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da3dm · 2 years ago

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Night Light 1.1

Never written a g/t story before, but here's my try on it! Lemme know if I should add some tags or warnings!

Lots of thanks to @dingbatnix for helping me proofread it!

Word Count: 3.6k

Chapter 1: Disappointments

In a seemingly empty forest, a breeze was the only disturbance to the area. Birds were calling, animals caused rustlings in the bushes, and the sun shone softly on the plants, casting a golden glow over every surface. Hidden behind this faux peace, a small group of friends were hiding among the leaves in the branches of a tree, watching the small clearing curiously as they waited in…somewhat silence. Their hushed whispers hardly carried down from the tree. “Get off of me!”

The four of them were finding it somewhat difficult to coexist on the same branch…and two in particular wouldn’t stop arguing. “I wasn't even touching you?” The accused blonde shoved their brown haired friend away, teardrop shaped wings fluttering in annoyance. “Just stay over there and leave me alone.”

The blonde yelped, nearly falling off the branch. For someone who was only three inches tall, a fall like that would be rather dangerous. “Now you're shoving me!”

A third interjected, pushing the pair apart. “Will you two just stop? You've been arguing for hours now! If you keep going, we're never going to see it! They'll notice us!” The red head was trying their best to be threatening, hoping to get them to finally knock it off. “Besides, if you two keep arguing we’re going to lose track of him again!”

The fourth one was on the very end of the branch, out in the open and hanging out in the wind, only held by the stem of a leaf he gripped. He’d been ignoring them until that last comment, but didn't even look their way as he stated, “I am fully capable of taking care of myself. You three are the real chaos material. I wasn't the one arguing with someone for brushing against me.” The blackete was grinning anyway, excited to see if coming to the edge of their borders would finally let them see a real human.

The red head glanced over, only to be struck by panic upon seeing just how startlingly visible his friend was, fully out in the open and vulnerable. “Axel!” He launched himself over there and dragged his friend back onto the branch. “You can’t just hang out in the open like that! You’ll be seen! You’re not even supposed to be out here, don't add being seen to that list of broken rules!”

Axel smirked at them and kept staring out there. “Oh come on! You wanna see them just as much as I do!” Since all four of them were fairies, they had been raised inside a hollowed out tree with the rest of their colony. There were strict rules set in place that never allowed any fairy near their borders, where humans resided. The only things they ever knew about humans was what they'd been told, most of which villainized them. Axel, who remained leaning out in the open, was one of the few that refused to believe those stories. Humans being titans, killing their kind, only showing cruelty to everything around them…none of it made sense to him. Nothing was that big for one thing, but it also didn’t sound right. They made these creatures sound like true monsters, and yet described their appearances as being strikingly similar to their own.

Spark, the red fairy, disagreed greatly with Axel. “No! I’m only out here to keep you out of trouble! For all I know you're going to march right up to one of those giants and completely expose yourself with your lack of self preservation! On top of all that, it’s almost high noon! We’re going to be late for the ceremony!”

Axel squirmed in the tightening grip, attempting to escape. "We'll be fine, we can make it! I know what I'm doing, just be quiet so nothing will notice us." He managed to pull himself free and danced away to keep out of reach.

The blonde fairy walked up to them and pointed out at the forest ahead. "Sorry to interrupt, but isn't that what you're looking for?" Out in that direction, there was unnatural motion and faint voices carrying to them.

Axel spun around immediately, his wings buzzing with excitement when he saw it. "Yes! Let's go look!" He launched off the branch, already speeding away before any of them could even attempt to follow.

Spark turned a glare on the blonde. "Oh yes, brilliant idea Sett, just tell the maniac you see something without someone holding him down! Clay, go after him." He looked at the brown haired fairy as he'd said that before shoving off to chase after Axel.

Sett and Clay looked at each other before they just followed after the other two boys, rushing through the cover of the forest on their way over to the group of camping humans. Axel momentarily almost went above the trees, but Spark caught up to him on time and grabbed hold of his leg, yanking him back down.

"Get back down! You're going to get picked off by a bird!" He lost the dark haired fairy only moments later, but at least he didn't go higher again and merely zoomed towards the campsite.

He knew not to just burst out there but he was getting way too close to be flying out in the open like he was. "You worry too much!" The one to stop him this time was Sett, the only one in their friend group that flew faster than Axel.

The blonde spread his arms out after stopping in front of Axel and pointed to a cluster of branches higher up, where they'd be able to see the open space. "Hide there before you make Spark explode." The two dove into that bundle of branches and leaves almost immediately after, waiting for the rest to show up.

Axel was already clambering forward, trying to get a peek at these creatures. When he saw them his wings buzzed excitedly, but he was also shocked into silence. It was a group of friends or maybe a family, he wasn't sure. That wasn't the shocking part though. What truly got him, was their size. This wasn't like the stories, they were bigger, not smaller like he'd originally thought.

Just as the other two showed up, Sett had pushed himself over to take a look as well, his whole body going rigid as he watched these pure giants move about, doing actions that would otherwise be impossible for the fairies while being way too fast for their size. It was terrifying and they weren't even close enough to feel their movements. One other notable thing…was that their language made no sense—it was completely different from their own.

Spark and Clay had similar reactions, but the red fairy could only look for a few seconds before he had to pull away, his hands covering his mouth as fear coursed through his entire body. It hadn't helped that when he'd looked, it was to see one of them crushing something bigger than they were like it was nothing. He shuddered and moved on to hugging himself instead, refusing to turn back around as he was gripped by a cold sweat.

