Fairies Hide to Die

To these words, the sorcerer turned around at once. His gaze went from the Loireag to Kemishi, to Lennac. Seeking her where she should have been fluttering. Near the creatures she loved. Though she seemed to be nowhere.

“Gretel?”

     She had vanished. Yet, until a few moments ago she was there. Floating around them. She simply had to be at the rear of the ship or… curious like she was, the little fairy had flown to the lookout.

     No. Something was off.

     Why would she be elsewhere while one of her friends had just joined them? Of course she would have noticed with all the bustle that had gripped the crew.

     People around gradually joined the search. Tomoo checked each barrel, as if awaiting to find her among the food provisions. Henox was hurrying across the deck when he heard a faint voice that seemed to call him.

“Over there.”

     Turning his head, he beheld Griselde’s figure. Leant farther against the railing. She gazed underneath, beyond the ship. Extending her hand to point at something with her index finger.

     Nobody else had heard her voice. Nobody could.

     As soon as the sorcerer ran up, the figure faded away.

     Grasping the railing, he leant forward at the same place where she had stood. Brambles, brambles everywhere. More of that, they were beginning to move. Slowly, like a beast emerging from a long slumber.

     He had to look twice before he distinguished a small silhouette perched on one of them.

“Henox, did you find her?”

     Kemishi’s voice reached him as she was approaching together with Lennac.

     Though he didn’t pay her any attention.

     Quickly, while there was still hope.

     Without thinking more about it, the sorcerer jumped overboard. Leaving the Fairy’s Hope.

“Henox!!” The alchemist exclaimed.

     Quickly, while there was still something to save.

     His hand against his head, the sorcerer held his goatskin which was slapping the emptiness above him. The air whizzed at his ears. He enclosed the surface at a far too consequent speed.

     The hem of his other sleeve whipped by the wind, he performed a slight gesture until earth slipped through the rare interstices left by the brambles. Then it went up to him, clustering together until it shaped steps under his feet. One by one. Forming, crushing. Allowing him to safely reach the surface of one of the brambles.

     The little fairy was there, barely a few metres away. From the back, he saw her wings tremble. Translucent, Shimmering. Only their beauty could be seen.

“Gretel, what is the matter with you? Now is not the time to linger.”

     Hearing his voice, she turned around. Her astonished features soon gave way to one of her smiles. Too quickly.

“Sir Henox… I am sorry.”

“Never mind.” He sighed. “Let’s hurry and find a way to join back the ship.”

“No, you’ll have to return there without me.”

     As the sorcerer had made a few steps towards Gretel, he stopped at her words. Standing still, he didn’t take his eyes off her. These words were pointless.

“What are you talking about? The brambles are engulfing everything.”

“I know. But all of this… it is because of me.”

     Henox slightly widened his eyes. So her memories had come back to her. Useless goddess.

“Being the one who caused your unhappiness, I can’t come with you. If I hadn’t made a wish for the world to end, all of that wouldn’t have happened…”

     She lowered her eyes before resuming, her small hands clutching the fabric of her dress.

“I shouldn’t even exist.”

     For how long did she retrieve her memory? Nothing in her behaviour had let him guess she had changed. Naturally he wasn’t the most perceptive on this matter – euphemism – but still…

     Of course, Gretel wasn’t completely wrong. These had been but words… However, without them, none of this would have occurred.

     It was true. But he couldn’t let her say such a thing.

     As, after all…

“Don’t decide that on your own. After having suffered that much, it’s not surprising that you have wished for everything to disappear. This world isn’t innocent.”

“You… you knew it?” She raised astonished eyes towards him.

“Yes. Let’s just say the goddess can be more talkative than you expect.” He added. “I knew it. And I agreed to keep travelling with you. So, whatever the destination would be, it’s together that we’ll go.”

     …she was someone precious to his eyes.

“Since when have you retrieved your memories?” He asked as he saw her eyes beginning to gleam.

     Bad sorcerer. He made her hesitate.

“I… Not long after you saved me from the scary witch…”

     What she saw in the forest before she caught her came back to her mind. It had continued to echo within her ever since, to make her feel nauseous.

     The one she hated.

     The one who had seen her world fall apart.

     She thought back to the words the sorcerer uttered when they met.

“Memories are like stars. If your sky is veiled by clouds, you have no chance to catch a glimpse of them.”

“All the clouds in my head are gone. But my memories are not like stars.” Gretel confessed. “They are ugly. I am ugly. This is why… this is why you mustn’t travel with me any more!”

“Some stars are darker than others…” Henox noted. “Though they don’t make ugly the one to whom they belong.”

     Around them, the brambles swarmed slowly, sliding against the earth.

“Tell me, Gretel… Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? Why did you keep smiling?”

“Because I wanted to keep helping and encouraging all of you. So that you would achieve to leave. I didn’t want to worry you, Sir Henox…”

     Coming closer to Gretel, the sorcerer knelt near her.

“Gretel, do you still hate this world?”

     She remained silent. Thinking back to their journey. To everything she saw. To everyone she met. To the laughter she shared with them, as well as the tears. To the confidences with Lennac, to the wreaths of flower she wove with Lucrecia. To the fire that had freed her…

“I miss my dad… I won’t see him any more… I couldn’t help him to have less pain. But then I saw such beautiful things… I met people I care about very very much. And if they care about this world, then I care about it too.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I love this world, because if it hadn’t existed, neither would they.”

“In that case, if you forgave this world what it did to you… it is time you forgive yourself.”

     The little fairy fell silent.

     Reaching out his hand towards her, Henox offered her the palm of his hand. But instead of hopping there joyfully as she used to, she flew away. She moved away from him.

     Addressing him a saddened smile.

“I can’t…”

     And while her tears rolled down her cheeks, the brambles suddenly started to gesticulate, spreading faster.

     One of them spurted between the sorcerer and the little fairy.

     Then a second, a third one…

“It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t share the end of all the ones who are about to die because of me.”

     Before Henox could react, the brambles imprisoned them. Parted them. So tightly packed that he could see nothing but many thorns, until they themselves were swallowed up by darkness.