The moment Queen Clarion had spoken his new name, something inside him clicked into place, as if a hidden lock had finally turned.
"Zenith," Henry repeated his new name.
It felt right in a way he couldn't explain, as if some dormant part of him had always been waiting to hear it.
A tingling warmth slowly spread through his chest, moving outward until his entire body began vibrating with energy.
The Queen's hand still rested on his shoulder; her eyes widened as the air around them shimmered faintly blue.
"This feeling..." Henry, now named Zenith, whispered, his voice barely audible.
The faint shimmer intensified into a visible pulse of cerulean light.
The Queen slowly withdrew her hand, floating back gracefully as her wings reflected the ethereal light.
She was observing the phenomenon with quiet fascination.
"You truly are a special little one, Zenith," she murmured, her voice warm yet edged with intrigue.
"Woah," The gathered fairies gasped collectively as the glow expanded outward, forming a shimmering halo around Zenith's entire form.
"Is this my talent, but what exactly is it?" Zenith murmured, staring at his hands as the blue glow pulsed around him.
'Am I a type of light fairy?!' He thought, mesmerized by the pulsing blue light.
His snow-white hair lifted as if caught in an unfelt breeze.
In the next moment, his feet slowly lifted off the mushroom platform.
His breath hitched as he hovered there, suspended midair without the aid of wings or pixie dust.
"Whoa, I'm floating," he whispered, glancing down at the mushroom platform, now several inches below his bare feet.
'He's so dazzling, and handsome!' Rosetta, nestled among the gathered fairies, thought admiringly as she watched Zenith hover midair.
The blue glow around him made his sapphire eyes seem almost otherworldly.
A moment later, the light around Zenith slowly receded as his figure garcefully descended onto the mushroom platform.
A collective exhale swept through the gathered fairies, they were all fascinated by this newly arrived sparrowman.
The crowd erupted into hushed murmurs once more, their wings fluttering in excitement.
"Even Tinkerbell hadn't glowed that much when she chose her talent!" A fairy said, the words rippling through the crowd.
Heads nodded... Indeed, Tinkerbell's talent awakening had been dazzling, but the display of Zenith's talent had lit up the entire Pixie Dust Tree.
Queen Clarion hovered just above the mushroom platform.
"Well," she said at last, "I believe we've found your talent, Zenith."
She paused, then continued with a smile, "It'll be up to you now to discover the full potential of your gift."
A thick silence followed Queen Clarion's words.
The fairies exchanged uncertain glances.
No one had ever seen a talent like Zenith's before.
Even the Queen wasn't sure which talent guild should be called to welcome him.
She hesitated as she glanced at the gathered fairies.
Then at that moment, with a flutter of her wings, Rosetta slowly hovered forward.
The other fairies parted subconsciously to let her through, their curious murmurs fading.
She floated toward the mushroom platform, hovering just before the Queen and Zenith.
"Uhm... Queen Clarion," Rosetta began, her voice was soft but carried effortlessly across the hushed canopy.
She slowly hovered a bit closer.
"If I may..." she hesitated slightly then continued. "Perhaps I'd show Zenith around the Hollow for now?"
Queen Clarion turned toward Rosetta, her expression softening into approval.
"That would be most kind of you, Rosetta," she said, nodding gracefully.
The Queen sighed with relief in her mind.
"Zenith could certainly benefit from your guidance."
"Then, I'll be counting on you, Rosetta," she said, her voice warm as golden pixie dust swirled around her.
Queen Clarion slowly dissolved into a cascade of glittering motes, scattering like fireflies into the night.
"I'd be honored, your majesty." Rosetta said, dipping into a graceful curtsy as the Queen left.
Her figure slowly straightened midair as she turned toward Zenith.
He was also quietly observing Rosetta as she hovered before him.
Up close, he noticed how her bright green eyes sparkled with a hint of unexpected warmth.
"Well then, sugar," she said slowly, extending a delicate hand toward him. "Shall we?"