I picked up my quill and gazed at the paper, wondering if I should write anything down. I simply couldn't stop thinking about Hilda's words, and what led to that moment. So much has changed since then...
With a sigh, I dipped my quill in ink, afraid of what might happen if I was to be exposed. Most of what I know of what caused my past was bits and pieces from others, all who are long gone now. Looking at the paper, I began to write out the beginning of a long story, "A young fairy closed his eyes..."
Prologue[]
A young fairy closed his eyes and curled his hands into fists, a growl rumbling in his throat. All he wanted to do was inflict the same pain his foe had caused for him and the people he cared about. Yet at the same time, doing so would be the wrong thing...
This had started out as a friendly spar between classmates, but now this was something else. This, this was personal. His tail lashed back and forth as he readied his next spell. Stars fell and smashed into the opposing wizard, who opened up a fiery geyser below the fairy's feet, ready to use Volcannon. Yet by the time the fire cleared, the fairy was standing a distance away, golden particles in the air around him.
The wizard, now infuriated since his opponent cheated, summoned flaming tornados, yet the fairy fey stepped yet again. This may seem like a normal spar, but both opponents knew what the other truly was, which, frankly, was nothing close to what they appeared to be.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, the fairy opened his eyes, which were now a deep shade of Blue Amber. As a tuft of his hair melted into an aquatic blue, he prepared his own spell; this was his last shot.
Chapter One[]
What must have been decades before the wardens were reincarnated, a rare white mountain lion walked through the snows of Shiverchill, not leaving a single pawprint as she traveled across blinding fields of ice and snow.
As the majestic feline padded on forward, the occasional young Saber-tooth watched their fellow cat march on, fantasying if that should be the creature they shift into upon maturing. Higher up on the mountain, a yeti watched as the female mountain lion trod to reach her den, a journey that contains no magic whatsoever... until it arrived.
These were some of the precious sights one could see on the magical island, and one of the most non-magical. As the yeti lost sight of the feline, she sighed, remembering what she came here for. She was to meet a certain someone from the Glacier Tribe, a Fairy under the name Icetalon. There was a recent skirmish between the tribe and Lucy, and as usual, the yeti was held responsible.
Wishing she could enjoy her time at Shiverchill, she walked towards the camp, not looking forward to this. In reality, Lucy hasn't been in the yeti's care ever since she became Ice Warden, and returned to being the Caverners' responsibility. Yet, the tribe refused to associate themselves with any human whatsoever, and threatened to unleash dreaded avalanches that they were famous for.
At walking into the cave, the wind began to whisper, picking up and blowing harder as the yeti walked in deeper. A chill ran down her spine and pictures of a horrid war flashed through her mind. The Ice Warden stopped and shook her head, clearing her thoughts. The Faen Wind, didn't think it was real. It's certainly much more unpleasant than it sounds.
The yeti finally arrived at the central part of the cave, which was bursting with activity since the tribes traded during that season. There were a few glances and whispers whenever someone noticed her, but she ignored them, looking for this "Icetalon" fellow. Rapid footsteps sounded behind her, and the yeti spun around, spotting a tall, male fairy wearing a formal, blue, military uniform.
"Ah, Ada, you arrived." He said with a bit of a smile, surprising her. The faen kind wasn't exactly known for kindness.
"So you're Icetalon."
"That I am, but please, call me Cyro, only old Edur goes by Icetalon."
Ada looked confused, "Edur?"
"General Edur Icetalon, my great, great-grandfather. He fought in the Faen War, and later had... some interaction in another one." He answered, wings folded down as a sign of neutrality.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Cyro stiffened, "Forget I said anything, that's not important." Yet, the yeti noted to ask the Academy Keeper if there was anything in the Archives relating to Edur Icetalon.
"So, what exactly happened between you and Lucy?"
"She's... aggressive to some extent. Whenever she gets angry up there, we have to deal with cave-ins down here."
Ada frowned, "I see, and you never spoke to-" She paused as she spotted the White Mountain Lion stride into the cave, glance at her, then continue on its way.
"Is something wrong?"
"I apologize for going off-topic, but is it common for... unusual felines to pass through here?" She said while looking bewildered.
