Spare Me

Let The Winds Guide

Lumine exhaled, recounting the story with dreadful ease as Paimon carefully listened. The fairy bobbed about, making humming noises every now and then as the blonde-haired traveller finished the encounter story. Paimon huffed, having just lost thirty brain cells trying to remember every detail.

"So what you're trying to say is that you fell here from another world? But when you wanted to leave and go on to the next world, your path was blocked by some unknown god?"

Lumine nodded, turning away to watch the sky as if wishing for her brother to magically appear.

The only thing that answered her was a pair of crimson eyes twinkling merrily at her. Lumine smiled at her adoptive sister, Kaori, who swung freely from the overhanging branches to the rhythm of the breeze.

"Kaori, can you get some food? You've heard the story before." 

"No problem!" Kaori said, disappearing from view as she went to scavenge for some food. Mainly Sunsettias and Apples, but she may be able to hunt if lucky.

"And just like that," Lumine continued, "the god took away my brother. Some kind of seal was cast upon me, and I lost my power. So whilst we used to cross world after world, we are now trapped here."

Lumine played with some rocks, bumping them together before they slipped through her fingers. Paimon nodded thoughtfully, floating in the air with a sense of confusion.

"How many years ago was it? I don't know. But I intend to find out. After I awoke, I was all alone- right up until I met you two months ago, and Kaori at about the same time."

Paimon laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, Paimon really owes you two for that. Otherwise Paimon likely would have drowned... So, Paimon will do her best to be a great guide! We should head off. Let's get going!"

"What about Kaori?" Lumine asked, and Paimon shrugged.

"You know she appears wherever we go, like I do! Literally out of nowhere! Now, come on!"

Lumine smiled at the fairy's childish actions. She rose from the rock she was sitting on and walked forward, suddenly brandishing her blade at a Hydro slime that appeared.

"What in the world is that thing?" Lumine mumbled, squinting at the water blob.

The water blob leapt forward and Lumine yelped as she got thrown back by the force, not having expected the attack.

"That was quite the story you told. A much more elaborate version, at that. Care to come up here for a moment?" A voice giggled from above, and Lumine felt somebody lift her away from the Hydro slime into the concealed branches of a tree.

Kaori treated her as if she was weightless, holding Lumine lightly by the shoulders as if traveller was a toddler. Lumine caught sight of the apples in Kaori's duffel bag, sighing as she surrendered.