After hearing Halon’s proposals, Basil looked at Pip.
The little fairy boy, who had once been the village’s "burden," now stood tall, his powerful, metallic wings gleaming with a power that defied his race’s comprehension.
Basil saw in Pip a new and brilliant path; the possibility that the fairies might cease to be merely "invisible gardeners" and become beings capable of dictating their own destiny in Mythlorien.
The Elder felt deeply tempted to accept the protection of that small blue sphere and the powerful fox.
However, as he looked back, Basil saw the faces of his people.
He caught the whispers of prejudice, the fear of the "ugliness" of the black gelatin, and the latent anger toward Pip for having "tainted" his essence with the strength of a monster.
The noble fairies still trembled with disgust as they looked at the obsidian shell that Lohan could manifest.
Then Basil let out a long, melancholy sigh.
"Savior lords... this old man’s heart is warmed by your generosity," Basil began, bowing his head with deep respect. "I see what Pip has become. I see that the Astralis Requiem values what we have always despised. But my people... they are still like sprouts that fear the storm. They cannot accept that salvation comes in a form they consider ’impure.’ If we take them now into the shade of your tree, fear will turn to resentment, and a divided house cannot be called a home."
The Elder struck his staff against the ground, where the flowers were beginning to wither from the lingering smoke of the fire lizards.
"We will refuse the offer of immediate union. We will move to Silver Dew Village, a neighboring fairy community that lives in the hidden depths of the valley. We’ll hope there’s room for everyone there, and that the distance will erase the trail those greedy humans are following."
Basil took a shaky step forward and looked into Lohan’s cute, artificial eyes.
"But I ask you a favor... keep the gates of Astralis open. Pip and Elle are proof that there is a different path. If our fate in the new village is uncertain, or if more open-minded fairies wish to walk the path of strength under your command... welcome them. Do not let the beauty of Mythlorien fade because of our stubbornness."
Lohan beamed with satisfaction, feeling that, although he hadn’t won over an entire village today, he realized that at least there was a possibility for growth and reconciliation in this area for the future."I accept your terms, Basil.
Astralis Requiem does not close its doors to loyal friends." Lohan conveyed, as Lisa began to turn, ready to leave. "Pip, Elle, escort your people to the safe border. Lisa and I will return to our base to assess and build upon our recent gains. Know that the rewards you will receive for this mission will also be generous."
"Yes, Vice President!" Pip and Elle replied solemnly while maintaining the form of the Living Armor of Lohan’s clones that still enveloped their bodies.
Obviously, Lohan wouldn’t send them alone without help for this, but with the clones assisting, Lohan was confident in the security that this could provide.
With the Tear of Flowers and Varkas’s Staff now safely stored in the Astral Chest, Lohan and Lisa became figures of light and shadow, disappearing into the dense forest, leaving behind a hopeful Elder and a village that would soon realize the purity they so fiercely defended was fragile in the face of the true power that had just saved them.
The arrival of human Players in Elysium would bring a great change to this world, and it would only be a matter of time before the locals realized that it might be better to ally themselves with good Players than to wait for the arrival of the bad ones.
xXx
As the shadows of Lohan and Lisa faded into the forest, the silence in Petal Village was replaced by the frantic flapping of wings and the buzz of fairies gathering what remained of their belongings.
However, the atmosphere was not only one of haste, but also of deep hesitation. Glances kept straying toward the two figures standing motionless in the center of the square: Pip and Elle.
Even without the presence of the Slime’s main body, the Living Armor composed of Lohan’s clones maintained its intimidating appearance, with the hexagonal plates of the Exoskeleton gleaming under the light filtered through the trees and the still-burning flames, giving the two small gardeners an aura of "war machines" that marred the village’s naturalistic aesthetic.
Some fairies, who had once been close friends of Elle’s and used to paint the colors of rare flowers by her side, approached timidly but froze a few meters away.
There was a clear conflict on their faces; they wanted to embrace the friend who had just saved them, but the "ugliness" of the black armor and the superior mana pressure emanating from it made them recoil in terror.
The young male fairies, who harbored secret crushes on Elle’s sweetness, now stared at the ground, unable to recognize the delicate girl beneath that obsidian shell.
With Pip, the situation was even worse.
The reputation as a "slacker" he had carried before his expulsion was now fueled by a deeper resentment.
The villagers whispered that Pip had not only become corrupted, but that he was responsible for leading "sweet Elle" astray, turning her into something that no longer belonged to Mythlorien.
Noticing the isolation, the fairies eventually moved away to finish gathering their seeds and mana silk, leaving only Elder Basil facing the two armored fairies.
Basil walked slowly, leaning on his staff, with the concerned gaze of a father.
He observed the black armor covering every inch of the children’s bodies, and through the Mental Connection that Lohan maintained with his clones, the neon-blue gelatin reacted to the Elder’s peaceful intent.
Fluidly and silently, the helmets of Pip and Elle’s armor retracted, "melting" back toward their necks and revealing their exhausted yet vibrant faces."Children..." Basil spoke, his hoarse voice brimming with emotion. "Tell me the truth.
How has life been for you far from the roots of this village? Are you treated well in that fossilized tree? The saviors... do they demand sacrifices from you?"
Pip, feeling mana flow through his system like an "overflowing river" thanks to the guild’s constant support, flashed a sincere smile that Basil hadn’t seen on the child’s face in years.
"Elder Basil, Pip has never felt so alive!" Pip exclaimed, his metallic wings flapping with an energy that produced the sound of blades gently clashing. "In Astralis, Pip has a useful and very important role! Lord Halon treats us as essential members of the team. He taught us that our strength is not an impurity, but a foundation to protect those we love, and helps us improve our power so we can protect these people."
Elle stepped forward, lightly touching Basil’s elderly, wrinkled hand. "It’s true, Elder. At first, we were afraid too, especially of humans... the ’Otherworlders’ that Lisa brought. But people like Alice and Dee are different from the monsters that attacked us today. They are hardworking, dedicated, and have accepted us as part of a family even though we are all different from one another."
She continued, her eyes shining with a hope the village had never been able to provide: "There, we all work toward a future where no one is left behind for being ’different.’ Lord Halon says that Astralis Requiem is a whole: he is the armor, Lisa is the blade, and we... we are the heart that keeps the garden growing." (Halon never actually said that; Elle had simply interpreted it from the words he used while they were talking.)
Basil watched the sparkle in Pip and Elle’s eyes and realized that the change in them wasn’t just a matter of level or power, but of purpose.
Then, seeing the smiles on these children’s faces, he finally sighed with satisfaction, relieved to know that they had found a place for themselves where they were treated well and were moving toward a grand destiny.