Elrodan almost visibly shaking peeked out from his arms "Yu... Y... You didn't do it... Mimp. In so sorry! How could I have thought it. Oh I'm so sorry!". Slowly he shuffled towards Kamille. He couldn't have felt more embarrassed or silly. Kamille had only treated him with respect and honour. He now cried with shame and self-loathing. 

The prospect that the other fairy may still be alive was caught up with by his brain. "Eeee! The other fairy! Let's go! Eeee!" he scrambled faster only to bump into various bits and standing at the door, feeling his hands were still all a trembling. He looked back at Kamille, wondering what the delay was, not wanting to accept it was his. His mind spiralled with thoughts. Why had someone or something attacked a fairy? Were there many fairies? It would certainly be the first he'd seen since home. Another fairy... Could he save his journey home? The elves there weren't as nice as everyone here had been. Even if it were one other fairy, that would mean company, maybe. 

Kamille was still visibly confused as Elrodan apologized and set out of his hideout, bumping along the way. She stood up and gently pulled him into a hug. She was in a hurry to go out and try and find the wounded fairy, but she couldn’t just leave her friend like that. She waited for him to calm down a bit, hoping a bit of warmth and a hug would do the trick. It often did for her.

She pulled back after a moment and gently wiped his tears.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Elrodan... I should have told you everything yesterday, but I didn’t want to bring down the mood. There is someone controlling some impis around these woods, and they are killing fairies. I'm not sure if it’s that way were you come from, but here, in Charon, the dust made from the wings of fairies is quite a powerful and potent ingredient. I can only imagine what this person has in mind to be killing so many fairies..."

She took both of his smaller hands into her own, looking at him straight in the eye.

"You need to promise me you'll be extra careful if you go out on these woods alone, Elrodan."

Elrodan was comforted by the first hug, his arms down by his side, just lets himself be hugged. "I ... I .. I understaaaaaaand" sniff sniff. Now Kamille had told him what was happening he started to understand. Although he was still a little confused as to anyone found out about magic in the wings, he'd certainly not known. "Is that... wa.. why the elves at home are the ones who" sniff "deal with the dead? They are the ones who ....I don't know, we just see the box go through after we've said out goodbye's. It is isn't it!".

Once then Kamille took his hands, he took back one arm to wipe his eyes before looking at her. "I will, I promise." then batting her hands out of the way he leapt at her and wrapped his arms around her neck. "And you, you be safe too. I can't believe I doubted you, I..." the rest of his words are muffled in Kamille's clothing as he presses hard as he could in the embrace.

A few seconds pass and he pulls back to take a deep breath, "The... fairy, we should... should go now. Can Mischief lead us there?"

Kamille put her hand to his back as he embraced her again, understanding starting to down on her - did he suspect it was her that did that to the fairy? She couldn’t blame him for being afraid, if so. She wouldn’t hold it against him, as she understood the perceived betrayal.

"Let's go! Maybe we can still help... Mischief, lead the way."

Once Elrodan has calmed down, she turned to Mischief and opened the door. The raven promptly flew out, and it became a bit harder to follow him once he dove into the woods per se. They could hear his caws and see the general direction he went. Despite being early in the morning, the forest was dense and dark, a bit chilly too, since the sun had just peaked the horizon.

Kamille looked extra focused on following Mischief and finding the fairy, so much so that she didn’t seem to notice any other suspicious movements in the shadows around them that Elrodan might pick.

After some good twenty minutes walking in silence into the woods, they came into a clearing where Mischief had landed. He placed the piece of the fairy's wing on the ground, just where he found it. Not far from there, there was a large pool of blood, and nothing more.

Elrodan on being allowed out, flew hard after Mischief, but, the Black bird, in dark shadows was hard to follow. Easing off, he tucked besides Kamille, flying besides her and trying to keep his eyes on the bird hiding them. Occasionally, he spared fleeting moments to glance out into the forest besides them. There was a lot of beauty. Yet, every now and then a shadow passed that didn't fit. He was used to seeing the way shadows moved as he flew in a forest, and these stood out as not fitting in. Chasing Mischief was a tough task and he didn't spare time for what might just be some plant or creature that was new to him.

