"A Tear of a Hopeful Fairy"

"HHMMMMPPHH…–!!!"

To stroll around the market in peace is just a usual thing for Rhian to do. But this time was an unusual experience for her, though, as she was grabbed suddenly by a man she didn't know. Her mouth was cupped by his soft palm, making her heart almost leaped its way out of her chest.

The man quickly brought her to an isolated place, and so her eyes widened in shock when the man suddenly summoned a portal. Her anxious thoughts implanted fear in the blood running through her veins. She knows this will lead her into a situation in which she doesn't want to get involved.

She must get away from this man.

Hence, she bit his palm unexpectedly, making the man shrieked in pain and let go of her. She took that as a chance to run away. Unfortunately, it seems like luck has turned its back against her that time which made the man got faster than her and hence, got hold of her hair and pulled her over. It was too late for her to fight back and escape, for he already pushed her towards the portal.

Now, she is in the world she doesn't want to be in the first place – the world of fairies.

She looked around and noticed the changes this world has now. The trees that were once abundant with blooms were now dark, dry, and wrinkled. The sun that was once shining brightly, alluring all fairies to the light it gives, is now fading. That made the skies so gloomy and greyish caused the whole atmosphere to dim. The fairies that were once happily flying up above were now wingless. But there are these pebble-shaped rubies scattered at the surface that at least gave beauty to this hopeless place. There are many of them that you can't be able to see the original land surface anymore.

Her heavy eyes pierced through the man who kidnapped her. "What do you want?" she asked. "I can't be of help right now. I'm more powerless than you thought. Bring me back to the mortal world, please."

"My name is Peter. And you are?" he introduced himself, ignoring her question and request.

"It doesn't matter who I am. Just bring me back."

"Listen, miss. I need your help—"

She cut him off. "Yeah, I know. This world is in crisis. But you see, I am powerless. I have nothing to help you, and in fact, I can only add the burden you're carrying right now."

"But you still have your fairy powers. I can sense it," the man insisted.

"I can't control them," she replied calmly, trying to hide her disappointment to herself. "I can't even summon them."

He gave her a reassuring look that he knows she needs right now. "Don't worry, as they'll appear eventually."

A sigh of hopelessness came out of her mouth as she started to overthink it again. And here she goes again. She's stuck on the same road again, choosing which path to take on the labyrinth of her mind. Will she choose to believe in those words, try her luck, and work out on her weakness or stay in the path of hopelessness and accept the way it is?

No one can't blame her for thinking like that, though. She once believed those empowering words before. She even remembers herself joining fairy competitions just by using fairy stones that she could swallow to have, at least, special abilities and reach the same level and competence as other fairies who can summon and control their fairy powers. She thought she would win, make a difference, and realize her belongingness in this world, but she kept losing. In her despair, she stopped chasing her dreams. Now at this crisis that they're currently facing, she never expects someone would still have the nerve to need her help.

She's too weak for someone to need her help. She always thinks like that. But this time, she chose to scrape that off her mind and think positively. Despite all the harsh truths she's facing, at the back of her mind, she still believes in the idea of doing something meaningful enough to show others that she is a real fairy and truly belongs here.

His words sparked hope in her.

That is why she agreed to help him.

"This was all Jordan's fault," he said with his eyes getting mad. "He is the queen's most trusted consultant and the prince's best friend. He poisoned the flower of life that caused all fairies currently residing in this world to lose all their powers and their wings. Fairies currently residing in the mortal world still have their fairy powers as they are unconnected from the flower of life. The queen's army is still collecting them until now. Everyone is hoping that their powers combined would help bring the flower of life back to its healthy form."

"I think that won't be enough, though. I'm sure Jordan is also making a way to prevent that from happening. I guess he has plans to kill those fairies," she said. "That is why we need to save them. That is our quest for today, right?"

He shook his head. "We have no time left already. The flower of life will die at tomorrow's sunrise." He answered.

"What are we going to do then?" she asked in worry.

"The prince was in the mortal world to find some fairies. That's what everyone thought he was doing. But then I discovered that that is not true. Jordan imprisoned him at the underground forest of Missicle," he told her, with anger painted all over his face. "We need to get him out there. He has the medicine to the flower."

They first went to Crimson lake for the beginning part of their journey. This lake has no water in it, but only blood that came from persecuted fairies that died fighting for their rights against an abusive and evil queen they had million years ago. No water creatures are roaming around it, but you can see human limbs floating in it. These limbs are fresh as the blood on this lake but not as the smell wrapping around the atmosphere. The smell is strong enough to make anyone faint in just a second, and that could even kill anyone in a minute if left exposed to one's nostrils to breathe.

To combat that deadly smell while preventing themselves from suffocating, they wear a fairy mask.

"If I still have my fairy powers, I will not faint onto the bad smell of this lake," he said. "Take off your mask. You still have your fairy powers. I'm sure you won't faint".

She was hesitant, but he insisted. So, she took off her mask. As she took her first breath of the smell, she immediately fainted. He was wrong, but he did not expect it though. He quickly put the fairy mask on her and waited for her to wake up. When she was finally awake, he started talking.

