Thalia, seeing that her attack had been countered, descended to Kaito, landing softly on the ground before him.
"Fairy!" Thalia said between laughs as she saw Kaito's translucent wings. She landed gently on the ground and started laughing uncontrollably, her dragon armor still glowing with the residual energy of their fight. "I never imagined you'd be a fairy!"
Kaito remained silent, his face neutral, showing no signs of offense. He calmly watched Thalia, waiting for her to finish laughing, without showing any negative reaction.
Hahaha! Thalia continued laughing, holding her stomach, amused by the irony of the situation.
"You know, Thalia, fairies were supposed to be extinct? Your father, Zeus, made sure of that." Ddraig's voice echoed through the forest, abruptly cutting Thalia's laughter.
Thalia stopped laughing instantly, her smile vanishing as the reality of what she'd just heard hit her hard.
"What?" Her voice, once amused, was now filled with shock. She looked directly at Kaito, her eyes full of confusion. "My father... Zeus... exterminated your kind?"
"Yes, Thalia," Kaito replied, his voice calm but filled with suppressed pain. He looked directly into her eyes, maintaining his serene demeanor. "Zeus exterminated my kind. I'm the last of my lineage... but that's fine. Soon, the gods will bleed."
Thalia, who had been laughing moments earlier, now felt the weight of the revelation. Her smile completely faded, and she looked at Kaito, her eyes full of guilt and sorrow. The shock of knowing her own father was responsible for such a tragedy left her momentarily speechless.
"I'm... so sorry, Kaito," Thalia said, her voice soft and full of regret. She lowered her head, her eyes avoiding his, as the weight of responsibility and guilt crushed her.
"It's not your fault," Kaito responded quickly, his voice firm but full of understanding. He stepped forward and lightly placed a hand on Thalia's shoulder. "It was all Zeus. You did nothing. There's no need to apologize."
Thalia took a deep breath, raising her eyes to meet Kaito's again. "I know I'm not responsible, but... he's my father. And that makes me feel awful."
Kaito nodded, understanding the internal conflict Thalia was feeling. He removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step back, giving her space to process her feelings.
Thalia took another deep breath, and with a conscious effort, let her draconic armor dissipate into light. Slowly, the powerful red dragon armor disappeared, leaving her in her normal human form.
Kaito followed Thalia's lead and relaxed his form, his translucent fairy wings retracting gently until they disappeared completely. His blond hair returned to normal, and his ethereal aura dissipated. Now, the two stood side by side, back in their normal forms.
Kaito, with a calm gesture, began channeling his nature magic. He raised his hands toward the devastated trees and destroyed ground around them. Immediately, nature's energy responded to his call.
The fallen trees began to rise, their roots extending deep into the earth once again. Leaves started growing back, quickly flourishing, as life returned to the forest around them. Within minutes, the forest was restored, as if the intense battle had never occurred.
SHH...SHHH...
The soft sound of leaves rustling in the wind accompanied the recovery process, bringing peace back to the environment.
Thalia watched in silence as Kaito worked, admiring his ability to restore life around him. When it was all over, she let out a light sigh, relieved by the calm that the forest once again exuded.
"Impressive," she said, breaking the silence, her voice now calmer and full of respect. "I didn't know you had that kind of power."
Kaito smiled faintly. "It's part of being a fairy. We naturally have a connection with nature. And I thought it would be fair to fix what we destroyed."
He then lowered his hands, and with a gentle movement, dissolved the magical barrier surrounding the forest. The invisible protection field dissipated, and the sense of isolation faded, allowing the outside world to become part of the environment once more.
"Now everything is as it should be," Kaito said, looking at Thalia.
Thalia nodded in approval, still processing everything she had learned. "Kaito... you really are going after Zeus, aren't you?"
"Yes," he replied, his voice low but determined. "Zeus and the other gods. They need to pay for what they've done. And I won't stop until we achieve that."
Thalia looked at him with an expression full of respect but also concern. "I'll be by your side. I promise you that."
Kaito nodded, acknowledging Thalia's determination.
The two stood in silence for a moment, sharing the same conviction. The soft wind blew through the forest, as if witnessing the pact they had just made.
School
"Emily, did you hear about this? Thalia brought a strange man to her house!" exclaimed one of the girls in Emily's group as they sat in the school cafeteria, chatting animatedly. The buzz about Thalia was already spreading through the halls, and people's curiosity was inevitable.
Emily, who had been distracted by her phone, frowned upon hearing the comment. She looked up, clearly annoyed by the direction the conversation was taking.
"So what? It's her life, and it's none of your business," Emily said, her voice firm and tinged with irritation as she stared directly at the girl who made the comment.
Before she could respond, Jason, the werewolf, who was nearby, heard the conversation and growled softly, a low and threatening sound that made the atmosphere tense.
"Do you really think that's normal? She should have told me before bringing someone home!" Jason said.
"You're not her boyfriend, brother, or pet, Jason. Why should she tell you anything?" Emily retorted, her voice sharp as a knife, as she stared the werewolf down.
Jason, clearly irritated by her response, growled louder, baring his sharp teeth. The tension in the room increased, and everyone around the cafeteria stopped to watch the exchange of harsh words between the two.
Emily, showing no fear, stood up slowly, her eyes fixed on Jason's.
"Going to bite me, dog? I'm not afraid of a jealous little wolf," she said, her voice firm and full of challenge. At the same time, her hands began to glow with a soft light, signaling the magical power she controlled.
Jason, seeing the glow in Emily's hands, stepped back cautiously, his eyes still burning with anger, but now with a touch of wariness. He knew Emily wasn't someone to be recklessly confronted.
"One day, you'll regret treating me like this," Jason said in a low voice, his threat clear, but his body already retreating.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and stormed out of the cafeteria, crushing his phone with such force that the sound of glass shattering echoed through the room. Jason left furiously, his heavy footsteps echoing down the corridors.
CLACK!
The sound of the door closing was the last thing heard before Emily sat back down with her friends, crossing her arms with a serious expression.
One of Emily's friends, visibly uncomfortable with the scene, broke the silence. "You shouldn't treat Jason like that," she said hesitantly. Emily knew her well enough to know she was one of Jason's "flings," always defending him no matter what he did.
Emily just scoffed and ignored the comment, having no patience for that kind of talk. She grabbed her phone and tried calling Thalia, but as expected, the call went straight to voicemail.
Frustrated, Emily left a brief message. "Thalia, call me when you can. People are talking about you here at school, and it's not good."
She hung up, pocketing her phone, and turned her attention back to what would come next.
Thalia's House
"So, that's it," Kaito said, stopping in front of Thalia's house door. He observed her expression, which was calmer now, but still carried a hint of guilt over what she had learned about Zeus. Thalia, in turn, looked at Kaito with an expression of hesitation.
"I'm sorry again, Kaito," Thalia said.
Kaito shook his head, smiling slightly, trying to ease the tension between them.
"Forget about it, Thalia. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong, and there's no reason to blame yourself for the sins of others."
Thalia nodded slightly, and Kaito turned, walking toward the door.
Kaito opened the door to Thalia's house, and daylight flooded the room, contrasting with the heavy emotional atmosphere that lingered between them.
"We'll talk later," he said, stepping through the door, not looking back but knowing his words still echoed in Thalia's mind.
CLACK!
The sound of the door closing echoed through the room.
Thalia began to slowly climb the stairs, heading toward her room. As soon as she entered her room, she closed the door behind her and walked over to her bed, where the Boosted Gear gauntlet rested beside her pillow.
"Ddraig," she called mentally, her voice filled with uncertainty. "How can I be a good Queen for Kaito's Peerage?"
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