DAY 4: 07:00 A.M.

~SCARLET~

"Where did those two hike off to?" I asked.

"They're probably making out somewhere or Elias is showing off his awesome nature skills," Ethan commented.

We'd woken up at four in the morning to catch the sunrise at the highest peak of the mountains with Elias and Makoto. After enjoying the beautiful scenery, we decided to relax in the woods for a while before we headed back to our cottage; Elias and Ethan were on breakfast duty since they didn't want the others burning Junho's property to ash.

Ethan and I were walking hand in hand as we made our way down the different trails, having been a few steps behind Elias and Makoto who were deep in discussion about unicorns and fairies.

"Ethan. What spirit are you?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment, allowing a few seconds to go by.

I continued. "You don't have to tell me," I pointed out, not wanting to force him to tell me.

"No, it's not that. I was checking to see how far out Makoto and Elias were," he admitted.

"How can you tell?" I asked, confused.

We entered a small clearing, a pond surrounded by wildlife appeared before us. I gasped at the beautiful scenery – multiple flowers of various colors danced lightly in the passing warm breeze as different wildlife buzzed around.

Ethan smiled, following my gaze to the clear pond filled with colorful fish. I pulled on his hand to walk closer, kneeling at the edge of the pond to get a better view of the different fish. I took a deep breath; the breeze surrounded me as I concentrated – my back felt warm.

I could feel the happiness and serenity of this place, rarely having any visitors. Those who came by had no ill intentions and would help preserve this sanctuary for the wildlife. The water was pure and happy, the air was clear of pollution and the soil below us was pleased to ensure the flora got all they needed to continue to grow and blossom into the wonderful plants around us.

"Scar?" Ethan's voice was but a whisper.

I opened my eye to see a baby deer; the parents a few feet away eyeing us. I grinned, rising to my feet. The baby deer made its way along the edge of the pond, reaching my side in moments.

I knelt, presenting my hand.

"Hello, little one," I whispered; my voice sounded different to me, feeling magic surround me.

The baby deer looked into my eyes, brushing his nose against my presented hand. It took a step forward, brushing its face against my cheek in a peaceful gesture. I laughed.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you too. But, you should go back to your parents. They're waiting for you," I reminded.

The baby deer looked back at its parents who had moved closer to us, noticing I wasn't going to harm their fawn. I said goodbye, blessing the fawn and his family with a peaceful existence before watching them disappear into the forest.

I sighed, closing my eyes and allowing my magic to seal off. I glanced at the pond, noticing my once orange hair was a light silver, floating slightly. I watched it begin to shift back – the neon orange shade returned.

I rose, feeling a tad off in my footing. Ethan's arms wrapped around my waist, stabilizing me.

"Sorry. Got sidetracked." I gave him a weak smile.

He shook his head. "You’re the Elemental, love. If you feel the pull from the elements, I can't go against that calling. Plus, it's fascinating to watch. I don't think you noticed, but the flowers that had not yet bloomed before began to bloom when you were in your trance. Butterflies fluttered around you and a few birds were in that oak tree watching," Ethan explained.

He picked me up, carrying me over to the oak tree he'd pointed out and set me comfortably at the base, sitting next to me.

"Oh. I guess that's something new," I replied, resting my head against the oak. I didn't feel like I was about to faint, but more of a satisfying exhaustion. As if I’d done a good deed that had taken a toll on me, but was worth it.

Ethan's hand slipped in mine, resting it on his knee as we stared at the beauty before us.

"You okay?" he questioned, looking worried.

"I'm fine. Just a short break would do me some good. Ah, we got sidetracked in our conversation, didn't we?" I reassured him before I remembered we were mid-conversation before I zoned out.

He smiled, looking relieved before he lifted my hand, kissing the back of it. I blushed, realizing this was the first time getting alone time with Ethan.

"I can sense anyone or anything in a certain radius. It used to be small, like sensing there was someone next to you without seeing them. As I got stronger and trained, I was able to increase it. When I enlisted in the army, I had no choice but to work on it," he began.

"Army? Were you in the army? But...you’re twenty-four." I stared at him in shock.

"I came to the United States when I was sixteen and enlisted right away. Realm Nine, Miolana is in dark times right now, and my kind was hunted to recorded extinction. I'd witnessed a lot of violence and needed some type of outlet. I decided the army would give me that opportunity," he confessed.

"Extinct. So...there's no one of your kind?" I asked; my heart ached for him. I tightened my hold on him, hoping it would give him some comfort.

