In a dark space, a small girl was seen standing. Her fragile frame glowed within the darkness.
"Hello?" The child's voice echoed to the nothingness. Holding her hands close to her chest, she looked around in fear. In the quietness of the space she's currently in, only the sounds of her fearful breath and racing heart are to be heard.
"Is anyone there?!" The poor child shouted at nothing, she hoped that someone— or even something would answer her. But no one did.
With tears welling up her eyes, she clasped her hands to her chest and looked around. She ran, looked and looked, screamed and shouted for help but could never find anyone else.
She was alone.
Realizing her situation, the little girl helplessly sat on the ground she was standing on and hugged her knees tightly, a mannerism she was quite familiar with. Soon, she began tearing up and crying like a child that she always was.
"They were right... I was bound to die alone after all." She said weakly, her voice shaking in sadness.
She remained in this state for some time. Wallowing in self-pity, anger, and fear. Her tears, no matter how many times she wiped them from her face, kept on flowing endlessly from her eyes. She wasn't used to crying for she always held the tears in. And now in this place where she was alone, her emotions exploded when no one was looking.
A pitiful sight.
But suddenly, out of nowhere, a small orb of light conjured itself out of thin air right in front of the solemn child. This tiny light shone brightly in the deep darkness of the whole space.
Lifting her head and staring into the light, as if she already practiced this, the child immediately stopped crying, wiped the tears from her eyes, and sniffled.
Tucking her short white hair to the back of her ear, she stood up with tears still flowing out of her golden orbs. Staring intently into the small light, her eyes reflected a sad yet accepting glow.
"Mama never told me that death can be so cute." She said with a youthful chuckle.
The moment she saw the small light, she knew that it was finally her time. This was her confirmation that it was her time to go. She was familiar with the concept of death and that dying was the best thing that she could do.
At least that's what the people in her village said to her.
Looking away from the small light for just a moment, she then patted her flower dress and tidied it up. She never forgot what her Mama told her about always being presentable even in the face of death. Lifting her head, she instinctively extended her hand to where the small light was and lifted her head to look at it.
But in contrast to the small light she saw earlier, what she's seeing now is something more magnificent than ever. Replacing the small orb was a woman covered in glowing light. Her face was as gentle as the moon and as tranquil as a lake under the night sky.
Her whole structure which was towering the little girl showed no other color other than a white glow. She held a familiar smile on her lips when she looked down at the girl as if a mother were looking at her child with a proud look.
With the little girl's hand still extended. She was frozen in shock.
Upon this sight, the woman chuckled and held it. She then caresses the child's head and kisses it with motherly affection before kneeling and welcoming the girl in a tight embrace.
Now, in the presence of the glowing woman's light, the two beautiful wings on the child's back are more visible than ever. It reflected the woman's glow as if greeting her.
This whole ordeal made the girl unable to move in shock. That is because she knows she's seen this woman before, she doesn't know when or how but this woman looked oddly familiar. She looked like a family.
Gently pushing the girl to meet her eyes, the woman then speaks in an echoing yet gentle tone with a smile, "You can wake up now, child..."
And then the girl suddenly vanished from the dark space.
******
After healing the tiny fairy from the deadly spider poison, her breathing began to calm down. She's now tightly sleeping on the web cocoon, her face even more relaxed than before. The purple pulsating poisoned veins on her neck are now gone.
Wow, say those words three times as fast. Purple pulsating poisoned veins, purple pulsating poisoned veins, purple pulsating poisoned veins.
Hehe...
While I was thinking about nonsensical thoughts right about now, I'm actually munching on the mountains of carcasses the spider left me to die in earlier.
It's been about an hour and a half since the spider left and it showed no signs of returning soon so I had to keep myself entertained. And I find nothing more entertaining than munching all your thoughts away.
Currently, I'm sitting beside the small fairy while gobbling up what seemed to be another spider but only slightly bigger than my size. It was white and had red marks all over it like a cool tattoo. When I inspected it earlier, it said that it was something called a "vampire spider" so that's cool.
I've eaten about five of the same spiders right now and I don't plan on stopping from just these arachnids anytime soon. My appetite seems to not only get wilder and wilder the more I eat, but I also don't appear to ever get full either. It's actually making me nervous but I can't just stop.
