"They're… alive?" Terra mumbles, her mouth hanging open. The people who disappeared are alright. That's fantastic news, but it's hard to believe.
The professor leans forward in her chair. "Yes, they're alive, and I have a plan to rescue them."
"So, my friends are okay?" Eila asks, tears still in her eyes. She must have been thinking of the kids she always played house with on the playground.
"Well, I wouldn't say that," the professor responds. "We definitely need to get them out of there, but we should be able to if you both follow the plan."
"What will it take to save them?" Terra asks. "Where did they go, and how did the fanice… there's no technology capable of making over a million people disappear. How did they do it?"
"Their technology is very different from ours'—if you can even call it technology. They call it 'magic'. Luckily, it has a scientific basis, much like everything else in the universe."
"Is it like what you were talking about in the lecture? Is this a part of their 'magical abilities' or something?" Terra tries to wrap her head around how that could work. Were the people teleported? Shoved through a wormhole? Blinked out of existence? Each theory she comes up with sounds more ridiculous than the last. It would take an incredible amount of energy to do even one of those things, and that's just in theory. No scientist on Planet Viatrix has even confirmed any of those things are possible. Whether by flying car or spaceship, travel takes a long time. It doesn't happen in the blink of an eye like they witnessed today.
"All you need to know is the people of Nadura City are alive," the professor continues. "Notice how they disappeared. Not a drop of blood was left behind. One moment, they were here. The next, they were gone. That could not have happened if the fanice killed everyone. They moved them… somewhere. As for where, I'm not completely sure."
Terra leans forward on the couch she sits on with Eila. "What do you mean you're not sure?"
"That kind of information is only shared with fanice royalty. You met one of them today, actually. That Gabriel… I could tell immediately who he was. He looks exactly like his parents. The royals of his bloodline have been planning this for centuries. The common fanice knew about the plan but were kept in the dark about the details. Meanwhile, people like me, well, it's a miracle I even know anything at all. I was a nosy kid when I lived in the fairy villages."
"Wait, what are you saying…?" Terra says, connecting the dots. "Are you a fanice, too?"
Professor Faramund smirks. Then, she spreads out her left hand, and from it, a light fills up the room. All three of them instantly cast shadows on the cottage's walls, and in that moment, the professor looks sinister. The light illuminates the bottom half of her face, and the top half is bathed in shadow. The candle on the desk goes out, and it levitates slightly off the table as if a ghost has grabbed hold of it. A hint of red flashes in the professor's normally blue eyes, but just as quickly, it goes away. Then, the light goes out, and the candle clatters back onto the table, the flame returning to its wick.
The girls are speechless. Terra's heart sinks, and she instinctively raises a hand in front of her sister. Eila looks just as shocked. They both stare at her, trembling.
"Don't worry, I'm only a half-fanice." the professor explains. "Born of a human and a fanice, I wasn't welcome. My mother and I switched from village to village until the royal guard caught us and eventually banished us. Then we tried to find my father and live with him on the surface, but we couldn't track him down. The feds eventually caught my mother and took her away from me. You see, her kind isn't allowed on the surface, and it was too hard to hide her wings and roots. After that, I was alone. I got a job, supported myself through college, and eventually became a professor. I guess that's why I took you two in when I saw you on the streets that day. I've been there, and it wasn't easy going it alone."
Terra's mood grows somber. "Professor, I…" She wipes her face, trying not to get emotional right now. "I had no idea. You never told us you had it so hard."
"Yeah, well, it's not something I like to remember. The day has finally come, though. The fanice have taken over the habitable zone of this planet. They're tired of being forced to live underground, and this is their way of getting revenge."
"Still though, to treat you like that even though your mother was one of them…" She can't imagine what they'd do to Terra and Eila if they found out they were human. She shivers at the thought. "So, I assume part of the plan is to pretend we're half or, umm, quarter fanice, like you told them?"
"Precisely. Luckily, my predictions were right. The current king is gone. I assume he's closer to the center of Nadura City, making sure even the most densely populated areas got cleared. It looks like his son has taken charge of this region for now. I don't get why, but he seems to want half fanice and full fanice to get along. We got lucky running into him. If it were any other fanice, we would have been in trouble."
"So, Gabriel is a prince?" Terra asks, although she already knows the answer. The way all those people backed down the second he commanded it of him, he's obviously in a position of power. To think someone that high up is interested in them—that can't bode well, even if he is more accepting.
