The dream of the other world faded as reality in darkness surfaced once more.
Lisa lay there, assuming more pain would follow after the memories came of what she lost…
Yet now, beyond the internal tearing of her form and mind that she had just endured, she felt—peaceful?
Or at the very least, content. She felt fine.
She felt the ground with her hands—hopeful but not expecting much—and was grateful when her right hand brushed her cane, which she grasped as a lifeline.
A passive weight settled within her. Something buzzed at the edge of her thoughts, a presence she couldn’t name. Well, I can’t see, so I don’t know if I’m overthinking things. I know the kid led me here…
“My daughter wasted much for you, human. I wonder if you will show your worth.”
Odd? A new voice. An adult!
“I need to get home. I don’t know how I got here. Can you help me? I’m blind.”
A laugh made Lisa flinch. She wasn’t looking for sympathy, but openly mocking her was a bit much…
“I tried to tell her… and you prove me correct. First chance you get, and already trying to abandon her. By light’s mercy, it was the first words you uttered.”
“Your kind never fails to disappoint…”
What did that mean?
“Bit rude to mock me. I’m the one suffering,” Lisa quickly retorted, not liking feeling helpless. “You’re what—just some dad watching over his daughter?”
“Where’s the mother? She’ll at least sympathize, being a mom, and will understand how to treat a girl…” Lisa spat with what little venom she could muster, still on the floor, wet, afraid to move, unsure if vertigo would hit, and still hoping to be helped up by someone other than the adult whose voice seemed to be nothing but scorn…
“She’s dead,” the male voice said with a finality that froze Lisa’s blood. It was too soon to be reminded…
“I’m sorry,” Lisa said in a low voice—a whisper would have been loud compared to the voice she used instead.
“I doubt it,” the male retorted, flaring Lisa’s anger and helping her push beyond her grief.
“Heh, and your face proves it—how easy you turn to malice when I don’t accept your sympathy. And besides, it was your kind that took her, so forgive me for not caring when you weep.”
Lisa’s face was a kaleidoscope of emotions, shifting with each new thing she processed from what he said… the biggest was the words she heard repeatedly before from Liri and now him…
Your kind. Just like Liri said before. So… they really are… fairies?
She knew what she saw briefly when her eyes held sight again, but that was just a dream? A world filled with… magic.
She felt it vaguely still, that power flowing. In fact, a slight pressure was on her chest… she gently reached up and felt the tiny form lying on her…
That was Liri?
Lisa thought it was the weight of grief hanging heavy in her chest, but it seemed the kid who harassed her and led her into an unknown place really was an unknown mythical creature. Well, a fairy…
“Careful, human. Harm my daughter, and I will harm you. Your bond to her is solid, so she will suffer more than you since she’s the master, but there are ways you can suffer without her feeling it…”
Why is he judging me? I’m the one thrown into this mess…
“She summoned me.”
“True, and I’m the reason you still live.”
Lisa’s face morphed to confusion. She knew the vial Liri gave had done something.
“Was the vial poison? Why would Liri do that to me…?” And how did a kid get poison?!
“Don’t be naive, child.”
“Liri blessed you with a rare gift of magic.”
“Yet it seems she did not study. Or she would have known this would happen.”
“Okay?” Lisa wasn’t sure she followed. This was all a bit much.
“I’ve wasted enough time on you. You’re not my creation nor my desire. Let Liri know in a week’s time I will come to have her pay the debt. Use that time to earn some worth.”
“So that’s it? You’re just leaving me blind with nothing?” What is wrong with this family…
“You already have more power than most mortals can dream to achieve in many lives and are unworthy. Don’t try my patience or generosity.”
This was being generous and patient? My aunt was nicer, and I yelled at her for less…
A shimmer of something unseen flickered—and then was gone. Emptiness greeted her once more. It was only in the father’s absence that she finally felt it—a weight lifted that had been smothering her. Was it just his presence, or some unknown new magic?
She was tired. She wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline wearing off or the lack of support, but she just wanted to sleep. The uncertainty of it all, while being soaked with nowhere to go, was too much.
So she let the darkness lull her back into the nothing. I will deal… with this crap… later.
———
It was a dreamless sleep Lisa woke from, once more back into this world.
It was rare when she did not dream. When they did come, the dreams always felt cruel—reminding her of her lost life, her lost sight…
She liked it when things stayed dark. At least then she knew she was with the abyss. The darkness that was always wanting her, and in some cases, comforting her…
It was the cold floor and stiffness of her body that let her know this was real. In fact, her clothes were still wet from before, annoying her. She was surprised she didn’t get hypothermia or worse.
Why was it not colder? I’ve been lying here soaked for a while. This can’t be safe… or normal.
She brushed her hand up to wipe her face and tapped the sleeping form still on her chest, jolting slightly. She had forgotten about the fairy Liri, but now it came rushing back—the rest of it she forgot…
One week.