Clay was just frozen in place, his usual rowdy self gone completely as he watched the wingless titans move about. He hesitated greatly, taking a step back as he looked at the other two still watching the humans. "Hey, uh…I think we should go. It doesn't feel safe here." He frowned at the humans before he went back to being wild, reaching down and grabbing Axel by the back of his shirt. "Sett, move it! We're going!" He was half snarling as he just dragged the curious fairy away.

Spark gave a heavy sigh when he saw Clay dragging Axel away, the tense muscles relaxing as he realized they were leaving now. He didn't hesitate to take off, his wings buzzing madly as he tried to fly off as fast as possible. The humans hadn't shown up in the clearing they'd chosen to watch, and he was glad they hadn't. They'd have been way too close to Hometree…that was just begging for trouble. He did falter for a moment to check that his friends were following, but settled right back down when he saw them right behind him. Even Axel was leaving on his own.

Axel, however, had way too curious thoughts spinning through his mind. He'd felt a sort of natural fear towards a being so large that he was hardly the size of their smallest finger…but he wanted to know everything about them! Why did they look just like fairies but had no wings and were so giant? It was spinning him for a loop and he was sectioning his fear off as just from their size, ignoring the warning bells telling him to never investigate them. Rather, he was somewhat eager to find out what all they had. They were using some very strange things!

Regardless of how unaware his friends were of his thoughts, all four of them headed straight for home tree. They were already really pushing it for their time limit, the ceremony a lot more important than they'd been making it out to be so far. As the large, hollowed out tree came into sight, so did tons of fairies flying in and out in preparation for the celebration. The magic barrier hiding the tree from sight allowed the fairies to see through it, only blocking the contents from other creatures. All four of them went to one of the many entrances, choosing one that was less populated and rushing through on their way to the main hall.

Once inside you had to land and fight your way through the crowds of other fairies. There honestly wasn't all that many of them, but when there was some sort of gathering everyone was moving around so much that it made the numbers seem higher. In reality, you would pass the same person ten or so times on your way to anywhere. The adults in the tree had assigned jobs after all, so they couldn't sit still like everyone else was. The group of friends got separated a few times on their way through the tunnels, but eventually met back up in the wide open space of the main hall. This space was in one of the highest spots in the tree, allowing the sunlight to shine through from openings directly above them.

Axel…had never liked so many people gathering together. Colors, so many colors, kept swarming around him in every direction. It was almost too many and always hit him as dizzying. For one thing, he never once saw another fairy with black hair. He was the only one in this entire colony, and as far as anyone knew, the first to exist. Their records were damaged and it was unclear what the coloring meant for Axel. After all, the color of their hair and wings always determined their magic pathways. Sometimes the eyes would even grant the fairy another power, but those were very special cases.

Reds, and sometimes a rare orange, all belong to fire. Yellow stretching to a pale blonde typically controlled wind and sometimes light magic, which was exceptionally rare. Browns were connected to the earth, green attached to the plants, blue with several different areas…mostly water, sometimes ice. A fairy with purple hair was just as rare as a blonde getting light magic, and they controlled the darkness. So where did that leave Axel? This entire celebration was to find out, and it was leaving him unnerved—one major reason he'd risked being seen merely ten or so minutes ago. He'd rather face horror stories turned real than find out the result of this test.

He followed his friends to the area all of the graduating teenagers were waiting. Everyone gathered here was turning 20 this season, leaving the teenage years behind and about to be considered adults, where they'd be granted a job rather than an apprenticeship. But he was nervous. He stood beside his friends for some time, watching as every fairy in the tree congregated in this hall, the area getting steadily louder until the dooming hush fell over the huge crowd.

The monarch was here. She strode down the platform to the edge, Axel shivering as he felt her cold gaze sweep over the crowd, demanding absolute silence. This development made him take a step back, hiding behind his friends instead of staying next to them. It was too much for him to handle, especially since she was actually…his aunt. He knew it was coming, but it still sent a cold shudder down his spine when her eyes locked onto him momentarily. It wasn't hard for him to know what she was thinking and he was already wishing he could just flee the area.

She smiled only once everyone was still and not making sound, setting her hands on the podium before she projected her voice, "Thank you for taking time off your busy tasks to gather here today!" She kept watching everyone as she continued, "Today we will identify the power of each new adult fairy so that they might join the rest of us in maintaining our survival here in the Hometree." She swept a hand in the direction of the group of new adults, her bronze wings flaring for dramatic effect. "Now, come up in alphabetical order, as is tradition. First…" She glanced at her list. "Ala."

A blue haired fairy fluttered up to the stage, gave a bow, then turned to grant access to his wings. Axel watched in trepidation, aware he'd be dragged up there way too soon for his liking. Even so, he watched the exchange closely. It was easier to activate magic with the help of another fairy, but you could also do so on your own. The monarch reached over and delicately traced her hands over the pale blue wings. White lines spread from his back towards the end of the wings like veins, forming a shape in the center of his wings as the color faded into becoming a near white blue, the shape revealing the symbol of ice.

Of course this had her smiling again as she gestured for the new ice fairy to go wait in a certain area. They would designate everyone by element before telling them what their actual jobs were. He tensed when she looked at the list again, but she called up someone called Amber instead. His nerves were firing off all over the place, his wings buzzing every now and then with discomfort. In the end he couldn't truly watch what happened with the girl up there, only knowing she was hard to help unlock and that it had become something along the lines of earth and minerals.

