I’m on fire!!!

  Only moments after allowing this feeling of safety to lull me into lowering my guard, a fireball flew to greet me!Now I’m in the center of an inferno!An inferno that, no matter which way I fly, follows my movements precisely!Even the gust of wind that spilled from my wings of its own accord did nothing but cause the fme to roar louder!Stupid fairy magic!

  To make matters worse, Nibi isn’t helping me!Likely, because she’s busy fighting the fire directed at her!I’m going to be burned alive!!I can’t get out!!!

  But…it doesn’t hurt.

  Halting my panicked attempts at escaping the bze, I hover in pce and try to work out what is happening.I’ve certainly been darting about long enough that I ought to have felt some effects from the fmes.However, while the heat feels much greater than that which comes from Mum’s cooking fire, and I’ve been surrounded by it for a short while, the fire isn’t burning me.In fact, even though I’m fully aware of the intensity of these fmes and am as unsettled as one might expect, my body feels no less comfortable within them as it did while flying outside of them.

  As I raise and look at my hand in confusion, it remains entirely unmarred by the searing fmes dancing all about.A few moments ter, I bring a lock of hair in front of my eyes and find it to be in the same perfect condition it has kept ever since I became a fairy.Movement outside of this fming bubble suddenly leads to me look outward, only to realize that my sight is scarcely even hampered, as with my odd eyes, I can see my surroundings clearly through the fire, though everything has a slight red hue.

  This must mean...I’m utterly immune to this bze, aren’t I?During the entire time I was panicking, this fire has genuinely caused no harm to me.

  *ditiditiditi*ditiditiditi*ditiditiditi*As I’m taking stock of my situation, fairy ughter rings out from all around.I’ve only just returned and it seems that I’m once again the entertainment for all those watching.Even Nibi, who is hovering nearby after having evidently escaped the other fme in some manner, is chuckling at me, as is typical for her.However, I’m not as ignorant as I was the st time I was here, even if, in my fright, I didn’t even attempt to put my magic to proper use.As well as, I suppose, my newfound ability.

  Focusing on the fire around me, I can easily tell that my magical defense, which all fairies have, reacted to my panic and has already begun scattering the essence in the fmes.Yet, since they contained a great deal of energy, and more importantly, weren’t truly harming me in any fashion, they only gradually diminished, leaving me terrified of the inescapable fire.At least with Nibi’s attacks, I had considerably less time to be frightened as they disappeared near instantly upon striking me.

  Directing my thoughts as I did with Nibi’s ice, it’s merely a few moments of focus before the fmes around me dim and then vanish, accompanied by the slightest strain in my chest.Once the fire disappears, Nibi comes up to me, looking uncharacteristically concerned for someone who was ughing at me a moment ago.

  “Akari.”

  As she speaks my name, she points near my feet.Immediately after gncing downward, I realize…The hem of my dress is afme!

  Quickly, I pat it out, as well as a few other tongues of fme along my sleeves.While it is still capable of performing its basic function for the time being, my dress is now scorched in several pces, and there’s a small hole in my left sleeve.It’s doubtful the fairies will be concerned with the state of my clothing, but I’ll need to sew myself another as soon as I return home.Preferably, I would be able to change into a different dress before anyone I care about sees me this way, but I don’t have a rge selection when it comes to my garments.Speaking of which, while this body of mine must be impervious to fire, it’s quite clear that my clothes are not.Yet it seems that something about me protected my dress to a degree.The heat I felt surely would have burnt it to a cinder otherwise.

  *ditiditiditi*The surrounding fairies have ceased their ughter, but there are two a short distance from me that continue to loudly express their mirth.Two fairies who both happen to have red hair and wings and are wearing red petal dresses.Seems I found the ones who attacked me.Though, now that I think about it, to a fairy, fire seems to be as harmless as spshing water.Should I consider it to be any more dangerous than throwing a snowball?And would they simply be confused if I take serious offense to this…petty prank?...Doesn’t matter, they ruined my dress!

  With swift fps of my wings, I rush towards them.Yeah, sure, my magic will likely have no effect, but contrary to where I’ve been recently, all those who dwell here are of a simir size as me, and I’ve grown much more accustomed to my new form.Moreover, they started it, and from what little I’ve learned about fairies, most notably from Nibi’s actions, those watching are far more likely to simply enjoy the spectacle rather than try to stop me.Which means that I can attempt to get back at these two particur bastards.

  Yet as I draw near, I get the feeling that one of the pair is extremely familiar.While the leftmost of the giggling fairies is a girl I don’t believe I’ve ever met, the other is one of the rare few who has a boy’s appearance, and I could swear that I’ve seen his face before.But when?

  I bring myself to a stop as I attempt to muddle through my confusion.Searching through my memories, I do my best to remember who this is.While I do so, he flies up directly in front of me.

