Nibi and I accompany the fire fairies as they fly towards the northern boundary of the gde, and when they suddenly dip below the immense blossoms beneath us, I quickly follow.There, an odd sight presents itself.

  Simir to the water springs Nibi directed me to before, directly ahead there is a small portion of nd cleared of flowers, though they still grow near enough to hide its existence, and at this pce there is a pit, half a meter deep, the walls of which appear to be solid stone.Moreover, instead of pools of water, there are several ponds, fairy sized, filled with a brightly glowing, orange substance.One that I’ve never previously id eyes on and haven’t the faintest idea as to what it is.Yet it seems to be somewhat fluid, as there are tiny streams flowing between them.Worryingly, there are no growing pnts along these shores, no living things of any kind.Instead, hard, bck rock borders the brilliant flow, while glowing coals and ash cover the ground.Fming leaves, branches, and even small logs of various sizes are scattered about, some nearly whole, while others are almost consumed.Truly, other than the glowing streams, this pce seems quite simir to the inside of Garen’s furnace.

  Nevertheless, scores of red fairies py nearby, some within the substance, others along the bck shore or flying overhead, and more than a few somehow walking directly on the streams.From up above, some fairies are dropping sticks into the pit, with one group even carrying what appears to be an entire dead branch, which ignite before they even hit the ground, and then proceeding to merrily dance with one another inside the resulting fmes.While some of them are wearing red petals as a dress, many are wearing nothing at all, most notably the ones within the glowing streams.Yet as I gnce about, I also spot various fairies wearing some unusual garments.For the moment, I’m uncertain what the clothing is made from, but they all have simir colors: bck, red and white.

  However, before I can study them further, something else catches my eye.Within one of the ponds towards the edge of the pit, several fairies seem to be pying a form of tag by chasing each other with whirls of fire.Oh…or perhaps not pying.Considering the yelling and hitting and spping, I believe they’re fighting, albeit in a manner suitable only for children, which all the fairies appear to be.Although, there is considerably more fire involved than in any of my childhood brawls that I remember, with fmes flying from them in every direction, but just as it was for me, it appears to be entirely harmless for them as well.Occasionally, a fairy gnces towards the fighters but then ignores them and returns to whatever they were doing.It would appear the squabble doesn’t warrant any attention even from these entertainment seeking fairies.Perhaps they’re always like this?

  The boy I’ve been following joins a group floating nearby, while the other fairy nds a short distance from one of the smaller pools, which is currently unoccupied, and waves at me to join her.As I alight beside her, a slight smell reminiscent of rotten eggs assaults my nose, but that seems to come from this pce itself.Her personal perfume is much more akin to that of rich smoke, like that which fills the smokehouse for drying meats.While not a terrible aroma, I’m not certain that I would enjoy my scent reminding one of a good meal.Too many creatures have tried to consume me as it is.

  Even though I nded, Nibi comes to a halt above me and hovers not far away.It seems she doesn’t wish to come any closer to whatever this orange stuff is.Considering all the fire fairies nearby, I assume it’s full of the corresponding essence.

  The red-winged girl then excitedly turns to me.

  “A few fairies thought of a really fun game some time ago, and we’ll soon be ready to py again! I’m sure you pying with us will make it even better! Oh, but before we start, you should burn that odd dress. New fairies usually get distracted when their outfit catches fire. Only the most skilled fairies wear anything at all.”

  No!I don’t care if it’s what they do, I’m not taking off my dress!There were likely far too many of them who saw me without my clothes during my first visit to this gde.I am not going to add to their number!Moreover, it seems it would only encourage them to treat me more like a child!And that coming from these brats!

  “My dress will be staying on, thank you very much. But I would like to know how to keep it in one piece.”

  “Why? You can just get another ter. Well, yours is a bit weird, but it’s not that impressive. And I doubt you’ll be able to keep it from turning to ash anyways.”

  “Well I won’t know till I try, and I’m certainly not pying without my clothes!”

  My words cause her to look at me oddly.

  “You’re a strange one… but if that’s what you want. The simplest way is to merely focus on directing the fire essence away from your garment, if you think you can do it. But I doubt you can keep even that little pool of va over there from burning it. Anyways, when you’re ready to join our game, fly to the rger pool over there, and you’ll be told what comes next. Oh, and if you can, bring the blue one. Be quick!”