She called yet another name, his gaze casting to the floor to lock into his feet, his hands feeling sweaty even as she called someone who wasn't him. Despite what all he'd actually been through, this was by far one of the worst days of his life and he had yet to be called on. After only seconds of this building stress, he shoved his hands behind his back in an attempt to slow it down, gripping his arms tightly to force his head back up. Even as he did, his eyes closed and he let out a shaky breath, refocusing on the present.

A hand touched his shoulder and he flinched, only for another to touch the other shoulder. Slight panic made his eyes snap open to see who was grabbing him. Spark and Sett. A wave of relief washed over him thickly, soothing coldness spreading through his body. He could see in their expressions that they understood what was wrong, so he gave them a thankful nod, glancing at Clay who was looking at him like the guy was ready to beat up whatever was stressing his friend out like this.

It made him smile. Axel was finally getting the beginning of a panic attack to settle, at least to a manageable amount. He took a few deep breaths and waited, now a tad more confident knowing his friends were still with him. Even so, with his name called only moment later, he still jolted, feeling that rush of fear run through his body. He let it run. Using it, he made his legs move, taking a few steps forward before he used his shaky wings, knowing his legs felt too weak to take him the whole way. He landed on the raised platform right in front of his aunt, locking eyes with her before immediately looking away.

He couldn't stand being looked at so worriedly, even if it was only a split second. In the end he turned his back to her so she could get to his wings, looking at the wall to keep himself grounded. But then her voice echoed out to the room, "We're treated this season to a new color, possibly bringing in a new fairy element! Let us hold hope for our new friend and greet them among us no matter the result!" It was a traditional saying that had been said only a few times before, but her tone and the fact that it was him she was talking about, felt like someone was stabbing him from behind.

He choked on a breath, but just closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. He would find out what sort of abomination he was today, and…he desperately hoped that maybe he was just an earth fairy, or had something actually useful. The problem…was that there weren't any elements left. When her hands touched his wings he flinched, the touch feeling cold, too cold. When she pulled his magic from his core and into his wings, it was like someone was pulling on strings attached to his organs. At the same time, it wasn't exactly painful, just exceedingly strange.

He peeked his eyes open and watched the glow from the wall, tensing as it started to dim out. When it finally stopped, there was a sort of shocked air among the crowds. A bit scared, especially after hearing his aunt mutter under her breath, he looked over his shoulder at his wings. They were…not showing any element at all. There were some jagged lines, zig zags, loops, and most prominently a sideways eight right where an element should be. Or at least it resembled one, but it was more like two rings looped through each other.

Even so, it still did not show an element. He watched as she silently motioned for an examination, a sort of pressure building up in his chest. His hands tightened even further as fists, his nails digging into his skin as his eyelids flittered just a bit faster. He narrowed his eyes after a few seconds, slowing down his blinking as he waited, fully on edge along with the entire tree full of fairies. He couldn't even watch as they brought a magic stone polished into a ball shape, wishing to measure his element with it and tell if he had usable magic at all.

The cold stone was pressed against the skin between his frail wings. The air was tense, every last person holding their breath and staring at the stone he couldn't see. After some time passed, there were murmurs spreading, a few of them sending spikes of anxiety through his body. The stone was removed and the fairy who'd been trying to measure it was half frozen, stuttering out, "I-it doesn't show anything! He has no element at all! His magic…it can't be used!"

Everyone feel deathly silent, but Axel felt some entirely different. Icy talons wrapped around his heart, a weight settling in his chest as tears fought their way to his blank face. Then all at once it struck, shock creating fear in everyone present. It took a few seconds of panic before some began shouting, asking if fairies were about to lose their magic, that he was cursed, some actually begging their own relatives would have magic and not end up like him. The last was quieter than the rest, but still present.

With the power only she had, the monarch commanded silence with a single glare, silencing the entire room with that on look. She faced them all. "Stop the dramatics! Keep the peace! There is still a symbol, it will mean something somewhere in our archives. We will be investigating this incident, and as of yet, I believe this is particular for only black haired fairies, of which Axel is the only one. Now, go stand over there and let's continue." She had a pained expression for a moment before it was buried under her usual iciness.

Axel couldn't respond. He was numb as he was led to a different spot, standing separate from everyone by quite a bit. His hands found the edge of his half jacket and clutched it like his life depended on it, becoming empty and blank as he zoned out entirely. After all of this time…there is no 'searching the archives', or they would have already done it. No. That stone never lied. And after all that stress, all of that heart stopping fear that his life would end and he could never explore again, he…had nothing.

It was almost laughable. It's hard to say if this outcome was better or worse. In the end, he didn't know what he'd been expecting at all. He actually nearly laughed, just standing there with his gaze cast downwards, only uncertainty blooming inside him. What job…does a fairy without magic even do? Would he remain an apprentice forever? He couldn't tell if that was good or not, knowing he'd be able to keep that freedom to explore, but also knowing he was now a true outcast. After all of that judgement growing up…nothing was going to compare to the aftermath of this discovery.

—

End chapter of the first g/t story I've done!

(will add links to the next chapters at the end of this once I get those uploaded)

/Mistake/ ->

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da3dm · 2 years ago

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Night Light 1.2

Helloooo, it's the second chapter of of Night Light! Previously named “Unnamed Fairy Story” for anyone who sees the reblogs that were before I changed it!

Thanks to @beckyu and @dingbatnix for proofreading!

