A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Galadriel]

[Capital City]

The chamber was as vast as it was uninviting. Cold stone walls stretched outward in every direction, bare of decoration, their gray surfaces swallowing what little warmth the room might have possessed. Suspended high above, a lone orb of white light drifted silently through the air, its glow soft enough to illuminate the chamber.

There was almost nothing within it. No furniture, banners, or any windows.

There was only a detailed blue rune inscribed into the center of the stone floor.

Its lines were precise, layered atop one another in geometric patterns that spread outward through the stone. Sharp angles branched from its center into sweeping shapes that vaguely resembled a pair of enormous wings unfurling across the floor. Mana drifted from its surface in blue wisps, running through the design every few seconds.

The room would have felt almost oppressively empty were it not for the three people occupying it.

"Mira! Have you grown?" Astrid exclaimed brightly.

Before Mirabella could even prepare herself, the first princess had already wrapped both arms around her younger sister, pulling her into an embrace that was every bit as overwhelming as it was affectionate.

"H-Hey! C-cut it out already! It’s only been a few weeks!" Mirabella protested, her voice muffled beneath Astrid’s crushing embrace.

She squirmed uselessly, arms pinned awkwardly between them as her face rapidly turned red.

"A few weeks is still far too long." Astrid smiled with complete sincerity, giving her sister one more affectionate squeeze before finally releasing her. Her bright blue eyes carefully wandered over Mirabella from head to toe, as though genuinely checking whether she’d changed. "And honestly... there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You used to absolutely adore my hugs."

"Yeah," Mirabella shot back immediately, rubbing her shoulders after finally escaping, "when I was a toddler. Things change, you know."

She folded her arms tightly across her chest, trying her best to recover what remained of her dignity.

Astrid merely giggled.

"So they do," she admitted warmly. "Though I think you’re pretending to dislike them more than you actually do."

Mirabella looked away with a scowl.

"I absolutely am not."

"Seems you were enjoying it," Agatha quietly observed from the opposite side of the chamber.

She had yet to move from where she stood near the rune, emerald eyes calmly studying its structure. Her expression remained as unreadable as ever.

Which somehow made the remark infinitely more irritating.

Mirabella slowly turned toward her.

"Butt out, Blondie."

The words came with more exasperation than hostility.

Agatha simply blinked.

"I merely stated what I observed."

"If it’s you saying it, it’ll always be worse." Mirabella retorted.

"At least Agatha sees the truth." Astrid nodded with complete satisfaction, looking entirely pleased with herself.

Mirabella pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You’re both equally annoying..." She let out a weary sigh before quickly steering the conversation elsewhere. "Can one of you please explain why we’re even standing around in this depressing room? It’s practically begging us to lose the will to live."

Agatha’s gaze lowered once more toward the glowing symbol beneath their feet.

"That appears to be a teleportation crest," she said after another quiet moment of observation. "The rune structure is interconnected rather than isolated. I imagine it’s linked to similar crests throughout Galadriel’s major cities." Her emerald eyes traced one of the glowing lines. "If my assumption is correct, we’re using it to travel directly to Veron."

Astrid’s smile widened.

"Exactly." She looked pleasantly impressed. "That was quick."

Agatha simply gave a small nod. "It was the most logical conclusion."

"We’re fortunate it still functions," Astrid continued, glancing toward the sprawling crest beneath them. "It’s the fastest method available right now, especially considering..." she paused briefly before smiling a little more awkwardly, "...we don’t exactly have anyone here specializing in long-range teleportation magic anymore."

Mirabella clicked her tongue.

"Yeah." She folded her arms again. "Because both that hag and Lucinda are off in Verdantis." There was no attempt whatsoever to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Shouldn’t they be prioritizing their own nation first instead of leaving Galadriel shorthanded?"

Astrid’s expression softened, though she didn’t immediately answer.

Instead, Agatha spoke.

"Victoria and Fiona already explained there was sufficient reason for their deployment." Her voice remained calm as she continued. "They wouldn’t make that decision carelessly."

"Yeah," Mirabella muttered with another huff, "they also made it pretty clear they’re not interested in telling us what that reason actually is." Her blue eyes drifted toward Agatha. "Honestly, you should be way more annoyed than you are."

Agatha looked back at her.

"You went with them." Mirabella pointed accusingly. "You were actually there. You saw more than the rest of us did." She frowned. "And even after all that, they still won’t tell you anything."

"No, they won’t," Agatha answered without the slightest trace of bitterness.

Mirabella stared at her for another second before throwing both hands into the air.

"See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You’re way too calm!" Before she could continue, Astrid gently tapped her younger sister on the top of the head with two armored fingers.

