Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

****

When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Fate is kind

She brings to those to love

The sweet fulfillment of

Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true

****

Teacher…?

The boy rubbed his eyes. Had he fallen asleep? His teacher always tucked him in bed when he passed out after spending all night reading grimoires or practicing sorcery, but that place wasn’t his bedroom.

Where am… I?

Thick curtains covered the windows, not letting any speck of light through, but it seemed he was inside a carriage. The boy had ridden in that type of vehicle one time when the Archdemon who ruled his hometown summoned his teacher. Were they going to see that frightening man again? But the boy couldn’t sense his teacher’s presence nearby, but another one.

And who’s this girl…?

A girl with long, scarlet hair was leaning on his shoulder, sleeping soundly. She seemed to be younger than him and looked like a noble lady, dressed in a blue dress with a puffy white skirt. They seemed to match, since the boy’s vest was also blue, with the exception that the rest of his clothes and cloak were black, the same color of his wavy hair.

“Mmm… myonmyon…” The girl mumbled, rubbing her soft cheek against him. She smelled nice, too, and her sleepy face looked pretty cute.

Huh… Huuuuuh!? The hell I’m thinkin’!?

More importantly, what was that girl thinking, sleeping like that when she was all alone with a…

“Mmm… Mommy…? Big brother…?”

The girl opened her eyes and blinked twice, seeming a little drowsy. They were of the same color as her hair, and when she looked at him, the boy felt something tugging inside his chest.

“Eeeeek! I’ve been kidnapped!” She yelled, reeling back.

“Huuuuh!? Why would I kidnap you!?”

“W-w-w-we don’t have any money!” The girl waved her hands, tears dwelling in her round eyes. “So don’t hurt my mommy and my big brother!” 

“I ain’t no kidnapper!”

The boy wasn’t like his teacher. Unlike him, he didn’t need to use the life of others for his sorcery. The boy had proudly developed his own sorcery, all alone, without any help.

“Then, who are you?” The girl asked, tilting her head. “I’m Chasty!”

Chasty… What a cute name.

“I’m… Wells.” The boy answered, averting his obsidian eyes.

That wasn’t his real name, but one of the names his teacher had given to him. A sorcerer does not so carelessly reveal their true name, or so his teacher said.

“Nice to meet you, Wells!” The girl chirped, smiling brightly.

What a weird girl…

She was in an unknown place with an unknown person, so why was the girl acting so carefree? Nobody would blame her for being a little scared.

“Wells, do you know where we are?”

“Um… I don’t know.”

But he had a way to know it.

“Huh!? I can’t use sorcery!?” The boy raised his voice, surprised. Something had blocked his sorcery the same moment he tried to activate it.

“Are you a sorcerer?” Chasty asked, leaning over him, which made Wells jolt in response.

Crap. Would Chasty be scared of him after knowing he was a sorcerer?

“Wow, so cool!” The girl opened her eyes wide, clasping her hands.

“Uh… Aren’t you scared of me?”

“Why? My big brother says to never trust sorcerers, but you look like a nice person, Wells.”

Her big brother was right. A little girl like her was the perfect target to use as a sacrifice for any sorcerer, and yet there she was, without a care in the world, saying things like that.

“Uuuh… Thanks.”

Wells felt his ears getting hot. She really was a weird girl… but he was even weirder for acting all bashful because a girl had said he seemed to be a nice person. There was something he needed to show to his teacher, so he should be looking for a way to get out instead of getting all flustered, and quickly.

Or that was what the boy intended to do, but the carriage came to a sudden stop and a door opened.

Chapter Text

Only a fool would step outside without checking their surrounding firsts. There could be enemies hidden in every corner, and it would be bad if that girl got hurt or…

“Wow… What’s this place?” Chasty wondered, her cheeks flushed pink. “Let’s go, Wells!”

“Hey, wait!” The boy protested, but Chasty had grabbed him by the wrist and hopped outside the carriage before he could check for any dangers. What a careless girl.

But Wells was wondering the same as her. What was that place? There were colorful stalls and weird mechanical structures everywhere, and people were standing in line to ride in them. Some of them bounced, while others went up and down like a dragon soaring the skies, and Wells could hear screams coming from there. Were they some kind of torture device, perhaps? He had never seen anything like that in his teacher's castle.

“Look! Over there!” Chasty pointed at two figures. “Somewhere is there!”

A tall woman dressed in a white tailcoat suit was waving at them. Her eyes were golden like the vest surrounding her waist, and her curly, blonde hair reached the end of her back. A pair of horns protruded from her head, so the woman was a succubus or a fomorian… probably. With her lips painted in a deep crimson red, one could say she was a real beauty, and yet, the only thing Wells felt seeing her was a sudden shudder. He didn’t know why, but his instincts were telling him to grab Chasty’s hand and run away.

At her side, a black lion was standing on his four paws. Both his eyes and the vest he was wearing matched the woman but, unlike her, he didn’t look amused at all. The black lion had his ears flattened, and Wells couldn’t help but feel sorry about him. How odd to feel that way about someone he had never seen before.

“Hello, Miss Beautiful lady! Hello, Mister Lion!” Chasty waved back, and the two figures approached them.

“Welcome to the Land of Dreams, oh mighty heroes!” The woman said, while the black lion stood at her side in silence, still looking like he didn’t want to be there.

“‘Land of Dreams’? ‘Heroes’?” The girl tilted her head.

“Yes, that’s right! You two are the heroes who have come to save our land from meeting its demise!”

“Oh, no!” Chasty gasped. “What happened?”

The woman clutched her chest and held her breath, as if she was about to cry, and then spoke with a melodramatic voice.

 “The Demon King… The Demon King has taken away something very important to us… And without it… without it…”

“It’s okay, Miss Beautiful lady. Take your time.” Chasty grabbed her hand, and the woman’s expression changed to one of joy.

“Mmm…! How wrong I was about you! Who would have told me that…!?”

“Miss Gremory… Just give them the note.” The lion interrupted her, speaking for the first time.

“Don’t pressure me, Kimaris!” The woman called Gremory complained. “Just let me act a little dramatic!”

Wells pinched his brow. He didn’t care about what the hell that ‘Demon King’ had stolen from whatever the place was called, or who that strange pairing were, but he, somehow, knew it was a bad idea to leave Chasty alone with them. The girl would probably get into trouble the moment he took his eyes from her.

“Ahem!” The blonde woman cleared her throat, taking a rolled parchment from inside her jacket. “Well then, oh mighty heroes, please hear our plea!”

The horned lady unrolled the parchment and handed it to Wells. Chasty leaned over him to look at it, and the boy could feel his heart pounding with force. She smelled so, so good.

“What does it say?” Chasty asked.

“Um… It says…”

「Oh no! The crab constellation is gone! Without it, the Land of Dreams will run out of love power!

The Demon King has hidden its five stars inside this place, and only a maiden of pure heart and a courageous young boy can find them!

So go through the challenges of the Demon King to retrieve the missing five stars and save this land!

P.S: I’ll allow you to use sorcery this time but, if you try to use it to leave this place, I’ll turn you into a girl again.」

“Er… What?”

Wells was confused. The ‘crab constellation’? ‘Land of Dreams'? A ‘Demon King’? He knew what an Archdemon was, but never heard of a ‘Demon King’. And which kind of power was ‘love’? His teacher didn’t have any grimoire about that type of power in his archives, but if a whole land could fall into its demise only for lacking it, it must be a very strong one. Perhaps he could learn about it and master it someday.

But, leaving that aside… What the heck was that about turning him into a girl again? Wells didn’t know why, but something was telling him it would be better to not try his luck and do as the note said.

“This is terrible! We must do something, Wells!” Chasty said, wiping her eyes. For some reason, she had tears in her scarlet eyes. But why would she cry over something like that? It had nothing to do with them, and yet…

“F-fine… I’ll help.”

Wells didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to see Chasty cry either.

“Mmm, yes! This is the manifestation of young love power!” The woman grabbed her nose, from which blood began to pour. Her white suit got stained in red, and yet she didn’t seem to care. Were all women as odd as her?

“They’re just kids, Miss Gremory…” The lion sighed.

“Miss Beautiful lady, Mister Lion, I don’t know what ‘love power’ is, but don’t worry.” Chasty said. “Because we’ll find the five missing stars and fill this place with love power!”

“Yeeees! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Wells began to worry for the strange woman’s life with all the blood dripping from her nose, but she looked overjoyed. Not like the black lion at her side, who was hiding his face under a paw.

“Anyway!” The woman cleaned her nose with a handkerchief. “Come back here when you get the five stars and we’ll let you go back home, alright? You’ll find a map with all the locations you need to go at the backside of the parchment.”

When Wells turned back the parchment, a map suddenly appeared, marking three locations in a straight line until reaching a bifurcation, with two more spots in each end. It looked like a hassle, but it was better to deal with it quickly so they could get back home soon.

“Whatever, let’s go.” Wells said, putting the map inside his robes and beginning to walk away. He had memorized the five locations, so he didn’t need to look at it anymore.

“Um, wait a moment, Wells!”

Wells stopped on his tracks. What now? He had agreed to help, but that didn’t mean he would spend more time than necessary in that place.

“Whaddya want?” The boy asked, but the girl wasn’t looking at him, but at the black lion.

“Um… Mister Lion?”

“Yes, little lady?”

“Can I… touch your fur?” Chasty clasped her hands, her scarlet eyes sparkling. How cute.

“I… Um…” The black lion’s ears shot up, surprised, but then he approached the girl and ducked his head so she could reach it. “Go… Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Chasty surrounded the lion’s neck and rubbed her cheek against his fur, looking delighted, which made Wells feel annoyed. But why was that? He shouldn’t care about whom Chasty clinged onto…

“Good job, Kimaris! I can already feel love power pouring from this young boy!” Blood sprouted from the strange woman again as she spoke, and Wells felt his ears getting warm.

“I’m… I’m leavin’ without you!” Wells turned around, annoyed.

“Wait, Wells! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you wanted to touch Mister Lion’s fur too…”

“That’s not the point!” He barked. “I’ve gotta go back home soon, so I can’t waste my time with crap like this!”

“Sorry…” Chasty looked down, apologetically. She didn’t do anything to apologize for, so why was she doing it? And why did it hurt seeing her like that?

“Tch, just get goin’!”

“Um… Wells?”

“What!?”

Oops, he didn’t mean to yell like that. Had he made her feel bad again? She was looking a little anxious.

“My mommy says it’s dangerous to walk alone, so do you want to hold hands?” Chasty asked, offering her hand. The blonde woman was bleeding from her nose again, but that didn’t matter to Wells at that moment.

“Uh… Huh!?”

Wells stared at her tiny hand. Her skin was fair as porcelain, and he wondered if it would feel warm if he touched it when a sudden feeling of embarrassment invaded his mind.

