「…Would you accompany me for a moment?」
Before the troubled Four Seasons, Toshiya—now the Fairy King Four Seasons—appeared, offering no elaborate words, only a gentle smile accompanying his request.
Facing the two, Alice simply nodded silently in response to Four Seasons’s gaze.
Descending the steps, he motioned for them to follow him into the garden.
「This way.」
With that, he raised his hand to the void, creating a black rift.
A “gate”—a passage to the outside world, leading to the mortal realm. It was a magic that transcended human logic, granted to the one who was once Higuchi Toshiya, the Fairy King.
Alice exchanged glances with Color. Neither could quite grasp what he had in mind, but their silent communication suggested a mutual agreement: they might as well follow along. Nodding to one another, they stood and followed his lead.
Passing through the gate, a slight dizziness accompanied the unfolding of a new landscape.
At the same time, the air grew noticeably colder, and strong winds whipped past them.
「Where… is this?」
「This is a land where one of the Demon King’s castles once stood. It is now called the Helheim Valley.」
Sheer rock faces. A flora dominated by lichens and low shrubs. Above, the crescent-shaped sky was framed by the gorge, while a winding river and countless hollowed caves formed a unique and solemn tableau—a scene best described as the “Divine Will’s Broth”.
Suddenly, they found themselves transported a great distance away.
As Alice and Color stood in silent awe of the breathtaking view, Four Seasons began to speak.
「We stayed here about a thousand years ago, I believe. The children were overjoyed, determined to explore every cave. Color… do you remember?」
「Yes. Especially Bonfire. She adored the Cu Siths and begged to speak with them, throwing tantrums when she couldn’t. Calming her down was no easy task.」
「And Magpie… she was fascinated by the vegetation, always studying it with great curiosity. …Well, Alice, I hate to rush, but let’s move on.」
With those words, another gate opened.
As they were guided back through the fairy realm, Tir na Nog, they found themselves next at the sea—its scent carried on the breeze, waves lapping at a sandy shore.
「This, too, was once the site of a Demon King’s castle. It used to be part of the mainland, but most of it has sunk into the sea, leaving behind these scattered islands. It’s now known as the Malignant Sea.」
The waves lapping at the shore were gentle, but the surface of the sea further out carried an eerie, foreboding atmosphere. It felt as though something immense and terrifying lay hidden beneath its depths.
High above that unsettling sea, the silhouettes of three dragons could be seen soaring eastward.
「Those are members of the Yato clan. This area has a large population of dragons—of course, that includes the Delpune clan as well. …For some reason, the culture they developed was particularly favored by Peacock. He would often invite Hanaikada to visit the settlements with him.」
「Yes, he told me all sorts of stories about them.」
It seemed that they had lived in this region once upon a time.
「Alice, I imagine you’re curious about how the dragons of the Yato clan are doing nowadays, but… let’s save that for another time. On to the next.」
For the third time, a rift was created in the air.
「The next stop will be a human-inhabited area, so be mindful when we exit.」
As promised, their journey shifted pace after this.
What followed was a whirlwind expedition across the world.
To the northernmost reaches of the continent, where mountain tribes led simple, secluded lives.
To the orderly empire, where the citizens enjoyed disciplined yet fulfilling lives.
To the royal capital of the Sorx Kingdom, a grand city bustling with people, their smiles abundant.
To the Beastkin territories, where diverse tribes had blended to form a unique cultural sphere.
To the vast grasslands, home to herds of grazing Tarasques.
And even to the autonomous region governed by the descendants of Fatima in the republic.
Across continents, across worlds—Four Seasons led the two through countless destinations.
And each time, he spoke to his wife.
About the days they had spent living in those places. About the events that had transpired, the things their children had been curious about, and the things they had loved.
Eventually—
After passing through so many gates that they lost track, they arrived at their final stop: a forest.
From a distance, they could see a Western-style house surrounded by block walls—it was the Hatano family’s home.
This was the heart of the Void Forest.
Straining their ears, they could faintly hear voices from the direction of the house.
The cheerful sounds of a child playing with a dog, carried by an air of happiness.
Turning his back to the house, Four Seasons faced Alice and Color.
「This is something you both already know, but it bears repeating. To create a gate, I need an anchor—a point. Without one, I cannot connect or traverse. My ‘anywhere door’ isn’t truly ‘anywhere.’」
『Anchor points』.
Alice was, of course, already familiar with the concept. Just recently, she had buried one herself beneath the floorboards of a house in the city of Sidera.
It was a clear gemstone, a luminous droplet imbued with immeasurable magic.
A tear shed by her closest friend standing beside her—Kaoruko, the Fairy Queen.
「Two thousand years. Two whole millennia.」
Four Seasons began to step closer, his voice gentle but resolute.
After offering Alice a fleeting, reassuring smile, he turned his gaze to his wife—Color.
Placing a hand softly against her cheek, he spoke.
「For two thousand years, we’ve traveled across the continent. We never stayed in one place longer than two hundred years—the time it took for the children to reach their individual limits. Each time their memories reset, we moved on to a new home, wandering endlessly.」
Their children—the nature of fairies.
Every two centuries, their lifespans would reach their end, only for identical yet memoryless beings to be reborn anew. A fragile eternity, a practical yet bittersweet immortality.
When Alice had first learned this, her heart ached. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t call it entirely tragic. After all, she remembered—she knew.
The children from two thousand years ago, feverish, delirious, and in agony as they neared death.
And more than that, she remembered the faces of her once-close friends, the parents who had crumbled under the weight of such loss.
Whether Four Seasons could sense the heavy burden of Alice’s thoughts or not, he didn’t show it.
His hand gently caressed his wife’s cheek, and for that moment, he was no longer a father but a husband.
「Color. Unable to leave Tir na Nog, you spent all those years listening to the children’s stories. ‘Today we went here,’ ‘We did this,’ ‘This happened’—you heard it all. Maybe you weren’t fully aware of it yourself, but at the very least, every time you listened to their tales, you smiled. And you looked happy.」
He smiled softly as he continued.
「Listen, Color. Let’s talk about what lies ahead. I know you feel disconnected from this world, as though you’ve been left behind. But think about it—you’ve met Sui and others, you’ve found a way to leave the castle, and you’ve reunited with Alice. You’ve reestablished ties with this world. So, let’s talk about the future. About us fairies. About what lies ahead for our kind and what paths we should take. That’s what I want to discuss with you.」
Color, Alice’s dearest friend, placed her trembling hand over the one her husband rested on her cheek, as if clinging to it.
And Four Seasons—the Fairy King—continued speaking.
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