  With that, she flies away.

  Well, she didn’t offer the clearest instructions I’ve ever heard, but it should be enough for me to work with.This dress is also already damaged, thanks to these fairies, so if I make small mistakes, it shouldn’t matter.I’ll need to repce it soon anyways.

  Walking towards the orange fluid she called va, which has several fming branches lying near it, I feel a foreign energy rapidly increasing in pressure.This must be fire essence.While it’s all about this area, it’s certainly the strongest near these glowing pools.I suppose if I’m to ward it off, I ought to get a little familiar with it, so I’ll allow just a tiny bit more into my wings.

  Hmm, besides the obvious heat, there’s a…spirited or…passionate feeling to it.As well as a…flickering?Honestly, this red energy doesn’t feel bad, but I’m not going to absorb enough to discover what it does to my mind.I don’t intend to ever carry enough of this essence that I would be required to know its greater effects.Mum already says I’m dangerous with our small cooking fire, so if I ever fill myself with this essence, there’s far too great a chance that I would burn the entire vilge to the ground!

  Okay, now that I’m certain what to look for, I can decide what to do about it.Focusing with my magical senses, I’m able to tell that the surrounding fiery energy has begun seeping into my clothes.If that girl’s instructions were correct, I just need to bar this essence from entering them.That shouldn’t be too difficult.

  Recalling the feeling that keeps the gloom from invading my wings at night, I attempt to instead apply it to my body.A few moments of focusing ter, an odd flowing sensation begins throughout me, and I feel the magic start to become repulsed a short distance from my skin.Thankfully, the distance includes my clothes, causing the essence around me to avoid my dress entirely.Granted, the feeling is rather uncomfortable and it requires a little concentration, but it’s bearable.

  Several minutes of practicing ter, I believe I’m ready.Hence, after returning to Nibi who was waiting above, we both fly towards the pool that was pointed out to me, taking care to skirt around the brawl that is still continuing.While only slightly rger than the one I was at previously, there are several peculiarities about this pond.The first of which is that, a short distance away, several fairies with brown wings, earth fairies, are sitting peacefully on the rock.Considering all the other fairies in this part of the gde have red wings, they seem rather out of pce here, leading me to wonder what could lure them to this fiery pit.From my own experiences, I know they don’t enjoy travelling, preferring to remain in one pce if possible.Yet even more peculiar than they, are the series of small pools set around the rger pond.What is strange about these is not only the fact that they are perfectly circur and have a dry, stone moat about them, no, it’s that some of the pools are filled with water!Why would fire fairies have that element in their game?

  As I’m surveying the area, the girl from before flies up to me.

  “Oh, you’re ready! And your dress isn’t burnt yet. That’s actually a little impressive. I might even be able to make use of that…”

  She pauses, seemingly lost in thought.I’m uncertain how my success at keeping my clothes from burning would aid her, but after waiting a few moments, I attempt to regain her attention.

  “Um, what should I do now?”

  “Hmm? Oh, yes, you need to be part of the game! There’s a problem though. You’re a bit te, so if you want to py, you’ll need to fill one of the pools with water. Yet, it seems you have a blue ally, so I’m certain she could help you with that! It doesn’t matter which one, merely pick any empty pce! Hurry!”

  “Okay… Um, Nibi, would you please fill that one for me?”

  “Yes!”

  While she proceeds to do just that, willing to help me, as always, but clearly disliking how close to the va she has to fly, judging by her disgusted expression, the fire fairy continues speaking.

  “The game should be easy enough for you to understand. Rocks will be thrown over the va, and you’ll have to catch them and throw them into your pool of water. When the water spshes out, it will go into the ground through those little holes. In order to win, all you have to do is have the most water flow down underground. Hmm…what were the green’s rules again..? Ah, right!”

  She starts counting on her fingers.

  “No using magic to collect more than one rock at once, no directly interfering with another fairy’s rock gathering in any way, and no meddling with any of the water that has already entered the caverns below. Was there more..? Oh, and, of course, no one outside of the pond may interfere, nor may you leave till the game is complete. I believe that was all..? Yes. Oh, look! It’s about to begin! Quickly, nd on the va directly in front of your pool! When the explosion happens, the game starts! Have fun!”

  So I just have to pce rocks in the water?Sounds very much like a children’s game to me.Something quite suitable for these fairies.

  How difficult could it possibly be?