6 Ominous Mountain

Thea was standing in the deepest part of the Cursed Forest. Most fairies from Northern Peaks were afraid to go near it. Thea, on the other hand, was filled with excitement but ended up getting disappointed.

Ugong, the wind spirit bonded to Asuren, told her that he can already see the magnificent white tree, but Thea could not see anything white around her. It was all brown and green.

"We cannot waste more time here," Thea let out a disappointed sigh. "We only have two hours remaining. Let's find another way inside Southern Peaks."

She marched out of the forest unscathed unlike most of the fairies that dared to enter that place. Thea was glad that she did not encounter any danger within the so-called Cursed Forest, but she would have been more grateful if she had seen Kayah.

Thea shook her head. There was no use dwelling on things that did not happen the way she had expected. She had to find another way inside Southern Peaks within an hour.

"Thea?"

The fairy princess looked away from the distant dark sky of Southern Peaks and glanced at the male fairy who called her name.

It was Lazano. A tall, dark, and dashing male fairy. His long, straight, and shiny black hair was flowing elegantly at the back of his head down his waist. He was wearing polished black boots, a gleaming royal blue overcoat, and a sparkling bandana that had a light shade of blue. His charming eyes were as blue as the ocean and staring at Thea with bewilderment.

"You… you came out of the Cursed Forest?!" Lazano approached her with a terrified expression. "Have you gone crazy?"

"What about you?" Thea shot back at Lazano with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here on the southern border? Do you want to visit Southern Peaks?"

Her questions seemed to bring more fear in the eyes of Lazano and she could only think of one reason that can make him feel so anxious.

"Is it Miyara?"

Lazano nodded, looking ashamed of himself, "She's been missing for a week. I've searched for her all throughout Northern Peaks, but I can't find her. No one knows where she went. I think… she entered Southern Peaks."

"Are you sure about it? What about the Mortal Realm?"

"Miyara loves to explore poisonous plants…"

"Right!" Thea exclaimed. "How can I forget about Miyara's specialty?!" she shook her head and felt disappointment creeping up on her. "But she's missing. She could have had the antidote I am looking for… but…"

"Antidote?! Are you poisoned?" Lazano checked her up from head to foot.

"It's my friend," Thea pulled a pair of tiny bottles from the pocket of her overcoat.

"Your friend? Riz, Gia, or Sel?"

"It's my new friend," Thea put a hand over Lazano's shoulder. "I don't have time to chat with you. I need to enter Southern Peaks."

"NO!" Lazano grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the border.

"We need to save Miyara and my friend!" her determined voice stopped Lazano. "Maybe Miyara is on the same mountain where Odolan blossoms."

"Southern Peaks wants your life, and you want to march in there all by yourself? Do you want to die?"

"Of course not," Thea beamed confidently at Lazano. "I will return here with Miyara and I will save my friend. Wait here. I will return within an hour."

Lazano closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally let go of Thea's hand, "How will you enter Southern Peaks without being noticed?"

"With these," she raised her upturned hand and showed Lazano a pair of tiny bottles.

"Potions from Mona?"

Lazano quickly recognized the blue bottles that had a five-petaled clover on the cap. Only Mona and her twin sister can make a five-petaled clover bloom.

"You will drink that?" Lazano eyed the bottles with wariness.

"Of course. While Miyara's medicine increased my resistance to poison, Mona's magical concoctions had assisted me in dealing with troublesome situations. Mina's visions rarely come true, but when it did, it had always been so helpful. I think, in a way, she had foreseen this and we both believe that I can get out of this alive," she gave Lazano a tap on the shoulder. "I will return," she confidently repeated. "Wait here."

She waved a hand at Lazano, drank the concoction, and stepped back inside the Cursed Forest. She had to enter Southern Peaks by traversing the entire forest. She had to be careful yet quick. She only had one and a half hours left.

"What's… what's happening to you?"

Thea smiled at the gust of wind hovering beside her. She was starting to feel the effect of the concoction.

A few days earlier, Mina and Mona visited her at the border. Mina seriously warned her about some difficulties that she was about to face. The young seer honestly told her that the vision was foggy, but she was certain about one thing. Thea had changed. It was as if she became a different person. Mona, who interprets her twin's visions in the oddest way possible, had given Thea two of her magical concoctions. According to Mona, those were drinks that would effectively change her. All she had to do was paint an image in her mind of who she wanted to become.

With her photographic memory, becoming Asuren was not that difficult for her. Fighting him for weeks, she had a perfect image of him in her mind. Even her clothes had flawlessly transformed into the ones Asuren had been wearing.

The other concoction Mona had given was for changing her voice. It works like the previous antidote. She only had to remember the voice she wanted to mimic.

Mona was confident that Thea would change without anyone noticing, but with the potion only in the testing phase, it would only last for an hour or two.

"No one will suspect me in this form, right?" Thea was beaming eagerly at the wind spirit bonded to Asuren.

"How did you…"

"No time to explain," Thea tried to speak as coldly as she can. She had to be Asuren. "We need to find Miyara and Odolan within an hour."

"This is strange," the wind spirit covered Thea. "But maybe it is easier this way. I can carry you towards Ominous Mountain without arousing suspicion. You just have to act like him."