"The path to the underground forest was underneath this spot," he said. "We need to dive into the blood to get inside the forest. It's the only way to get there."

She was disgusted, but she had no choice.

He gave her an oxygen stone, a sky-blue glowing fairy stone, that would help them breathe and see under the blood. They swallow their oxygen stones and then dive into the blood. Since she doesn't know how to swim or even dive, she just held onto the man's back shoulder for him to guide her. The lake has no land surface underneath, but instead, it has a cloud of pink smoke which is already a portal to the underground forest. They passed through that cloud of pink smoke, and as they did, they fall from above. Fortunately, it wasn't that high that they didn't get any injuries after the fall.

And that was it.

They have arrived already.

Welcome to the underground forest of Missicle.

They thought they would now proceed to the next part of their mission, but Jordan, with his two allies, blocked them on their way. He thought they are going to take her away, but it was him whom they took. They are planning to execute him. They left her behind since they know she doesn't know how to get back. If she doesn't know how to summon magic, she would surely don't know how to call forth a portal. The girl tried to stop them by trying hard to summon magic, but she failed. She knew it. She shouldn't have let her hopes up and let herself believe that she can still be able to summon magic.

Now she's stuck in this forest. Now, she had no choice but to find the prince so that she won't be alone in this forest. She had no idea where to go. She just kept on walking.

But then, someone called her.

"Hey!" a boy stranger called her.

She frowned at the stranger, "What?!"

"I could sense you still have your fairy powers in you. Can you summon a portal?" the stranger requested.

She looked away and sighed. "I can't do that. I can't do any magic," she answered bitterly. "I've spent years trying so, but I keep failing. It's clear to me now. I don't belong in this place."

"I'm sorry," the stranger apologized.

There was silence for few hours.

"Hey, do you have fairy stones with you?" she suddenly asked.

He reached out for his pocket and showed her what he got. "I only have these," he said, presenting her his palm with three fairy stones on it. Two are the pink ones and one oxygen stone. "I don't know any of them since we don't usually use fairy stones. Who needs fairy stones when we can already summon magic?"

She can't summon magic, and that is why she often uses fairy stones. She's a nerd of fairy stones, and she knew almost all fairy stones in this world, even the ancient ones. The pink ones are called the soaring stones. It gives anyone the ability to fly.

In the middle of her train of thoughts roaming around her mind, she suddenly thought of a plan. She immediately told the stranger about that in which he agreed so well.

Using the soaring stones, they fly up above to pass through the pink cloud and reach under the blood of Crimson Lake. Fortunately, the stranger knows how to swim and that made them reach the top. But the bad thing is, they don't have a fairy mask. Hence, they must hold their breath until they go five meters away from the lake.

They went to the palace after that, in which the flower of life is.

"Hey," he called her while they are still on their way to the palace.

"What?"

"Can I ask for your name?"

She smiled a little. "Rhian," she shortly answered. "My name's Rhian."

"Nice to meet you then, Rhian," he politely said. "I am Prince Orion."

She chuckled. "I know."

He didn't dare to talk anymore.

They went silent for how many minutes until the prince breaks the ice.

"If ever we fail, I will still believe you're a fairy," he said.

"Well then, I will still believe I'm not," she replied.

"Alright, but you won't change my mind," he said.

As they reach the room where the flower is, they are suddenly surprised by the presence of Jordan and his soldiers. The girl and the prince were about to run away, seeing that they have no time left and these soldiers are too many to fight. Unfortunately, they are caught immediately by the soldiers. The strength of the soldiers outnumbered theirs combined. And so with that, they've got no choice but to give in. By the time Jordan already got the medicine, he quickly pours all its contents at the ground.

"Oops... !" he innocently teased them with an evil smirk on his face. "Sorry, I won."

And so, he laughed in an annoying devious manner that even animals don't want to hear.

Jordan won.

Now, it was hopeless.

They are hopeless.

Rhian was about to walk away, but the prince stopped her.

"Wait,"

"What?"

He held both of her hands and squeezed them gently.

"I just want you to know that you still belong in this world, Rhian…" he said with utmost sincerity. "You just happened to be very special."

She just looked at him with tears streaming down her face. The prince tried to smile despite his hopes crashing apart.

"Don't worry. We'll get through this."

"But how?"

He stares at her face in which he found beautiful. Then he moved his face near to her, out of the blue, making her heart electrified in surprise and her face splashed in rose blush. Using his pretty delicate fingers, he wiped the tears on her face with so much gentleness and care.

"Your tears smelt like it," he said as he took a sniff of his palms. "I knew it. Your tear is the flower's extract, a tear of a hopeful fairy. The cure!"

She can't understand him, and so she held her peace.

He stood up and walked towards the flower of life. With his palms that have Rhian's tears on them, he wiped his palm on the flower's dying petal. It suddenly gave out a very intense glow of light soon as the petal received her tears which made them close their eyes firmly. Its rays of light are bright enough to blind someone's eyes. The light lasted for how many minutes before it gradually faded. As the light completely vanished into thin air, the flower started to bloom.

And there it is, she saved everyone.

She's finally got the clarity she's always finding all her life.

She's a fairy.

She belongs with this world.

At last, a dream come true.