Another day begins—and already, the sun is beginning to set.
As always, I am in my usual spot—beneath my poison apple tree by the field.
I wait. Expectantly. She always comes at the same time. I am starting to depend on it.
But today, she is late.
A flicker of unease creeps in. Has something happened? Have I scared her off? That fragile thread connecting me to the secrets of this realm—has it already severed?
I refuse to believe that.
Not when I have 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 am simply biding my time.
I pluck a poison apple from the branch and take a deliberate bite. The bitter tang settles on my tongue, a strange sort of comfort. Tranquility, at last.
But, of course, nothing peaceful ever lasts long in my life.
Nothing is ever mundane. Not in my world.
A sudden eruption of screams and crackling energy shatters the silence. My head snaps toward the Love Fairy Kingdom, where flashes of light and raw power light up the sky.
Sweet, delectable chaos. Now we're talking.
The grand doors of the Love Fairy Kingdom burst open. Out she comes—the rogue 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 pours out in tight formation, clad in gleaming white armor, their bows drawn, arrows nocked.
Wait—are those love arrows? Who did she piss off?
My stomach churns. If they hit her, it's over. She might be infected with the same convoluted ideals that have twisted all the others. I can only hope whatever she's been practicing all week actually works—otherwise, she is as good as lost.
She skids into the open field, her feet kicking up dust as she frantically traces the air. The orbs shimmer, crackling with energy as they align into those strange red triangles again—only for them to flicker, flicker, and vanish into thin air.
Damn.
She keeps running, heading straight for the taller grasses. I follow suit, every instinct in me 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 need someone who doesn't follow the rules. Someone who can pull her weight and bring us closer to figuring out what the hell is going on with the world. Someone like her.
And I'll make myself accessible.
No. I'm not just a watcher from a distant tree anymore. I can't afford to watch idly. Today, I stand in the tall grass.
Then—out of nowhere—she trips.
No, not just trips.
She falls—straight into me.
I hit the ground with a grunt, my breath knocked out as her weight slams into me, pinning me to the earth. The rough dirt scrapes against my back as I struggle to catch my breath.
"Move over!" she snaps, scrambling off me, her hands shaking slightly as she moves quickly, almost frantically. Without missing a beat, she begins tracing the air again, attempting the same spell that failed her earlier.
I push myself up, still recovering from the impact. "What are you even doing?"
"Running, obviously," she shoots me a glare, her voice harsh, breath coming in quick gasps. "Don't you see?"
Her words are sharp, full of irritation, but beneath the surface, there is a clear unease—a tension that isn't lost on me.
I can't help but smirk. She is rattled, and it's clear she doesn't have it all together. It makes the situation more interesting.
I stare at her a moment too long. I don't realize her eyes are green—emerald green, the kind of colour that can pierce straight through you. She stares back at me, unblinking.
The Love Fairy pushes me back, her eyes darting to the open field where her guards are still searching.
"Stop ogling me!" she snaps, clearly annoyed.
I am not ogling her.
"Why are they after you?" I ask in a hushed voice. She doesn'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 say, my voice lowering. "Either I fight with you, or you'll have to fight me along with them."
She freezes for a moment before stumbling back, her eyes wide as she falls to the ground. Fear seeps into her voice as she looks at me.
"D-Dark Fairy..." she stammers.
Now she realizes?
I've been waiting for a moment like this—for weeks of watching her, studying her every move. Now it is time to act.
A silver contract materializes in front of her, its edges glowing faintly. It isn't just any document. This is a deal forged in the deepest of magics—the kind no ordinary fairy folk can break.
"Sign this, if you want to live," I grin, holding it out to her.
"What's this?" she asks, 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 shrug casually. "Simple, really."
What's the harm in a deal? I get what I want, and she keeps breathing. Everyone wins—well, not like she has a choice anyway.
But she isn't amused.
"You want a deal? Prove you're worth it first," she says firmly, defiance sparking in her eyes.
Oh I like that.
"You don't have much of a choice," I say coldly. "Your enemies are near."
"Then so be it," she replies, 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—feels so familiar it makes my chest tighten. It reminds me of my own. It is uncanny, but it isn't enough to stop me. I have a hunch she knows something larger is brewing, and for that, now I definitely need her alive.
"Fine," I say, rolling my shoulders. "But after this, you'll sign a deal with me."
"And what does a deal do to me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll find out. But for now, let me show you what I can do," I reply, 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. Forever.
Failure to keep her word, to meet the terms of the deal? It's always death. And in this case, it will be far worse than death.
I wait for her to respond, knowing it isn't just about the bargain. It is about control. And that's exactly what I want. Control over her, over her fate, and maybe—just maybe—over the secret she's hiding.