She wasn’t sure what would happen. Power or not, she couldn’t fight blind, and Lisa doubted the father would make Liri fight…
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Lisa had nowhere to go and nothing she could do, so she settled into a meditative state to focus her mind, trying to figure out how to confront the little twerp about fixing this.
Her breathing was the only sign that time was passing, besides the little thing on her chest.
A yawn.
The tiny voice was near her ears, so she heard it easily as it seemed Liri was finally sitting up on her chest, getting her bearings…
“Finally awake?” Lisa asked, and she felt a jolt from the little fairy, not expecting a voice mere inches from her.
She felt the tiny thing fly off her chest to an unknown spot before Liri spoke.
“It’s your fault you closed your mana realm to me. It drained me.”
Mana realm? That dream place? Wait, that doesn’t matter. That stupid test matters more…
“I spoke with your father while you slept.”
“Oh?” Liri’s voice sounded less surprised and more searching for words… “I dunno what you mean.”
Seriously?! You little brat…
“He said a lot of rude things, but the main thing was he wants you to train me for a test?”
“And something about me owing him… I didn’t even do anything. Why do I owe him anything?”
“Weeelll,” Liri started, drawing it out, “you were a broken thing and I needed help fixing you.”
“What?” Lisa replied in disbelief. “My life was bad and far from perfect, but you sure as hell made it a lot worse.”
“Why you blaming me?” Liri tried to deflect.
Lisa wanted so badly to point out the flawed logic of Liri, but she knew she needed answers, not blame and validation…
Okay, think. She may be older, but she’s still naive…
“Liri?”
“Yes?”
“You made me your pet. You owe me. Your father is forcing a debt I know nothing about. So… please tell me.”
“I tried to give you mana.”
I remember that. I need more, though…
“Okay?”
“Well, it seems your body never had mana and it… um… broke you. More than you already were.”
The memories were muddled and she did not want to see them, but she knew the trigger—seeing the wreck… and the magical place had to do with gaining mana.
“So the mana you gave me broke me. That’s the debt?”
“I needed a second potion—one with even rarer, more powerful mana—to save you.”
How is more of what almost killed me supposed to fix me? That’s stupid…
“So how was more mana not killing me? And why does that make it my debt?”
“It was pure mana. It takes a lot to get it. It’s usually saved as a currency, but Dad used it as a gift to save you and… help me.”
“It’s not a gift if there’s debt,” Lisa said, annoyed.
“I know. Sorry. I can’t do anything right… I just wanted a pet so I would have something.”
“Humans are not pets…”
“Well, you are bonded with me, soooo.”
“By force.”
“By choice, human.”
“After being tricked by you summoning me.”
“Well, um… YOU’RE STUPID AND BROKEN.”
Great. I upset her and I’m no closer to solving the debt.
Lisa wiped her face, trying to push away her frustration and feeling a bit defeated, unsure where to go from here. She was at an impasse.
Lisa tried listening to see if Liri had fled. She could not see her but assumed she felt something near, or maybe it was her desire not to be alone…
“I’m sorry, Lisa.”
Wow. That sounded genuine… What changed?
“Okay?” lisa replied carfully
“I promise I’ll find a way to send you home, but I will need a lot of mana, and right now I don’t really have any.”
An ebb in the darkness as a stir of uncertain hope and fear swelled in Lisa’s soul. She hadn’t even thought it was a possibility.
Could I really go home?
Yet the real question was what would be waiting for her even if she could return? An aunt to fight. A world still of darkness.
Lisa wasn’t sure what she wanted. This wasn’t a life she would choose, but was she really happy before? Could she be?
Mostly, Lisa just hated not being able to freely play her music.
My music!
So much comfort would be given now if she could just play, escape from it all.
Liri said nothing more, so Lisa tried to mend the bridge. They were both stuck in this mess. Why make it worse?
“Okay, Liri. Let’s work out surviving, and then we’ll worry about the test and me dealing with being your pet and getting home after that.”
“Yeeeeeah!” Liri’s voice boomed, hurting Lisa’s ears, before the tiny thing was flying around her head—she only knew due to the feeling of wind swirling…
“So, as I said before, I only made two rooms, but one is a big one made for humans! Well, humanoid types. I wasn’t sure what would be my first guest or pet or even prisoner, so I wanted to be safe and make a room they could sleep in if I needed to keep them safe or captive for a while.”
Well, that was an unseen twist…
Liri’s rambling seemed to last for hours as time passed. It might have been five minutes. It might have been an hour. Lisa couldn’t tell—Liri going on and on about how great life would be as her pet and not to worry, she’d teach her magic…
Truthfully, the more Lisa thought about it, it was probably only a few minutes if she was being honest, but she wasn’t in the mood, so every word seemed to drag on.
“Though we never discussed what I would feed you,” Liri’s voice spoke in the distance, while Lisa tried to remember that place with music, wondering if she could recreate it.
