhaps, in the future, the princess of the cherries herself would stop by to pick some ripe fruit.

Meanwhile, the fairies followed the opposite path, although more slowly. They often stopped to watch with curiosity and hope how, around Sources y Origins, the vegetation expanded. They also did so much further away, along the beginning of the path that had been planted by the allies.

The fairies knew that it wouldn't grow for a long time at that speed, but it was an important first step. The plants would filter and purify the miasma little by little, and would spread as the land allowed. It would take years, centuries, but perhaps, in the future, the place would regain its former splendor.

However, for that to happen, it was essential that the evil be completely eradicated. They had taken care of the shadows, but they couldn't intervene directly beyond that. The rest depended on the beings of flesh.