The wind rushed forward, pulling her down deeper into the abyss. She braced as best she could, guarding her head.

  Her cane was lost with her thoughts as time seemed to stop. A moment passed, or endless years, in the unknown darkness that was to be her fate.

  Oof. Wind knocked from her lungs as pain shot through her body, followed by a splash and the sensation of being engulfed in water.

  Great. Now she was going to be drowning in the darkness versus just falling to her death…

  Splash splash. She thrashed before the panic settled enough for her to gasp for air, realizing her head was above water.

  In fact, only part of her lower half was submerged—the rest of her wetness came from her own thrashing.

  She focused a bit more and stopped slipping in the mud when she felt she wasn’t drifting away or sinking deeper. It was shallow. Her hands sank down a bit due to the pressure in the mud, scaring her a bit that she would keep going deeper till it stopped halfway to her elbow…

  She splashed some water in her face, letting the coolness ease some of the burning in her cheeks and help clear her thoughts of how she was going to get out of this mess.

  She swished around, offering a desperate prayer that God wasn’t so cruel—that her cane was close.

  It seemed God wasn’t that cruel.

  Her hand fumbled and brushed her cane, which she grasped like a lifeline—not that she was sure how safe she was even with it.

  Yet it was something to hold. A familiar truth she could use versus nothing…

  “Um. What are you doing?” A high-pitched voice shattered her calm, and Lisa screamed in fear, pointing her cane at the voice.

  “Who’s there? What is this place? Why am I wet!” Lisa spoke in a fury of words, unsure if she was going mad or if she really had heard a voice.

  The silence stretched with only the darkness of her sight to greet her. More words fumbled from her lips, desperate for a reply.

  “Hello? You there? I can’t see so speak if you’re there! Answer me!” Heart thundering, she tried to regain her calm. It seemed this unknown situation spooked her more than she knew…

  “Sorry… just please say something,” Lisa finished, her final words barely above a whisper.

  “I would, but you never shut up,” the voice retorted finally.

  “You are one weird human. By the way, why can’t you see? Testing ways to try and get mana sight?”

  My God, did I find a little kid? That’s my savior? Is this a beach? No, no smell of salt… and this is mud, not sand…. A water park? Maybe… but only one kid? Where are the parents?

  “Are you slow, human? If you are, that’s not going to help you learn mana sight. You’ve got to understand the mana more for it to flow in the eyes.”

  “How old are you, six, seven? Are your parents nearby? I need help, not playing.” Lisa’s voice rose a bit, not liking this kid’s attitude…

  Lisa tried to pull herself up while waiting for a reply, tired of soaking in this place and knowing the kid was probably just staring. She felt bruises on her body and needed to sit again, still unsteady.

  What kind of water park has cliffs kids can fall off… As absurd as it was, maybe a lake? That felt closer to true…

  “I’m older than you, human. What are you, ten? You’re not very smart to be so young and trying to learn mana sight…. Especially wandering in a forest,” the kid finally retorted.

  Welp, that sealed it. She was in a forest lake. How it happened only God knew, but unless she went mad, this voice of the kid was speaking truth…

  Lisa extended her hand near the voice. “Can you please help me up and guide me to shore? I can’t see. Also I’m not ten, I’m fourteen.”

  “No,” the childlike voice replied flatly.

  “No?”

  “Yup. Nope.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t trust humans.”

  “You’re a human too…”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Right. Kid, what are you then?”

  “One, little human, I’m not a kid. And two, I’m a fairy.”

  Lisa could not help but laugh, long and deep. It was almost freeing despite how absurd her life had become. A kid could still play such childish games.

  “Okay then. I’m a famous mage, miss fairy. Nice to meet you.”

  “Really?” the fairy’s voice was uncertain.

  “Yup. Master Mage Bubble Butt, leader of the blind.”

  “Your name is Bubble Butt? I know of the five major clans and a few of their best mages to avoid, but I’ve never heard of you. Also, you—”

  Lisa shook her head, half listening. It seemed the kid was taking her way too seriously and this joke too far…

  “—or is that also part of your training? Because you have near zero mana. Or is this a really stupid trick to try and trap me? I’m not that weak, you know.”

  Lisa risked standing again, now feeling a little more stable even while soaked and slipping in mud. She started wading forward, not bothering to answer the barrage of questions lest the child just ask more.

  “You’re going deeper…”

  Lisa froze, turned slightly, tried again.

  “Still wrong.”

  She turned again.

  “Nope.”

