"So your game plan was to strip me naked all along?" Kristine said, fuming at Saira as she pointed at the glaring hole in her shorts.

"What can I do? Marsh doesn't do any damage and instead only throws out blobs that are sticky and mildly acidic. Plus I was fighting for my life there- so you know, getting pierced by an arrow is by no means a pleasant experience." Saira then gestured to Hena, giving her a nod of thanks.

"I'm sure glad Hena was there to heal up my arm."

. . .

Nico conjured his green mote unto his hand, keeping it afloat as he tapped it once.

Name: Nicholas Atkins

Race: Human

Rank: Normal

Affinity: Green (Nature)

Strength: F

Mind: F+ (Locked)

Spirit: F+ (Locked)

Skills: Living Armor (F+) [Locked]

A wide smile beamed on his face, seeing the strength and spirit stat increase. He felt his body grow more agile and stronger, with his arms now showing some definition of bumps and muscles.

"What are you grinning at?" Kalista entered his room, carrying with her a pair of books and a tray of food.

"Nothing." Nico dematerialized the pixie screen and mote into thin air.

"Here are the books." Kalista threw and passed over two books to Nico. "Return them within ten days- or don't."

"Careful." Nico said, catching the books one after another with his hands. His gaze then fell on Kalista's wrists, seeing rope marks.

"You and Hena really need to tone it down a notch. Or two."

Kalista stared him daggers as she then turned to leave through the invisible barrier and out into the cold air of the night.

"Aight, Kalista is a no-no for those types of jokes."

As soon as Kalista went down the staircase Nico immediately set out to work, flipping and reading the books he had Kalista brought over- taking a bite of sandwich from the tray on his bed as he turned page after page.

The books were about the green affinity, with definitions and theories surrounding how it works and its implications in combat and everyday life. Skill development was outlined in the second book, with many references made towards the natural order of life and essence with the connection the green affinity had with nature.

Nico had been looking up his green affinity from the start of training, learning many things about it. There are many subcategories within his affinity, with him a druid variant, revolving around plant life and essence manipulations.

"There it is." Nico muttered on as he read, going at it for a long, long while into the dead of night.

. . .

Well of Life (F-) [Skill]

Passively absorb life essence from the surroundings in which will be stored inside your body. Rate of absorption will vary by environment. This essence can be spent like mana to regenerate wounds faster or strengthen attacks.

Nico grinned as he stared at his pixie screen. After so many days of studying up on the topic, he finally earned it, feeling the effects firsthand. A whirling breeze stirred inside him, gathering around his chest as if a flowing river was moving from the surroundings and into his body.

As Nico was savoring the feeling, a knock on his invisible barrier shook him awake. It was Hena, behind the barrier with a downed expression on her face.

"Hey." Hena waved as Nico let her in.

"What brings a pretty lady so high up in the tree?" Nico said as he gave her a mug of hot choco.

"Has Kalista been around?" She remained standing, with no furniture- let alone a chair for her to sit on. A tray of food was up on Nico's bed, with not even a table up for it.

"She just left a bit earlier." Nico reached for the chime bell. "You want me to call her?"

"No, it's fine." Hena bit her lips. "I'm just here to talk with you."

"What's wrong?"

Hena made her way towards Nico's bed, sitting beside him as he was munching on nuts and berries. Nico couldn't see it clearly back then, however the wings behind her really shone a white luminescence when up close.

"She's been avoiding me."

"Kalista? Since when?"

"Since the fairy prince started eyeing her."

Nico paused, then remembered the marks on Kalista's arms. "Wait, so that wasn't because of you roughing her up in bed?"

"What are you talking about?"

"There were marks on Kalista's arms- not bruises but more like rope marks."

"Oh yeah." Hena sighed, grabbing for the nuts and berries on the tray. "The prince is very into that sort of thing."

Nico gave her a very confused look, taking a long while to process his thoughts. "Hold on, is this what they call an open relationship?"

"If you wanna call it that, then maybe? I know it's confusing, but listen- did you know that the queen and nobles like to think of us flightless fairies as lesser people?"

"Yeah, I noticed a while ago." Nico said with eyes widening. "So this prince is using his status to force on Kalista whatever it is that he's into?"

"Not really." Hena gave him a flat look.

"Wait, what? How is that not it?" Nico spiraled into confusion. "It sounds like sexual abuse."

"The fairy prince isn't the douche you think he is. He does have his issues but would never resort to any of that- however he is very interested in Kalista, and that's why he keeps calling her for company."

"And Kalista doesn't refuse."

"Yes, that. The prince is very kind to us flightless fairies- no discrimination and treating us like actual people. That's why I'm very confused as to why Kalista's still with him even though she's not being forced into it."

"You think she's cheating on you, under the pretense that the prince is only forcing it on her."

"I was supportive at first when she was called on for the first time." Hena bit her lips again as she stared at the floor, her face sullen. "She broke the news in a way that seemed like she was forced into it, and I said all that dumb stuff about being there with her through thick and- you get the point. After I met the prince I started to doubt her words, but I truly wanted to believe that she was forced into it. Because fuck me for thinking that she actually developed feelings for him."

"I'm sorry for that." Nico muttered, not knowing what words to comfort her. "But let's not kick the bucket yet. Maybe the prince is just in the act? Maybe he really is forcing it on her? If the prince really is this saint you say he is, why is he trying to get with Kalista when he knows she's already with you?"

"That's because he doesn't know. The prince is very sheltered high up in the tree and even if word does reach his family, they'd never think much of it anyway given that it's only a relationship between two inferior fairies."

"Won't the nobles hate the idea of their up-and-coming prince getting it on with one of you guys?"

"It's very common actually." Hena hung her head high, staring at the ceiling. "When a child is born from both a noble and a lesser fairy, it is a guarantee that their child will also be a noble, and so that's why it's recommended for up-and-coming nobles to find flightless fairies as mates to bear nobles with working wings."

Nico sat in silence, with thoughts racing in his head to find a reason- any reason to invalidate the relationship between the prince and Kalista. After a long while, he finally gave up, sharing Hena's sullen face. If he can't take away his friend's sadness, then at least he'll share it with her.

"Kalista's cheating on you. She's avoiding you because she feels guilty, making you feel sad and lonely and all the messed up feelings inside you right now."

"That sums it up."

Nico gave her a dry punch, clasping her hand with his as he gave her the brightest smile he could.

"Don't think about it too much, you have a very handsome man sitting beside you to vent out all those nasty feelings. Didn't I also tell you that this very handsome man can play the guitar?"

Nico grabbed a guitar from seemingly out of nowhere and sang her the night away.