Word Count: 6.1k (6.100k exactly)

Chapter 2: Mistake

It took around an hour for everything to finish up, and by then Axel had mostly settled back down. Others shuffled around him to do all sorts of things, the researchers behind him and thoroughly studying his wings. Honestly, it had surprised him when they'd reached Clay and the earth fairy had rammed into him for a hug, ignoring their protests, before breaking away from him to prevent being hugged back. The other two were similar, with Sett clinging the longest and getting a hug in return, and Spark doing the least by just putting a hand on his shoulder as he went by. But right now he was alone, with the adults filing out of the hall with their families while the other graduates were all waiting, sectioned off into groups. Axel was still in a corner.

As if that wasn't enough, they kept sending him dirty looks while his friends and aunt merely seemed to be acting like he was pitiful. It rubbed him the wrong way, making his wings flitter along with a shudder as he tore his eyes away from them, instead choosing to stare at the floor. The two studying his wings let out complaints at the movement, but other than that they didn't even say anything to him. It felt like…he was no more than something they needed to put behind ice, there to look at and admire or curse, but not to touch. It was making him feel even worse.

His shoulders slumped when his aunt finally came back to address the graduates, hardly having the heart to look up and watch her. Smiling, just as per her usual. “Now then, all of you have some very important tasks to fill! Firstly, I will begin with our fire fairies. All of you are necessary to help protect everyone from animals. Our barrier is helpful, but it doesn't go very far around the tree. You're our guards. Starting today, you will report to the lead flame daily for training. It will take a year before we let you go out there, as fire is far too difficult to control in a forest. Don't go setting us all on fire, alright?” They laughed halfheartedly seeing her smile about it, but her presence alone would make them nervous. Who wouldn't be? She was the Monarch…although Spark didn’t seem all that amused.

A few small instructions were given to them before she looked at the water group. “I’m sure you're aware of your jobs? If you have an advanced element, you’ll be working with the fire fairies as a team. Otherwise, your task is to keep our tree and everything around it alive. Nothing can grow without water, including us—which brings us to your next task. All of you need to be certain our water source doesn't run dry. Help your fellow fairies maintain the rivers and our well. Wouldn't do us any good to run out, now would it?” She looked nice but her tone was more half threatening them to do it than anything else. Sometimes the way she commanded a room was rather impressive, other times annoying.

This carried on though as she glanced at the wind fairies…and skipped over them, addressing the earth fairies first. “You will all keep helping to create tunnels underground, build homes outside the tree, and overall expand. Eventually, this tree alone won't be enough for everyone to live in…we have to think of the future. Find creative ways to keep bases hidden from the animals?” She looked at the green haired plant fairies. “Your task is similar. You’ll either be working with earth or water. When with the earth fairies you are to help construct protection, while when accompanying the water fairies you must aid the plants they are tasked with keeping alive. There will be more for you further on, but not yet.”

Axel found it somewhat odd she’d skipped over Sett and the rest, but tried not to dwell on it. She wouldn't just leave it unsaid entirely, their task was likely just more challenging. Although…it was hard to tell, seeing as no-one was ever told what the adults do until they get their own magic and become adults as well. He looked to Clay for a moment to check on him, and the fairy looked all jittery. Well, his wings looked pretty heavy compared to before and she was shoving him underground…Clay hated being underground. The guy was a menace, but he was also very claustrophobic. Which was why he usually got mad at Sett, who was sometimes the clingiest guy they knew. He wasn't given much time to start worrying about Clay before the Monarch turned to the wind fairies.

She finally began addressing them, “I do apologize for not immediately explaining your task, I had to consider my words carefully.” She wasn’t seeing a reason to hide it, and it was the truth. “...you see, your task stretches outside the boundaries of the rules themselves occasionally. All of you are the fastest fairies we have, which makes you crucial for this next step.” She studied everyone present before nodding a tad. “Your job is to investigate the creatures around us, how far we might be able to expand, and…this includes studying the behavior of the humans, who seasonally set up temporary bases nearby.” Shock rippled through every single young fairy, both from having human existence confirmed and the fact they'd actually be going near them.

Before they could speak, she held up her hand and continued, believing she’d already provided plenty of time for it to sink in. “The task is simply to make sure they don't approach Hometree. The result would be disastrous if their violent and greedy selves manage to find us. The second half of human surveillance is to go in once they leave and check if anything useful may have been left behind. There have been times in the past where they left behind something invaluable to us. We can't afford to be complacent about the possibility of another chance just like that one.” She studied them but nodded slightly and took a few steps back to see all of them. “Now then. Do all of you understand your jobs?”

While everyone was nodding nervously and looking at the wind fairies with either jealousy or pity, Axel could only pause. She…had completely ignored him. With the wind fairies she’d at least looked their way, but not for a second, not once, had she looked at Axel. All at once, it felt like someone had stabbed him in the gut with a burning hot knife and twisted it, his body steadily becoming too heavy as his eyes widened. “...u-uhm…Monarch?” He got some strange looks from the others but her expression suddenly became stony and she still didn’t look at him. “What about me?” Silence.

The next series of events made him deeply regret that question, especially in front of so many people. “A fairy without an element is only a liability. You will get not only yourself, but everyone else around you hurt or even killed no matter where I put you. You can't keep up with any of them.” For being his aunt, she sure was cruel to him.

