‘Viera, what are you doing up there?’

‘Celebratin’! I just beat four Fairybond in a row during their training sessions!’

I lazily sat in my favorite apple tree as I snacked on the delicious red treat. Below me on the ground, Mom stood with her hand on her hips, trying to look angry at me.

‘Hop down this instant, young lady! There is no reason an eleven-year-old should be fighting with the students! What would happen if you got hurt? You still have five years until your Naming Ceremony. Until then, the resurrection circles won’t work on you. I won’t have my little girl getting hurt before then! Let’s hurry and get home. It’s almost dinner time.’

I jumped out of the tree and focused my Mana to cushion my fall. The air around me swirled erratically and my skirt puffed out as my long brown hair flew up above me. I fell quickly but slowed just before I crashed into the ground. The tips of my toes touched the ground gently, and I flattened my feet to complete my decent. I patted the ruffles of my skirt and grinned at my mother.

‘Still showing off, I see.’

I clasped my hands behind my back and tilted my head with a grin.

‘Isn’t that what fairies like? I’m already the cutest, so I just need to be the strongest and I’ll get the best fairy ever!’

‘Miss Orica has been filling your head with silly thoughts again, I see.’

‘She is a lot more fun in her kid form as Selene. She’s so cute, I wish she would just stay that way.’

‘Vi, that impolite. Miss Orica’s fairy has granted her two forms. Both have their uses. You must respect whichever one she chooses to manifest as.’

‘Yes, mother dearest…I still think she’s cuter though.’

We walked as we made our way to our humble home in the back of the campus. I skipped along and hummed a tune Miss Swella had taught me as we made our way. My mom was the Headmistress of the school, as had been given a humble little cottage for us to live in away from the bustling school for girls. On our way there, we were greeted by a visitor.

‘Hello, little one. How was your day?’

‘Miss Irons! I beat four first-year Fairybond students today! It won’t be long before I get stronger than you!’

She smiled and ruffled my hair.

‘Fantastic. Make sure you practice hard and continue to hone your skills. Maybe after you take down your first Revenant, I’ll let you spar with me.’

‘Miss Irons! Do not be putting strange thoughts into Viera’s head! It’s bad enough that she is sparring with the students before her Naming Ceremony. The last thing I need is for her to think she is a match for a Revenant.’

‘To be fair, she does have a certain advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even need a fairy to…’

‘And that is all the better reason that she will take a fairy! She will be the shining star to lead this school in its next generation!’

‘Praise me more!’

‘See, now you're giving her a big head.’

‘Me? I’m quite certain that is because you are too much of a doting mother.’

I skipped ahead as the two bantered back and forth as we traveled to our home. After they stopped, Miss Irons passed along some information about the school and when on her way. We arrived at our home and began to prepare dinner together.

‘Momma, why does everyone make fun of my use of a katana?’

‘In many of the other worlds, the katana was once praised as the perfect sword in pop culture. As culture usually goes, a counter-culture formed against it. Most of those who criticize you are probably from cultures that developed strong distaste for the katana. Don’t let it get to you. The katana is a fine blade, as long as you keep in mind it’s shortfalls.’

‘Oh, Miss Aurach said it was because the blade was almost as long as I was. One of the other kids said I should dye my hair white and wear a black trench coat…whatever that means.’

‘Why do you use such a large blade, Vi? Surely a smaller blade would be better fitting? With your speed and size, why not try a dagger or kukri?’

‘I don’t know. There is just something about a large, single-bladed sword that seems…cool? Like it just feels natural in my hands. Plus, with a little Mana, I can overcome any of the shortfalls, like weight and cutting power. I really wish Cinder would make me a weapon.’

‘I’ll tell her to make you the best Fairyite sword that you can find, after your Naming Ceremony.’

I felt a flutter in my stomach as I thought about holding that cool blade, coating it in Mana, and cutting through one of those monsters. I wonder what Iggy would think of it. Ever since the World Tree had chosen me as her guardian, she had been visiting me in my dreams. As I grew stronger, I started to see what she constantly told me about. By the time I was sixteen, I would probably be stronger than any Fairybond. I likely wouldn’t even require a fairy by then. But to say that out loud would be to shatter my mother’s dream. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have little extra skills on the side, right?

-

The most frustrating part about my powers was the lack of Mana. I had gleaned what I had from crystal fragments and artifacts Miss Orica had brought me in the library. She was fascinated at first with my ability to absorb and wield it, but when I started to outshine the older girls with fairies, Mom put a stop to the experiments. I was sure that I could utilize Aura in the same way, but I had to kill a Revenant to find out.

‘’Come on, just one hunt, Miss Dali!’

Miss Dali was the teacher that was in charge of sending students out to hunt Revenant. She would consult scouting records and assign the Fairybond into balanced groups and send them on hunts to kill Revenant and absorb Aura. It was an important job that determined the growth of each student.

‘Absolutely not. You’re not even a student, and Victoria would have my head if anything happened to you.’

