Nightfall Realm

Riz thought that the sneaky fairy would jump at the deadly barrier, but he did not. He ran away from it. He was fast but Riz already memorized his aura. Wherever he went, he would leave a trace. No matter how faint it is, Riz would find him. 

Where are you?! Thea screamed inside her head.

"Southern part of Amethyst Forest," Riz replied.

Don't do anything reckless. Thea strictly commanded. We should fight him together. I'll be with you in a moment.

"Okay," Riz agreed and immediately cut the connection. She found the sneaky fairy standing near the deadly barrier once more.

"Stop chasing me," the sneaky fairy had finally spoken. His voice was deep and commanding. "Persist and you will die."

He turned to the deadly barrier, spread his wings, and crossed it. 

For a moment, Riz was hesitant. The seal bearer could pass through the deadly barrier unscathed. She, on the other hand, would end up like those fairies that dared to cross it. They were all burned to ashes.  

Riz took a deep breath. Losing the seal bearer was more dreadful than dying. They spent hundreds of years trailing all possible traces. Only now had she seen a seal bearer. She should not waste such a precious opportunity. She vowed to destroy even just one seal. She was ready to die for it.

Riz took another deep breath, spread her wings, and soared into the deadly barrier. She was enveloped by a scorching wind. Her body began to burn. The pain was excruciating but the sight of the sneaky fairy just a few meters away had given her strength. She ignored the scorching pain and soared faster. She grabbed the sneaky fairy by the hem of his black cloak, but it had been ripped by his wind blades and he zoomed swiftly out of her sight.

Riz tried to fly faster but her body could no longer cooperate. The scorching wind was burning her to ashes.

She closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "Is this where it all ends? I could not even kill one seal bearer." 

A warm hand had grabbed her waist and the scorching pain all over her body had somehow lessened. Riz opened her eyes and was horrified. Thea was tightly holding onto her despite being covered with flames and smoke. Riz tried to turn back. She should be the one protecting the princess. But the scorching wind blew stronger and hurled them fast towards the Nightfall Realm. 

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Thea was terrified when she saw Riz fearlessly pursue the seal bearer into the deadly barrier.  

"RIZ! YOU FOOL!!!" Thea bellowed as she zoomed into the barrier. Thick fog clouded her sight. The scorching wind did not only burn her skin but also set her wings aflame. The pain made her dizzy but she refused to give in. She clenched her fists and focused on reaching her friend.

Riz was only a few meters away. Thea kept on flapping her wings until she was close enough to wrap her arms around the waist of her friend. She tried soaring back to Daybreak Realm, but the scorching wind suddenly blew stronger and hurled them fast towards the Nightfall Realm. 

For a moment that felt like an eternity, Thea and Riz were burning. In the next second, they were rolling fast against the grass-covered ground. Riz hit a tree while Thea got entangled with a male fairy crouching over a dead and bloody creature. The two of them rolled over the ground before hitting a tree. Thea nearly blacked out while the male fairy scrambled away from her. He raised the wind daggers that he was tightly gripping.  

The male fairy and his wind blades were drenched in blood. His dark green eyes were chillingly cold. Thea should feel threatened but there was something in the eyes of the blood-soaked fairy that prevented her from summoning any weapon.

"You came out of the deadly barrier alive," the male fairy pointed a wind dagger at her throat. "You are a seal bearer."

"We're not," Riz pointed her flaming spear at the nape of the blood-soaked stranger. She had burns all over her body. Her wings were badly damaged. Her hands and knees were trembling, but she remained standing. "We are chasing a sneaky seal bearer." 

"Liar," the blood-soaked fairy moved to pierce Thea's throat while Riz shifted her flaming spear to stab the stranger on the back of his head. 

"RIZ! NO!" Thea immediately summoned wind gusts and stopped the flaming spear and the wind blades from hurting anyone.

As she struggled to prevent her friend and the stranger from killing each other, another voice loudly bellowed, "STOP!"

From the shadows of the trees, another male fairy with bright blue eyes had emerged and grabbed the weapon hand of the blood-soaked stranger.  

"Asuren, they are not our enemies," the blue-eyed fairy pulled the green-eyed stranger away from Thea and Riz. 

"Do you know them?" Asuren furiously snapped at his companion. 

"I don't," the blue-eyed fairy honestly and patiently replied. "But seal bearers should be unscathed each time they pass through the deadly barrier. Look at them. They are seriously injured. What they need is help. Let's bring them home." 

"Do what you want," Asuren willed his wind blades to vanish. "I'll look for our friends." 

"They will be fine," the blue-eyed fairy tightened the grip on his comrade. "Have faith in them." 

Asuren glared at the blue-eyed fairy but did not say another word. 

"I'm Ayhan," the blue-eyed fairy introduced himself then glanced at his companion. "This is my friend, Asuren. My mother can treat your wounds. Let us carry you to our home." 

"I can walk," Riz said but her knees buckled, and she had to lean on a nearby tree to remain standing. 

"I know you can walk," Ayhan smiled kindly. "But carrying you will be faster. This place is dangerous for wounded fairies like you. We need to get to a safe place as soon as we can." 

"Thank you," Thea weakly smiled.

Ayhan carried Riz while Asuren, though against the idea of his friend, had carefully placed Thea on his back.

Thea knew that they were on a strange land covered in darkness and in the company of total strangers. One of them almost killed her. She should not fall asleep. But in her weakened state, she could not stop her consciousness from fading away. 

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