It felt like everything was slowing down, but the words ‘keep up’... “I-I can fly faster than Sett! And he's a wind fairy! Couldn't I be—”

“No!” That single word pierced right through him and his jaw snapped shut, a quiver building up throughout his body. “Without an element, you are only a symbol of doom to some of these fairies. Not only that, but you're not any more helpful than the average apprentice. From now on, you will stay inside this tree. Do not leave without my express permission.” She still wouldn't look at him. “Is that understood?” He didn’t answer. “Is that understood?”

He bit his lip, his eyes burning as the urge to not respond was overridden by knowing better. “...understood, Monarch.” He spoke quietly and bitterly, looking away and staring at the wall instead, choosing to just hold his arm as his mind filled with hurt and spite.

He missed her expression because of it, but it was instantly back to a sort of coldness anyway. “Very good. Now, all of you report to your leads. They will guide your next steps as best they can.” He didn’t even notice how she stopped his friends from going to him, his grip on his arm merely tightening. “In a few days, you will all be deployed for a trial run. You have until then to move into your new rooms, where you will be housed with the rest of your element.” The leads of each element were in the room watching the whole time, and now they split to guide the new adults to their new accommodations. She still didn't look at him, but soon gave the command, “And as for you, Axel. You will return to your room and immediately empty it out. I’m moving you to the crown.” It was the safest part of the tree, where the Monarchs always resided.

Even so…he stayed the same, only mumbling out, “Okay.” It was no use arguing with her over it. She had all of the power, and he didn’t even have magic. An adult fairy that didn’t have any magic…had no use, and therefore was to be ignored. The only reason he was being granted extra protection was because of blood relation to the monarch. Otherwise, he would have been left to the agitated whims of the masses and be fully abandoned. The crown wasn't that bad…it was always quite warm up there and not attacked by animals, but the impact of what she’d done to him today remained. At this point, there wasn't any going back, and…his friends hadn't even said anything to him when she did that.

His head turned just a bit so he could weakly gaze at her back as she left, heading back to the inner sanctum to stay fully guarded again, like always. It didn’t take long for his gaze to drop. This was so much worse. So much worse than a hot blade in his stomach…and more like someone had poured lava down his throat, only to leave him thrashing on the floor helplessly. It was no use trying to fight for a position with her being so openly strict with him, especially right in front of the Leads. So, in the end, he pushed the slightly stunned plant fairy researchers away before escaping, taking off from the ground to zip away from the hall towards his room.

It wasn't a good thing to ignore such solid orders, so he simply alighted outside his room gently, actually using the door rather than his preferred entrance of the window. As he stepped inside, his steps were light despite the heaviness in the limbs. The door was shut slowly, with him putting his hands behind his back and leaning against it to fully close it. It took him a few moments and several calming deep breaths, before he pushed away from the door to get to work. Truthfully, he didn’t have very much. It all fit in a single bag, perfect for moving just like this. He eventually had a very small smile as he worked on carefully stuffing some rather fragile items in his bag, considering all that had happened today.

Was it…really all that bad? He was being freed from any sort of job, being provided a super safe room free of any strings attached, and he’d be left alone at last! No-one to make fun of his strange coloration, push him around for being below average physically, and no group of guys bursting into his room, yelling at him, or dragging him places. He was fully free of those three too! Always doing those three things, then adding onto it by telling him he was reckless, always chasing after him, protecting him…healing him…talking to…him. Axel had to stop. That was too much for him to handle. His attempt at messing with his view on the situation had backfired and filled his heart with a painful ache instead, breathing becoming harder.

Too bad. Those three were so chaotic it would've done him good to not be associated with them, but…apparently he was more attached than he wanted to admit. And now they'd be constantly busy, leaving him behind without a second thought even after his whole purpose for being alive was bashed into the ground. His hands clenched and teeth gritted at the thought, and yet the ache didn’t subside. No matter how angry he got at them, he really missed them. Way too much for his own good, in a way. Except…he couldn't hold onto the fake smile and calm behavior anymore. His breath hitched, his eyes burned, his chest hurt, and his wings drooped uselessly on the floor as he dropped to his knees, letting the bag fall wherever it would. As hot tears trailed unbidden down his cheeks, he only had a single thought; why him?

~ꕥ~

After a few days had passed, Axel had gotten fairly used to it. His new room was fairly big, but almost in an overwhelming way…at least it wasn't the room he'd gotten used to. It was the stares. The side-eyes he'd get when he walked through Hometree, and not even once had he seen his friends. Nothing about this situation was pleasant in any way, other than the pretty large window he was provided—that he could in no way exit and enter from. He'd already been yelled at once for attempting it the other day. One of the biggest struggles…was how bored he was. His life had gone from being able to explore and increase what he knew, to being trapped in a room and cut off from his friends against their wills. He'd learned so much from those antics of his, including how to settle a hawk if you got trapped. That's how he got the scar on his arm. Ah, memories.

He sighed to himself and got up, pacing the room restlessly, his wings fluttering without actually lifting him. It was difficult. This entire situation…he wished it could be something else. It didn't change the fact that this was what he'd been dealt, and now the pins were all over the place. With a groan of frustration he just spun and fell face first onto the bed, pulling a face when he managed to contact the wood underneath the thin padding. Sleeping on stronger flowers and the ground was always so much better than their beds. He just lay there in pure silence for a time, but in the end pushed himself back onto his feet as his bright blue eyes landed on the door. Well…getting a snack was at least a little bit of freedom. At this rate, he couldn't even look out the window without a guard seeing and yelling at him to stay inside. Those lead fairies were so harsh, ordering their men to do that…also meant they knew him way too well.

