At dawn, the first rays of sunlight slipped through the gaps between the leaves and fell across the rows of little houses, scattering adorable patches of mottled light.
Sif, a yellow songbird, fluttered her wings and lifted her long tail as she landed lightly on a branch. Opening her red beak, she let out a crisp call.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp—”
The living alarm clock went off right on schedule, waking the cubs from their sweet dreams.
Shu Li lay sprawled across his soft bed and pressed a pillow firmly over his head, trying to block out the birdcall’s incredible penetrating power.
No matter how beautiful birdsong might be, once it disturbed someone’s sleep, it became nothing but noise.
Yet Sif only called louder and louder. Although Shu Li had been awakened, he remained curled beneath the blanket, too lazy to move.
He had studied for too long the previous night, concentrating so intensely that countless brain cells had perished in battle. Even after sleeping, his mind had yet to recover, and he was so exhausted that he could barely open his eyes.
Waaah... I want to sleep in so badly!
He rubbed his face reluctantly against the soft, smooth blanket, resisting with all his might.
Outside, Sif continued calling with great enthusiasm. Inside, Shu Li covered his ears and tossed from side to side.
After struggling for a long time, he finally surrendered.
He climbed out of bed looking deeply wronged, washed up at a snail’s pace, put on his new clothes, clumsily tied his shoelaces, slung the crossbody bag containing his notebooks over his shoulder, and left home with bleary eyes.
“Good morning, Sperien.”
Dixio and Angel had also changed into their beautiful new clothes. They greeted Shu Li with bright, energetic expressions.
“Good morning, Dixio, Angel.” Shu Li yawned repeatedly, his voice weak and listless.
Dixio flew over to him and asked in confusion, “Sperien, are you feeling unwell today?”
“Oh, no. I just—” Shu Li paused to yawn again. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
He had originally planned to tell them that Kumandi had become his private tutor, but then he decided he wanted to amaze every Fairy in secret, so he temporarily kept it to himself.
“Did you fall out of bed last night too?” Budno flew over from the other side. Hearing Shu Li’s words, he asked with the sympathy of someone who had suffered the same fate, “How many times?”
Shu Li glanced at the dark circles beneath the chubby cub’s eyes. Not wanting to crush him, he silently held up three fingers.
“Five times for me.” Budno rubbed his sore eyes and comforted himself, “I’m already improving!”
The night before last, he had fallen out of bed ten times and cried three times. Last night, he had fallen five times without crying once.
Shu Li examined his round figure and offered him two suggestions.
First, eat less and lose some weight.
Second, ask Aisha to replace his bed with a larger one.
Budno considered the matter solemnly for one second, then decisively chose the second option.
Anything else could be touched, but no one was allowed to interfere with his food!
At the school cafeteria, Budno ordered a huge plate of fruit. Holding one fruit in each hand, he took bites from the left and right like a little hamster, his cheeks puffed full.
Shu Li was incredibly envious of his healthy appetite.
As for himself, his lack of sleep had destroyed his appetite. After drinking one bowl of nectar and nibbling on two fruits, he could eat no more.
Once breakfast ended, the cubs lined up to leave the cafeteria.
As Kumandi passed Shu Li, he saw him drooping like a wilted blade of grass and frowned.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
“Ah... mm...” Shu Li nodded listlessly.
His current little body had limited physical and mental stamina. Taking in so much knowledge all at once had been extremely taxing.
Kumandi seemed to think for a moment before saying calmly, “I understand.”
Without explaining what exactly he understood, he soon left with the other adolescent Fairies.
Shu Li stared blankly at his retreating purple figure, utterly confused.
He did not understand anything at all!
Their first class that day was still Aisha’s lesson on everyday knowledge.
Perhaps because of the tutoring he had received the night before, Shu Li’s listening comprehension in Elven seemed to have improved. To his surprise, he could understand everything Aisha said. He took notes quickly and accurately without needing to write phonetic guesses.
By the end of the lesson, Shu Li was brimming with confidence.
Was this the power of a top student?
The results were absurdly effective, seriously!
At this rate, his Elven would improve by leaps and bounds within a few days, and he would catch up with the other cubs.
Unfortunately, the second lesson, Elven script, swiftly crushed the confidence he had only just built.
Tadpole-like characters with long, wavy tails brutally besieged Shu Li’s brain, arrogantly slaughtered a vast army of brain cells, then departed in triumph.
Shu Li wanted to perish on the spot.
With tears in his eyes, he copied down ten tadpole characters, carefully added annotations, and planned to ask Kumandi about them that evening.
Siet watched the dejected blond cub with an amused smile.
The sight of him studying so painfully yet stubbornly gritting his teeth and persevering was simply too endearing.
However, no matter how softhearted Siet felt, he would not slow the pace of the lesson.