"Yes, frankly it is. They aren't true wild cats so there's nothing to worry about."
"True wild cats?"
"They're shapeshifters. Now, what were you saying?"
"Spoke to the Caverners."
He harrumphed, "Obviously not."
"You may want to note that Lucy is in their care, not mine." The yeti sighed, "I can speak to them, but communication is important between you and the Caverners."
Cyro crossed his arms before reluctantly saying, "I'll speak to the others about finding someone who's... less hostile towards humans, in the meantime, may you speak to them please?"
"Alright, but it's not my job."
Despite himself, he let out a small laugh, "We all know what your job is Ada. Thank you."
While exiting the cave, the winds seemed to be calmer on the way out. She was curious but said nothing. Yet as she turned towards Crystal Caverns, she was quickly knocked off her feet by a gray mountain lion cub. It had bright amber eyes, and its tail was tipped with a yellow color, which seemed to let off a light glow as it playfully treaded around her.
She got up, tense due to past knowledge of the mountains. As expected, a mother mountain lion burst out, grabbed the cub by the scruff, and ran off. Again, it was the white mountain lion as usual, but it was the cub that let off a sense of familiarity...
Chapter Two[]
"Austen?" A voice rang throughout the Archives, disturbing a fairy who was busy shelving. The Archives were finally clear of Shadow Magic, But for how long? Wondered the fairy.
"Austen?" The voice rang again, belonging to a yeti all knew well.
He sighed before answering, "Fifth labyrinth, eighth shelf."
Moments later Ada showed walked out from behind one of the shelves, "Ah, there you are."
The fairy looked uninterested, "Hello Ada, is there a matter I should know about?"
"No, all's well. I just have a research question."
He stopped, staring at her with his golden gaze, "Well that's unusual. What is it that you want to know?"
"Were there any wars that occurred after the Faen War? Before the Academy was established?"
Austen stopped before saying, "Restricted Records."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Even the Wardens themselves cannot view those documents without Hilda's okay, you need permission from her, and proof of it."
"Who's... Hilda?"
He didn't look at her, and returned to shelving, "You'll have to speak to Florian, I distanced myself from her a long time ago."
Yet as soon as Ada left, Austen dropped the act and slipped into one of the many hidden rooms and hallways of the Academy. Soon coming into the room he was looking for, he stopped, out of breath. In the room sat a wizened librarian, reading a book, or at least, she was.
"Oh, hello Austen, you don't normally come here."
"I know, but this is important."
She frowned, "What's going on?"
"Give me a moment, I just ran here from the Archives." After finally catching his breath, he answered, "Ada somehow found out about events that occurred after the Faen War, and she wants to learn more."
The librarian put down her book, violet eyes filling with concern. "Well, we definitely can't have her knowing that the Academy is older than she thinks it is... or why you Starhearts even tend to this place."
"Hilda, there's a lot more to that."
"Then what are you concerned about?"
"People finding out how this place was hidden for thousands of years."
"I... didn't think of that. They most likely won't be too happy about it, and it'll put us all in a tight spot."
"So, what do I do? If you deny permission it'll make us look suspicious, but if you don't..."
"Give her what she wants, but at the same time, what she doesn't want."
Austen looked confused, and his tail made it even more evident. "What?"
"Some of those records are censored, correct?"
"Yes?"
"Give Ada the censored records, and don't even speak of the other ones."
Beginning to understand her plan, the fairy looked at her, "I just hope this works."
Chapter Three[]
Years later, a young fairy sat in a tree, reading a spellbook. Footsteps sounded below, but he ignored them since his unusual gray skin tone made him hard to spot in shaded places. Yet the travelers paused below the tree, and the fairy couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"Where to now?"
"Ada, I haven't been here in years, it'll take me a minute to remember."
"I still can't believe Austen..."
"Me neither, it doesn't seem like him to get himself killed like that."
The fairy paused, names beginning to sound familiar. Ada? That's the Ice Warden, right? What's she doing here? And who's Austen?
"I think his house is this way, that is, if it's still standing."
"Are you sure anyone's going to be there?"
"Well, Hilda says he mentioned a son, and logically this is the first place to check."
"Imagine growing up, not seeing your father for anything... I never realized how time-consuming the position of Academy Keeper was."
