****
At the Fairy Gates
"Who are you?"
"I'm Celea, and this is Deon," Celea said, pointing at herself and then at Deon.
"Why are you here?"
"We are here to speak with your Head."
"Go away. Our leader doesn't need uninvited guests."
"Is that so?" Celea said calmly. "I really thought the all-mighty Leader of the fairies was a respected figure among her people."
"SHE IS RESPECTED BY HER PEOPLE!"
"But you certainly don't respect her the way you claim you do."
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, YOU IGNORANT GIRL?!"
"Well, if you truly respected her, you would have asked for her opinion—whether she wants to see uninvited guests or not. Or did your leader appoint you to make decisions for her?"
The guard glared at Celea, clearly annoyed, but eventually turned and went inside the gates to inform the Head.
"Nice one, Celea," Deon whispered.
"The Head is waiting for you," the gatekeeper said upon returning.
"What a surprise," Celea said sarcastically.
Inside the Fairy Domain
The gatekeeper guided them toward the Fairy Head. On the way, Deon started acting strangely.
"Deon, what's wrong?" Celea asked.
"Mate… my mate is here."
Celea's eyes widened for a moment.
The gatekeeper opened the door—and that was when it happened.
Deon suddenly ran forward toward a girl inside the room. She ran toward him as well, and they collided in a tight embrace.
"LEADER?!"
"Leader?!" Celea echoed, stunned.
Celea and the gatekeeper stared at each other, mouths open, then back at the scene before them.
Ahem.
The beautiful fairy finally turned her attention to them.
"Oh my, please come inside."
Celea stepped forward when—
BOOM
"What was that?!" the gatekeeper shouted.
"Deon, stay here and protect the leader," Celea ordered.
Deon nodded, tightening his hold around his mate's waist.
"Gatekeeper, get the citizens to safety."
"Where are you going?" the gatekeeper asked.
"To a family reunion, of course," Celea said with a smile before walking outside, leaving them confused behind her—as usual.
Family Reunion
"Oh my, sister you're already here. If I'd known, I would've come sooner. I wanted to surprise you with fried fairies before you arrived," said a tall man with black hair and golden eyes.
"Oh my, what an honor—to have my dear long-lost brother want to surprise me," Celea replied, hand to her chest, wearing a fake emotional expression.
The devil chuckled.
"Would you like to play 'long-lost siblings'?"
"But brother, don't you think we're a little too old for games?"
"Oh, come on, sis. It's not like anyone would dare judge two reunited siblings for playing together."
"You know what? You're absolutely right. Who would dare stop us?"
Watching From Afar
Deon watched through the window with a strange expression as he listened to their conversation.
"What's wrong? What are they saying?" asked the fairy still in Deon's arms.
Sigh. "Those two are definitely siblings."
"How do you know?"
"They both speak with the same sarcasm—and they love dramatic entrances."
The siblings were now fighting each other.
"Wow, that's intense," the fairy murmured.
"I know, right?"
"Do you think we should help?"
Deon glanced once more at the fight.
"Nah. She's good. She almost looks like she's having fun."
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
After the Fight
"Wow, sis. You're better than I anticipated."
"I could say the same about you, brother."
They continued chatting casually while fighting as if they intended to kill each other.
"So, how about our dear father? Does he ever talk about me?"
"All the time."
"Wow, he must really love me. Maybe we should meet again sometime—under better circumstances, don't you think?"
"Absolutely."
The sky suddenly turned red.
"Looks like I failed my mission. I'll have to go back now, sis."
"I'm sure you did. I hope Father won't be too harsh on you, dear long-lost brother."
"I hope so too, dear long-lost sister."
And then he disappeared.
"How cool! How did he disappear like that?" someone asked.
Back Inside
"Did you enjoy the show, lovebirds?" Celea asked as she re-entered the room.
"I thought I had a weird family, but next to yours, mine looks normal," Deon said.
"Hey!" Celea protested.
"Thank you for saving us today, Miss Celea. The fairies are forever indebted to you."
"Leader of the fairies, I came here because there is a war coming—and it's coming very soon. You experienced it firsthand just minutes ago. I ask the fairies to join us."
"As much as we are indebted to you, we are peaceful creatures. We hate violence and never truly learned how to fight."
"I know. I'm not asking you to wield swords—only to heal our injured soldiers. Magical creatures have powerful healing abilities, but the devil knows how to slow them down. I'm asking you to be our medical support."
"If that's the case, then I would be more than happy to help."
The Meeting
"Great, you're all already here."
"Look, Gina," Deon whispered to his mate, "we're now part of her late main-character entrance."
Gina giggled.
"I assume that all of you being here means you all had uninvited guests ?"
"Yes, the witches were attacked," Zela said.
"As were the dragons," Dereus added.
"Celea, what do you mean by you also had uninvited visitors?" Claus asked sharply.
"Celea, you were attacked? Are you alright?" Dereus asked, worried.
"Calm down, everyone. It was just a calm family reunion," Celea assured them.
Deon and Gina exchanged a look that clearly said, Is that what she calls calm?
"Dear friends," Celea announced, "the war has officially begun."
****
"Celea, I'm coming in," Claus said before entering her room.
"Wow, I'm impressed. You didn't burst through the door this time," Celea said.
"Wait… something's off. You've been acting weird for some time now. Should I be worried?" she asked suspiciously.
Claus suddenly hugged her.
"Celea, I'm sorry." b
Before she could react, Claus marked her and everything went dizzy.
"You…"
"Why…?" she whispered, looking into his eyes, feeling completely betrayed, before passing out in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Celea," Claus whispered. "But I can't let you participate in this war. I have a feeling… you'll disappear once everything is over."