Altair turned to Elizabeth in surprise. "A Fairy? You mean, the Mythical Race? I thought they were all finger sized balls of light that float around!"
Elizabeth let out a chuckle as she shook her head. "I'm honestly shocked you don't know about this stuff! What did your tutors teach you at home?" Elizabeth seemed truly curious about Altair's education, irking him and injuring his pride slightly.
He crossed his arms and huffed. "I didn't get a proper chance to study under a tutor. Everything I know is more or less self-taught!" he defended himself. Elizabeth nodded in understanding as she took a deep breath. "How do I start to explain this..."
"Back in the 2nd Era, Mythical Races ruled the world instead of Humanity. At the time, the strongest Gods were Dragon Emperor Morduch and Giant King Aurgelmir. Just under "Them" were the Queen of Angels Valarius and Demon Lord Mephestos. The remaining four Gods were more or less equal in power and position, though there was one outlier: Beast King Sulyvahn."
"Sulyvahn was strange because, while "He" may not have been the strongest God, "His" domain included the widest variety of species. Phoenixes, Unicorns, Griffins, Krakens, Leviathans and many more powerful Beasts all served under "Him", giving Sulyvahn the strongest subordinates out of all the Ancient Gods. Another species that served under "Him" were the Fairies, or Fae as they were known back then."
"Fairies are different from Spirits, whom you just described. Both originate from the same source, but are structurally different. Fae are humanoid clumps of Mana that, well, look like Humans. Spirits are balls of Mana that can take any shape they prefer, but usually stay in their natural form. Both are made from Mana itself, though Fae have proper sentience as opposed to Spirits, who are stuck with the mentality of young children for their entire lives."
"Anyway, when the Almighty Primordial rose to power in the and slaughtered the Ancient Gods, thus initiating the 3rd Era of Humanity, Beast King Sulyvahn also fell. "His" kingdom broke apart and many of the species under "Him" broke away, eventually becoming classified as different Mythical Races. The Fae were similarly split apart, and without a patron God to protect them, were hunted down by Humans and other Races."
"Wait a second" Altair interjected with a frown. "Why would the other Races hunt down the Fae specifically?".
Elizabeth smiled sadly at his question and sighed. "Fae and Spirits are born from Mana, making them depots for it. A random Fae would have enough Mana to overload a C-Rank Core, not to mention a highly advanced Fae. This made them prime targets as crafting materials and...as food."
Altair raised an eyebrow at the last part. "You mean...people eat them?" He tried to imagine a bunch of people gathering around, ripping Nephelae apart and devouring her body parts, and successfully grossed himself out.
"Yes, it was quite barbaric, especially since all Fae have the appearance of children. As the 3rd Era dragged on, the Fae were nearly driven to extinction. Yet during the 4th Era, the Fae made quite a large comeback . It was because of the rise of Chanteur, the God of Dreams and Minds. Upon "His" ascension, "He" gathered all endangered Races and took them under "His" wing, Fae included. Shortly after, the Orthodox Gods outlawed the hunting of the Fae and other Races, with most of the neutral Secret Gods following suite."
"No one knows why Chanteur bothered to do that, or how "He" convinced the Orthodox Gods to follow suite. But regardless, Chanteur is known as "the God of the vulnerable" because of it. "His" Divine Kingdom, the Floating City, is a safe haven for all threatened beings and exists in perpetual harmony and peace. Dragons and Giants even live in cooperation there, despite their brutal grudges. Even Angels, Vampires and Devils are permitted entry if they are fleeing persecution from their own kind."
As Elizabeth spoke, she couldn't keep the admiration out of her voice, and her eyes sparkled. Altair was similarly impressed, since founding such a haven in a turbulent time like the 4th Era couldn't have been easy. Yet there was one question lingering on his tongue. "But what about those that would definitely disagree with Chanteur's actions, especially Gods like Navruavati and Aenrys?"
Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head. "While those Gods and a fair few powerhouses of the 4th Era disagreed with chanteur's attempts, "They" were forced into silence by the greatest trick in the book: violence!"
"Anyone who tried to stir up trouble with Chanteur, the Floating City or endangered Races were purged. Chanteur even received help from Tiamat, Calypso and Fallacy. When the argument got especially tense, Seraphic "Himself" sided with Chanteur and killed most of the dissenters. From that point, Chanteur had free reign to do as "He" wished with the Mythical Races. As for why the God of Light sided with the God of Dreams, no one is entirely sure."
"In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim the reason there is cooperation between the Races today is because of the actions Chanteur and Tiamat took back then. Without "Them", most Races would still be segregated and split across the various Continents. They still are to some extent of course, but there has been much ethnical mixing in the last thousand years."
Altair absorbed everything Elizabeth had told him. He hadn't known that Chanteur and Tiamat had worked closely together in the past, nor had he known the history of the Fairies. He began to attach more and more importance to Elizabeth: both as a potential friend and a wide source of information. Her connection to the literal Goddess of Wisdom would certainly come in use during his escapades for truths about Orvonia.
"What do you know about Fairies themselves?" Altair asked, curious about the Race itself. Elizabeth looked at him from the corner of her eye as she frowned slightly. "It's actually kind of rude to talk about Fairies like this behind Nephelae's back, now that I think about it..."
Altair clasped her sleeve as he gazed at her with upturned eyes. "Please Elizabeth, I really want to know! I promise not to mention anything to Nephelae, or anyone else for that matter!" he pleaded with puppy-eyes. The blue-haired girl seemed to struggle internally before sighing and giving in. "Okay, okay, just get of me" she ordered.
"Fae are born form Mana, but not the same as Spirits. Spirits are literal balls of Mana that gained the vestiges of intelligence, like a child's. Fae are clumps of Mana that have been mixed with a genuine soul however, making them "deeper" and allowing them to take human form. As for what souls, scholars believe it to be the souls of deceased children."
"You mean Nephelae is a dead child that came back to life?" Altair asked, frowning. He had been certain his classmate was of flesh and bone, and well alive. Elizabeth shook her head though, dissuading his thoughts. "Fae aren't dead children come back to life, but reincarnated souls."
"Basically, the soul any child that dies young without fulfilling their dreams and ahs regrets has a chance to stick around even after their body is gone. If certain conditions are met, the soul merges with ambient Mana and transforms into an entirely different soul and being, a Leprechaun. That's where Fae come from."
"A Fae always takes the form of a child, rarely older than 16, and doesn't age past 18, making them naturally immortal and youthful. They have a body of flesh and blood, yet somehow transform back into Mana upon death. No one is quite sure why at this time why. Another trait of Fae is their natural inclination towards Prana and Aether. As creatures born largely from Mana itself, they can sense any Aether pockets and even create them. This is why the Floating City is such a powerhouse compared to other Divine Kingdoms: the Leprechauns there work as Aether generators."
"Because of this, matured Fae are amongst the strongest entities in Orvonia. Only if they mature however, since most Fae don't actually Ascend and stay as "normal" people for their lives instead. So despite their extravagant military potential, Fae are mostly considered a civilian Race by the Orthodox Churches."
Elizabeth finished explaining what she knew about Fairies, though Altair was still hoping for more. Still, what he had learned was highly interesting, and he looked forward to finding out more on his own. 'I suppose I will have to return to Sylverics, or maybe I should visit the Academy Library?'
As Altair was once again lost in his own thoughts, he arrived at his next class, and the last one before break. He looked up at the plaque over the door, where the words "Theology" were written in neat gold letters.