“I don’t wanna hold the hand of an ugly girl like you!” He snapped, turning around and leaving a dumbfounded Chasty behind, who had to run after him.

“Wait for me, Wells!”

“We wish you luck! I’m counting on your love power!”

The boy heard the woman say from behind, but he didn’t turn away to answer.

Chapter Text

Their first stop wasn’t much far from where the carriage stopped, so it didn’t take much time to find it. In front of them, a dome made of glass stood tall, and Wells could see several colorful giant teacups on the ground, as if they were placed on a big plate.

“Over here!” A young woman with freckles waved.

Like the extravagant woman from before, the girl was wearing a suit and had blonde, long hair tied to the side, but her eyes were blue instead of golden. They matched in color with her vest and the necktie topping the collar of her white blouse, which combined with a long orange jacket and brown trousers. She was holding a kettle with one hand, and the green hat on the top of her head was so tall that Wells didn’t understand how it could stand upright without falling to the ground.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lady Chas… I mean, oh mighty heroes! Welcome to the Demon King tea party!” The freckled girl said, opening her arms as if giving them the welcome.

A tea party? Wells had heard of evening balls where sorcerers gathered to strike deals from time to time, but never about a tea party specifically.

“Hi, young lady! We’re Wells and Chasty, and we’ve come to save your land!” Chasty chirped.

“Ngh…!” The blonde woman fell on her knees, clasping her chest. “Heavenly Father, please give me strength…!”

What was going on in that place that the people living there were so weird…?

“Are you alright, miss?” Chasty approached the girl, worried, who stood up again.

“Yes, yes, forgive me! Ahem! Welcome to the Demon King tea party! If the missing star you want to find, you will have to spin around and around until the music comes to a stop!

“Okay! We’ll do our best!” Chasty said, and then she rotated on herself.

“Ah… So precious!” The freckled woman clutched her chest again. “But not yourself, Lady Chast…y. You’ll have to ride on one of the teacups placed behind me with your… hee hee, partner, until the music stops.”

Why did she make a face of pure bliss while pronouncing the word “partner”? Between the woman from before and that freckled one, Wells didn’t know who was more of an oddball.

“So, please, choose one of those teacups so we can start!”

“Wells, choose one!” Chasty offered.

“Huh? Why me?” He didn’t know anything about teacups, nor was interested in them. “Just choose one yourself!”

“Ah, but… I… I just wanted…” Chasty ducked her head, but Wells could see she was about to cry.

“Ah… Dammit!” He ruffled his hair in annoyance. Wells didn’t want to see the girl in front of him cry again, so he took a quick glance at the teacups and pointed at one of them. “The one with the scarlet band, then!”

Each teacup looked the same in his eyes, but that one reminded him of Chasty's hair. Wells wouldn’t admit that was the reason, though.

“That one is so pretty! You’ve good taste, Wells.”

“Sh-shut up and let’s go!” Wells roared, embarrassed, and stomped towards the teacup with Chasty following behind.

It was a little narrow, but both kids took a seat, a little further from each other. Chasty had her head down again and was clasping the hem of her dress. Was she feeling unwell?

“The music will start soon! So hold tight!”

Wells leaned his back against the border of the teacup and looked at the blonde lady, who was holding her nose with a handkerchief stained with blood. Did the people from that place have some strange illness that made them bleed from their nose all the time?

“Alright! Let the Tea Party begin!”

The teacups began to spin all around the place and on themselves, first a little slow and then a bit faster. Well, if sitting down and waiting for the music to stop was the only thing they had to do, the boy guessed he could just go along with it.

“Woohoo!”

And Chasty seemed to have fun, at least. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and she had to hold it so it didn’t stick to her face. It was a mesmerizing look.

“A little faster now!”

As the freckled woman warned, the speed increased, and Chasty grabbed herself on the handle, while Wells pressed his heels against the floor. He was a sorcerer, so the only thing he needed to do was to strengthen his body to keep his balance.

“More fast!”

The speed increased again, and Chasty’s face turned white as a sheet. Was she alright? He wanted to ask her if she needed help, but…

“Eeeeeeek! Mommy! Make it stop!” Chasty screamed, but the teacups kept turning around without stopping.

“Hey! Stop this!” Wells yelled too, but his voice didn’t seem to reach the blonde girl.

“I can’t… I can’t… Please!” The girl pleaded, but her words were ignored again.

Was the music so loud that the weird woman couldn’t hear them? The note said he could use sorcery, so Wells thought about using it to make his voice reach her. He could make the teacup stop, too, but he felt that, if an object moving at such high speed came to a sudden stop, Chasty would end up getting hurt, so what could he do?

I’ll have to use that!

Wells had developed a sorcery that could help Chasty. It was something he wanted to show to his teacher first, but he couldn’t stand seeing the girl suffering anymore.

“Dammit!”

Jumping over Chasty to grab her, Wells connected his shadow to a tree from outside the dome and leaped through space, holding the girl tight to cushion her fall with his body.

“Ow…” Wells complained after falling on his butt.

Teleportation sorcery was pretty delicate. The sorcery he had developed allowed himself to move from one place to another using shadows as some kind of portal, but that was the first time Wells had done it while holding another person. He had taken the hit for Chasty, but at least she would be safe now.

“Uuuh…! Nnngh…! Waaah…!” Chasty bawled. Had the tea party scared her that much? But he had taken her away from the scary thing, so there was no need for her to keep crying.

“It’s over already… So stop bein’ a crybaby!”

“But the star…” She sniffed. “We couldn’t get it… Because of me…”

“Who cares about that…?”

Not him, at least.

“Congratulations!” The freckled woman clapped while she approached them. 

“Huh…?” Chasty looked at her, confused.

“You completed the challenge, so don’t you cry! Here, take this handkerchief.”

When Chasty was about to take the -thankfully clean- handkerchief, a sphere of light appeared in the space between her and Wells. It shone with a bright light, and Wells could see a tiny star floating inside it.

“Now, look at the map, mister Bar… Wells.”

Doing as told, Wells took out the parchment from his robes and unrolled it, confused, and the sphere placed itself on it. A mark with the shape of a star appeared on the first marked spot, the proof of them having retrieved the first star successfully.

“The hell…?” Wells muttered, raising an eyebrow.

“Your love power saved her, so the first star came to you! You completed the challenge!”

Wells fell silent for a moment, pondering. The weird woman said they had to sit on those giant teacups while they spun around until the music came to a stop, which didn’t look much of an ordeal. So, if the star appeared even when those conditions weren’t met, that could only mean…

“Why did you trick us!?” Wells stood up, clenching his fist. “There was no need for this girl to go through such a hard time!”

The challenge wasn’t about sitting and turning around and whatever, but about Wells using his sorcery. If that was the only thing he needed to do, there was no need to make Chasty suffer.

“But… The star…”

“I don’t give a damn about any star!” Wells roared. “You made her cry!”

“Wells, it’s alright.” Chasty stood up, rubbing her eyes. “I’m fine, and we got the first star, so please don’t yell at the young lady.”

“Tch, whatever.” Wells clicked his tongue, annoyed, but he took a step to the side.

“Young lady, even when I got scared at the end, it was fun! So don’t feel bad for me.”

“It… It was fun? Phew…” The freckled woman sighed in relief, but that annoyed Wells even more.

What were they thinking? Some strange people brought them to an unknown place without much of an explanation, babbled about some missing stars and a Demon King, and then Chasty…

“I’m outta here!”

Not understanding what was making him feel so annoyed, Wells turned around and went towards their next destination, with Chasty following him in silence.

Chapter Text

On the way to their next destination, Wells got a grasp of the kind of place they were in.

It seemed to be as big as Kianoides, the city where he lived, and its citizens appeared to be under the effect of an enchantment. All of them had big smiles on their faces, and they kept riding on and on those torture devices while laughing, as if they were having a blast, but Wells couldn’t understand. He had seen his teacher relish in the act of torture, so perhaps there were people who enjoyed being on the other end.

Still, be it the work of a Demon King or not, they needed to leave that place as soon as possible. Not only because his teacher was -probably- waiting for him to get back home, but because he didn’t want Chasty to be in such a dangerous place. Wells didn’t know why, but he felt that protecting that girl was his duty, even if that meant having to put his life on the line.

“Um, Wells? Are we still far from where we need to go?” Chasty, who had been walking behind him in silence, asked. They had been walking for several minutes, so perhaps she was feeling a little tired.

“No, it’s over there.” Wells answered, pointing at a big ship anchored in the middle of a small lake.

Two winged figures were standing on a wooden dock, dressed with a white strapless tunic. One of them, with a face which Wells couldn’t tell if it was from a girl or a boy, had eyes green as emeralds, and wore their blonde hair cut around their chin, while the other was a dark-skinned young woman with long, silver hair and golden eyes. The blonde one was poking the woman’s cheek with an arrow that had its fletching shaped like a heart and, judging by her frown, she was pretty annoyed by that.

“Stop that already!” The silver-haired woman said in a hushed voice. “They’re coming!”

The green-eyed person hid their arms behind their back and put on a smile that made Wells shudder. The boy didn’t know who that person was, but he could tell they were someone it would be better to not mess up with.

“Hello, Miss Angel!” Chasty greeted them, ignorant of Wells’ worries. “And hello, Miss… Mister Angel?”

“Hee hee, which one may I be?” The blonde angel leaned over Chasty, smirking.

“I don’t know, but both of you look beautiful!”

Taken aback by Chasty’s response, the androgynous person opened their eyes wide, but then smiled again, pleased.

“Well, thank you.” They said, bowing. “You don’t look that bad as a kid.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Hm… I wonder?”

“Mas-… Bifrons, don’t mess with her…” The silver-haired woman spoke again. She had her cheeks a little flushed, and her pointy ears were twitching a little, which seemed to amuse her companion.

“Oh? Are you embarrassed, Nephteros?” The angel called Bifrons poked her with the arrow again. “Because she said both of us look pretty.”

“Yes, you’re really pretty, Miss Angel!”

“Nhg…! And you’re cute too, kiddo! But that’s not the point now, jeez!” The woman hid her face, but Wells could see that her pointy ears were all red.

“Hee hee, the way your ears move is so cute, Miss Angel!”

“Ha ha ha, good job, kid, she’s totally embarrassed!”

“Urk… Stop it, you two…!”

“Yeah, can we stop with this crap already…?” Wells intervened.

Everyone looked the same to him, so Wells couldn’t tell if the dark-skinned woman or the blonde one were pretty or not. Still, he guessed being called pretty by a cute girl like Chasty would embarrass anyone.

“Sorry, Wells, I made you feel left out again…” Chasty ducked her head. What was with that girl that she apologized for everything?

“Huh!? I wasn’t feeling left out or anythin’!” He lashed out.

And that wasn’t the point, at all. Wells could feel a presence coming from the ship that was making him feel uneasy, and the sooner they could complete the second task and leave, the better.

“Listen, you brat…!” The silver-haired woman glared at him, her fists clenched.

