The Dark Fairy King

I woke up coughing, my body aching, sprawled on the cold floor.

As my eyes opened I saw it. Thick, swirling mists of red, yellow, and black choked the once-white room, heavy with power. The air buzzed with energy—an echo of something violent that had just transpired.

And there, in the middle of it all, sat King Luxeron.

His once-blinding radiance was gone. No glow, no power—just a hollow shell of a ruler, cross-legged on the floor, his gaze distant. He was catatonic, speaking only when prompted, answering Scarlette’s questions with an eerie, detached calm.

I forced myself upright, my limbs trembling. A sharp pang shot through me, and I nearly lost my balance.

Scarlette was at my side in an instant.

"Veravos, finally awake," she murmured. "You were unconscious for two days. Please—be careful. You need to rest my friend."

Her voice was softer than I expected.

My friend. That’s what she called me. But did I just want to be a friend? After everything we’d been through?

Yeah, that sounded about right. This week with her had felt like a lifetime. Scarlette was nothing like I had expected. But it was only a week.

She hesitated, then exhaled, as if bracing herself.

I glanced at the swirling mists around us, realizing just how much work she’d done. The scroll lay unrolled before her, the emerald resting atop it.