He smiled, looking down at our joined hands before continuing. "EliaseAnne. Mako's friend you met at the mall? I believe she's the same as I, but half. I haven't confronted her about it because it's a topic I don't want to discuss unless necessary. I also don't want to reveal it if she doesn't confront me either. We've both noticed, but I guess neither of us wants to be the first to approach."

"What are you?" I whispered.

"A dark fairy," he replied.

"Dark fairy. Cece mentioned it, but we didn't go into details," I admitted.

"Dark fairies are a very rare fairy species. There's about one in every ten thousand births. We had our own section back home and lived in harmony with the other fairies which we liked to call light fairies. However, our kind started disappearing and soon we discovered we were being hunted for experimental purposes. Our king did nothing to prevent what was going on and most of us either went into hiding or fled the realm. My family was hunted, and we were separated. I haven't seen them since."

I was silent, biting my lip to stop the anger boiling within me.

Ethan noticed the wind around us increase in speed. "Scarlet. Calm down," he soothed.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "You had to flee your home and your king did nothing about what was happening? Wait, isn't Elias the future heir?" I asked, remembering our introductions.

Ethan nodded, pulling me into a side embrace before rubbing my arm to keep me calm.

"Elias can't stop what's been going on for years, Scarlet. Trust me, he's not on good terms with his family. I don't know the details, but Elias hasn't been to our realm since he was young. I know from what Marcus has told us, he's been with them since they got called to Heila and when he arrived, he wasn't in good shape," Ethan acknowledged.

"Oh," I replied, taking another calming breath.

"Don't judge so quickly, Scarlet." Serenity’s soothing voice reminded me.

"I feel there is more to this story than meets the eye," Aurora mentioned.

I agree. Sorry. I relaxed, resting my head on Ethan's shoulder.

"Either way. I joined the army and stayed there, until Kendrick recruited me. He'd been visiting our camp one winter when a group of rogue shifters attacked us. They're basically a group of shifters who pledged allegiance to King Aspen and wanted to bring destruction and war across the realms. We were low on numbers and I didn't want to risk Kendrick getting hurt, so I handled the situation solo."

"You took on an entire fleet of rogues? How many were they?"

"I don't know. I lost count after fifty." Ethan shrugged.

I stared at him like he was crazy. "Fifty? Like five-zero by yourself?" I emphasized.

He turned his head to give me a playful smile; his eyes grew dark for a split second. "Firecracker. Dark fairies can take on hundreds of shifters with ease. That's why we're so dangerous," Ethan confessed.

"Oh...well...damn."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll teach you more about dark fairies when we get more alone time."

"After that incident, Kendrick recruited you," I confirmed.

"Yup. I was introduced to PINC and was put on a few teams. We didn't work well, so I kept being switched," he admitted.

"You didn't like them?" I asked.

"I had issues. My spirit isn't as calm and clumsy as me," he admitted.

His admission made me wonder what Ethan's spirit was like. I'd been given the chance to meet Agni when Jaxson was asleep.

"What happened?" I asked, curious how he'd ended up on Team Seven.

"We were in a situation during one of our missions where our team got trapped in a warehouse full of shifters. I'd told the team it was a trap, but they assumed I was just being a dick. Jaxson and the others had infiltrated the place mid-fight and the moment I saw all four of them it kinda just clicked. We were able to manage the situation, but not without some casualties, which was my team."

"Ouch. If they had listened to you, they would all be alive," I pointed out.

He rested his head against the tree, looking at the sky. "Sometimes...late at night, I wonder if I could have done anything. I tried to protect them, to stop them from getting attacked and murdered...but, it was as if they refused my help. They didn't want me on their team to begin with, so any little offering of assistance seemed to be an omen to them. That outlook cost them their lives. It took a while and some therapy before I stopped dwelling on it. The guys helped as well. I just had a lot of guilt built up in me and used violence to solve it. I wasn't trying to solve the pile building up within me. I was just shoving it aside for a later time."

"Have you finally faced the pile?"

"Yes. I had no choice. The guys noticed what I was doing to myself and were the first to confront me about it. I tried to brush it off, but they wouldn't allow it. We actually got into a fistfight."

I gasped, giving Ethan a good up and down look. "You did not."

"We did. Me against all four of them."

"Who won?"

"Me."

"What? You...beat all of them?" I asked.

"Yup. I was limping for a good two weeks, and none of us could work for at least a month. Kendrick was hella pissed and wanted me kicked off the team." He chuckled.

"Oh no."

