Surprise

Finally, I arrived at the town and hurriedly made my way to the school.

There, I met Peter with his arm in a cast.

"Has Anna not arrived yet?" I asked absentminded Peter.

"No, she seems to be on her way" Peter replied.

"Did you bring your absence excuse?" I asked him.

"Yes, technically, I fell down the stairs yesterday and fractured my arm" he said, pointing to his arm.

The previous day, I told Peter to come up with an excuse to skip class.

Since his parents were doctors, he had the necessary materials to fake an injury.

"Yes, I faced a wild rabbit, and guess what? I managed to defeat it" I exclaimed proudly.

Just as Peter was about to say something, a beauty with red eyes appeared.

"Sorry for the delay, guys. It took longer than expected to convince the orphanage to let me skip" Anna said with a smile.

"Well, now that we're all here, follow me because we have a long way ahead."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ugh, ugh, how much longer, Liam? We've been climbing this stupid mountain for over 3 hours!" Peter exclaimed, covered in sweat.

"We're almost there, Peter. We just have to reach the top, and trust me, it'll be worth this hike" I replied calmly.

We were all quite tired, except for Anna, who, for some reason, didn't seem tired at all.

"I suppose her lack of fatigue has something to do with her great potential" I thought.

"By the way, guys, have you already learned how to control mana?" Anna asked.

"We've barely been awakened for a day. How do you expect us to already know how to use mana?" Peter complained.

"I did learn to use a bit of mana yesterday, but it's not a big deal" I interrupted Peter.

"Well, guys, I also learned to use a bit of my fire element yesterday. Look" Anna said.

She opened the palm of her hand, and almost instantly, a small orb of fire appeared in her hand.

Peter and I were amazed at this discovery.

"What a monstrous talent" I thought.

"Wow, Anna, you're truly in a league of your own" Peter praised.

We continued walking until I finally said:

"We've arrived."

We were now standing at the top of the mountain, also known as the Mountain of Whispers, specifically at a lake covered by trees.

A few months ago, my father told us during dinner that there had been sightings of fairies in this mountain.

To give you some context, fairies are different from spirits.

Spirits are beings of great power that protect the forests; they have only one elemental affinity, which is basically their source of life and power.

You can also form a contract with them to gain some of their power.

On the other hand, fairies are found in secluded places where they can enjoy nature.

They don't usually have as much power, and you could say that they are the evolution of fairies.

It is also known that encountering fairies is a unique spectacle.

"Follow me, guys" I told my friends."Let's hide behind those bushes."

"But what's going on, Liam? Why did you bring us here?" Anna asked, confused.

"You'll see," I replied. "But if it really works, I assure you both that you won't regret coming here."

So we had no choice but to wait.

As time passed, I noticed more of the surroundings.

The area we were in was covered by huge, lush trees that blocked the sun.

The few rays of sunlight that made it through were absorbed by the water of the small lake, giving it an almost divine appearance.

Peter and I were fascinated by the beautiful landscape when suddenly, Anna stood up.

"Guys, guys, do you see it?" she exclaimed.

"See what?" I thought.

I could only see the most beautiful scenery in the world... huh?

It wasn't until I looked closer that I noticed small lights of different colors floating while sprinkling some kind of powder.

Peter and I stood up at the same time, and the three of us, as if hypnotized, moved toward the shining orbs.

As we approached the shining orbs, they came closer to us.

Almost mesmerized, we gazed at them as if they were dragons.

The light they emitted was almost hypnotic, and the powder they released filled us with a strong sense of relaxation.

More lights emerged from the lake, and soon, we were surrounded by these magnificent orbs. Peter and I, filled with curiosity, touched these orbs.

As our fingers made contact with the strange surface of the orbs, they seemed to turn into a viscous liquid that we could mold at will.

Peter transformed one of the orbs into a circular object that looked like a ball.

We spent minutes, or even hours, although my sense of time was a bit altered at that moment, playing with these orbs.

"Hey Liam, where's Anna?"

At the mention of Anna, I realized she wasn't with us. I tried to remember the last time I saw Anna.

"Oh, Liam, didn't Anna mention a few minutes ago that she was hearing voices calling her?"

It's true, Anna had warned us that she was hearing strange voices calling her, but we didn't pay much attention.

"We better hurry and find her. I have a bad feeling about this," I told Peter.

We started to look around, calling out Anna's name, but there was no sign of her.

The lights of the orbs began to dim, and a sense of unease crept over us.

"Anna! Anna, where are you?" I shouted, hoping she would respond.

Suddenly, a faint echo of Anna's voice reached our ears.

It seemed to come from deeper within the forest.