Chapter 7 - Welcome to Never Land

The moment they entered Never Land, Tinkerbell felt it– the shift in her very being. Her body shivered, her wings trembled, and in an instant, she was younger, the same age as Peter and even her memories of Ever Land were washed away.

Was it a curse woven from betrayal, or a shield forged by fate's quiet mercy?

A fairy lost between what was and what could be, waiting for a love that might set her free.

Tinker Bell sat on a rock near the shore, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her face buried between them. She hadn't spoken a word since they arrived.

A rustling sound behind her made her turn.

Peter.

He lay curled in the grass, older than before–no longer an infant, but a boy the cusp of something greater. His brow furrowed, his lips parting slightly as if lost in a dream. And then, with a sharp inhale, his eyes fluttered open.

Tinker Bell watched, uncertain of what she would find.

The boy blinked, adjusting to the dim glow of Never Land. His gaze swept over the sky, the trees, the silver-lit horizon.

Then, he smiled.

Not with fear, not confusion, but with wonder.

"What is this place? "He asked, his voice filled with a child's delight.

But Tinker Bell didn't utter a single word.

A bit irked Peter came closer to Tinker Bell, leaned forward on his elbows and asked sweetly "You got a name?"

"Alright, I'll start," he said, as if they were in the middle of a conversation. "My name is Peter. I don't remember much, but I do remember my house. It had a big window, and my mother–" His voice caught for a second, but he brushed past it. "She used to hum when she tucked me in."

Tinker Bell's expression didn't change.

"Oh, come on," he groaned, flopping onto his back dramatically. "At Least tell me where we are."

Tinker Bell's wings flickered, but still, she said nothing.

Peter propped himself up on one arm, watching her carefully. "You do know, don't you?"

Still nothing.

He huffed, blowing a strand of his hair from his face. " Well, if you're not going to tell me, I'll figure it out myself."

Unbeknownst to them, far out in the water, a group of mermaids floated just beneath the surface, their eyes glinting with mischief as they listened in. They had been watching the strange boy and the beautiful, winged girl since their arrival, their curiosity growing with each passing moment.

With a whisper of laughter, one of them flicked her tail, sending ripples across the water. Come closer, their voices seemed to beckon.

Another giggled. "Shall we play?"

And so, with playful intent, the mermaids called for Peter, their voices like silver bells on the wind.

"Poor boy, stranded all alone with a shy, bitter fairy. Why not come play with us instead?"

He turned his head slightly and saw them–mermaids, their shimmering tails flickering beneath the moonlight. They rested on the water's surface, their eyes gleaming with mischief.

"We could show you the secrets of the deep," one of them purred. "Sing to you, swim with you, take you there, where no human has ever been.

Peter smirked, kicking his feet against the rock. "And what about her?" He gestured to Tinker Bell, who sat a little farther away, her back stubbornly turned to him.

The mermaids giggled. "Why would you waste your wonderful evening with such a

proud fairy? She's weak here, isn't she? But we... We are magic itself."

Peter rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his hand, playing along. "Magic? But if you're so powerful, why do you need me to come to you? Can't you just pull me in?"

The mermaids blinked, caught off guard. They exchanged glances before one of them huffed, "We don't need to pull you in. You should want to come to us!"

Peter laughed, tilting his head in mock thoughtfulness. "Hmm. I don't know. You're asking me to leave my friend for a bunch of fishy strangers. Doesn't seem very smart, does it?"

The mermaid's smiles faltered, their tails splashing irritably. One of them flicked her hair. "Well, if you'd rather stay with an ungrateful little sprite, suit yourself."

"But I am curious," Peter continued, leaning closer, his voice lowering conspiratorially. "I heard you whispering earlier. Something about a tribe... a ship..."

The mermaids stiffened.

"Oh, don't stop now," Peter coaxed. "It's not fair to tease a boy with secrets and not share them."

The mermaids exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them scoffed, "Not like you'll ever be smart enough to figure it out anyway."

And just like that, their tails slapped the water, sending sprays of mist into the air as they dived beneath the surface. The lagoon grew eerily silent.

Peter sat back, triumphant. "Now that, " he said to himself, "was fun."

But as he turned to glance at Tinker Bell, he caught the faintest flicker of emotion on her face. Not anger, not irritation.

Jealousy.

A grin spread across Peter's lips.

"Interesting hmm...seems my charm and trickery won't work here," he thought, stealing a glance at her sulking from. "Let's try tugging at emotions, then."

He sighed and flopped onto the sand, drawing lazy circles with his finger. After a beat, he spoke again, softer this time.

"I don't even know who you are."

Tinker Bell's wings twitched, but she remained silent.

"I don't know where I am either," Peter continued. "I just remember my name—Peter. My mother used to call me that. I remember her voice when she sang to me, the way she walked by the big windows at night." He paused, staring at the waves. "But everything else? It's like trying to grab smoke."

He let the words hang between them, casting a glance at her. No response, but she was listening.

"Also..." He hesitated, frowning slightly. "I distinctly remember that I did not want to grow. How and why? I have no clue.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

"At this point, I just... I don't know whom to trust."

A breeze rustled the trees. The silence stretched.

"The mermaids came", he continues this time glancing at her directly. "They seemed... Fun. I thought maybe I could trust them." He chuckled, shaking his head. "But they were mean. And when they bad-mouthed you, I didn't like it."

"So, I made them go away."

Tinker Bell finally looked at him.

A pause. Then, with a flick of her wings, she floated down to his eye level.

"I can take care of myself," she huffed, folding her arms.

Peter grinned, tilting his head. "Never said you couldn't. But if I did something good, a 'thank you' wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Tinker Bell Scoffed, but there was something lighter in her expression now.

Peter leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.

"So? If I don't know who you are, mind telling me?"

She hesitated, then sighed.

"Tinker Bell"

Peter repeated it, teasing the name. "Tinker Bell." He smiled. "That's a funny name."

Tinker Bell crossed her arms. "And Peter isn't?"

He laughed. For the first time since waking up in the strange place, he didn't feel quite so alone.

Far beneath the water, the mermaids swirled in the depths, their grins sharp.

"They had unwittingly revealed a forbidden secret—one that no magical being was ever meant to hear. A secret that could expose Noctis's true intentions and the mysterious force behind his power, pulling mortals into Never Land. Never Land, a sacred realm where no mortal belonged. Once drawn into its magic, they would be bound to its energy, never aging, never decaying, unlike those in Ever Land, where time marched or changed."

Yet the question refused to fade from their thoughts, who were these mortals summoned by Noctis, and why was their existence shrouded in secrecy, hidden even from Selene?

The mermaids who were once Selen's loyal were now under the enchantment of Noctis or were they willingly betraying Selene?