"Yes, the only prince, I believe. He's next in line for the throne." She says that last line with resentment.
Eila bounces up and down in her seat. "He's a fairy prince? That's so cool! It's just like the stories my teacher sometimes reads in class."
"Yeah, except this time he's the bad guy," Terra reminds her. "If he finds out we're trying to rescue the people who disappeared, he's going to hurt us, or worse." It's a harsh thing to say, but her sister needs to know the stakes. Getting caught could mean death… or worse.
Eila frowns and sinks back into the couch. "I know. I just wanted to say it's cool. You don't have to remind me he's bad."
Professor Faramund smiles. She must be happy the little girl is having fun, even in these circumstances. Terra, too, doesn't know how Eila can always act so positive, but she always manages to make her smile. Even when their parents died, and they had nowhere to go, it was Eila who encouraged her to have hope. Terra is embarrassed to admit how much she relies on her little sister because she's still so young. Quite frankly, though, she cannot imagine life without her.
The professor takes a deep breath, ready to continue the explanation. "I see you girls understand the stakes. You two catch on quickly. I'm glad. Honestly, we shouldn't have seen any fanice until we found a private place where I could explain what had happened. Then, we would hunker down on the surface for a few days and come up with a plan. We weren't supposed to run into Gabriel, but you two handled it so well. I'm very proud of both of you."
"Thank you," Terra says. She now knows the reason for the discreet clothes. "It's good to know you didn't just throw us to the wolves."
She laughs at that. "Never. I love you two like my own daughters. Now, let me tell you the plan." The professor reaches into her pockets and pulls out two circle-shaped devices. They're flat on the top and bottom and fit into the palms of her hands, a lot like a fire alarm in the roof of a home. She hands one to each of them. "These aren't the perfect solution, but they should fool the fanice into believing you're one of them. I built them myself, and they're designed to mimic fae magic. Give them a try. They're touch activated."
Terra touches the center of the device, and it lights up. The circular screen is separated into four quadrants, each with a different color: yellow, green, red, and pink. Each section has a symbol on it as well: a sun for yellow, a tree for green, a plus sign for red, and finally, a brain for pink. She taps the sun symbol, and suddenly, light comes out of her hands. She accidentally aims it at her face, and the sight is blinding. "Woah!"
The professor quickly intervenes, tapping the yellow quadrant again. It goes dark, and so does the light from her hands.
"D-Did she just do magic?" Eila asks, her dark eyes sparkling.
"Yes, if you'd like to call it that." the professor says. "I've been working on these devices for years. I call them 'gyps'. They give one the illusion of fae elements, even if the person using them is human."
Eila starts rapidly tapping her device, and all at once, her hands begin glowing with different kinds of lights: yellow pillars, green sparkles, and red pulses. The colors are overwhelming, and Terra swears she can see some pink particles in the air, too.
Professor Faramund snatches the device away from the child and shuts it off. "You may be a little young for this. I'll keep yours' for now."
"Nooooo," Eila moans. "Give it back! I want to do magic."
The professor sighs. "Look, the gyps don't even do real magic. They're all illusions. When a fanice casts a spell, there's usually some sort of light effect. That's all these devices do. It makes it look like you're casting magic, but make no mistake, it's just smoke and mirrors. You must never let the fanice find out the spells are fake. If they do, I won't be able to save you." She's looking at Terra now with a serious expression.
"How do these things work when all technology is down?" Terra asks, growing confused by this 'illusion' explanation.
"Their attack only stopped human technology from functioning. I've added some… modifications to these so they can still be used."
She stares at the gyp, wondering how it could be different from any other common device. "Will Eila be okay without this?" she asks. If they're this important, her sister should learn to use one.
"She may have to use it eventually, but yes, she'll be alright for now. Most fanice kids her age don't know how to use magic very well. We could say her spells are too unstable to use and that we're still working on teaching her magic. It's not a permanent solution, but it will buy us time."
"Okay, as long as she'll be safe." Terra stares at the device, unable to believe this little circular block is her lifeline. Her head is spinning. Just this morning, she was at school, and they were about to pick up Eila. It was a typical day. Now, everyone is gone, and if they don't want to be next, they have to pretend they're one of the enemy. She wishes they could fight through the fanice and rescue humankind, but it seems they are much more powerful than them.
