My Worst Enemy Is the Person Next To Me [Moonshadow][Eevachu + Darth_Slaverus]

Strange... It was strange, she thought, seeing the white canvas of virgin snow stained crimson once again. Why had nature decided to give these icy flakes such a pallor? Was it because it *knew* of the inevitable massacre that would come, waiting, watching, welcoming? She recalled the first time she had ever traversed a mountain... That had been eighteen years ago, during the height of Ganon's invasion. She and her most loyal followers had attempted to brave the range separating the North and the South, in the hopes of escaping Ganon's onslaught. But it was not to be. Death Mountain was aptly named; its craggy brothers only marginally less deadly. The damnable cold of the icy peaks had claimed each and every last one of her servitors, snuffing out their lives like candles. Perhaps this was why mortals associated death with the cold.

The year and setting had changed, but Snowpeak was no different than any other mountain: A place of doom and misery.

Shivering at this revisitation of her past, Flayre drew her ermine fur coat tight around her. The luxurious garment was not a usual part of her wardrobe, but rather a trophy she had stripped from the corpse of a Hylian noblewoman who'd strayed too close to Snowpeak's cliffs (The raging winds could be so dangerous this time of year, Flayre mused as she fingered her wand) and reappropriated for her own use. Of course, the Great Fairy had not ascended this mountain merely to make a fashion statement- in fact, the dead aristocrat's presence was a symptom of a much larger issue... And that issue was why Flayre was here.

The Hylians had come to Snowpeak in full force, waging war against roving bands of monsters that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. And speaking of coats, the Hyrulean army had allied with the walking carpets that inhabited these mountains- the Hylians called them "Yeti," but Flayre called them what they were. In any event, Flayre had learned through careful eavesdropping weeks before that the true reason for this mass deployment of knights was that a number of rifts had opened across the whole of Hyrule, spawning hordes of misshapen beasts and threatening to tear the world asunder.

Flayre would have celebrated the prospect of the complete and total destruction of the old order, but for one simple reason: It would not be HER triumph. If this world was to meet its end, it would be on HER terms, not Ganon's, or whoever was behind this potent sorcery! Still, as infuriating as the competition was, the crisis had presented a unique opportunity. The Hylians had put out a call for heroes... What if she were to answer their prayers?

Closing a portal would be a trifling task for a goddess like herself. The mortals would not dare turn her away, seeing her aid as a sign of divine favour from their false gods... She would be hailed as a saviour, and thousands would flock to her banner, never realizing that her motives were less than pure until it was far, far too late... She could have an army of her own overnight! It was the perfect plan, and so Flayre had resolved to carry it out, abandoning all of her other plots to pursue her dream of world domination.

No matter how ingenious her plan was, though, it would not matter if she couldn't find the accursed portal in the first place. Snapping herself out of her reverie, Flayre pressed onward, shielding her eyes with a gloved hand. This hail was getting unbearable, even with her hood, and visibility was poor. She would have to arrive at her destination soon... this blizzard would be nigh-impossible to navigate anon.

Suddenly, she heard a noise in the distance... The unmistakable baying of Wolfos, probably about to pounce upon an unlucky scavenger. Flayre scowled, her free hand resting upon her wand. Filthy creatures. A pack of feral Wolfos had hounded her minions over the course of their retreat from the South, feasting on the flesh of the fallen. To vandalize her playthings in such an undignified manner... She was tempted to go out and even the score by smiting the nearby wolves, for they would be defenseless against an aerial assault.

All she needed was a reason...

Instead of the screams and sounds of tearing flesh she had expected, Flayre heard the pained howls of a wounded Wolfos, which were swiftly joined by a second batch of pitiful cries to form an immaculate chorus of suffering. This gave the Great Fairy pause, and she snapped a glance over her shoulder, looking in the direction the din was emanating from. Anything that could put up a fight against winter wolves in this weather was obviously a trained combatant. A Hylian patrol? A warband of monsters? Either way, a group that could lead her to the portal she sought... It behooved her to investigate.

