Two months have already passed.
Well, Terra assumes it's been two months. There's no way to tell for sure, with Planet Viatrix's permanent sunset.
She sits in a medical tent, staring out its entrance at the ruins ahead. The plants have taken over Nadura City, anchoring their roots in the now crumbling roads, ships, and buildings and growing past the tallest skyscrapers. Their giant flowers, larger than some of the remains of crashed ships, are blooming. Some trees are even beginning to bear fruit. With how little sunlight is in the habitable zone, Terra never thought plants of this size could exist. Yet here they are.
And here she is, working as a nurse for the fanice.
Once the fanice established a village on the surface, they gave people jobs. Terra became a medic, Professor Faramund became an inventor, and Eila… well, she's been sticking to the professor. The sisters haven't been this distant their entire lives.
Sometimes, on these slow days when there are few patients, Terra thinks of that hellish first day in the new world. Maybe she shouldn't have yelled at Professor Faramund. Then again, it has been two months, and she still hasn't filled them in on the plan or where the humans are. It can't possibly take this long to find that information, right?
Terra breathes out and leans against a patient's bed. How could she know the answer to that? She's spent two months seeing fanice daily and teaching Gabriel first aid. After a while, Michaela pulled the guards off them, so she should be able to speak with her family more freely, but she always comes home late. She and Eila hardly talk before bed, and once morning comes, Terra has to go back to work. Nowadays, she spends more time with the former prince than anyone else. Despite his busy schedule, he always makes time to see her.
"Terra?" Gabriel asks from outside.
She scrambles off the floor and puts her gloves back on. "Yes?"
The fanice king walks into the tent with a little boy by his side. It's a half fanice boy, one they found about a month ago. "Raphael was playing with a full fanice kid, and he was burned. Show her, little one."
Tears streaming down his face, the boy shows Terra a long red patch of skin with blisters: a second-degree burn. She helps him onto the bed, gives him a piece of candy, and washes his arm with cold water from a bucket. Then, she applies some lotion, bandages it, and gives him a few pills for the pain. "Thank you," the little boy says. "Your healing is so much better than magic."
Terra's hand glows red, and she places it on the bandages. "Even so, magic still speeds up the process. Bless your wound regularly; it should get better in a few days. Now, go back to playing, and no reckless spellcasting, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Raphael responds. He runs out of the tent, and a few fanice children wait for him.
"Oh, would you look at Half-ael? Having to go to the medic for a little burn."
"Halflings are so lame."
"Yeah, not only are they half human, they're wingless too."
"Wingless! Wingless! Wingless!" they begin chanting.
Not again, Terra thinks. She rushes out of the tent. "That's enough! Don't treat him like that just because he's different. Half-fanice are people, too."
"Oh, would you look at that? Another wingless," a child teases.
The heat rushes to Terra's face, but before she can say anything, Gabriel emerges from the tent as well. "Which one of you burned him?"
At the sight of the king, the kids cower. "It wasn't me."
"Me neither."
"I know it was one of you. You know a crime against a half fanice is the same as a full one. Hurt him one more time, and you will be punished."
"Y-Yes, sire!" they scream, scattering into the air.
Raphael thanks both of them for saving him and heads down the road. Frustrated, Terra heads back into the tent, and Gabriel follows.
The two stand in silence for a moment. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last.
Gabriel picks up the lotion from earlier and studies it. "You were right. Human medicine is quite impressive. I'm glad we were able to salvage so much of it."
"I'm happy to help. How have negotiations been going?"
The king sits on the bed. "Oh, you know, the usual. Over one hundred thousand fanice have been living underground, and only a fraction have come to the surface. I understand adjusting to so many changes is hard, but we need more people to build a city. Not to mention, the Celestial Festival is soon."
Terra sits next to him. "Give the people some time. It's only been a couple of months. As for the festival, I'm sure it'll be great no matter what. It's a celebration, after all. It's supposed to be fun."
"You're right," Gabriel says, looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose that's not what I'm really worried about. There's a bigger problem, as you saw. The half-fanice who've come out of hiding… I haven't been able to keep them all safe. The people have been taking out their anger on them. I thought the festival might be a way for everyone to unite and forget their differences. Ariel has been helping prepare for it, and she seems so excited. All I feel is dread, though. I keep imagining ways it could go wrong."
"Have the fanice in other regions still been calling you a 'false king'?"
