Pushing away the emerald-green hair from her face, Tyra narrowed her eyes as she examined the incoming invader. The humanoid creature was a titan of shadows and bones, a hundred meters tall, with clawed hands and a canine skull. Every step it took shook the earth, leaving behind deep impressions and shattering swathes of trees.

She knew they didn't have any chance against an abomination like this.

The fairy clutched her longsword, her tiny hands deadly white, before she took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs using her magic, "Leave, abomination! I will not let you destroy my home!"

Still far away, the creature howled and lashed out with one of its clawed hands in their direction. From the sharp black nails, a giant shadow blade spread out, the air screeching at its passage.

Tyra gripped one of the many dark-green spikes on her companion's head and swung her white longsword, sending a wave of rainbow energy to meet the deadly attack. The magics met in between, and a shockwave spread from the impact.

As it reached them, the dragon under the fairy flapped its leathery wings slightly faster to avoid being pushed away, stabilizing its body after a few seconds. Tyra observed the monster and winced when she saw it didn't even falter, already sending another ink-black blade flying their way.

She couldn't keep up with this pace, not for long.

"Yuno, I need your fire!" the fairy shouted in the howling wind, and the enormous reptile roared in response. Taking a deep breath, the dragon poured a pillar of bright toxic green flames in the titan's direction. As the fire burned everything in front of them, the dark ability flying their way was instantly consumed.

Tyra held her breath, hoping against hope the Dragon's Breath could damage the creature as well.

Abruptly, her instincts screamed at her, and without thinking, she waved her free hand, magic pouring out of her body like a river as she Tricked the danger. She felt her body being wrenched away from her position on the dragon head, reappearing a few hundred meters away.

Disoriented, she fell for a few meters before she flapped her shimmering wings. After stabilizing herself, the fairy snapped her sight to her last position. She was just in time to see her companion's body almost split in two, a flood of blood gushing out from the cut. Somehow, the shadowy creature was there, its hand wet with her companion's blood, and the monster was already turning to her.

"Yuno!" the fairy screamed as the dragon started to fall, lifeless.

Ignoring the tears coming out of her eyes, Tyra gritted her teeth and summoned her magic once more. From inside her tiny body, churning faster than ever, a veritable storm came out in response. Her abilities Tricked reality itself, and time was rewound.

Her heart beating faster than ever, the fairy scanned around. Seeing the creature coming for them in the distance, she realized she was back by a minute or so. Still scared, she touched the warm spikes, ignoring the blood pouring out of the corner of her mouth. Her body didn't matter. The young dragon was still alive.

She went back in time only by so much, but her magic was almost spent now, and she knew her body would not sustain another Trick like this.

She was their most powerful defense, but she couldn't slay a monster like this. There was only one thing she could do to save her loved ones from certain death.

With grief, she watched for a few seconds the gargantuan luscious Tree standing far away. The fairy smiled lightly in its direction before whispering in the wind, "I am sorry..."

With steel in her eyes, she turned toward the incoming monstrosity once again. The dragon roared, sensing her intention, but it was already too late. Her magic surged as she raised her hand toward the demon coming to destroy her home.

"Banish!"

"Tyra!"

The fairy jolted upward, her wide brown eyes scanning around and her hand reflexively going toward the stone dagger on her belt. Noticing she was inside her own cave, and she wasn't in any danger, the fairy relaxed a fraction. Still panting, she winced as pain greeted her within the waking world, a reminder that strange nightmares of death and loss were still better than reality.

"Lily?" She asked, sitting up on her stone bed and rubbing her sleepy eyes. She doubted someone else would come inside her home like this, and she would beat them senseless if they did.

"Ah! Yes." The red-haired fairy said, waving her hands around as she always did when she was flustered, "Sorry...I woke up. You were screaming and shaking...Nightmare?"

Tyra flinched, the yearning in the smaller fairy's last word stabbing her heart. Ignoring the pain demanding her attention, she pushed herself up and reached to take her friend's hand in her own, squeezing them a bit, "Lily. We talked about this. It's a myth, okay? Your dungeon core is still out there, waiting for you. Don't listen to those idiots. Nightmares are nightmares; they don't mean anything. Alright?"

After watching her for a few seconds, her friends' eyes went down on her feet, "Alright..."