"I'm glad the fanice were so quick to invite us into their village. That will make things much easier." the professor continues. "Terra, since Gabriel seems to be interested in you, I need you to get closer to him. Distract him and learn as much about his plans as you can. The last thing I need is a royal breathing down my neck when I'm trying to figure out where they transported the missing people."
Terra's breath catches in her throat. "You want me… to distract the most powerful fanice in the area?"
"You can do it, especially once I give you this." Professor Faramund reaches towards her, her left-hand pulsating red. Terra instinctually leans back.
"It's alright," she reassures her. "This will make you immune to any hostile fanice spells. I can only use it on one person. That should be you. Eila can stay with me while I investigate, but you may have moments where you're alone with multiple fanice."
Terra pushes her hand away. "Are you assuming I'm going to get caught?"
The professor lowers her hand. "No, it's simply a precaution."
"Well, I refuse," she declares. "Put it on Eila. If things go south, I need to know she'll be safe."
"That's a bad idea, Terra." the professor says, her voice growing dark.
"If it can only be used on one person, I'd rather it be her. I'll be fine, professor. I'll learn to use this gyp, and I won't get caught."
"No, Terra!" Eila yells. "Listen to the professor! I will be fine."
"You're only six!" Terra screams. "You were supposed to have a normal childhood, worrying about normal kid things like grades and making friends---not surviving whatever kind of apocalypse this is. We spent enough time surviving. If you make me take that spell, I will feel like I've failed you. So please, let me make sure you're safe, at least." Her lower lip trembles, and she feels like she is losing control.
Her family stares at her for a second, shocked. It's clear they don't know what to say next. Finally, Eila wordlessly clutches her hand. "Okay," she says softly.
"W-Wait, you'll take it?" Terra asks, her voice shaking.
"Yeah, I'll take it."
The professor doesn't question the girls' decision, although she doesn't agree with it. Her hand turns red again, and she places it on Eila's head. "By order of my authority, I grant immunity to you." Eila's whole body glows red for a second. Then it fades away.
"I don't… feel any different," she says.
"That's perfectly normal," Professor Faramund explains. "You are immune, though. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it, but you will be okay if things go south. Terra, let me teach you how to use the gyp. Then, we'll settle into our new home. We have much to do."
The former university student nods softly, tightening her grip on the device. If this is what it takes, she will pass as one of them. Her sister—her family's safety depends on it. She must put her trust in the professor and prepare to rescue the humans of this planet. She now knows her role. She'll distract Gabriel and keep the royals' attention off Professor Faramund. Then, when the professor finds out where the people went, hopefully they'll be able to rescue them.
Terra still doesn't understand how any of this happened, but at least she has a direction now. Whatever the professor has planned, it'll work. It has to.
…
It's been a few hours, and Terra finally feels like she's got the hang of her magic simulator.
The professor's lesson was brief. She explained that each of the four quadrants represented a different type of magic: the sun is for light and electricity, the tree is for plants, and the plus sign is healing. The only one she didn't cover was the brain. Terra asked why she skipped that, and the professor said if she has to use that, she'd better prepare to run, because it won't be long before they catch on that she's faking. She then asked why the professor would include a setting like that if it doesn't work, and she said it would make a good distraction. Of course, Terra tried to ask for more details, like the type of magic it is. Professor Faramund only had one more word for her: telekinesis. She remembered the pink particles that came off of Gabriel when they first met. Was that the type of magic he was using? What, exactly, was he doing with it?
Terra lays on her bed, holding the gyp over her head and pondering these questions. She is now in the black pants they bought at the mall, because she'll need deep pockets to hide this thing. For her shirt, she wears a grey tank top with silver stripes. They stretch like claw marks across the design. Terra practices turning each of the three effects of the device on and off, as she has for hours. She's even stood up and walked around, activating the spells from inside her pocket. At this point, she's memorized where each quadrant is, much like how she studied the types of cells in the human body for her last biology test. No matter what kind of magic the fanice tell her to do, she will look like she knows how to use it.
Knock Knock
"Hello, Faramunds. Are you ready?" Gabriel has shown up at the door.
It must already be the evening. It's now or never.
The trio takes one more look at each other, determination in each of their gazes. Then, Professor Faramund goes to answer him.
…
The professor opens the door, and three fanice walk in. Gabriel, the intimidating woman they saw earlier, and a petite red-haired lady with tan roots on her face and lime green wings. She wears a matching green dress, and her eyes are the same color. The fanices' eyes always match their wings. Terra wonders how they evolved to be that way, but she doubts she'll get an answer to that any time soon.