“Don’t fight, don’t fight!” The green-eyed one clapped. “Let’s all be friends!”

A sorcerer had no friends… Wells wanted to protest, but he bit his tongue.

“Hmph, let’s get this over with.” The dark-skinned woman crossed her arms. “Just tell them what they need to do.”

“We’ll do our best!” Chasty forced a smile. Why was she making that sad face?

“That’s the spirit!” The blonde angel nodded. “Well then, allow me to welcome you to the Demon King’s evening ball! To retrieve the second star, you must dance until your feet fall apart!”

It wasn’t evening, and dancing until their feet fell apart sounded like an exaggeration. Judging by the first trial, the condition to complete the challenge could be a different one, but Wells didn’t have any clue of what it could be.

“Dancing? And where will we dance?” Chasty asked, tilting her head.

“Over there!” The green-eyed person pointed at the boat, and then a long wooden plank leading to its deck appeared from thin air. “You’ll have to board this ship and dance like in any evening ball!”

“A ship! How fancy!” Chasty jumped on her feet, her eyes sparkling. “This will be my first time riding one!”

“W-w-who cares?” Wells turned around. “Let’s go.”

“O-Okay…”

As Wells approached the deck, his uneasiness increased. His teacher had praised his skills and talent as a sorcerer but, even when the boy didn’t want to admit it, he was still inexperienced in the real battlefield. Even when he was feeling the unknown presence nearby, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, and that meant having their backs exposed against a possible foe, and while Wells could use sorcery to defend himself, Chasty was just a normal girl. If a subordinate of the Demon King were to attack, Chasty would be in danger again, so he needed to keep his guard up.

I need to concentrate…

See with your eyes, listen with your ears, feel with your skin…

“Um, Wells, I don’t know how to dance, so…”

Here it comes!

“Watch out!” Wells jumped on Chasty to shield her, making her fall on her back.

“Ow… What are you doing?” She protested, tears in her eyes. “Why did you push me…?”

“There’s someone… Someone is on this boat.” Wells stood up, looking everywhere. “So be-…”

With not much time to react, Wells braced himself for a second attack and squinted his eyes. He could see someone running in circles, surrounding them, but his eyes couldn’t keep up with their speed, which was bad, very bad. He knew rather well that it was almost impossible to defend oneself against an invisible attack, so what should he do? Should he take Chasty and retreat? But, where would they go? And what if they were followed, and Chasty got hurt during the chase? No… That wouldn’t work, so he was left with a single choice.

I gotta fight to protect Chasty!

Finding his resolve, Wells dug his heels against the floor and got ready for an imminent impact, crossing his arms over his chest, and then, as he expected, a shadow jumped over him.

“Wha-…!?” Wells exclaimed, confused, when someone suddenly grabbed one of his hands and surrounded his back, as if getting ready for a dance.

“Tee hee hee hee, do you like to waltz?” An ominous laugh rang. “I’ll be your dancing partner!”

“Who…!?”

Wells couldn’t tell who they were. Their face was hidden behind a white mask with a black cross, the symbol of the Church, engraved on it. A golden braid, long as the skirt of their pink dress, fell from their right shoulder, and it had flowers pinned on it. It wasn't the attire of a sorcerer, but that of a dancer. 

“Tee hee hee! Let's dance!”

“Wells!” Chasty stood up, clasping her chest.

“Stay back!”

Whoever that foe was, Wells could tell they were miles above his level. Only a fool would stay and face them instead of fleeing, but he had resolved himself to stay and fight to protect the girl who was standing behind his back, so he strengthened the grip on their linked hands and spun on his heels.

“Wanna dance!? We’ll dance!”

Wells didn’t know anything about the rules of dancing, but there was no way he would let anyone drag him around as they pleased. The one to lead would be him, and as he kept his grip tight, they began turning around across the deck as if it was a real waltz.

“Tee hee hee hee!” The masked figure cackled again, pressing their feet on the ground to make Wells stop. “What a cute child, but now it’s that girl’s turn!”

Before Wells could react, the mysterious assailant let go of his hand and lunged at Chasty, who was still standing in the middle of the deck.

“Whah…!?” She yelled in surprise, bracing herself.

“Leave her alone!”

Wells quickly teleported to Chasty’s front and grabbed the masked foe’s hands before they could touch the girl. However, having to leap through space in a matter of milliseconds had taken a toll on his stamina, making his grip weaker, and the dancer took it as a chance to counterattack.

“How lovely! But is that enough?”

The dancer spun around, slipping through Well’s clasp and taking Chasty along with them.

“Tee hee hee! Let’s dance together, my cute little fawn!” They giggled, spinning around with Chasty in their arms.

“Wells!” Chasty shouted his name. There were tears in her eyes.

“Give her back!” Wells roared, clenching his fists, but he was, of course, ignored.

What to do? If he launched some kind of spell against the attacker, he could hit Chasty, and they were “dancing” so fast that he couldn’t catch them with his shadows. And he couldn’t act reckless either, or he would surely run out of mana, leaving him with no other means to protect the girl.

I’m so weak… Wells lamented, feeling powerless.

The boy had thought that developing the theories to leap through space all on his own, a sorcery not even his teacher knew about, would turn him into a powerful sorcerer, but he had never been so wrong. Because he was weak, Chasty was dragged into something scary… again.

“Wells!” He heard Chasty calling his name again, which made him snap out of his self-loathing.

What was he thinking? If he couldn’t win in a straight fight, he just needed to strike first from the shadows. That’s how the weak survived.

“Didn’t ya hear me? Give her back!”

Sinking into his own shadow, Wells hid in subspace and waited until the dancer took Chasty to an open spot, and then plunged out between them to push the assailant away from the girl.

“Chasty is my dancing partner, not yours!” Wells roared, surrounding Chasty’s shoulders with one arm while casting a magic circle with the other hand.

“Huh… Huh!? What!?” Chasty squirmed under his arm, turning beet red.

“So if you don’t want me to beat the crap outta you, leave her alone!”

Who cared if he ran out of mana? Wells had survived much worse situations, so there was no way he would fall there and leave Chasty alone and defenseless, be it against the Demon King or whoever came his way.

“Tee hee hee hee! What a lovely dancing couple, but time it's up and I must leave. Thank you for the dance!” The masked one put a hand on their chest and bowed, and then leaped backwards toward the bow to jump into the water, disappearing without a trace.

“The hell…?” Wells muttered to himself. Who was that person and what was their goal…?

“Nghn… I messed up again…” Chasty slipped from Well’s hold, falling on her knees while rubbing her eyes. “I bet you hate me now…”

“What…?”

“I’m… I’m clumsy and always causing trouble for others, and…” The girl sobbed. “I don’t have any friends either… hic So I don’t know how to behave with other kids around my age… And I made you upset and… hic And I want to go back home with my mommy…”

Wells ruffled his hair. What made the girl think he was upset with her? Chasty seemed to be a caring person, saying things like not wanting him to feel left out, and had treated him well despite being a sorcerer, while he…

Wait… Is this my fault?

Was he the reason why Chasty was crying? Wells had never been good at dealing with other people, and his bad attitude pushed others away, leaving him with no friends either… Not like he wished to have friends or anything, but he wanted to get along with the girl, at least.

And yet I snapped at her without a reason several times… and made her cry.

How haughty of him, wanting to keep the girl away from danger, and then hurting her like that.

But why do I lose control of my emotions when I’m with her…?

Young as he was, Wells didn’t understand the matters of the heart, but he knew that wasn’t an excuse for his rude behavior. Just like him, the girl had been dragged to an unknown place and had people waiting for her at home. She probably had been scared all this time, and instead of reassuring her, he had behaved like a jerk.

Not the freckled girl, nor the mysterious dancer from just a moment ago, the one who had made Chasty cry was him. He had no right to blame her if she ended up hating him, but that… made his chest hurt. But why? She was a girl he had just met.

Haaah… Who cares about that!?

There was no time to dwell on those questions. He had to do something to comfort the girl. But how could he do it?

“I’m sorry, Wells…” The girl continued. “Please, don’t hate me…”

“I don’t hate you! And I should be the one to…”

Wait. How does one apologize? He had never apologized to anyone in his life, nor had anyone apologized to him, ever. Should he just say 'sorry', or that wouldn’t be enough? Wells felt at loss about what to do, but he would, at least, try to talk with the girl.

“Um… Listen.” The boy knelt on the floor, ducking his head. “You didn’t do anythin’ wrong, and I’m not mad at you either.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah, so don’t cry.”

“But you got all red when I asked you to hold hands… I made you upset.”

“Huh!? But that was because, um…”

Wells had never held hands with a girl before, so he didn’t know how to answer her when she offered to do it. And he said something pretty rude to her, too, something he didn’t think about her, at all.

“Urk… Chasty, listen!” Wells shouted, getting his back straight and grabbing the girl’s hands. They were so tiny, and warm and soft, and his heart began to beat so fast that he felt it could burst at any moment, but he was a sorcerer, and a sorcerer never backed down. “I don’t think you’re ugly, at all! You’re actually, um…”

“Cute!”

“Huh!? How did you know I was about to say that?”

“Hee hee, you look cute with your ears all red, Wells!”

“Uh, uuuh…”

Now that she mentioned it, his ears felt hot again. A sorcerer could control the blood flow of their body, but he had never thought he would need to worry about how his ears looked. Well, if Chasty found him cute for that, then it would do no harm to leave his ears like that for a while.

“Ah, listen…” Wells shook his head, trying to put away his embarrassment. ”My teacher must be waiting for me, so I need to go back home soon, and you have people waiting for you too, yeah?”

“Yes, I’m not allowed to leave the house, so my mommy and my big brother will get worried if they don’t see me there.”

“That’s why I’m, um, in some kind of rush, and because there’s something wrong with this place, and I don’t want you to get hurt, so…”

“Really?” Chasty tilted her head. “I think people are having fun here.”

How could she think that when people were screaming like they were being tortured? Well, to be fair, there was no way for that girl to know about the act of torture.

“But I get it, Wells, so I’m sorry for not being of help to you… And you even had to save me twice and I didn’t even give you my thanks, so…” The girl bowed. “I’m sorry, and thank you.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anythin’! Really… I’m the one who should… apo-… apologize, s-s-so… I’m sorry, Chasty. You aren’t ugly, and I actually wanna hold hands with you.”

He said it! Wells felt more proud of himself for properly apologizing than for completing the bases of his own sorcery. Would his teacher compliment him for that? Probably not but, at that moment, he didn’t actually care about what his teacher would think about him. But Chasty? He wanted that girl to like him.

“It’s okay, Wells, I forgive you!” Chasty said, finally smiling, and Wells’ heart skipped a beat.

“Wha… What are you sayin’!?” He was actually happy to hear her say that, but… “How can you forgive… a sorcerer?”