Tyra swore inside her head. She hated not being able to help the only person she truly cared about, and the fairy hated herself even more when she kept going inside her head, 'I am sorry, Lily. Our dungeons are probably already dead, nightmares or not. And even if they aren't, what does that matter to us?'

She bit her cheek, her heart twisting at the thought of her own core shattered into thousand pieces.

"I am starving. Wanna eat something?" She joked to dispel the frightening image.

Lily choked, and Tyra smirked at her friend's reaction. Her expression softening, she kept going, "Seriously, though. I need some mana. I am almost out."

The red-hair eyes narrowed, the jealousy fading away, replaced by anxiety, "The amount you absorbed last week should have lasted you a few months! You really have to-" Her friend paused, seeing no remorse whatsoever in her expression, and recalling who she was speaking with.

Tyra smiled sadly. It wasn't like she could do anything about it even if she wanted to.

A dungeon fairy's nature was essentially set at birth, formed to balance the personality of their connected core. And while most fairies were happy-go-lucky and nonviolent since dungeon cores were usually aggressive and competitive, she was the opposite of patience. She was too driven, and often trained herself until she passed out, disregarding her own body. She had to always move ahead as fast as she could, no matter the consequences.

Sighing, the other fairy changed her approach, "Tyra, we have the same age, and you look decades older. The pain will only increase. At least...please, take care of yourself. I...need you."

Tyra rolled her eyes. The guilt trip might have worked the first few times, but the red-head played this card one too many times.

The green-haired fairy took her hands back, the warmth lingering on her palms, "Nice try. Do you want to come, or do I need to go alone?"

Lily sighed again, "Of course I am coming."

Both of them stepped outside the cramped hole she called home, glowing azure crystals on the ceiling illuminating the bare cavern.

Lily skipped ahead, and Tyra watched her friend's back, inspecting the two delicate wings that three years ago glowed with a healthy fiery red light. Now, nothing of their grace was left, only a scorched frame that barely resembled wings. The dungeon fairy knew her back was similar, and her wings were even in worse shape than her friend's.

While they strolled near the cavern walls, she observed their community in the distance. It was barely more than a series of stones kept together with dirt and grown ferns. A hundred or so dungeon fairies milled about with their eyes lost or simply rested with their eyes closed, doing nothing at all and just waiting for something to change. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands, fixing her eyes forward and ignoring the pathetic view.

While they left the village behind and walked inside one of the larger tunnels sneaking outside the main cavern, Tyra planned her next week, thinking about how she would use the mana she was about to absorb. She had to train her melee skills even more, and she hoped to gain enough to use a Trick at least once.

The duo reached their destination after an hour spent in silence, the temperature rising sharply as blue light blazed ahead. Taking the last turn within the tunnel, Tyra clenched her hands as the barrier of azure flames became visible.

Their Cage.

"Alright, I will wait for you here. Please...don't use it so quickly this time." Lily said.

Tyra distractedly waved a hand in her friend's direction, her eyes set on the fires. After a few seconds, she walked ahead, and the high temperature started to affect even her at this distance, the sweat on her face evaporating instantly. The fairy inspected her arms, and seeing the left in better condition, she directly shoved it inside the wall of fire without thinking about it a second time.

Liquid pain sneaked through her limb like a furious snake, reaching every part of her being. The fairy refused to scream, grinding her teeth and keeping her eyes on the oh-so-close blue flames. Her body did its best to convert the fire mana into something useful, while the destruction consumed her.

Excruciating minutes went by before the pain became too much, and Tyra took her scorched arm back, cradling it near her stomach. The acrid smell of burnt flesh hit her nose, but it was something every single one of them got used to after the long years.

Lily hurried near, stroking her shoulder. "Everything is okay. Everything is okay."

The dungeon fairy seethed at her own weakness. She knew she could have taken more if she just endured the pain for a few more seconds. Maybe she could even have gained enough to use her innate ability at least once.

Tyra watched the blue flames for a few seconds before Lily dragged her away, "Don't even think about it. Let's go."

The green-haired fairy sighed in surrender before asking, "You don't need to?"

Her best and only friend rolled her eyes, already stepping away from the barrier. "Tyra, you are the only one to recharge so often. I can live for a few months without coming here."

She nodded distractedly, inspecting her still tender arm. Even if it was already healing, this one was going to leave another nasty scar.

Half an hour went by as they walked in silence, the soft blue light of the various crystals illuminating the way.

Tyra was lost in her own thoughts when Lily spoke up, "Elm went ahead."