  Lisa gripped her cane tighter, not sure if she should trust the child, but risked turning what she assumed was the last potential way. If she judged her distance correctly, no voice followed…

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  Slowly she waded forward.

  No voice.

  A bit of panic entered her chest, but she kept moving forward and noticed the water seemed to be receding, easing the strain on her chest.

  She tapped her cane to help guide her distance.

  Tap tap tap.

  Tap tap. Light splash gave way to the smack of mud as the water faded away from the cane.

  “Why are you still using your magic staff? You already found my lake. Does it help you draw mana?”

  Lisa was mildly relieved the kid hadn’t just run away. She tried to give the kid some empathy—she’d probably never met a blind person and assumed this was part of the game.

  “It’s not a magic staff. It’s my cane to help guide me, to see.”

  “But it made you fall into the lake. Is it broken? Or are you just that dumb?”

  “Kid, you’re trying my patience.”

  “Well, human, you’re trying mine. I’m trying to make sense of why you’re here at my lake, and I’m not sure if you’re a threat I need to dispose of or a nuisance I can ignore…”

  Deep breath.

  Lisa breathed out slowly. “Okay, let’s start over, fairy…”

  “What is your name?”

  “Why would I trust you with my name?”

  “Fine. My name is Lisa. And yours?”

  “You said your name was Bubble Butt. Why did you lie?”

  “I… I did not trust you. But now I do. So your name?”

  “Hmmm.” Lisa heard the childlike voice hum, seeming to debate telling her. She risked moving forward, not caring what she would say.

  There had to be others, not just one single kid…

  “Whatever, kid. I tried being nice. I don’t know how I got pulled into this mess. I’ll find someone else to help. Good luck, Miss Fairy.” Lisa tried to throw as much venom as she could manage into the fairy name to show she was tired of the game.

  “Liri,” a low voice spoke behind her.

  Lisa stopped at that. It seemed the kid knew she had taken it too far.

  “Well, Liri, can you help me? I need help getting home. I don’t know what happened. I swear it was like I was summoned here…”

  “I guess that would make sense, how you found me,” Liri spoke softly.

  “I don’t follow. You mind explaining?” Lisa was unsure what that meant.

  “Yeah… um… that was me… You’re supposed to be my pet. I think. I summoned you.”

  Lisa laughed loud at that. The absurdity of how far this kid was willing to take her game made it hard to be afraid of the unknown world she could not see.

  “Okay, let’s say I believe you, Liri. Why would I agree to be your pet?”

  “Who says I even want you? You’re a broken human. You can’t even see…”

  That stung a bit more than Lisa thought it would, but she was debating with a kid, so she couldn’t complain about kid logic…

  “Because if you help me, I will owe you, and you’d be helping me like a good person.”

  “I told you, I’m a fairy, and I already have everything I need. Well, besides a pet. And you don’t seem like a good one to me.”

  Lisa knew she had to approach this differently…

  “True, I’m weak now, but that’s what makes humans so dangerous. We have limitless potential.”

  “Duh, all fairies know that. That’s why humans hunt us…”

  “Well, if I was your pet, I would help you against other humans, and you’d be helping me get stronger, right?”

  “Um… hmmm… maybe?” The fairy’s voice was conflicted.

  Lisa knew she had the kid on the hook. Just needed to reel her in.

  Maybe playing on the lame pet angle could work…

  “Well, by helping me gain power as your pet, I can help defend you against the humans, right?”

  “That does make sense…. And I did want a pet… but you’re way too weak…”

  “Well, I can’t do anything about that if you don’t help me, can I?”

  “I guess that’s true…”

  Thank God. She finally got the kid to see her view. Now she just needed her to lead her to an adult, and she could end this farce and let the kid sulk about her game to her parents…. Maybe they would ground her for forcing a blind girl to deal with her nonsense…

  “Follow me. I’ll lead you to the secret entrance.”

  Secret entrance at the lake? Really…

  “I’m only trusting you since you’re blind. You can’t reveal its location. But also, it’s where I keep the mana water. It should help you gain the mana sight and end your dumb blind quest.”

  “It’s not a choice…” Lisa retorted, not liking how far the kid was willing to take it…

  “So you can see, then?”

  Lisa’s face morphed into one of pain and frustration at how casually cruel the child’s words were.

  “Sorry, human. Perhaps I went a little too far. It’s not easy learning mana sight, and you seem dedicated to staying blind.”

  Yeah, kid. My choice. This is just how my life went…

  “Are you going to follow me?”