"Not time-consuming enough, seeing how he died."
Up in the tree, the fairy curled his tail around the branch, listening carefully, yet their voices were beginning to fade as they were already walking away. Just then, the branch gave way and he crashed to the ground, his book bonking him on the head before bouncing to the ground. "OW!" The travelers, who proved to be Florian and Ada, were staring at him blankly, as they haven't gotten too far.
"...Never mind we found him." The Earth Fairy finally managed to say.
"Wait, she was actually serious about the gray thing?" Ada wondered aloud, retaining a blank expression.
The younger fairy looked between the two Wardens before chuckling nervously. Why would the Wardens be looking for me? Unless...
Florian grimaced, not looking forward to this conversation, "I'm Florian, and this is Ada. I'm guessing you probably know that already."
The boy nodded, confirming that statement before daring to ask a question of his own, "How do you know me?"
"To be honest, we don't." Ada answered, "We were just told what you look like and that you exist, frankly."
"So why are you looking for me?"
"Well..."
The Earth Fairy spoke up, "The thing is, your father died a few days ago..."
The younger fairy wasn't quite sure how to react. It's not as if he wasn't upset about it, but he never knew his father well and it didn't affect him as much as one expected. I'm guessing he must have been really important if the Wardens are here. Too important to visit me, I guess...
"Oh." He finally said out loud, not knowing what else to say.
Ada sighed, "It's a bit of an unspoken tradition for Starhearts to be Academy Keeper so... here we are I guess."
He looked between the two Wardens, "So you're saying, you want me, someone you barely know to go to the Academy?" His voice was quiet, scarcely able to believe it.
Florian shrugged in defeat, "Pretty much. Speaking of which, what even is your name?"
Now the younger fairy was the one shrugging, "Don't really have one, I just go by Gale." At that, both Wardens stared at him. Afraid he did something wrong, he intrigued, "...is something wrong?" Yet none answered.
Chapter Four[]
First day... Gale thought with a sigh. First day back outside, wish I could keep hiding...
Ever since an... interesting situation at the Academy, the young fairy refused to show his face to anyone, afraid of hostility. Whenever he spoke to someone, no one ever seemed to trust his word, and he eventually began to feel a bit lonely. Isolation didn't make him feel any better about it... nor worse.
Dressing in his more formal attire, he went to the other side of the room, got on the floor, and peeked under his bed. A gargoyle-like creature yawned and stretched before clacking its beak and staring at him.
"Good morning Ice." The creature, who was a Keeper, shifted its wings before crawling out from under the bed, seating itself next to him. Stroking its fur he sat thoughtfully, Will anyone even notice me? I hope not.
Before Gale went into isolation, he could go anywhere without being noticed. He didn't mean anything to anyone, but now... The fairy simply hoped no one would pay mind to him, he didn't want any trouble. Again the thought of remaining in hiding tempted him, but he promised Florian that he would come out.
Getting up and reluctantly putting on shoes - which as usual, bothered his feet to the point of pain - he walked to the door, Ice following close behind. With a deep breath, he opened the door to a small room, which was a bit of a living room for Keepers, Trainees, and occasionally, the Wardens themselves.
Suddenly he realized how empty the room was. Isn't Abner usually here?
Trying to ignore how lonely he felt, he flew up and grabbed his satchel from the top of the bookshelf, which contained his school supplies. Walking out from a hidden entrance behind the pillar, he entered the Great Hall with Ice. As expected, all five keystones were placed, as he fixed them during the night when no one was around.
He turned the knob to a classroom in the Earth Tower, being watched by every student. Taking a seat near the back, he avoided eye contact. Things will never be the same...
Chapter Five[]
Ignis watched Gale carefully, constantly bothering him about something or another. He bothered everyone but was most intent on getting on the fairy's nerves for some reason. Yet what Gale found odd was that he didn't start bothering him until recently, after Ignis and Aly got in an argument. It's not as if Ignis hadn't caused trouble for everyone else, but the fiery wizard typically avoided him. So as they got into a spar... they both burst.
Ignis took his teasing to the extreme, and the young fairy took out building anger on him. Yet at the end of the spar, Ignis was drenching wet whilst Gale was confused. What... what happened....
