Another day began and now it was starting to end, the sun setting over the horizon.
As always, I was in my usual spot—beneath my poison apple tree by the field.
I waited. Expectantly. She would always come at the same time. But today, she was late.
A flicker of unease crept in. Had something happened? Had I scared her off? That fragile thread connecting me to the secrets of this realm—was it already severed?
I refused to believe that.
Not when I had no intention of aligning with Devran and the rest of the Dark Fairy Queen, Judorah's mindless enforcers. I've made my stance clear—I don't share their delusions of grandeur. For now, I was simply biding my time.
I plucked a poison apple from the branch and took a deliberate bite. The bitter tang settled on my tongue, a strange sort of comfort. Tranquility, at last.
But, of course, nothing peaceful ever lasted long in my life.
A sudden eruption of screams and crackling energy shattered the silence. My head snapped toward the Love Fairy Kingdom, where flashes of light and raw power lit up the sky.
Sweet, delectable chaos. Now we're talking.
The grand doors of the Love Fairy Kingdom burst open. Out she came—the Love Fairy, her wild purple and red hair whipping in the wind, red-glowing orbs swirling around her, thick crimson mist trailing her every step.
Behind her, a horde of Love Fairies poured out in tight formation, clad in gleaming white armor, their bows drawn, arrows nocked.
Wait—are those love arrows?
My stomach churned. If they hit her, it's over. She might be infected with the same convoluted ideals that have twisted all the others. I could only hope whatever she'd been practicing all week would actually work—otherwise, she was as good as lost.
She skidded into the open field, her feet kicking up dust as she frantically traced the air. The orbs shimmered, crackling with energy as they aligned into those strange red triangles again—only for them to flicker, flicker, and vanish into thin air.
Damn.
She kept running, heading straight for the taller grasses. I followed, every instinct screaming not to let those soldiers ruin my one possible lead—the only one who might know what's going on with the Light Fairy Kingdom letting in Love Fairies.
I'm not with the Light Fairies. I'm not with the Love Fairies. And I sure as hell don't stand with my own kind, either.
Even if she doesn't know what's happening, she doesn't belong with the other Love Fairies. Right now, in this moment, she's like me—an outcast.
And maybe… maybe our best shot at survival is to combine forces.
I needed someone who didn't follow the rules. Someone who could pull her weight and bring us closer to figuring out what the hell is going on with the world. Someone like her.
And I'd make myself accessible.
No. I wasn't just a watcher from a distant tree anymore. Today, I stood in the tall grass.
Then—out of nowhere—she tripped.
No, not just tripped.
She fell—straight into me.
I hit the ground with a grunt, my breath knocked out as her weight slammed into me, pinning me to the earth. The rough dirt scraped against my back as I struggled to catch my breath.
"Move over!" she snapped, scrambling off me, her hands shaking slightly as she moved quickly, almost frantically. Without missing a beat, she began tracing the air again, attempting the same spell that had failed her earlier.
I pushed myself up, still recovering from the impact. "What are you even doing?"
"Running, obviously," she shot me a glare, her voice harsh, breath coming in quick gasps. "Don't you see?"
Her words were sharp, full of irritation, but beneath the surface, there was a clear unease—a tension that wasn't lost on me.
I couldn't help but smirk. She was rattled, and it was clear she didn't have it all together. It made the situation more interesting.
I stared at her a moment too long. I didn't realize her eyes were green—emerald green, the kind of colour that could pierce straight through you. She stared back at me, unblinking.
The Love Fairy pushed me back, her eyes darting to the open field where her guards were still searching.
"Stop ogling me!" she snapped, clearly annoyed.
I wasn't ogling her.
"Why are they after you?" I asked in a hushed voice. She didn't answer, ignoring me completely.
Typical.
Is this my retribution for how I treat Devran? Doesn't matter. Time to make my move on the Love Fairy.
"Listen, Love Fairy, here's what's going to happen," I said, my voice lowering. "Either I fight with you, or you'll have to fight me along with them."
She froze for a moment before stumbling back, her eyes wide as she fell to the ground. Fear seeped into her voice as she looked at me.
"D-Dark Fairy..." she stammered.
Now she realizes?
I've been waiting for this moment—for weeks of watching her, studying her every move. Now it was time to act.
A silver contract materialized in front of her, its edges glowing faintly. It wasn't just any document. This was a deal forged in the deepest of magics—the kind no ordinary fairy could break.
"Sign this, if you want to live," I grinned, holding it out to her.
"What's this?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice, still watching me carefully.
"A deal forged in dark magic. You need my protection, and in exchange, you'll give me something I want when the time comes." I shrugged casually. "Simple, really."
What's the harm in a deal? I get what I need, and she gets to keep breathing. Everyone wins, right?
But she wasn't amused.
"You want a deal? Prove you're worth it first," she said firmly, defiance sparking in her eyes.
"You don't have much of a choice," I said coldly. "Your enemies are near."
"Then so be it," she replied, her voice unwavering. "This is my fate. I'll die for my beliefs, even if they don't fit in the system."
Her stubbornness—her code—felt so familiar it made my chest tighten. It reminded me of my own. It was uncanny, but it wasn't enough to stop me. I had a hunch she knew something larger was brewing, and for that, I needed her alive.
"Fine," I said, rolling my shoulders. "But after this, you'll sign a deal with me."
"And what does a deal do to me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll find out. But for now, let me show you what I can do," I replied, flashing a sharp grin.
Imagine someone so chaotic and wild submitting to me.