The green-haired fairy missed her step and almost fell, finding her balance at the last moment. She stopped in place, and her friend did the same slightly ahead. "I am so sorry. I-"

"It's okay." The red-head interrupted her, turning around with her eyes fixed on her, "Really. It's okay. He was tired. Really really tired. He was fifteen years old, and the dreams left him a decade ago."

Tyra couldn't find the strength to speak, to stop her friend from talking aloud. Her palms were sweating, and she couldn't move away her sight. Even the pain was completely forgotten.

"You know, I think about it, sometimes." Her best friend kept going, the soft azure light illuminating her delicate face, "How it would feel to just sleep forever. Never feel the constant pain, dreaming of flying again..." The fairy's red eyes were glassy, and her voice distant.

Tyra felt the tears running down her face and bit her lips so hard she drew blood. "Lily..."

Her friend's body shook once before her eyes darted away from hers. She started to wave her hands around, as she always did when she was flustered, "What I am saying! I am still so young! Let's go! Let's go! The last one to arrive is a snail!" she said, running away in a rush.

Tyra watched her friend's back as she darted ahead, her heart splitting apart.

"Lily..."

The dungeon fairy took a few minutes to breathe in and out before she began to walk toward the community, the silence within the tunnel almost overwhelming her. She knew her friend needed some time alone after that, and nothing she could say or do would change anything anyway.

After an hour, she scowled when she heard voices, and sprinted ahead as fast as she could, cursing once again her useless wings. As she reached the main cavern, knife drawn, she noticed a group of three talking with Lily a meter away.

Her friend turned around, and the usual warm smile was on her lips. To her, it felt so fake it took everything she had to not scowl further. "Ah, here you are. I won! You are a snail now."

Tyra kept her eyes on the group, and one of the other fairies waved at her, "Tyra. The Elders want to see you."

The green-haired fairy furrowed her eyebrows, unsure. She didn't do anything recently, and the Elders never called someone for a chat.

She shifted her brown eyes on her friend, but Lily simply shrugged. Tyra sighed. "Alright."

The male fairy nodded in thanks for not creating trouble, and the group went away after delivering the message and saying goodbye to Lily.

After seeing the other off, her friend walked near and took her hand in hers. "Let's go."

Tyra let herself be dragged and almost started to speak a few times before biting her lips and staying silent.

The duo reached the community in a few minutes and walked inside a big structure of chipped stones and giant blue ferns.

No one stopped them, or even asked what they were there for. Dungeon fairies didn't have a sense of society or law as other species did, and the Elders were just very old fairies who occasionally helped the younger ones. Anyone could request for the position if they reached the required age, but very few dungeon fairies did.

Lily pushed a few blue ferns away, and they quickly reached the place when the Elders usually lived.

"Elders, Lily and Tyra as you requested." The red-eyed fairy announced.

"Come in."

The duo moved the last fern leaf aside and stepped in.

The small room was carved into the stone after generations of dungeon fairies went by, with crystal fragments providing soft blue light. It was bare, with stones as chairs and ferns as beds. There wasn't anything else inside their Cage.

Tyra observed the three seated Elder fairies, wincing at their condition. Their bodies were as bad as a fairy's body could become, and the pain they must felt every waking moment made her shiver. Every fairy would reach their condition sooner or later since they couldn't die inside their prison. Nothing worked, not age, nor injuries, nor overworking their magics until nothing was left. The broken connection to their core kept them alive without the evidence of the other half's destruction.

They couldn't escape either, as the wall of flames would push their body back inside after a while, and the few who tried were never the same after the experience.

Not that just waiting for something to change was better. Every few months, or even less when they used mana to do anything other than survive, fairies were forced to absorb the azure fires to keep themselves awake. Every time they did, the destruction within the flames would damage their bodies a little more; until there wasn't anything else to destroy and only a broken form was left. As it happened with the three in front of her.

It was that, or not absorbing mana at all, slowly fading away and becoming ghosts without a body, one of the sleepers. As Lily was already thinking about doing at the age of three and a few months.

Tyra kept her eyes on the three oldest fairies still awake within the community. This was her future. And it would come all the sooner if she kept going on like this, if she kept forcing herself as she was doing.

She clenched her stone knife to draw strength from it.

It didn't matter.