"Elemental balance is a cursed ability granting the possessor the power to use all seven elements - oh forget it, you probably figured it out by now." Hilda said while dropping the book on a table. Florian and Gale exchanged a glance, that clearly not being the case. "...seriously‽" She sighed before bonking Florian on the head with her wand, "You idiot, I expected more from you."
"OW! Must you always do that?" The Earth Fairy exclaimed while rubbing his head. The younger fairy bit down a laugh, not feeling the least bit bad for Florian.
"Yes." She replied curtly, "As for the explanation, he," she gestured to Gale, "has Elemental Balance. It became obvious when you mentioned his hair changed color, only one thing causes that-"
"The Keystones." Finished Florian, catching on. "Yet what does that have to do with..." He trailed off, already having forgotten the name.
"Elemental Balance, and the answer is the Ancient." Once again both fairies stared at her in confusion. She sighed, "The Ancient, like the keystones, affects the balance of the island. However, with the creation of the keystones, they found that they can also put them to use to empower them even further. Elemental Balance does the same thing, and the easiest to access empowerment would be the Keystones, unless you somehow figured out how to force a mana exchange on the Ancient."
"I'm sorry, what?" Florian had a look of disbelief.
Hilda once again sighed, "I guess I'm going to have to bring out the book again."
As the adults discussed the information in the book, Gale sat down in the corner, and the exhaustion of using Elemental Balance caught up with him. Soon enough, he fell asleep.
Chapter Six[]
Hilda was biting back a laugh as Florian vainly attempted to get Gale's attention. Every time the older fairy woke him up, Gale simply let out a little meowing sound, shifted in position, and went back to sleep.
"I told you it won't be easy. Elemental Balance is surprisingly tiring. The same way he's surprisingly cat-like."
Florian smiled at that, "Cat-like? That's all you got?"
"What, am I missing out on something here?"
"Piece of advice, if you see a Keeper wearing a collar, stick around for a bit."
The librarian crossed her arms and playfully asked, "What kind of Keeper?"
"Certainly not you." He responded.
Up in the rafters, the very same Keeper the Earth Fairy was addressing sat watchfully. Glancing around slowly to avoid notifying anyone of its presence, it crept towards the bookshelf, nearing and nearing until - "ICE!" The gargoyle-like creature had pounced on its owner, startling the young fairy awake.
"...well that's one way to wake him up." Hilda eventually stated, as Ice proudly sat atop Gale, content that he was awake and would soon enough feed her. The young fairy shoved the gargoyle off, shooting Hilda a look that clearly read: "Did you put her up to this?" Biting back a yawn, he looked at the two adults, worried about what they were addressing as he dozed off.
Hilda immediately figured out why Gale was staring at her that way, "Don't worry, you're not in trouble, but life is going to be no picnic." That last part was mainly to herself, but both fairies heard her fine, leading to alarmed gazes. At noticing, she chuckled nervously, but gave no answer of what the future would hold.
An Interruption🪶[]
Years flew by and people grow and change, as well as come and go. I personally changed for the worse, at least, that's what everyone else tells me.
I personally found Elemental Balance puzzling, and in my youth, it caused me a lot of trouble. Nowadays no one knows I even possess the ability, with the exception of a small few. Though that might change, as Jacob, Storm, Aly, and the others always do what they feel is best — which may or may not soon include my secrets, to my despise.
Now, back to writing all this down... "Years later, a certain fairy leaned against the wall..."
Chapter Seven[]
Years later, a certain fairy leaned against the wall, twirling a vorplad blade between his fingers thoughtfully. Yet his train of thought was soon interrupted, as a familiar chill ran up his spine. He immediately recognized it as the presence of shadow magic, but frowned soon afterward. He was certainly not the source, so who was?
Attempting to shrug it off, he flew behind the pillar and into the familiar common room unnoticed. Now on the rafters, he watched below.
As usual, the first to awake was a wizard with graying black hair. He was the oldest of the group and skilled with Earth Magic. He also happened to be one of the fairy's teachers. It only took him a minute to realize what was off, "Does anyone know where Storm is?"
"You mean that klutz?" Said a fiery wizard while fighting back a yawn, he had just came out of his dorm. "No, I don't. Which is a relief frankly."
