Ivy and Elise *REWRITING* *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter Twenty

As the woman's irritable tone bounced off of the cave walls, Elise was suddenly struck by a question.

"In my tribe we had stories about you. We called you 'The Dignitary'. We celebrated your story and yet we knew nothing about you. So may I just ask, what is your name?"

The woman turned her opalesent eyes to Elise and frowned in concentration. The answer seemed to be worlds away. Finally, she spoke. "Mysta. Mysta Eldon."

The words were simple but fell heavily upon the air. Finally Elise could put a name to the face of the person that had brought her here. The face of a person who had changed everything. It was almost like looking into the painted eyes of a long-ago chief. They had once been a living, breathing person but had been reduced to some careful strokes on a canvas. Mysta was a part of that forgotten history. Sure, her story was told but her name had been lost to time.

"Well Mysta, we have an issue. We've been having visions of a creature resting in this cave, ready to wreak havoc on this world and you are the only person who can help us." Elise replied, still marvelling at the fairy infront of her.

"You mean the Kayrix? I killed that thing years ago." Mysta retorted with a sigh.

"That's not true." Tyran said suddenly. His voice was calm but laced with anger boiling just below the surface. Panick flitted across Mysta's face. "My people have felt the effects of the Kayrix waking up. I lost family. I lost friends. My whole world fell apart. The least you could do is help us."

"I am sorry for your loss, child but I can't. You wouldn't understand."

"Then explain." Tyran shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Make me understand."

She regarded him with an unreadable expression before drawing a deep breath. "I was young and full of naive pride. I never felt like I was enough and so pushed myself to do everything. I'm sure you can understand. In my tribe I started off as a gatherer, then moved to hunting, the year after it was healing. I worked my way up the hierarchy, so desperate to prove myself. One night the chief invited me to his quarters and told me about the Guardian Creatures and what their role was in protecting their countries."

Rowan cleared her throat. "What's  a Guardian Creature?"

Mysta turned her imperious gaze to Rowan. Despite her frail, aged appearance she still held a glimmer of dominace. "You demanded me for my story and now you interrupt? Do they not teach manners on the surface anymore?"

Elise put a comforting hand on Rowan's shoulder while Ivy frowned. "You shouldn't take that tone. All she asked was a simple question that any of us could've asked."

"A Guardian Creature is a being that protects a country's Artifact." Upon seeing their blank expressions she added a second comment. "Artifacts are magical items that represent the values of a country. For example, Viridiana's Artifact is The Amulet of Peace. When worn it creates a sense of calm and clarity, aiding in movent and dexterity.

Now, on that night, the chief explained to me that our creature had broken free of it's master's control and was creating a path of destruction to escape Viridiana with the Amulet. There need to be action. Fast. My chief told me to find a group of fairies who would be suited for the task of killing our guardian, retrieving our Artifact and create a new creature. I told the chief that he didn't need a group, that I could handle it all by myself and he agreed. He held a celebration in my honour and found me all the supplies I needed. Then he bade me farewell and I was on my way.

It was a long journey to take by myself. I had never left the tribe for a long period of time but I pressed on, desperate to prove myself for one and for all. I reached the caves and passed through the different communities living there. I found friends who supported me along my journey. Finally I reached the lair.

The fight was a struggle to say the least. I was badly injured and lost a lot of blood. I knew deep down that it was a pointless endeavor but I couldn't return empty handed. I couldn't face the shame and whispers. I couldn't accept failure. So I had no option. I trapped myself here and created a bond between me and the Kayrix. It feeds off of my power and I do the same to it. We're slowly getting weaker but I've had no escape."

A heavy silence pressed against the scene. Then, Tyran spoke. "Before she died, my mother told me that you are worth more than what you can give to others. She meant that despite all of our shortcomings and flaws, who we are and what we can do is enough. We can't pretend to be someone else because deep down we are our own people and we can't change that. We can only learn."

"What I think Tyran is trying to say is that you can't defeat the Kayrix on your own because you're forcing yourself to be someone you're not. It's haphazard and unmeasured. However if you team up with us we could be a team and stop this together."

The group smiled at Elise and she looked down with a slight awkwardness. She had never been in the position of offering advice, more often than not she was the one who was being critiqued. But the look Mysta gave her was new, it was something different and unexplored. It felt hopeful and determined.

"So," Elise said, offering her had to Mysta, "What do you say?"

*

Ao sat on her throne massaging her temples. Her assistant noticed her discomfort and cleared his throat. "Should I get you some water, Chief? Or perhaps some medicine from Daveed?"

He was already hovering a little off of the ground, ready to meet Ao's command, his yellow eyes aglow with eagerness.

"Some water shall suffice." She said shortly. The boy flew away and Ao closed her eyes, the pain causing a feeling of nausea to course through her body. She placed her head in her hands and breathed shakily, a thin layer of sweat forming on her skin. What had started off as a simple cold had crawled up into something more sinister ever since she had watched her niece leave the tribe. For the first time in a while, she felt scared.

A musical cry shot through the air and a brilliantly coloured bird swooped down to rest on the arm of the throne - a Vulcuda. It was carrying a letter in its orange talons. It chirped again and took flight, its plumage swishing in the evening light. The letter had been left in Ao's lap, the green and gold seal concealing the secrets inside. The parchment inside only contained a few lines.

Drowngen has allied with Zontrassa. War is imminent. Retrieve your Artifact.

A/n: Hello everyone, its been about two months since I've updated and I'm truly sorry for that. I haven't really had that much motivation and I sporation to write for a while. However, I'm hopefully back on track now. The next chapter will be the big fight and I hope you stick around for it. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time :)

- Poppy x