It's just that every time I eat another thing from this stack of weird creatures, new amazing tastes envelop my mouth once again. I've experienced so many tastes now. There were sweet and spicy ones, bitter ones, and most importantly, very delicious ones especially if I mix it with my poison. I kinda feel sorry for the spider since almost all of the food it stored has already been eaten by me.
Yep, that's how much I've eaten so far. There are only these spiders and about 7 giftwrapped-soon-to-be-opened munchies left to eat now so I'm kinda hoping that this girl would wake up before I eat them all up.
Also, while eating, I found that the mana that Lux consumed to save my ass from inevitable death earlier almost dried up. That's fucking dangerous on so many fucking levels so I immediately fed him my mana.
But I didn't have much to give since I still haven't recovered it fully so he didn't get that full. However, he didn't complain and just accepted what little sustenance I could give leaving me at only 1 MP to spare.
It's fine though since it's not like I'd actually use some mana-consuming skills anytime soon so it's quite alright. Also, he did save me so that's that.
Oh yeah, speaking of! Lux leveled up from fighting that spider for my safety earlier so that's a plus.
"Ow..." A little girl's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.
Holy shit! The (previously) dying fairy must've woken up! Good to know she's not in a coma or something. She was really close to biting the dust earlier.
Her overall health was really critical to the point that I thought she was too far gone to save. Thankfully, I wasn't a little bitch who's easy to give up.
Turning my head to my side, I soon found the tiny girl's eyes fluttering. Eventually, she opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. I found that her complexion was still pale but it's obviously much better than before. Still lying down, she soon met my gaze after darting her eyes throughout the ceiling above her.
Her pure golden eyes stared deep into me for a few seconds, and I, in return, stared back. Suddenly, out of nowhere, her face crumpled into a state of panic. She then stood up which made me move a few inches away to not get us both hurt by headbutting ourselves.
The tiny human with dragonfly-like wings that I had just saved was now quivering in fear at the sight of me. Her small frame shook at the edge of the ripped-open web that encased her earlier.
"P-Please, I'm not tasty...!" She exclaimed weakly with her voice still raspy from her almost eternal slumber.
Holy shit! So I didn't hear it wrong the first time! This child can speak English! I was kinda worried that I needed to learn another language if that wasn't the case so WOOHOO!
But undeniably, hearing her statement made me cringe.
I wasn't some sort of crazy killer who... kills and eats stuff for fun...
Fuck.
W-well, she doesn't know that... yet!
"I'm not gonna hurt you!" I answered back with my stick arm flailing around. I can't afford to make myself look like a fairy-killing predator under the eyes of this poor little girl!
Upon hearing my voice, the little fairy's face turned from fear to utter terror.
What did I do now?!
"N-No!" She screamed, grabbing everything she could get her hands on, which were mostly just small rocks, and throwing it at me.
"H-hey! I'm a good firefly larvae! I would never hurt someone like you!" I spoke once again, dodging everything she hurled at me. Shit, I should've told Lux to set up an illusion of me looking similar to this fairy girl!
With my arms still waving, I moved closer to the girl to comfort her. But by doing this, I appeared to have made the kid more scared than before. She covered her eyes with her arms, curled into a fetal position, and prepared for the worst.
But in contrast to the life-ending hit that she was expecting, a familiar white glow illuminated in front of the girl which slipped through the gaps of her defense. Compared to the small orb of light floating above the ceiling, this light outshined everything. It reminded the girl of something... of someone...
Sensing the presence of the light like a dense divine presence, the little girl lifted her arms and opened her eyes to see. Her eyes, still sensitive to light due to the lighting of the room earlier, squinted to see. And when she saw the light, a figure of a woman presented itself to her.
Her mere structure brought comfort to her heart, a feeling which she had long forgotten. The feeling was so nostalgic yet so strong, that tears started forming in the girl's eyes. And when her eyes adjusted to the light, the figure faded and what remained was another figure. This time, it was a worm.
"Hey... don't cry..." I mumbled when I saw the kid's eyes tearing up. I don't know what pushed me to just activate my light magic then and there and hold it in my hand. But it looks like it worked in calming the child down. Deactivating this, the glow of my light magic soon dimmed down, leaving my orb to be the only light to illuminate the area.