Gabriel nods. "I thought things would improve after the coronation, but Michaela and the guard have been working 23/7 to keep people from rioting. I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I'm starting to understand why my father was so stressed. He had to be everywhere at once: solving every problem."
"Maybe this festival is just what they need," Terra says. "If everyone comes together, they might see how they're not so different."
"I hope so," he says dismally.
"You're doing great," she says, and she means it. "These things take time. I'll tell you one thing: the half-fanice, my family, we're grateful for what you've done. Thanks to you, we can live here without persecution." Not to mention, it allows them to enact the professor's plan, whatever that is.
"Thank you. Your encouragement means more than you know."
Step step
Before they continue, someone steps into the tent. She wears the baggy clothes the professor bought at the mall months ago, and her thick hair sits in two curly pigtails on top of her head. It's Eila. She crosses her arms, glaring at Gabriel. "Terra, Miss Faramund wants to talk to us. Come right now."
"Good morning, Eila." Gabriel says. The little girl turns around and walks out of the tent without responding.
"I should go," Terra tells him. "Can you cover for me until I get back?"
"Unfortunately, not. We're starting preparations for the festival today, remember? Ariel will kill me if I don't show up."
"Oh, yeah!" she says. She had almost forgotten about that. It won't be long before the celebration takes place. It looks like she has to stay put after all. Eila will be mad. "Well, good luck with that."
"I can still find someone to cover your shift," Gabriel states. "Go talk to your sister. Once you're done, you'll have the day off. You should come set things up with us. We'll be in the town square."
Terra crosses her arms. "Is Michaela going to be there?"
The king nods. "I know you two haven't been on good terms since, well, those past events. Trust me, she does have everyone's best interests at heart. I think talking to you will do her some good. It might help correct some of the prejudices she has."
Terra rolls her eyes. "Or she could try to throw us in jail again. No, thank you."
Gabriel walks closer and places a hand on her shoulder. "Just think about it, okay? It would mean a lot if you came."
She exhales. It is kind of him to give her the day off. "Yeah, I might go if I have time. Don't get your hopes up, though."
He smiles. "That's good enough for me." Terra will never get used to that grin of his. It's so innocent and unassuming: nothing like how a villain who vanished an entire city should look.
"Terra?" Eila's voice asks. She has appeared in the opening of the tent again. "Stop lollygagging and come on."
"I'll see you later." She says, removing her gloves, smock, and following her sister outside.
…
The two walk wordlessly beside each other, and from here, they can see the cliffside village entrance far in the distance. The sapling Gabriel blessed has grown so ginormous that it now reaches the peak of the mountain. Only a few feet away, the little red flower she blessed is doing fantastic, too. Its stem has grown parallel to the ground, arched upward, and wrapped around what used to be an office building along the road. Looking at its expanding crimson petals, which lean towards the eternally setting sun, Terra almost believes her "magic" worked on the monstrosity. She knows better than to entertain that thought, though. The fanice have been coming through the city regularly, stacking spell after spell on these plants, making sure they grow supernaturally fast. Terra recalls the professor telling her how powerful these creatures are and how important it is for her and Eila to keep their identities a secret. Now, staring in awe at what has become of this once metropolis, she wonders if it's even possible to beat them.
Her sister stares ahead, so Terra continues to admire the nature. "It sure is beautiful, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"The plants." She never thought she'd see more than one tree per square mile, but now there is a jungle before them.
"Well, it is easier to breathe," Eila says. "The smoke is gone, too. That's nice."
"Yeah…" Come to think of it, ever since the fanice took over, more and more stars are becoming visible in the twilight sky. One day, they may even see the edge of the galaxy. Terra has only seen that in pictures before.
"I hope when the people come back, they'll take better care of this place."
"Me too," Terra says. Above them, fanice men, women, and children fly from home to home. Little cottages have been built everywhere, from the moss-covered streets to the tops of old skyscrapers. Slowly, what used to be Nadura City has become a gigantic version of what they saw in the fairy villages. It doesn't feel real, looking at how everything has changed. She can't imagine how things might change in the following days or weeks. Eventually, the professor will tell them how to rescue everyone, and then what will happen? She imagines the fanice and humans fighting each other for dominance: men, women, and children of both species lying lifeless in the streets. She flinches at the thought.