Well, there was her reason to get involved.

Drawing her wand, Flayre hastily turned and flew toward the noises. Unhindered by the snow, it wasn't long before she caught sight of a single diminutive figure below, a small boy wielding some sort of polearm... A Kokiri? He could not be anything else. A Hylian child would never have survived an encounter with feral beasts, especially alone. Odd... but perhaps he could still be of use, given how far from home he was. More importantly, the wolves were nowhere to be seen- White Wolfos had an annoying tendency to blend in perfectly with their natural surroundings. Movement, not form, would betray these predators.

Sure enough, Flayre quickly spotted a glimpse of red weaving through the hail. Ahh, the wounded ones... And if she understood their pack instincts correctly, they would be hiding behind the healthier wolves. Flayre allowed herself a small smile as she descended, taking a perverse pleasure in the fact that the hunters had unknowingly become the hunted. Focused as they were on ripping the Kokiri limb from limb, the Wolfos failed to notice Flayre as she maneuvered into position a few feet above the immortal child, poised to humiliate and destroy them.

Balling her left hand into a fist, Flayre summoned a copious amount of Fairy Glitter into her palm, while at the same time holding her wand with her right hand at wrist-level. She waited until the lead Wolfos, now clearly visible from her vantage point, stalked forward and lunged, leaping into the air.

The trap was sprung. In an instant, Flayre opened her left hand and fired off a Wind spell from her wand. Not only did the sudden blast knock the unsuspecting Wolfos out of the air, sending it careening backward into one of its injured brethren, but it also scattered the golden, glowing Glitter over the entire pack. The two downed Wolfos showed no signs of arising anytime soon, perhaps not dead but likely broken, and those that remained upright would be disoriented by the effects of her Glitter, not to mentioned illuminated amid the snow.

Would the stupid creatures turn tail and run, or would the Kokiri slaughter them all? Privately, Flayre hoped it would be the latter. What an ignominious end, butchered by a child! It would be fitting retribution for what had transpired eighteen years ago. With victory firmly within the Kokiri boy's grasp, Flayre decided not to exert herself any more than necessary, electing to sit back and watch the grisly spectacle unfold.

Though Flayre's dignified features disclosed no trace of her innermost feelings, a seething rage was bubbling just beneath the surface, threatening to engulf her. Flayre's fury was a subtle yet powerful thing, not easily abated, and she forced herself to stay composed by biting down on her lip with such intensity that it seemed as if she might draw blood.

Twice. Twice now a Kokiri had defied her expectations. First Kryssie, then this brat. Their impudence in failing to properly repay a debt was astounding. Kokiri were too soft-hearted to be entrusted with weapons, she decided. They lacked the instinct, the raw artistic skill demanded of a killer. The carnage left behind by combat was ordinarily quite disgusting, but there was a certain stark beauty to the way a master swordsman could transform the offal into an aesthetically pleasing splatter. Not that a child would know anything of this, she supposed.

Oh well... Even in her vehement state, Flayre recognized that anger would get her nowhere. Honey, not malice, would secure her route to the portal.

Gliding downward to converse with the Kokiri, the Great Fairy came to a halt directly before him, slowly turning around as she hovered in place to maximize the impact of the reveal of her loveliness. Luckily for him, Flayre cared little for the fact that he had peeked up her dress. Modesty was not a virtue prized by most Fairies, and Flayre generally only made a token show of it. In fact, she might well have encouraged such deviant behaviour, seeing it as the purest expression of desire.

"Moi? I am Lady Flayre, the Great Fairy of Desire." She replied to his query, placing one dainty hand upon her breast to indicate herself. "I have come to these peaks of my own accord, to help rid Hyrule of the calamity facing it." She paused for a moment, then spared a sideward glance at the still-retreating wolves. "Child, you really ought to slay those beasts while you can. They have a taste for Hylian flesh, now. They will undoubtedly attack another traveler once they have recovered... And said traveler might not be so fortunate as to be blessed with the ability to defend themselves, no?"

