"Where are we going, Daffodil?" I asked, jumping over large fallen logs and getting slapped in the face by branches. I brushed my hair back and followed closely, wondering why I was blindly following a stranger into the woods again. This is exactly how I got into this mess in the first place.

Some things just never change.

Finally, the thick trees and bushes cleared out and we stepped into an open space. I sighed in relief and took a few breaths before opening my eyes to look around. My jaw slightly opened at the sight I saw before me.

"It's beautiful..." I muttered, staring at just hundreds of purple and pink flowers that were surrounding us. I spun around, taking my time by looking everywhere. It was like a secret garden, a beautiful and peaceful place I never wanted to leave.

One thing I didn't fail to notice, was the pure silence. No birds chirping. No crickets. Not even a single bee. It was just isolated.

And that was kind of unnatural.

"This is one of the many hidden incubators fairies have," Daffodil explained to me with a hushed voice.

"Incubator? For what?" I asked her, still looking around the small paradise.

"For baby fairies, of course. I gave birth here." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I turned to look at her with furrowed brows. I could have sworn that she was my age or slightly younger... But then again, this is a fairy. She could be a thousand years old for all I know.

"You were pregnant? And you're keeping them here? Outside?" I asked her, following her to a small bush near the flowers.

"Shhh, look here." She whispered, spreading the bush apart with her small fingers... And sure enough, there were about three green eggs well hidden in there, each one the size of an orange. "They may hatch anytime soon, and they'll have to survive on their own."

What?

"But you're here to take care of them," I said.

"Mama fairies do not go back to their young. They must learn everything on their own in order to survive." She explained. I nodded at her, not mentioning to her how I thought that was a horrible way to raise children.

"And their father?" I asked softly, smiling when one of the little eggs wiggled. Daffodil picked it up gently, cupping it in her hands.

"He left when I told him I was expecting the fairies. His name was Bluebell, he had the brightest blue wings I've ever seen. We were in love, then he just up and left." She told me with a sigh. "I think about him every day, wondering if he thinks of me too. He took a piece of me when he left."

She handed the egg to me and I cupped it and carefully placed it on my shirt while holding it. "I was going to name her Aloe since she will be a green fairy, but you may change her name when she hatches."

I looked at her in shock. She wasn't possibly about to give me her unhatched baby.

"Daffodil, you can't do this. Your baby..."

"Will be better off with you as her caretaker. Trust me, fairies are better as individuals. Colonies and families never work out well."

"There's just too much going on. Her life will be in danger if she is with me." I added to her.

"That's why she will protect you. They learn fast and she will be a great asset. Give her a day after hatching. She'll be speaking and flying about."

I looked back down at the egg... At Aloe. "Thank you. I promise to take care of her."

"I don't doubt that you will. Now let's go back. Seeing them hatch will make us blind."

I quickly got up and we went back to the pumpkin house, still caressing the egg. It was soft and warm, and she kept moving about every now and then. Daffodil explained that it was because she was close to hatching.

We walked into the house, finding Precious staring into a large bottle with a strange orange liquid inside. "There you both are. I was searching everywhere."

I was about to explain when she shushed me and continued talking.

"This is the potion. You need to get Sei to drink this and then tell him everything that has happened. Alexander must find out too." Precious instructed. "Daffodil and I will go back to the island to try and warn the creatures. That way they'll stay out of your way when you make your return."

"We can't let Silas start this war between humans. It has to happen in Lunaria at all costs. He has to die there." She added, pushing the orange liquid to me.

Okay, but one very important question.

"Where the hell am I supposed to find them and how do I convince them to go back there?"

"Daffodil, find out of their whereabouts. You'll have to think of a plan when you get there."

Daffodil nodded and shrunk in size, her wings popping from her back before she could land on the ground. As fast as a baseball that's been hit by a bat, she flew out of the window silently and disappeared into the trees.

"So what happened to the other sorceresses?" I asked as I placed my egg on a fluffy cushion.

"Silas killed them all. When he was done using me, he scared me so I ran and I couldn't reproduce." Precious told me.

"When exactly did Silas chase you away? This place looks really cozy to just be a recent thing." I said, staring at a tall row of books on a shelf

"I don't remember. He planned this a long time ago, he just needed the right person."

"Naive little Akielia fell right for it too," I whispered. "And then she fell in love while she was at it."

"You can never be blamed for what happened to you. Again, from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry that it led to him touching you without your consent."

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled.

"Precious!" Daffodil shouted, zooming into the dining room. She didn't even bother to grow in size. She just stood on the dining table, jumping up and down in the cutest form of panic I've ever seen.

"They're on their way here! All three of them, and they're angry!"

Precious gasped and got up, "pack what you can, Daffodil! We must run now!"

It scared me how a sorceress was terrified of Silas. He was just that terrible.

I grabbed the vile and hid it in my pocket then rushed to the kitchen, grabbing a dagger just in case I would need it in the future.

"Silas isn't stupid." I shouted at the two in the other room. "he'll know that someone lived here just recently." I stared at a cup of tea that had steam still coming from it. They would never believe it if I said I made this.

"Good point! I'll use magic to make the place look abandoned and run down." Precious shouted back. I have no idea what she did after that but she must have cast a spell or something cause the pumpkin house started shaking and everything fell off the tables and shelves, breaking into pieces.

Moss and dirt crept up on the walls and plant vines crept in through the windows and the newly formed holes in the walls. It was like I was watching the house age. Definitely the saddest sight to see, I was starting to like this tiny but comfortable space.

"Can I mix the potion into something he can drink or eat?" I asked loudly, trying to be heard over the rumbling of the house.

"Yes, as long as he finishes it all!"

As the walls started to lose their vivid orange and look like rotting pumpkin, Precious and Daffodil made their exit before it was too late. I was left standing there, waiting for the three men to appear.

I sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall, looking around the place. I made a silent promise to myself that I wouldn't leave this place until Sei drank the potion.

"Akielia! Baby, are you in there?" I heard Alexander call out loudly.