Cubs had to learn independence, overcome hardship, and strengthen themselves.
Life in the Faerie Forest appeared peaceful, but danger lurked everywhere.
An evil force on the continent had always watched them covetously, constantly seeking to break through the barrier, invade the Faerie Forest, conquer the Elven Kingdom, and hunt the Children of Light.
Elves and Fairies were peace-loving peoples, but that did not make them easy to bully.
Anyone who harmed one of their people would be pursued to the ends of the world without mercy.
Young Fairies were especially fragile and had to grow as quickly as possible. Only with sufficient strength could they become fearless.
Siet had high expectations for Sperien, who had received the Elven King’s blessing.
Come to think of it, the little cub’s spoken pronunciation seemed more accurate today. During the question-and-answer portion of class, he had answered more fluently than before.
He had made excellent progress and needed only to keep working hard.
After lunch, Shu Li did not return home for his afternoon nap. Fighting his drowsiness, he remained in the classroom and copied everything he had previously learned into his newly purchased magic notebook.
Time was knowledge.
He did not want to waste a single minute.
He was absolutely going to become the greatest overachiever!
Shu Li copied with such intense concentration that he did not even notice when the afternoon lesson began.
When the clear sound of a harp rang out like flowing spring water, he abruptly raised his head and realized class had started.
The classroom was already filled with cubs, and two adult Fairies stood at the front.
One was Lia, who taught them music and poetry. The other was an unfamiliar male Fairy.
He appeared older than Lia and had pale golden hair that fell to his waist. A pair of light yellow cicada wings spread behind him, and a golden circlet set with a sapphire rested across his forehead. His features were handsome, his bearing noble, and his brilliant blue eyes shimmered like rippling water.
Who was he?
Why had he come to class with Lia?
Shu Li studied the male Fairy curiously. Sensing his gaze, the man smiled faintly at him.
Caught peeking, Shu Li shrank his shoulders in embarrassment. He raised his magic notebook and covered his face with it, pretending that if he could not see the other person, the other person could not see him.
Once every cub was looking toward the front, Lia stopped playing and introduced him.
“This is Oress. He will be teaching you dance.”
The male Fairy named Oress made an elegant gesture and greeted the cubs warmly.
“Good afternoon, little darlings.”
The cubs responded enthusiastically.
As soon as they learned that this was a dance lesson, the instinct for dancing engraved into every Fairy’s body began to stir. None of them could remain seated. One after another, they twisted their waists and wiggled their bottoms.
Lia and Oress exchanged amused smiles, then instructed the cubs to fly into the air while they moved the tables and chairs aside to clear space for dancing.
Having done this once before, the little cubs spread their wings and flew upward.
This time, Shu Li remembered to put away his notebook.
Oress recited a simple incantation. The tables and chairs rapidly moved against the walls and arranged themselves in neat rows.
Shu Li stared in astonishment.
He had recited a magical incantation before.
The previous night, when he had tried to boil water, he had struggled through a long incantation asking the Fire God to grant him a spark. Not only had he pronounced the Fire God’s name incorrectly, but he had also omitted several words, and the spell had ended in complete failure.
Yet this male Fairy named Oress had spoken an incantation that was both swift and brief, accomplishing everything instantly.
He was even more powerful than Aisha, Siet, or Lia.
Once the floor had been cleared, Oress beckoned to the cubs.
“You may come down now.”
The cubs landed one after another, standing eagerly on the floor and gazing up at Oress with anticipation.
Lia sat on a chair in front of the teaching platform with a thirteen-stringed harp in her arms. Her pale fingers plucked the strings, and clear notes flowed out like water.
Oress walked lightly to the center of the classroom and extended an elegant invitation to dance.
“Little darlings, dance with me.”
He clapped to the rhythm, encouraging the cubs as he began to dance freely.
Dance was a Fairy’s natural instinct. When beautiful music began, their bodies naturally produced graceful movements pleasing to the eye.
Oress danced as smoothly as flowing water and drifting clouds, entirely unrestrained. His body blended perfectly with the music, combining strength and softness in a way that was indescribably carefree and striking.
When he turned, his hair streamed behind him and the hem of his robe flew outward, occasionally revealing his long, pale legs. His brilliant blue eyes swept sideways with a faintly tender look, at once pure and alluring. He seemed formed of contradictions, unconsciously radiating a captivating charm.
Affected by him, the cubs formed a circle around Oress and bounced about.
Their movements followed no rules. They simply danced according to their own understanding of the music.
Compared with the other cubs’ lively cuteness, Shu Li stood rigidly in place, looking completely out of place.
He was the only cub who had not joined the dancing.
It was not that he did not want to participate.
His overwhelming sense of embarrassment was holding him back.
He knew how to dance.
