It was late in the night, and it happened without reason.
Karen woke up suddenly, unable to fall back asleep. She decided to step outside to get some fresh air. As she stretched and inhaled the crisp air of early winter, it felt as though her body was being refreshed from the inside out.
Looking up at the sky, Karen let out a breath, watching it mist in the cold air.
All the lights in the house were out, and the moon was hidden behind a layer of clouds. Even so, she could see her surroundings clearly, thanks to the superior night vision elves possessed.
Off to the side of the dismantling area, Mint was curled up in a bud, her presence quiet. From the outskirts of the forest, the faint hoot of an owl could be heard.
Suddenly, Karen felt something large moving behind her. She turned around, crouching down to stroke the head of the creature that had approached.
「You came to check on me?」
「Kwuunn.」
「Chocola, you’re always so sensitive.」
She remembered that both Viole and Sui had mentioned similar experiences—whenever they went outside alone at night, Chocola would sense it and come to check on them. Truly, this doggo was a kind soul.
「Good boy.」
「Bark… sniff.」
But this attentiveness seemed to be a part of the Hatano family’s nature. Whenever something happened to a family member or whenever there was uncertainty, they would quietly come close, offering their presence. Perhaps because they had spent so long apart, the reassurance of family nearby brought a sense of comfort and courage.
「It’s getting colder at night. Are you okay with the cold?」
「Kwuunn.」
「Right, you’re from a hardy bloodline that’s good with cold weather.」
His winter coat had fully come in, fluffy and warm. As Karen stroked Chocola’s back, she noticed something at the far end of the garden—a presence by the gazebo.
She walked down the narrow path lined with shrubs, heading toward the figure sitting there.
The one sitting in the gazebo was a small girl dressed in an unusual gown. Her translucent wings shimmered faintly in the darkness, and her pointed ears, though similar to Karen’s, were just a bit shorter than an elf’s.
「…Color-san.」
「Good evening.」
The fairy queen, Color-san, smiled gently when their eyes met. Karen noticed there were two teacups sitting on the gazebo’s table.
「You knew I was coming?」
「I wasn’t sure if it would be you, but I had a feeling someone would come. Would you like some? This herb tea is from Tir na Nog.」
「Hmm, I’ll have some.」
Nodding, Karen sat across from her. Though the cups had been sitting outside in the winter air, they were warm to the touch. The tea’s heat seeped through her body, warming her from the inside.
For a while, neither spoke.
Karen wasn’t the talkative type to begin with, and though she had met Color-san many times, they hadn’t formed a close, personal bond.
Still, it was Karen who eventually broke the silence.
「That gemstone… is it really okay for me to keep it?」
「You’ve made it into an earring, haven’t you? Though it seems you’re not wearing it now.」
The gemstone known as the Fairy’s Tear, born from the queen’s own tears.
A transparent stone, imbued with a mysterious and boundless magic power, yet simply looking at it brought a strange sense of comfort.
「At first, I thought it didn’t matter what Sui-san did with it. But now I understand more clearly… Sui-san, Chocola-chan, and you. We’re all connected by fate.」
Sui had told her.
The bloodline of the elves could be traced back to Japan, and that Karen herself—of the Quioy clan—was a distant relative of the queen sitting before her.
「Karen-san, may I take a closer look at your face?」
As Karen became aware, she realized that Color-san was no longer sitting across the table but had moved to stand beside her. The fairy queen’s small hand gently touched Karen’s cheek, her round eyes gazing deeply into Karen’s own.
「Perhaps because of the magical connection I share with Sui-san, my memories have started to return. Though they’re still fragmented, like a puzzle with missing pieces.」
「Is it painful to remember the past?」
「Well, it was two thousand years ago, so it’s true that remembering won’t change much now. But no, it’s not painful. In fact, I’m glad to have regained these memories.」
Color-san smiled, a warmth radiating from her that was full of tenderness.
「—My oniichan and I were never very much alike.」
Oniichan.
Karen knew who she meant: Color-san’s oniichan, the one who became the ancestor of the Quioy clan.
「When the grand magic turned them into elves, their bodies were restructured. And after two thousand years, I’m sure their genes have changed considerably. So, it’s not surprising that you don’t look like him… or me.」
Though Karen didn’t fully understand what Color-san meant by ‘genes’, she knew that her blonde hair was unusual for someone with Japanese ancestry. Both her biological parents had been blonde, and it was clear that the changes brought about by the magical transformations, and the long passage of two thousand years, had altered many things.
For a moment, a faint sadness welled up in Karen. But before she could dwell on it, Color-san spoke again.
「But you know, Karen-san…Karen」
The fairy queen—Color-san—pressed her warm hand against Karen’s cheek, her gaze soft with kindness, as she spoke to her distant relative.
「Even so, I can see the resemblance. In you, I can feel the presence of both my oniichan and myself. There’s no doubt in my heart; you are his descendant, the child of his child of his child, and so on, stretching across two millennia.」
Her youthful face, the embodiment of someone who had given up her humanity and even her age to save her family, looked at Karen with an intensity that made the realization start to settle within her.
「Hmm, I think I understand. You are my ancestor. Two thousand years ago, after you saved the world, the blood you left behind still flows in me.」
It wasn’t because Color-san had told her so; Karen simply felt it to be true.
「I’m happy that you’re here. I’m glad I met you. And I’m grateful to remember my oniichan… and of course, Chocola-chan and your ancestors too.」
「Bark!」
「You’re such a good boy…..Oh, how could I forget? My family’s had the same beautiful gray and white fur like you… strong, loyal, and utterly adorable.」
Tears welled up in the corners of the fairy queen’s eyes.
One tear escaped, falling as a single drop that glittered like a gemstone. It landed softly in Karen’s outstretched palm, cradled as if by instinct.
「Color-san…」
「After all this time, we’ve met. And I believe it’s for a reason—to make sure the world never falls into chaos again. So that another tragic demon king never rises. Our presence here together, in this moment, has meaning.」
She nodded, stepping back slightly.
Then, gently closing Karen’s hand over the tear-like jewel, she smiled.
「This is yours. But promise me you won’t tell my husband I cried, alright? It’ll be our little secret. Did you know that keeping a promise with a fairy brings good fortune?」
Karen returned her smile and nodded.
「Hmm, I promise. I’ll keep this secret—and I’ll work hard with Sui. Together, we’ll protect this forest and make sure no demon king ever rises again.」
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