CHAPTER XV
"The Tree That Knew Too Much"
(Caelum's POV)
I stood in front of an ancient tree, older than memory, its twisted roots buried deep into the soil of time. The bark shimmered faintly with old magic, the kind that remembered things long after people had forgotten them.
Its eyes—yes, it had eyes—slowly opened in the trunk, glowing a soft green. And then, it spoke.
"Why do you stand before me, Princess Cael?" the tree asked, its voice like wind rustling through forgotten leaves. "What is it that you seek from me?"
I took a steady breath, placing a hand on its worn bark. "Ethan… I need to know the path to the human world. I know Finnian is still alive… and I know he's somewhere in that realm."
The tree was silent for a moment, before replying in a deep, mournful tone.
"I cannot tell you that. Finnian… wherever he is, he is content. He has chosen his life, and he does not wish to return."
My heart clenched, but I didn't back down. "He may be content, but are you? Staying in one place for centuries, watching the world turn without ever touching it again?"
The leaves above rustled, though there was no wind.
"I know what you're trying to do," Ethan said at last. "Fine. I'll tell you a way. But listen carefully."
I leaned in.
"There is a ritual," Ethan explained, "one that has existed in Fairyland for centuries. When a princess seeks to become Queen, she must reach the Mother Fairy's throne… without using her powers. Only then is she deemed worthy."
I nodded slowly. "I've heard of it. Isn't that ritual beginning again?"
"Yes," he replied. "Six princesses will set out on that sacred journey. If you want to reach Finnian… you must first win their hearts. Convince them to stand with you — or better yet, stand in their way. If no one reaches the Mother Fairy before you… then you hold the power to open the final gate."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why should I care about the other princesses? I can get there before any of them. I don't need their permission — or their friendship."
Ethan's bark creaked as if sighing. "You haven't heard everything yet, Cael."
He looked at me with eyes filled with ages of knowing.
"The Queen — Queen Luna — must have given you a flower when she sent you to the Mother Fairy… didn't she? A flower that can't be burned, broken, or altered by magic?"
I reached into the folds of my cloak and pulled it out. "Yes… I have it. But what of it?"
"That flower," Ethan said slowly, "is not just a charm. It is the key — to the seventh and final house."
My eyes widened.
"Seventh?" I echoed. "What are the other six?"
"They are homes — sacred places hidden across the realm," Ethan said. "Each one holds a piece of the final path. And their keys… are with those six princesses. Only when all keys are gathered can the final gate open."
I looked down at the flower in my hand, its petals still glowing with faint golden warmth.
"It's more than that, Cael," Ethan continued. "There's a prophecy — one most have forgotten. It says the purest soul in all of Fairyland will be your greatest threat… because it will bring about your downfall."
I felt a chill crawl down my spine.
"I know," I said finally. "That's why I've hidden my true form. I travel not as a fairy… but as a pixie. It's safer that way."
Ethan lowered his voice.
"The path ahead is dark, Princess. And you carry more secrets than you know. Secrets hidden by the Mother Fairy. Secrets buried by your father, Zerox. And most of all… secrets that Finnian himself never told you."
I swallowed hard.
"And the witches?" I asked. "What about the stories they tell?"
"They've hidden truths too," he replied. "But not out of fear. Out of fear of you. Your soul may have been born in darkness, Cael… but it won't stay that way forever."
His words struck something deep in me — a place I didn't want to look.
"I don't know what I'm becoming," I whispered. "But I need to finish this."
Ethan's branches stretched out above me like arms offering shelter. "Then go, Princess. And may you find what heals your wounds… and completes your unfinished story."
I looked up at him, grateful — though a thousand questions still burned inside me.
"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above the wind. "For everything."
"May the path show you who you are," the ancient tree replied. "And who you could still become."
And with that, I turned away from the tree of memory… and stepped back onto the path.
The journey to the throne had begun.
But the journey into my soul… was only just awakening.
"The Mirror and the Whisper"
How am I supposed to trust the words of a tree?
That thought echoed in my mind like a stubborn heartbeat as I walked away from Ethan — the ancient tree whose bark carried centuries of secrets. But even as his final words faded into the wind, I couldn't let go of the unease twisting in my chest.
There had to be a way to confirm the truth. A voice I could trust.
There was only one person who could clear this fog for me…
Princess Olivia.
I reached into the folds of my satchel and pulled out an object I hadn't used in years — my Wachan Yantra. A sacred artifact, forged from an ancient metal and set with a mirror polished to crystal clarity. Three rare gemstones — one red, one blue, and one green — gleamed faintly from its surface.
Only three fairies in the entire realm were ever chosen to wield this device.
And Olivia… she was one of them.
This wasn't just a mirror.
It was a communicator — a binding truth-teller that resonated with magical frequencies tied to the soul of the user.
It connected only when the heart was honest.
And when the need was true.
I held it up, breath caught in my throat.
"Olivia… Olivia, can you hear me?" I asked, my voice firm yet tinged with desperation. "It's me, Cael. I need you."
But there was no response.
Only silence.
A moment passed, then another — the silence growing heavier, more suffocating. I adjusted the yantra, trying again.
"Olivia?" I repeated, louder this time. "Can you hear me?!"
Still, nothing.
That's when I heard it.
A voice — not Olivia's — but soft, almost like a whisper against my thoughts.
Feminine. Steady.
Unknown.
"She can't hear you, Cael."
I froze.
My fingers tightened around the device.
"Who… who are you?" I asked cautiously, my heart beginning to race.
The voice was calm, neither kind nor cruel. "I'm someone who can still hear you. And I can tell… you have questions."
I narrowed my eyes. "Then answer one. Do you have a key? A house key — from the Ritual?"
A pause.
Then came the answer I didn't expect… but desperately needed.
"Yes," the voice said clearly. "I carry the key to the first house."
My breath caught.
The first house.
The beginning of the path to the Mother Fairy. The start of the Queen's Ritual. The one place where all destinies would intersect before the others even began.
"Why are you talking to me?" I asked, my voice low, measured. "Why not Olivia?"
"Because she's not ready," the voice answered. "She's still too close to her past. You… you've already begun to cut ties."
Something about that struck deep. Like a truth I hadn't accepted until now.
I looked into the mirror again, and though I saw only my reflection — I felt a presence watching me back.
"Then tell me," I said quietly, "what happens if I fail?"
The voice paused.
"Then the seventh house will never open… and the one soul you're trying to save — will forget you ever existed."
My heart trembled.
Not out of fear for myself…
But for what I might lose.
The yantra flickered once, then dimmed — the connection gone.
I was alone again.
But not empty.
I had a direction now.
A key had been found.
And more importantly… a warning had been given.
I looked up at the vast sky above Fairyland — pink clouds drifting like dreams not yet spoken.
The path was long. The players were many. And the rules were hidden.
But I had just taken one more step toward the truth.
And I knew, deep in my bones…
This was only the beginning.