Chapter 11: What Comes Next?

I wake up to find Echo and Lucifer both injured greatly while holding me as if they were trying to restrain me, with the fairy sisters in shock and Mammon on the floor beaten up and bleeding. I was so confused... Didn't I just die? How did I end up in this situation?

"Kitten, " Lucifer asked, "Have you finally woken up?"

"Is... Is he-?"

"He's not dead, " Echo replied, "He's just unconscious, but what do we do with him?"

"I'll take him back to demon territory, " Lucifer said giving Echo to carry me by himself, "Take her back to your home, I'll be back after the greedy idiot wakes up."

As he carried Mammon's body, he was about to leave when he suddenly stopped himself.

"Kitten, " he asked, "Do you... remembered what happened here?"

"No... I don't-."

"Good, it should stay like that, " Lucifer immediately answered, cutting me off mid-sentence, "It's better you don't know things you don't want the answers to."

He leaves with Mammon, and the other demons follow him, with the fairies returning to their senses and turning back to normal. The nature was restoring itself as I felt the warm magic surrounding the entire forest. Then with a sudden bright light, the tree revealed a very large transparent female fairy with long wavy green hair and silver eyes, with a very long white dress, but I sensed very powerful light and grass magic within her. All the fairies immediatly bowed as I was still being held by Echo, who who also looked like he was going to bow too.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"That's the Fairy Goddess, Flair, " Echo said in shock as he forced me to bow with him, "She is the damn tree who protects this forest, show respect!"

"Owowow!!! Careful! Careful!!!"

"It's okay, " Flair said with a smile, "In fact, she is the reason why I'm alive today, I should be the one bowing to her."

"HUH?!"

"Here, let me heal your wounds first, " she said giggling.

In an instant, I felt all the pain I had previously vanish before me, and I felt much more lighter than usual, almost like my body is brand new. The goddess then placed her giant hand to my head, although I couldn't feel it at all.

"You really are her..., " she said quietly, "And younger than me..."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh n-nothing! Ummm, what was I... Oh right! The prophecy, " she replied, "For saving our forest, I offer you Flair Forest's greatest treasure, given to me by the God of Magic himself when I was first planted her, The Ring of Flair, as proof of you saving this forest. It is also known as one of the 12 Astradia Relics, The Solomon. The ability to drain any magic from your surroundings.

A light flashed to my hand when it faded a gold ring, with a beautiful rainbow shining diamond and it was immediately placed in my finger. I tried to take it back off, but failed to do so.

"So... how can I take off the ring?"

"You don't, " Flair said confused, "Once you wear a piece of a Astradia Relic, it's stuck to you for good. Well... unless someone plans to cut your finger off, but what are the odds of that. No one is going to recognized the ring anyway, since no one but you has ever obtained it before."

"Tell me that first before putting an overpowered item in my hand!"

"Now to the other situations at hand, " Flair said now serious, "To those who were given wings by Cleon, I will be giving a new set of wings based on your true aligned destinies. Unlike Cleon, I will ensure it is all fair and equal to every individual's mindsets and talents. Now, let us begin."

The light in half of the fairies' wings began to glow and change into different types of patterned, shaped and colored fairy wings. When Echo's older sisters were re-granted new set of wings, their wings changed into the ones similar to Cleon, but both were much larger than before.

"Wait..., " Aurora said in shock.

"Then this means..., " Ellie added.

"Both of you are granted power over Flair Forest as the new Queens of the Fairies, " Flair said, "Now for the last task at hand and the reason I gave you two the crown. Prince Echo, you are aware why you weren't granted wings with the others, correct?"

"Yes... I knew the consequences, and I don't care for it, " Echo said with his head down, "I never wanted to be prince in the first place, so breaking the greatest rule of the fairies is no big deal for me, and besides I can't back out of it. I don't regret any of this."

"What are you talking about? What rule? What's going on?"