"Ya, it was pretty bad. It was the first time a team from PINC went full-blown spirit fight mode, and we kinda damaged some old lady’s property that the organization had to pay for. Either way, the higher ups wanted me out. I was fine with it, or I pretended to be fine with it. In reality, I just wanted a team who'd accept me. I'd lived a life where I was hunted for being different. Then, I jumped right into a field where you were only important when in battle. Once everything was done, you were just a soldier. All of my colleagues had friends and family to return to. I had nobody. And then, I entered PINC thinking I'd finally find a place of acceptance, yet there I stood, in their office surrounded by the heads of PINC, ready to present my badge and walk out."

I felt tears flow down my cheeks as I stared at his face; those lime green eyes glossed up as he continued to stare aimlessly at the sky.

"At that very moment, the doors burst open and Jaxson with his black eye, Michael and his broken arm, Junho with his limping leg and Christian in a wheelchair stampeded in and declared I was a part of their team, and they would resign if they forced me to leave."

I practically squealed, turning my body and gripping his arm.

"They all came to the rescue!" I beamed; happy tears rolled down my cheeks.

He turned his attention to me; tears fell down his cheeks as he chuckled, shaking his head. "I was stunned. No one had ever fought for me or defended my actions and behavior. All the higher-ups were shocked and thought I'd punched them too hard or had used some magic on them, but they stood their ground. The higher ups had no choice but to honor their claim and I stayed on their team. The moment we walked out of their office I broke down and apologized. They all said they knew I wasn't acting out on purpose, but was trying to cope with whatever I'd gone through. We've been a team since," he concluded.

I pulled him into a hug; my heart overwhelmed with joy at the happy ending as I cried. He kissed my neck, rubbing my back.

"I'm so glad they kept you," I whispered.

"Me too. I got to find where I belonged and met you," he replied.

I pulled back to meet his teary eyes. "If...anything ever bothers you...let me know, okay?" I whispered.

He nodded. "I will, Scarlet. Sorry, I made you cry on our first date. What kind of a boyfriend am I?" He chuckled.

"It was a good cry, and I wanted to know more about you, Ethan," I whispered.

We pressed our foreheads together, enjoying the silence.

"Scar?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?" he whispered.

I lifted my eyes to see his; both admiration and a glint of lust flickered in those green orbs. "Sure," I replied, smiling at his request. I'd never experienced someone asking to kiss me. It was usually a mutual agreement with body language or eye contact. It felt nice and different to be asked.

He leaned forward; his hands cradled my cheeks as his lips brushed against mine. It was a gentle start; our lips lingered on one another with no movement. He pulled back an inch, allowing a moment to pass before he kissed me again.

This was deeper; my body felt his love for me as if nature wanted to let me know that his love was pure and fruitful. We kissed for a long time, under the large oak tree with Mother Nature around us.

It was one of the moments I realized that I too, had finally found where I'd belonged, and was thankful to the Starlight gods for bringing these men into my life.

~MAKOTO~

"Nightmare? Moonlight. Ugh. I'm not getting both of you down. If Scarlet gets mad, she can't blame me!" I called out, staring up at the large tree before us.

I watched the two familiars continue to climb the tree; attempting to keep track of the balls of white and black bouncing higher and higher, both of them disappearing from my line of sight.

"Nightmare. Moonlight," I called out.

"Mew..."

"Meow..."

I groaned, slapping my hand on my face.

"For Starlight sakes, I told you two! I'm not coming," I called out.

They were silent for a few seconds before they began to whimper, causing me to sigh.

"What's wrong?" Elias questioned; his arms slipped around my waist as he pressed a tender kiss on my neck.

"I feel a recurring sense of Déjà Vu," I mumbled.

"Where's Nightmare and Moonlight?" Elias questioned.

I pointed to the sky. "Up there. See what I mean?"

He chuckled, shaking his head as we took a moment to listen to their ongoing whimpers.

"We're coming, stop crying," he called out. They both went quiet. He moved around to face me, grinning.

"You can’t be too mad at them, you know. They like an adventure," he reminded.

"I'm adventurous, but I don't cause trouble." I crossed my arms.

He raised his eyebrow, giving me a look.

"I don't! Not intentionally," I whined.

"Uh huh. You're a walking magnet for trouble, as was proven yesterday," Elias pointed out.

I groaned. "Whatever," I mumbled.

He chuckled; his hand lifted my chin up as he lowered his lips to mine for a swift kiss. "Let's go get those two so we can go home for breakfast. I'm famished," he admitted.