Privately, Flayre held out a faint hope that the Kokiri boy might redeem himself by expunging the mangy menaces, figuring an appeal to moral grounds rather than sheer bloodlust might be more persuasive. It was oh-so-delicious when depravity was committed in the name of the so-called 'greater good...'

Why, this insolent, pea-brained little peasant! How DARE he speak to her so brazenly?! Even Kryssie had not been stupid enough to insult her directly, loathsome though her cowardice was. For a fraction of a second, the Great Fairy shuddered in anger, every fibre of her being shrieking out for her to visit her terrible wrath upon the upstart Kokiri. Again she suppressed her id, keenly aware that to lose her temper now would be detrimental to her overall plans. No, she would not give this churlish boy the satisfaction of making her raise her voice.

But if it was an argument he wanted, he would have more than he had bargained for. Flayre refused to be bested in a contest of wills by such contemptuous rabble, and she would be all too eager to teach him a lesson in manners!

"... One does not necessarily need to be unarmed to be vulnerable, child." Flayre replied evenly, nonchalantly removing a glove to inspect her fingernails as she spoke. "As you yourself have said, there are no shortage of soldiers in these mountains. No doubt some of their patrols will have clashed with the recent hordes of monsters, and will be carrying their wounded back to their encampments... Easy prey for Wolfos." Raising her eyes to meet the Kokiri's gaze, Flayre affixed him with her signature stare, her impassive face offering no hint as to what she truly thought.

"But if the preservation of innocent life is not one of your concerns, then I must apologize. I had thought it would be one of your desires. My mistake!" Donning her glove once more, Flayre clapped her hands together and threaded her fingers through one another as she spoke the last sentence, as if in prayer. His sputtering reaction to her shaming tactics would be priceless... or intriguing, if he proved to be ruthless. "As for myself, I have more pressing concerns. The fate of the world is at stake, and I'm afraid I simply haven't the time to romp about the wilderness on a goose chase. I must find the portal that has spawned the beasts that plague Snowhead, and close it."

Her verbal assault complete, Flayre's attention was drawn to a large, spherical mass that had appeared alongside the Kokiri. Its bulbous shape was that of an Octorok, and the Great Fairy cocked an eyebrow in confusion. A long way from home, indeed. She tightened her grip on her wand and gestured to the creature, letting out an exaggerated sigh as she addressed the Kokiri in a more conversational tone.

"Alas, I fear it is now too late to do anything about the wolves, regardless. They are under the aegis of the blizzard, and will be impossible to find. Is that your pack-beast?"

Ah, silence! The last refuge of the defeated, when they could muster no further arguments. All was quiet, save for the howling gales of the blizzard, which was music to her ears! Flayre did so love proving her superiority to her foes, and was delighted to have emerged victorious in this bout of vocal sparring. Not that there could have been any other outcome, but it was important to take pleasure in one's own accomplishments, no matter how minor they may be. Even crushing a bug, like now, was enjoyable in its own way.

However, Flayre's mirth was swiftly spoiled when the Kokiri admitted that he did not know the location of the portal, and she wrestled with the urge to grimace. Of course. The one thing she might have used him for, and he couldn't even provide it. Useless! She supposed she should have seen this coming; the boy had put his idiocy on display earlier, so why should she have expected anything different now? Unless he was deliberately trying to mislead her, so that he might claim all the glory for himself. It wasn't particularly likely, given his foolishness, yet Flayre was not willing to gamble on it, not when Hyrule lay within her grasp. People COULD be terribly spiteful toward their betters, doubly so if they were children, triply so if they were servants of the Deku Tree.

