Having just experienced a tidbit of what the Throng of Haze adaptation has to offer, I hold up my hazy hand. ‘Earl… I was under the impression I would make the copepods when needed… not be their proprietor. Also, I thought they would be much smaller; otherwise, what is the point of merging them.’

I search my body, checking for any sign of the copepods, but they seem to have disappeared.

‘I do believe I may have made myself even more of a monster… Good lord, what am I going to be like if things such as this continue.’ Remembering that there were some changes to my blue wall last time I selected an adaptation, I drop my hand and collapse onto my back. Not because of any suspected changes, but my mind is merely tired. ‘Aye… Prithee, my Chronicles, Cosmic System.’

Strength

12

Cattail Armament Physical Power

24

Orenda

22

General Body Strength

5

Sturdiness

5

Cattail Armament Magical Power

0

Fortitude

16

Membrane Defense

2

Perception *

18

-

Acuity *

9

-

Agility

16

Sable

81.31%

Endurance

20

Vermillion

14.26%

Mend Rate

21 (-100%)

Heliotrope

2.85%

Mana Regen

13

Hoary

1.58%

My Chronicles summoned, I stare at my quantities of sable, vermillion, heliotrope, and hoary. The light of the morning sun lights up my body, unimpeded by the blue wall’s presence. ‘Vermillion is the one that rose this time. Hmm.’ I turn my head toward the divided goose carcass that I have been using to practice my humours. ‘I can try each on separate pieces of the goose carcass to see if there is an effect. Now, how do I summon them?’

As the sun climbs higher into the sky, I sit unmoving, attempting to figure out how to bring the copepods back. Yet, I am incapable of determining how to summon the little creatures. That is until I sit up from lying down and reach my hand through the membrane and into my belly. I tap the side of the kiln, hoping to rouse it in some way. I feel a small tingling on the kiln’s shell with each tap.

The tiny flame within dances as I focus on the tingle, imagining how I wish for some copepods to appear. It works as various colored haze exits the kiln and gathers together. On the kiln's shell, copepods the size of a small coin sit tapping their feet. My mind shivers at the stimulus of their tiny feet tickling it.

I look away to prepare myself before returning my gaze back to them. Studying them, I find four variants of the roach-like copepods. Each is around an inch across, and they sit one next to another around the kiln. There are more black or sable copepods than all the others. Hoary and heliotrope are by far the smallest quantity with only a single copepod each.

‘So they do follow the percentages in some way.’

Yet now, they sit unmoving as if waiting for an order. Thus, I attempt to order one of the black ones onto a piece of goose flesh. It twitches, lifts its tiny bug-like legs, and marches forward as if the haze is merely a surface for it to walk upon. Once it departs the shell, a new black copepod appears, taking its place.

It moves upward and into my shoulder before moving into my arm. Having such short, awkward legs, it scuttles at a slow pace, making it take over a minute before it arrives at my hand. Upon arriving at the edge of the haze, it ceases all movement. Though I try to tell it to jump, it seems reluctant to do so. Seeing this, I stand, walk to the goose, and hold my arm around a foot away.

‘Leap to this meat here, hideous little creature!’

It climbs from my arm onto my palm and leaps from the haze toward the piece of flesh. It vanishes upon contact, but soon the meat takes on an appearance as if it is diseased. Little red bumps appear, lining the meat’s surface—each bump various in size, all with a white cap upon their peak.

My nonexistent eyebrow rises as I look away in disgust. ‘I did not know it was possible to give something already dead a disease… Let’s try the other’s.’

I move onto the next colors. To save time, I reach into my belly and order a vermillion copepod to fall onto my palm. It does so, and I hold it toward another piece of meat I have cut from the goose. When it leaps to the flesh, nothing happens.

Tilting my head, I muse for a moment. ‘Perhaps it does not have an effect or simply does not work on meat?’

Next is heliotrope. Allowing one of the heliotrope copepods to jump onto my palm, I hold it toward a new piece of meat. Once more, nothing happens. ‘I am starting to question my choice in adaptation…’ My gaze turns toward the kiln, but unlike the sable and vermillion, a new heliotrope copepod does not appear.

Last is the milky gray hoary copepods. I only have one of these, and I am reasonably certain that is all I may currently produce. The little milky copepod jumps onto my palm, and I hold it toward its own slice of meat. Leaping unto the meat, it turns from a reddish pink to a dry gray in the blink of an eye. It looks as if someone has left a piece of flesh in the sun for weeks by the time the process is complete.