I nodded, tapping my feet as I took a calming breath; magic gathered beneath my feet with ease. "Race?" I asked, jumping to my feet.

"You'd win."

"You're not trying hard enough. You have to BELIEVE in yourself. That's what the books say."

"Fairytale books."

"They give good advice, you know," I advised.

He snickered. "Fine, Firefly. I'll believe with my heart and soul, I'll beat you," he announced, pushing off the ground and leapt into the tree above.

"HEY! That's cheating!" I shouted, pushing myself off the ground and beginning to make my way up, avoiding the multiple branches.

"You never said I couldn't cheat! You said I should believe!" he countered, laughing.

I couldn't help but giggle at his attempt to argue my accusation.

We raced up until we caught a glimpse of white and black fur, huddled together. I increased my speed, beating Elias by a few inches as we landed on the opposite branch.

"I WIN!" I cheered.

"You're supposed to let me win, Firefly." Elias frowned.

I dropped my hands, feeling bad. "Um...we can try again?" I proposed.

He grinned. "Next time," he vowed.

"MEW!"

"MEOW!"

We turned our attention to the two familiars, wagging their tails at our entrance.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you climb trees on purpose, so we can come get you," I scolded Nightmare.

She whimpered; her tails glowed blue.

I sighed, hopping on their branch. "Alright, don't be so sad. Come here," I called out.

Nightmare immediately jumped in my arms. She snuggled against my chest; her tails went from blue to pink as she purred. She then climbed onto my shoulder.

Moonlight stayed still, staring at us.

"Moonlight? Why are you staying on that half over there?" I asked, curious.

"You think he's afraid the branch will break?" Elias suggested.

I looked over my shoulder to Elias.

"I highly doubt it. Like...this branch isn't flimsy like that other time. Plus, he's a cat. His weight isn't going to make a dramatic difference," I pointed out.

"You should be fine." Elias crossed his arms; his eyes still on Moonlight.

"What?" I asked, following his gaze to Moonlight, who continued to sit in place; his tail waved back and forth.

"I don't know. I just feel weird. Maybe it's EliaseAnne. I don't notice it much, but now that Moonlight and Nightmare are both together like this it's making me a tad dizzy," he admitted.

I frowned. "We should head back down. I don't want you feeling dizzy fifty feet up," I cautioned, my voice stern.

He gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Firefly. But, I do agree and would rather not fall to my demise. You do that enough," he noted.

I let out a huff; Moonlight finally walked over to my side. I knelt onto the branch and picked him up, allowing him to position himself on my other shoulder; his tail wrapped around my neck.

"I don't fall to my— " I began until the branch beneath me broke, causing us to fall downward. SHIT!

I quickly gripped onto both Nightmare and Moonlight, as we began to fall, the branches seemingly moving out of the way. Something wrapped around my waist, stopping me right before a thick branch hit my face.

I sighed in relief, lifting my head to see Elias who frowned. I gave him a small smile. "Oops?"

"We need to make you trouble proof. Better yet, we should ask the gods to put you in a bubble so trouble can't get near you." Elias sighed, lifting me up to the branch he stood on.

"It wasn't my fault," I pointed out.

"Uh huh. It's the cats." He looked down to Moonlight and Nightmare, who tilted their heads in confusion.

"Meow?"

"Mew?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you two are Starlight gods," Elias blurted, eyeing them.

I blinked, looking away.

He noticed, raising an eyebrow. "Makoto."

"Hmm?"

"You’re hiding something."

"I'm not."

"Can you take a one-way ticket to hell?" He grinned as I gawked at him.

"That's not fair!" I countered.

"Proves you’re hiding something," he argued.

I let out a huff, looking at the two familiars on my shoulders. They both brushed their heads against my cheeks; a feeling of reassurance flooded through me.

I guess that means it's okay?

"EliaseAnne already knows, so you might as well tell Elias. He won't say anything," Midnight suggested.

I guess...

"Can we go down first?" I asked.

He nodded. "Ya. I’d rather get down," he admitted. His arm slipped around my waist; the same magic circles returned then formed beneath him, but larger. "Hold on, Firefly," he warned.

I nodded, tightening my hold around his waist. He stepped off the branch, descending slowly down the remaining distance to the ground; the branches carefully maneuvered themselves from our path.

We landed on the ground; both of us sighed in relief as Moonlight and Nightmare jumped to the ground. They began to run around us in a circle.

"No," we both said in unison.

"Mew..."

"Meow..."