Making his way to the door, he spared one more glance at the far too clean and fancy room, stepping out of it without hesitation. He really…really was starting to hate this. It hadn't even been a week yet and he was sick of it. He missed his friends and cramped room, not to mention his freedom. Going through the halls was risky now though, so he kept his eyes straight ahead and his head a tad low, only wanting to be left alone. Getting tangled with his usual tormentors while they now had magic too? Nope, not on his to-do list. Especially with one being a fire fairy. Getting burned hurt, he'd felt it himself before. It wasn't something he'd ever wish on someone else—except maybe his aunt at this rate. Yup, a small burn to wipe off that smug face would be pleasant.

His trip through the hallway came to an end when he found the kitchen, glad he'd only been passed by fairies minding their business so far. The new problem? It was always a bit more rowdy in here, seeing as they were all suddenly freed from their usual tasks. It was taking him a long minute, hesitation washing over him when staring at the door. He'd just let the people delivering his aunt food give him some for the past few days, so he hadn't actually left the room since he moved in after the ceremony. That fact only made it worse, a shudder wracking his body. The only thing they would remember is him receiving no magic…and being told he was useless right to his face. Oh yeah, that would definitely do wonders for his public image.

In the end, he took a deep breath and pushed it open. Immediately, he was hit by the smell of freshly baked food and the sound of both idle and wild chatter. It was a relaxing sensation and he let his wings droop down rather than keeping them tense, stepping inside and trying to remain calm. It certainly didn't help that when someone saw him, they immediately stopped talking, eyes going wide before their cheerful talk turned to hushed whispers and fearful gazes in his direction. What truly stung was the fact that none of it had been his choice. These horrible rumors and title of being worthless had been slapped onto him without a fair chance to argue back. And yet for some reason, that didn't stop these people from labeling him as something faulty to avoid. If not for this only being an enhanced reaction to him, he probably would have cried.

Nope. Instead he was walking up to the fire chef who was busying himself with orders. Trying not to dwell on how they all looked at him, he sat at the counter instead and waited to be addressed. The chef eyed him for a few moments, then turned and started making a simple snack for the depressed fairy. He even nodded some and started talking, "Hey there Axel. How you been holding up?" He only received a pained groan in response before Axel buried his face in his crossed arms on the counter. "That good, huh?" He went ahead and put some simple bread down for him to eat.

Axel stared at it then looked to the chef. "Your son got a good position in the guard. He's got enhanced fire magic…sounds unreal when his dad's a weak chef."

The man rolled his eyes. "Oh ha-ha." He got quiet for a moment before sighing, "At least now I know why I haven't seen him. Isn't Spark usually attached to your hip? I expected him to come barreling in here screaming at you for something again."

Axel pursed his lips then sat up straight and started eating. "Not anymore. I'm not even allowed to talk to them."

The chef huffed, but shook his head. "That's no surprise. Everyone here is superstitious…especially with the training of the newer fairies being more and more extreme. It's almost like she's preparing us for something, isn't it?" The man was perfectly calm as he spoke, but he still knew just how dire a conversation like that was, especially with their new 'cursed' fairy being part of it.

Axel raised his hand and waved the man off. "Just stop. I know what you're trying to say and it isn't helping. Can I please just eat in silence?" He got a passive shrug as his answer, so he opted for munching on his snack again. It wasn't really the best or all that filling, but it got rid of the desire to have something to nibble on. Except…there was another reason he'd asked for some quiet. When in the kitchen he could sit and listen to the discussions of others. Since he couldn't go anywhere outside now and was technically useless, he figured he could at least gather information and maybe use it to advance his life one day. What he wasn't expecting was the group of wind fairies over in the corner, eating only enough to be full while loudly and excitedly talking about their current plans.

It was honestly shocking to hear one of them say, "—be heading out there today! Finally get to do a field run once those pesky humans leave!"

What? Humans? "They're leaving? How do you know that?"

He'd like to know that too. "They wouldn't have planned the scouting otherwise. Those things are probably leaving at noon or tonight. Thing is…do you think we can do a sudden mission successfully?"

They would be going away? "Oh, I have no clue, don't ask me. We wouldn't even be doing anything but looking. Go back to your conversation."

The loud one spoke again. "No, no, actually, how about you get in on this!" There was a tad of a tussle as their conversation faded out and Axel was trying to figure out why he'd zeroed in on that conversation out of them all.

A commander entered the kitchen and called out, "Wind fairies! Gather in the hall, prepare to leave in one hour!" As the man left, the fairies in the corner whined complaints but got up anyway, all of them heading out the door as they still talked away. Worried about them passing by him, he kept his head low in an attempt to not draw their attention, feeling his heart rate spike. But…it didn't feel like fear or nervousness. What was this? They passed by him and he ducked his head just a tad more to avoid being hit, but his mind was fully focused in on their task. Was he jealous? That they could go outside past the territory borders to examine the massive beings he'd always been interested in? Somewhat, but that wasn’t it either. His wings buzzed some at the thought of their mission, making him pause again.

Excitement. His heart was pounding, a rush traveling through his body, and his wings eager to be put to use. Of course. He'd asked to join the wind fairies because he was right, he was just as fast as them if not faster. If it was just to dart in and out, wasn't his coloration also much better? He was dark, he would blend in with the shadows, but they wouldn't. That blonde hair would be in their way of true secrecy. Maybe he was just a stealth fairy? That would be cool, but he highly doubted it. Even so…what was he so excited for? He wasn't allowed to leave the tree and that request had been immediately refused. He couldn't go with them. It was safe enough to leave for it but he was stuck here instead. He started to somewhat droop at the thought, but another thought hit him—what if he didn't go with them?