And after how badly he had treated her…

“For me, Wells is just Wells.” The girl answered, squeezing Wells’ hands, which made his heart beat even faster. “And your sorcery helped me earlier so, really, thank you, Wells.”

Wells never thought someone would see him without the sorcerer’s label, not to say his sorcery would serve to help another person, ever. That wasn’t the reason why sorcerers gathered knowledge, but perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to use his power to protect that girl.

“I’m just a normal girl.” She continued. “But I want to be of help somehow. So I’ll do my best to not drag you down again.”

“You didn’t drag me down! It’s just that… I wanted to protect you! And yet…”

Wells shook his head again. Dwelling on his past failures was just a waste of time. He had failed countless times before, and yet he kept trying until he succeeded. If he wanted to protect Chasty, he just needed to get stronger, and, with that determination, he squeezed the girl’s hands.

“Chasty, I want to… No…" Wells shook his head. "I’ll protect you! And I’ll bring you back home safely! So let’s get done with this star hunting… together!”

“Okay!” Chasty smiled, and Wells fell as if dawn had broken after a long night.

“And let’s… let’s keep holding hands.” The boy averted his eyes. “There could be more enemies nearby, s-s-so…”

“Of course! We’re friends now.”

“Huh? Friends…?”

“Yes, we got upset but we apologized, so we’re friends now, Wells! Or that’s what my mommy always says.”

“Ah, um, uh…” Wells stuttered. “O-Okay… We’re friends, then.”

Sorcerers had no friends, but Chasty said she saw him as just Wells, not as a sorcerer, so that meant it was alright for them to be friends.

“Hee hee hee, you’re all red again!” Chasty giggled. “You’re so cute, Wells!”

“No way! You’re much cu-...!”

Before Wells could finish his sentence, a shining star appeared in front of them, floating inside a sphere of light.

“Look, Wells! The second star!”

Wells took the parchment and unrolled it so the star could place itself on it, and a second mark appeared. Another trial completed…

“But how…?” Chasty tilted her head. “We danced somehow, but…”

“It seems each challenge has a trick, so we don’t have to literally do what they say.” Wells explained. “As long as we fill some kind of requisite, we’ll be fine.”

“Oooh… I didn’t know.”

“Well, it’s just a theory, but… You didn’t do anythin’ wrong, Chasty, so don’t worry, really.”

The boy had supposed the real task of the first challenge was for him to use his sorcery, but he had no idea what the purpose of the second one was. Still, it was over, so there was no need for them to remain there.

“Anyway, let’s get outta here and go for the third star, Chasty.”

“Alright!”

Wells stood up and offered his hand to the girl, who gladly accepted it, and together they got off the boat, their hands linked.

“Done already?” The blonde angel asked, not seeming interested at all. They were poking the woman’s cheek with the arrow again, who had her arms crossed on her chest, glaring intensively at Wells.

“Yes, we got the second star!” Chasty said.

“Good job and all that, you can leave now.” The green-eyed answered, waving a hand as if to shoo them away.

“O-Okay… Then, we’ll be going!”

“Wait a minute…” The dark-skinned woman spoke.

“Yes?” The girl answered, but the woman didn’t look at her, but kept her stare at the boy.

“You better treat her well, you hear me, brat!?”

“I don’t need ya to tell me that!” Wells stuck out his tongue at her.

“Don’t worry, Miss Angel, Wells and I are friends now!” Chasty intervened. “He called me by my name, and he said I’m his dancing partner!”

Hearing the girl, Wells felt his ears burning again. Why did she have to tell them that? That was something he had blurted out without thinking, and it was really embarrassing being pointed out by another person. But he wouldn’t lose his cool again. Not in front of Chasty, at least. He had learned his lesson.

“Is that so? Well, then… Good job, kids.”

“Thank you, Miss Angel! We’ll keep doing our best!”

“Bye-bye! Good job! Just leave!” The blonde one shooed them out again. They clearly wanted them to go away.

“Let’s go, Chasty.” Wells tugged Chasty by her hand and began walking away, while the girl waved the angels goodbye with a wide smile on her face.

Chapter Text

“Look, Wells! It’s the sea!”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

Before them, a vast ocean extended as far as the eye could see. With no ripples in the water, its surface looked like a mirror, reflecting their figures as they leisurely walked along the water’s edge, holding hands.

“Is this your first time seeing the sea, Wells?” Chasty asked, curious. “You don’t look very impressed.”

“Hm… My teacher took me to the docks once he had to strike a deal there, so I guess that counts?”

“Wow, I want to go there too and see the fishes!”

“I’ll take you there sometime… if you want, Chasty.” Wells said, shyly averting his eyes.

“Really!?” The girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but then ducked her head, pouting. “I want to go out and see the town, but my mommy won’t let me…”

“Oh, right…”

On the way to their next destination, Wells could get to know the girl a little. She was about four years younger than him, and her poor health didn’t allow her to spend much time outside. Perhaps that was the reason why, even when they lived in the same city, they had never seen each other before, which was, in some manner, understandable. They came from opposite worlds, so different they could never mix.

And yet, they didn’t seem to care about that.

“Come to my house, Wells.” Chasty said. “I can’t go out to meet you in town, but we can have a tea party in my room.”

“Won’t your mom say anythin’? ‘cause I’m a sorcerer and so.”

“It’s okay! I’m sure my mommy will like you.” The girl smiled. “And my big brother always brings his friend over for dinner, so you can come too.”

“Then, um… I’ll go to hang out at your place once we’re over with this.”

“Yay! It’s a promise!”

A promise was something akin to a contract, and a sorcerer always followed it to the very end. Wells felt nervous thinking about going to visit Chasty at her home, wondering if her mother would really accept him for who he was, but if she was as carefree and kind as her daughter, then there was nothing to worry about.

“Anyway…” Wells scratched his neck. “The third star should be around here, but I don’t see anythin’ or anyone nearby like with the other trials.”

“Are you sure this is the place?” Chasty asked.

“Yeah.” He had memorized the map, after all. “But lemme check again and… woah!”

A huge wave had crashed on the shore, splashing them. The sea seemed to be calm just a moment before, so what was going on?

“The hell…?”

“Wells, look!” Chasty pointed at a figure laying on the shore, face down, not far from where they were. “Someone’s there!”

The girl pulled his hand and ran towards the person washed ashore. It seemed to be a young woman, around the same age as the one with the freckles, who had fins instead of ears. Her short hair was blue, and her body was enveloped with a white sheet tied with some ropes, leaving her legs exposed.

“Miss, are you alright?” Chasty knelt down to shake the woman’s shoulder.

The blue-haired woman stood up with a jerk and blinked, opening and closing her mouth, but no sound came from it. Her eyes were also blue and, if it weren’t for her human legs, Wells would have swore that woman was a siren.

“Um, miss, are you hurt or…?” Chasty asked once more, looking at her with a worried look.

The woman opened her mouth again and waved her arms frantically in all directions. She seemed to want to say something, but her voice was gone. It would be impossible for them to communicate like that.

“Er… How about you write on the sand or somethin’...?” Wells suggested, and the mute woman nodded with energy, then leaned over the ground to scribble.

“Please help… me…” Wells began to read out loud. “I’m a siren and… I asked the… Demon King to… give me… human legs and… in exchange… my voice was… stolen."

So she was really a siren, and a very dumb one. Who asked something to someone called the ‘Demon King’ without expecting to pay some kind of price? The woman got what she deserved, so Wells didn’t want to lose his time with her, but he also knew Chasty would surely like to help her.

"Oh no!” Chasty gasped. “Wells! We need to help her!”

Yeah, of course she would say that.

The mute woman clasped her hands, as if begging, tears dwelling in her eyes. Mermaids were known for taking pride in their songs, and that meant that, if that woman had lost her voice, she would probably be shunned by her kind. If they didn’t help her, who knew what would be of her.

“Fine… But make it quick. We need to find the next star.”

Opening her blue eyes wide, the siren waved her arms again and leaned over the sand again to write.

“I know… where the third… star is… so if you… help me I will… tell you.” Wells said in his stead.

That sounded like a trade, which for Wells was much better than just helping the woman without getting anything in exchange.

“Wells, could this be the third trial?”

“Hmm…” Wells placed a finger on his chin. “The map marked this place, and she’s the only person here besides us, so… Yeah, I think it is.”

The mermaid nodded, giving them a thumbs-up as if to say Chasty was right, and the girl smiled widely in response.

“I did it! I helped Wells!” She cheered, and the boy felt his ears burning.

“J-j-j-just tell us what to do!”

“Yes, we’ll help you, Miss Siren!”

Both kids leaned over to see the siren drawing on the sand, who didn’t skip any detail. For what Wells was understanding, it all began one day when she saw a totally, like super-duper, cute girl on the shore, heart, heart, heart, and she really wanted to come out the water and talk to her, but the elders always nag about mermaids not being allowed to interact with humans, pout, angry face, tears, which is, like, totally unfair, right? So she came up with the ultra perfect plan of disguising as a human, yay, and went to see the, eek, scary, Demon King to ask him if he could give her human legs and, oopsie doopsie, he put her voice inside a glass bottle and threw it in the sea, and a big fish called “the Guardian of the sea” gulped it down, oh no, horror face, and she can’t go out to talk with her like this! That’s why she tried to take it back herself, but she can’t swim well with human legs, so please, please, please help, or she would be in trouble, please, pretty please, teary eyes.

When the mermaid finished with her explanation, Wells pinched his brow. The more she scribbled, the more he could feel his energy being drained. That dumb woman really had it coming, but she looked so helpless that even he felt a little bad for her.

“Ah… Waaah!” Chasty suddenly burst into tears.

“Why the hell are you cryin’ now…?”

“Because it’s not fair…” The girl sobbed. “Miss Siren just wanted to see the girl she likes again…!”

“She wanted to see that girl she likes again…?”

Wells couldn’t understand. What was the point in giving up something so important like a siren’s voice just to see someone again…?

“The Demon King…” Chasty kept going. “Is a really bad king! It’s not fair!”

The siren approached the crying girl and embraced her, letting her cry on her shoulder while stroking her back. Well, she may be dumb, but seemed to be a nice person, so Wells’ opinion on her increased a little.

“We’ll help you, Miss Siren… Promise.” Chasty said after calming down.

“But how…?” Wells pondered.

He had accepted to help the siren in exchange of information, but how were they supposed to find this creature called ‘Guardian’ and get back the woman’s voice from it…?

Standing up, the mermaid raised her fist as to say everything would be alright, and then pointed at their back, where a wooden small fishing boat was docked on the shore.

“Huh!? Where did that boat come from!?” Wells exclaimed, surprised. The boy could swear there was no boat when they arrived at the beach.

“We have to dance again…?” Chasty asked, wiping her tears.

Wells had enough of “dancing”, so he hoped it wasn’t the case. Thankfully, the mermaid shook her head and crouched down to draw a fishing pole on the sand.

