"Hey Agua what are you doing stay back!" Elysia heard a small voice laced with authority bringing her from the surface of consciousness.
"But Fig, we need to help her! She's injured." a gentler voice insisted, worry evident in her tone.
Elysia stirred, opening her eyes and blinking rapidly as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The ground beneath her was hard, and as her vision cleared, she realized she was lying on a rough, woven mat in a small, dimly lit hut.
Sunlight trickled through the gaps between loosely woven walls, casting dappled patterns across the floor. She could hear the faint chirping of birds in the distance, and the scent of earth and herbs hung in the air. Her head felt heavy, and she pressed her hand to her forehead as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
"What...?" Elysia murmured, disoriented.
Suddenly, a fiery voice exclaimed, "She's awake! Stay back, Agua!"
"Wait, Ember! No, she's just a child!" Agua stops her younger twin sister.
Elysia's eyes darted, searching for the source of the voices. When she spotted a group of colorful small creatures hovering nearby, she squinted in disbelief. They were no taller than four inches, their wings shimmering like dragonflies from the streaks of light. Four of them kept their distance, but one floated cautiously closer.
"She's looking at us!" the smallest one squeaked warning his other siblings.
"Don't be silly, Paku! Humans can't see or hear us!" another replied, her voice soft and ethereal.
"But Gale, look!" Paku insisted, urging the others to glance at Elysia, who stared back at them bewildered.
"Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Agua inquired, undeterred by the apparent danger of the human.
Elysia sat up and shook her head, trying to clear the fog of confusion, her thoughts swirling as fragmented memories flooded her mind. She recalled the cramped, dimly lit apartment where every meal was a struggle, her stomach grumbling with hunger while she counted coins to make ends meet. Then came the sound of a carriage rattling over cobblestones, her heart racing as she remembered running away.
Running away from what? She could not recall. She remembered though reaching this small hut her body exhausted from running. She looked at her hands, body, and feet covered in dirt. She takes in the sight of her long, black hair instead of the brown she remembered. Although the body felt familiar, there was an unsettling sense that it belonged to someone else entirely.
She lost her sense of balance and leaned towards Agua, supporting her weight with her own hands as she tried to stand up.
Without missing a beat, mber and Fig zoomed in like a hawk, wings flaring in alarm.
"Agua, fly back here right now!" Fig's furious voice sliced through the air.
"I'm coming Agua!" shouted Ember in urgency.
She watched the flying creatures as the tallest and one with red hair reached the one with blue hair.
"Back off!" Fig attacked, and a leaf landed on Elysia's nose.
Ember with all strength managed to send a small puff of smoke from her hands, exclaiming, "Take this!"
Elysia tilted her head "What was that for?"
"Stop it, you two! You're going to scare her away!" Agua came between her two siblings and Elysia, her voice a mix of authority and motherly concern. "Can't you see she can help us?"
Still bewildered, Elysia asked, "What are you?"
"My apologies for my siblings; they can be a bit... short-tempered!" Agua fluttered closer with a warm, inviting smile. "I'm Agua and I am a water Sprite!"
"This is my big brother Fig, and he is a plant Sprite." She pointed to the tallest Sprite.
"What are you doing giving our names to this human?" Fig grumbled, grabbing Agua his arms.
Agua whispered to him "Don't you see this is the first human we've encountered who can both hear and see us?"
So she continued with her introduction, "This is my younger twin sister Ember, she is a fire Sprite, and the two little ones over there are Gale who is a wind Sprite, and Paku an Earth Sprite.!"
Elysia stared at the Sprites, trying to remember their names. "Fig, Agua, Ember, Gale, and Paku," she said, and as she did, their skin shimmered with a faint glow.
"Wow!" Paku exclaimed, fluttering his wings as it glowed brighter. "Can you say my name again?"
"Paku?" Elysia repeated, and his wings fluttered faster.
"Mine too!" squeaked Gale, her wispy voice eager.
"Gale?" Elysia said and Gale responded with a bright smile.
"Could you say mine as well? I mean, not that I need you to!" Ember said crossing her arms but sneaking a peek at Elysia.
"Ember, Agua, and Fig," Elysia said their names as a means of recall, with every name she spoke, the Sprites glowed brighter.
"See, Fig! It's working!" Agua turned to her brother.
Fig was trying to hold back tears of joy. They all felt it, a surge of pure magic within them, as she spoke each of their names.
Agua had this overwhelming feeling of hope. This human had natural pure mana, it was like soaking under the rain after a long drought.
"What about you? What's your name?" Agua asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
"Elysia," she replied, feeling the name roll off her tongue as if it had always belonged to her. It seemed silly to think she could have another name; after all, everyone only had one name. Elysia was confused by the overwhelming questions in her mind but asked the most pressing one, "Where are we?"
"We're in Master's Hut!" Agua announced, her cheerful tone contrasting with the eerie quiet that filled the room. Dust-covered books weighed down the bowed shelves, while strange objects and dried herbs sat untouched, each radiating a faint aura of forgotten magic. Soft rays filtered through a cracked window, illuminating charms above the doorway, and outside, the forest stretched into a vast, undisturbed wilderness.
Above the tranquil sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds, Elysia's stomach growled, and she said matter-of-factly, "I'm hungry."
"Don't worry!" Fig assured her. "I know where you can get some berries! Follow me! " His personality was quite the opposite of their first interaction. Fig led Elysia to a small garden just outside the hut. Its once-vibrant plants were now faded and brittle beneath the dry, cracked soil. Only a few resilient herbs remained, clinging to life amid the tangle of shriveled leaves and stems.
