Cleon tried to train me in an open area. He showed me the basics of magic flow and how to transfer it to any living creature. It was a pretty easy steps to go by, just focus on the flow of magic inside myself and force it out gently into one of my two hands in a flat palm to a target I wish to transfer that magic.
[STARTING MAGIC TRANSFER.]
[BEGIN TRANSFER.]
"Wow, you're doing great, " he said with a smile, "Now to stop the transfer, you just have to clench the hand you're using for the transfer to stop the flow."
[MAGIC TRANSFER END.]
"Good job, " he said clapping his hands, "I thought it would be harder given you're new and you're half Cat Kin, but you did that easily with no problems. Would you like me to talk about our history lesson now?"
"A-Actually, I'm going to take a break for a bit. Maybe some other time, when the whole Gathering is over."
"Well alright, " Cleon said, "Hurry back soon."
To be honest, I just needed a breather alone for a moment. Even though I've only been around the Fairy King for a day, I felt something off. I wanted to brush it, but ever since the sudden Gathering and the recent mention of Lucifer's errand to pay back for the antidote, the feeling kept on growing. Like something is going on. I went to a nearby river as I washed my face with it, to see my reflection in the water of my kid face with cat ears. Then the words flashed back at my face with Echo voice ringing in my ears.
"What was Echo's problem with me? Like it came out of nowhere, and the way it was projected towards me... it sounded kinda forced then by nature."
Then I remembered something Echo said when accepting the challenge: To abolish the Fairy King's ideals. Cleon seems nice enough, but at the same time I did feel a slight uneasiness with him. Maybe I do need to confront Echo... something tells me there is more to this than the King just teaching his rebellious kid a lesson. And just when I was about to get up, my Sensitive Hearing heard voice in the far distance. As I walked closer to the voice, it became more and more clearer to my ears that it was Echo's voice. I watched behind the trees as he was clearly practicing magic transfer to the plants around him. He looked exhausted and ready to pass out, so I approached him.
"You shouldn't use too much of your magic like that."
"WHO GOES-?! URGH!, " he said trying to defend himself but suddenly felt pain in his head.
"Sorry Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."
"Oh, it's just the Hybrid, " he said finally looking at my face with a irritating tone, "What are you even doing here? You trying to spy on me, you creep."
Oh great, I guess I'm creeper now.
"No I just heard a voice when I was by the river and-."
"You can't possibly make me believe you heard me all the way from the river, " Echo said in a serious disbelieving monotone reaction, "The river from here is all the way at the edge of the forest and a little far from the village itself, how in Astra would you even hear me?"
"Cat Kin hearing skill. But it only activated when I need it, I tend to close off that skill so I don't hear too many things at once."
"And why would you need it now, " Echo questioned.
"So nothing sneaks up on me. I've learned from past experiences with surprises."
"...Okay you win, " he sighed in defeat, "Anyway, you can go now."
"Oh, I'm not leaving. I also approached you for my own reasons too, and not just cause I heard you."
I obviously putting the guy on the spot. Echo was exhausted, and can't really move at the moment so there really isn't any other options for the guy to choose except to hear me out. So I took a breath and crossed my arms.
"So, what's your deal?"
"Excuse me, " Echo said raising an eyebrow.
"Look, I don't want to involve myself in other people's problems if they are sensitive about it. But given that I was dragged into this situation unexpectedly, I think I deserve to understand what the problem is between you and your father."
"That man is not my father, " he said with his head turned, "He's a monster."
A monster? I never hear a child ever call their family members monsters before. And the Cleon doesn't seem like a monster.
"Well then, tell me how exactly is he a monster to you."
Echo immediately looked at me shocked. Was he not expecting me to say that? Well I guess you can't exactly insult the Fairy King in front of other fairies and maybe he thought I would try to defend Cleon.
"A-And why should I, " he said going back in the defensive, "Why should I just trust my problems to a Hybrid I just met!? What's your game?! You trying to gain my trust to use me later?!"
"...I'm not asking you to trust me or do anything for me. It's your choice to decide that. But I want to help you. If you want to keep quiet about it, then I won't push it any further."
I turned my body around then looked at Echo one more time.
"Think about it."
As I make my way to leave I felt a hand grab my own. It was shaking but very tight. I looked back at Echo and realized the tears falling down from his cheeks as he held on to my hand, but he was obviously trying to hide the tears from me.
"I... I'm willing to trust you, " he mumbled, "So... stay here... Ca... Cath..."
"Catherine."
"Catherine..., " he said softly, "Can you stay... and listen..."
"Sure Echo."
