1: Phantasia Celeste
“It will be a suicidal attack. She has nothing else left aside from her hatred for King Nereus,”
“I guess you’ll be involved,” said Phantasia, trying to stop herself from scowling. In a land ruled by logic, emotions were a rarity, and Phantasia’s would betray her thoughts even if she could shield them.
Dionysus drifted over and sat next to her. “I have been asked to join a force consisting of Prince Freyr of the Wind Queendom, Prince Inari of the Fire Queendom, Princess Durga of the Earth Queendom, and our assistants. We are to seek out Cecaelia and destroy her.”
Phantasia sighed and paced over to the balcony. Vast blue oceans spread out before her, dotted with small islands of coral and sand, upon which various faerie villages were situated. Below her, in the palace courtyard, faeries in royal garb swam through the air, no doubt preparing for the coming attack. She looked up at the brilliant light of the Goddess, floating at the centre of the world, and wondered why these things happened.
“It is just the way things are,” said Dionysus, “We must fight to protect our world, before the spiral it is trapped in tightens and destroys us all.”
Phantasia watched the elementals dancing in the lakes and streams. Those simple spirits were oblivious to the suffering of the planet. She wondered why everyone else – faerie, demon, human – couldn’t be so innocent.
“Even the Goddess ages,” said Dionysus. “Anyhow, I have a gift for you. Something you may need one day,”
What on earth could he have for her? Before she could ask, a spark darted out from a raised finger and embedded itself into her shoulder, leaving an odd prickling sensation. When she looked down, she noticed a design had engraved itself there – a twisting serpent etched into her arm as if it were a part of her.
“Knowledge,” said Dionysus, “If something should happen to me, then you can use it to help find your true identity, just like I promised you would,”
Phantasia gingerly touched the tattoo. As much as she wanted to know what secrets were inside, she couldn’t read it. If only she were a Water faerie like the prince!
“It will come to you in time,” he said, “I don’t believe for a minute that you are powerless. Your strength just manifests in different ways to ours. When you need that knowledge, I believe it will come to you of your own will,”
She grasped it, feeling empowered by the prince’s belief, but something wasn’t right. Something bothered her. Even after years spent with humans, being tainted by their behaviours, Dionysus was still a logical Water faerie at heart.
The prince answered her silent question: “As I said, in case something should happen. Now, if you would excuse me, I must prepare for the battle.”
“I want to help!” Phantasia found herself exclaiming, even though she knew his response before it came. She shied away, even as his good-natured laugh attempted to soothe her nerves.
“I would not want to put you in danger,” he said, “Cecaelia knows too much about us and our Queendom. She would target you to hurt our Queen,”
He was right – he always was. Cecaelia had once been a member of Queen Thetis’s court, until she betrayed her people and embraced the darkness. Phantasia wondered what she had to gain from such betrayal.
“Some fall to the darkness,” said Dionysus, “That is the nature of the dying world we are trying to save. Even the Queen was blind to Cecaelia’s ambitions,”
Phantasia, though, had never quite trusted her. There had just been something about her that wasn’t right. She always blamed such feelings on intuition or paranoia. Dionysus chuckled to himself again.
“Maybe that’s your power?”
***
