She had short white hair and wore a pink outfit. Tiny sparkles floated around her as she zipped through the air, inspecting William.
The blacksmith was unamused, perhaps even slightly annoyed."Oh, it's just a pixie."
The pixie pouted, "Lilly is very annoyed by your boring reaction!"
Pixies were a common species in Heratia. William had seen many during his travels as a merchant. They specialized in creating potions and elixirs—not exactly the toughest race out there. Pixies were more academic by nature. They sold their concoctions at suspiciously low prices, which only reinforced the idea that they were using their customers as test subjects. Even so, their homeland was rich in herbs known to enhance healing and strength—probably thanks to their efforts. William always kept his distance from them. He had no interest in becoming one of their experiments.
He sighed, "What is a small, frail pixie doing in such a dangerous place? Actually, what is a pixie doing in the Lost Forest at all? Don't your kind usually live in the south?"
The pixie gasped, insulted, "How dare you?! For your information, Lilly is a strong and capable pixie! Some would even say she's the best of her kind!"
"You say that, but it's hard to take you seriously when you look like an adorable little kid..."
It was a common struggle for pixies—they were intelligent, but their childlike appearance made it difficult for other races to treat them seriously.
"Lilly will have you know she's fought monsters of all shapes and sizes!" she declared, throwing dramatic punches and kicks into the air, "Lilly even participated in some of the great wars!"
William scratched his cheek, "The last war was around a hundred years ago... How old are you?"
The pixie twitched, "My, what a rude boy—asking Lilly such a thing. And what's a young man like you doing here, hmm?"
The blacksmith gave a wry smile, "I guess I am young by your standards—"
"—What?"
If looks could kill, William would've been dead on the spot. Who knew something so cute could look so murderous?
He cleared his throat, "I was just looking for some wood and happened to stumble across this place. It's really nice."
The pixie puffed out her chest with pride, "Heh-heh-heh! Lilly has been taking care of this area all by herself!"
"Wow, that's amazing."
The flowers were vibrant and healthy. The grass was a brilliant green—much brighter than anything he'd seen near the tunnel—and the trees looked so sturdy that not even a storm could bring them down.
The pixie landed on William's head, "I'll let you in on a secret: it's all thanks to Lilly's amazing pixie dust!"
"Pixie dust... where have I heard that before?"
"It's excess mana from strong magic users," she explained. "Pixies call it 'pixie dust' to help sell it. Basically, the mana is harvested and used in medicine. It's a newly discovered practice. I tested it on some little kids the other day—it worked wonders!"
—So that was your doing...
William recalled waking up in that odd duo's tent. They had used one of the vials containing pixie dust to help treat his injuries.
—That stuff really does work.
William glanced around, genuinely impressed, "Still, it's amazing what a little pixie dust can do."
"Lilly is still in the process of releasing pixie dust," she said proudly. "Lilly is very strong! So Lilly releases a lot of pixie dust!"
William gave her a skeptical look.
"It's true!" she insisted. "Lilly only releases this much once a year, though. To avoid causing a fuss, Lilly hides away until it wears off. Lilly also uses that time to check on the forest's condition."
"That kind of seems like a waste..."
From an economic standpoint, William thought it made more sense for her to stay with her kind. She could've sold her pixie dust and helped her people climb higher in society. But at the same time, flooding the market with it would drive potion and booster prices down due to easy access.
—Then again, they're already affordable. Maybe pixies just don't care about money... or maybe they don't fully understand how to market it.
"Pixie dust—or mana in general—can be very dangerous if it builds up too much," she added. "Lilly could go boom!"
William's eyes widened, "Boom?"
The pixie nodded solemnly, "Yes, boom! At least for Lilly. It also attracts monsters. That's why I stay away from the village when it happens. But don't worry—Lilly put up a barrier around this place. Any wandering beasts would get fried if they stepped in here!"
That explained a lot. William hadn't seen any of the usual monsters that lurked in the Lost Forest. The barrier must've been keeping them out, and the mana inside was likely drawing them in. In his mind, it resembled a mousetrap: the mana was the bait, and the barrier was the snap.
"If that's the case... have you sensed any monster that can multiply in the area?"
The pixie paused to think, "Lilly did spot a strange beast earlier, while flying around. But Lilly made it back inside the barrier just in time. It didn't match your description, though."
"You've been outside the barrier?"
"Lilly has stepped out a few times... but Lilly didn't release any pixie dust outside." She paused. "...Lilly thinks. Tee-hee!"
—There it is...
That must've been the trigger. The Jawer only attacked around sundown—probably when it caught glimpses of Lilly's pixie dust. Somehow, it amplified the creature's strength and intelligence to a dangerous degree—enough to let it strategize.
Even if William went back to the start of the loop, there was no guarantee he'd arrive in time. The creature might've already absorbed the mana long before he began his journey.
"You know," he muttered, "something's been bugging me. How did I even get inside the barrier?"
The pixie blinked a few times before her eyes widened, "Ah! You're right!" She zipped through the air, frantically checking the sky and what William assumed were the barrier's edges. "Wait—but the barrier is still up... How did you get in?"
"—That's what I'm asking!"
The pixie stopped midair, floating in front of him with her hands on her hips, deep in thought, "Lilly guesses... we'll never know. Heh."
"Try a little harder, oh great pixie!"
The pixie chuckled, "By the way, why were you pacing in circles around Lilly's great tree?"
"I was thinking about the future."
Of course, William wasn't about to tell her the truth. It wasn't a matter of trust—he just expected the same kind of response he got from the butler. Explaining his situation felt pointless. Best to keep it to himself.
"Lilly doesn't really get it," she said, tilting her head, "but Lilly thinks you should live in the moment. Focus on the present rather than the future. Think of the past only to help you make better choices today."
"Wise words, oh great pixie."
The pixie puffed out her chest proudly.
In a way, she was right. The future William had experienced was now his past. He needed to treat it like fact, not speculation—analyze his mistakes, and make better choices in the present. Instead of worrying about what was to come, he needed to take things one step at a time.
"Alright, little pixie. You've been a great help." He stood up and bowed slightly in thanks.
"You're already leaving?"
The man nodded, "As much as I've enjoyed our talk, I've got some hungry men waiting on firewood."
The pixie smiled, "You seem to be in a much better mood now."
"Yeah. I think I finally know what I have to do."
"Very well, then. Thank you for the chat, boy."
"See you, granny."
"Why, you—!"
William chuckled, but paused before turning away completely. A thought crossed his mind.
"By the way," he said, glancing back, "isn't it kind of risky for you to tell me all this about your pixie dust? What if I went and told others? What if they came looking for you?"
"As if anyone could take down the great pixie Lilly!" she declared, striking a dramatic pose.
William gave a wry smile, "Of course..."
"Besides," she added, pointing to her head, "Lilly can tell you have good intentions."
It took him a second to realize what she meant—then he remembered. She had sat on top of his head earlier.
"You were reading my mind?!"
"Well," she said with a shrug, "you did get through my barrier. That's never happened before. I had to make sure."
"So you were pretending this whole time..."
The pixie grinned and struck another pose, "You just witnessed Lilly's amazing acting skills!"
William laughed, "This is why I'm always wary of your kind... See you around, little pixie. Let's talk again sometime."
The pixie watched him disappear into the trees, "I have a feeling," she murmured to herself, "we'll be seeing each other again very soon..."