Chapter 11 – The Encounter with the Dark Fairies
Cael walked alongside the Black Armored Knight, the silence between them as heavy as the darkness surrounding them. The Forest of the Forsaken was filled with tall, twisted trees with leaves that seemed to move even without a breeze. The atmosphere was thick, and the sounds of distant creatures echoed between the trunks.
The Knight, as always, didn't say a word, but Cael was already used to his quietude. He grumbled to himself, trying to break the silence.
"If you won't even speak to give a hint of where we're going, I'm going to end up in the wrong place," Cael grimaced. "But anyway, I don't expect much anymore."
The Black Armored Knight merely turned his head toward him, his gaze somber and indifferent. Cael huffed and kept walking.
But something was wrong. The air felt heavier all of a sudden, and a strange sensation washed over Cael. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Suddenly, the sound of soft, musical giggling cut through the silence. Fairies. Cael recognized the sound immediately, and the tension spiked.
"Look... is there anything you want to tell me? Because I'm sure you knew this was going to happen."
The Knight remained silent, making no movement.
That was when they appeared. Small but fast, with black wings and mocking faces. Their soft giggles turned into high-pitched cackles. Dark Fairies. They emerged from between the trees, their dark figures floating in the air, with red eyes gleaming with malice.
"Look at that, another lost human," the fairy closest to Cael spoke, her voice as smooth as poison. "Did you come here to play with death, or just looking for a good show?"
Cael drew his sword, the Abyssal Light, observing the fairies with suspicion.
"I'm not here to play with anything," he replied, keeping his blade at the ready. "I just want to pass through this forest in peace. It seems you aren't fans of that idea."
The fairies laughed again, louder this time. They began to flutter around Cael and the Black Armored Knight, their presence suffocating.
"Peace? What a funny word," the tallest fairy said, flying in front of Cael, her red eyes shining with a disturbing intensity. "Here, only pain reigns. Peace... is an illusion."
With a sudden gesture, she launched a burst of black energy toward Cael. He blocked it with his sword, but the force of the magic made the impact reverberate through his body. The Black Armored Knight, still in silence, moved rapidly, advancing to the side with sword in hand. He didn't hesitate, striking at one of the fairies with a quick, silent blade.
"Watch out!" Cael shouted, seeing the fairies scatter. He tried to focus, his breathing growing heavier as he prepared for combat. With his sword in hand and the "Hellfire" grimoire ready to be invoked, he looked at the Black Armored Knight, who was fighting one of the fairies without showing a shred of emotion.
Cael, for his part, activated "Hellfire," feeling the magic flow into his hands. He raised the sword's blade and, with a shout, unleashed a wave of fire toward the fairies.
The fairies laughed, easily dodging the flames with supernatural agility. They seemed to be enjoying the attacks.
"Fire? Is that all you have?" one of the fairies mocked, her laughter echoing through the forest. "You should know that, here, nothing shall burn!"
Cael shouted in frustration, starting to run toward a fairy that was about to attack the Knight. He knew his only chance was to defeat the leader, who seemed to be the most powerful.
With a swift movement, Cael leapt, striking the fairy with a decisive blow, the blade of the Abyssal Light slicing through the air. The impact made the fairy shriek, but she broke free quickly, her wings beating furiously.
"You won't get away so easily," the lead fairy said, her voice full of hatred. She reached out her hands and began to conjure dark magic, a black aura wrapping around her body.
But before she could launch her attack, the Black Armored Knight approached, leaping and delivering a precise, lethal blow. The lead fairy fell to the ground, her red eyes fading.
The other fairies hesitated, seeing their leader fallen. With a scream of rage, they pulled away, retreating into the shadows of the trees.
Cael breathed with difficulty, observing the Knight, who had stopped by his side, apparently unfazed by the tension of the combat.
"So, is that how you deal with fairies?" Cael asked, panting.
The Black Armored Knight didn't answer, but Cael felt, by his posture, that he was satisfied with the result.
Cael looked around, the echoes of the fairies' laughter still resonating in the depths of the forest.
"Let's move on. I don't know what else is going to come out of these trees, but... that wasn't fun," he commented, casting a glance at the Knight. "And you... you still don't speak, do you?"
The Black Armored Knight simply continued on his way, without uttering a word.
Cael sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky above them, and followed the Knight through the forest. The path was far from safe, but the journey continued.