6 Explained

6- Explained

Alana woke up because she was

uncomfortable, there was something

about the bed and sheets she was lying

in that seemed off. They were soft, too

soft compared to her usual sheets. This

meant she wasn't back in her flat.

She slowly opened her eyes and

startled at the dazzling light that

embraced her. Squinting, she adjusted

her eyes to the light, only to realise the

dazzling light was sourced from the

two small shinning things fluttering

and hovering over her face.

As soon as she opened her eyes, these

fluttering things became alarmed

and flew away from her. This was the

moment Alana's eyes focused and she

realised these beaming lights were in

fact two small elf-like female creatures

with wings similar to Kilan's.

She remembered Kilan calling himself

a fairie sprite and wondered whether

this term was universal to all creatures

that looked like him.

Alana slowly lifted herself up into

a sitting position. She got another

surprise when she saw the room

she was in. It was as if she died and

woke up in a princess-worthy palace

bedroomn.

The huge bed was shaped of a circle,

the sheets a silky material she'd never

felt before. The white satin curtains

for this bed were suspended onto a

wooden compartment that connected

to the ceiling.

The whole foreground was plated

in a gold luminous colour that could

blind but also awe one's eyes. The

furniture was minimalistic but had a

urban touch to it; a wooden mahogany

dresser on each corner of the bed.

A wooden sofa-like sedan with gold

and silver cushions was suited in the

middle next at the foot of the bed. An

office like desk was suited next to the

huge double-doored windows. On this

desk was the newest version of an iMac

system and a compartment set where

one could put their printing papers and

stationery.

Fresh air was ventilating from the

opened window doors in which Alana

could see a balcony with a table set and

chairs.

The huge room had three sets of double

doors and Alana guessed these doors

could lead to an exit out of the room, a

closet room and a bathroom.

The two fairie sprites caught her

attention as they flew around her. They

had similar facial features; a straight

nose, almond eye shape and upturned

ears. The only difference was their

coloured wings and eyes. One had

yellow coloured eyes and wings, while

the other had orange coloured eyes and

wings.

They wore matching clothes which

seemed to be made of satin and lace,

however on a closer look, the material

shone incandescently.

"Am I dreaming?" Alana asked.

The fairie sprites twitched at her voice.

Then they floated above her, staring

at her in wonder and awe. The yellow

winged fairie flew closer to Alana,

offering her something.

Since they were the size of her palm in

length, the object she offered looked

like a small grape barely the size of heer

finger tip. Alana studied the fruit and

then stared at them suspiciously. They

encouraged her to eat the small fruit,

their twined beaming faces reassuring

Alana that it wasn't poison.

Alana ate the pill-sized-grape-like-fruit,

swallowing it immediately on reflex.

It did taste of grapes but was much

sourer and harder in texture than the

sweet juice fruit she was used to.

Alana felt her mind become much

more clearer after consuming the

fruit. She could see better, hear better

and felt better both physically and

mentality. The drowsiness of sleep was

completely absolved.

They both smiled in satisfaction after

watching her consume the fruit, both

of them flying even closer to her. Then

suddenly the entrance doors opened,

making them flutter in a scurry behind

her shoulders.

A man with dark green coloured hair,

eyes and eyebrows announced his

presence by entering the room. He

seemed to be hovering on a green

misty cloud-like substance she couldn't

decipher. His aura was intimidating,

it had a certain authority that could

cause one into submission.

"Miss, Alana-please don't be

frightened on my account...mny name is

Zenos andi can assure you that youre

in the safest place on earth." He trailed

2

toward the bed in his cloud.

The twined fairie sprites revealed

themselves from behind her shoulders,

and the man's eyes shone bright green

with his mischievous smile once he saw

them.

"I see you've met Gigi and Fifi, they've

only just reached their sprite stage and

haven't mastered the human language

as of yet. I hope they haven't bothered

you." His last sentence was said as a

reprimand to the twined fairies.

Alana shook her head to answer him.

"They only communicate through the

mind, since you are only a mortal and

cannot understand them, I can assure

you that they won't be giving you much

trouble.." He told her.

"You said they reached their sprite

stage? What does that mean?"

"Of course, you won't understand at

all.uninformed as you are. Not to

worry, not to worry. In all due course I

shall explain it all to you-"

"-Alright, alright, Ill tell her." He

addressed this to the twined sprites

fIutering in front of him, distracing

him.

"They say the fruit they gave Miss

Alana is an ailment to assist her

into state of awareness...basically

your mortal equivalent to coffee in

the morning. They also persist on

me telling you that you're the most

beautiful mortal they have ever laid

eyes on."

