[Day 2]
I woke up.
The rain had stopped, and sunlight greeted me.
Even though I had slept for quite a while, my body still felt tired.
I got up from the bed.
Grumble~ Grumble~
My stomach growled.
I felt a bit embarrassed, but thankfully no one was around to hear it.
"Um…"
Where was the owner of this hut?
Did they abandon this place?
It was a bit dusty, but that didn't mean no one lived here, right?
The fire in the fireplace was still burning, yet the wood hadn't been consumed at all.
I put out the fire with water collected in the rain barrel outside.
The quill and ink bottle were still left open on the desk, so I quickly closed them and returned them to the drawer.
Feeling hungry, I searched the storage cabinet for food.
Luckily, I found some dried meat and pieces of bread that were still edible.
This hut wasn't too bad—at least, it was livable by my standards.
When I thought about drinking water and heading outside, I noticed a strange glass bottle.
The bottle was fogged up, and when I wiped it clean, golden light shone from within.
"Beautiful…"
I was mesmerized.
"Child? Could you help me out of here?"
"A-a fairy!?"
Inside the bottle was a fairy, the kind I'd only heard about in stories and legends.
"Yes. Can you free me first?"
"O-oh, yes!"
The glass jar was tightly sealed, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open it.
"Ugh… This is so hard."
"Try finding something heavy—you might be able to break it."
"All right."
I ran to the hut's storage room to look for something to break the glass jar.
There, I found an old axe that looked like it could break at any moment.
Lifting it, I carried it back.
"Okay, I'll try using this."
"Yes, but be careful."
Crack—
Instead of the jar breaking, the axe's wooden handle snapped first.
The fairy pointed to something inside the hut.
"How about using that?"
"Huh?"
It was… a sword.
I hesitated a little before picking it up.
When I touched its handle, a tingling, cold sensation ran through my hand.
I lifted it and approached the glass jar.
"Are you sure this is okay?"
"Of course. I'll be able to escape once the jar is broken. Hurry."
Swing—
With a single swing, I felt the sensation of cutting through something—oddly familiar yet strange.
Crash—
The glass jar shattered.
"Ahaha, finally, I'm free!"
"Yeah…"
"Thank you, young one. As a reward, how about I grant you a blessing?"
"Bleaching?"
"No, bless-ing."
"Blessing?"
"Yes, that's right! You're smart."
The fairy patted my head with her tiny hands, a surprising warmth spreading from her touch.
"Um, it's okay. You don't have to trouble yourself…"
"It's no trouble. I'd feel guilty leaving you with nothing."
"All right, if it's no problem for you…"
"Good child."
The fairy clasped her small hands together, and not knowing what else to do, I mimicked her.
"Oh, Great Imtar. I am Bell, the Fairy of trees and flower fields. A fairy freed from sin and arrogance, reckless and carefree. I humbly ask you, oh Great One, to bless this human child with your boundless wisdom and grace. Now, choose, young one: a peaceful life or great power?"
I opened my eyes and saw that the fairy had transformed into a divine being cloaked in golden dust.
"I… I want…"
After I made my choice, golden light filled my vision.
Golden dust was everywhere.
When I opened my eyes again, the fairy was gone.
I checked my body—there was no visible change.
"Thank you, fairy."
I bowed slightly, expressing my gratitude.
I picked up the sword I had used earlier and went back inside the hut.
Without realizing it, the sun had already set. The day was coming to an end.
I climbed onto the chair, sat at the desk, and began writing again by the light of a candle.
Later, I went to sleep.
And with that, Day 2 ended.