2 The City on the Trees

In front of Nico was a girl so beautiful it seemed like she came right out of a fairytale, so close to perfection with her silver hair and golden robes glimmering under the light of the setting sun, dying the world in warm orange.

"Damn." Nico gawked.

"Wonder what she puts on every morning." Kai said, earning attention from the people around him.

"Just kidding." He said sheepishly.

"You." One of the fairies gestured towards Kai with a clenching hand. Kai then started to float on air as he struggled to breathe -grasping at something on his neck. "You dare to insult our most graced being with that insolent-"

"It's fine." The silver-haired fairy gestured for her to stop. The other fairy paused, then withdrew her hand- causing Kai to fall face-first on the grass.

"What the hell..." Nico murmured as he then turned to Kai. "You okay?"

"Never been better." Kai said with a thumbs up and a heeze.

With the crowd caught agape by the supernatural event that unfolded before them, the silver-haired fairy took the opportunity of silence to introduce herself.

"Hear me, oh children of the stars." The voice echoed across the entire glade, with the voice like that of a divine being. "I am Mithas, the queen of the fairies. It is my duty to guide you all until the day of release, so if you have any questions regarding any of what you have witnessed or will be witnessing, I'll be sure to have them answered before you all go forth on your journey."

"What does that even mean?" Siara whispered to Nico. "Are you hearing any of this?"

"Yes, but actually no."

"Before all that though," the fairy queen said, once more her voice echoing through the glade. "Follow me."

She spread her majestic wings wide like an eagle, then set her feet afloat with the other fairies doing the same with the fluttering of their pixie wings. They then set out into a part of the forest, with the setting sun showering the forest floor with warm streaks of light.

Unrest started to fester in the crowd. Many of them started talking with the rest, most of their voices tinted with confusion, awe, and fear, with the rest a mix of emotions.

"Should we follow her?" Kristine asked.

"This feels like a dream." Jason said. "And not the good one. Everything seems so out of place -our arrival, this place, even these glowing orb-things all around us coupled with the arrival of those flying people. It feels like-"

"A fantasy." The handsome stranger said.

"Like the ones in the movies?" Kai said, his face dotted with dirt and grass. "Tell me we're not in Game of Thrones."

"We're not in Game of Thrones." Kristine said.

"Thank you."

The group paused for a while, trying to take in what they were dealing with.

"How is that even possible?" Nico broke the silence. "For all we know, this could all have been a giant ruse to get us into a pyramid scheme or something."

Kai tried and caught one of the glowing lights floating around, taking a peek at it in between his palms then showed it off to the others with a look of surprise drawn across his face. "Look at this."

He opened his clasped hands to reveal a very small girl with insect-like wings, radiating a soft yellow glow from her skin.

"What is that?" Kristine said.

"That has a name." Kai said as he played with the little girl on his palm with his fingers. "And it's Tinker Bell."

"Jesus."

In the end, the group took Jason's idea, following any lead they could grab on to. They went on their way to follow behind the fairy queen. It was that or get left behind in the glade, and with the coming of the night prompting the howls of strange animals in the darkness, they weren't taking chances. They made many attempts at conversation with the fairies, however shut down the very moment anyone of them opened their lips to ask.

"You will all be made knowledgeable by the day of release has come and gone. For now, just follow."

"The queen's got quite the superiority complex going on." Kai whispered to Nico.

"I heard that." The queen retorted, with Kai sticking his tongue out.

Most of the crowd from the glade were now following the fairies, prompted by the first few groups with peer pressure drawing the rest. All of the people were around their twenties, with not a child nor grandpa in the crowd.

The streaks of light penetrating from the canopy were now a deep white blue, akin to the color of the moon. The many flowers around the forest also shifted glow from red and orange chromas into a deep azul, mimicking the light of the stars. The only bright light that guided the eyes of the crowd was the glimmering wings of the fairies upfront.

Nico gazed in awe at the wonders of the forest, glancing all around like a curious child new to the world.

"I could get used to this."

His gaze then fell over to Saira, talking with Andrei, the stranger Jason and Kristine met and introduced from before.

"It's still day one bro." Kai said innocently, following Nico's gaze which was fixed straight ahead at Siara and Andrei. "Don't worry about it. We've got more things to be worried about."

"Getting back home." Jason intervened.

"Yes that, and also getting close to the fairy princess over there." Kai pointed to the very front. "She makes me all tingly."

"You just met her thirty minutes ago." Nico said.

"And you're no better?"

"Sod off." Nico gave Kai a nudge to the side.

"Look over there." Jason gestured the others to a nearby riverbank, with the crystal waters invigorating the forest air. The gentle flowing brook was accompanied by a flock of strange birds swimming on the clear waters, the glimmering blue of their feathers capturing everyone into a stare.

Nico still had a part of him that couldn't accept that he was in an entirely new world. The plants, the animals -it all seemed so surreal. He had many, many questions he wanted answers to, but for now, the fresh change in scenery was a very welcome one.

. . .

Treehouses connected via sky bridges dotted the giant trees, glowing with faint yellow lights in what seemed to be magic light orbs. Those very same orbs were floating around the trees, wandering like butterflies of the night.

From the tree houses and bridges, many fairies were walking and flying all over the place, fluttering their wings as they went. At the center of the fairy city was a colossal tree dwarfing the rest, reaching far out to the night sky as if touching the stars. Its bark was carved into rooms and buildings, connected by wooden stairs and suspended bridges. At the top were white leaves gleaming with moonlight, giving the head of the tree a seemingly heavenly halo.

"Brooo." Kai caught himself agape, along with many others staring high at the treetop.

"This is the city of Lelselone, capital of the fairies." The queen echoed her voice through the crowd with a gentle tone, giving them a faint smile.

"Welcome."