“Hello, Lisa? You listening? It’s hard to tell with that face…”
What? I doubt your face is worth looking at either, you little freak…
“Magic and stuff. Yeah, I’m listening.”
“Nnoooo, I said I will feed you, but I don’t know what tubby humans eat.”
“Tubby!” Lisa wanted to slap the little runt for being so rude. She was not chubby. If anything, she knew she was a little underweight…
“Well, I don’t know. You humans are all bulky tubby things to me. You eat a lot, I bet.”
“So what, you’re going to tell me you eat a single berry a day or something? I doubt you’re a perfect weight for your size either.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m slender, fit for royalty!”
“And NO. Us fairies don’t care for human things to eat. We sustain on magic things, though I do like honey.”
Magic things?
“So, magic food?”
“That’s human things, and it’s rare to infuse mana into foods or find the natural kind. I mean more like mana nectar. And such.”
“Mana… nectar?”
“It’s like honey, but it fades too fast. Honey stays with you and leaves an aftertaste. I got mana honey once for a gift, but I ate it too fast…”
I really don’t want a repeat from earlier today with anything mana-related…
“Can I get regular food? I don’t trust mana after…”
“You’re not weak now, silly. Mana will help you.”
Easy for you to say. It didn’t nearly kill you.
“Also, Liri, I’m soaked. Why am I not more cold? Or hurt? And do you have something normal I can wear? I can’t stay like this…”
“Mana’s helping keep you warm. Don’t be dumb, human… and that’s not even mentioning our bond.”
You really want me to slap your sassy ass, don’t you…
“Hmmm. I really didn’t want to contact them. But I suppose I must. Staying here though… it would complicate things if they knew about you…”
What’s that supposed to mean?
It was only as Liri left that she felt her go. A strange sense of distance settled in, and she knew that if she focused on it, she could track Liri.
How odd. Is that our bond? Whatever…
Time passed slowly, and boredom set in. Now she was sure an hour or more had passed with no Liri and nothing to do…. She decided to at least map out her new room, since the runt had left her with more questions than answers.
Lisa felt around near her for her cane, grateful for its solidness, and tapped around the room.
Seven… ten… TAP. So, twenty feet wide.
Lisa repeated it for length and found the number close—fifteen from back wall to what she assumed was the entrance, which was also quite tall. She was a little over five feet tall, so it was hard to tell. With her cane, she tried letting her hand slide up to give a sense of the missing height. The cane was around five feet, and her hand slid up around two feet, so maybe seven feet high?
“Can you do it or not?” The sound of a voice in the distance broke Lisa’s thoughts.
Liri?
She quietly tapped her way forward. She knew Liri had told her to wait, but she could not stand not knowing… and she had waited long enough.
“It’s just an odd request. Why a human storage ring full of human things?”
“Not just any human things. Mortal. Food, clothes worthy of a young female mage, and food for at least a week, maybe two. I don’t know how much your kind eats, so I don’t know if it can fit in a ring…”
“The better rings can hold a year’s supplies easily if they’re higher quality, but for short notice, a small one holding a week is affordable.”
“The king said this area would be a rare source of power we could trade for, but this looks like a drained lake?”
“Don’t question our methods. It’s partly why I need the ring—to help create the lake.”
“A ring made for humans. I know the king can make them too. Why are you asking me as a favor? This seems like a mistake, coming here… I thought I was meeting the king.”
“You’re meeting the daughter of the fairies. My word should be enough. If you seek my father, I will bring him and make sure he knows my one request was met with scorn.”
Lisa edged as close as she dared, listening. But the talk seemed off…
“The ring isn’t the issue, nor the supplies really. But your kind keeps demanding and saying you don’t trust us. If we could just study—”
“No.” Lisa heard Liri’s voice—a cold finality.
“If we trusted your kind, we would do more. The fact we allow this much is a gift. Remember that.”
“The ring within an hour. My pet—my pet project!—requires attention, and I fear I’m already taking too long.”
“Fine, fine. But I need more than an hour. This is last minute, and storage rings aren’t cheap…”
“Please. We make them all the time. I just need a size beyond my means. Don’t play victim. The power source we share later will be worth the inconvenience.”
“Yeah, yeah, princess. See you in a bit.”
“Don’t be late. I’ve got things to do. I mean it!”
Lisa debated rushing out to speak with the person, but she feared the unknown deals being made, and she wasn’t sure who could be trusted. Liri wanted her to trust her…
She could step forward. Reveal herself. Ask for help. But Liri had asked her to trust her. And if these humans were like the father—if they saw her as just another tool—she might trade one cage for another.
So for now… she would listen. Worst case, she at least now knew humans existed nearby, and if she was lucky, she could stumble upon them.
So she tapped her way back into her new home, waiting to see what Liri’s excuse would be for wanting to hide this truth from her.