“A fishing rod? We have to ‘fish’ this guy called ‘Guardian’?”

The blue-haired siren answered with a nod and got back to drawing what seemed to be the sequence of a plan. She would ride with them in the boat and make the waters move with a woosh while they would lure the Guardian with a, totally, absolutely, trust her, tasty bait to make the big fish go munch munch and then glug glug, gurgle gurgle, eugh, ugh, bleeeeurgh, catch the glass bottle and yay! Success! Star star star!

“To sum it up…” Wells looked at the siren, a drop of sweat running down his brow. “We just need to make the guy puke.”

Wells wasn’t sure if they could make it as smooth as the mermaid was picturing it, but it was worth a try. It was that or killing the Guardian to rip open its stomach, and he would rather avoid that. Not because he cared about the sea creature, but because Chasty would surely cry.

“Wells…?” Chasty tugged his cloak. “Will Mister Guardian’s tummy hurt if…?”

Chasty was young, but perceptive. Wells didn’t buy the “super tasty” bait thing, and it seemed neither did the girl. But, if they wanted to get back the third star, they needed to go along with the mermaid’s plan.

“Don’t worry, Chasty.” Wells answered, ruffling her hair. “I’m sure a creature called ‘Guardian’ is pretty tough. The guy will be fine.”

“Mmm… Okay.”

The girl didn’t look convinced, but Wells didn’t know what more to say to ease her. He didn’t know which kind of bait they would use but, if the intention was to make it spill the contents of its stomach, it was one that wouldn’t kill the sea creature… probably.

“Let’s help Miss Siren and get the third star, Wells.” Chasty put on a smile. She was not only caring and perceptive, but responsible. The girl knew they had a duty to fulfill.

“Yeah, let’s do it, Chasty.”

The kids went towards the boat, determined, the siren following behind. Inside it, they found what seemed to be a fishing rod and a wicker basket, which was letting out a rather acrid smell.

“Ugh… The hell is this smell?” Wells pinched his nose.

“It reeks like the food my mommy makes!” Chasty covered her face.

The siren grabbed the basket and opened it to take out a sandwich from inside. It looked like a plain, normal sandwich, and yet Wells couldn’t help but shudder while looking at it. He had read about an ancient ritual where hundreds of venomous creatures were placed inside a jar to create a deadly poison, so could that sandwich be something similar? If that was the case, not even the most powerful creature of the sea would survive taking a bite of such evil creation.

“Is that… the bait…?” Wells asked, seeing how the mermaid was piercing it with the hook, to which she gave him a thumbs-up as an answer.

Mermaids are scary… The boy thought. He would make sure to remember to never steal the voice of one of her kind if he didn’t want to get killed by a poisonous sandwich.

With the bait ready, it was time for the plan to start, so the siren signaled them to get on board and pushed the boat into the water, hopping in it once the water was deep enough.

“Hold tight, Chasty, I’ll grab the rod.”

“Okay!” The girl answered, and then surrounded him with her arms.

“Huh!?” Wells jolted.

“I’m holding tight as you said!”

“Ugh… Right, right…”

That wasn’t what the boy meant when he said to hold tight, but she was so soft, and warm, and smelled so good that he didn’t want her to let go, even when he felt he was about to collapse. Perhaps helping others wasn’t that bad if that meant Chasty would cling to him like that… No, shake it out, he needed to focus and take the girl back home.

Or so he tried, but his mind was filled with thoughts of the girl’s warmth and couldn’t concentrate. And it didn’t help that the mermaid was looking at them with her hands on her cheeks, grinning, making him feel self-conscious and unable to move. Wells didn’t like the look on her face, but at least she wasn’t bleeding from the nose like the horned woman and the freckled lady.

“Miss Siren, we’re ready!” Chasty said, which helped Wells get back his focus.

“Y-yeah, let’s go.”

Giving them another thumbs-up, the siren waved a hand and the waters began to move, carrying them far away from the shore until they reached a deep spot in the sea.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Wells asked the blue-haired woman. “Do I cast the line here or somethin’...?”

The mermaid nodded in approval, so Wells grabbed the fishing pole firmly and casted the line a little further from their position. The sandwich sinked in the sea, but the line remained still.

“What now…?” The boy asked the siren again, but she just signaled asking him to have a little patience.

The day his teacher brought him to the docks, Wells heard some fishermen talking about how fishing was an art that required patience. They also said that, some days, just getting a single bait could take hours, and that not every catch was a good one. The boy wished the Guardian didn’t take that much time to bite the hook, though.

“[One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive.]” Chasty began to sing, swaying her head. “[Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, then I let it go again. Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so. Which finger did it bite? This little finger on my right.]”

Her song sounded like some kind of incantation, and she kept singing the same verses while the siren clapped behind her at the rhythm of the song. If they were sorcerers, it could serve as a magic circle.

Hmm… A magic circle.

More than with a bait, perhaps there was another way to lure that creature.

“Chasty, keep singing, and you, siren woman, keep clapping too. I got an idea.”

“Okay!”

The girls did as told, while Wells began to weave a magic circle with one hand. By using Chasty’s voice as a base, he could turn the song into an incantation and lure the sea creature who had more mana in that sea, like a mermaid would do with their prey. It was something he had never done, but it was worth the try.

“C’mon, we don’t have all day…” Wells muttered.

Thankfully, their prey didn’t take too long to make an appearance. Some bubbles appeared on the surface, and the boy felt a sudden tug on the line.

“It’s here!” He shouted in surprise.

“Good job, Wells!”

Wells grabbed the rod firmly and pulled, beginning a game of tug of war. The more the boy tried to pull, the more he was dragged towards the sea, and both Chasty and the siren had to grab him so he wouldn’t fall into the water.

“Dammit! The guy is stubborn!”

The Guardian was probably thinking the same about him, because both of them refused to let go, and they kept going on and on until the fishing pole snapped in two parts, making Chasty, Wells and the siren suddenly recoil and fall on their backs.

“Owie…” Chasty complained.

“Are you okay?” Wells asked, helping the girl sit back. The siren had hit her head and fainted, but she would probably be alright.

“Yes, but… Whaaaah!?” The girl shouted, pointing in front of her. “Wells, it’s the big fish!”

When Wells turned around, he saw an enormous creature poking its head from the water surface. More than a big fish, it looked like a whale, who looked mad, very mad.

“Hello, Mister… Guardian?” Chasty said. “Did we wake you from your nap?”

The Guardian didn’t answer, but opened its mouth wide.

“This is bad!”

By the amount of mana gathering inside that whale’s mouth, an imminent attack was about to come. Wells was confident in his sorcery, but the creature’s mana far surpassed his own. A protective barrier wouldn’t be enough to shield the three of them from such a powerful creature.

“Let’s get outta here!”

Wells grabbed both Chasty and the siren and opened a path to leap through space, but the girl tugged his robe and pointed at the sea creature.

“Wells, look!”

The Guardian had stopped its attack, and was making an odd expression. Loud sounds like gaggings were coming from its throat, and that was when Wells understood what was going on.

“The bait worked!”

Believe it or not, the mermaid’s plan had worked, but not as exactly as she said it would. The sea creature had gulped down the sandwich, yes, and the poor guy was about to spill out the contents of its stomach, true, but the plan didn’t talk about how the water’s surface would explode once it did, making the boat they were riding burst into bits. throwing them into the air.

“Whaaaaaaaaaah!?” Both kids shouted, flying in the air.

When they were about to plunge into the sea, Wells placed a magic circle on the water’s surface, cushioning their fall. It was just a simple foothold, basic sorcery that even an apprentice could make on the spot, but at that moment it worked as their safe line.

“Are you okay…?” Wells asked, looking around.

“Yes, but…”

“Yeah, I know.”

The blue haired woman was not anywhere in sight. Before he could catch her with his shadows, the mermaid had plunged head first into the water and he had lost trace of her. As a siren, she shouldn’t have any problem surviving on her own, but she also had said she couldn’t swim well with her human legs.

That odd siren was someone he had just met, and he shouldn’t care about her fate, but… Somehow, Wells was feeling a slight pang of worry.

“Where did she… Huh?”

Wells was about to search the traces of the siren’s mana when he heard a sound coming under the water, like a humming.

“Wells… Do you hear it too?”

“Yeah, someone is singing.”

Wells could feel his body relaxing, his worries easied. It seemed to be the same for Chasty, who was looking at the water with eyes half-closed. Perhaps that was what people called being entranced by a siren’s song.

A shadow appeared on the water’s surface, and from it the siren resurfaced, holding an empty bottle glass. A pair of purple shells covered her chest and, instead of human legs, she had a long, blue scaly tail. 

"[La~ La~ La-la-la~ la-la-la-la~]"

The mermaid kept humming her beautiful melody, attracting a whole lot of sea creatures to where she was. Even the Guardian had poked its head from the water again but, thankfully, it seemed to be in a much better mood, perhaps thanks to that woman’s song.

“Thank you for letting me sing once more.” She said with a voice as clear as a chiming bell. “This is for you!”

From her throat, a shining star came out. Knowing that was the third star they were looking for, Wells took the parchment from his robe, but didn’t unroll it.

“Are you sure this is okay?” He asked the mermaid, who nodded. She had lost her voice again.

“But Miss Siren, without your voice…”

Wells knew what Chasty was about to say. Without her voice, not only would she be rejected by her peers, but she wouldn’t be able to go outside to talk with the woman she had fallen for. The deal with the Demon King had broken and she had lost her human legs, and yet, the siren didn’t seem to care or, to be more precise, she already knew that her love was an impossible one.

Looking at her, Wells understood it. The siren’s voice had been the third star all along, and the Demon King didn’t steal it as a price to pay for her request, but she had been the one to offer it as an exchange of human legs.

To teach her a lesson, the Demon King had hidden the rest of the stars, leaving the land without its source of power, and the siren, realizing her mistake, had tried to retrieve at least one of them on her own, but failed. That’s why she asked them for help, and that’s why she was letting go of her voice. Instead of being selfish, she had decided to sacrifice her own happiness to save the land where the woman she loved lived.

Wells had thought she was a dumb one, and he kept thinking it after realizing the mermaid’s true motives, but… He also felt respect for her choice.

“We’ll find the last two stars and save your land.” Wells said, unrolling the parchment to let the star place on its mark. “A sorcerer never goes back their word.”

“And if we meet the girl you like, we’ll tell her to come here to see you!” Chasty added.

The siren nodded, smiling. She had tears in the corner of her eyes, so she was probably putting on an act.

But now that they had retrieved the third star, it was time to get on the move, and the blue-haired woman waved her hand and moved the waters to help them get back to the shore safely, where they said their goodbyes.

“Bye-bye, Miss Siren! Your song was really beautiful!”

“We’ll be on our way. And good luck.”

Wishing her luck was the only thing Wells could do for that woman, who waved them goodbye while seeing them walk away, holding hands, going towards their next destination.