Alana didn't know how to react.

She was flattered that such beings

could find her measly self beautiful.

Nevertheless, this whole phenomenon

troubled her immensely.

"You understand them?" She asked

him.

"How could I not?I have already

reached immortality many millennia

ago... understating mere fairie sprites

such as Gigi and Fifi poses no trouble

for me."

Alana was perplexed. Her mouthed

itched for questions. However, being

the centre of attention amongst

these creatures was making her self

conscious. She was in dire need of a

shower.

Sensing her uncomfortableness, Zenos

then explained the living situation to

Alana.

"These quarters are equipped with a

bathroom and change of clothes. You

are free to use it as this will be your

room for the next two weeks."

Two weeks?

Before she could ask where she was,

how she got here and why she would

be staying for two weeks? Zenos

hurriedly pointed toward one of the

doors in the room, informing her that it

was the bathroom.

"After you've finished, there will be

food waiting for you on the first floor."

Before Alana could respond, he quickly

hooked Gigi and Fifi into some spell

that made them follow him out of the

room.

The door slammed just as she was

about to open her mouth.

Dumbfounded by the whole

experience, Alana made her way the

door he had pointed.

The bathrooom looked very

modernised compared to the vintage

bedroom. There was a full body

Snower n one coOrner, win stony

marble walls and a shower head

hanging by the ceiling. There was also

a oval shaped bathtub in center of

the room. Suited in the other corner

was the toilet. A full body mirror was

landscaped besides a wide sink.

Alana went to the sink section and

rummaged through the cupboards

below for a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Relieved to find these items, she

quickly brushed her teeth. Afterward

she opted for the full body shower.

In the shower she assessed her injuries

and state. Besides the now completely

healed burnt scar she'd received from

the fire creature, she was unharmed.

And what's more, the water from the

shower aided her state of relaxation.

Despite the fact that it completely

perturbed her how she can have

healed so quickly, Alana reminded

herself that she still wasn't sure of the

time frame from when Lylas saved her.

How long she had been unconscious?

She couldn't tell.

It can't be more than just one day? She

guessed.

Alana decided not to overthink and

just go with the flow and thus she

showered the sweat and grime of the

past-however long since she had

accumulated the dirt.

When she was done, she wrapped

a light grey towel around her body

and entered the bedroom again. Shhe

opened the other door and affirmed

her guess earlier for it being a closet.

Nevertheless, it still surrendered her

speechless as she opened the closet

doors. It was so humongous she was

certain her whole flat could fit into it, if

possible. Truly a worthy princess-like

closet.

Rows and rows, column and columns

of clothes and shoes fitted the whole

room. The whole closet could basically

be a boutique shop. As she browsed

through, Alana was shocked at

seeing the famous brand names and

ridiculous price tags still on them.

She quickly retreated her hand from

touching them, afraid of contaminating

the clothes. She missed her H&M jeans

and t-shirt collection in her flat. She

would have worn the clothes from

yesterday or however long ago it was

since she was in that cave. But soot and

dust had made them dirty and stinky

for presentable wear.

What to do? Might as well go for it. It's

already eird enough that you woke up

in a virtual Wonderland, what would

wearing Chanel or Versace kill?

With this resolve, Alana opted for a

white seamless lace dress that reached

up to her knees and covered the base

of her neck and shoulders. She paired

this with tan block heels. Judging by

the weather outside, it looked warm

enough for this summery outfit.

She then sat down at the vanity

dresser, her eyes glowing with

intimidation at the branded make-up

products in front of her. Alana didn't

know why it bothered her, she usually

didn't care for appearances. However,

knowing somehow that there was a

chance of seeing Lylas again today, she

decided to try the make-up. The urge to

impress him overruling prudence.

She didn't go all out: she just angled

her eyebrows better, amplified her

eyelashes, dabbed in some foundation,

contoured her face in natural light,

highlighted her nose and cheeks. She

topped it all with a nude brown lipstick

to match her shoes.

Afterwards she exited the room and

got a fright when she saw two bright

yellow and orange lights beelining

towards her.

"Gigi, Fifi," Alana acknowledged the

twined sprites.

They beamed and flew enthusiastically

around her, as if studying her whole

appearance. Alana guessed they were

complimenting her and so she smiled

in appreciation.

"How do I get to the first floor?" She

asked them.

She looked around at the extravagant

hallway marked with two diamonds

crested chandeliers and ancient

paintings-in which her artist self

made her take time to appreciate.

Gifi and Fifi then prompted her to

follow them to her destination.

