・～・・～・・～・～～～～
---
Ariel's curiosity surged as she caught sight of the wind-swept unicorn. She longed to touch it, but fear held her back. Instead, she offered a tentative, sweet smile.
Knox glanced down at her. "Is your decision still the same?"
Ariel nodded.
"Alright, then. Since you insist… have a nice day. Goodbye," he said, waving gently.
The unicorn soared into the sky, vanishing into the thin air like a living mirage.
"What an illusion," Ariel murmured as she stepped out of the valley. Unnoticed, each step she took sparked fleeting lights beneath her feet. She reached the place where it had all begun, and a flash of memory jolted her.
She remembered the day her mother had been paralyzed and hidden behind a tree. A massive, monstrous beast had charged at her mother. Ariel's chest tightened with fear and awe as she watched her mother fight relentlessly, one beast after another. Frozen in place, Ariel prayed silently, powerless behind her cover.
Her mother, Lily, moved with precision and skill Ariel had never known existed. She drew an old dagger, driving it into the beast's chest. One by one, three beasts fell, until only one remained.
The last beast, enraged at the sight of its fallen companions, swung its massive axe, striking Lily on the head. She collapsed.
"Nooo!" Ariel screamed, breaking free from the spell that had held her still. She ran, but the beast's heavy strike devoured her mother before she could reach her.
Suddenly, a force struck the beast's back. It paused mid-meal, turning toward Ariel—a brave girl wielding a simple piece of wood. Blood dripped from the corners of its mouth, its red eyes locking onto hers. Ariel froze.
Fear paralyzed her, but instinct kicked in. She tried to run—only to stumble, the beast leaping over her. Her heart raced as it charged again.
Ariel's scream tore through the forest:
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The sound echoed, scattering birds in panicked flight. The sheer power of her scream froze the beast in mid-air. Its red eyes turned white, and its form slowly melted into black liquid. Then Ariel collapsed, unconscious.
---
When she came to, reality struck her like a blade. Her mother lay lifeless on the ground.
"Mother…" Ariel whispered, tears streaming as she clutched her. "I—I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Her body trembled as she sobbed uncontrollably. "How… how could you leave me? Mother, please wake up!"
She shook Lily desperately, hoping against hope. Her ear pressed to her chest revealed the cruel truth: her heart had stopped.
"Oh my God," Ariel gasped, gasping for breath. "I hope this isn't real. Someone… wake me up!"
Her scream tore through the sky. The weather obeyed her grief: clouds roiled and joined, lightning struck violently, and rain pelted the land. A bolt of lightning hit near them, making her flinch.
She clutched her mother, shivering. Slowly, Lily's body began to vanish, turning into sparkling blue dust. Ariel's eyes widened as the dust floated into the sky.
"What… what is this?" she stammered, reaching out. When her trembling fingers touched the dust, it melted instantly.
A voice startled her: "She's disappearing."
Knox appeared behind her, raising his hand and muttering an incantation. The rain stopped.
Ariel dropped to her knees. "Please… can you save her?" she begged, her voice trembling into a cry.
Knox looked at her, silent. Finally, he bent down and lifted her gently. "Stand," he instructed.
Her eyes searched his, desperate for an answer. "Please… save my mother."
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I can't bring back the dead."
"Then why didn't you save her back then?" she demanded. "You have magic… just try! Please!"
He caught her before she could collapse. "My magic cannot resurrect the dead," he said plainly.
Ariel's heart sank. She let go of him, sobbing. "Why is she disappearing?"
"Because… she's not human," he replied.
Ariel's head shot up. "Not human? What do you mean?"
"She is a guardian," Knox said firmly. "Your mother was the Flower Fairy."
Ariel staggered back, confusion and shock warring on her face.
"She was my kin," Knox continued, gazing at Lily's vanishing form. "Her name was Lilac, fairy of flowers. She was to marry the king of our land, Ozusu, but she fell in love… no one knows if he was man or god. Before my kin could intervene, she was pregnant with you and fled to the human world, abandoning her duties and her old life."
Ariel's tears flowed freely. Knox's voice was steady, unwavering:
"She could have stayed with us, lived safely… but she chose you. She wanted to live like every other human. She loved flowers."
"You knew her… and you let her die?" Ariel whispered, voice breaking.
"I wasn't there in time," Knox admitted.
Ariel's mind raced. "Did my father leave her for another woman?"
"No one knows who your father was," he answered firmly.
Ariel's sobs wracked her body. "Then how… how do you expect me to believe any of this?"
--