When my skill's effect finally died down, the child's face met mine. She blinked twice and finally asked me calmly. "So... you're not an entity of the shadows?" her small voice spoke up.
Oblivious of what she was talking about, I proceeded to nod my head gently and answered, "Yes, honey. I'm not a... uhm... a-a shadow entity."
Entity of the shadows? What the heck are those? Are they dangerous? Shit, this sounds like bad news.
"But they're the only ones who can talk like us. To trick us. But... you have the power of light on your side. Does that mean I can trust you?" The winged child inquired once more. She seemed to be somewhat convinced that I was one of these dark creatures but seeing my light magic made her doubt her previous line of thinking.
There are two things that I've learned from her questions. One, there are dark entities in here and they can't talk, the only time they talk is to trick. Two, they can't use light magic like me.
Hm? I remember the system telling me that my natural ability in light magic was enough to suppress dark magic.
Dark Magic... did the system indirectly warn me about these creatures?
Snapping myself from my deep thoughts, I answered the child before the pause became too long. "You betcha! I was the one who healed you after all. I even healed your broken wing for you!" I said to make her feel easy.
Man, I definitely had doubts about connecting her wings back together again, but it seemed like I had nothing to worry about since the system identified her wings as a part of her body, allowing me to heal them.
"W-What? You fixed my... wing?" the small fairy asked in shock at what I just said. Bending her wings with the help of her hands, she saw something she never thought she would see again. Her wings, looked as brand new as ever, without a single tear or damage to be seen.
Its intricate patterns reflect on the small light source we have in the room, glimmering like constellations in the night sky.
Seeing her amazed reaction made me smile a bit. She looked like a kid who saw their parents show up at their ballerina show. She looked both happy and relieved.
Slowly turning her head to face me, she held a meaningful expression. She was fidgeting a bit. She opened her mouth and closed it again as if she was trying to say something but couldn't say it.
"Ah... Uhm... Th-Than—"
Before she could even finish, I cut her off by saying, "Don't mention it. It's what anyone would've also done in the situation."
Well, I wasn't about to let my conscience get stabbed a million times knowing that I most certainly almost killed her earlier.
Hearing my immediate response, she smiled at me and stared at her now healed-up wings. She was truly glad.
Seeing her all calm like this, I became curious. What in the world is she? Is she dangerous? Is she really a fairy? A pixie perhaps?
"Inspect..." I whispered as I stared at the girl.
Her mere existence was raining countless questions into my mind. And with a simple skill activation, I found out what she was.
*Ding!*
[Moon Fairy]: [A fairy species native to the Dark Forest. They can grow to be as big as sparrows and have the power to create illusions and harness the powers of the moon. These beings live together in tribes where they choose to be isolated from the rest of the empire. They are known for their gentle magic and peaceful yet timid nature.]
The empire? Now that's new information. Hmm, just as I suspected, monarchy. What a typical fantasy setting. Well, let's set those thoughts aside for now.
It's a relief to know that this kid isn't some kind of killer fairy or something. If they feed on blood, that'll be a problem for sure.
Staring at the child, I soon opened my mouth to ask, "What's your name, sweetie?"
I can't just call her "child", "kid", or "girl" all the time! It feels very tiring.
"W-Wisteria..." she spouted nervously while looking at me. It appears like she's still shy. Well, much better than her being scared of me all the time!
"That is a very lovely name." I complimented her. Damn, I sound like a grandma. Hearing my compliment made her smile though so it's fine.
Smiling in return, I introduced myself too. "You can call me Elaira, it's nice to meet you." Judging from her size and appearance, she must be pretty young. If she was a human she'd be around nine to ten years old so.
Now that we're basically not strangers anymore, I can ask her that question that's been bugging me since earlier.
"Wisteria, if you don't mind me asking, how can you speak English—", but before I could even put a question mark, she suddenly involuntarily asked, "Wait, how did you learn Xentrurian—"
What? Xentrurian? Is that supposed to be what English is called here? Why? Hoo, so the British didn't go as far as conquering this fantasy world too!