It wasn’t painful, merely enough to interrupt her.

"Ow!" Mirabella rubbed her head dramatically. "What was that for?"

"Calm yourself, Mira." Astrid smiled patiently. "These are our comrades." Her voice remained gentle, though there was firmness beneath her words. "If they’ve decided certain things should remain undisclosed for now, then we should trust that decision."

She looked between both younger girls.

"Trust can’t only exist when answers are convenient. Sometimes it’s choosing to believe in people even when you don’t know everything they’re carrying."

Mirabella let out another long, theatrical groan.

"Yeah..." She looked toward the ceiling instead. "Yeah, yeah..." Her shoulders slumped as she reluctantly accepted the point. "I get it."

She certainly didn’t sound convinced. But she stopped arguing, for now.

"Hohoho, still as bratty as ever, I see!"

A fourth voice, high-pitched and smug, rang throughout the chamber, cutting through the sisters’ bickering.

Mirabella and Astrid turned in unison.

Hovering several feet above the stone floor was the familiar tiny figure clad in a vibrant green dress. Delicate translucent wings beat behind her, scattering motes of light with every flutter.

Cor’nella wore the same thoroughly self-satisfied grin she always did.

Mirabella’s eye twitched the moment she saw her.

"Oi, you fairy twerp," she groaned, already sounding exhausted before the conversation had even begun. "I seriously don’t have the patience for that irritating little voice of yours today, so do us both a favour and keep it down."

"How unfortunate for you," Cor’nella replied without missing a beat, the grin on her tiny face widening. "Because, quite thankfully, whether you have the patience for it or not is entirely irrelevant."

With another playful flutter of her wings, she drifted gracefully downward before coming to rest atop Agatha’s shoulder as though it were the most natural perch in the world.

Agatha, unsurprisingly, didn’t react in the slightest.

Mirabella stared at the pair.

"...Blondie," she sighed, pointing accusingly towards Agatha. "Did you really have to summon tiny blondie too? One of you was already enough."

Cor’nella folded her tiny arms.

"Our names truly aren’t that difficult," she said, leaning forward with an unimpressed stare. "Or is remembering proper names simply beyond an oaf such as yourself?"

Mirabella gave an unconcerned shrug.

"I’ll call you whatever I feel like calling you."

Cor’nella clicked her tongue dramatically.

"Such barbaric behavior. No manners or appreciation for me."

"Keep dreaming’, fairy."

Astrid had to bite the inside of her cheek. The corners of her lips threatened to curl upward despite herself.

("They really do argue every single time they meet...") she thought warmly. ("It’s strangely adorable.")

She quietly shook her head before the amusement could show too clearly on her face, returning the conversation to its actual purpose.

"It’s good that you decided to show yourself, Cor’nella."

Mirabella looked between the two with obvious scepticism. "Is it?"

"Of course it is," Cor’nella declared immediately, placing a tiny hand proudly against her chest. "A fairy of my caliber possesses only the highest degree of insight. That much should already be obvious."

She puffed herself up another inch.

"And naturally, I am always delighted to assist the current wielder of Leifa Allr. That sacred sword has been the pride of fairykind for generations. Helping its bearer is practically an honor." Her emerald eyes shifted towards Astrid with unmistakable admiration.

Mirabella scratched the side of her head. "Didn’t a whole bunch of other races help forge that fancy sword too?"

Cor’nella froze for exactly one second, then she waved the statement away with one tiny dismissive gesture of her hand.

"Hush. The finer details are entirely unimportant."

"They’re pretty important."

"They are absolutely not." Cor’nella straightened herself again with every ounce of dignity she could gather. "Now then," she continued as though nothing had happened, "what is it that I can do for you, noble wielder of the most sacred blade?"

Astrid smiled appreciatively.

"Well," she began, stepping a little closer to the sigil carved into the floor, "fairies have always been known to possess an incredible understanding of magic. Your people are far more adept at manipulating complex spells than most mages."

Her blue eyes lowered towards the glowing runes.

"So I was wondering... would it be possible for you to adjust this teleportation crest?" She gestured towards the sprawling blue inscription. "Rather than transporting us directly inside the city of Veron, could you alter its destination so we arrive somewhere just outside the city instead?" Her expression softened slightly. "I’d rather not alarm the townsfolk by suddenly appearing in the middle of their streets. They’ve already endured enough because of the Abyss. There’s no reason to give them another surprise."

Cor’nella’s smile immediately returned in full force.

"Is that all?" She gave a confident laugh. "Hohoho! Easily done."

She floated from Agatha’s shoulder, hovering above the massive runic crest as though she’d done this countless times before.

"Merely leave everything to me."