The older wizard shot him a look, "Relief? He's living chaos. Is Aly awake yet?"
"Jacob, just because you're a trainee doesn't mean the rest of us have to wake up as early as you. Let me sleep, I'm not a teacher yet!" Shouted a voice from another dorm, clearly belonging to Aly.
"How can you sleep if you're already awake? And how can you be awake as you sleep?" Muttered a blond-haired wizard paradoxically as he stepped out of his dorm. He was the second oldest and was always "overthinking" things as the others put it.
"Abner, don't. You'll go on forever and you know it." A half-Merling wizard stood near the wall, crossing her arms and staring him down, despite being petite in comparison.
Jacob sighed before yet again asking monotonously, "Has anyone seen Storm? If he's using that clock in the Earth Tower-"
"Don't worry, he's using something else now." Interrupted an icy, tired-looking "wizard".
"...is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Nope." She responded while plopping next to the window and opening a book. "By the way, the sun hasn't even rose, why are you insane enough to wake up this early?"
Up on the rafter, the fairy shifted in position. He well enough knew where Storm was and was asked to cover for him. Yet that was his mistake, as the fairy would do no such thing unless he saw it proper. Yet he didn't need to intervene as a cyan rift opened and a tech wizard fell face-first out of it.
Aly lowered her book, "You alright?"
He got up and had a panicked look on his face, "That's not important. There's something-" Storm didn't get to finish as a blast sounded throughout the Academy.
On the rafter, the fairy close his eyes and inhaled sharply, finally finding out why he felt the presence of Shadow Magic earlier. As he opened his eyes as the island rebalanced, his heart sunk as he saw the streak in Storm's hair. They're gone... they're really gone...
Chapter Eight[]
Years flew by and it was almost as if the past Wardens never existed, but none of the former Trainees forgot. The fairy didn't forget either. In fact, he was so deep in his thoughts about it that he scarcely noticed an odd group of wizards, who were new to the Academy, but as soon as he made eye contact the blood drained from his face. They couldn't...
He immediately flew off behind a pillar, on the brink of a heart attack. Slumping to the ground realization dawned upon him, and he had an irritating visit from Florian that night.
"I'm sorry, WHAT‽" Five voices rang in unison as he told them everything that morning. A single, aged wizard stood quietly, still taking it all in.
Gale sighed before grouchily responding, "I'm not repeating myself, that story is ridiculous enough the first time."
"Of course you won't," muttered a fire wizard irritably.
Storm glanced at him, "Well someone's temper been ignited." The wizard raised a fist, causing Storm to chuckle nervously and back away.
Abner looked thoughtful, "In that case, should we all leave before something happens...?"
Gale crossed his arms and stared at him, "Before?"
"What, has something already happened?" Aly piped, now somewhat concerned.
"As in sending the island into imbalance every five minutes? Yes." He responded crossly, tail lashing.
Abner's eyes widened, "I'm guessing Harmony didn't take it too well?" Gale glared at him, making the answer clear. "That said, it is odd how we're still able to use the keystones..."
Aly lowered her book, "You guys should really talk to Hilda more. We didn't step down from our position and hand it down to them as it would be proper, they were born with it. So as a result of it not being done the proper way, there are two of each Warden."
"Not Earth." The Academy Keeper clarified.
"Wha...?" Confused, she couldn't help but glance at the Professor.
"Wait, wait, WAIT. So while the rest of us are replaced by kids, Greenie gets to stay? This is stupid." The fire wizard commented.
The Merling-wizard sighed, "Ignis, you're an adult for the Astral Warden's sake." At that, Abner cleared his throat. Loudly.
"Well I'm not, and I find Igni quite static. Maybe this is a good thing?" Storm inquired.
Aly stared at him blankly, ignoring an enraged Ignis, "You're twenty-nine."
"Technically-"
"That doesn't change your birthday."
"Fineee. You win."
Abner looked at her in surprise, "Wait, how do you know his-" Storm shot him a death stare and Abner decided the better of it.
Gale growled in irritation, "Can we please get back to the topic at hand?"
The tech wizard threw his hands up and backed away, "Okay, okay, just don't go full cat on us, alright?"