The two keep walking in no particular direction. Eila wears the same turquoise hair ties for her pigtails, but instead of her usual cheerful outfits, she's now wearing the black clothes the professor bought.
"Where are we going, by the way?" Terra asks.
Her sister turns around. "Nowhere."
"The professor doesn't have anything to say to me?"
"Not today," she says, frowning.
Terra is not at all surprised by that. Ever since their argument two months ago, Professor Faramund has been a shut-in. Under the guise of inventing things for the fanice, she's been tinkering with all sorts of devices, supposedly trying to figure out "where the humans went." Or at least, that's the excuse she uses. There have been no more talks about what's going on with the fanice, and every time Terra has a question, she's always shut down with a "stick to the mission" speech. She's almost glad she's had so much to do on the surface, because being stuck with the professor all day wouldn't be good for either of their health.
She looks back at Eila. "So, if there's nothing new going on, why are you here?"
Eila's face grows serious. "To check on you, obviously."
"Huh? Why?"
Her sister grabs her hand, pulling her into a nearby alleyway. Once she's verified the coast is clear, she continues, saying what's next in a whisper. "Miss Faramund has been worried about you. You're too close to the king, and you're enjoying yourself too much."
"Umm, it's my job to be around Gabriel. And I'm not 'enjoying myself.' It's an act. I have to pretend I fit in." she whispers back.
"No, it isn't. You're a bad actor, Terra. What you've been doing is real. You know what I think? I think you like Gabriel. He's handsome, and he acts nice, but he's the bad guy. Remember that."
"What? I don't like Gabriel. I'm just doing my job. The professor told me to distract him, remember?"
"Yeah, and you're having fun. I just need you to remember they're evil."
"I do. Trust me. I think about that every day," and each of those days, she is haunted by what could happen once the humans are back.
"Do you promise? You're sticking to the mission?"
"Yes, a thousand times. I haven't forgotten what they've done to this city."
"Okay…" Eila says. "I guess that's it." The little girl looks to be thinking hard. She's trying to find something else to talk about. That much is clear.
Realizing the real reason she came, Terra messes with her hair. "Hey, I've missed you a lot. We don't spend time together like we used to. Would you like to come with me to set up the festival? It'll be a nice change of pace."
She slaps her hand away. "No! I don't wanna spend time with those monsters."
"I can tell you don't want to go home, either. What's the professor up to? Tinkering with her devices as usual?"
Eila crosses her arms but then nods slowly.
"I'm surprised she let you come up here alone."
Her sister avoids eye contact.
"Ohhhh, I see now!" Terra teases. "She doesn't know you're here, does she? Has our little goodie two shoes broken the rules? Why ever would you do that?"
"Shut up. I only snuck out because I was bored. Miss Faramund doesn't give me anything to do."
"Well, I know the fanice are our enemies, but they see us as friends right now, and preparing for a festival could be fun. I know you love decorating. Plus, we've never been to a real party, even before everyone disappeared. Aren't you at least a little bit curious?"
Finally breaking, Eila nods. "But we won't stay for long, okay?"
"Of course," Terra says. "Anything for my little princess."
"Queen," her sister corrects.
"What?"
"In the games I used to play with my friends. I'm a queen now."
"Oh, I understand. Well, Queen Eila, shall we have a royal race to the Celestial Festival?"
"You're on! I'm going to school you!"
The two girls run toward the center of town, giggling the whole time.
…
The king of the fanice stands in front of an old fountain in the center of what used to be a downtown city square. Pink particles surround him, and the water floats in the air. Then, seeming frustrated, he drops it.
Splash
"Hey, what's going on?" Terra asks.
Gabriel turns around, and his face lights up. "You made it! Both of you. This is wonderful! I was trying to get this contraption to work, but it seems it was run on human electricity, much like all the other devices of their era. How fragile it all is… to be destroyed by a simple EMP."
The girls look at each other. Is that a clue? Did they make the humans disappear using some sort of Electro Magnetic Pulse? That doesn't make any sense, though. Those can only affect energy, not matter.
"Anyway, Ariel and Michaela are that way." He points to the northern side of the courtyard, where a small group of fanice are building things out of logs and hanging rows of flowers. "They could use some help. Let's go."
