Memories: My Kingdom

Chapter 22: Fairy

“Leui! Tinum!” Mhir called as she knelt beside the two people. “LEUI! TINUM! Wake up!” she called as she shook the two.

Leui’s body shook and he coughed out water. “Ack!” he cried as he doubled over on the ground and coughed out more water. “Ack… Mhir…?” he called, his voice hoarse. He saw Mhir kneeling beside him.

Mhir’s tears fell as she hugged Leui tight. “Leui!” she called. “Thanking Lord Loheiruchel you’re alive!” she said and let out a big sigh of relief.

Leui felt his brain was also soaked in water. “Loheiruchel?” he muttered, confused.

Mhir held his shoulder and looked at him. Her eyes were shining when she spoke. “Earlier, when Tinum came to save you, hours passed and you two still didn’t appear. So, I prayed to Lord Loheiruchel to save you. And he did!” she said, her voice excited and grateful. “Lord Loheiruchel didn’t disappear! He’s still here!” she said and patted her chest.

“Uhm… yeah.” Leui just said as he shook his head to remove some water on his hair. Then, he turned to Tinum who was still unconscious. “This guy…” he sighed and smiled as he patted Tinum’s shoulder. “Hey. Tinum. Wake up!” he called as he shook Tinum’s shoulder. “Tinum!” he called. “Huh?” he muttered when Tinum didn’t wake up. “I was underwater longer than him yet he choked more water?” he muttered.

Mhir looked at Tinum and frowned at him, her expression as if she’s disappointed in him. “Tinum saved your life. How can you be ungrateful?” she told him.

Leui pursed his lips but he didn’t answer. He leaned down Tinum and held Tinum’s chin to do CPR on the elf. Will this work? He thought, feeling some doubts.

Suddenly, they heard a loud splash. Something came out of the lake! Leui and Tinum turned and saw a fairy with long hair and silk dress fluttering in the wind while her transparent wings flapped.

“Intruders!” the fairy shrieked at Leui and Mhir. “How dare you destroy my abode and my kin?!” she asked, her voice shrilly it hurt their ears.

Leui and Mhir closed their ears. '`What's she on and about?” he asked Mhir.

“I don’t know!” Mhir yelled to be heard by Leui since the fairy’s voice was so loud. “I didn’t enter the water so I have no idea!” she explained.

Leui’s brows knit. What is this fairy yapping about? He thought and looked at Mhir. “Hey. What’s the lake called?” he asked her.

“Huh?” Mhir said as she leaned closer to Leui and yelled in his ear. “Mirror Lake!” she said.

“’Mirror Lake’?” Leui muttered, then remembered from the encyclopedia he read in the Central Plaza’s library about the Mirror Lake. Mirror Lake is also called ‘Dream Lake’. At the heart of the lake is a clean and calm place. The fairies of the lake taking care of the lake brings a being to the heart of the lake and grant their wish in exchange for them to stay with them in the lake. However, the wish granted is actually just a dream. The dream shows the things the being desired the most. Then, after the being dreamed, they turn to a sea monster to guard the heart of the lake.

Leui shivered in fright as he imagined it almost happened to him. Fortunately, Leui saved him or he would be a sea monster now. I still haven’t been to the humans’ place! The other races’ land is too magical, but also too scary! He thought and shook Tinum awake since the fairy was glaring at them murderously. One doesn’t need to think that the fairy would really kill them.

“Leui! Wake Tinum up! Only he can defeat the fairy!” Mhir told Leui as she covered them two when the fairy attacked them. For some reason, the fairy’s attack is weak, thus the attack didn’t affect much to Mhir. It was like a tickly to her.

“Tinum! Tinum!” Leui called as he tapped Tinum’s cheek. If one would ignore Tinum’s ears, they would think he is a human. “TINUM!” he shouted in Tinum’s ear. However, just as he was about to move his head back, his lips grazed Tinum’s oh-so-sensitive ear, causing it to shiver. However, Leui didn’t notice it and turned to look at Tinum, who was now wide awake after his ear was touched – albeit accidentally.

Tinum’s eyes are so cold and frightening Leui subconsciously moved away from him and fell on his back to the ground.

Mhir heard a thud and saw Leui lying on the ground. “Leui, what are you – Tinum!” she exclaimed when she saw the elf standing behind her. Before she could speak, a vine wrapped her away from Tinum who took a step forward and his foot touched the surface of the lake, making it ripple.

“You! A nameless elf!” the fairy shrieked when she saw Tinum. “I’ll kill you in exchange for killing my kin!” she said as she raised her hands. The water from the lake rose until a wall of water was behind her.

Tinum’s expression didn’t change and he remained cold. Then, he raised his hand and his bow and arrow flew towards him. He caught his bow and arrow, then placed an arrow to the bow. He aimed at the fairy flying in the air. “Impure.” He said, his voice low.

Leui and Mhir didn’t hear what Tinum said. But, basing from the fairy’s ugly expression and being enraged, what Tinum said poked her sore spot. “SHUT UP!!!” she shrieked as she motioned her hands towards them. The walls of water moved and rushed towards them.

Leui and Mhir’s eyes widened in shock and they wanted to hide. Mhir was wrapped by the vines while Leui was left on the ground.

“Hey! Hey! Wrap me, too! I don’t want to be swept by the water!” Leui told the tree that wrapped Mhir by the vines. “Hey! Faster!” he yelled, panicking, as he tried to wrap himself by the vine alone.

Although Mhir wanted to laugh at Leui, she couldn't since a large wall of water now looked at them, covering the sky and droplets of water rained on them. “Huh?” she said when a drop of water fell on her arm. The water is murky but there’s a trace of red.

“WAAAH!!!” Leui screamed as he crouched on the ground, covering his head.

Tinum indifferently glanced at the wall of water before him like a mountain. He blew out air and the air became a fire. The fire flew towards the tip of the arrow, looking threatening. If Leui and Mhir saw it, they would know it was familiar. It was the same flame arrow Tinum shot to the log in the Rainbow Swamp to prevent the Colorful Hairy Leeches from attacking them.

The fairy’s expression changed and her face was struck with fear. However, it is too late for her to escape. Tinum released the arrow and the arrow shot the fairy’s back. “AAAAAAAHHHH!!!” The fairy screamed and was burned when the fire engulfed her body.

The wall of water stopped moving as the fairy was burned. She didn’t turn into ash since she has no corporeal body. Instead, she became a black mist that was dispersed in the air.

Leui and Mhir heard the fairy’s shrill voice disappeared. They turned, only for their face to darken when they saw the wall of water is still loomed at them. “Ah! The fairy’s gone! Will the water sweep us away?!” Leui asked, pointing at the wall of water.

The water didn’t move. However, Tinum’s hand moved and motioned to the water, as if he was motioning it to go away. The water miraculously moved and retreated. Then, it went back to the lake and became still, as if nothing had just happened. The vine wrapping Mhir released her to the ground. “What… just happened?” Mhir asked as she looked at the still Mirror Lake. Leui still has a look of disbelief on his face.

Tinum turned to them and spoke. “A dream.”