‘That was rather dramatic.’ Poking at the meat, I turn it onto its side to see the process was thorough. ‘What might happen if I mix hoary and sable? Would it be even more potent? Hmm, but that one hoary copepod was the only one I possessed. Do I even need something more potent…? Perhaps not, and I have plenty of sable.’

Crossing my arms, I stare at the pieces of flesh.

‘Still, the range seems short. I cannot understand why I must be so close?’ Another black copepod moves to my palm. I hold it toward an area of grass and tell it to jump. It refuses. Nevertheless, I continue to command it and goad it with all my might. It shivers as if unsure but leaps nonetheless. At first, it drifts downward like the others, yet not long after reaching the ground, it dissipates and is swept away in the wind. ‘Ah. It is because they are not able to hold themselves together long after separating from my own haze. Mayhaps, if it were bigger. Could I merge them as the adaptation said?’

I try to command a sable copepod to suck in haze or grow bigger, and it actually does until it is around the size of a small mouse. Ordering the copepod to my palm, I move around ten-feet from a fresh bit of meat. I command it to run toward the meat. It leaps from my hand, drifts to the ground, and scurries through the grass—being made of haze, it does not disturb even a single blade. Arriving at the flesh like before, it vanishes, causing the meat to become a yellowish-green tint.

‘I cannot believe that succeeded.’ Checking my status, I find that my Erysichthon seems to be increasing each time I use the copepods. ‘I shall have to investigate this more when I have the time and Erysichthon to spare.’

Just as I am about to continue testing, a childish boy’s voice yells, “I found her! I found the fairy!”

“Are you sure?” a young girl’s voice asks, “Something smells kinda bad over here.”

‘Children? Fairy? Where have I heard that before?’ I am struck by realizations. ‘That boy who was with the Bishop, he was the one who called me that! It must be him and his sister!’

The bushes tremble as someone enters the thicket—my gaze darts from left to right before fixing itself upon the bloody and massacred goose. The cattail’s tendrils grip and pull in the pieces of disgusting meat as I move to flee. ‘I shall hide at the edge of the thicket!’

The pleasant taste of the goose does nothing to stop me from fleeing. When Earl’s purple wall appears, I dismiss it to remove it from my view.

“Fairy! Don’t run; I’m not going to hurt you! Promise!” the boy shouts.

The girl groans. “Vincent, answer me, are you sure there is a fairy here? Didn’t Teacher tell us that there might be fairies later, but we’ll have to wait?”

“Mhm! I felt her Mana and then used my tome to touch her Essence. That's why I know it was a fairy!”

“You did!” the young voice gasps, stuttering, “W-what did her Essence feel like? Was it amazing!?”

“It was soft and gentle! At the same time, prickly and scary. I’ve never felt Essence like that. Only a powerful fairy could have such a kind and terrifying Essence!”

‘Soft and gentle? Prickly and scary?’ I shake my head and shrug my shoulder. ‘How is it possible to be so flattered, offended, and confused all at the same time? Regardless, this child certainly has the wrong impression of me!’

I run as far as I can, but when I reach the edge of the thicket, I stop. With the sun still out and people walking about, I cannot leave without exposing myself.

“Dummy! That doesn’t mean it’s a fairy.”

“I’ll show you who is dumb!” the boy shouts, storming forward.

Without anywhere to flee, my choices are to either run into the busy park or simply meet the two children. ‘These children were with that wicked man. Still, I… I refuse to attack or fight children. I would like to believe I have not fallen so low as to do something like that.’

It does not take me long to deem, drawing numerous adults’ attention is worse than two children despite who they are associated with. Although, given the things I have experienced thus far, I still prepare myself to be proven incorrect.

’Aye, so I suppose, I have already pretended to be a spirit, so why not a fairy as well? Nay! The Queen of Fairies!’

I resolve to move into an opening in the center of the thicket to meet the children.

Standing there, I realize there is a problem. ‘I just remembered... I cannot speak to them without the Telepathy thing. This may not go well.’

Two children burst from the bushes with curious gazes and big grins. They are not wearing the black gowns like when we first met but are now wearing attire much closer to what I have observed the children of this era wearing previously. Both wear oversized puffy jackets and trousers; the only thing that stands out is they both clutch large tomes, hugging them close to their bodies.

The tomes themselves show complicated patterns. The boy’s tome has a light blue cover, while the girl’s tome is dark blue. However, each of them has what looks to be a curled up serpent etched into the front with writing and diagrams surrounding them that I have nary a chance to understand. The serpents are nearly identical, with jaws opened wide exposing big fangs; the only difference I can find is the snake’s face away from each other. Meaning if one tome’s spine was placed against the fore-edge of the other, the two serpents would be facing the opposite direction.