*Ding!*
[To clear up any further misunderstandings, the system alerts the user about its translation function. Whatever the user says in English will automatically be transferred to the other party as Xentrurian language and vice versa.]
Oh, so that's why! Damn, the system sure is very handy! Thank you, Gods!
"English...?" Wisteria suddenly spoke.
Shit.
"O-Oh, I misspoke! I meant, you're so young! How can you speak Xentrurian so fluently? Anyways, this is Lux! He's a boy wisp." I excused. She doesn't need to know that I'm some kind of extraterrestrial, soul-swapping, reincarnated creature is what saved her.
"He's very cute..." She answered with a blush as she stared at Lux who stared back while circling at Wisteria as if examining her. What a bunch of cuties! If I had a baby sister, I definitely would want her to look like this fairy right here.
Now that I was looking at her closer, I could see that she had pointed ears like that of elves. It was neatly covered by her short silver hair so I couldn't see.
Damn, she's so anime.
Opening my mouth to speak again, I stopped myself when I felt something.
The ground. It's trembling.
Turning my head to the entrance of the small cave-room we were in, I felt its owner coming back.
The spider is finally here.
"Elaira?" Wisteria spoke when she noticed me perking up so suddenly.
Snapping my head to her, I covered my mouth with one of my stick arms and made a shushing sound. "It's back, get behind me," I explained.
Hearing my statement, she only nodded and crawled behind me for protection.
What a sight, a tiny fairy seeking protection from a worm with a leaf skirt.
Deactivating my light orb right above us, the room grew darker than ever. Aside from Lux who flew far from us the moment he felt the same ominous aura, nothing is visible.
Soon, the spider arrived. It squeezed through the slightly tight entrance. Once again, I was reminded of how big this creature is. It's towering over the both of us and its mere size makes me dismiss my thoughts of ever defeating it.
Lifting my head to look at its abdomen, I didn't find what I was looking for.
Ha... no food? What a drag.
Its eight red glowing eyes are its most imminent features. It struck fear in both me and Wisteria as I felt her trembling at the sight of her captor. And to be honest, this is making me really fucking nervous right now too.
I can't really say the same thing about Lux though 'cause he's doing some sort of crazy light show with his glowing body in front of the huge spider. What a brave little guy.
The air was thick with tension and I could feel the overwhelming aura of the spider consuming us.
The spider stared at Lux for a few seconds before shifting its attention behind him. It scanned the place and the more it looked the more it huffed heavy breaths.
And as unexpectedly as ever, it soon landed its eyes on me. It was staring very hard and I could feel its anger and fury just from its gaze.
"SCREECH!!!"
The spider suddenly shrieked at me before charging. It passed through Lux, ignoring him. Its eight legs served it right as it immediately closed the distance between us.
SHIT!! THIS DIPSHIT CAN SEE IN THE DARK!
Fuck! This thing is so unpredictable! It must've seen all of its food gone and got angry at me!
"DODGE!" I screamed more at me than Wisteria. Hearing me, however, made Wisteria act up immediately. She hugged me with her frail arms, buzzed her wings like a bee, and flew us both away from the spider's destructive path to safety.
Thankfully, Lux was quicker than both of us because he immediately conjured a light shield underneath one of the spider's legs and pulled it backward the moment the huge arachnid stepped on it, making the spider fumble on its steps a little bit.
"Uhng!!!" Wisteria voiced as she lifted me up with all of her strength. FUCK! I FROZE THERE FOR A SECOND! THANK YOU LUX, WIS!
With her limited strength dying down, Wisteria quickly dropped me on the cold rough floor of the cave before falling herself.
Aside from us avoiding the spider, Lux is fighting this thing with all of his might using multiple light shields. He smashed and thrust many of the same shields at the spider. Some dealing damage, some getting absolutely destroyed.
"Thank you, honey. Now it's my time to protect you... and Lux too 'cause he might actually die at this rate!" I shouted without looking at her while she breathed for air after her aerodynamic performance just now.
"N-No! We have to work together to escape the Cave Guardian!" Wisteria voiced out at me. Cave Guardian? Is that what they call this thing? Well, who cares?!
"Oh, honey we won't be escaping!" I said with a huge grin. "Because we are going to kill it!" I exclaimed, conjuring multiple light blades behind me.