Chapter 8: Chapter 8 To part ways can be such sweet sorrow

Racing along in wisp form with Grams and Gramps was an amazing feeling. The ground and scenery rushed past incredibly fast. Not that there was much scenery nearby considering how high up we were. We started dropping back into trees that weren’t as tall as the Central Tree. It was supposedly dangerous flying up over the treetops as creatures like Roks, large eagle like birds that would go for any Fairy flying above the trees for too long. The Roks were strong enough and quick enough to be able to push through the weakened barrier near the treetops of Fairy. Not that I had much to worry about with Grams and Gramps with me but it could attract unwanted attention, especially as the [Guardian Fairies] would be notified of a breach. I glanced up briefly, having rarely ever seen the sky through the thick branches covering it up, and saw the large asteroid belt that ringed the planet. 

I had only seen it a couple of times but it was magnificent each time. Pretty soon it was invisible below the tree line again and instead I focused on experiencing the speed that we were travelling. Grams and Gramps must’ve been using a whole lot of mana to pull this off, I don’t even know how they can actually do it, as far as I was aware the wisp form didn’t allow you to travel faster than what I could already do. Maybe I can upgrade it somehow? Eh, it doesn't matter, I doubt I’d have access to it, let alone be able to even use it for a while at any rate. 

I soon recognised where we were, I had been here before and started guessing where we were actually going. Not long afterwards, my guess was confirmed as we approached then passed the pile of rubble where the undead bear had been killed. Unbelievable, we had traveled in mere minutes which took me nearly an hour on my own and I ran out of mana part way through to boot. By now we had moved closer to the ground and began weaving in and out of the trees. Even though we can travel through solid matter if it’s not too thick, it’s usually safer to avoid doing so. If whatever we want to pass through is too thick or somehow resistant to our magic, we can get seriously hurt. While in that form, we are incredibly vulnerable to magic as well. We slowed slightly as the trees became denser and harder to avoid but the landscape still rushed past us at almost reckless speeds. I could barely react in time to even notice obstacles before they had already disappeared behind us, it was mostly a green blur for me. 

Looking ahead I could see, through my magical sense, part of the magical barrier that surrounded all of our forest home, although it was thin enough that it was almost nonexistent in the sky closer to the centre. Luckily it was that high up most creatures had difficulty even getting close. Not that the barrier prevents people from entering exactly, more deters people or monsters entering or exiting Fairy easily. I could see the barrier that we were rapidly approaching. The spot that we were heading to looked strange. Like something was disrupting it somehow, it looked almost sickly. Normally the barrier had a faint blue and green shimmer, but up ahead it looked like it was almost bruised a sickly brown and yellow with a dark, almost black, purple in the centre of it. 

With an abruptness that startled even me, and I was watching, we reached the barrier and stopped just beside it. Looking around I could see trampled ground and broken trees in an almost direct path leading to the damage in the barrier. “Took you long enough, we can’t hold the barrier open for much longer.” I spun around at the sound of my sister's strained voice. 

“Rose!” I shouted happily and threw myself into her arms. She was looking a bit pale and had sweat dripping everywhere as she weakly hugged me back with one arm. I had only just noticed her other hand was resting on the barrier. Looking around more carefully, I noticed Holly was standing on the opposite side to Rose in the exact same pose, only she looked even worse off than my sister did. I guess she never got to go to sleep after her night shift. Now I feel bad for asking so many questions and taking so long. 

“I love you Rose,” I whispered into my sister's slightly pointed ear while I hugged her tighter to me. 

“I love you too Azalea, make sure you come back to us you hear? I expect to hear all the crazy bratty things you’re going to do.” Rose says back fiercely as her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. 

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I cracked a grin as I reassured her, “I promise.” I turned away before she could see my own tears in my eyes. 

Moving back, I flew over to where my grandparents were hovering. They were both holding each other with tears in their eyes as they both pulled me into a three way hug. Their powerful auras were fluctuating wildly, causing a soft breeze to start flowing around the three of us unpredictably. Grams was the first to loosen her grip on our hug, followed by Gramps and finally me. I moved back slightly but still clung onto their outstretched arms. Grams lifted her free hand up to my face and cupped my cheek with a warm, watery smile and moved away slightly herself, before speaking. “You took so long to hatch, we started to fear that you never would, and now we’re already sending you away after so little time spent with you.” Grams held on to Gramps and was clearly holding back her tears as fiercely as I’ve ever seen someone do so. Wait… hatched? I’ll.. deal with that some other time. All of a sudden I didn’t know if I was making the right choice. I was being selfish. My family clearly cared for me a great deal. Even more than I could ever have imagined. Gramps moved up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. 

“Be brave Azalea, you can do this. Come back when you are ready. Now go!” Gramps ordered as he turned me around and nudged me towards the barrier. 

“Azalea!” Rose shouted over a fierce wind that had started picking up, most likely due to the power struggle between the [Guardian Fairies] magic of Rose and Holly and the strength of the barrier. The wind increased in strength even further, angrily blowing sticks and leaves every which way, through all of that, I noticed the bruised look in the barrier had started fading to its natural blue and green again. “Azalea!” Rose shouted again, “if you don’t go now, the other guardians will be notified when you breach the barrier. Go!” I hesitated only briefly before I flew at the barrier, fighting the gale that was threatening to blow me off course, I would have transformed into wisp form but it felt like that would be a bad idea. It was times like this that I wished I had tied my hair up as it went everywhere. 

As I raced towards the rapidly closing hole, I almost expected it to feel solid but a sickly cold feeling surrounded me as I pushed my way forward, I sunk into and through the magic and was almost explosively expelled out the other side as the breach healed itself and the wind instantly settled. I had been propelled several feet away before I managed to catch myself and stopped my tumble through the air. Thankfully flying is instinctual or I would have had a lot harder time saving myself. As I looked back behind me, I could just see Rose and Holly through the magic, slump into each other’s arms. Ahh! So they’re closer than I thought they were, they make a cute couple. I waved to my family from the other side and they waved back, at least in Rose’s case a small weary hand wave was all she could manage while holding and being held up by her girlfriend. I saw her say something but couldn’t hear a word that she had said. I glanced around to make sure there wasn’t anything dangerous nearby. Thankfully the only thing I could see was a part of a large tree that seemed to have fallen over only to be cut off at the top, the top which was currently inside the barrier right near where the damage had been. I guess I know now what caused the damage. 

“Well, thank you tree for your sacrifice!” I nodded to the fallen tree. Yet another thing that helped me on my quest to ultimate power! I suddenly felt like cackling madly while lightning bolts lit up the sky behind me. Instead, I placed my hand near the barrier briefly to my family then moved back from the barrier slightly and as I did, I saw what seemed to be a shiver pass through the trees within the magical forest and felt as much as heard a low keening moan somehow from the forest of Fairy. It was almost like the forest itself was saddened from my having left it’s borders. I hesitated briefly, surely that’s just all in my head right? “I'll be back” I whispered mostly to myself, a little too emotional at the moment for even me to put on a terrible Arnie impression right then. I shook my head before I shifted into wisp form and took off without looking back. I didn’t know if I’d have the bravery to continue if I did. I wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t my imagination but I thought I could still feel the feelings of despair and loss from the Fairy forest rapidly fading as the distance between me and it grew larger. It wasn’t until it faded entirely that I could start thinking clearly again. 

Oh shoot, what about Mother?!

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