***

After trekking down three flights of

stairs, Alana and the two fairie sprites

finally found themselves at the first

floor's dining room.

Alana took a while to appreciate the

decor and interior design of the room.

It screamed ancient antique but with

touch of modernication Iuct lilre her

room.

After her eyes took in the expensive

decor, they landed on the excessive

choices of healthy food which filled the

extremely long mahogany dining table.

Gigi and Fifi encouraged her to sit

and so she chose a seat in the middle.

Alana wondered who else will join

her when she counted fifteen other

chairs around the table. She waited

for someone to inform her that she

could eat, restraining the urge to dig in

ravenously at the deliciously looking

food in front of her.

The twinned sprites still haven't left

her side, they flew on each side on her

shoulder. Their expressions still filled

with admiration for her.

Just as she was about to cave in to her

aching stomach, Zenos finally made his

entrance. It was at the exact moment

that Alana was about to sneak a bite of

what she hoped was sliced apples.

Zenos smiled at her startled reaction.

Then he hoovered over his green

cloudy mist, until he took a sit opposite

her.

"Master has instructed me to

au fau

accompany you for your stay. I'm to

acquaint you with everything." He

informed her.

"Master?"

"Master Lylas, Yes. In your mortal

language, I'm equivalent to a steward."2

Steward? Master? It was very odd way

to address Lylas, however, thinking

how odd and eccentric her morning

was so far. She shouldn't be that

surprised.

Zenos made himself a plate of what

looked to be porridge. Alana took his

example and served herself some food.

There wasn't any English breakfast

and so Alana opted for what she hope

was granola and yoghurt. She tasted

the food and was surprised at how

delicious it was. It definitely wasn't the

ordinary granola and yoghurt she was

used to.

"So... Miss Alana, tell me about

yourself."

Zenos looked deeply into her eyes.

Alana watched the green colour of his

eyes intensifying. The light in them

was striking and Alana felt as if that

light was piercing through her mind.

His words and eves confounded her in

Some auhorisaion. She felt as ii she

were fighting control with the light in

his eyes. The light that was tempting

and urging her to tell him everything

about herself. Through this intense

battle, Alana remained victorious.

She remained silent, staring pointedly

at him in confusion and suspicion.

"Wow, you are immune to me... I am

lacking a great dealifI cannot even

suppress a mere mortal."

His mumbling made her remember this

exact moment she had the first time

she met Lylas.

"Lylas said the same thing to me

when we first met...what exactly am I

immune from?" Alana asked curiously.

Then, she had thought Lylas meant she

was immune to his charm and good

looks. Surmising over what's happened

so far, there definitely was more to this.

"Master, cannot compel you?" Zenos

seemed truly and utterly shocked. "In

all the worlds, if even Master cannot

suppress you then that makes me feel

better.. makes feela lot better, indeed."1

Alana stared at him suspiciously. "What

exactly do you mean?"

we demons ana nose abie to Culuvate

their minds are able to manipulate

the weaker of beings and that is you

mortals..those with higher ranks in

immortality can also manipulate those

weaker than them. It all, however,

depends how strong your essence is."

Alana looked at him as if he had just

sprouted utter nonsense. However,

there was something that stuck to her,

frightened her.

She paled as she recalled his words.

"W-we d-demons? You're a d-demon?"

Was it all true then? If he was also a

demon that that man that abducted her

was really a fire demon as Kilan had

mentioned.

Zenos smirked at her bulging eyes.

Oh, mortals with weak mindset and

bodies. I see why the heavens are so

adamant on protecting your species. He

thought.

"I am demon. Yes. Although this term

in your language is derogatory to my

true essence. I am a woodland demon

to be specific. My mind is at peace and

I have not lost my morals by thirsting

for human flesh and souls to gain

power...no, those type of demons,

ghouls and goblins are what master

and his soldiers always fight to prevent

them from infecting the mortal realm."

"Realm-"

"I forget I'm speaking to just a weakling

barely acquainted with the true works

of the world." Zenos shook his head in

derision.

"T'll explain then." He finalised.

Alana grabbed a toast of bread,

dabbed some butter on it before taking

a bite. Then her eyes stared him in

determination. As long as her stomach

had food, she was prepared for

anything

"Think of it like this.." Zenos began.

"..throughout your history, some of

your mortals-through the guidance of

Master Lylas-were close into clearing

their mental state of mind to receive

enough divination to know how the

truth of how the world worked..."

He then explained that this knowledge

throughout mortal history has been

watered down with many versions

created. However, ultimately all

religions that exist in the mortal realm

believe in the same ideals: there's a

heaven and there's a hell. The good are

in heaven and the bad in hel1.

