While the herbology exam was thrown into chaos, Ryu was completely oblivious. Since he was unaware of how things normally worked, he assumed that this was what normally occurred. Still, even he felt it was a bit odd when he was suddenly teleported once more. It wasn't the teleportation itself that confused him, it was rather the fact that his Spiritual Sense ceased to function all together.
The energy fluctuations around him were so fierce that he couldn't even push his Spiritual Sense even a single centimeter from his body. However, what he heard was even more odd.
There was the faint sound of rushing water and rustling leaves, but it was the giggling and laughter that truly caught Ryu off guard. It sounded like little girls were running around having fun, he could almost feel the adorable atmosphere even with his eyes closed.
In the end, Ryu opened his eyes. He had no choice. What did the secrets of his Heavenly Pupils mean if he died here trying to hide it? If his Spiritual Sense was useless, it would be too easy for him to fall into danger. Even if this place sounded safe and cheery, Ryu knew better than to simply trust that instinct.
'Faeries…?' Ryu's pupils constricted as he took in the environment around him. It was exactly as he imagined. No, it was even more beautiful than he imagined. Lush trees, rushing and intertwining rivers, green grass and a heavenly, intoxicating fragrance that filled one with a rush of calm.
Small women, at most six inches tall and some as small as three inches floated around, tugging on Ryu's black robes as though begging him to come and play.
Ryu was shocked. Even with his wealth of experience, this wasn't something he could have ever predicted he would see in his lifetime. Faeries were from the Spirit Race and as such didn't normally appear in this Realm. Logically speaking, it didn't make sense that they were here.
Ryu did know a small bit about the Spirit Race. After all, his Death Guard, Nuri, was half a member of this race. This was the reason why her beauty was so intoxicating, and was also why she could hide in the void for such extended periods of time.
'Nuri…' Ryu felt a slight swelling of emotion he immediately tempered down. As a child, he remembered promising Nuri that he would one day grow big enough to protect her. She was his Big Sister, one he loved dearly. But he pathetically ended up being the one protected by her all his life. '… If you're alive… I won't fail this time Nuri.'
{He smells really, really good for a human!}
{You're right, he smells like nature! Usually humans are really smelly.}
Ryu took a step forward, heading toward the voice that seemed to be calling out to him. He directly ignored the fluttering faeries. It didn't take long, maybe because this space was so small, for him to reach a clear center. What he found was yet another surprise.
It was a coffin, carved with beautiful crystalline gems. But, the lid was cracked open, causing the beautiful coffin to be completely overshadowed by the gorgeous beauty that now sat atop of it.
Her eyes sparkled like red rubies, observing Ryu with a teasing expression. However, her hair was like a cascading waterfall of gold, falling far longer than the length of her body. Still, even if one wanted to pay attention to such things, the fact that she was naked made it nigh impossible for even a woman, let alone a man to do so.
Skin as blemishless and pure as the year's first snowfall, curves as perfectly proportioned as the most golden of ratios, and a seductive air only possibly refined after countless years. Her legs were long, crossed over as to hide her most treasured of places. But, her chest was in full view. Delicate slopes of flesh as soft as the clouds in the blue sky. Her breasts almost seemed too large to fit on her body.
Ryu could tell that this woman was also a Faerie by her aura, but her size was far more pronounced than the others. In fact, she stood at an exceptionally tall height for a woman. Had Ryu not grown in large thanks to his Fire Dragon blood, he would definitely be shorter than her who stood at almost six foot two.
"Are you the one who called me here?" Ryu asked.
The faerie who sat atop the coffin pouted adorably. Seeing such a beauty make such an expression, Ryu would be lying if he said he wasn't shaken. Of all the beauties he had seen in his life, only Eska could match this woman before him. However, he wasn't the kind of man to allow himself to be swayed so easily.
"You really don't know how to please a woman." The faerie said playfully. Her voice almost made one want to fall asleep. It was too soothing. "But, I guess that's only to be expected. It seems your soul is tied to another. Your wife must be a very lucky woman."
Ryu's eyes narrowed. He didn't flinch when the Zu Ancestors saw through all his secrets, but he did now. There was a very simple reason for this. When Ryu sends his mind into the crystalline jade, he's inherently exposing himself. It's almost like opening up your everything. This was why the Zu Ancestors understood his talents and faults so easily. But, this situation was different. He was in the real world now… It shouldn't be possible to see through him so easily.
"There's no need to be so anxious. The reason I can see through you so easily is because our wavelengths match. You were born to be with me as I was born to be with you."
"Wavelengths?"
"Mm." The faerie nodded. "Just like I can see all of you, you can see all of me if you just concentrate a little bit. Right?"
Ryu immediately realized that she was correct. "Ailsa."
The faerie began to clap happily, causing her fleshly mounds to bounce. "That's my name!"
Ryu was inwardly shocked. He really could see through Ailsa completely, even seeing her current thoughts wasn't impossible.
"Us faeries are destined to be tied to another from our birth. Some of us are born to protect a particular Spiritual Herb, others are tied to High Order beasts, but it's very rare for a human to share a wavelength with a faerie. Humans are quite an elite race, relatively speaking, but your people are too invested in controlling nature to connect with it, so it's very rare for us to even come to this Realm ruled by you all."
Ryu sighed, why was it that this kind of woman always seemed to attach themselves to him? He was a cold, stoic man. So why were his wife and now his destined faerie such polar opposites of him?
Ailsa giggled. "You forget that you were once like this too. Hardship changed you too much."
Ryu didn't refute. "I only want to know one thing: Will you make me stronger?"
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