Chapter Text

What does it mean to love someone?

Wells had been thinking about that since parting ways with the siren. The boy wanted to believe his teacher loved him but, if asked, he wouldn’t be able to tell what made his teacher love him. And would his teacher give up on something precious to him, as the blue-haired woman did, just to save his disciple? The answer to that scared him.

“Wells, do you like someone?”

“Wha… What the hell are you askin’ all of a sudden?” The boy replied, all flustered, at the unexpected question.

“You don’t?”

“Of course not!”

Wells never got along with any of the kids from the neighborhood he grew up in for the first years of his life, and Chasty was, in some manner, the first girl he had ever interacted with. Both his body and mind were acting odd since meeting her, but that probably had to do with the nature of that strange place. He had no interest in that girl, none at all. Absolutely not.

“What… What about you?” He asked, scratching his cheek.

“I like Wells!”

“What!?” The boy came to a sudden halt, shocked.

“Is it odd to like your friends?” She tilted her head, as if it was the most natural thing to say.

“Uuuh… I guess not.”

If she said that, perhaps it wasn’t that odd that he…

“Then, do you like me?” Chasty asked again.

“Huh!?” The boy jolted, not expecting that kind of question.  “I… Uh…”

What to answer? The girl was looking at him with expectation, waiting for an answer. Wells didn’t want to brush it off and make her feel bad, but telling someone that you like them was really embarrassing.

“I… don’t dislike you.” Wells managed to say.

“Hee hee, Wells likes me!”

“Don’t twist my words!”

Hearing her saying that was even more embarrassing, but she looked happy, at least.

“A-Anyhow… We’re close to our next destination, so keep your eyes open, Chasty.”

“Okay!”

After leaving the beach, they got back on land and were crossing a street full of stalls selling food. Wells asked Chasty if she was hungry or tired, but the girl told him she was feeling fine, so they continued with their search, looking for any clue that would lead them to the fourth challenge.

And thankfully for them, it didn’t take them long to find the place.

“Huh!? What’s my house doin’ here!?” Wells stopped on his tracks, surprised.

“Do you live here, Wells?”

“Well… In some manner.”

The boy lived in his teacher’s castle, but he had taken an abandoned mansion as his base. Every sorcerer had one or more bases, so why wouldn’t he have one too? The time he found it was also when his teacher gave him the name he was being referred to by the girl.

“There’s a lady sitting in a chair on your porch.” Chasty pointed. “Should we go talk with her?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

The woman was wearing a blue provincial dress with a white shirt and an apron of the same color. Her long, light blonde hair was tied in a pair of pigtails, and her golden eyes kept staring at the thick book she was holding. She had pale skin, paler than Wells, which highlighted her lips painted with a faint purple, which was giving her an eerie look.

“Oh my, you’re finally here.” She said, closing the book, and then smiled.

“Hello, Miss…?”

“Miss Vampire, you can call me that.”

An undead. That was the first time Wells had seen one of that race.

“Hello, Miss Vampire. What are you doing in Wells’ house?”

“Oh, I just came to look for a child who got lost chasing his own shadow…” She answered. Was it him, or did the vampire say that with an amused tone?

“A child got lost!?” Chasty raised her voice. “Then, why are you outside reading instead of looking for that child, Miss Vampire?”

There was a light tone of reproach in the girl’s voice. How odd, she had always been polite with everyone they had met in that place.

“You see…” The vampire lowered her eyes. “The Demon King had forbidden me to enter this house, and I can’t go look for that child myself. That’s why I was waiting for the two of you to come and help me.”

“Mmm… I see. I’m sorry for being rude, Miss Vampire.” Chasty bowed.

“Hee hee, there’s nothing to apologize for, young lady.”

The vampire stood up from her seat and left the book on the chair. She was a little shorter than Wells, but not much older than him in appearance, and yet something was telling the boy that the woman had lived for much longer than him, which wouldn’t be strange, considering her true nature.

“Well, let’s cut it to the chase. Welcome to the Demon King’s Haunted House.” The Vampire bowed. “If the fourth star you want to get, the lost child you must help escape.”

“A ‘haunted house’!?” Chasty jolted. “Uuuh… I don’t like scary things…”

The girl hid behind Wells, shaking like a leaf. She must be really scared to act like that just by hearing the house’s name, but that’s where Wells needed to step up.

“Don’t worry, Chasty. I’ll protect you.” He said, surrounding her shoulders.

“My, my, what a gentleman.” The golden-eyed woman giggled.

“Got a problem with that…!?” The boy barked in response, his ears red.

“Not at all, just thinking things would be smoother between you two if you were more honest with your feelings for her.”

“Not sure I follow…”

“You don’t need to.”

Wells didn’t understand. He had hurt Chasty, but apologized, and he really meant it when he said he would protect her, so why was that lady saying he should be more honest?

“Well then, the doors are open for you when you’re ready.” The vampire said. “But first…”

The vampire bent over to whisper something in Chasty’s ear. Wells didn’t catch what she said, but the girl’s face turned beet red.

“Got it?”

“Yes, Miss Vampire!” Chasty nodded twice.

“The hell…?” Wells raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was going on.

“Now, time is gold, so go find that mischievous child and come back. I’ll be here waiting.”

“Let’s go find that kid, Chasty.”

“O-Okay…”

The girl clearly didn’t want to enter that house, but it was true that they didn’t have time to spare, so Wells grabbed her hand tightly to give her reassurance and lead Chasty to the entrance’s door.

Once they entered, the door closed behind them, cutting all sources of light. The entrance hall was as dusty as the boy’s own house, which gave him some sense of familiarity. If that place was supposed to look like his mansion, then finding that lost brat wouldn’t get too much time. He knew every inch of that place.

“Hold tight, Chasty, this won’t take too long to… huh!?”

The warmth of her hand had suddenly vanished, and when Wells looked at his side, the girl was nowhere in sight. Where did she go? She would get lost in that place surrounded by darkness.

“Chasty…?” He called her name, but got no answer. 

The Demon King… The vampire said this was the Demon King’s house, and that they needed to find a lost child…

“Chasty, where are you!?” The boy shouted.

“Wells!” She answered from somewhere. “Are you alright?”

Worrying for others before her was just like that girl.

“I’m fine! But where are you!?”

“I don’t know! Everything is dark!”

There was no way for a normal human to see in that darkness. Wells could adjust his vision, but not her, so the safer thing to do was for her to stay in place while he teleported to her side.

“Don’t move! I’ll be right there!”

Demon King or not, the shadows were his domain, and there was no one who could beat him inside it, and yet…

“Are you kiddin’ me!?”

Just like before, someone had blocked his sorcery when he was about to open a portal towards the girl’s shadow. But why? The note said he could use sorcery, so could it be that the Demon King was challenging him to not use it?

“Wells!? What happened!?”

“Nothin’! Stay there!”

The boy clenched his fists, annoyed. That was the third time the Demon king had used Chasty against him because he didn’t dare to face him straight on. Well, too bad for that bastard, because he was still one of the few sorcerers who had studied spatial sorcery, and there was no way he would lose to him in his own field of expertise.

I’m gonna beat that asshole into a pulp once I find him!

He swore to himself, but first he needed to find the girl, so he dashed towards the corridor and went to the room Chasty’s voice was coming from.

“Huh!?”

But instead of the girl, Wells found an empty room, and another, and another, and no matter how many rooms he opened, Chasty was nowhere to be found, nor she didn’t answer his calls.

“Goddammit! Chasty, answer me!”

Cold sweat began to pour from his brow. Could it be that the Demon King was a spatial sorcery user too? That would explain how he was being played in his own domain, something no sorcerer should never allow. It hurt his pride, but Wells had to admit that, like the masked dancer from the second trial, the Demon King was someone much more superior in level than him, and the worst of it was that, this time, he had been surpassed in what he thought he excelled at.

Wells fell on his knees. If he didn’t pass the challenge, he probably would never see Chasty again, but why should he care about that girl? She was a crybaby he had just met that day, and he had no obligation towards her. For a sorcerer, survival came first, and going against such a strong foe as the Demon King who had condemned that land to perish wasn’t worth any price.

But I want to see her again!

Wells understood why the siren had given up on her precious voice for a girl she just saw once.

“Demon King, come for me if you dare!” The boy yelled with all his might.

He wasn’t the same pathetic boy who had awoken in that unknown place. He was a sorcerer, and a sorcerer never backed down, so Wells got back to his feet and braced himself.

“I can feel you, so show yourself!”

Even with his sorcery sealed, he could feel the newcomer's presence. They were in the hallway, approaching him, getting closer, and closer… and the boy began to tremble as they approached, but pressed his heels firmly on the floor. He wouldn’t do something so pathetic as to run away and leave the girl behind.

And as the boy tried to slow down the beating of his heart, an eerie figure appeared in front of him. By the robes it was wearing, it looked like a sorcerer, a sorcerer with its eye sockets empty and the flesh of its face ripped, with bleach-white bones for limbs. It was floating in the air, since it didn’t have any bones below the knees, and it slowly began to approach him.

That skeleton figure wasn’t the Demon King, but a lich, a king of the undead, and he could do nothing against him.

“Stay… Stay back!” The boy shouted, scared, but the lich kept swaying in the air, getting closer to him.

Forget acting brave. He had to flee, or he would be killed by the lich. And once he was killed, Chasty would be targeted next.

Wait, could it be…?

That the lich had killed the girl already, and that was the reason why she didn’t answer him…?

No… It can’t be…

They said they would go back home together, and they had promised to meet again at her house…

Wells felt a sudden wave of despair invading him. It was his fault. He should have protected her, he should have stayed at her side, he should have found her before the lich could do it. But now the girl was dead, and he would never see her again.

And as the boy felt his knees giving away, making him fall on the floor, the lich stretched a bony hand towards him. He was about to be killed, but it didn’t matter. Wells had lost all will to live.

“I won’t let you hurt Wells!”

A beam of light pierced straight through the lich, who let out a screeching yell, and stripped the place out of its darkness. With the terrifying creature and the gloomy atmosphere gone, Wells found himself in his living room, or rather, in a room which would look like his living room if it was clean.

“Wells, did the scary thing hurt you?”

A pair of scarlet teary-eyes were looking at him. They looked the same as Chasty’s, but the girl who knelt on the floor and grabbed his shoulders wasn’t her. The lich had…

“Chasty…?” Wells said in a whisper.

“Yes, it’s me, Wells. Sorry it took so long to find you.”

“But I… I thought…”

“The scary thing is gone, so don’t cry, Wells.”

“Huh…?”

The boy touched his cheek, wet from tears. Was he doing something as lame as crying? Really?

“It’s alright…” Chasty embraced him, placing his face on her shoulder. “So don’t cry…”

“I’m not…!” The boy wanted to protest, but tears kept streaming down his face without a stop.

