The Baby Isn’t Yours

“K-Kalia, what I’m seeing now, it’s not an illusion, right? …These are spirits, right?”

A few palm-sized spirits, resembling children with various animal and human features, swirled around Hemmie, dancing in a circle. Some appeared human, while others took the form of birds or animals.

Whether it was an animal or a human, they all had the appearance of a child.

The cute spirits, their gender indistinguishable, played with Hemmie’s hair, tickling her and making her squirm.

“Wow, stop it! It’s ticklish!”

As the spirits continued to play in Hemmie’s hair, she shrank back.

‘Can she see spirits?’

Kalia thought, looking at Hemmie, who laughed at the spirits’ playful antics.

‘But why can’t she see this woman?’

Kalia was puzzled. Even though the fairy should have more power, she remained invisible.

The fairy, with an air of smugness, glanced at Kalia, then playfully tapped her fingers on a nearby red flower that was swaying in the breeze. The flower reacted, shaking slightly before releasing a drop of golden honey.

The fairy captured the glistening droplet with her finger and extended it toward Kalia as if offering her a taste.

Even though she didn’t touch it, the rich aroma and sweetness seemed to flow out of it.

Kalia gazed at the golden drop, her eyes resembling someone’s irises. She finally asked the fairy:

“What about the children?”

The fairy widened her eyes and responded with a reassuring smile.

She turned her head towards the forest’s edge, where a group of flower spirits flew over and whispered something to her, even though there was no sound.

‘…!’

Kalia could see her astonishment even though there was no sound.

The fairy, looking unsure, rolled her eyes toward Kalia, then abruptly grabbed Kalia’s hand and tugged it.

“…Are we going back? Why? We don’t have much time. Please, show us where the children are.”

The fairy shook her head in response. She frowned with a pale face, silently conveying her refusal.

Kalia was puzzled by the fairy’s intentions. When she turned her gaze to the surroundings, she noticed a particular point where the flowers were crushed.

She pulled her hand away from the fairy’s grip and approached the spot.

She recognized deep, sinister footprints.

“…Lycans footprints.”

Hemmie, who had been playfully interacting with the spirits, turned around abruptly at Kalia’s serious words.

Kalia, with a firm face, took Hemmie’s wrist.

“Let’s go, Hemmie.”

There was no time to waste.

A pale-faced fairy followed behind Kalia, who was hurrying and put strength at her feet.

-What should I do? What should I do?-

Screech!

The fairy who followed Kalia looked up at the sky at the loud cry of a familiar bird. A white hawk flew energetically in the pale twilight sky.

At this moment, the fairy’s face brightened.

The fairy, whose eyes were anxiously watching Kalia’s back in the distance, turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

Kalia hurriedly followed the trail left by the wolf’s blood stains.

When she looked up, light purple streaks were already spreading across the sky, like drops of wine in water.

Allen’s blood was probably already dried up in his veins with anxiety by this time.

‘We must be home by 6p.m for dinner. Definitely.’

If she didn’t hurry, then Allen, who was waiting for her and Hemmie, might faint.

The time would be very cruel for him, a man with a lot on his mind and a strong sense of responsibility, to endure it.

Kalia tightened her grip on her sword and quickened her pace. She was worried that Hemmie, who she didn’t see following her, might get lost, but Hemmie soon ran up to her side.

Hemmie’s cheeks were flushed from running and she swallowed, trying to catch her breath. 

Her shoulders were numb with excitement and tension.

Her face now looked similar to the one she made when Kalia had to put on her red uniform and enter the imperial palace.

Seeing the state she was in, Kalia couldn’t help but feel regret and sadness. She made Hemmie suffer through things she didn’t have to go through.

‘I really need to be nicer to Hemmie.’

Kalia’s feet walked faster and she bit her lip nervously.

Fortunately, now she had no pain or heaviness in her stomach.

To be honest, from the moment she entered the forest, her head was unusually fresh and clear. There was no fog, perhaps because in her free time she was harvesting forest illusion mushrooms.

The further he went into the forest, the dirtier the trails became on the wet ground.

This happened because the tracks of the wolves began to overlap the tracks of the running children.

She entered the forest much deeper than she thought.

It had been over an hour, and even if they found the children, they might need to use a teleportation scroll.

“Magic within the fairy forest is very sensitive. A circle of an average magician is fine, but for ordinary people, it’s different. If someone who doesn’t know how to control their magic uses a scroll carelessly, it can distort the space. Distorted space is likely to explode.”

Kalia remembered Simon’s words. She had heard it during their journey through the fairy forest with the soldiers.

“…Of course, you will always be with me, Kalia, so there’s no need to worry about such things.”

