Chapter 8: Choice In Dilemmas

Echo was trying to get inside the tent until Cleon finally came out and left with the guards that blocked the entrance. He came in the tent to see me in a sad state with Lucifer in my arms. He was in shock.

"Catherine... d-did he-, " he said before I interrupted him.

"ECHO! P-Please, you gotta heal him! He's hurt really bad and... as he's important to me! Y-You can do it right?"

"No... I can't... only the female fairies can do healing magic, he said looking away sadly, "And every fairy, except me, is under his rule."

I had to take his offer... I had no choice... but this... this was cruel...

"Look... let's clean him up and bandage him, " he said, "Then you can tell me what happened. It's not like it's a secret anymore that we get along now, so let's take him to my tent."

We dragged Lucifer's body to Echo's tent as we try to clean and bandage him up. I told him what happened while we were covering Lucifer with bandages and he listened to me through it all. It wasn't the best wrapping of bandages, but we covered it regardless. I was still in a sad daze when Echo suddenly touched my tail.

"GAH! W-What is it?!"

"Sorry, I was just curious, " he said, "And a sad expression never suited you like being a prince was to me, so I figured to try to get a different reaction from you. But mostly, I was just curious of your tail. May I... have permission to brush it?"

He's asking permission to brush my tail? Well, he did ask... so I guess it's okay.

"Sure... as long as your gentle..."

He smiled took a small brush as he gently brushed my tail. It felt relaxing, and oddly soothing.

"Catherine, " he said as he keeps brushing my tail, "How old are you really? You don't exactly act like a child."

"Well I did come from another world as a full human like I told you yesterday. In my previous life, I was 22 years old."

"Wow, you are young? Human ages are so strange, " he said in surprise.

"Oh? Then how old are you?"

"I'm 120, " he said, "Pretty young, right?"

That isn't young at all! But then again, magical beings live longer that a mortal being. I really gotta stop questioning stuff like this.

"Your expression is starting to look like your old self again, " he said looking back down at my tail he's still brushing with a smile, "Tell me, have you calmed down now?"

"Yes."

"Good, " he said as he stopped brushing my tail while he got up "Then take my bed, I'll sleep in the floor tonight."

I was confused. Was he... letting me sleep in his tent tonight?

"You don't want to be by yourself in that guest tent, right," he said with his hand at the back of his head, "Besides, I'm not taking any chances of my father trying something on you in the middle of the night."

"Oh no, I don't want to be a bother for you! I can just turn on my Sensitive Hearing skill and-."

"You're not a bother, "he said interrupted me mid sentence , "You're the nicest being I ever met, even though I was so cruel to you at first! You listened to me! You understood me! ...And don't worry, I have a plan in case it all goes wrong.

Flashing back to the memory where I told him, so I repeated his response to what he told me before.

"And what do you plan to do?"

"I plan to just be myself. No matter what happens, win or lose, I won't let anyone take away my right to be me."

The next morning rises and it was the start of the Gathering. Everyone was at the tree as me and Echo stared at Cleon. The Fairy King was obviously gonna be the host of the Gathering, and as we shook hands with each other and wished each other good luck, we went to our positions next to the tree.

"Both of you place your hands to the Grand Flair Tree, " Cleon announced as we touched the tree with one of our hands, "Let the Gathering begin!"

[STARTING MAGIC TRANSFER.]

[BEGIN TRANSFER.]

As we both were sending magic to the tree, I realized right away how difficult this actually was. I wasn't just giving my magic, the moment the tree felt me transferring magic, it immediately felt the tree tried to suck my whole being inside it.

"I-It hurts...It hurts! It hurts!!! What's going on? W-What is this thing?!"

Both me and Echo were pushing ourselves to our limits, even though I felt like passing out, I also felt the need to keep fighting. But I was in so much dilemma. Every memory of Lucifer flashed before me, with the memories with Echo as well. I wanted to cry so badly. I didn't want either of them to suffer.

[WARNING! MAGIC TRANSFER AMOUNT IS RAPIDLY INCREASING!]

[BODY DESTABILIZING! MAGIC DECREASING!]

[WARNING! MAGIC LOW! PLEASE CANCEL TRANSFER IMMEDIATELY!]

"Catherine, let go of your hand, " Echo yelled realizing how much pain I'm feeling right now, "You're turning pale!"

"I-I'm fine, Echo! I won't s-stop!"

[MAGIC NOW AT ZERO! TRANSFER WILL NOW USE HEALTH AS ALTERNATIVE!]

[WARNING! HEALTH LOW! PLEASE CANCEL TRANSFER IMMEDIATELY!]

"CATHERINE PLEASE, "Echo screamed.

"Kitten, " a familiar voice echoed in her mind, "Don't hold back, none of this is your fault. I'll be okay, but you got to let go or else you'll die. I don't want you to try and sacrifice your life for the sake of mine like it did with Lilith. It's not worth it. The Fairy Race need this more. Stay alive."

With tears flowing down my cheeks, I surrendered as I let go of my hand and passed out, with the last thing I remembered was Echo screaming my name.