Pushing himself away from the counter he waved wordlessly at the chef as he rushed out of the kitchen and towards his room. He nearly crashed into others several times, each time being scolded, but arrived at his new room in record time as he flung the door open, diving inside. In more of a rush than ever before, he started checking the contents of his bag and packing practically all his belongings from over excitement. When he was done he did stop, halting as he stared at the bag before he removed several things he didn't actually need and had only put in out of habit. Once that was done, he slung it over his shoulder and started for the door, only to freeze again. Wouldn't he just be caught doing it this way?

Actually…no, he wouldn't. He grinned madly as he left the room, putting on a calm exterior the moment he was visible to everyone else. If he was sneaking around they'd all be suspicious of him. It wasn't unusual for him to carry his bag around either…so if he acted calm, couldn't he get out before they noticed? He sure hoped so, it was his only possible chance of making it. With that in mind, he stuck to mainly walking, but let himself do so quickly. If he wants to sneak out everything needed to be his usual. He held the strap of his bag as he continued onwards, unable to contain his nervous reactions to the other fairies around him despite his attempt at full focus.

As he went through the halls, he was glared at, got sympathetic glances, or simple looks of disgust. When it wasn't that he was plainly ignored. Well. At least that meant they hadn't noticed what he was planning to do. Taking a deep breath while letting that realization settle in, he steeled himself and strode forward with more confidence. Several more encounters went by and it was going fine, making him relax further…only for him to jolt to a stop when one of them gave a rough 'hey', expecting to be caught, only for a hand to touch his head and slam it into the wall. The culprit just laughed at him as they sprinted off. Oh. The type that would assault him openly now that he was hated by everyone. He didn't even have his friends here. Clay would have torn them a new one instantly and Spark would have retaliated with the exact same attack. Sett…was a mix.

He slowed down when he saw the exit at the base of the tree, now all the way at the bottom where mostly earth fairies stayed. This would be what decides if he escapes or not. Walking somewhat calmly, he made his way out, acting like he fully had a reason and permission to do so. A few gave him unreadable looks, but even after getting out…none of them reacted. Well that was odd. That only sent shivers down his spine, a mix of excitement and fear. He was free to go, but what were the chances this was planned? If it was planned…what was going to happen to him? Who was doing it? It didn't sound right for a lead fairy to make one big move just to get rid of one single fairy…unless they were one of the superstitious ones. He shook himself, then nodded firmly, continuing his walk and ignoring however someone might look at him.

The moment he stepped outside of the barrier he was in the air, zipping skyward to find cover among the trees in a hurry. He ducked behind some leaves, paused only enough to settle the onset of the stress he'd been suppressing a moment ago, then started to continue. He didn't want to waste any more time than he already had. It had been…maybe half an hour? So half the time limit he'd heard earlier, maybe less if all of them assembled quicker. That thought was plenty enough fuel to push him forward, speeding through the forest in a rush. It didn't stop the fear of what might be there, what the other fairies might have been planning to just let him go free, and if this was actually…safe. That thought alone was almost enough to stop him in his tracks—he didn't even have any magic. He faltered but then shook his head firmly. So what if he didn't have magic? He would be fine.

It took him some time, but he finally got to the same spot as a few days ago, stopping in a hidden area to peek out. After a quick scan…there wasn't anything there? He let out a sigh of relief and moved forward a bit to check again, being sure to scan it much more to be sure. He didn't hear or see any humans at all, just their campsite. They were either gone or just exploring somewhere else. Even so…he took the chance. Imagine if he brought back something the humans would've normally taken when they leave—he wouldn't be useless anymore! Oh he'd get in trouble for this, but in his view he figured it would be completely worth it to do this. Sit around in his room and be disposed of when they can't find anything? Or try to prove himself and not be tossed aside? Obviously, the latter!

He dove down there instantly, in a rush to avoid being there when the humans might come back. When he was there, he changed directions and went for their supplies. Without hesitation, he tried to open the bags that had been left out in the open, but it only created a struggle that took too much of his time. It was a weird crisscross design with a tiny handle he was supposed to slide, but…he didn't have the strength to make it budge. In the end he abandoned the bags and glanced around again, his attention locking onto the tent instead. Oh. That would be much riskier since he'd be trapped, but…it was the best choice for something valuable for his Hometree. Maybe. The idea that he could easily get cornered did cross his mind, but in the end he rushed forward.

He slipped inside the tent in a hurry, squeezing in through a gap in the bottom of the same style of sealing as the bags. The inside shocked him. There was so much fabric! And some really weird supplies! It sent a thrill through his body as he approached all of it, speeding around in joy. It wasn't really a whole lot that was useful, but it fascinated him anyway. How did they even make these? And it was all so massive! He delicately traced his hands over metal tools, marveling at such a creation. It was smooth. All the usual imperfections that the earth fairies made in their own similar tools were constantly noticeable, but this was like the ice that covered the water over winter. Smooth, slight, but purposeful roughness. It was hard to process it…but he didn't get the chance.