Surrounding the square are incomplete wooden structures with several fanice, working on them. Michaela is there too, chopping wood with her axe. The buildings they work on are triangular, and the more finished-looking structures have a wooden stage as its base surrounded by three pillars holding up a slanted roof. The roofs are the only part of the building not made of thick logs. Instead, they appear to have been chopped into slabs and placed strategically at an angle. From their construction, Terra guesses they're supposed to be kiosks. Perhaps fanice merchants will be selling goods during the party.
Meanwhile, the red-headed, green-winged fanice, Ariel, flies between two massive trees, hanging streamers of flowers. When she spots the three of them, she flies down.
Flutter flutter
"Hello, you two! Long time no see, and sire…" She bows. "You have no obligation to help us with this. Please, get some rest. You'll need it for your next mission trip."
"There's no need for the formalities, Ariel. You've been with Michaela for a long time, and both of you are like family to me. As for the mission, I will be fine. It will be several hours before I go to the southern settlement. That's plenty of time to help and get some sleep."
Terra is reminded of the nightmare that is her sleep schedule. With no way to tell time, many days have blurred together. She only assumes it's been two months because she counts each sleep cycle as a day. Honestly, the time that has passed could have been shorter, or much, much longer.
"I understand," Ariel says politely. "Then you can help Michaela with building the music stands. The half-fan—I mean, the young ladies can make streamers."
"Sounds good," Gabriel answers. He walks over to Michaela, who looks at them with a scowl. However, when they begin talking, her expression softens a bit.
Ariel is the exact opposite. When she greeted them, she sounded so bubbly, but now her expression has grown colder. "Come with me, ladies. Let me show you the crafting station."
They make their way over to a grass-woven blanket. The thing is so huge that ten people could sit on it comfortably, but instead, there are piles upon piles of freshly picked flowers. Alongside them are long strips of string. Ariel sits in the little room left on the rug and pats the spot next to her. The girls join. Picking up a piece of string and a flower, she ties the two together and then adds another flower and another, until there is almost an entire hanging rainbow.
"All you have to do is tie the flowers to the rope. Make sure they're secure enough that they won't fall off. You wrap their stems inside of the knot, like so." She shows them her creation. "Easy, right?"
Terra picks up a piece of string and a clutch of flowers. "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem."
However, Eila doesn't reach for them. She keeps glancing around the clearing, watching the fanice go about their different tasks: from building to delivering supplies to crafting other decorations. Some of the décor even seems to have magic incorporated. There are lanterns that float on their own and puppets with no strings. They dance around the courtyard seemingly on their own, but Terra can see flecks of pink around them. That's yet another incredible thing telekinesis can do.
She squeezes her sister's hand. "Are you okay?"
"So cool," she mumbles.
"Right?" Ariel agrees. "This is only the beginning, too. We're going to make every road in the city like this. Ohhh, I'm so excited for our first surface festival!"
Hearing that, Eila snaps out of her trance. "Yeah, it sounds nice." The little girl quickly picks up a flower but then stares at it blankly. She definitely wasn't listening during the instructions.
Ariel doesn't mind explaining the crafting process again, and before they know it, they've already made several streamers. The work is simple, and Terra is glad she doesn't have to use any fake magic for it. Eila is also getting into it, having made twice as many streamers as her sister. She was always better at arts and crafts.
"Good job, little one," Ariel praises. "At this rate, we'll finish with this today. That is so wonderful. There are so many more things that need to be done."
"Thank you," Eila says. It's the first time she's spoken to a fanice in a while. "I like making things. I used to do it a lot."
"What made you stop?"
The little girl looks at the floor, trying to hide her sadness. This is a sensitive topic for Eila. Ever since everyone disappeared, she's been talking about how much she misses them. Terra opens her mouth to come up with a fake answer to that question, but then Ariel speaks again.
"You miss your home world, don't you?"
Neither of the girls respond.
"It's okay to mourn what you've lost," the fanice continues. "You may not have been fully human, but you still lived in their world. This situation we've created… It isn't the best for everyone. I feel awful for the other half-fanice. I mean, look at them."
In the construction section, a few of the people who hammer away at the new buildings don't have wings. They only talk to each other, and on occasion, a full fanice side eyes them. They look like they want to say more, but Gabriel is nearby.
"If King Gabriel weren't here, it would be much worse, but they still have it rough. They're not used to all the nature growing around them every day. It's a good thing, but I'm sure it's rough to adapt to. I hear the old world had hardly any plants, and machines had taken over. I would be overwhelmed too if I went from that to this."