He explained to me that when he was born, he was destined to be prince and rule the forest, like his father and deceased grandfather and always dreamed to be king one day. His grandfather was a stubborn fairy, but he was kind and at least allowed the fairies to live freely to be what they want. However, his father wasn't like that. Just like his grandfather, he was stubborn and kind, but he also believed in perfection and wished to force that upon his people and his own children. His grandfather tried to protect them from his ideals as much as possible. But he died and my father was force to rule Flair Forest, forcing all the fairies to follow his ideology. The younger fairies including his eldest sisters who didn't even get their wings yet were forced to have their destined identity given by his father, which as a result silenced their voices. Echo told him he would never take on his ideals, thus never getting his fairy wings. While it was true fairies were the one of the few neutral creatures to accept any race with open arms, but it would never be accepting towards themselves as long as his father still ruled it. Echo still did his princely duties his own way, without his father's help, but it bothered him on how much his father let his guests speak their minds but not his own people, which caused him to rebel on other guests to make to try to scare them and make them leave immediately. He admits it wasn't right for him to insult me out of the blue like that, and that he did feel guilty about it.
"Thanks to you though, I might have a chance to end his ideology, " he said with a sad smile, "But I also don't want you to lose on purpose either."
"What? Why? Wouldn't that be easier?"
"It would, but my pride won't let that slide, " he admitted, "If I won without giving my all, then it won't feel like a victory. So don't hold back on me, and if I lose, then I lose and there's nothing to be done about it."
This was wrong. This was so messed up. Cleon didn't do anything bad since she woke up. He helped with the antidote. He didn't even sound like a threat. To think he's doing this to his own people. To his own family. If he didn't tell me this, I would have turned a blind eye on what the stakes were. And the more I looked back the more I realized only the older adults spoke while the younger adults and children never spoke a word. Not even the eldest daughters of the Fairy King spoke. This confirmed my uneasy feeling with Cleon. I couldn't just let all of this go if I won somehow. But I also want to respect his choices so...
"Okay... we'll fight fairly. But I do have a plan if all goes wrong."
"What do you plan to do, "he said looking up at me as I try to leave."
"I plan to be myself. Just like how you should act like yourself more often.
Echo looked at me confused.
"You sounded unsure when you told me you dreamed of being king. It might because you consider other choices but scared to admit it or it was because your family told you to be so never thought you could be anything else. But it's okay to have other dreams than just one you know. It's okay to choose the things you want to do. That's what being yourself is. Anyway, I'll see you around, I'm going to go get food."
For the next few days, me and Echo were just training separately, but afterwards we'd meet up and secretly chat with each other about our days and about each other. He really has opened up to me and it felt great to chat with someone so casually and openly like this compared to when we first met. At the night before the Gathering tomorrow morning, Cleon approached me.
"You've become quite close to my son these days, " he said smiling, "He seems to have stopped his rude attitude slightly."
"N-Not really, but I think he's okay once you get to talk to him."
"How much has he talked about with you, " he said in what now sounds like a threat.
I knew if it comes out that he told me everything, I would be screwed and he might try something on me or him.
"Nothing interesting. He does talk about his duties as prince."
Which isn't false either, cause he does talk about it. Please don't read my mind. Please don't read my mind. Please for the love of god, don't read my goddamn mind!
"Well alright, " he said calming his tone, "While we're talking about my son I'm kind of curious. Does he ever talk about marriage?"
Marriage? Why so suddenly? This feels kinda awkward.
"I-Isn't he a bit young to be thinking of such things?"
"Not really, " he said, "Marriage is pretty common for your age. People like yourself should also be considering it."
My age?! People like myself?! Since when did go from a conversation about Echo to a conversation about me marrying people?!
"N-No thanks, I don't think I'll be okay with thinking of that until several more years!"
His face completely changed. I messed something up, didn't I? Then he grabbed me and took me away to his tent nearby with Echo watching me in worry.
"CATH-, " he called out and tried to grab me back but was blocked by Cleon.
"Stay out of this, " Cleon said no longer having the nice calm expression that he usually has anymore and has his guards block the tent entrance.
He pushes me down inside his tent, but as I tried to get back up I saw a familiar person next to me. It was Lucifer, and he was bleeding and beaten up. My face fell as I shook Lucifer to wake up.
"Lucy! Lucy! Wake up, please!"
"He couldn't do his deed, but came out of there alive" he said in a serious tone, "And since you were so set on not marrying anyone and we're in an obvious plot to try and stop me my plans have gone down the drain, I thought it might be a good opportunity to use Plan B give you a completely different deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"I'll heal the Fallen Prince, in exchange you must not only win the Gathering you must also marry my son to share my ideals."
"Why...? Why?!"
"Why my dear? Neither me or Echo told you, did we? We fairies have our own rules and laws to go by. One of our rules is that fairies must either be fairies or human brides to mate for magic offspring. We fairies can mate each other but no other creature has a high level of elemental magic than the humans. It's always important for the baby fairies to be provided with magic before birth otherwise they die. So the moment the Fallen Prince came with you, I took that as a opportunity of a lifetime for my perfect kingdom."
"Y-You're insane."
"Exactly what he said, " he said laughing evilly at my response, "Now, make your choice, KITTEN."
Echo was right, he was a perfectionist monster. He'd do anything to keep his ideal utopia in tact. He has now showed his fangs to me and I know what needs to be done. Echo... Lucifer... whatever happens tomorrow just know I'm sorry... Please... Forgive me...