The last thing I remember was the suffocating weight of it—the crushing void that swallowed everything—until there was nothing. The darkness took me, and I fell, consumed by it.
As the darkness crept into the deepest corners of my soul, a singular desire consumed me: to erase the light. All of it. Every cost, every consequence—it would be worth it.
Then, as if rising from a fever dream, I awoke to find Scarlette standing over me, speaking to someone I didn't recognize. Wait—was he human?
"So, this is Veravos, isn't it?" The mysterious man's voice was smooth, almost too calm, with a hint of curiosity.
"Yes, that's him," Scarlette replied, offering a hand to help me up. Her touch was warm, grounding, like a tether to something I could understand.
"Who? What?" I muttered, still grappling with the chaos in my mind. "Am I dead?"
"Hello, Veravos. You're still very much alive," the man said, his smile slight but oddly reassuring. "I'm the Light Guardian, but you can call me Victor. Victor Dawnbringer." His voice was smooth, and the brightness of his smile felt almost out of place.
Dawnbringer? If ever a name sounded more like an invitation to mockery, it was that one.
"What happened out there?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, trying to clear the fog of confusion clouding my mind.
"Your girlfriend here actually got me to alter reality," he said, his tone casual, like this was nothing more than another task on a to-do list.
No. Scarlette had cast the spell to alter reality, not him.
"What did you do?" My gaze shifted to Scarlette. Her emerald eyes gleamed, hiding something unreadable—like a secret just beyond my grasp.
"Oh, so you admit she's your girlfriend?" Victor teased, his grin mischievous.
"No, he hasn't asked..." Scarlette tried to explain, but Victor raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Do something about it already," he said with a smirk.
I blinked, my mind still processing. "Wait… do I know you?" A strange familiarity gnawed at me.
"I'm that pesky human who's been bothering you in your dark woods. Yes, I called you the great villain," he added with a chuckle. "Sorry for that, by the way. I haven't met the other annoying fairies like Queen Judorah yet."
"You were the Light Guardian all this time? But you're not a Light Fairy. You're just human!" I exclaimed, disbelief heavy in my voice.
"But the Light Guardian is a human, gifted with light magic. Didn't you read that in the scroll?" He laughed, a little too amused.
"No, we can't read the scroll—it's in a strange language, only meant for the Light Guardian," I replied, irritation creeping into my voice. He simply ignored me.
"Yup, your rudeness hasn't changed since the moment we met," Victor added, his smirk wide.
Scarlette rolled her eyes in annoyance, and Victor met her gaze.
"Scarlette, tell Veravos what you told me earlier," Victor urged, his tone softer now.
Scarlette hesitated before speaking. "Earlier, when you were consumed by darkness and when you set me free from it, I pushed Judorah into the darkness... and then I ungagged Victor."
"No, Scarlette, I mean the other part," Victor added.
Scarlette took a deep breath. "Oh, so... I brought both the emerald and the scroll to Victor, and I wished for a world where you were restored and not consumed by darkness."
"What about what you wanted? What about your redemption? Or your wish to live in a place where our origins don't define our destinies?" I asked, knowing there was more. "Scarlette?"
She fell silent.
"You weren't safe," she said softly. "You were sucked into my darkness, and I didn't think it through. I just wanted you safe."
I understood. I knew there was no way I would ever be human again, no way I'd have redemption. But I also understood what she had sacrificed for me.
"Why didn't you take the chance to alter reality to what you wanted?" I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Didn't you wish for a world where fairies could live without fear? A place where people aren't judged by their origins, by what they are? You could have given us peace, Scarlette… What about your own redemption? Didn't you want that too?"
Her gaze shifted, lips pressed into a thin line. She was avoiding my eyes, looking out the window at the world she'd created, as if it would give her the answers I was searching for. Finally, her voice was quiet, almost too soft to hear. "Then why did you save me from the darkness, Veravos?"
The question hung in the air, sharp and unexpected, like a dagger aimed at my chest. I was taken aback for a moment, unsure of how to answer. The words came out slower this time, more deliberate. "I didn't think. I just... I wanted you to be free of it. To be... safe. I didn't even know what would happen next. But I couldn't let you stay lost in it."
"Scarlette, you had an opportunity. I would've taken my wish," I insisted.
"Says the guy who literally absorbed the Tree of Regrets from me," she shot back.
"Takes great power," Vincent interjected, his voice steady.
"Takes great sacrifice..." Scarlette's voice trailed off, the weight of her words hanging in the air.
There was a long silence between us, the weight of everything—her wish, my choices, and the world I now found myself in—pressing down on me. She had done all of this for me, but in doing so, I'd lost my chance to find the peace I sought. The world she made wasn't the one I'd been trying to create. It was hers.
"Veravos, you are more than your origins indeed," Victor spoke, his voice light with a knowing grin. "Fortunately, her wish was very vague, so it gave me lots of leeway to do what I needed to do."
"What do you mean?" I asked, still trying to process it all.
Victor gave me a knowing look. "Look outside your window."
I stepped up to the window, and the sight hit me like a wave. Outside, everyone was bowing to me—Lumera, Devran, and even the dark fairies who had once followed Judorah.
"Long live King Veravos!" they called in unison.
"Yes, you and Scarlette will rule this kingdom. The United Fairy Kingdom. Everyone gets to be as they are," Victor said, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
I froze, my mind racing. Was this some kind of fever dream? Was I about to have a brain aneurysm?
"Did you see that, Scar? Lumera and Devran are alive!" I backed away, still in shock.
Scarlette laughed at my stunned expression.
"In this world, everyone gets a second chance—well, almost everyone. Lumera and Devran are alive again, but they won't remember you," Victor explained, his tone casual.
