5 Center Realm

My brain is bewildered so much that I start questioning my sanity. A part of my mind tells me that this is all just a dream, pinch myself, and I'll wake up. But all of this feels too real to be a dream.

I realize that I'm in a defenseless position. I have yet to uncover whether these creatures are harmless, so I finally push myself up, wiping away the dirt and leaves sticking to my dress.

Their eyes were still on me, making it very uncomfortable. They don't look like they're going to attack me, more like they are surprised to see me.

"Hello, I mean no harm. I am as confused as you all are," I say softly, raising both my hands up in defense.

I could be on my feet running in the opposite direction right now, but where would I go? If such creatures like themselves are here, then who knows what other creatures I may encounter. I still have no clue what place I am in.

"You look like Rosettatu," a small elf with a yellow hat yells out, making my eyebrows furrow.

This elf is talking about the mother. How did they know my mother?

"Rosetta is my mother, and my name is Rose Ann."

They let out a gasp in unison. The rock creature's mouth dropped, and it hangs open for a few seconds. So this means that they knew my mother.

"I don't remember Rosetta having a child," in a low, rough voice. The rock-like creature scratches its head in puzzlement.

My mind is flooding with questions. I don't know if they can answer most of it, but I'll have to try "could you tell me where I am?"

A roar of laughter followed after my question, making me jump from the sudden fright. I am confused as to why they find my question so amusing.

The elf with a purple hat nudges the rock-like creature breaking him from his laughter. They must have noticed my puzzled face.

"Honey, you're in the Center Realm. You're currently standing in the land of Dazia. How do you not know-" the elf with the purple hat turns to its friends "how does she not know."

I open my mouth to speak but am cut off by the rock-like creature, "she came from the human realm; that's where Rosetta came from."

"I know! We bring her to Blossom Wrinklewing, and she'll know what to do with her."

My eyes widen, and I take a step back. They're bringing me to who? What will this Blossom do to me then? And the bigger question, what is this Blossom Wrinklewing? I'm not sure if humans exist in this world, but if my mother has been here, maybe there are humans here.

The idea that my mother was here is still a mystery. I'm certain she was brought here by the necklace as well. If she could go back, then there's hope for me to return to my world.

But do I want to return?

If I don't end up being eaten here, then I might consider staying.

"Don't be afraid. Blossom Wrinklewing was a good friend of Rosetta. If you really are Rosetta's daughter, then she'll be able to answer your question," the elf with a green hat explains in a soothing tone.

Relief washes over me. If I could talk to somebody and get a clear explanation, then I'll happily meet that person, if it is a person. What's more, Blossom is a friend of my mother.

Then maybe she can explain how my mother is connected to this place, or if I am also connected to this place.

"Then bring me to her, please," I plead.

I watch them as they make a small circle.

"I don't trust her; what if she's trying to impersonate Rosetta to get the throne," the blue hat elf differs.

"Then Blossom will handle her."

"I think she really is Rosetta's daughter. She looks exactly like her, don't you think so, Talus?"

I cross my arms and standstill, all the while listening to their little discussion. Are they aware that they are only a few meters away from me, and I can clearly hear what they say?

The rock-like creature turns its head to look at me. I catch it lifting an eyebrow, which made it look away.

"She has raven black hair; Rosetta had fawn-colored hair" the rock creature, whose name is apparently Talus, tries his best to keep his voice down, but it's impossible with the deep voice he has. I couldn't help but let out a small smile.

"Listen, guys, we're talking about her, and she's right there."

"It's okay she can't hear us," the elf with a yellow hat says. He has a cute voice. It brings me this strange, sudden urge to make me want to pinch his cheeks.

"We bring her to Blossom; she'll know what to do."

"I'll go with Maru. She's the smart one amongst us."

"Okay, on three, we face her together."

"3..2..1."

"Sorry for that, we had to discuss whether you're trustworthy. We don't know if you're from Beorene, changing your looks, we get that a lot. But since you haven't hurt us in any way, we shall bring you to Blossom" the purple hat elf, Maru, faces my way. Well, she really is the smart one.

I smile at them "thank you."

Maru, together with her elf friends, leads the way. Talus follows right behind me, so I was sandwiched in between them.

The way the elves were skipping in front of me tells me that they are still young. I feel kind of grateful to be able to see such creatures alive. I've only known them to be in fairy tales. Are fairies real then? I can't wait to meet Blossom and find out what she is.

It has been about 15 minutes now, and we are still making our way to the Kingdom of Dazia. I finally know the names of each of them.

The rock-like creature is named Talus. The elf with the green hat, who's more calm and friendly in the group, is named Hestu. The elf with a purple hat who they say is the smart one is named Maru. The cute elf with a yellow hat is named Pico, and the last grouchy elf with a blue hat is named Aryll. I find their names really adorable.

I like that as we are making our way out of the woods, these creatures are slowly warming up to me. The Woods that we are treading in is called Kingsto Woods. That is surprisingly named after a tree. A tree that had a portal but was destroyed during a war. It was located here in these woods.

Walking out of the woods feels like it's taking forever, but as we get closer, ahead of me, I spot the beautiful castle.

It looks like it was centuries old, but its structure stood well-built and strong. Bushes of leaves and flowers crawl all across the sides of the castle. From a distance, I see the freshly mowed lawn, the organized fern trees on the side of the castle, and the big elegant looking fountain right in the middle.

The outside looks breathtaking; everything looks well-maintained. I wonder what it is like on the inside. I've only read about castles in books and to be seeing one right now amazes me.

As we get closer to the castle, there are brick walls as tall as fences; I see a figure by the gates. It's a tall woman wearing a gorgeous blue off-shoulder dress with blue flowers around the chest and the waistline. The long slit showed her beautiful long legs. I still can't see her face, but I can tell that she looks angelic.

"There's Blossom."