‘But I’m already stronger than most first-years, and they have been hunting for months! Come on. What if it is something small, like one of those cute bunny things.’

‘You want to fight a Murder Rabbit! No ma’am! Now get out of here. I have more important things to do than babysit you.’

‘Hmmmmm.’

I pouted and gave my best cute face, but she wouldn’t budge. I had to find a way to get at least one kill, even if it meant bending the rules a bit.

-

‘It’s nice to meet you, Miss Viera. This is my daughter, Clementine. I hope the two of you can get along.’

The Queen had come on one of her quarterly visits and brought along her youngest daughter this time. She had recently turned sixteen and was being primed to take over as the royal oversight for the school. Clementine stood staring at me with wide, sparkling eyes. As soon as she was released from introductions, she ran over and picked me up in a hug.

‘Oh. My. Gosh. She is so tiny and cute!’

‘Ack! Clem, I can’t breathe!’

I got a sharp glare from Mom as she furrowed her brow at me.

‘Viera! Be polite! This is no place for nicknames!’

The Queen laughed as Clem held me out by my armpits. I folded my arms and pouted.

‘Clem? I like it! Then you will be Little Vi!’

‘Little?! I’m almost four feet tall now!’

Even Mother chuckled a little and smiled as Clem spun me around and I complained. After the bit of teasing was over, Mom and the Queen left for a conference room. Clem was left with me to attend to. I took her out to my little apple orchard and threw her down an apple.

‘Quite the springy little kid, aren’t you?’

‘You have no idea! Check this out!’

I did my little descending trick from the highest branch I could find. Clem gasped in fear and then stared at me wide-eyed as I landed softly on the ground.

‘That was amazing! I thought they only let Other Worlder’s get fairies! Or are you using some kind of magical shoes?’

‘Nope, no fairy. And no magic shoes either. I have my own special magic I was born with.’

‘You can talk to spirits?! I’ve heard rumors of people who could do that! Most are from the other continent though! That is amazing!’

‘Ummm, ya. Let’s just say that.’

‘So, without having a fairy, what do you do all day?’

‘I still do school. I hang out here or at the library. Sometimes I start fights with the other students. It’s pretty boring around here actually.’

‘Have you ever been to the city?’

‘Nope. I’ve never even been out of the school grounds.’

‘That’s depressing. You would love the city. There are so many things to do and see. This apple reminds me of this place that makes a delicious apple pie. It’s amazing.’

‘’Did you say apple pie…’

‘And peach, blueberry, and strawberry.’

‘No, no. Let’s stick with apple.’

‘You really like apples, don’t you?’

‘Ya, there is something perfect about their shape and texture. It’s like apples were the original fruit and everything else came after. I like to think that all life started with the creation of a simple tree, and the fruit of that tree was an apple. After that, the rest of life was created off of the thought of, what would like to eat this wonderful fruit.’

‘Wow, that’s deep.’

‘Miss Orica calls it an active imagination.’

‘Either way, it’s unbelievably cute. Let’s go see what our parents are up too. I have an idea that might be able to get you out of here for a little bit.’

She ruffled my hair and we traveled back to the building where our parents were having their meeting.

-

‘Do you have your sword?’

‘It’s in my locket, Mom.’

‘And your supplies and toiletries for the trip?’

‘In here too. Come on, you practically packed the thing yourself.’

‘Alright. You stay with the Queen and Clem the whole time. No wandering off. The city is a big place; you will get lost without a guide.’

‘Yes Ma’am.’

‘And stay in the carriage at all times on the trip. Let the soldiers handle any troubles. Hippasaurs are fast, so you shouldn’t encounter any Revenant.’

A black-haired knight walked over and held open the door to the carriage.

‘Now don’t you worry one little bit, Headmistress. We’ll take good care of your little one.’

'Who are you callin' little?!'

'Viera!'

I spent the next few days spending time with Clem and her older sister in the city. We went shopping, had sleepovers, she got me a pretty new dress, and I was introduced to the heavenly food known as caramel covered apples. I was having the time of my life. But things began to get odd when we made our way to the antique district in search of artifacts that may hold traces of Mana in them. It was beginning to get dark, and we had decided to check one last road before heading back.

‘Little Vi? Are you feeling anything?’

‘Mmm. But it’s pretty faint. I’m not sure if I can pick up exactly where it's coming from.’

Suddenly, a shop on the corner lit up like a beacon. The Mana’s aura was brighter than anything I had ever felt.

‘Oh! There! That store with the two black spikes crossed on the sign! I’m definitely getting something from there!’

We walked through the street and into the shop. It was dark and littered with several different rooms full of trinkets, weapons, and odd objects. Even though the walls had light fixtures, there seemed to be a heavy darkness that lingered about. It seemed to push back against the light and form a shadowy miasma around the room. The door closed behind us, and as the bell chimed our arrival, and I swear I heard the flutter of wings as the door clanked shut.