Alana nodded, understanding.

Assured that the mortals was smart

enough to cohere what he was saying,

Zenos continued.

Originally there were five main realms

in total and within those realms there

are many other lands and territories.

Now there are six realms if you

included the realm they were in.

Lylas's realm.

Alana froze when he mentioned this.

Lylas has his own realm?

Zenos wasn't bothered by her frozen

state as he continued.

On earth they were three main realms;

the fairie realms, the demon realm and

the mortal realm.

There was a rule that applied in all

realms except for the mortal realm.

This rule was that anyone who has

primordial essence was able to

cultivate to immortality.

A person with primordial essence has

one or more extra arteries and veins.

These veins and arteries pumped a

special blood that brought about an

increase in strength and stealth for

that individual. It also extended their

life. The more they cultivated these

veins and arteries, the longer their life

extended.

There were rare occasion where some

individuals were born immortal.

These individuals were usually gods

and goddesses but the fairie realm's

royal family were also included in that

category. A person born immortal had

five or more extra arteries and veins in

their hearts.

Those not born immortal were able

to cultivate to immortality because of

their primordial essence. And so their

road to immortality will depend on

their series of trials and tribulation and

how steadfast and willing they were

to follow through in increasing their

powers.

Alana remembered how Kilan

mentioned he sensed primordial

essence in her, that was why he drank

her blood. She wondered briefly

whether that meant she had an extra

artery and vein, Zenos was talking

about. But how could that explain her

mortality?

Individuals from the fairie realm,

whether fairies, animals, trees, fruits

and flowers, readily had the means

and foundations to make them easily

cultivate to immortality. That was

because that realm was favoured and

close to the heavenly realm." Zenos

distracted her from her puzzlement.

Alana then took another bite of her

toast and concentrated on what he was

saying.

Individuals from the heavenly realm

were already born immortal, most of

everyone in that realm became gods

and goddesses through their skills and

their untroubled minds that made

them easily cultivate to higher ranking

immortals.

The heavenly realm had a king who

was the main sovereign in power of

establishing order and peace between

all realms.

Individuals from the demon realm

included, demons, ghouls and goblins.

The demon realm was an unstable

realm since it was less peaceful than

other realms. Power and greed were

the main driving forces in that realm.

And their unnatural minds that weren't

easily tamed, weakened their chances

of enlightenment and their cultivation

to immortality.

Because of the demon realm's

instability, there were many territories

and lands that separated each species.

The demons were considered the

wisest of the three main species, the

ghouls the strongest and the goblins the

canniest.

There was only a rare occasion that

species from the demon realm reached

immortality. The demon king was one

of those people to have managed, but

power and greed drove him to lessen

the chances of others.

Those who failed to cultivate to

immortality either died within just

hundreds and a few thousand years.

Alana's eyes bulged as she took in

Zenos' words. It almost felt as if she

were hearing a fantasy fairytale

written in stories...and yet as she was

listening, something familiar about it

was wringing in her mind.

"...The current demon king is very

greedy and cannot run the demon

realm properly-although he's

managed to establish order by making

the strongest ghouls his soldiers and

goblins his servants-there's constant

power play between these species

on who is strongest. That's why you

find most evil occurrence originate in

demon realm. They always prey on

the weakest of the earth's realms. Your

realm..." Zenos continued.

The mortal realm was less chaotic than

the demon realm, however it housed

weak humans who had no primordial

essence. Because of this, the heavenly

realm and the fairie realm heavily

guarded it.

Mortal species were very much

favoured and protected. That was

because despite their unfavored

circumstances, they continued to thrive

and live on steadfastly and sometimes

peacefully. They knew how to cherish

their small lives.

The last of the original five realms is

the netherworld. This cannot be really

Considered realm, more of a world

or space--it's sort of like my master's

realm." Zenos informed Alana.

The netherworld-or underworld as

some may prefer-was ultimately

the main bridge between earth and

the primordial heaven. It was where

those who died without mastering

immortality, no matter what realm,

were able to pass on to their next

incarnation, their next lives.

"For mortals, since you all are so

fragile and weak-minded. After you've

received your trials and gone through

your judgment, your souls must be

dipped into the river of forgetfulness

before passing on to blue pool of

incarnation..the goddess of birth

along with the original heavenly king

specifically crafted that pond so your

souls are able to live on to their next

lives..."

As for the other advanced species,

it all depended on their ranks in

immortality. If an individual's rank was

so high that they've reached a point

where it was virtual impossible for

them to die, they no longer had to go

through the incarnation process.