"I think it's best if you five make yourselves scarce before they figure anything else. Jacob and I can keep an eye on things."
"Knowing you, by that you mean they will be taking nearly all their classes with me as you watch from afar." He said tediously while somehow expressing his disapproval.
"I don't teach."
"Oh really?" Storm said while crossing his arms.
Gale glared at him, "Only once Storm, and that was to teach you how to avoid being clobbered by Ignis. Anyhow, I won't just be watching from afar, someone has to make sure Harmony doesn't reset the world because of them."
"And to kill them when they slip up." He muttered darkly in response. Gale neither acknowledged it or denied it, causing Greenheart to stiffen worriedly.
None of them forgot what happened next.
Another Interruption 🐾[]
Ice chased Scarlet into my room, leading me to frustratedly gripping my quill. Putting it down, I walked over and grabbed the baby dragon before walking out of my room and thrusting it into Chase's grasp. "I believe this is yours." The young fire warden chuckled nervously before muttering a quick "Sorry" and rushing to class.
Walking back inside, I grabbed a bowl from the counter and fed Ice before returning to my desk. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, that disgraceful event. "" And....we're dead." Professor Greenheart muttered..."
Chapter Nine[]
"And....we're dead." Professor Greenheart muttered, upset.
That you are, thought a fairy, irritated. He was not angry about the state of the Academy, he had dealt with worse when Cloud and Storm were students, he was mainly upset about the state of the island's magical balance which was giving him a headache. He was truly beginning to despise the young wardens as Ian burst in.
"Get out of here if you value your life."
Great, now I have to pretend to be a total idiot. Why is this my life? With a sigh, he started, "But... the Ice pedestal is almost fi-"
"LEAVE."
He supposedly teleported out, but in reality, teleported to a rafter to see what they'll do. Jacob, we're going to have a long talk later...
After Ian and Lucas returned from going after the Professor - who left to retrieve the orb of his element - screams, yells, and the sound of running filled the Academy. Yet not a hint of worry filled the fairy... until he realized Greenheart got himself killed. BY THE BLOODY FAEN WIND CAN NO ONE DO ANYTHING RIGHT?
Before, there was a chance everything would be fine, even if these wardens died, but now? Not so much. Abner, I hope that kid of yours is anything like you. Otherwise, I'll find you in hell and kill you again.
His breath was caught in his throat as Lucas tried a mind trap. All he could do was silently hope that the Astral Warden could figure out how to deal with the shadow accordingly...
Chapter Ten[]
"HE DID WHAT?" Abner yelled at the top of his lungs. Gale had met the trainees at farmland that belonged to the Astral Wizard, at Jacob's request.
Aly stared at him, "Is that seriously your first concern?"
"Yes, frankly, it is, and you might have understood if you weren't afraid of telling Gale-"
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN."
"Telling me what?" Said Gale while crossing his arms.
Aly suddenly became a bright shade of pink, "Oh, um..."
Storm crossed his arms, "We all know you li-" A snowball hit him right in the face, knocking him to the ground. He reluctantly rubbed the snow off, briefly exposing the metal plating on his face before his bangs fell back into place.
Ignis averted his gaze, but still had the nerve to smirk, "Seems that even that monster has more sense than you." He was immediately slapped by the Merling-wizard, "OW!"
She simply shot him the evil eye before crossing her arms and looking at Gale, "And Jacob didn't come and tell us ourselves because...?"
"I'm not sure if you're aware Sea, but those five are a handful."
"And I'm guessing you didn't want to keep an eye on them?" He didn't answer, and Sea quickly guessed that was indeed in fact the reason.
Epilogue[]
The fairy was minding his own business when a familiar whir and cyan flash occurred in the Earth Tower. He immediately ran over, having a good guess at what happened.
As expected, a familiar timekeeper clattered to the floor, and he cautiously picked it up. Flipping it over a small, digital display showed the date of an event that took place around two thousand years ago.
Alarm flickered in his gaze as he placed the timekeeper on Greenheart's desk. "They'll be fine." He told himself. Yet recalling the chaos Storm caused whenever he time traveled, he decided to pay the gray-haired wizard a visit, which would later lead to many jokes relating to a certain, nameless, gray mountain lion scaring Storm half to death.