My darling... I am... inside the core of Roc Forest...
You cannot see ... unless you go with the faeries...
"The faeries... how am I supposed to find them, Grandma? I heard they are only willing to show themselves to little kids," Sisi asked.
Do not... worry, darling...
They are going... to find you... first...
Another rain of petals fell from the branches, but this ti, Sisi saw little sprites about the size of her thumb sitting on so of the petals as they drifted down.
So of the sprites landed on the ground, the tree’s vines, the branches, and even on her shoulder.
But they all did the sa thing.
They gathered around her and tried to latch onto her, as if she were their mother.
Darling!
My Darling!
Our Darling!
Darling is finally ho!
We miss you, Darling!
Sisi opened her palm, and so of them landed on it. After taking a good look, she realized that the faeries were actually quite human-like—except they were very small, had pointy ears, and had unique wings resembling insects: butterflies, dragonflies, locusts, and many more.
However, they were all still calling her "darling," which made her wonder if that was simply how all faeries in Roc Forest addressed her.
These sprites are... not real...
But the ones who will search for you... are real...
Darling, they will... search for you after spring begins...
Grandma Tree looked happy at the idea of eting Sisi in real life. Two vines burst out of the ground and gently wrapped around her body, like a grandmother giving a warm hug to her granddaughter.
I miss you... my darling...
My dearest... granddaughter...
Sisi could feel the warmth coming from the vines, as if they were truly alive and the giant tree truly saw her as its own granddaughter.
She still didn’t understand many things about herself, but she was really glad that at least soone—or sothing—claid her as family.
After all, she grew up without anyone claiming her as family, so she was more than willing to form any bond.
Then she rembered Jojo, who must have been worried sick. She guessed he was by her side right now—he always snuggled up to her whenever she was unconscious.
"Grandma, I... I am waiting for the faeries to find . But for now, I have to go back. Jojo—no, my son—is waiting for ," Sisi said.
Son?
But... my darling... you... are not supposed to...
Sisi could sense Grandma Tree’s fear. It must have thought that Sisi already had a child with an irresponsible man, soone who allowed her to get hurt and faint so many tis.
She chuckled. "Fear not, Grandma. He is my adoptive son. But... his bond with is very strong. I see him as my own son, even if we’re not related by blood."
Grandma Tree seed to relax as the vines stopped trembling.
Co visit ... more often... dearest...
I am... your... grandmother...
"I will, Grandma. Goodbye for now."
Sisi kissed the large vine before closing her eyes.
She felt her body being sucked into a wormhole once again and disappeared from the giant tree’s dreamlike realm.
**
anwhile, Elder Toto was busy managing the faeries. They were always busy before the beginning of spring, as they had many tasks to complete: helping the bees pollinate the flowers, opening shy petals, and pushing worms to loosen the soil.
They also had to tell the winter faeries to stop producing snow and get so proper rest after a long winter, while instructing the faeries in charge of communicating with the sun to generate more heat, since the plants needed stronger sunlight to grow faster.
But of course, despite their busy schedule, they always longed to find their Darling of the Earth.
After all, they had been leaderless for a long ti. Even if Elder Toto could manage things sohow, the faeries were still not obedient enough.
Elder Toto was sure they would follow any order given by their darling without hesitation.
Elder Toto could only sigh as he oversaw the elders managing their own divisions.
’If only the Darling were here. I could retire for the next two hundred years.’
"Ugh, my back is killing ," Elder Toto muttered as he rubbed his spine.
He looked up at the massive tree they called Grandma Tree.
Grandma Tree had always been the source of life in Roc Forest, but despite its enormous size, it existed in an entirely different space from the rest of the forest—an invisible realm that only faeries could enter.
Grandma Tree had been weeping for the past seventeen years after its granddaughter went missing.
However, its joy over the past few months gave them hope that their Darling was still alive sowhere.
At that mont, as Elder Toto gazed upward, the giant tree suddenly shook its branches, and thousands of petals rained down upon the faeries.
This was a sign that Grandma Tree was truly happy. Sotis, it was also a sign that the tree had a ssage for all the faeries in the land.
This ti, it was both.
As Elder Toto caught a single petal, he received the telepathic ssage from the ancient tree.
Find my granddaughter soon. I miss her.
Every faerie near the ancient tree caught at least one petal and relayed the ssage to those outside the tree’s domain.
Elder Toto watched from afar when Crush Tutu flew toward him.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Did you hear the ssage?" Crush Tutu asked as she landed beside him.
"I did," Elder Toto nodded. "General Gugu has already dispatched his soldiers to find our Darling, but they haven’t been able to locate her yet."
"Then maybe after we finish preparing for spring, we can finally search for her!" Crush Tutu suggested excitedly. "Everyone has been thinking about our Darling. I want to search too!"
"...You’re still too young. But you’re right, spring will arrive tomorrow. It’s best to dispatch more faeries to search for her," Elder Toto said. He looked at his overly excited granddaughter and sighed. "Don’t think about going off on your own, Tutu. Start by pushing those petals first. We still have a lot to do."
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