"It has been… a lot," Terra says, trying not to open up too much. Ariel is different from her girlfriend; no, they're complete opposites. Still, it's better not to delve into this because there's a chance they may accidentally slip up.
Eila puts down her project. "Yeah, I hate it here."
Terra's jaw drops at the bluntness of that statement, and her heart skips a beat as she remembers what happened the last time her sister slipped up. "Umm, hate is a strong word. We—"
"I get it," Ariel responds. "I really do. I love what we're doing with the surface, but not everyone is on board. Keep this between us, but I dislike how the new king is handling the fanice who wish to stay underground. If they want to do that, it should be their right."
Terra remembers her conversation with Gabriel from earlier. When he mentioned the fanice still underground, she nodded and told him he was doing a good job. She wanted as little conflict as possible, but Ariel has a point. He shouldn't be forcing people into a lifestyle they don't want. Plus, when the humans return, it'll probably be better for most of the fanice to be underground. "You should tell him that."
"Huh? No way. I wouldn't dare go against the king's wishes."
"Why not? I mean, people used to do it with King Azrael. Besides, it's not so much going against him as it is speaking your mind."
At the mention of King Azrael, the woman's face falls. Her wings quiver behind her back.
"Oh! I'm sorry. That's still a sensitive topic, huh?"
For a moment, there's a hint of resentment in Ariel's green eyes. Then, on the flip of a hat, she immediately says, "No, it's not that! I think King Gabriel is great, no, better than Azrael. I just…"
"Sad he had to go out like that?"
She nods slowly.
The three of them get back to crafting, and no one speaks a word for a while. By the time they run out of supplies, Eila has beaten them both by leaps and bounds. She even arranged the flowers in unique patterns, whereas Terra just made a rainbow pattern over and over. It's clearly past the evening, as everyone is growing tired. Many fanice retire to their cabins to sleep, and eventually, the only people left in the square are the girls, Ariel, Michaela, and Gabriel. The two make their way over, helping Ariel hang the streamers high in the trees. When they finish that, Michaela suggests they trade in for the night. That is, until Eila points at the puppets, some of which are still dancing even in the emptiness of the courtyard. "How do you get them to do that?"
"Oh, you want to know about the dolls?" Ariel asks. "I crafted those. The kids love them. Want to get a closer look?"
The little girl nods, her eyes sparkling.
They approach three dancing dolls: two boys and one girl with a pink dress and long black hair. "I'm so impressed with how long they can move on their own," Ariel mentions. "It's all thanks to this." She turns the female puppet around and lifts her hair, revealing a black circular device. "This is my favorite of your mother's inventions. It makes spells last for hours, even days after they've been cast."
"Wowww, they're moving because of Miss Faramund? That's even cooler!"
"Yup, it works for basic movements. If you want it to do more, all you have to do is use your own magic. Would you like to play with her?"
"Yes!"
With the wave of Ariel's hand, the doll stops dancing, stands up straight, and looks at Eila, stretching out a hand. "Hello, I'm Johanna. What's your name?" Ariel is clearly doing the voice, but the doll's mouth moves with it.
"I'm Eila," she says, shaking the doll's hand. "Tell me, Johanna, have you ever played kingdom before?"
"I have not. What are the rules?"
As Ariel waves her hands to control the doll, and Eila plays with her, Terra, Gabriel, and Michaela watch. Even the stoic head of the royal guard cannot help but smirk when she sees the little girl gleefully play with the puppet. Terra can't believe one of the professor's inventions is actually helping the fanice, but she needs to maintain her cover somehow. Besides, this "spell extender" seems relatively harmless. How brilliant of her to give them something useful that won't actually help them in the long run.
Gabriel stands next to her, smiling at Eila and the doll. "Did you have a good time today?"
"I did. Thank you for inviting us. We might come more often."
"You should. The festival is only a month away. We could use all the help we can get."
Michaela says nothing. She and Terra haven't talked since King Azrael's death, so it's hard to tell if she feels better or worse about them. However, she's not trying to stop anyone from having fun.
It doesn't matter, though. All Terra has to do is keep anyone from growing suspicious again. Soon, Michaela's hatred, Ariel's tolerance, and Gabriel's kindness… None of it will matter anymore.
Still, Terra breathes in the clear air and admires the scenery once more. Many things, especially the environment, have improved after The Vanishing. She'll enjoy this as best as she can, because it's doomed not to last.