She watched the child bid her farewell and wander off into the snow, noting that his pet seemed enthralled by her radiance (What that said about the Kokiri's intelligence relative to his beast's was quite telling, she mused). Perhaps this 'Wollo' would make for better company. Her choice made, Flayre resignedly gave chase, flying toward the unusual duo.

"Hold a moment," She called after the Kokiri, stopping just behind the Octorok, "If we both seek the same thing, would it not make more sense for us to travel together?" Obviously, but she had to spell it out for the simpleton. Oh, the burden of intellect... "I could aid you if you run afoul of anymore of the local wildlife, and I suspect the portal itself would be best tackled by a party rather than an individual, no? And besides... It's not very gentlemanly to let a lady go unescorted, let alone one who has already helped you, is it?"

Naturally, Flayre was quite serious about her appeal to chivalry, though she tried to frame it as a jest, giving him a polite smile and the hint of a coquettish giggle.

... Now there was an admission of guilt if she had ever heard one- No sane traveler would have ever declined her offer! There was strength in numbers... unless personal feelings dictated otherwise. For this boy to turn her down so cavalierly... he must have intended to make a beeline for the portal, to rob her of her golden opportunity. Cunning, but not cunning enough. He had tipped his hand, now she would play hers. A proper lady was nothing if not a schemer.

"Listen, I fear we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. If I have said or done anything to offend you, I well and truly apologize. I... I haven't spent much time around others. I don't know how to act. I just want to help people reach their desires." Flayre choked out, doing her best to convey a sense of genuine puzzlement at the Kokiri's apparent hostility. Here, her superior breeding worked to her advantage. People expected Fairies to be mercurial and reclusive; that one should be clumsy in social situations as a result was an entirely believable story. Ordinarily, Flayre would have been disgusted by the very idea of grovelling before another, but lying through her teeth came so naturally to her that it negated her natural aversion to such behaviour.

Of course, by forcing her to resort to such tactics, the Kokiri had placed himself quite high on her to-kill list, but that was a matter that could be resolved at a later date.

Searching for any detail that might add to her deception, Flayre's eyes darted to the Octorok, and she immediately drifted closer to him, laying a hand upon the cloth that had been wrapped around him (she would never have touched a wild animal's bare skin, gloves or no). "Wollo," She intoned, gently caressing the cloth, "You'd want me to come, wouldn't you?"

Flayre knew that some Kokiri possessed the ability to speak with beasts, much like she could commune with plants. She surmised that, in order for this boy to have tamed an Octorok, traditionally regarded as monstrous by the rest of Hyrule, he must have been able to communicate with it. He must have valued the creature's input in order to create such a bond... Thus, if she could worm her way into Wollo's good books, the Kokiri would no choice but to reevaluate his position. She'd already made a strong impression on the beast, at any rate. Making it love her would be an effortless endeavour.

When would the universe see fit to throw a challenge her way? Flayre's heart swelled with pride as she basked in her own omnipotence, exulting over yet another perfect machination. Truly, her ability to read others and manipulate them accordingly surpassed that of the greatest tactician! These chattel were like puppets on a string, dancing to her merry tune. Silver-tongued did not even begin to describe her- not least because silver was an inferior metal, and she was in a league of her own. Platinum-tongued would be a more apropos designation, perhaps. Regardless, her repeated, resounding successes were almost enough to make her feel bored.

Almost.

So carried away by her internal monologue, Flayre did not bother to correct the Kokiri when he failed to refer to her with the appropriate title of 'Lady.' Slowly taking her hand off of Wollo's makeshift shawl, she flashed the boy her most seductive smile.

"You will not regret your decision." Flayre spoke with the absolute certainty of an oracle who had divined the future. "While I do not know the exact location of the portal, I may be able to narrow our search somewhat. Some time ago, I saw a group of car-Yeti, far in the distance. This ill weather kept me from contacting them, but they were traveling in a northwesterly direction. That is where I was headed, for I have already scoured the peaks south of here and found nothing," She explained, punctuating her directions with sweeps of her arm. Now that the Kokiri had relented, Flayre was all business, focused on the task at hand. Not that she had forgiven the child for his earlier slights- she was simply tired of exchanging unpleasantries and was prepared to temporarily let bygones be bygones if it meant getting out of this cold.