"Prince Echo, " Flair announced, "For the crime of multiple murders with your fight against the demons, I hereby strip you of your royal status, however, because you aided the Cat Girl in saving the forest you will have a lighter punishment, thus you are forbidden to obtaining your wings, instead of the death penalty."

"What?!"

A flashback came back to me about the time he killed some of the demons to protect me, and his LV increasing. He immediately noticed me feeling guilty, and he hugged me right away.

"Don't blame yourself. Like I said, I don't regret any of this, " Echo said softly, "I don't care about being like other acceptance, being a prince or having my wings... if I can just be myself and having people like you accepting me for who I am... then that's okay."

"Well my time here is over, " Flair said fading away, "Oh and Catherine."

"Yes?"

"The person you seek passed the forest and was taken away to the Temple of Lust searching for his sister, " she said no longer in sight, "Beware the Fallen Prince, Asmodeus, for he will trap you the same way he trapped Key. Follow the river out of the forest and take the Road of Lucaria and take the Tower of Magic to use their Travel Orb to teleport to the Underground City, the main land of demons. Good luck, hero."

After that, me, Echo and the rest of the fairies went back to the village and with Aurora and Ellie as queens, they began to redecorate and remake their entire home. Echo also helped them, but he kept watching me in concern, as I was sitting down doodling anime cat girl on the ground with my fingers. He knew I was in deep thought, thinking about what to do next. He sat next to me, and looked at my doodles.

"Oh wow..., " Echo said pretty impressed, "I didn't think you were an artist."

"Wha-? No, I'm not! It's just a habit, since normally I... never mind."

"You normally what, " Echo asked.

"No, it isn't important!"

"I beg to differ, " Echo responded back with his arms crossed now.

"Ummm well... I... I tend to think about cat related things... when... I'm stressed..."

"Stressed? Is it about what the Fairy Goddess said about this Key guy, " he questioned, "Is he from another world too?"

"Oh no, he's not... he's... my half brother..."

"You're half-. OH! I think I get it now, " he said in a surprised expression, "But, why are you looking for him?"

"I promised the owner of this body... that I would find him for her. But she mentioned that it was in demon territory... and the main lands too... I just... haven't thought through about what should happen after when I find him... How would I be able to escape afterwards? How would I find Key to begin with once I get there?! How would I-?!"

"Okay Catherine, deep breaths, " Echo said trying to calm me down, "We can figure that out on the way there. And besides, what's a Catherine Plan without any risks."

"Wait, you want to come with me?"

"Yeah obviously, " Echo answered.

"It's too dangerous to be around me!"

"I just went through the most extreme days of my life with you, and now you're concern about that, " Echo laughed, "Besides, this is what I want, and I wanna be free to see more of the outside world than just being mostly stuck here in this forest."

"Hey, don't forget me, " Lucifer appeared next to me, "I'm your most strongest partner in this group. Besides, I know my ways with demons and waving around demon society, plus I'm your friend, you can't get rid of me so easily."

"What happened to Mammon? Did you take him to demon territory safely?"

"Safe is the last word you should use, " Lucifer said chuckled a bit, "But he's alive, don't worry my kitty friend~."

"Been meaning to ask for awhile now, " Echo said looking to us, "But... what's a friend? And can... I be one too?"

Both me and Lucifer smiled at each other then looked to Echo.

"Of course you are, and as for what friends are-."

[I'LL TELL HIM WHAT IT MEANS.]

"GAH, " everyone shouted.

"Maybe warn us, when you use Telepathy, Guide!"

[MY BAD. SO CAN I BE THE ONE TO TELL HIM? PLEASE!]

"The floor is yours, " Lucifer said.

As guide explained to Echo the term, I began to feel a lot more better. Maybe it is for the best I traveled with them. After all, they would make the trip much more fun and it's always good to have friends by my side who I can rely and trust on. I already know how powerful they can be. And now that I know where I need to go, I can finally fulfill my promise with Kath.

So what happens next? Starting tomorrow we are leaving Flair Forest. For real this time.