She would keep going forward until she was strong enough to find a way out. Strong enough to annihilate whoever forced all dungeon fairies to materialize inside their damned Cage instead of their intended core's side. Strong enough to save who she loved.

The Elders couldn't see anymore and kept their eyes always closed. Yet, Tyra knew they were studying her.

"Why did you call me?" She asked, annoyed by the prolonged silence.

The youngest one, a two hundred year old male fairy with grey hairs, was the first to speak, his voice hoarse for a dungeon fairy. "Years ago, the Cage howled in fury, and the sleepers saw something."

Without a word, the oldest one took out a white crystal and slowly gestured to her. Confused, Tyra walked near the fairy and reached for it.

Pure neutral mana flowed inside the tiny object, an ocean to the drop she had inside her own body at the moment. "W-What? How?" She asked, stammering a few steps back but making sure to not drop the crystal.

"A bet." The older one said as if that explained anything.

Tyra shifted her eyes to the youngest Elder, asking for more.

"We will Trick you outside of the Cage. The mana inside should be barely enough."

"What?" She asked again, completely overwhelmed.

He sighed, and he looked even older after doing so. "The Cage raged 3 years, 6 months, and 2 days ago." Tyra and Lily trembled, but the Elder ignored their reaction, "Through the Fires, the sleepers saw an emerald Tree burn. That day, a core was born as an act of defiance. It wasn't destroyed by the Fires."

Tyra started to shiver, "My birth. My core?" she asked, her voice glass.

The Elder lowered his head slightly as he spoke, "The sleepers kept a link, but it disappeared a month ago. We don't know."

Tyra felt bile reach up to her throat and tears coming out of her eyes as she heard the words, and the room started to sway around her. Lily hissed with venom behind her, "Bastards! She will die!"

The three Elders stayed silent, their heads low.

Her friend walked near and gripped her shoulder, "No! Even if your core is destroyed, you are alive here! If you go out, you will die immediately. You know this! Feel it! The dread of thinking your core is no more! Listen to me, Tyra! Don't!"

The green-haired fairy swallowed the acid and bit her cheek. Ignoring her frantic friend, she focused her eyes on the older fairy and spoke, "Why then? Why not one of the others? If my core truly is..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

Raising her head, the barely looking fairy sighed heavily, "Every cycle, the Cage grows stronger. We hesitated before, and we cannot anymore. It was the first and only sign from the outside. We don't know what happened to it; it could be destroyed or not. We can still use the broken link to send someone out. However, it's your connection, if not you...the mana needed would be much more than we have."

Tyra gripped the stone knife on her fern belt, "Can I refuse?"

Lily sighed in relief, but the old fairy, with her closed eyes, followed her hand to her knife. After a few seconds, she spoke heavily, "Yes."

The fairy bit her lips, shifting her eyes between her only friend and her own blade. Her way to remind herself to always move forward. To never surrender. To never give in to the pain. To always chase the strength necessary to achieve her goals.

This was her chance to grow strong enough, to join her core and fight with it.

Her likely death for a possibility.

In the end, she gently pushed her only friend off and walked ahead, giving the white crystal to the Elder, "I will go." She said, her heart twisting as she heard Lily choke and start to sob behind her.

The old fairy watched her for a few seconds before nodding again, a pained expression on her features. "I am sorry."

Without losing any time, the other two fairies moved their hand toward the white crystal, mana flowing inside their bodies. As fairy's magic roared around them, the central and oldest one gripped her wrist with surprising strength, the recent burn sending a spike of pure pain, "If you somehow find a way. Destroy it. No matter the consequences. Our future is on your shoulders."

Tyra's eyes widened when she understood what the fairy was asking of her. She turned around and tried her best to memorize Lily's features. The burn scars on her friend's body, the frantic and lost eyes, the tears.

Tyra said something before she was Tricked away, but the magic roaring inside the small room swallowed her voice.

With a puff, the emerald green-haired fairy was whisked away.

She groggily woke up, the hot pain sneaking throughout her body welcoming her. She pushed herself up with her aching arms, taking a seat on the strange ground, "I am still alive? Where...?"

Confused by the buzzing sound, she watched upward.

She was surrounded by large dark blue flying creatures, with ragged mandibles, evil-looking eyes, and sharp stingers as long as half her body. Without any warning, some of them moved to attack.

Tyra summoned her magic, and the energy within her stirred before sputtering out, her body giving up. The fairy lost consciousness immediately after.