"You did your job, Tutu. Don’t bla yourself," Elder Toto pacified his granddaughter.
"But, Grandpa, the Dusk and Dawn Star were present when we got swallowed by the flytrap..." Crush Tutu said. She was reminded of Jojo’s shocked face and felt even guiltier. "The Dawn Star is not even five years old yet, and to see his mother get swallowed by a giant plant and disappear must’ve been traumatizing for him..."
"We... we cannot do anything for now, Tutu. It’s all by Grandma Tree’s will. There must be a reason why Grandma wants to bring Darling Sisi back as soon as possible the mont she got pregnant," Elder Toto said. "In fact, I think there must be so danger in the pregnancy, because she’s pregnant with the Dusk Star’s seed."
Elder Toto turned towards Healer Roro. "Don’t you think so, Roro?"
Healer Roro lowered her head, feeling guilty because she sensed that sothing was wrong with their darling but couldn’t do anything about it because of the dark aura in her belly.
"Our darling... she’s in danger," Healer Roro murmured, and that statent caused every single faerie around to gasp.
"W-what do you an, Roro? Our Darling looks healthy!" General Gugu confronted.
"She’s carrying a baby from the Dusk Star. Don’t you rember that cursed beings are not ant to reproduce? Every Dusk Star would adopt the Dawn Star as his child, but neither of them will ever reproduce," Healer Roro said. "What do you think will happen if our darling is bearing the child of a cursed being?"
...
The faerie court fell into silence because none of them dared to imagine what would happen to their darling. It was too grim, especially since they all genuinely loved their darling and wanted the best for her.
"Let’s pray that Grandma Tree will be able to handle this problem. We... we cannot lose another darling," Elder Toto said.
*
Sisi was brought into the garden inside the massive tree. She saw her grandmother still using the face of a kind old lady, smiling at her pitifully and opening her arms.
"Why don’t you hug your old grandma, dearest?"
If today’s eting wasn’t abrupt and forceful, Sisi would’ve run to hug her grandmother, as she was the only family Sisi had, and a loving grandmother in all accounts considered.
However, it was different today, because Sisi stayed in the spot, staring at her grandmother with eyes full of grievance.
Grandma sighed as she realized that Sisi must’ve been angry at her situation.
"Co here, dearest. Let tell you why I have to bring you back once we found out that you are pregnant, and this is important, dearest, because..." Grandmother paused for a mont before adding, "... it involves your life."
That last sentence effectively made Sisi lower her guard imdiately. She sensed that her grandmother was serious, so she finally walked towards Grandma and hugged her.
"I’m sorry, Grandma. I was... upset. The flytrap swallowed right in front of my son and my husband. They must’ve been panicking by now."
"I know, dearest. I’m sorry for making it too abrupt, but I had to do it because you were going to stubbornly stay in the Beast Kingdom had I not done that," Grandma said while hugging her back. "You’re supposed to return in about a week, but I’m sure you’ll try to extend it."
Her grandma’s prediction was correct. There was no way she could actually leave the Beast Kingdom in a week, especially since it coincided with Jojo’s birthday. It would be far too cruel to leave the boy while he was at his happiest.
But wasn’t this just as cruel, because Jojo had to witness such a terrifying event of seeing his mother getting swallowed by a giant plant?
Nevertheless, Sisi’s focus wasn’t on those.
She was more concerned about the fact that this pregnancy would sohow harm her life.
Guided by her grandma, Sisi sat next to the Origin Spring, then she asked directly,
"Crush Tutu gave that seed right after she found out that I’m pregnant."
"Because this pregnancy is dangerous, dearest..."
"Why is it dangerous, Grandma? Aside from feeling exhausted, I’m doing just fine."
Grandma Tree looked down, staring at her own reflection in the Origin Spring. She sighed and replied,
"Because a faerie isn’t supposed to get pregnant, and a cursed being isn’t supposed to sire a child."
"Dearest, a faerie is born from the tears of Mother Nature. The fetus grows inside a dew, wrapped inside a leaf like a pupa, and once they are born, they’re ready to flap their wings and fly around. Then, the ancient tree will assign each of them to a family, so they will not lack parental love."
"A cursed being, on the other hand, is never ant to form a family. They can’t sire a child. Even Jojo is not your husband’s real son, right?" Grandmother ntioned, and she was absolutely right.
"In every era, the Dusk Star will always find the Dawn Star and adopt him. They will be unbeatable until their eventual demise, and none of them will ever have a happy ending, because they are born as vessels to contain the Darkness in Roc Forest."
Sisi’s heart sank when her grandma said that. She rembered how much Kael loved her and cared for his people, and Jojo...
Jojo was cursed, but he had never done anything wrong up until now. He had been a good boy, a kind one who wanted to make friends and also wanted to hunt for his family.
He was as simple and good as a boy his age could be.
Sisi couldn’t imagine Jojo dying alone and in agony. Her instinct as a mother kicked in, and she asked,
"But Grandma, how about now? My husband and son are good. The Beast Kingdom is a proper civilization in the north. Surely, it amounts to sothing to cancel out their fate, right?"
"... The Dusk and Dawn Stars of this era are different, for sure. They are less bloodthirsty, and the Dusk Star even established a kingdom for his son to inherit. But destiny is forceful. You cannot fight it, and their destiny is like that."
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