She recalled Simon’s confident words, and his touch on her neck passed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but think of him.

At that time, they seemed like inseparable, eternal partners.

For a moment, her mind was filled with his image, including his cold, pale hand.

However, she quickly pushed away these thoughts and increased her pace.

She continued on for a few more minutes when she suddenly felt a strange power fluctuation in the distance.

Kalia headed in that direction without hesitation. Hemmie watched her with worried eyes.

As soon as Kalia reached the entrance to the cave.

“Hmm?”

Kalia felt a heavy force pass through her body after she crossed a certain point. It was a strange sensation of being pulled in and pushed out at the same time.

Kalia stopped and looked back just in time to see Hemmie, who had been following closely behind her, get thrown back by an invisible wall.

“Uh? What?”

Hemmie was gently but firmly pushed backward by the mysterious force and ended up falling over.

Even as he fell, Hemmie couldn’t comprehend why she had fallen. She looked at Kalia, who stood just a step ahead, with a puzzled expression filled with question marks.

“Something just pushed me away…”

“It seems like this is where the boundary of the deep forest is.”

“The boundary of the deep forest?”

Hemmie asked in a curious yet uncertain voice.

“It’s like a magical border. You can’t see it, but it definitely exists. Perhaps, everything from here is the actual domain of the fairies.”

“But, Miss Kalia, how did you get in here?”

Even Kalia couldn’t find an answer to that. She had sensed some force, but there was no resistance as she was pulled inside the boundary.

“That’s true. It’s strange.”

Kalia felt a tingling, mysterious sensation that seemed as though she had just passed by a hidden door in her subconscious mind.

‘Wait, if this is the domain of the fairies, does that mean monsters can’t come in this far?’

If that were the case, it was better not to waste any more time and move on to another location.

Kalia didn’t hesitate and turned around to leave.

Paaaat!

Before she could feel the powerful wave rushing through her heart, she was about to turn around.

She lifted her head to look around, and the cave that had been emanating those strange waves just moments ago was now right nearby.

As Kalia turned around at the noise, Hemmie had already jumped up first and tried to push herself through the boundary, toward Kalia, with all her might.

But the more force she pushed with, the stronger she was pushed back.

Eventually, Hemmie was bounced back with an even bigger rebound than the first time she fell.

Paaaaat!

Hemmie fell back heavily as she put even more effort into it.

Just before the back of her head hit the ground, Kalia reflexively reached out, grabbed Hemmie by the waist, and pulled him towards her.

In an instant, Hemmie found herself on the other side of the border, inside the deep forest, and felt the power of the border pierce her body.

“Huh? Huh? …Huh!”

Surprised, Hemmie’s face contorted in shock, her trembling eyes darting between where she had been standing recently and then at her feet, where she was standing now.

“I, I’m inside! Uh, what happened? That feeling of being pulled in just now is the feeling of a boundary, right? Right?”

Hemmie suddenly got inside the boundary.

Was the border of fairy forest this easy to cross? Just like that?

“I guess it’s thanks to Miss Kalia! I think I came in because of the force of your pull!”

Kalia felt even stranger when she heard Hemmie’s words.

She glanced at the boundary with her scrutinizing eyes for a moment, then immediately turned away, pointing towards the cave:

“Let’s think about how we got in later and head over there.”

“Oh, yes, yes!”

Hemmie also came to her senses and quickly chased after Kalia.

She gave one last very suspicious glance in the direction of the boundary but it was only calm as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Screech!

A white bird circled in the air before descending toward a specific spot.

With sharp talons that sank beneath the skin and a talonless foot, it gripped a man’s shoulder with great force.

The white bird, despite its majestic red eyes, looked adorable.

“Did you find Gaia? Is that why you’ve come here?”

The man with long, silver-gray hair tied back into a single knot welcomed the bird’s affectionate gestures.

The hawk responded as if in agreement, chirping and nuzzling its beak against the man’s rough chin.

The bird’s sleek appearance belied its charm.

“…Unfortunately, it was too late for me to regret. I can only see her once a year.”

A sense of profound regret permeated his voice.

Seated beneath the shadow of a tree with a portal stone, the man waited for the child.

As a cool breeze rustled his clothing, his gentle demeanor and soothing voice contrasted with his massive stature and towering presence.

His youthful appearance was overshadowed by the timeless power in his eyes.

A huge and steady energy, comparable to that of a boulder or mountain, was overflowing from the man.

He looked to the sky again at the rustling appearance of a woman with light yellow hair. She enthusiastically embraced the man’s broad shoulders, and a loving smile graced his face.

“Gaia, my daughter.”