CHAPTER XXVII
"The Final Question, the Silent Fairy"
The forest stilled — more than before. The trees stopped whispering. The glowing vines paused mid-drift. Even the very ground beneath our feet seemed to fall silent, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Ethan's voice, deep and ancient, broke through that silence.
> "Now comes the third question," he declared.
"But this time… I will not ask it to you, Princess Celeste."
I blinked in confusion, turning slightly as I followed his gaze.
He wasn't looking at me anymore.
He was looking past me — straight at her.
The fairy from Lunaria Noir.
The one with black wings and a guarded soul.
She took a half-step back, her expression unreadable.
> "You mean… me?" she asked, her voice calm but alert, ready to resist.
> "Yes," Ethan replied firmly. "You too must answer if you wish to pass from this house to the next. No soul may walk forward while carrying a lie."
For the first time since we entered this cursed forest, uncertainty flickered in her eyes.
She wasn't afraid — not exactly — but… wary.
Like a thousand thoughts suddenly pressed into her mind at once.
I turned toward her, gently.
> "It's okay," I said softly. "Whatever the question is… just tell him the truth."
But she shook her head. Just once.
> "No," she whispered. "I will not answer."
Her refusal didn't come from fear — it came from something deeper. Something buried.
Like a wound not yet healed… or a secret too painful to name.
Ethan's glow dimmed slightly.
> "Then you may not leave this house," he said, his voice sorrowful but unyielding.
"That is the rule. Those who withhold truth are trapped until they're ready to speak it."
The silence after was heavy.
I wanted to speak. To plead with her.
But I didn't.
Instead, she stood still for a long time, her head bowed — as if a storm was unfolding quietly inside her.
Then finally…
She breathed in slowly.
> "Fine," she said.
"Ask."
Her voice was low, but steady now.
And though her eyes still held shadows… they also held resolve.
Ethan's branches curled like they were leaning forward.
> "Then listen closely, fairy of Lunaria Noir…"
> "What truth are you hiding…
that, if spoken aloud, could destroy everything you've sworn to protect?"
---
The forest waited.
So did I.
And the fairy — the one who once saved me without saying a word —
Was now the one who had to speak the words that might break her.
"The Secret of Seven Sins"
The air grew heavy.
The fairy — silent until now — finally let out a long, slow breath. A breath that felt like it had been held for centuries.
Then…
A dangerous smile appeared on her face.
It wasn't wicked.
It wasn't kind.
It was something in between — like a dagger wrapped in silk.
And with quiet confidence, she spoke.
> "I am hiding the secret of the Seven Sins…
and the only protection I offer is to myself."
Her words didn't tremble.
They didn't falter.
And yet, when they fell into the silence of the forest, it was like a thunder had rolled through the ground. Even the glowing vines shivered slightly. The bark of the great tree darkened for a brief moment.
Ethan, the ancient soul bound in treeform, turned his full attention to her.
> "You are clever," he said, his voice neither approving nor accusing.
"And brave. To carry such truth… and still stand tall."
Then, turning toward both of us, his voice softened.
> "You have both passed. This trial is over."
> "Now… together…
touch my leaf — and move on to what awaits."
The moment he said it, the fairy didn't hesitate.
She turned to me and, without waiting, reached for my hand.
Her fingers wrapped tightly around mine — warm, steady, certain.
And just like that… she pulled us both forward.
We walked to the great tree's side. A single golden leaf had descended, glowing faintly, suspended just at eye level.
Together — hand in hand — we reached out and touched it.
The second our fingers brushed its surface…
A blinding light erupted from the tree — not harsh, but radiant, like a sun blooming from within.
I flinched.
But when I turned to look at her — the fairy who had walked through fire and shadows with me —
She was smiling.
Not with that dangerous smile from before.
But with something purer… calmer.
As though the light wasn't burning her — it was freeing her.
Then it happened.
A deep sound split the air, like cracking stone, and with a thunderous roar, the tree before us — the ancient Ethan — began to split apart from the center.
I gasped.
Had she… killed him?
> "No," I whispered to myself. "What have you done…?"
But just then, from within the shattered trunk, emerged a figure.
Not terrifying.
Not monstrous.
But brilliant — wearing long, dark robes and a pointed hat, the kind only witches wore.
And his presence… glowed with centuries of power.
His eyes, once hollow wood, now gleamed with emotion.
He was… human again.
Whole. Free.
> "Ethan…" I breathed.
He stepped out of the tree slowly, as if tasting the air of life for the first time in ages.
The fairy stepped forward, and with a half-smile, said:
> "Come, Ethan. How does it feel… to finally be free?"
Ethan looked at her — and then dropped to his knees before her.
> "I am grateful," he said softly.
"And may the gods grant Celeste what I could never have…
For it is because of her… that I am finally free."
I stared at him, stunned.
Me?
I had freed him?
But the fairy, still holding my hand, shook her head slowly.
> "No, Ethan," she said. Her voice was calm, but final.
"What you desire… can never be."
Her words hit the air like frost.
And though Ethan did not speak again, I could feel the ache behind his silence.
A part of me knew…
He had once loved deeply.
And that love had betrayed him.
Now, he stood not just as a man freed — but as a soul forever marked by sorrow.
---
And so we left the House of Truth and Lies…
With truths revealed.
Hearts tested.
And a mystery deeper than before.
The secret of the Seven Sins still lingered in her eyes.
And I… had no idea what waited ahead.
But I was no longer the same girl who entered that forest.
Because now… I knew this journey was no longer just about love.
It was about justice.
Secrets.
And the past that refused to stay buried.
To be continued...