To her own surprise, Flayre did not take offense when the Kokiri gave her a command, ordering her to take to the skies and reconnoiter the landscape from above for clues. Her suite of powers were ideal for such a mission, and she would have done it anyway without prompting, so she did not find his pretentious request to be especially incendiary. "Indeed. Fortunately, I know a spell that allows me to carry messages to anyone I have met across any distance, so if I spy anything I shall be able to alert you immediately." Flayre nodded in agreement, before deciding to level the playing field with a command of her own. "Of course, this means I must entrust the ground to you. Keep your eyes peeled for tracks, signs of battle, and the like. Such things fade quickly in the snow, but you can never be too sure... A fresh trail would be a great boon to our investigation, my dear..." Flayre paused, tilting her head at the Kokiri. "... I don't believe I caught your name."

She did not care what his name was, but it would be best to give the illusion that she did. Lesser beings craved attention and companionship like a drowning man craved air.

"Rika," Flayre repeated, slowly enunciating the syllable as if she had stumbled across a word she did not know. "Simple, but elegant. It is a wonderful name." It also sounded rather feminine to her, but she kept that comment to herself. Men, even little boys, could be so sensitive about their masculinity...

She waited for him to divulge something further about himself, trying to gauge whether or not he was lying to her about not knowing where the portal was. His laconic response to her directions was too vague to draw a conclusion from. Unfortunately, the Kokiri remained frustratingly tight-lipped, and when it became apparent he wasn't going to say anything more, Flayre moved to break the silence before it became too awkward.

"Well then, Rika! Since you do not seem to have a fairy companion of your own, allow me to be yours for a day. I shall be your eye in the sky!" With that, the Great Fairy shot up into the air, hovering as high as her innate magic would let her. How fitting that the lower forms of life should have to comb the filthy bowels of this world, while she, a highborn goddess, was given jurisdiction over the skies that were rightfully hers! Truly, the marvels of the universe knew no bounds. Banishing Rika's indiscretions from her mind, Flayre turned her attention toward surveying the glacial landscape beneath her as she pressed onward. Progress was slow due to the raw power of the blizzard, and numerous times she had to adjust her pace to account for her newfound pawns, who were even more bogged down by the weather than she (More proof of their inferiority). The task was both physically and mentally numbing, and Flayre's thoughts soon began to drift elsewhere.

Strange how so many Kokiri these days were without a fairy guide... Flayre had been under the impression that the immortal children automatically received one as a matter of custom once they came of age. Were it up to her, exceedingly few of the brats would gain the service of a fairy. In her experience, most people did not value her smaller kin for anything but their utility, viewing them as tools rather than sentient creatures. Perhaps there was hope for her kind yet, if they had finally realized the folly of being shackled to the other races...

Just when she was considering swooping down to ask the Kokiri about his fairy's absence, however, Flayre suddenly spotted something below. A collection of discoloured lumps lay scattered around a snowbank a short distance ahead, and for a moment she mistook them for a rocky outcropping half-concealed by the snow. Then one of them moved. Narrowing her eyes, Flayre rushed toward them, though she was careful to maintain a safe altitude in case they were hostile. As she drew near, she recognized them for what they were- the corpses of Hylian knights, with a single grievously wounded survivor among them. Reacting with all due urgency, Flayre frantically cast her Breeze Whisper spell to contact Rika, causing a shower of rainbow-hued leaves to materialize in front of the Kokiri.

"Rika! There are a number of Hylian bodies strewn about dead ahead. I do believe one of them is still alive. If we hurry, we may be able to save him! Could Wollo carry him?"