  “Oh, that was so much fun! You were hirious! Such a loud shriek at the sight of merely a little fme! Using wind just to try to fly away from fire! *diti* And your expression, it was perfect! *ditiditiditi*”

  I remember him!It took me a few moments, but when he came close, a foggy memory became clear in my mind.A memory of that terrible night.He’s the one who flew in my face and whirled fire at me when I attempted to flee the fairies.He forced me back into the gde!Trapped me for…whatever caused me to become a fairy!And now, he’s ughing at me!!

  With a beat of my wings, I throw myself forward and punch him directly in the face.

  “Agh!”

  While I managed to elicit a cry from him, I don’t feel that it connected as well as I would have liked.Both of us flying above the ground made it a little difficult, and my incredibly light frame does not lend itself well to punching.It didn’t even make a mark on him.However, even with the momentary pain in my fist, that felt amazing.My pent up anger and frustration was sorely cking a target, as with her repeated kindness, I’ve never yet been able to bring myself to truly bme Nibi, but I’ve no such qualms with this fairy.

  “Ow! What did you do that for!?”

  It only takes him a moment to recover, and along with his words, a small puff of fire surges towards me.However, this time I’m prepared.I focus, and the fmes sputter and fade directly before reaching me.Once they’re gone, I yell back.

  “You deserved it! Both for what you helped do to me and for burning my dress!”

  “What!? I’ve never seen you before! And if you like the dumb dress so much, why didn’t you just keep it protected from the fmes!? As fun as fighting is, that’s a very confusing reason to bring fists into this!”

  Does he not recognize me?I believe I have the correct fairy.Perhaps he didn’t see me after I became this way?

  “I’ve only been a fairy since the lot of you forced me to become one! I don’t know how to protect my clothes from fire! I wasn’t even aware that I was immune to it myself before now!”

  “Yes, that was extremely amusing! *ditiditi*”

  And he’s ughing at me again.Yet, to my surprise, his expression quickly changes mid-ughter to one of comprehension.

  “Oh!! So you’re a newly-formed!? Or a fledgling? That would expin things…well, some things. Oooh, I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you join us for a bit!? You can learn how to keep your clothes intact and attempt to best me at a simple challenge at the same time. That ought to help sooth whatever gripe you have with me! And it will be fun! Come on, let’s py!!”

  Woah, that was sudden.A moment ago he was angry with me, but now he simply seems genuinely excited.Did he seriously disregard my actions so swiftly?But what was that phrase he used for me…a newly-formed?Meaning a fairy that was recently made?Yet I don’t imagine that humans become fairies often enough for such a phrase to mean only what happened to me in particur.It’s more likely to be something that applies to many fairies.Well, he also said fledgling, so it almost sounds like…Wait, is that their term for a young fairy?Did this brat just call me a child!?

  “A challenge you said? Fine, I’ll do it!! Wager it won’t be too difficult to best the likes of you!”

  “Hah, confident, are you? Well then, come, follow me!”

  “Yeah, sure! …Oh, um, before we go, will it take long?”

  As much as I want to teach this boy a lesson, I do still need to soon find a moderately helpful and knowledgeable fairy I can ask questions of, after all.And I certainly won’t be asking him!

  “Pssh, not at all. You’ll have plenty of time left in the day afterwards.”

  As he begins flying away, the other fire fairy, who had simply been observing our spat as I thought she would, joins him.I begin following as well, but as I do so, Nibi comes alongside me.

  “Akari?”

  Her tone is that of slight concern.Should I be worried about what I just agreed to do?

  “This challenge isn’t dangerous, is it?”

  She contemptes for a moment before responding with a shrug.I suppose she doesn’t know what it consists of either.

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  At that, she collects water in her palm, points at it, and then points at the red fairies ahead of me.

  “Miep.”

  Ah.Her chosen element doesn’t pair well with fire.

  “You may wait here if you wish. I shouldn’t be long.”

  “No.”

  It seems that I didn’t understand her quite correctly.

  “Akari.”

  She points at my wings.When I follow her gesture with my gaze, I see small spshes of red amongst the other colors.Ever since that night I awoke with gloom flowing into my wings, I do my best to keep essences from entering on their own, but it must have seeped in when that fireball surprised me.But then she directs my attention to the fire fairies once more.

  “Miep.”

  Then another gesture at me, followed by her water.

  “Akari. No?”

  Oh!Her element doesn’t pair well with fire, which I suspect means the fairies don’t get along well either.So if I became one of them…

  “No, Nibi, I don’t believe I want to become a fire fairy. In fact, it would likely be best for everyone that I don’t. You needn’t worry.”

  “Miep!”

  And her smile has returned.

  Yeah, sure, it may be a method I could use to have her leave me be, but I don’t intend to allow any magic sufficient hold of me that I would risk permanently warping my personality.Especially, not fire!Moreover, sending Nibi away is…well…

  No longer a priority.