Hands suddenly grabbed him from behind—fairy sized hands. One covered his mouth, one on his arms, and someone else pinning his wings. He struggled, letting out a muffled cry when he tried to turn his head. They wouldn't let him. He was dragged to the side of the tent roughly, ropes finding themselves wrapped around his arms before one of them swept his feet out from under him. Immediately, they tied his legs and he finally got a good look. No. The small hope it might have been his friends pranking him was dashed immediately when he saw a fire fairy with two other wind fairies. That fire fairy was responsible for the burns adorning Axel's body, scars left from that fairy's cruel idea of a joke. And those wind fairies—he recognized those two as some newly appointed ones. They'd graduated at the same time as him.

He was going to shout at them, anger building up inside him, but a bundle of cloth was shoved in his mouth the moment it opened before another rope was added to keep it inside. The fire fairy had a cruel grin. "Hello, little ax-cident." He always did that to his name. "We saw you rushing after you heard about their mission. You really think I would just ignore it? A chance like this? This is absolutely perfect for getting rid of you. They'll blame the humans, and you'll never plague our Hometree again. I'd ask for your last words, but…I really don't care." And that was it. The guy didn't even say anything else and walked away, slipping out of the tent with the two others and disappearing. He hadn't even said goodbye, but…honestly this just made him mad.

Axel seethed, his teeth gritting against the cloth blocking his mouth. His wings were pinned by his tied arms…he couldn't even fly. This was so disrespectful! He didn't even care that he was going to die, he was just absolutely raging that they had decided letting someone else do their dirty work was better than doing it themselves. That was just being a jerk! And a wimp! He growled to himself and started struggling, hoping to somehow just tear right through his bonds. If only anger could manifest into actual physical power. He was only leaving bruises and possibly tearing his skin while he was at it. The most troubling part was trying not to fixate on how he would never see his friends again. Separated because he was completely worthless, and then killed in one of the rudest ways he could imagine. It made his heart feel like ice and his mind burn.

In the end though, he knew better and continued to struggle. If he only gave in he'd die no matter what, but it had been a while now. If those humans were coming back, it would be pretty soon now. To be honest, he wasn't actually sure how long he'd been struggling, but he'd started to figure out how to wiggle the ropes up and down and was starting with that. But then a hand touched his shoulder and he involuntarily screamed. It was muffled by the makeshift gag, but the hand whopped his head as a familiar voice hissed out, "Shut it. The humans are heading back this way. Stop moving."

The moment the gag was pulled off, to his luck being the first thing removed, he spat out, "Sett!" And promptly got slapped with a hiss to be quiet. He lowered his voice before he continued this time. "Why are you here?!"

The wind fairy glared at Axel. "What, you think I'll leave you here? There's no way that bastard would come back grinning unless he did something to you, and two of our members vanished when we were near the campsite. Now knowing you…it was entirely possible you came here." He had deadpanned that last part while trying to untie the ropes.

But Axel noticed something very different and was immediately alarmed. "You're hurt!" He lowered his voice when Sett raised his hand again. "Who did that to you?"

Sett paused momentarily, then just sighed and worked faster. "Who do you think?" He got Axel’s arms free and moved to his legs. Saving the fairy they'd labeled as an outcast only makes them one too. "They tried to stop me, but as you can see, I'm fine. Only a little roughed up, just like you." He got his feet free and nodded, grabbed Axel's arm firmly and hoisted him to his feet. "We need to—" The ground shook and he cut off, only to stiffen some more when the shaking became a pattern that got stronger. Sett's eyes locked onto Axel's with so much fear, that the magicless fairy instantly knew what was wrong.

The humans had come back. Axel shoved Sett, his voice dropping to a hurried whisper, "Go! Don't just freeze up! Go!" They started to rush for the exit, but a shadow fell over it and they backpedaled immediately, instead diving under the edge of the blanket near the exit. A long, strange sound zapped through the place before a massive foot slammed down inside the tent, carrying an equally huge body. The force of the step lurched them off the ground and they held their breaths anxiously. Once the human was past the entrance of the tent, they both peeked out at the human. The young man wasn't looking their way, so they wasted no time whatsoever in flying for the exit. Axel gave the smallest hisses of pain from a sore spot on his wing from the rope rubbing against it a few times.

The human was immediately turning around to look at the sound, probably thinking it was an animal, but Sett was farther ahead than either of them. He immediately let out a burst of light that blinded everyone, including Axel. Knowing it affected his friend, Sett grabbed his wrist and yanked on it to urge him to follow, whispering, "This way." He wanted to shout and scream from an encounter like that, but there were several other humans staying in this camp and he didn't want to alert the rest. He winced at the sound of a violent crash, presumably from the human falling, but soon after they'd vanished into the trees. Sett stopped once they were hidden and looked at Axel, trying to settle his racing heart by putting a hand over it. "You do realize…you're screwed, right?" Well, that was comforting.

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Completed second chapter of first g/t story! Also, partial g/t interaction?? Next chapter might be just as long, them being as short as 3k isn’t my usual—

And as a side note, it was pointed out to me that if it’s someone important, why didn’t I give them a name? In their culture the name becomes obsolete except among family and friends, especially if they have a specific job that the others don’t. Spark’s dad is simply called Chef because that’s the name of his position! It’s the same for his aunt, who will be called the Monarch unless Axel decides to be friendlier. It is also disrespectful for a child outside of the family to call the parent of their friend by the name unless they were specifically told to—just some lore! And they also put things behind a sheet of ice that stays frozen instead of glass, which is why it’s behind ‘ice’. I will be working on getting their lore actually written to be shared!

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If anyone wants to help me proofread it all yah gotta do is talk to me/dm me!

<- /Disappointments/ - /Fault/ ->

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