(POV Queen Urchoicha)
Badney is serving us these… curious pastries.
They look like stones.
Let's just hope they don't taste like them too.
"Hallorha!" she chirps, beaming as she sets them down. "Hehreh arrre my spehcihal sweehts! Pleahse, helhp youhrselves, they'rre so cruhnchy! Toh whaht doh we oweh thish visiit?!"
Oh, for the love of—
Did she just spit in my eye?!
After all these years, hasn't she done anything about that atrocious speech defect?
I wipe my face, then—reluctantly, I admit—pick up one of those… things.
Bàistec looks just as repulsed.
Enough of this.
Time to get to the point.
He gives me a small nod. I turn to the troll sovereigns.
"We've discussed this at length," I begin smoothly. "We'd like to propose an alliance… to conquer the Great Universal Kingdom."
Scrios leans forward immediately, intrigued.
"Kome exahctly? Exhplaihn," he presses.
"Our idea is simple…" Bàistec cuts in. "Once Dorcha and Aileen obtain the Secret of the Fairy and Pixie Realm, they'll have no choice but to come here. To you."
"To us?" Badney blinks.
Honestly. She couldn't spot the obvious if it bit her.
"Yes, of course," I say, taking a bite.
Hm.
Not terrible, actually.
"They'll need your Secret as well."
"Ah… and then?"
"Then," Bàistec continues, swelling with pride, "we unite our armies and prepare to welcome them."
So slow.
Let's make this easier.
"As they arrive," I say, voice turning sharper, "we don't give them anything. We take everything. Every Secret they've gathered. We combine them, restore the Sigillum Maximum… and claim the Universal Power for ourselves."
A pause.
"Only the four of us," I finish softly. "One kingdom. Shared dominion."
Scrios hesitates.
Badney, on the other hand, lights up.
"It soundsh amhhahzing… where'sh the catch?" she asks.
"Catch?" she laughs, waving it off. "Urchoichah ish my deahrest frriend! We'veh known each other shince we were litthle!"
Perfect.
A pass like that?
Impossible to miss.
"It's true," I add warmly. "Badney and I grew up together. This is a guaranteed triumph for both our realms. You have my word."
Scrios still wavers.
Stubborn troll.
"And what do you think, Bàistek?"
My dear orc bursts out laughing.
"My friend," he declares, puffed up with pride, "this was my idea."
His…
He wishes.
"…Very well," Scrios finally concedes. "Then we join forces."
Badney throws her arms around him, reeking and delighted, raising a massive stone tankard.
"Bravoh, my husbahnd! Let'sh celehbrate!"
Bàistec and I exchange a glance.
That was almost too easy.
Fools.
Once we have the Sigillum…
we'll dispose of them.
Absolute power. Ours.
I reach for another pastry.
"Delicious, my dear. You must give me the recipe."
Badney grins, all teeth and joy.
Sweet Badney.
In her own way… she's almost endearing.
(POV Elf Baelnes)
Damn them.
So this is their plan.
I can't stand by anymore.
Not now.
If I truly want to help my people… then serving those beasts ends here.
It's time to choose a side.
And it's time to go home.
(POV Dorcha)
Aileen is restless.
She must miss Fayrin more than she's letting on.
She looks at us.
"I'll try to connect with Fayrin," she says.
I give her a reassuring smile.
"Go on, little one. We're right here."
"Thanks, Grog."
She closes her eyes, focusing on the memory of her friend.
"Fayrin… can you hear me?"
Her source tightens. Her expression strains.
Strange.
We wait in silence, hands resting against her, feeding her what strength we can.
After a while, she opens her eyes again.
Disappointed.
"I can't reach her…"
"Maybe she's just busy," I suggest. "Try again later."
She shakes her head.
"But it's already late morning. We should move…"
"Ahrrr, a littleh morre orr a littleh less won't mattter," Grogher rumbles. "Espehcially if she can hellp us. She'll answerrr. You'll see."
So we wait.
Aileen paces the clearing like a caged animal.
The sun—half-smothered by storm clouds—rests against the mountain peaks when she turns back to us.
"I'll try again."
She does.
Again.
And again.
Nothing.
"Alright," I say gently. "Don't worry. We'll try."
We don't succeed either.
What the hell…?
"Sidae," Grogher calls, "show us where Fayrrrin lives."
The lion curls into the snow, eyes closing as if drifting to sleep.
A heartbeat.
Then—
A vision spills from his mind.
A place… dead.
Silent. Hollow. Dark.
The trees stand bare, skeletal.
Lifeless.
Aileen stares, shaken.
"No… this is wrong. This can't be Fayrin's realm! She always described it as full of color—of life—of fragrance! This isn't it. It can't be!"
"Sidae doesn't make mistakes," Grogher says quietly. "This ish it. Something hash happened."
"You think it's because the Scroll was destroyed?" she asks, alarmed.
Grogher and I exchange a glance.
He thinks.
I don't.