"I think Asuren is a fairy of silence," Thea grinned. "How long before we reach that mountain?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"You have enough time to tell me important things about Asuren, Ominous Mountain, and Odolan. But I think you should start with your name. I should know the name of my wind spirit, right?"

"Ugong," the wind spirit replied before rocketing towards Southern Peaks.

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The excitement Thea felt when she drank the concoctions had been replaced by uneasiness when she was soaring over Southern Peaks. It was the first time she entered that realm. From what she had always glimpsed from the borders of Northern Peaks, its entire sky was shrouded with depressing dark clouds, and the mountains were covered by gloomy purple vegetations. The air was chilling, felt kind of heavy, and had a nauseating stench of blood in it. As she had expected, it was a dark and unwelcoming place.

After a few minutes of flying, Ugong finally landed on the mountainside where the rare herb Odolan was not that uncommon. There was plenty of vegetation around that area and everything was in different shades of violet. Odolan had a darker shade and bigger leaves compared to the rest of the plants in that area. It has a seven-petaled flower that should be glowing intensely when in full bloom. But none of the seven-petaled flowers in that area are glowing as intensely as it should be.

"Ugong, I cannot see an Odolan in full bloom," disappointment was creeping up on Thea again.

"Will any of these flowers fully bloom within less than an hour?"

"You need at least a day for some of the Odolan here to fully bloom," it was a female voice who answered her question and made her heart skipped a beat.

Thea looked behind her and saw a stunning fairy in a long and black overcoat. Her jet-black hair had a few strands of glowing amethyst and was flowing elegantly down to her waist. Her dark violet eyes were watchful towards Thea and in her right hand, she was holding a fully bloomed Odolan.

She must be Lena. A friend of Asuren.

"Tanya went here and picked all the fully bloomed Odolan," the stunning fairy cautiously informed Thea. "It is normal for her to visit here and gather ingredients for her antidotes but to harvest all the fully bloomed flowers in this area seemed unusual. So, I managed to keep this one without her noticing."

"Thank you for doing that, Lena" Thea approached the stunning fairy and grabbed her hands.

As she had guessed, Lena had a crush on Asuren. With that simple touch, the stunning fairy had been stunned and was close to blushing.

"Ayhan needs that herb," Thea lied based on the information she heard from Ugong. "He had been poisoned."

"Then is it true?" Lena pulled her hands from Thea's grasp. "Did he betray us?"

"Of course not!" Thea said, assuming that Asuren would always defend his family. "Ayhan saved me from Tanya. He had been poisoned instead of me. I would have carried him back here but… our enemy…"

"Why will Tanya try to poison you?" Lena was getting more suspicious.

"We can talk later," Thea grabbed her hands one more time. "Ayhan needs an antidote within an hour. I need that herb. Please, Lena."

"Ayhan is already dying. How will you give him the antidote without exposing yourself to our enemy? And Tanya will not harm you unless Aunt Cloudia commanded her. If they also see you as a deserter…"

"I thought you are my friend, Lena," Thea was disappointed. "How can you doubt me? Do you think I can betray my own mother?"

"But…"

"Do you think I will leave Ayhan in the hands of our enemy just because it is dangerous? How weak do you think I am?!"

"I'm sorry, Asuren," Lena finally softened up. "I'm only worried about you. I know you will never abandon your family. I… please… let me help you in saving Ayhan."

"All I need is that herb," Asuren insisted.

"I will give you an additional card," a wicked smile curved on her thin and reddish lips. She grabbed Thea by her hand and dragged her up on the mountain.

"Ayhan only has an hour, Lena," Thea reminded the stunning fairy.

"This will not take long. For your sake, I also do not want him to die," Lena stopped at a nearby cave.

Its entrance was barricaded by a thick and dark violet mist. The stunning fairy raised her right hand and placed it over the barrier. Her palm glowed with a faint purple light which caused the mist to dissipate and reveal what was inside the cave.

Thea tried her best to remain expressionless after seeing a young female fairy lying unconscious on the ground. Her hands and feet were not tied but her hands were grazed and swollen. She probably tried to break through the strange barricade.

"This reckless fairy came from Northern Peaks," Lena informed Thea.

"This is great."

The stunning fairy blushed as Thea grabbed her hand and gave her a weak smile.

"Her name is Miyara. She is from Gailbreeze Mountain and a close friend of the second princess," Thea explained as coldly as she can. "This will be a fair trade. Thank you, Lena."

"But they are evil fairies, Asuren," Lena tightened her grip around Thea's hands. "What if they refuse to trade Ayhan with this fairy?"

"I will save Ayhan no matter what. But first, let's try a trade-off with this fairy."

"One day," Lena strictly stated. "You need to return by then or I will follow you at Northern Peaks."

"I will return with Ayhan," Thea promised before taking the herb and Miyara with her. "Wait for me," she stepped out of the cave, glanced one more time at Lena, and gave her another faint smile. "Ugong, let's go."

The wind spirit instantly covered Thea and Miyara then carried them away from Ominous Mountain as quickly as he can.

By the time they came out of the Cursed Forest, Thea was back to her own self. An hour had already passed. They had less than an hour remaining.

"Miyara!" Lazano came running towards them and took the unconscious fairy from Thea's arms.

"Follow us to Mountain Fairy Hospital," Thea hurriedly commanded before spreading her wings, "Let's go."

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