Upon reaching the clearing, Elrodan landed and tried to catch his breath but stumbled towards the blood on the ground. Running a finger through it, a slight smell as he rubbed it between his fingers. It was slightly different but it was indeed fairy blood. Quite a different smell to other creatures he found. He looked about, trying to see a trail of where it lead.

"They were here... The fairy... Where did they go? Have I made us too late? Oh! Hey ho fellow FAIRY! Where are you?" he called out, hoping that such a simple act would bring them back without the consideration of the risk it surely brought with it.

"Be careful, Elrodan!" Kamille shouted as Elrodan flew up ahead of her, trying to catch up to Mischief.

On her own two legs she couldn't possibly hope to keep up with them both, so Elrodan was the first to come to the clearing. She needed a second to catch her breath, and as she looked around, she noticed the absence of the fairy, and the huge pool of blood in the middle of it.

"It's too much blood...."

She didn't want to scare Elrodan in telling she thought it was all that remained of the fairy. While their wings might be useful for whoever was behind all the attacks, she was certain the person wouldn't have any use to the rest of the fairy's bodies... Except for feeding his impis.

She started to look around, gesturing for Elrodan to remain quiet.

"There's a trail...", she whispered, pointing to a trail of blood that led away from the clearing, and deeper into the woods.

Elrodan felt queasy. He had treated major wounds and horrific injuries, maybe because of that, he was now worrying for the fairy. All sorts of horrific prospects made their home in his mind.

How would they find the fairy if he was quiet? He huffed and panted, moving from side do side. His movements driven by his uncertain feelings. Kamille had said right that it was too much blood, but the follow up words of a trail spark both further fear but an urgency borne in hope.

He flew to be besides her looking for the same trail. "Where? Let's follow it, quickly!" then spotting it, he followed straight after it presuming kamille would naturally follow.

Sometimes crawling, sometimes flying, as the trail lead clearly or not.

They didn't follow for long.

"Elrodan, wait... I think we missed the trail...."

She has never been that good at following tracks, but the blood trail was very scarce and soon they lost it. She had no hope of finding the fairy, as she knew, deep down, that puddle of blood back then was all that was left of it.

They were in the middle of a path, the trees along the sides making some sort of tunnel that blocked some sunlight. There was no more blood to follow.

And then, right as they were looking around on the ground for traces to follow, Elrodan saw a drop of blood falling right in front of him. As he raised his eyes, he met a set of red, devilish eyes hidden in between the trees. Its grin had way too many teeth, already dripping blood. As soon as Elrodan saw the impi, some sort of small devil with long ears and arms, it jumped towards the fairy with claw and teeth soaked in blood.

Elrodan looked down at what he thought he'd been following, shifting his head and realises it was just a weird trick of light in the mud. He cursed to himself. Yet then there was a drip right where he was looking. It was most certainly red. Blood red at that. He looked up and his eyes comprehending the sight... An Impi?!

As it dropped toward him, he raised his arms to cover himself, closing his eyes. "Aaaahhh!!". Deep within him, he felt a wave pulse up. Kamille may well have spotted a glow from his chest before the lower half of his wings turn grey and down his spine turns very pale.

As Elrodan realises the Impi hasn't hit, he opens his eyes to see a yellow tint above him which the Impi seems to be beating and clawing against. For the moment he stays there almost paralyzed in fear trying to figure out what was happening, he looks to Kamille to see if it was her magic but he can see it wasn't. A little hint of warmth inside him reminds him of where the power was coming from.

The impi looked as surprised as Elrodan, trying to claw his way over his light shield. For a moment, even Kamille looked surprised and without reaction, but then everything registered. An impi. Trying to hurt Elrodan.

Unacceptable.