'Discoloured lumps' and 'mortals' might have been synonymous in Flayre's mental dictionary, but this survivor might be their only lead for miles. She wasn't about to let him die, at least not before he could cough up the location of the portal.

While Rika tended to the injured Hylian, Flayre's lips curled into a vicious smirk. Everything was proceeding swimmingly... The dying man had given her the next piece of the puzzle without a fuss. Now that she knew where the Hylians were headquartered, she no longer had any need for this churlish child and his bloated pet. She was fully prepared to make for the base at once and leave the Hylian to his unhappy fate; all she had to do was an invent an excuse that would allow her to do so without compromising her image as a benevolent, well-meaning fairy. In this situation, many would-be deceivers would have floundered in the face of Rika's suggestion to carry the man, unable to find an ideal solution to the seemingly contradictory quandary of getting to the camp as quickly as possible while at the same time maintaining an aura of innocence.

Fortunately, Flayre was a cut above all others. This would be simple.

Feigning an expression of gentle concern as she hovered closer to the Hylian so that he might behold her in all her beauty, the Great Fairy shook her head slowly in response to Rika's query. "Regrettably, I do not possess any healing powers of my own. But, if you fear his wounds are likely to reopen, it might be wise not to move him at all. Doing so would slow our progress considerably and leave us vulnerable to attack... especially since I would have to stay grounded." Flayre wrinkled her nose at the thought. Her feet were cold enough as is without touching the snow, and she wasn't about to dirty them for the sake of a man she had only just met. "No, I shall go on to the camp alone. My wings will bear me there swiftly, and then I can direct the garrison to send a rescue team with proper equipment to heal and transport him. You would have to keep vigil over him until then, of course... But this is the safest course of action, I think. Wild beasts cannot reach me, and the blizzard will shield me from any monstrous archers."

What a brilliant plan! Oh, how the tables had turned... She had feared that Rika might arrive at the portal before her, yet now she was all but assured to reach it first! The scamp would be lucky to even get as far as the camp... And the best part was, there was no way he could object. Hers was a completely innocuous proposal on the surface, with no glaring moral flaws. Unless Rika wanted to be callous, in which case she could drop any pretense of compassion and take off, there was nothing more to be said.

Turning back to the incapacitated soldier, Flayre extended a dainty hand and placed it on his cheek. "Be strong, brave knight. I promise that I, Flayre, Great Fairy of Desire, shall grant your wish and return with aid." She then fluttered her wings and took to the air, sparing a backwards glance. "Every second counts, so I shall be off. I leave this man in your capable hands, Rika. Fates willing, you will not have to wait long."

Of course, given that their fates lay in her hands, she could easily ensure they would be waiting a VERY long time, if she were so inclined... or should she say, 'willing'? Ahahahaha!

Brushing her fingertips against the shimmering surface of the portal as she hovered far above the ground, Flayre let out a quiet chuckle. How easy this had been! The Hylians had been all too eager to provide her with the location of the rift. From the very moment she had descended upon their camp, they had knelt before her and pledged to lend her whatever assistance she needed, in the manner most Hylians typically did upon encountering a Great Fairy for the first time. She had briefly indulged their amazement (Ideally she would have had them fawn over her more, preferring pleasure over business, but she had a schedule to keep), before cutting to the heart of the matter. First, playing the part of the selfless agent of the Great Deku Tree, she told the knights about their wounded man, relaying a mostly accurate series of directions to his location, as well as mentioning that she had left a Kokiri behind to guard him. Oh, she had tearfully exclaimed, how she wished she could simply accompany the rescue party to show them the path directly, but there was a greater evil lurking beyond the portal that, if left unchecked, would place all of Hyrule in jeopardy, and thus she would instead place her faith in the Hylians and leave the matter in their capable hands. Next, she implored them to tell her the whereabouts of the portal so that she might put a stop to the unending horde of monsters, refusing their offer of an armed escort when they divulged it to her.