I already know.
And it's my fault.
My chest tightens—heavy, suffocating.
"It's possible, Aileen," I say at last, my voice low with regret.
(POV Elf Baelnes)
I move fast, heading straight for the clearing.
Enough.
If I truly want to help my people, then serving these orcs—after everything they've put me through—has no purpose anymore.
I have to choose.
And now that I know their plan…
it's time to go home.
Still… it's not an easy decision.
Yemy never approved.
Not once.
The last time we spoke about it, it turned into a disaster.
A fight so bad I can still hear it.
"Stop this nonsense! Why would you ever work for those filthy, disgusting orcs? What do you think you'll gain from it?! They hate elves! They'll humiliate you every chance they get!"
She said it so many times over the years…
I could recite it word for word.
My wife always believed we could live well on our own.
That we didn't need them.
And if that hadn't happened…
I admit it.
I would've believed the same.
But she doesn't know.
She never did.
I couldn't tell her.
So I told her something else instead.
That Bàistec—disgusting as he is—is generous.
That it was the only way to give our large family a comfortable life.
That's what I let her believe.
The truth?
I never had a choice.
I had to serve them.
But I convinced myself otherwise.
Told myself it was my decision.
Because facing the truth back then…
would have destroyed me.
"They'll humiliate you," she said.
Maybe.
And if they did, I told myself I'd endure it.
Move on. Keep going.
That's what I've always done.
Gone my own way.
And she…
she was always right.
Only after I took that path did I truly understand.
Did I finally see just how right Yemy had been.
Sure… I could have gone back.
Tried to renegotiate.
Asked Bàistec for something more… acceptable.
But I didn't want to degrade myself any further.
So I stayed.
I endured.
I earned.
And in the end…
I even got used to it.
But now?
No.
I can't do that anymore.
This isn't just about me.
Not anymore.
If the Great Universal Kingdom falls under orc dominion…
it's over.
For everyone.
They are arrogant. Deceitful. Cruel.
Far less intelligent than they believe.
They don't understand respect.
And I will not allow my family—my people—my entire world
to be exploited, broken, and dragged into ruin by them.
I don't have a second to waste.
I have to act.
Even if it means stepping into the open.
And yes… we elves are protected by Baelkers and Aeltiàfisar…
But for all their wisdom, their experience…
they are old.
Very old.
Legends, people call them.
But I can't help wondering—
when the time comes…
will they still be able to stand as they once did?
It doesn't matter.
I have to warn them.
If we act in time… maybe we still have a chance.
Yes.
They'll gather the elves. Every last one.
We are trained in magic and combat from childhood.
We can build the strongest army this world has ever seen.
It all rests on me now.
For my children.
For Yemy.
For my people—
I have to act.
I close my eyes.
A pale blue light engulfs me.
One second—
and the Sliab mountains vanish from sight.
(POV Aileen)
How is it possible…
that there's no life on this entire mountain plain?
We've been here since yesterday.
Not a single fox.
Not even an eagle in the sky.
Nothing.
It's… wrong.
Could it be connected to what Sidae showed us?
We were just talking about it.
Dorcha and Grogher think the same.
"I think we should move," I say.
"Yeah, but… how do we find the fairies?" Dorcha asks. "Do any of you know?"
"Fayrin always told me fairies don't live with pixies. Their customs are too different. Fairies stay in the Inner Realm."
"The Inner Realm?" Grogher asks.
"It's… a hidden place. A magical domain created by the fairies long ago. Fayrin said there's a passage—something inside the stone."
"And where is it?" Dorcha asks.
…If only I knew.
"I don't know," I sigh. "She never told me. But it doesn't matter—we'll find it. Grogher, you scouted ahead. Which way should we go?"
"Hmm… down," he says. "Toward the valley. Open ground."
"There should be a pixie somewhere we can ask, right?" Dorcha adds.
I'm not so sure.
"I hope so. We haven't seen a single one since we got here."
"It's cold up here," he reasons. "Maybe this isn't their kind of environment—"
Grogher cuts him off immediately.
"Pixies love mountains and snow, Dorrrcha. There are entire villages in these rrranges."
"Exactly…" I murmur, thinking. "And not just pixies. Before the Realm of Magic Wings was separated, there were entire fairy settlements here too. Back then, pixies were protected by bears… and fairies by wolves."
I pause.
"There's always a wolf pack near a fairy village."
My chest tightens.
"But I don't see any wolves either."
Raertha suddenly lets out a sharp neigh, rearing and kicking the air, restless.
Hercules reacts the same way.
Sidae is pacing in tight circles.
They're agitated.
No—worse.
They're alarmed.
Sidae moves first.
He nudges Grogher hard, lifts him—and throws him onto his back.
"Hey—!"
Before we can even react—
Raertha and Hercules do the same with us.
"Wait—what's happening?!"
No answer.
No explanation.
Only speed.
We're already moving.
All three of them diving fast—too fast—
straight toward the valley.