In ancient times, people were pagans, believing in and worshipping various gods. In Ancient Greece, there was Zeus, the thunderer, surrounded by his numerous retinue; in Egypt, the almighty Ra; and in the Slavic lands — Perun, the lord of thunder and lightning. People believe in gods, but no one suspects that the true creators of Earth were four fairies, mistresses of the great elements: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. For millions of years, these magical beings have wandered through the universe, searching for galaxies to fill with life.
One day, fate brought them to the Milky Way Galaxy. The fairies moved from planet to planet, looking for the one that could become the cradle of humankind. One star system caught their attention.
"This place isn't bad," said Lanita, the mistress of Nature.
"Shall we stay?" asked Votarina, the fairy of Water, looking at her sisters.
The fairy of fire, Ognidia, only nodded in agreement.
"The third planet from the star will do. I can create air there," concluded Aria, the fairy of Air.
Aria enchanted the atmosphere, while Ognidia covered the chosen planet — which they decided to call Earth — in lava and magma. The sisters gathered in a palace built among the clouds and decided to rest. Every year they transformed the planet, and over millions of years it became a beautiful blue oasis in the black depths of the boundless cosmos. The fairies were happy with the world they had created. And they had every reason to be: majestic mountains gave way to sunlit valleys and dense forests; noisy mountain streams and waterfalls gently flowed into lakes, seas, and oceans.
"It's perfect," Aria said, walking to the palace window.
She was skilled in her element and tried to connect everything to the Air. She usually wore light, almost weightless dresses sewn from cloudy feathers. Her snow-white hair fluttered in the wind. She was always the kindest of the sisters. Votarina approached, playing with drops of water. This fairy also valued her element deeply. Her long gown, reaching the floor, was entirely made of water. The tips of her white hair were dyed blue, and a diadem adorned with droplets sparkled on her head.
"Nothing can be perfect," she said instructively. "Not even us. And certainly not this planet."
"I agree with Votarina," Ognidia bowed her head. "This planet lacks Fire."
This fairy was incredibly devoted to her magic. She wore medium-length dresses of flame. Her long fiery-red hair would flare up whenever she got angry.
The fourth sister wore a dress made of leaves from various trees, and her dark-oak-colored hair was decorated with roses, tulips, and other flowers.
"Let's not quarrel, girls," Lanita tried to calm her sisters.
The fairies turned to her. The mistress of Nature held a tiny tiger cub in her arms. The striped baby snoozed peacefully, eyes closed. Aria approached her sister and gently stroked the kitten.
"He's so cute," she said. "Where's your home, little one?"
"I found him near the Great Waterfalls," Lanita replied. "He needs to be returned to his mother. Aria, will you come with me?"
Aria nodded, and the two girls descended to Earth. The palace built by the fairies looked simple at first glance, but it harmoniously combined all four elements: columns, statues, and fountains made of ice, small fire serpents flickering here and there, vines wrapped around the walls and ceiling, and floating clouds added softness and grace to the halls. The fairies' walk took about an hour. When they returned, Votarina and Ognidia were deep in discussion.
"We've been thinking, and we've decided we should leave this planet and move on," said the water ruler. "Let's create new, beautiful worlds."
"Without a guardian, this planet could perish!" exclaimed Lanita. "Besides, people have begun to appear here!"
"We've already thought of that," replied Ognidia. "I invited a girl here who recently graduated from the Fairy Academy and wants to become a guardian."
A tall, athletic young woman with lavender hair entered the council hall. She wore a golden dress and shoes.
"My name is Alaya," she introduced herself. "I wish to become the guardian. It's a great honor to see you."
Her face radiated determination, and the elemental fairies agreed to leave her in charge of Earth — under one condition: they would return from time to time to check on the planet.
"Very well," said Ognidia, eyeing Alla from head to toe. "You must first pass our trial. What is your power?"
"My power is starlight — but only within the atmosphere."
"There is no fairy in the universe who can cast spells outside an atmosphere, and there won't be for a long time," Votarina remarked. "Exept Aria, of course"
The young fairy nodded and made a small sphere of light. Votarina bowed to Aria, and she stepped into the center of the hall. Aria vanished into a misty cloud, and the other fairies followed.
Ognidia set the floor ablaze, tightening a fiery ring. Votarina launched water splashes and icy spears at Alaya. Lanita grew vines to ensnare the apprentice. The fairies were trying to wear down and weaken the future guardian — and they succeeded. By the end of the battle, Alla stood utterly exhausted. Her fatigue filled the entire hall, yet in the last moment, she summoned her remaining strength and created a dome of light that deflected the experienced fairies' attacks. The water receded, fire went out, clouds dispersed, and the vines shriveled. Alaya stood tall, her golden eyes glowing with triumph.
"You have passed our trial and subdued the elements," Lanita declared. "From now on, you are the guardian of Earth. We'll inform you when we decide to visit."
Alaya nodded, and Aria summoned a wind dome around the fairies. The magical sisters soared into the sky and soon became a tiny black dot. The guardian was left alone.
Many years passed. Humanity evolved — exploring lands, founding nations with diverse societies, learning about the world. Alla performed her duties well… until the 21st century. She began to notice that Earth's climate was worsening: humans had built too many factories that pumped chemicals into the air, deforestation was driving animals to extinction and erasing rare plant species, and ozone holes appeared in the atmosphere.
That day, the guardian flew around the planet, hoping to find a way to restore even a trace of Earth's former glory. She returned to the Celestial Palace with pain in her heart: she had failed to preserve the planet in its original beauty. Could she restore it? She didn't know the answer.
Alaya entered the council hall, the same place she once came to as a young graduate. Had she matured? Certainly. She understood the weight of the responsibility placed on her. She had taken this planet upon herself — and failed.
"And what is this supposed to mean?" a voice came from behind.
She turned sharply, summoning a whip of light — but when she saw the fairies of four elements, she slumped back into her chair.
"I've failed," she said hoarsely. "You never should have given me this planet."
The fairies stared at her in surprise. Of all the things they expected, this wasn't one of them.
"What?!" Aria exclaimed. "You can't give up! We all make mistakes, but we must learn to find and fix them. We'll help you!"
"I wouldn't help her," muttered Ognidia, clearly displeased, as she had been the first to test Alaya.
"Girls, no fighting," Lanita interrupted firmly. "I agree with Aria. We need to help her."
"I agree too," said Votarina, "but I'd like to add something: this isn't just Alaya's fault. We haven't made sure she was ready. We didn't check on her. And Alaya — you're at fault for not reaching out to us or the Academy."
Everyone nodded in agreement and sat at the table to find a solution. Abandoning the planet and letting it fall apart was out of the question.
Lanita wanted to melt all the ice caps and trigger a global flood, but Ognidia and Votarina objected. After two hours of heated debate, they agreed that global warming would activate all four elements. Besides, it had already started — thanks to humans and their ozone holes.
The fairies got to work. Media outlets worldwide reported on the Great Catastrophe. An emergency UN meeting led to the closure of most factories, and those that remained were required to install filters and purifiers. The world's greatest scientists worked around the clock and invented a machine that could convert waste and trash into clean energy and electricity.
Ten years later, the planet had transformed. Animals returned to their homes, and lush forests rustled in river valleys once again.
"See how you must protect, preserve, and even save Earth?" Aria asked Alaya one sunny morning.
The girl nodded in reply. Over those ten years, she had learned much — and most importantly, she had become friends with humanity. Now, she could confidently say: she was the rightful Guardian of Earth.
The elemental fairies left her and journeyed on to create new worlds. Now, the fate of our planet lies in the hands of the Sun Fairy — Alaya.