Kamille hurled a fireball at the impi, stil biting and clawing at Elrodan's shield, his claws and fangs still dripping blood. The ball of fire violently hit the small devilish creature, sending it flying away, engulfed in a ball of fire.

Kamille ran towards Elrodan, eyes wide open. She had noticed the difference in the color of his wings before, but didn't know what to make of it - if it was natural or not.

"I... didn't know you could do this..."

Elrodan watched as the impi was thrown away in an inferno. He lifted his own hand up to the wall of yellow light and watched as it went through rather than stopping. "... I never knew either. I think it was the celestial... I just felt a pulse from within me, and I guess this happened then." he tried moving forwards kamille and watched it follow him as he thought about it following. As his mind remembered the impi, and looked towards it, so the shield also moved in with his thought of where protection would be needed.

Then his mind turned to the blood on the impi. "It attacked the fairy! Didn't it... What if it could lead us to it?" his little hand extending out to hold Kamille's arm. "We might be able to save them? We must try... Surely?" his mind probably didn't think of the possible outcomes of this than his desired one. 

She shouldn't lie to Elrodan. Not anymore.

"Elrodan... We cannot save this one. Not anymore. This one was already gone when Mischief came home."

She couldn't possibly know that for sure, but she assumed so.

So much for not lying anymore to the fairy...

The impi had already stopped jumping and remained still a few yards ahead of the way, the rest of his body turning into charcoal. She turned to Elrodan once again.

"Well... I guess.... I guess this makes me a bit more at ease... Knowing you can protect yourself like that. But there is nothing more we can do here... You'll... You'l need to tell me more about this celestial... If you will..."

The admission of kamille that the fairy wasn't alive and hadn't been since Mischief had been home hit hard. Like that, his son bus stopped flapping and he fell the short way to the ground and folded down, curling into a ball.

It had been a rough start to the day. He had thought coming to see kamille would have been the best thing in his life so far but it was turning into the worst thing that could possibly happen. With a shivering breath he quietly replies,  "Ask away... I'll answer what I can."

The stones and twigs digging into him felt like penitence for failing so his didn't shift to find comfort. Yet, before kamille replied with a question, a voice spoke that he could very clearly hear in his head, or was it lower, that was as if kamille had said it. "Do not despair, there is much for you to yet do. I can see your heart, your mind and your body. I know more than you'll admit to yourself. I will help you answer any questions." and with that, a calmness came upon him, and the weight of death departed. He held his position but with a serenity not imagined a short few moments before, would have been impossible. 

Kamile felt guilty she would make Elrodan suffer so much to be in her company. She couldn't have known this was going to happen when she invited him to her home.

She knelt down before him, taking his tiny hands in her own.

"First of all... I'm sorry I dragged you through all of this... These are my problems to solve, and you shouldn't have to worry about this. Life here have just become a bit more complicated than I expected when I invited you..."

She leaned forward to bring him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, my friend."

She remained knelt down before him as she straightened up.

"This celestial you talk about... What did he ask in return for the power he offered?"

The calming aura that filled him combined with the gentle touch of Kamille was enough to have him sit up. With a snivel he then replied, "it's ok... They are not your problems, maybe this is why I am here. To help. I don't think I really can, but you won't be alone. They are my kind, if it's anyone's issue. It is mine.".

The hug was reciprocated, well, he lifted his hands to hold the side of her arms. When she came away he gave a smile, if slightly resigned at the situation.

Elrodan thought back to the celestial. "Will actually it didn't really" he started before stopping mid sentence, his face looking distracted.

"Elrodan, slow down. There are things you will need to do. You may not have asked at the time, if it's lucky for you I wasn't some fiend. You will need to help all that pose no threat to you should they need it. If course you will need to follow the commands I pass on from Este, and believe in her teachings." came the voice.

"Anything else?" Elrodan said aloud. "I can hear your thoughts, you don't need to talk for me to hear you." the voice replied. "Oh! Erm, I need to heal things that need it, and be a believer of Este. I already do that, maybe not so much as they will want maybe." Elrodan said looking at Kamille.