[MAGIC TRANSFER END.]

[MAGIC WILL NOW REGENERATE NORMALLY.]

[HEALTH WILL NOW REGENERATE NORMALLY.]

[UNIDENTIFIED MAGIC DETECTED.]

[HEALING MAGIC RECOGNIZED.]

[HEALING IN SESSION.]

As darkness consumed my thoughts as mind once again, I am met with a familiar monotone voice.

["CATHERINE"? "CATHERINE"!]

"Is that... Guide?"

[YOU ALMOST DIED! AGAIN! WHAT IN ASTRA IS WRONG WITH YOU?!]

"Sorry..."

Honestly that's all I could say. Even from our first interactions Guide never felt more... alive until now. Suddenly, I felt something hug me, but I couldn't see anyone. Was that Guide?

[LISTEN. IF YOU HAD ASKED ME ABOUT LUCIFER'S STATUS I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU HE'S OKAY. BUT YOU MORTALS JUST ASSUME THE WORSE. I KNOW I WAS ONLY MADE TO HELP YOU WITH ANYTHING YOU ASKED, BUT I COULDN'T LET YOU SUFFER EITHER. I'VE SEEN THROUGH ALL YOUR MEMORIES... YOUR DREAMS... SO I KNEW... YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT... AND SO... I WENT AGAINST MY OWN RULES AND CONNECTED WITH LUCIFER TELEPATHICALLY DURING THE GATHERING.]

Guide can do that?! What the hell?! So that's why I was able to hear Lucifer. I thought I was hearing things, but that also means Lucifer is alive, but he looked so beat up and-. Wait... I feel... a sad aura holding me... Is Guide... crying?

[I'M SORRY... I KNOW ITS NOT MY PLACE TO INTERFERE AS YOUR GUIDE BUT I-.]

Tears kept flowing down my cheeks. Not in despair anymore, but in relief and thankfulness.

"No... you did the right thing... Thank you... thank you so much Guide..."

["CATHERINE"...YOU STILL... ACCEPT ME? THIS DISOBEDIENT GUIDE WHO STRAYED FROM THEIR ROLE... CAN I STILL BE OF USE TO YOU? CAN I... STILL BE YOUR GUIDE?]

"Yes... yes you can. But promise me you'll protect me more like this... I won't mind... you having your own freedom to speak your own mind..."

[OF COURSE.]

"Let's tells Echo and Lucifer about you once we get back. I'm sure the four of use will be great friends together!"

[I WOULD LIKE THAT. THANK YOU "CATHERINE". IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR FAIRY FRIEND IS ALMOST DONE HEALING.]

"Fairy friend? You mean Echo? But I thought-."

Before I finished my thought, the darkness surrounding me broke away to light and I finally saw what Guide looked like. He had white hair and black eyes. He looked transparent for the most part and was wearing all white clothes. He almost looked like an angel. I smiled as I heard him say the usual Guide commands that I would hear in my head.

[WAKING PROCESS NOW LOADING.]

"W-Wait before I wake up! Would you still like me to call you Guide, or would a different name be better?"

[BEING "GUIDE" WORKS WITH ME JUST FINE.]

"Okay Guide, see you on the other side."

He nodded as he opened the door back to consciousness.

["CATHERINE" IS NOW AWAKE.]

I immediately woke up to see Echo holding my hand, his eldest sisters surrounding me and with Lucifer still in his bandages. I wasn't at the Gathering or in one of the tents from the village. No, I was in a dripping wet cave.

"Ow... What happened?"

"THANK GODS, " Echo said as he held me tight.

"Owowowow!!! L-Lucifer... ummm explanation please?"

"Oh... ummm Well..., " Lucifer tried to explain, "The good news is that you freed the fairies as well as the ones who were forced with wing destined identities were freed from Le's rule and are able to speak again, Fairy Prince learned healing magic somehow and was able to heal you in time and I'm alive for certain reasons."

"I should be concerned about how you survived later... but... I'll ask that later... I'm not back at the village, so something must be up. What's the bad news."

"In rage of ruining his perfectionist plan and with Lucifer alive, " Echo added, "He tried to kill you but when Lucifer attacked father to defend you, my father was killed by Fallen Prince Mammon but as a result also killed the tree."

Wait... so killing the King killed the Grand Flair Tree?! And who's Mammon?! What the heck happened while I passed out?!

"Yeah and now Mammon is trying to rule the forest and the fairies as a result, " Lucifer said, "I took you along with these three fairies since they appear to care for you to keep them safe. But there are now demons outside looking for us and destroying everything."

"And with the tree dead, " Aurora added, finally able to speak.

"This forest will surely die, " Ellie said also able to finally speak.

In panic, I tried to get up and look outside to see the once beautiful magical forest now withering and dying. I hide myself to realize that other demons were roaming around now. Then suddenly in my mind, I remembered the prophecy Cleon mentioned. It flashed back at me like a horrible hurricane.

"A soul sacrifice from another world... that's me, isn't it?"