Chasty stroked his back as he cried. He had called her a crybaby, and yet the one who was acting like one was him. But he couldn’t help it. He had been scared, so scared, but the source of his fear wasn’t the lich.

“I thought… I thought I wouldn’t see you again!” He said, still crying. “I thought that thing had killed you!”

Wells only had his teacher, and he was a powerful sorcerer with a second name. There was no way his teacher would ever be defeated, so Wells had never experienced the fear of losing someone. But the thought of losing that girl scared him, so much as to leave him frozen in the spot, and it was so painful as if his chest had been torn apart.

“No way!” The girl answered, cupping his cheeks and looking him straight in the eye. “There’s no way I’m gonna die and leave you alone, Wells!”

“But… You must have been so scared, and yet…!”

“Yes, I was really scared when we got split up.” The girl continued. “But I can’t let you save me all the time, so I ran and ran to find you, and then I found a boy who told me where you were, but I’m fine! So don’t cry…”

Chasty wiped his tears and got even closer to him, so close that Wells could see his own reflection in her round eyes.

“Because, no matter what, I’ll always come back to you, Wells!”

Wells opened his eyes wide. That sounded like a promise, and an unbreakable one, which soothed his heart.

“So don’t cry… Don’t cry…” She whispered, embracing him again, and the boy let himself get lost in her warmth once more.

It was unthinkable for a sorcerer to seek comfort in others, and yet that girl, the one who he should have protected, the one who didn’t care he was a sorcerer, was there, letting him cry on her bosom, and Wells felt there was no safer place than between that girl’s arms.

“I’m alright… You can let go now.”

Wells didn’t want to let go of her embrace, but they couldn’t remain in that place. The lich may be gone, but who knew which more dangers were lurking in that place.

“Then let’s go, Wells, the boy told me how to leave this place.” She said, standing up and offering her hand to help him get back on his feet.

“A boy… Oh, right, you mentioned someone before.”

They were supposed to find a lost child, but the ones who, in some manner, ended up being lost, were the two of them. And then Chasty found him.

“Yes, he jumped from room to room like a cat, but he seemed to be a nice person. And he told me to not worry, that he could find the way back by himself.”

“Oh, I see…”

Then there was no need for them to go through that whole ordeal… But again, all the challenges had some kind of trick. Not the one with the siren, though, but her case was more about her not being honest with them until the end.

“Lead the way then, Chasty.”

The girl was staring at him without saying a word, and her gaze was making his heart beat fast, but, this time, not from fear.

“Chasty…?”

“It’s nothing. I, um, will tell you later.” She said, her cheeks turning red.

“O-okay…?”

Wells felt curious, but he didn’t want to force the girl to speak, and the priority at that moment was to leave that place.

“Let’s go, Wells!”

The girl grabbed his hand firmly to lead him outside, and when they safely crossed the entrance’s door, the vampire from before was waiting for them, reading her book.

“My, so you found the lost child.” She said, a smirk on her face.

“Yes, Miss Vampire! But he told me he could find the way on his own, and…”

“I wasn’t talking about that child, but the one you’re holding hands with.”

“Huh…?” Both kids tilted their heads.

They were confused by the vampire’s words but, before they could ask what she was referring to, a sphere of light appeared in front of them, a tiny star on its core.

“Is this…?” Wells wondered.

“Wells, the fourth star!”

Chasty had found the lost child and got him outside the house safely, so the trial had been completed and the fourth star placed itself on its mark on the parchment.

“Just one more to go!” Chasty cheered.

“Yeah, we’re almost done…”

Wells felt mentally exhausted, but that was no time for rest. The last challenge of the Demon King awaited them.

“Well then, my job here is done, so I bid you adieu.” The vampire said before turning into a flock of bats and flying away.

“Huh? Miss Vampire? Where did you go?”

“No idea… But we gotta go too, Chasty.”

“Yes, you’re right, let’s go!”

Leaving the mansion behind, Chasty and Wells walked together towards their final destination under the setting sun.

Chapter Text

The sky had a mix of gold and purple. How long had it been since they began gathering all the stars? Wells couldn’t tell, but Chasty was feeling a little tired, so they were taking their time climbing the stone stairs that, Wells supposed, lead to their final destination, a hill a little further from the haunted house.

And, speaking of the haunted house, Wells had been curious about something since they left the place.

“Hey, Chasty?”

“Yes?”

“The thing you did when the lich was about to attack me… How did you do it?”

Wells had never seen a sorcery capable of obliterating that kind of creature with a single shot. More than a spell, it looked as something sacred, something resembling the power of the swords some important Angelic Knights wielded.

“Mmm…” The girl put a finger on her chin and pondered for some seconds. “I don’t know, I just thought I wanted to protect you, and the scary thing was gone!”

“Is that so…? Well, um, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Be it a spell or something akin to a Sacred Sword, it was proper to say thanks to the girl who had saved him. He would make sure to get stronger for next time.

“We’re almost at the top. You doin’ fine?” Wells asked the girl.

“Yes, I’m ready for the last challenge!”

“C’mon, then.”

Waiting at the top of the hill was a small square surrounded by wooden fences and, in the middle of it, there was a round table with a box on its top and a pair of chairs. A young woman was standing there, with skin as fair as snow and long, silver hair, who was wearing an attire consisting of a blue bodice with puffed red-striped sleeves, a white high collar and a yellow skirt. She had the same face as the haughty woman from the Demon King’s ship but, instead of golden, her eyes were of an azure color.

“Welcome!” The young woman said with a smile. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Hello, Miss Fairy! You look like the pretty angel we met before!”

“Oh, my!” She blushed. “I’m happy you said that, because she’s my twin sister.”

“Really? Both of you are so beautiful, Miss Fairy.”

“To be told something like that by such a lovely young lady like you… I can’t stop blushing!” The silver-haired woman's pointy ears twitched.

“Hee hee, you even blush like your twin sister!”

Listening to their exchange of words was making Wells feel a little bugged, but this woman seemed to be less annoying than her twin, at least.

“Oh, forgive me! You must be tired after walking all day, so…” The woman cleared her throat. “Allow me to give you the welcome to the last challenge of the Demon King! And listen well… Because this is the most important one!”

“Yes, we’re ready!” Chasty said, making a serious expression.

“Yeah, let’s get it done.”

Wells felt a little nervous. Which kind of trial awaited them? Whatever it was, he would face it head on, and he would protect Chasty against any danger this time. No matter the cost, he wouldn’t fail again.

“Then… Welcome to the Demon’s King birthday party!” The silver-haired woman opened her arms. “If the fifth star you want to get… your birthday you must celebrate!”

“Huh!? It’s your birthday today, Wells?”

“My birthday…?”

The woman was looking at him, not at Chasty, so she must be referring to his birthday. What day were they in…? It was summer, in the middle of the month of Kavouras…

“Ah… Yeah, it is.”

That day, on the fifteenth of Kavouras, he had turned ten years old.

“Happy birthday, Wells!” The girl hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry for not greeting you earlier, but I didn’t know!”

“And how were you supposed to know it was my birthday when I didn’t tell you? It’s not your fault, dummy.” He ruffled her hair, which made the woman with pointy ears blush again.

“Don’t worry, little lady, because you’ve come here to celebrate this boy’s birthday together!”

Celebrate what? Wells had never celebrated anything in his life. The day he was born was just like any other day, nothing special, and it was information he had found by chance. And yet, he would be lying if he said that Chasty holding him and wishing him a happy birthday didn’t make him feel something warm inside his chest.

“But I didn’t bring any presents…” Chasty ducked her head.

“But there’s a cake so, come on, sit here!”

The woman signaled them to take a seat on the table and opened the box. Inside it, there was a small strawberry shortcake with a butterfly figure made of chocolate pinned on the top. Wells wasn’t fond of sweets but, judging by how Chasty was almost drooling, perhaps it tasted good.

“Wooow… How lavish.” The girl’s eyes sparkled.

“So, here’s what you need to do.” The silver-haired woman said. “You just need to have fun together!”

“Just that?” Wells asked, surprised. “I was expecting something more serious, like the other trials.”

“Huh? But you were supposed to have fun with those, um… little challenges too…”

“Er…”

Both of them were dragged around all day to do those trials, so the boy wouldn’t call them “little challenges” or say he had fun. Still, thinking about them in retrospect, it was true that they hadn’t been that bad. He had gotten closer to Chasty thanks to them.

“Um… But that’s not all you have to do!” The woman waved her hands. “Wells needs to do something very important to complete this challenge!”

“I’m ready.” He straightened his back, awaiting her next words.

The woman with the silver hair pointed a finger at the cake and ten tiny lights appeared on the top of it, floating in the air.

“Wells, to complete this challenge, you need to make a wish and then blow these tiny lights!”

“A wish…?”

“Yes. In the Land of Dreams, there’s a saying that, if you make a wish on your birthday, your wish will come true.” She explained. “But you must not say it out loud, just in your mind, and wish for it with all your heart.”

“What nonsense is that…?” He muttered, skeptic.

“My mommy says the same, and my mommy is always right!” Chasty intervened. “So make a wish, Wells, something that will make you happy!”

Something that would make him happy… What would that be? Power? To be acknowledged by his teacher…? No… Nothing compared to what would really make him happy.

“Okay, here it goes…”

I wish for Chasty to always smile.

Closing his eyes and with all his heart, Wells made his wish and blew the lights, and the fifth star appeared before them.

“Yes, we did it, Wells!”

“Y-yeah…”

Just as the woman said, the last star appeared once he had made his wish, without any hidden tricks or difficult challenges.

“Congratulations!” The woman clapped. “You’ve collected all the five stars of the crab constellation! So Wells, please, take out the parchment!”

Doing as told, the boy unrolled the parchment and the three of them leaned over to see how the last star put itself on its mark. With the five stars placed together, the drawing of the constellation began to glow.

“And now it’s time for it to get back where it belongs!”

The five stars shot up to the dark sky and, together, they formed the figure of a crab. With the guardian returning to its place, the land had been saved from perishing.

“So this is the crab constellation… It’s so pretty.” Chasty said.

“Yeah, it ain’t bad…”

Its light was a little faint, but the boy preferred it like that.

“Now then!” The woman clapped her hands. “I’ll cut the cake for you now!”

Waving a hand, a pair of plates, two forks and a knife appeared on the table, and the woman cut the cake in two perfect halves, putting a slice on each plate.

“Now that the five challenges have been completed, please, enjoy a little more of your time together.” She continued. “And once you’re ready, go back to the beginning so we can send you back home.”

“Are you leaving, Miss Fairy?”

“Yes, I don’t want to get in your way. But I’ll be there with everyone to say goodbye.”

“Um… Okay! Then see you in a bit, Miss Fairy!”

“Have fun together!”

The silver-haired woman bowed and turned around to leave the place, leaving the two of them alone.

“So, it’s over…” Wells sighed. He was really, really tired.

“Hee hee, we’re the best team!” The girl chirped.