"That's strange. How long were we asleep?" Fig wondered, but before he could figure it out, Elysia's stomach growled again. "Oh! No, we shouldn't let you starve!" He circled the berry bush. The once-withered plant was soon overflowing with plump, vibrant berries glistening in the sunlight. "Here, try these!" He picked one and placed it in her hand.
Elysia ate one berry, savoring it, as it bursts in her mouth. "It tastes sweet!"
"Thank you! I grew them myself!" Fig replied proudly his glow growing stronger than others.
Overwhelmed by her sudden hunger, Elysia quickly grabbed more berries, trying to fill a void she didn't know existed— she choked.
Agua offered her a blob of water. "Here, drink this and please eat slowly!"
When Elysia had her fill the sun was about to set. It would be dark soon she thought and driven by instinct she started picking up rocks twigs and fallen branches.
Elysia returned to the abandoned hut, her gaze settling on the small hearth on the floor. She carefully arranged a circle of rocks, laying dried twigs, branches, and leaves in the center as kindling.
"What are you doing?" Agua asked, curiosity bright in her eyes.
"I'm starting a fire. It'll be cold soon," Elysia explained.
Ember perked up, eyes gleaming. "Let me do it! I can help!" She focused hard, summoning a small spark that flickered in her hands but wasn't quite enough to ignite the fire. Ember's face fell.
But Elysia saw a small ember caught on to the leaves so she started blowing. Gale saw what she was doing, "Here let me!" for the first time in a long time, Gale summoned a small gust of air. Delighted by the magic she continued to feed the small ember some air until a blaze started.
"Waah!" The Sprites gasp in unison.
"That was so amazing Gale!" Ember said proudly.
Fig held his younger sister's hand, tears and snot on his face "Sister! You finally did it! Your magic has returned".
"Congratulations Gale!" Agua gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder "You're incredible sister!" Paku praised.
Gale realizes her siblings' words and she feels an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride as she says, "I did it" tears flowing down her eyes.
The siblings gathered together in an embrace, sharing in this momentous accomplishment.
Elysia smile at the warm scene before her. Fig, Agua, Ember, and Gale glowed even brighter, their faces lit with delight as they marveled at the tiny flames.
"How come you're all brighter but not me," Paku said looking at his own hands his light dimmer compared to his siblings. "Oh no Paku hasn't given Elysia the Sprite's Favor in exchange for calling out his name," Ember whispered to Agua.
"I know that dear calm down. I'm sure Paku has something to gift to the human." Agua looked at Elysia eyes longing. "Is there anything you need that can involve earth magic?"
"What do you mean?" Elysia asked confused.
"You see as a Sprite, when our names are called by humans who possess mana, we gain a little bit of magic in return we should offer you what is essentially a Sprite favor," Agua explained.
Elysia tilted her head as she asked, "What is a Sprite Favor?"
"It's our way of giving back to you, using our powers to offer you gifts or to help you," Agua explained. "Like when Fig and I provided berries and water to satisfy your hunger and thirst. Like the warmth from the fire from Ember and Gale's gift."
Elysia looks at Paku his eyes downcast, she asks him "Then what can you do?"
"I am an earth Sprite so I can do anything that is related to Earth!" Paku said determination in his voice. "Ask me anything you want and I can do it!"
Elysia looked thoughtfully at the hearth, noticing how the smoke lingered in the room. "It would be much better if there were a chimney," she murmured to herself, picturing a the room much more ventilated. She raised her hand, tracing an upward path with her fingers as if shaping the air itself. "Can you create a form like this?" she asked, motioning to lift the earth into a cylinder shape that would channel the smoke out through the nearest window.
"I can!" Paku said determined and he assumed a stance similar to what Elysia did.
Fig worried steps in and says, "Wait Paku, that sounds a bit advanced for you."
"I want to try it at least, otherwise I won't be able to give Elysia a Sprite favor." Paku held his ground as stubborn as any earth Sprite could be.
"You'll get hurt!" Fig warned, but Agua placed a hand on his shoulder "Fig no, don't try to stop him." She then gently chided "Go ahead Paku why don't you give it a try."
With Agua's chiding Paku boldly faced the task at hand. His two little arms positioned to mimic what Elysia did from the ground, he had to lift the earth over his head. He grunted with all his might, an invisible heavy force seemed to prevent him from lifting his arms upward as Elysia did.
Elysia looked at the little Sprite though his face turned purple from his exertion, his eyes were filled with determination. She could not help but cheer in a gentle voice "Go on Paku, you can do it."
Elysia's encouragement seemed to have affected Paku. The invisible force holding his hands back became lighter until ultimately, after releasing a huge grunt, he was able to join his hands into a triangle over his head. He fell to the ground collapsed and catching his breath.
For a moment there was nothing, Elysia and the other Sprite siblings looked at each other. Agua was the first one to utter a word "Nice try Paku, good job you were able to try at least."
But before Paku could respond to Agua's comforting words, the ground where the Sprites were hovering suddenly rumbled and shook. The other Sprite siblings could not react fast enough because the earth that was once below them suddenly pushed upwards toward them until they were high in the air. The Earth pushed it's way to the shape Elysia imagined.
Paku looked up at where his siblings were, holding clinching to the side of the structure for their dear life. "I did it!" Shouted Paku. His siblings peeked down, realizing they were out of danger when the earth stopped moving, it dawned on them their youngest showcase such great strength. "You did it!" they all echoed back to him as they flew down to embrace him.
After the festivities, the Sprites continued to hover around Elysia showing her the extent of their power. The sun dipped below the horizon and the forest was embraced by the night. The echoes of cheers from the sprite halted when the door slammed open.