  Lisa reached out to let the kid lead her, wanting an end to the farce, but the touch she expected never came, confusing her.

  “I don’t trust you just yet. We didn’t even bond as master and pet. But I will compensate you for your effort to show I can be better than humans and admit mistakes.”

  Lisa tapped her cane, slowly following the voice, stumbling a bit in mud patches, but it seemed she was being led somewhere.

  Liri kept humming as Lisa followed, and she wasn’t sure they weren’t just going in circles…

  The ground did seem to change, from mud to harder earth, but the smells stayed the same, so it was hard to say. The same rich earth smell with the distant forest wood smell hung in the air. Yet no new voice beyond the forest birds, singing as if all was well even when it wasn’t.

  Well, at least the weather is warm.

  She hated that she was still wet, probably covered in mud and looking like a mess, but she would worry about her pride later.

  A thrum and a feeling of shifting through something passed over her body. It reminded her of when she hit the tree trying to walk back to her house.

  At the time, she assumed she felt nothing, lost in her own world. But now that feeling happened again, she was able to place it.

  She gently shifted her cane outward, hoping to touch something.

  Tap.

  A wall. Hopeful, she reached out with her hand but was saddened when it was not her home wall she felt, but cold stone. In fact, leaning close, she could now smell the stone clearly.

  “How long are you going to hug the wall? Don’t tell me you’re going to lick it to taste if it’s real… This is a hidden cave, human. I promise,” Liri broke the silence with her annoying voice.

  “I am not stupid,” Lisa said, trying to hold back more spiteful words…

  “Never said you were. Though you’re not proving me wrong if I did say it.” After those words, a hum followed, and it started to grow distant. Lisa debated ignoring Liri and staying, maybe even turning around…

  Yet no other voice appeared, kid or otherwise…. And this was the only person who had taken the time to talk to her. As much as she wanted nothing to do with this kid, she did not want to be alone with only the dark…

  Lisa followed the humming, resigned to whatever fate awaited her.

  The humming was starting to turn pleasant. It almost reminded her of the song she played—

  “Wait here,” Liri’s voice cut in, ending the rhythm of the song.

  “Not like there’s anywhere I can go.”

  The silence that followed was painful, and Lisa ached to play her music or even listen to a song.

  Damn it, her phone…

  She knew that if she’d had time to think, she would have realized her smartest move was to bring it.

  “I only managed to make a couple rooms, and one where we keep the hidden mana well. It’s empty now due to the summon magic I used, but that’s fine. You only need a little so you won’t be so useless, and we can get on to bonding like a real master and pet, and then I’ll trust you more. What do you eat, anyway? I know I’m going to have to feed you.”

  Lisa wasn’t sure what broke in the kid to make her so talkative, but the stream of words came fast and took a moment for her to register as a small vial was pushed toward her hand.

  “What’s this?” Lisa asked, concern in her voice.

  “A gift you’re unworthy of, but assuming I did drag you here, it’s the least I can give for your inconvenience and to help shoo you away if you don’t work out as my pet.”

  “How thoughtful…”

  “It’s my royal curse to be better than those beneath me. I hate it too.”

  Feeling the vial, it did feel like a small tube, absurdly small, like a miniature carrot in size. She was able to pull the cork off easily and was worried it would be a stink trap, so she carefully sniffed rather than breathing deep.

  Sweet? Well, not a stink trap, and she doubted the kid wanted to poison her…

  “It’s not much, but it should help you break into the next level. Regardless of your mana level, if it’s really low like I assume it is, you might go up a couple levels.”

  Lisa could not help but smile. Did this kid lead her to some secret play cave? That would explain no other adults. She had led her further from help, not closer. The stupid kid still wanted to play…

  Fine. Drink the juice, and then she’d probably lead her to her family.

  Worst case, she’d suffer a bit until she was forced to leave. As long as she was careful, the kid would take her to safety. She was annoying, but probably not malicious.

  So Lisa drank the vial, and sweetness flowed into her body. For the briefest moment, she felt something new—a peace she never knew, a power swelling within.

  A flow of something more. Something beyond her. It reminded her of her music, the way the sound traveled in the air, the way it had power and moved her, comforted her.

  And then all her nerves seemed to shred, and she collapsed into a sea of pain that made all thought flee.

  And the darkness, the true darkness, the abyss, welcomed her once more.

  She was home.

  But not safe with her aunt or her room where she was allowed to play and be free. No. Further back. To the day of the accident.

  When everything was taken from her but her life.

  And it seemed the darkness finally came to take even that from her.