Gabriel smiles at Terra. "I hope you're all ready. We'll be helping people move to the surface now. This is Michaela, my bodyguard. You met her earlier." He points to the big woman with the violet wings. Michaela frowns at them. "And this is her girlfriend, Ariel," he continues, gesturing to the petite lady. "She insisted on tagging along. She really wanted to meet the three of you."
"H-Hello," Ariel says, waving timidly.
"It's good to meet you both officially," the professor says. "We look forward to helping out."
"Great, today will be easy." He walks outside onto the stone-littered path. Everyone else files out behind him. "Some people have gone to the surface already, but most fanice in the village are scared. You see, they've never been outside before. So, I figured some experienced people could guide them. The three of you can help escort them outside and tell them some fun facts about the surface. I believe it'll ease their nerves."
Michaela crosses her arms and glares back at the trio. "Or they'll make them more nervous."
Gabriel sighs. "Michaela, we talked about this. Be kind. These people may not have wings, but they're fanice all the same."
"Yeah, honey," the redhead, Ariel, adds. Look at them. They must be scared half to death, being out of their element like this." She holds her hand, and the two of them make quite an interesting pair. Michaela is twice Ariel's size, and her hand completely engulfs her girlfriend's. Unlike on the surface, no one around bats an eye, though. It seems the fanice may be more accepting of what is considered "different" in their society.
The group walks around the corner, past the fields of flowers and clutches of cottages, and finally arrives where they came from: the cavernous entrance Gabriel led them down only hours ago. Terra holds Eila's hand, trying to steady her breathing. Part of her is expecting to go to the surface and see the city as it was—crowded with people and ships, bursting with life and activity. If only it were that easy to recover from this nightmare.
At the end of the cave, there are two large groups: one standing against the wall on the left side and the other on the right. The group approaches the left side first. This crowd has wings all colors of the rainbow and grass-woven satchels at their sides. When they see the approaching group, their eyes light up.
"Prince Gabriel!"
"Are these the surface friends you told us about?"
"I still don't trust them."
"Look at the little one. She's so cute!" One of them shouts, pointing at Eila. The little girl hides behind her sister.
"Yes yes, this is them. Please don't overwhelm them. They're here to serve as your guides." He then turns and talks in a low voice to the group, clearly only meaning for them to hear this. "Are the three of you okay with splitting up?"
Terra's heart skips a beat. She notes the group on the other side of the cavern. There must be two exits, and one group seems to want to leave from each. It makes sense, considering the narrowness of the hallways. Still, she looks to the professor.
Professor Faramund nods. "It's not a problem." She gives Terra a look as if telling her, Don't worry. You can do it. She doesn't even feel close to ready, but she must trust the professor's plan.
"Alright, how would you like to split up, then?" Gabriel asks. He then makes eye contact with Terra again, as if hoping she'll go with him.
There are only two options here; either Eila goes with her sister, or she goes with the professor. No way are Terra and the professor going together and leaving her sister alone with these creatures, especially not the one who's supposedly fanice royalty. She wants Eila as far away from him as possible. Realizing this and remembering the role she has to play in their scheme, the decision's a no-brainer. "I'll go with you, Gabriel. My… mother and sister will stay together."
"Very well then," he says, sounding satisfied. "Ariel, Michaela, you two should go with Damira and the little one."
Michaela seems to hesitate for a moment. She glares at Terra, then looks at the professor and Eila, crossing her arms.
"You don't have a problem with that, right Michaela?"
She sighs. "No, sire. Come, you two. There are many fanice leaving from the house tunnel who would like to meet you." She and her girlfriend lead the two of them towards the other group.
That exchange was… strange. There's still some hostility between them. Gabriel and Michaela clearly have different views on how "half-fanice" should be treated, yet Michaela didn't push back much when it came to splitting up. She's supposed to be the prince's bodyguard, and she seemed less than happy to see them in the village yesterday. Why is she more agreeable all of a sudden?
Terra doesn't have time to think about that, though, as she notices her sister look back at her from their separate group. Despite the circumstances, Eila smiles at her. Terra smiles back, trying to reassure her that everything will be okay, but she's unsure of that herself.
Still, she knows she made the right decision. With the professor by her side, her sister will be as safe as she can be.
As for Terra…
She meets those inhuman turquoise eyes and gives the greatest fake smile of her life.
"I look forward to helping you and your people."