► Shoto's mission ◄

The next day after breakfast, they talked about their plans. Vox and Ike had to take care of a lot of paper work, Luca volunteered to take Celine to the seamstress to get her some new clothes, Shu and Mysta would patrol around the castle and Shoto planned on sneaking into the forest. They also decided to teach Celine basic knowledge. Shu would teach her math, Ike would teach her about herbs and they decided to swap between each other with who taught her how to read.

Shoto was preparing for his mission in his room, when Vox came in 'Are you really sure, you want to go alone? I have a bad feeling about this' he frowned. 'Yes, I'm sure. Come on. What could happen? No one can see me anyway. The worst that could happen, is me getting tired from the miasma, no?' Shoto assured him. 'You are right. Maybe I'm worrying too much. But, promise me to come back before you get too tired' the demon demanded. 'I promise' the other replied. 'Thank you. Please come back safely' Vox pleaded. Shoto smiled in return and headed out the door. 'See you later' he waved before turning around the corner.

On his way to the castle walls, he met Shu and Mysta who also told him to be careful. Before heading out the entrance, he found a spot where he became invisible. Let's start this mission. He thought to himself and continued his way to the forest.

As he arrived, he instantly felt a heavy atmosphere. The whole forest was shrouded in slience even though the miasma was still far from reaching the outer parts of it. With each step he took, he felt the air getting denser. It was also getting much darker, so he assumed that he arrived at the already affected parts. He decided to walk a bit further, so that he could get a general idea of the circumstances. After walking a few minutes, he noticed a squirrel laying on the ground. Hoping it wasn't dead, but just exhausted, he approached it carefully. And indeed. It was just asleep. Without any hesitation he picked it up after canceling the effects of his earring and gently put it into his pocket. Since he didn't really feel burdened by the miasma yet, he continued while observing every part of the forest. Believing that no one would enter the forest anyways, he refrained from using his earring. It would only take a toll on him anyways, since he was carrying the squirrel. On his way through the forest, he saw a few more animals, but sadly he couldn't do anything for them anymore. But it would cause more problems if the corpses of the animals stayed where they were. It would lead to pollution, cause more deaths and it would cause major harm to nature. 'I guess, I have to ask Shu to help burn them. He is able to control his fire magic and I don't want to burn the whole forest by accident. Carrying them by myself is out of the question. I will have my hands full from finding out the cause of this' he thought out loud. 'Maybe I can help' Shoto spun around as he suddenly heard a female voice behind him. But, he couldn't see anyone. 'Up here' the voice called out. As Shoto looked up, he couldn't believe his eyes. 'A fairy?!' he nearly shouted in surprise. There was a fairy with blonde hair sitting on a branch, just a few meters away from him. 'Yes, I'm a fairy. A forest fairy to be exact' she confirmed. But, what are you doing here, Miss fairy?' Shoto asked. 'That's a weird question. I'm a 'forest' fairy. Didn't I say that just now? This is my forest and I'm it's protector' she replied a little annoyed. 'I'm sorry. It's not like I didn't understand the meaning of you being here. It's just very dangerous to be here in this miasma' Shoto countered. 'Oh. Well, since I'm the protector of this forest, I'm trying to get rid of this miasma. If all the animals here die then the forest will also die. The whole economic system will collapse. I will not let that happen' she proudly announced while puffing out her chest. 'Well, that makes us two' Shoto smiled. 'The name's Pomu Rainpuff. Nice to meet you' she introduced herself.

'It's nice to meet you, too. My name's Shoto' he responded. 'So, what exactly did you mean with, you can help? Can you use special magic on the animals?' Shoto wondered. 'Yes. Good guess. I can return dead animals to mother earth, so you don't need to worry about that' she explained. 'Wow. I think that would be the best solution. The animals would be happy too, if they can stay in this forest as a part of it' Shoto smiled. 'Really? You don't want to complain?' she was visibly surprised by his answer. 'Why would I complain?' the other asked confused. 'Well, wouldn't you want to use their pelts and other parts? Some could even still be eadible' she replied. 'I didn't even think about that. But even so, it's fine. Though, it would be nice if I could have one big animal for food. We are running a little low on food supplies. Would that be alright with you?' Shoto responded. 'That's fine. It's important to only take what you really need, since you need to live too. I was just a little surprised. I only saw greedy people until now. Be it demons or humans. I have to say, your way of thinking is refreshing' she grinned. 'Th-Thank you' he wasn't really sure if it was a compliment, but he took it as one, so he gave her an uncertain smile. 'Oh. Before I forget. Speaking of animals' Shoto reached for his pocket to get out the squirrel, he found laying on the ground. 'Can you help this little one here? It seems to be exhausted' he asked. 'Yes, I can. Wait a moment. I'll come down first' Pomu replied. The next moment, the little fairy flew down and landed on the ground. A moment later, she started growing rapidly and in a matter of seconds, she looked like a human. Even her wings disappeared. Shoto stood there in total awe. 'What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?' Pomu giggled. 'Ah, no. I was just a little surprised. I didn't know fairies could change into human form' Shoto said. 'Haha, and I didn't know, humans could become invisible' she countered. 'You saw me?' Shoto was visibly shocked. 'Yes. I followed you, since you entered this forest. I first thought, you were a bad person that tried to make things even worse. Turns out, you just want to help' she calmed him down. Shoto took a deep breath and smiled. Since he didn't need to explain his intentions, it made things easier. He knew he could trust her, so he decided to explain. 'Actually. It's not that I can turn invisible. It's my earring that makes me become invisible. It's an artifiact' he explained. 'Oh, wow. An artifact. You are really lucky, you got your hands on one, you know?' she smirked. 'Yeah, I know. Thanks' he laughed. 'Well then. Let's get back to our little friend here' she pointed at Shoto's hands. 'Oh, sure. Here' Shoto handed her the little squirrel. As soon as he gave her the squirrel, her hands started glowing in a green light. 'Alright. It should be fine now. It's still asleep, but I helped it regain it's strength. We only need to get it out of this miasma or else my healing will be for nothing. My healing isn't omnipotent after all' she gently smiled. 'But, that's already very impressive. Are you fine though?' Shoto worried. 'Yes, I'm fine. As long as I have magic energy, I won't be effected by the miasma' she proudly announced. 'That's pretty convenient. Do you think, you could cast some magic on me, so that it doesn't effect me?' Shoto wondered. 'I'm sorry. That's not possible. I mean... I could give you more energy, but the burden on your body will be too great. As soon as I lift my magic, you will feel all the burden that's been accumulated while you were in the miasma' she appologized. 'But, won't that be a problem for the squirrel as well then?' he worried. 'Its different for animals. I don't know how to explain it, but it just works different for them. I can heal wounds though' she added. 'That's fine. Would you use your magic on me the next time I ask though? Maybe I will need it while we search for the cause of this.' Shoto insisted. 'Well, if you insist' she sighed while shaking her head. Shoto just smiled. He knew that he was on an important mission, so he was ready to sacrifice himself a little. If only he knew for what cost...