Daybreak and Nightfall

Fairies from all corners of Daybreak Realm gathered at the peak of Gailbreeze Mountain. An enormous chrysanthemum bud held their attention. It was as white as snow, glowing and floating majestically in the middle of a magnificent pond. 

A hundred years ago, Princess Thea Nightgloom, the only offspring of King Lisias, chose to cultivate inside that magical flower bud. Back then it looked like any other chrysanthemum. But as decades passed by, the flower bud grew. It continuously widened until it was engulfed by a mystical glow, a heavenly radiance, a sign that the chrysanthemum bud had reached its maturity. It would soon spread its petals and reveal to everyone a more powerful Princess Thea. 

Everyone waited in silence, especially King Lisias. Three distinguished fairies stood right next to him. They were not only his most reliable generals but also his closest friends. Not far from them, waiting as eagerly as the King, were three young and beautiful fairies, best friends of the Princess.

Eight hours after the enormous chrysanthemum bud radiated a heavenly glow, its petals began to spread. After another hour, the magnificent flower had fully bloomed. The heavenly light around it had scattered and momentarily blinded everyone in the area. As their vision cleared up, they saw a stunning young fairy floating on top of the enormous chrysanthemum. Her elegant translucent wings were like those of a butterfly, it had delicate markings and a faint green glow.  

The Princess had bright green eyes that were as radiant as the blinding sun. Her long black hair flowed elegantly down to her waist. It had a few strands that glittered like emeralds. Her slender body was covered by a green, sleeveless, and knee-length silk overcoat. Underneath was a thinner cloth that had a lighter shade than her topcoat. Her skirt ran a few inches past her knees. Covering her feet were knee-high boots that had a darker shade than her overcoat. 

Princess Thea scanned the fairies that gathered around her. A beautiful smile curved on her lips as her gaze fell upon her father and her best friends. She gracefully flapped her wings and soared towards her family.

"You look better!" Princess Thea exclaimed after checking her father from head to foot.

A hundred years ago, before she entered the chrysanthemum bud, her father was sitting on an enchanted chair to help him move around because his wings and legs back then were seriously damaged.

The Princess was grateful that after a century, her father could use his legs once more.

"How about your wings?" 

"I can fly but not as much as before," her father smiled and gave her a warm embrace. "You should stop worrying about me and start looking out for the entire Daybreak Realm." 

Princess Thea took a deep breath and gently slipped away from the arms of her father. 

"You know I will always care about Daybreak Realm," the princess politely smiled. "But, like I said before I entered that chrysanthemum bud, I want to become a stronger fighter. I don't have any intention of replacing you as a ruler, Father. I want to focus on finding the seals and destroy them."

"You are still obsessed with those seals?" King Lisias looked like he was about to get mad. 

Princess Thea quickly stepped away from her father and stood between her best friends. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Father! I'll be spending the rest of the day with my best friends!" 

She waved a hand and pulled her best friends away from Gailbreeze Mountain. 

^##############^ 

At the southern part of Nightgloom Fortress stood the highest tower, sheltering one precious prisoner, a prince named Asuren Nightgloom. 

The chamber was cold and dark. Wide but almost empty. The only source of light were two barred windows located near the ceiling which was almost thirty feet high. The only entrance to that cell was a door made from thick iron and could only be opened by a particular magic of a particular fairy.

Inside the prison chamber was a mattress but the prince rarely used it. He was spending most of his time on the opposite side of the room. His waist, arms, and legs were chained against the cold brick wall. His torso was bare, and his chest had been cut by a poisonous blade. His bleeding wound and the poison spreading in his body made him dizzy, but he held on to his consciousness. He had to stay awake.

He shook his head and heard faint noises in the darkest corner of the room. For a moment, he thought that he was imagining things but the three young fairies that emerged from a tiny hole in the wall were real.

He sighed with relief.

The one with amber eyes named Juliann had touched the chains binding his body and quietly chanted a few incoherent words. His hands glowed together with the chains and the prince was instantly freed.

Asuren leaned on the wall and tried to remain standing, but his knees were badly shaking. He collapsed but was caught by the fairy with clear blue eyes.

His name was Ayhan. He carried the prince and carefully placed him at the back of the fairy with sharp crimson eyes named Calix. 

The three of them hurried back to the tiny hole. Juliann chanted another set of words to conceal their escape route. They passed through a narrow tunnel and exited into a cave submerged in knee-length water. They traversed a marshland and entered a dark forest before stopping inside another cave underneath a cliff. 

Their hideout looked like a cozy chamber. There was a bed, fireplace, chairs, table, and kitchen. 

Calix put Asuren gently on the bed then lit the fireplace with a flick of his fingers. 

Juliann meticulously checked the chest wound of the prince before rushing into the kitchen to brew some medicine.

Ayhan covered him with a thick blanket because that area was freezing. 

"Thank you," Asuren sincerely whispered to his friends. "But I think you need to keep me in chains. I don't want to hurt any of you." 

"You lost a lot of blood and you had been poisoned," Juliann told him with a smile and added, "Your body will collapse before you can hurt anyone." 

Juliann knew a few magic tricks, but his specialty was treating illnesses.

"But if..."

"Stop worrying too much about us," Ayhan took the mug of warm medicine from Juliann and gave it to Asuren. "Drink this and rest. You need to recover your strength." 

"But..."

"Just rest," Calix frowned as he settled near the fireplace. "In case you are forgetting, we are tracking down a possible seal bearer. If you were not captured by the Evil Witch, we would have caught a clearer trace of that sneaky keeper of seal."

"I'm sorry," Asuren emptied the mug of medicine and instantly vomited the poison in his system. "You should not have..." 

"Leaving you alone with the Evil Witch is not an option," Calix glared. "Finding the seal bearers and destroying them is our mission. We should go after it together. Stop worrying about unnecessary things. Focus on recovering your strength. We need to continue our search as soon as we can." 

Asuren nodded, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes. He was still anxious, but his friends were right. He should toughen up. Finding the seals and destroying them was their topmost priority. 

^#############^