We groaned at their disappointed looks; their dual turquoise eyes looked too adorable to ignore.

"Fine, but not today! We're both tired," I admitted.

They both jumped, playing around us.

Elias sighed, pulling me to one of the logs nearby. We both sat down; his hand stayed in mine.

"You okay?" I asked, feeling worried.

He nodded. "I've always noticed the feeling, but with Nightmare, I can ignore it for a long period of time. It's kinda like when we're in a classroom full of shifters and there's just too much power around so the room gets stuffy? It's like that. Now with Nightmare and Moonlight, it's just getting to me a little," he explained.

I nodded, understanding what he meant. I hadn't taken into the fact that the others must have felt that way through classes. After years of being in the arena and experimental rooms filled with shifters of various strengths and magic caliber, I'd forgotten how it felt when you had to work on adapting to such levels. The only way to do that was constantly putting yourself in those situations and allowing your body to get familiar and strengthen your mental awareness.

It didn't get rid of the feeling, but it made it almost unnoticeable. With the gods, however, it was a dramatic difference. I just didn't feel it much with Nightmare, but noticed the difference with Moonlight's presences.

I shuffled over a bit, rewarding me a confused look from Elias. I smiled, patting my lap. "Lay down for a bit," I encouraged.

He looked at my lap and back to my eyes as if for confirmation.

I nodded.

He laid down, resting his head on my lap as he looked up at me. "So, this is how it feels to lay in the lap of the woman you love," he mumbled, causing me to blush.

"How does it feel?" I whispered.

He smiled. "Nice," he replied. He closed his eyes, relaxing for a few minutes before he brought up the topic.

"Are Nightmare and Moonlight Starlight gods in familiar form?" he whispered.

"Yes," I replied, not seeing the point in dancing around the topic.

"Do the others know?"

"Nope. If possible, it's better they don't know for now. EliaseAnne and Midnight are aware. I'm assuming Scarlet is also aware, but I haven't gotten the chance to ask her."

"She is," Midnight confirmed.

How do you know that?

"I just do," Midnight replied.

I shook my head.

"Midnight states Scarlet knows," I announced.

"How does she know that?" Elias asked.

"No clue," I replied.

"Mysterious." Elias chuckled.

"Yup. That's Midnight for you." I smiled.

"Okay. I won't say anything," Elias announced. He closed his eyes before continuing. "It's nice to know Nightmare's watching over you."

"Why is that?" I asked; fingers played with his soft locks.

"I always wondered about the prophecy. When you were born, Nightmare had declared she'd keep a watchful eye on you. To be honest, I was angered at the fact the gods allowed you to be taken. Sure, I wasn't like Ryder who knew you, but I guess the love Ryder had for you began to rub off on all of us through the bond, and we were just as mad. Some more than others," he explained.

I remained silent, anxious for him to continue.

"I kept on thinking, why did the gods let our princess be taken? Was this punishment for us not gathering earlier? Why was I ready to dedicate my life to a princess I'd never met face to face? Was it the gods’ doing? Why did the Goddess who was a part of planning this, suddenly disappear and abandon us? I had so many unanswered questions, and it frustrated me."

He opened his eyes to stare up at me.

"Eventually, I came to terms with it. I realized that everything happens for a reason, but I couldn’t think of one. It didn't stop me from fearing that all of our hard work was in vain. Or the reality that you could have been one with the stars. But deep within, I had a small speck of hope, that you were alive, and we'd find you. That flicker of hope was what helped me reach that moment in the dungeon when we found you. I know I came off as a mean, ignorant guy, but I feared you weren't who we had been searching for. You were...just perfect in my eyes. You were different, funny, and I personally thought the talking out loud thing was cute. I just didn't want to be comfortable with accepting the reality we'd found you until I knew for sure," he finished.

I smiled, lowering my head to kiss him softly. "I'm glad that small flicker of hope gave you the courage and patience to find me, Elias," I praised.

He blushed, avoiding my gaze. "I'm glad too," he whispered, closing his eyes.

We stayed for what seemed to be hours in the comforting silence of the forest; Nightmare and Moonlight later returned to sit next to me on the log.

"Elias?"

I glanced down at his peaceful expression, realizing he'd fallen asleep. I smirked, pressing my lips lightly to his forehead.

"Mew?" I turned my attention to Nighty who lifted her head to me.

"I know. I think he does deserve a power nap." I lifted my hand and petted Nighty who purred in response.

"Whatever happens in the future...don't leave me, okay?" I whispered.

She nodded. "Mew."