And now here she was, not even a stone's throw away from her goal. Her only regret was that there had been no way to punish Rika without also dooming the wayward knight... Informing the Hylians of their missing man had been a necessary step to prove her 'sincerity' to any skeptics among the mortals, and trying to demonize Rika would have backfired once the rescue party arrived and actually spoke to the Kokiri. No, this was the best result, and she rather liked the idea that at least one mortal would owe his life to her.

Well, whatever became of Rika and the others was no longer any concern of hers. She was about to leave this loathsome mountain and its accursed cold behind, hopefully for good. Bracing herself for whatever foes lay on the other side, Flayre glided into the glowing rift.

At once her body was flooded with a variety of sensations: Bright, multi-hued lights danced before her eyes, the stench of burning flesh wafted into her nostrils, and she felt as if she were in a state of constant, nauseating motion. Then, just as suddenly as these odd symptoms had appeared, they faded. Everything went dark, leaving Flayre adrift in an abyss of featureless blackness. The episode left her slightly disoriented, and she paused for a moment to gather her wits.

Once she had composed herself, the Great Fairy surveyed her immediate surroundings. Only... there was nothing to see. The inky darkness that engulfed her was impenetrable, and showed no signs of dissipating. Had she lost consciousness? Flayre blinked, then frowned. No... She was still in control of her physical faculties, and she doubted anything could overstimulate her senses to the point where she would pass out. Was she still in transit? That didn't seem right, either... Everything was eerily still, including her.

Unnerved, she turned to go back through the portal, so that she might reassess her options in a more pleasant locale... And was greeted by a wall of darkness.

"What?!" Flayre's face paled, her features set in an expression of genuine panic as she frantically searched for the now-absent rift. Was it hidden by this insufferable darkness? Had it vanished, as a result of some foul sorcery? Or had it always been one-way? "No... NO! Where is it?!" The persistent gloom brought unwanted memories crawling back to the forefront of her mind, and her heart was gripped by an emotion she had not felt for a long, long time: Pure, unadulterated terror.

No... She had sworn never to let this happen to her again. She could not, WOULD not be a prisoner of some pocket dimension that deprived its inhabitants of all sensory input! Screaming incoherently, Flayre fired spells into the darkness in an attempt to banish it or at least illuminate the area, but her efforts were in vain. The stifling blackness swallowed her magical energies with almost mocking ease. Practically hyperventilating with rage, Flayre stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath and regain her usual aristocratic calm, recognizing the futility of her current endeavour. As she did so, her eyes wandered in the one direction she had not thought to look: downwards.

There! Below her lay the only source of light in this hideous place, a vast sea of silver that stretched as far as the eye could sea. Flayre immediately rushed toward it, without a moment's hesitation. The expanse of silver was rather bland to look upon, but anything was preferable to the darkness. As she drew closer, she saw her reflection in the fluid beneath her- but rather than the delightful, inspiring symbol of beauty it should have been, it was distorted and warped almost beyond recognition, causing the Great Fairy to cry out in despair.

What kind of world was this, devoid of colour and so hateful to life itself? Flayre cast a sullen glance at the black sky above, then regarded her monochrome reflection once more, its proportions woefully misshapen. No matter which way she went, the atmosphere would be soul-crushing. Nonetheless, one option was clearly superior to the other. She could not bear to be up there amid the darkness a single minute longer. Thus, after ascertaining the sea below was shallow enough to accommodate her via a well-placed Wind spell, Flayre did the unthinkable: Descending slowly, she set foot on the earth to walk.

She winced as her toes sank into the silver liquid, her feet beset by an uncomfortable chill. Unfortunately, as she tried to take a few cautious steps forward, she immediately slipped and fell face-first into the silver mire, her clumsy legs weak from their long period of disuse.

Completely demoralized by her fall, Flayre did not bother getting up. With the recollections of her earlier imprisonment now fresh in her mind, all she could do for now was tremble and weep.