“Yeah, we are.”

In the beginning, Wells had intended to do everything on his own and get done with it quickly, but he couldn’t have done it without the girl’s help. She really was the best dancing partner he could ask for.

“Um, is it okay if I eat the cake…?” Chasty asked, blushing.

“Go ahead.”

“Thanks!”

Both of them took a bite of the cake. The whipped cream had the right amount of sweetness, and the sponge cake was soft and easy to chew. Whoever baked the cake had a knack for it.

“Can I sit at your side, Wells?” The girl asked once she finished her portion.

“Uh? Sure.”

Chasty grabbed the chair and placed it on his side, and then took the boy’s hand as if it was the most natural thing to do. Even when they had been holding hands for almost all day, Wells’ heart still pounded with force at her touch, but it was also comforting. Perhaps that was what the girl was seeking, since their time together would come to an end soon.

“I’m ready when you’re ready.” He said, squeezing her hand.

“Just a little longer.”

“A little longer, then.”

Wells heard a loud whistle and looked up where, with a pop, a big colorful flower appeared in the sky followed by another one, and then another, and more appeared, filling it with kaleidoscopic figures.

“Wow, what’s that!?” She pointed at the sky. Her face was lightened up with the colors projected in the sky. “It’s so beautiful!”

“Yeah, it is…” Wells answered, but he wasn’t looking at the sky, but at her.

The unknown phenomena of colors projected in the sky went on for some minutes until it came to a sudden stop with a loud boom. Just like their journey, the spectacle had ended.

“Let’s go back home, Chasty.”

“Yes, let’s go back home, Wells.”

It was time to say goodbye to the Land of Dreams.

Chapter Text

As the silver-haired woman said, everyone had gathered in front of a carriage to say their goodbyes. Even the siren was there, sitting on the black lion’s back, waving one hand and holding her tail with the other.

“Look, Wells, it’s the boy who helped me before!”

Among the crowd, there was a boy older than Wells who had chestnut hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a short-greened tunic and brown tights, and a cap with a red feather on it, thankfully, much smaller than the hat the freckled woman was still wearing.

So that was the boy who helped Chasty before… Wells felt a little pang of animosity towards him, but his carefree smile made it impossible to hate him. Not like it didn’t matter, since they would leave that land soon.

“Hi, everyone!” Chasty waved back. “We did it!”

“Welcome back, our heroes!” The horned woman greeted them. “Good job, the land is brimming with love power again thanks to you!”

“I still don’t know what ‘love power’ is, Miss Beautiful lady, but I’m glad!”

Wells didn’t know, either, but he felt relieved. That place was full of weirdos, but no one deserved to see their home trampled like that.

“So?” The tall woman crouched down to whisper to Wells. “Did you have fun on your birthday?”

“Huh? Well, I guess it wasn’t that bad at the end…”

“I see…” She smiled, then whispered again. “Next year we’ll celebrate again… with everyone. Promise.”

“Uh… Sure?”

So next year they would be summoned to that place and more people would be involved…? Wells wished they could take better care of their home and not let their constellation be stolen again.

“Now then!” The blonde woman stood up. “It’s time for our heroes to go back home, so say your goodbyes!”

“Please, take care.” The black lion said.

“Bye! Both of you did amazing today!” The boy in green cheered.

“Yes, thank you for the meal!” The freckled woman wiped her nose.

“Indeed, this was entertaining.” The vampire chuckled.

“Good job, you two!” The silver-haired woman clapped.

“Be careful… On your way home.” Her twin said, crossing her arms and turning her reddened face away.

“Bye, brats!” The angel at her side waved, followed by the masked dancer and the siren.

“Bye-bye, everyone! It was nice to meet all of you!” Chasty waved back.

“Yeah… And take care, too, all of you.” Wells added.

The horned woman opened the door to the carriage and helped both kids ride in, then closed the door after they took a seat.

“Goodbye, our heroes! Keep up with your love power!” She said, giving them a thumbs-up.

“Bye-bye!” Chasty waved one last time, and then the carriage began to move, leaving behind the Land of Dreams.

“Man… I’m beat!” Wells sighed, leaning his back against the cushioned seat.

“Me too…”

The girl leaned on his shoulder and took his hand, to which he answered with a squeeze. It had been a really long day… So it was no wonder that both of them felt exhausted.

“Um, Wells…?”

“Yeah?”

“You worked very hard today, so… Mwah!”

Wells felt something soft and warm pressing against his cheek, and when he looked at the girl, confused, he saw her almost in tears, beet red.

“Wha… What did you do…?”

“Mi-… Miss Vampire said that, um…! When a boy works hard, you have to reward him with, um… a… a kiss!”

“A kiss…?”

“Mhm…!” She nodded.

Wells touched his cheek. It felt warm, and a little wet, and as the realization of what happened dawned on him, his ears began to burn. Chasty had worked hard too, so, even when she was a girl, should he reward her with a kiss too…?

“We’re, um… still kids, so…” She continued. “It’s a kiss on the cheek.”

“Uh, oh… Okay.”

Did that mean that, if they were adults, she would have kissed him in another place? If that was the case…

I can’t wait to grow up… Wells thought, his heart pounding with force.

But, when they grew up… Could they follow the same path? Sorcerers lurked in the darkness, alone, away from people of good heart like her, and nothing good would come from a boy like him staying by the side of a girl like her. She belonged to the light, while he belonged to the shadows, so it would be better to part ways in that place and not see her again. She would be sad for a while, probably… but it would be for the best.

But sorcerers were selfish by nature, and he wanted that girl to be the light of his shadow.

“Hey, Chasty…”

“Um, Wells…?”

They spoke at the same time.

“Huh? You… You first, Chasty.”

“Ah, um, sorry… It’s just that, um…” The girl stuttered, ducking her head while squeezing the boy’s hand. “When I grow up…”

“Yeah…?”

“When I grow up… I will become an Archangel, and I will protect you, Wells!”

“Huh!? An Archangel!?”

Archangels were high-ranked Angelic Knights, the ones whose job was to slay sorcerers like him. If she became a knight, then her duty would be to pursue him, not protecting him.

“But you know what those guys do with people like me… Right?”

“I know… And I know that you’re strong, Wells, but even the strongest need someone to protect them.”

Wells’ eyes turned into saucers. Nobody had told him they would protect him, ever, not even his teacher, so he was left with no words. By how the girl was looking at him, he could tell she was being serious, and he wanted to accept the girl’s words, but…

“But what if… What if I become an evil sorcerer someday?”

“Then I’ll beat you up to take you back to the right path!”

The thought of that kind-hearted girl beating up someone was quite funny, so Wells couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Ha ha, I’m counting on you, then…”

“Yes, leave it to me! I’ll give it my all!”

It was settled, then. But if she was gonna give her all and become an Archangel, he couldn't just sit while doing nothing. And she would need someone to protect her, too.

“Then… I’ll become an Archdemon! And I’ll protect you, Chasty, always!”

At his current level, there was no way for him to become an Archdemon, so he would need to keep giving his all and work hard to surpass his teacher one day.

“An Archdemon? I don’t know what that is, but I know you can do it, Wells!” She smiled.

“Yeah, and together we will be the best team!”

“Yeah!” The girl cheered.

Who cared if sorcerers and knights walked a different path? They just needed to make their own path to walk together.

“Hwah…” Chasty yawned. “I feel suddenly sleepy…”

“Then sleep, I’ll wake you up when we go back.”

“Okay…” The girl mumbled, and leaned on his shoulder again, rubbing her cheek against him. She had done the same before waking up that morning.

It truly had been a long day… And the soft rocking of the carriage was lulling him to sleep too. Wells had said he would wake her up but, in the end, the one who woke first outside the dream was her.

Chapter Text

When he opened his eyes, he saw the usual teacup on the table at the church’s office. There was a note at the side of the cup, but his mind felt too foggy to remember what it said.

Did he fall asleep? In such a hostile place for a sorcerer? No one would dare to attack him with the crybaby around, but that didn’t mean he had the leisure to drop his guard like that… And yet he couldn’t help but keep his head buried in that soft, warm place, hearing the sound of a gentle heartbeat… A place that felt like the safest one in the world.

“Oh, you finally woke up… Barbatos.”

“Huh…?”

That was the crybaby’s voice, and she sounded a little sleepy, too… But they weren’t in the nap room, but sitting on the sofa, and he was leaning against her chest while she had him surrounded with her arms.

Barbatos stood up a little, groaning, and when he looked at her face, he saw his own reflection on her scarlet, round eyes. They were so close that their noses could touch and, in other circumstances, he would have reeled back, yelling in embarrassment, but he still felt too drowsy to make any move.

“You suddenly fell asleep after drinking the tea Lilith brought us, and I, um… Guess I took a little nap after taking a sip too…”

Ah… That crybaby succubus… He remembered that girl going to see Chastille at her office during the afternoon, with the siren and Furcas tagging along. The siren kept winking at him and giving him a thumbs-up until both the succubus girl and Furcas took her by the scruff of the neck and left the office. And Rachel was there, too… But she disappeared after brewing a tea that tasted a little odd. And then… it seemed both of them had fallen asleep after drinking it.

“Everything has been so hectic lately that we almost have no time for sleep… Right?” She said, twirling her hair with a finger. “Everyone is giving their all, and I guess, that, um… I’ve been working a little too much, too.”

What was she saying? She always was working too much, but it was true that lately she had been more busy than usual… Which deserved a reward.

“Hey, Chasty.”

“Y-yes!?”

Barbatos didn’t know why he had called her by that name, or why he was leaning over her again to press his lips against her, he just felt it was something he had to do.

“We ain’t kids no more.” He said.

“Yes, yes… you’re right, so, I, um…!” She stood up with a jerk, her side-tail swaying back and forth. “I’ll finish this last bit of paperwork, and then… Let’s go back home…! My mother must be… finishing dinner by now and… It would be improper to make her wait after inviting us…!”

The crybaby’s mother, an invitation for dinner at her house… Wait… What day were they in? Barbatos wondered while giving a quick glance at the note on the table.

「Happy birthday, and thank you.

From Lilith.」

Oh, right… It was the fifteenth of Kavouras, the day of his twenty-second birthday, and the crybaby’s mother had invited them over to celebrate his birthday. That woman was even worse than the crybaby with her cooking, but she was a good person, someone who didn’t care a sorcerer was at her precious daughter’s side, so it didn’t feel right to turn her down. And he gave his word. They would have dinner together, eat birthday cake, and make a wish.

Celebrating birthdays… was something a sorcerer never would do. Well, that asshole of Zagan had celebrated his birthday some months ago, so Barbatos guessed it would be fine to celebrate his own, too…

But making a wish? What a stupid thing to do.

Barbatos looked at Chastille, who was sitting on her desk, and saw her touching her lips while smiling.

Yeah, asking him to make a wish was stupid.

Because his only wish was for that girl to always smile.