If, however, their primordial spirit

was destroyed and they ceased

from existence. It was thought that

their consciousness would pass on

to a primordial heaven. If some of

their consciousness and primordial

spirit still remained, and somehow

miraculously they're brought to life.

Then they have a chance to start

afresh, i.e cultivating a new body in

iminnl tmio fo

+

nd thon

uer origmal uue Torm and uen to

human form. Then finally their journey

began again, until they reached their

ultimate rank in immortality.

The netherworld was also bridge

between the upside-down levels of hell.

When mortals die they were judged

on how they've lived their first life in

accordance to the seven deadly sins...if

they've committed crimes within those

deadly sins, the god of the punishment

allocated them a level of hell to be

punished in.

This all, however, depended on how

great one's crime was. An individual

would then receive their punishment

in whatever level of hell they're

punished in until their time was up.

They had go through this seven times

in accordance to the seven deadly sins.

"It wouldn't be until they've gone

through all the punishments, that an

individual was then fit to go through

the incarnation process..."

As for immortals, and those still yet to

reach immortality, when they commit

the evilest of crimes, they are sealed in

a level of hell depending on the crime

they've committed. They're punished

there for a very long time, until they're

enlightened again and have repented

for their sin

"...this is very rare and that is why

throughout the beginning of time

there's been a few immortals to be

punished this way. That is because

usually the primordial heaven and

order of peace have already placed

your set of karmic punishment for

when you go against nature."

Alana took all of this in as if she had

been enlightened by the works of

the world. It made sense to her, what

he was saying...and yet she couldn't

understand how she could easily

accept it just like that...as if she'd long

known and felt that is how the world

worked.

"And so, for master realm... " Zee finally

concluded. "...well since Master, Lylas

Fury, is a unique powerful sort of

fellow. He is afterall, half fairie and

half demon. Well, his powers surpass

those of fairie realm and demon realm.

And is equal if not almost surpassing

those of heavenly realm. If he's not

admired, he's feared by everyone in all

realms."

"There's a long story leading to how

Master discovered his origins and

naitho

why he doesn't live in neither the

realms I've mentioned....Apart from

being not welcomed, he long decided

creating his own world was better than

encountering those that took the world

from him... no one in all realm's history

-apart from the previous-previous

heavenly king-had powers that had

enabled them to create their own

realm...that's how powerful he was."

Zenos finished.

"And what's the long story?"Alana was

very much interested this story

"Presently, I've given you too much to

think over...and besides this story is not

mine to tel.." Zenos told her.

"..All you need to understand now is

that Master saved you and Karla from

an evil fire demon, and you should be

thankful he got there on time because

the fire demon's power had grazed

your arm, it's foul energy dipped into

you..."

"Foul energy?" Alana asked curiously.

"Yes, you may feel everything is normal

and that you're yourself, but you

must be cleansed of the foul energy,

otherwise it will manifest into an evil

spirit and plague you."

"The ceren herb from the fairie realm

grown by Mena has healed your

physical wounds. But you have to stay

in master's realm for two weeks in

order to dispense the foul energy in

Master's lotus spring."

"And where is Lylas now?" Alana asked

the nagging question that's been eating

at her since she awakened.

"Master is personaly attending to

Karla, she received the most foul

energy from the fire demon, he has

to personal remove it himself." Zenos

explained.

"Karla is still unconscious? Where

is she? I have to see her?" Alana

panicked.

"Master instructed that no one but him,

has to be with her until she wakes up."

A familiar feeling of dread entered

Alana's heart once more. The

unwanted jealousy she knew shouldn't

be there in the first place. Karla was

practically unconscious, in need of care

more than she did. It made sense why

he would look after her.

However, it was knowing Karla was

receiving special treatment personally

from Lylas that alerted her to their

close relationship. Whatever Karla

said about her love being unrequited

before, it was now pretty clear to Alana

that this wasn't the case.

Nevertheless, she had no right to feel

so jealous. She was an outsider. Karla

has known Lylas longer than she did.

She was just an unwanted spectator

sticking her nose into where she

shouldn't.

What did that fire demon say when

Lylas was confronting him?

"...she has unfortunate luck..."

Alana was now beginning to

understand just how very unfortunate

that luck was.

***

So how's the story so far guys?? Do you

agree with Alana that she shouldn't be

jealous since she has no right or do you

think she should be?

Let me know in the comments section!

Chapter 7 will be updated next week, be

on the lookout!

Chapter 7 will be updated next week, be

on the lookout!

Last thankyou for reading this far@8