The Primordial Saga: A Faerie's Woe

     "It's much more complicated than how it looks," Fyora responded, a hint of remorse in her voice. “Apart from the fact that the Haunted Woods is out of my jurisdiction, Balthazar is a skilled hunter mostly resistant to Faerie magic. Sending more Faeries to combat him might end up being regrettable. Even if we somehow won, the bond between Faeries and Neopets is a key factor in maintaining the equilibrium of the magical flow across the planet, and the bottled Faeries play a vital role in that. It’s unfortunate that the weaker Faeries have to face such a fate, but it is necessary in the grand calculus of events.”

     “Easy for you to say, my Queen,” Illuma said in a sombre tone. “You didn't have to live more than half of your life in captivity. You’d never understand how we feel.”

     Fyora sighed ruefully. “If it brings you any consolation, I'm not proud of it. But some things have to be sacrificed for the greater good, no matter how much you hate yourself for it."

     “I understand where you’re coming from, Illuma,” Brynn intervened quickly in the hope of mediating the situation before the Light Faerie could rebuke the Queen again. “It is in no way right for the weaker Faeries to be left to their own devices when they’re already so defenceless. But you know better than anyone else that this threat takes precedence over any personal dispute that you might have. It isn't about you or Queen Fyora. It's about the whole world we call home. I will not force you into this, but I will say this: you believe nobody helps anyone just because it's the right thing to do, right? So it's your chance to be better than that, better than us! Neopia needs you!”

     Illuma considered the Kougra's words. “You're right," she said after a few moments. "I'll help. But I'm doing it for Neopia, not the Queen."

     "As long as you help, I will be very grateful," Fyora told her. "Let's get started on the plan then."

     Brynn was on edge the entire time they spent devising their next course of action. Although Illuma had agreed to help and the argument was settled for the most part, there was still an air of tension between the two Faeries and Brynn knew that the issue was far from over. The problem, however, was that she couldn't exactly decide which side was right. She had the chance to witness it all firsthand, that glimmer in the eyes of the bottled Faeries as they noticed Brynn walk into the shack, that sense of hope they had at the sight of a potential saviour, and that disappointment and despair once they realized they weren't going to be freed. Illuma was more than justified, so much so that her grief made Queen Fyora's reasons feel like excuses.

     She told herself that the Faerie Queen's reasons were legitimate, that she really couldn't have done anything in this situation, or at least nothing that didn't make it worse. After all, she was visibly sad that she couldn't help the bottled Faeries; she even said that she hated herself for it. Brynn had known her for decades now. The Faerie Queen wouldn't let Balthazar run amok if she had any other options. But what if there were other options, and she just never considered them?

     Brynn put her thoughts aside when Illuma stood up, showing them a piece of paper with several sketches. "While I don't know the exact locations of any of them, this is what the artefacts look like," Illuma said. "Or well, at least how I remember them from the sketches we had in those old scriptures."

     "Wait, there are scriptures?" Brynn asked. "Why didn't we refer to them instead?"

     "A large part of our archives were destroyed with the fall of Faerieland," Fyora answered. "And again, the knowledge of the seals is so obscure, I doubt even the Library Faerie knows much about them."

     "Then how—"

     "I used to compensate for my lack of magical prowess with knowledge," Illuma stated with a chuckle. "I wasn't as good at performing magic as the other Faeries, so I spent most of my time in the library reading all sorts of books, hoping to become a scholar when I grew up."

     Brynn noticed her smile drop at that last sentence and interjected, "You are a scholar, Illuma! I mean, if not even the Library Faerie knows much about these artefacts, then you've already officially beaten the most knowledgeable personality in Faerieland!"

     Watching the smile return to Illuma's face, the Kougra took the piece of paper from her and examined the sketches: six neatly drawn trinkets that looked arcane even on paper with runic inscriptions that she had never seen in her life... except for one. The Kougra squeezed her eyes shut and tried to recall where she'd seen a similar-looking symbol. A few moments later, she jumped up excitedly and pointed at one of them. "I know where I saw this! It was in the book Sophie lent me to read at her place."