For a moment, it is utterly silent as they notice and gawk at my figure with big blue eyes. Just as I am about to cover my exposed shoulders to hide my risqué figure, they both gulp.

“Lorelai, she’s just as scary as I imagined her.” the boy, Vincent, says with teary eyes, “Just look at her eyes. It’s just like teacher said a real fairy might be like!”

Meanwhile, the girl, Lorelai, stares at the area around my collar. “Her necklace is so long it wraps around her. She must be a strong fairy!”

‘These children are rather unique.’

Vincent runs forward. “Fairy! I have been looking everywhere for you!”

Seeing Vincent running straight toward my hazy figure, I hold my hand up, unwind the cattail, and toss a nearby branch. The branch lands just shy of the boy, who is now only a few feet away.

“Wow!” he shouts, staring at the stick. He pulls his big tome closer.

“Stupid, brother!” She rushes to the boy’s side, staring at him with furrowed brows. “You can’t just charge toward a fairy like that. That’s so dangerous!’

‘So now she’s decided I am a fairy. What about me makes them think I am a fairy?’

He tilts his head. “Huh? Then what am I supposed to do?”

“The Bishop said that if we ever found something like this, we can either try to talk to it or enslave it if we can.”

‘Enslave it? What does that mean!? These children are dangerous!’

“B-but, we aren’t old enough to enslave something.”

“Oh. That’s… that’s right.”

The two sigh and turn their heads toward the ground, but their eyes turn upward. Presenting eyes similar to that of a small animal, they stare at me with shivering upturned eyes as if begging me to comfort them.

‘Crafty, Sly! Doth thou truly expect me to offer sympathy because thou cannot enslave me!?’

“Fairy, can we talk to you?” Vincent says, his big eyes fixed firmly upon me, “We have a question.”

Lorelai nods her head slowly. “Yes, we have a question!”

Unable to respond, I simply stand there waiting for them to continue.

Together they both stare at me with big childish grins. ““Can we enslave you for our birthday?””

I shake my head and wave my hands to deny their outrageous request. ‘Nay! Nay! Nay!’

“W-what? We can’t?” Vincent stutters as if he is about to cry.

Lorelai gazes at me with watery eyes. “Then, you won’t help us?”

‘I do not recall anyone asking for help! Just talk of enslavement; furthermore, I am not in a position to assist anyone!’

They both stare at me expectantly while I simply stand there. Seeing that they intend to gawk at me until I respond, I point at my mouthless face and pray they understand what that means.

“Sister! The fairy doesn’t have a mouth.” She tilts her head and holds her hand toward me. “How are we supposed to talk to her?”

“How am I supposed to know, dummy? Let’s just tell her what we want. Maybe it'll grant our wish.”

‘If thy wish is to enslave me, denied!’

Vicent nods in agreement with his sister turning toward me. “We want to be strong!” Vincent says with a sunny smile, “We want to be strong for the end of the world!”

“Yeah! For humanity’s apocalypse!” Lorelai lets out a little giggle. “That way, we can protect our friends.”

‘This is somehow both disturbing and sweet.’

I hear the sound of someone yelling into the thicket, “Pipsqueaks! What are you two doing in there!? We gotta get going!”

“Yes, Mr. Lorcan, we’re coming!” Lorelai shouts back, turning toward me, “Please grant our wish fairy!”

‘Lorcan? The red-haired man; he is here too!’

When Lorelai grabs her brother’s hand and drags him into the shrubbery, my hand falls onto my chest in relief.

Vincent resists but forces a wave, yelling, “Bye fairy! Please grant our wish!”

As quickly and wildly as they came, they disappear, shaking the brush all the way.

‘Did that truly happen, or did I hallucinate it? By “end of the world” and “apocalypse,” did they mean the end of the Beta?... I am sorry, children, but I am not certain I will even make it to see the end of the Beta.’ Crossing my arms, I shake my head. ‘Still, all that enslavement talk was not fun for me!’

With my hiding spot exposed, my shoulders slump as I engulf the sharp rocks I have been using on the goose's carcass.

‘How did they find me anyway? It is as if they knew exactly where I was…? Something about Mana and my Essence?’

Moving to the edge of the thicket, my gaze turns left to right. I spot another thicket I may hide in farther away. After waiting for the best opportunity, I dart across a sparse sliver of vegetation and into some hedges. With the children gone and a fresh location, I spend the rest of the day and night attempting to progress my Interim skills.