Deals aren't just contracts. They're binding. Unbreakable. Once this is signed, she'll never be free. No one ever is when they deal with a Dark Fairy. I don't make deals out of generosity or kindness. I make them because I have to—because I can.
These deals are ancient, born from the very beginning of magic. They hold power beyond understanding. Once you're bound to them, there's no escape. Not in this life, not in any other. Her fate—her very existence—will be tethered to me.
Failure to keep her word, to meet the terms of the deal? It's always death. And in this case, it would be far worse than death.
I waited for her to respond, knowing it wasn't just about the bargain. It was about control. And that's exactly what I wanted. Control over her, over her fate, and maybe—just maybe—over the secret she's hiding.
As she hesitated, still watching me with wary eyes, I gave her one final word to seal the tension:
"Consider this my first move."
I rose from the earth, floating upwards with an outstretched hand.
Darkness swirled across the land as storm clouds gathered. The nights I'd spent absorbing shadows had finally come to fruition.
Now suspended in the air, my piercing grey eyes gleamed like silver as I locked my gaze on the Love Fairy soldiers below.
They trembled and screamed, "Veravos!!"
Yes, I am notorious.
I flicked a glance at the Love Fairy with red and purple hair below. Her eyes were fixed on me with a mix of awe and focus. Wait—wasn't she afraid? Then I heard her whisper under her breath, "Yes, destroy their hearts." Was that what I heard?
Shadows spread like dark tendrils from the ground, pulling the soldiers into the abyss. Their bows snapped in half, arrows flying in every direction in a chaotic frenzy.
I couldn't help but grin. My finishing move was near. The tendrils morphed into thick, choking smoke, seeping into their lungs. They screamed as they collapsed, one by one.
But then...
A single love arrow shot toward me, cutting through the storm.
It froze midair.
Wait, I didn't stop it. What's going on?
The arrow shattered into fragments, breaking apart and swirling into a dense orb, spiraling downward.
My gaze snapped back to the red-haired Love Fairy. She was still standing below, focused, as if this was part of the plan. This was her magic—the one she'd been honing in secret during her runs through my woods.
For weeks, I'd watched her, wondering when she would truly reveal her power. Now, I saw it unfold before my eyes.
The orbs began to take shape, swirling into a triangle—something she'd failed to master before. But now, they shifted effortlessly into a pentagon, bathed in an eerie red mist. I'd never seen any Love Fairy wield magic like this.
"Stop her!" the guards shouted in panic.
"What magic is this?" an elder fairy cried, his voice trembling.
"My kind of magic," the red-haired Love Fairy said, her voice thick with both anger and pride.
"I call it a love pentagon," she grinned, the expression twisted, sinister.
I froze, stunned. She wasn't a Dark Fairy. But what she wielded now? It was something far more dangerous—far more destructive. Forbidden magic. Something that should never have been touched by any fairy, let alone a Love Fairy.
Without warning, the pentagon exploded, releasing chaos in every direction. The soldiers, once trained and disciplined, were now engulfed in confusion. They stumbled over one another—fighting, hugging, weeping—caught in a strange whirlpool of love, hate, and jealousy.
I watched, speechless, as the once-coordinated army fell apart, disintegrating into madness.
The red-haired Love Fairy casually dusted her hands, unbothered by the devastation she had caused.
The remaining fairies—disoriented and panicked—fled back toward the Love Fairy Kingdom. "We need backup!" they screamed, scattering into the distance.
I stood, staring at the battlefield below, where love and chaos intermingled in a horrifying web of confusion.
A love triangle? Sure. But a love pentagon? Now that was terrifying—and I say that as a Dark Fairy.
But it wasn't my power at work.
No.
This was her power—her forbidden magic.
A Love Fairy, capable of destroying everything in her path with something far more dangerous than any dark spell I'd ever cast.
The stakes had just gotten a hell of a lot higher.
As the Love Fairy armies scrambled back into their precious kingdom to get reinforcements, I looked expectantly at the wild one still standing before me.
I pulled out the silver contract.
"I've proven my worth now, Love Fairy. Your move. What will it be?"
My voice was all arrogance—because of course it was.
She signed it, giving me a skeptical look.
As she scribbled her name, I read it aloud, almost unsure:
"Scarlet?"
"It's Scarlette," she corrected, her voice frayed with exhaustion.
She had every right to be skeptical.
But just as that thought passed, her expression paled. Her knees buckled.
She fainted, the orbs she once controlled flickering—then vanishing, along with her consciousness.
You've got to be kidding me.
As I held on to the contract, grinning at her signature like I'd just won a rigged game, something else caught my eye.
A sharp green emerald, bound in delicate string, had slipped from her dress. It landed just inches from her unconscious form, gleaming like it knew it didn't belong here.
What was that?
I glanced down at the Love Fairy—Scarlette, apparently. What kind of mess had she dragged herself into? Was this emerald the reason she ran? Or the reason they were chasing her?
Movement at the far edge of the field caught my eye. The troops were regrouping—blocking the only path back into my woods. Fantastic.
I couldn't take them all down. Not like this. I'd burned through too much magic already.
But I wasn't out of options.
Devran's woods were closer. Ugh. Devran. Just thinking of his voice gave me a headache. But between him and a swarm of vengeful Love Fairies? I'd take the mud and his smug attitude.
I needed time to recharge. To absorb more darkness. And most of all, I needed answers—from her.
With a sigh, I slung her over my shoulder. She hung there like a weighted cloak, the emerald now clutched in my hand.
So much for a quiet day of scheming.