As she hesitates, still watching me with wary eyes, I give her one final word to seal the tension:
"Consider this my first move."
I rise from the earth, floating upwards with an outstretched hand.
Darkness swirls across the land as storm clouds gather. The nights I've spent absorbing shadows finally come to fruition.
Now suspended in the air, my piercing grey eyes gleam like silver as I lock my gaze on the Love Fairy soldiers below.
They tremble and scream, "Veravos!!"
Yes, I am notorious.
I flick a glance at the Love Fairy with red and purple hair below. Her eyes are fixed on me with a mix of awe and focus. Wait—isn't she afraid? Hasn't she heard of me before? Then I hear 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 snap in half, arrows flying in every direction in a chaotic frenzy.
I can't help but grin. My finishing move is near. The tendrils morph into thick, choking smoke, seeping into their lungs. They scream as they collapse, one by one.
But then...
A single love arrow shoots toward me, cutting through the storm.
It freezes midair—not by accident.
Wait, I don't stop it. What's going on?
Then I see it. Red mists wrapping the arrow.
Her spellwork is latching onto it, reshaping it.
The arrow shatters into fragments, breaking apart and swirling into a dense orb, spiraling downward.
My gaze snaps back to the red-haired Love Fairy. She stands below, focused, as if this is part of the plan. This is her magic—the one she's been honing in secret during her runs through my woods.
For weeks, I've watched her, wondering when she would truly reveal her power. Now, I see it unfold before my eyes.
The orbs begin to take shape, swirling into a triangle—something she failed to master before. But now, they shift effortlessly into a pentagon, bathed in an eerie red mist. I've never seen any Love Fairy wield magic like this.
"Stop her!" the guards shout in panic.
"What magic is this?" an elder fairy cries, his voice trembling.
"My kind of magic," the red-haired Love Fairy says, her voice thick with both anger and pride.
"I call it a love pentagon," she grins, the expression twisted, sinister.
I freeze, stunned. She isn't a Dark Fairy. But what she wields now? It's something far more dangerous—far more destructive. Forbidden magic. Something that should never be touched by any fairy, let alone a Love Fairy.
Without warning, the pentagon explodes, releasing chaos in every direction. The soldiers, once trained and disciplined, are now engulfed in confusion. They stumble over one another—fighting, hugging, weeping—caught in a strange whirlpool of love, hate, and jealousy.
I watch, speechless, as the once-coordinated army falls apart, disintegrating into madness.
The red-haired Love Fairy casually dusts her hands, unbothered by the devastation she has caused.
The remaining fairies—disoriented and panicked—flee back toward the Love Fairy Kingdom. "We need backup!" they scream, scattering into the distance.
I stand, staring at the battlefield below, where love and chaos intermingle in a horrifying web of confusion.
A love triangle? Sure. But a love pentagon? Now that is terrifying—and I say that as a Dark Fairy.
But it isn't my power at work. No. This is 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've ever cast.
The stakes have just gotten a hell of a lot higher.
As the Love Fairy armies scramble back into their precious kingdom to get reinforcements, I look expectantly at the wild one still standing before me.
I pull out the silver contract.
"I've proven my worth now, Love Fairy. Your move. What will it be?"
My voice is all arrogance—because of course it is.
She signs it, giving me a skeptical look. As she scribbles her name, I read it aloud, almost unsure:
"Scarlet?"
"It's Scar-lette," she corrects, her voice frayed with exhaustion.
She has every right to be skeptical.
But just as that thought passes, her expression pales. Her knees buckle.
She faints, the orbs she once controlled flickering—then vanishing, along with her consciousness.
You've got to be kidding me.
As I hold on to the contract, grinning at her signature like I've just won a rigged game, something else catches my eye.
A sharp green emerald, bound in delicate string, slips from her dress. It lands just inches from her unconscious form, gleaming like it knows it doesn't belong here.
What is that?
I glance down at the Love Fairy—Scarlette, apparently. What kind of mess has she dragged herself into? Is this emerald the reason she ran? Or the reason they are chasing her?
Movement at the far edge of the field catches my eye. The troops are regrouping—blocking the only path back into my woods. Fantastic.
I can't take them all down. Not like this. I've burned through too much magic already.
But I'm not out of options.
Devran's woods are closer. Ugh. Devran. Just thinking of his voice gives me a headache. But between him and a swarm of vengeful Love Fairies? I'll take the mud and his smug attitude.
I need time to recharge. To absorb more darkness. And most of all, I need answers—from her.
With a sigh, I sling her over my shoulder. She hangs there like a weighted cloak.
The sharp green emerald that fell out from her red dress now sits in my hand.
Is this what this is all about? An emerald?
So much for a quiet day of scheming.