"What about King Baltimore and King Luxeron—the ones who ruled the Love and Light Fairy Kingdoms?" I asked.
Victor gave an impish grin. "Who?"
I didn't press further. I knew they hadn't been brought back, and honestly, they could stay forgotten.
"Then what about the Love, Dark, and Light Fairy Kingdoms? Their leaders are gone... so who's ruling them now?"
"They're all under your rule—and Scarlette's," Victor said plainly, like he was telling me I'd just inherited a bakery.
"Wait... I have work?" I stood there, stunned, as Victor turned away without a hint of sympathy.
"You know humans go to work, right?" he said over his shoulder with a smirk, casually strolling down the corridor like this was all part of some ordinary Tuesday.
Victor walked toward the main door, and I rushed after him, my feet pounding against the marble floor.
I came to a halt in a long corridor, golden carpet beneath my feet contrasting with the eerie atmosphere. On either side, dark poisoned apple trees loomed, their twisted branches reaching like frozen shadows.
The corridor bore the marks of three fairy types: Love Fairies, Dark Fairies, and Light Fairies. It was a symbol of unity—a bridge between what was and what could be.
"Victor, wait..." I called, breathless.
He turned slightly but didn't stop. "What is it?"
"Is there any chance I can be human?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.
He finally turned fully to face me. "Don't you see? You've become more human than you realize. You cooked, you sacrificed, and you held onto your beliefs. You loved. You actually loved. And now, you have a home."
I paused, his words settling like a soft weight in the space between my doubts. Maybe... maybe he was right. I'd become something I never thought I could be. More than my origins.
I hesitated. "What about my enemies? The ones I thought were dead?"
"They're no longer bound by the power that corrupted them," Victor said, his voice steady. "They're just young fairies now. Free to live their lives, free from their former lives or memories."
A weight I hadn't realized I was carrying lifted slightly. But one name still gnawed at me.
"And Queen Judorah?"
Victor's smile turned knowing. "Let's just say she's no longer a problem."
I frowned, his words cryptic, but something in his tone told me I didn't need to ask more.
Victor shifted the conversation. "Speaking of her, Queen Judorah captured me with a special creature. Bad news, I can't bring it back to the mortal world with me, Veravos. Do you want it?"
I blinked. "A creature?"
Victor gestured to a basket beside him, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Humans have dogs as pets. If you truly wanted to be human, you should have one too. But here, I present to you... Juniper."
He pulled back the cloth, revealing an orange fox with nine long, flowing tails. Its amber eyes gleamed as it stretched and then gracefully hopped out of the basket, trotting toward me.
"It's a kitsune," Victor explained, a grin spreading across his face.
I hesitated. "I... I don't know if I can handle something like this."
Victor chuckled. "I couldn't bring you a golden retriever, so this will have to do. It shares ancient wisdom—fit for a king."
Before I could react, the kitsune leapt onto my shoulders, curling up like it had always belonged there. Its soft purring vibrated against my skin, spreading warmth I couldn't quite explain.
"Oh, it accepts you," Victor said, his tone satisfied. "That's a good sign."
I exhaled, feeling the weight in my chest ease just a little.
A soft laugh broke the moment.
I turned, and there was Scarlette, stepping into the light. But something was different.
My breath caught.
Her hair.
The violet streaks that had once defined her—a mark of a past she could never escape—were gone. In their place was a rich, deep shade of scarlet.
Like her name.
Scarlette caught my stare, tilting her head. "What?" she asked, a small, amused smile on her lips.
I shook my head, something unreadable tightening in my chest. "Nothing. It just... suits you."
Her gaze softened. "I feel like... myself," she admitted. Then she glanced at Juniper, curled against me, and smirked. "Looks like you've got yourself a pet, King Veravos."
I scoffed. "I don't even know how this happened."
Victor clapped me on the back. "You don't need to. Just accept it."
Scarlette laughed, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I laughed with her.
I swallowed, trying to steady my thoughts. "Where's the emerald? The scroll?"
"Victor is going to take them to a land with no magic," she explained. "It won't be a problem for us anymore."
I stepped closer, my heart pounding as I stared into her olive eyes. She was as beautiful as the first time I saw her. "Scarlette, I hope I'm not too late, but... would you be my black lotus?" I gazed into her eyes, which seemed to glow under the warm sunlight, feeling the weight of my question.
She met my gaze, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of her lips. "The black lotus is an ugly plant."
My heart dropped, but then she added, "But if you mean chaos partner, sign me right up," she teased. And before I could respond, she kissed me, the softness of her lips grounding me in the moment.
Like Victor said, I had found a home—with her. And that's all that really mattered in the end.
"Alright, that's my cue to leave," Victor said, turning toward a glowing portal.
"Wait..." I called after him. "What else do humans have that I don't?"
"Children?" he said, shrugging. "Maybe a last name?" And just like that, he vanished.
I turned back to Scarlette, her hand warm in mine, as we stepped into the garden. A strange garden, filled with trees that had pink leaves shaped like hearts and poison apple trees, their fruit glimmering ominously in the light.
"Victor said humans need a last name," I muttered.
"I am not choosing Dawnbringer, for the record," I said, my tone firm.
Scarlette burst out laughing. Then, after a moment, she paused, pointing to a spade lying on the ground.
"What about Spade?" she asked, a glimmer of a smile on her lips.
It was perfect. She was the Queen of Hearts and Ruin. I would be the King of Spades.
We would rule over this land, where Light Fairies, Dark Fairies, and Love Fairies live in unity—a United Fairy Kingdom. A place where origins no longer define destiny.
Having faced tyrannical leaders with lofty, dangerous ideals, we knew better than to follow the same path.
Is this what humans call a 'job'?