     Illuma looked doubtful. "Are you sure you saw the right thing? I don't think any ordinary Neopian would know what it is."

     "I'm pretty sure of it," Brynn replied. "I can't remember the exact details, but it's somewhere in a small corner of one of the pictures. Judging from the way the picture was taken, I don't think the author of the book paid much attention to it. We must go back and you can confirm for yourself if it's actually the seal."

     Illuma hesitated for a bit. "Can't you just, you know, bring that book over here?"

     Brynn noticed the obvious nervousness in Illuma's voice. They were on the same page when it came to the Haunted Woods in that neither of them would want to return to the place if they had a choice. Illuma's memories of that place were probably far worse too. "I think you're right. You're not fit enough to travel anyway, what with your injury from earlier—"

     "That would be a waste of time we can't afford," Fyora interjected and pointed her staff at the Light Faerie, sending a pink trail of magic which swirled around the Light Faerie from the bottom to top. "You should feel much better now. And rest assured, I helped you out of goodwill. There are no strings attached." She turned to Brynn and placed a finger on her sword. It started to gleam brightly for a moment, then returned to normal. "This will allow you to combat both corporeal and ethereal threats alike. You can never be too sure in a place like the Haunted Woods."

     With a nod and salute, Brynn exited the room and gestured for the Light Faerie to follow her. She hoped that Sophie would be in a better mood when they met her again.

     The Swamp Witch, however, wasn't at all impressed. The moment she saw their faces, she slammed the door without a word.

     Brynn blinked at the door in shock, then collected herself and called again. "This is Captain Brynneth of the Faerieland Guards. We're here at the behest of the Faerie Queen." She looked around to make sure nobody else was in the area, then continued. "This concerns the lives of everyone in Neopia. We need your help!"

     "There's always some apocalyptic threat rising somewhere on the planet!" They heard Sophie shouting from the other side. The door opened a second later and she popped her head round it. "What is it this time?"

     "Can we talk inside?" Brynn scanned the swamp once again. "Just to be safe—"

     "Nope!" Sophie cut her off mid-sentence and told her to start speaking. It wasn't until she had listened to the whole story that she finally stepped aside to let them pass through. She then shut the door and went to retrieve the book from the shelf.

     "I take back what I said earlier," Illuma whispered to Brynn. "She's a little annoying."

     Before Brynn could reply, Sophie was back with the book. The Kougra flipped through the pages and mulled over several images until she came across the one she had been finding. "There," she pointed a finger at the left side of a photograph depicting a dim corridor.

     Illuma brought her face closer to the book to get a better look. The image was cropped in a way where the carvings were barely just visible, but three millimetres was enough for her to recognize them. "That looks exactly like the language used for ancient Faerie magic!" she gasped. "I can't tell what it says, but it's definitely worth checking out!"

     Brynn narrated the caption below the picture. "The 12th floor of the Perilous Catacombs in Neovia, home to just as many curses as there are treasures. Watch every step you take, unless you're a Petpet... Unless you're a Petpet?" she repeated.

     "It was discovered during the Spooky Food Eating Contest incident many years back that Petpets are naturally immune to the curses in the Catacombs," Sophie stated, "so the best chance of entering that place unharmed is to morph into a Petpet."

     "But how do we do that?" the Kougra asked. "There are morphing potions which change one's species and colour but I've never heard of any that can turn someone into a Petpet."

     "Well, how do you think the author of this book managed it?" The witch turned a few pages until they landed on what looked like a recipe for a potion. "I don't often praise anyone, but this Neopian deserves it. Who would've thought you could reverse engineer the magic of the Fungus Caves?"

     "Will you brew the potion for us please?" Brynn implored.

     "Do you know someone else who can?" Sophie asked rhetorically. "But I have one condition: I'm coming with you. Can't have you two cause a commotion in my hometown."

     "Well, the more the merrier, I guess," Brynn remarked with a grin.

     "Keep dreaming," Sophie grumbled as she walked over to her cauldron and began preparing the potion. "And put the book back when you're done with it. Don't touch anything else."

To be continued…