Unfortunately, what he knew was absurdly dramatic street dance, the sort that involved frequently “grinding” across the floor.
Compared with Oress’s artistic, elegant style, the two could not have been further apart.
It would be like placing a dark, ugly duckling among a flock of graceful white swans.
The white swans danced elegantly across the lake, while the ugly duckling...
The ugly duckling performed somersaults on dry land.
Shu Li wanted to pretend and join the dancing, but he was afraid he would expose himself the moment he moved.
His talent for dance was not as good as his talent for music.
He could not invent his own movements!
Shu Li scratched anxiously at his ears and cheeks. Just as he was about to give up entirely, a graceful, melodious voice suddenly began to sing.
It was as though magic had been cast, instantly drawing in the soul.
It was Lia.
She played the harp while singing an Elven poem.
“Spirit of Water, Spirit of Fire, Spirit of Wood, Spirit of Wind, Spirit of Earth,
Ancient elemental spirits,
Please open the gate of time and space
And carry us to the beautiful age when the gods gathered together.
Isve Haya, God of Creation,
Laent Freys, God of Light,
Afama Cheeps, God of Fire,
Sildani Geti, Goddess of Water,
Windis Inor, God of Wind,
Oroman Pas, God of Wood,
Hedfis Lofren, God of Earth,
Moter Lena, Goddess of the Moon,
Asad Migat, God of the Sun,
We sing and dance in praise of the gods...”
Lia’s heavenly voice echoed in Shu Li’s ears.
An illusion appeared before him.
Oress and the dancing cubs disappeared, replaced by a towering temple radiant with golden light.
Inside, beautifully dressed men and women of extraordinary beauty had gathered together, chatting and laughing with ease.
A blond adolescent Elf, as sacred as moonlight, sat casually on a jade-carved railing. With long, elegant fingers, he gently plucked the strings of a harp. His eyes were half-lowered, and beneath his thick lashes shone a pair of eyes as clear and luminous as emeralds.
Formless elemental spirits danced throughout the temple. A refreshing floral fragrance filled the air, and vivid red crystal flowers bloomed in magnificent profusion. When the wind spirits passed, they swept countless petals into the air.
The drifting petals created a magnificent world as beautiful and unreal as a dream.
Shu Li watched and listened carefully.
As the beautiful music soothed him, he gradually relaxed. Spreading his wings, he slowly flew into the temple gleaming with sacred light.
Like a young deer that had wandered into a realm of immortals, he looked around curiously.
Taking advantage of his tiny size, he boldly approached the handsome men and beautiful women inside the temple.
From Lia’s poem, he understood that they were gods who governed this other world.
But who was the blond adolescent Elf playing the harp?
Using the petals of the red crystal flowers as cover, Shu Li stealthily approached the adolescent Elf.
He cautiously flew around him once. When the Elf showed no reaction, Shu Li boldly landed atop the harp.
Elven poetry truly contained magic.
It had actually allowed him to witness a beautiful scene from the age of the gods.
No wonder human nobles enjoyed inviting wandering bards to perform Elven poetry for them.
The sensation of being transported into the scene was simply too wondrous.
Shu Li sat comfortably atop the harp, listening to the pleasant music while idly swinging his little legs.
The blond adolescent Elf suddenly lifted his eyes and looked at the Little Fairy perched on the harp.
Shu Li froze.
His legs stopped swinging as he stared into the Elf’s emerald-green eyes.
Was the Elf looking at him?
No, no.
This was an illusion created by Elven poetry.
Everything here was fictional.
Shu Li tilted his little head and beamed brightly at the adolescent Elf, deliberately waving at him.
The adolescent Elf seemed not to notice.
Lowering his eyes once more, he shifted his fingers, and the harp’s lyrical melody changed into a lively, cheerful tune.
The gods who had been sitting or standing stopped talking and set aside what they were doing.
At an unhurried pace, they moved to the center of the temple and began dancing elegantly to the joyous music.
The elemental spirits stirred the red crystal flower petals with even greater enthusiasm.
Shu Li, still sitting atop the harp, was nearly blown away by a wind spirit.
He hurriedly spread his gauzy wings to steady his tiny body.
A wood spirit found this amusing and mischievously blew at the cub.
Shu Li instantly began somersaulting through the air, rolling around in dizzy circles.
By the time he regained his senses, he had already been surrounded by a group of stunning men and women.
Shu Li drew in a sharp breath.
The sight delivered an overwhelming impact and filled him with an intense appreciation of beauty.
Come on. Dance with us!
The formless elemental spirits took the Fairy cub’s hands.
Shu Li wanted to refuse, but the gods around him danced with such beauty and elegance that his limbs began swaying involuntarily.
Without thinking, he imitated their movements.
Lia’s harp and the adolescent Elf’s harp intertwined, creating music of incomparable beauty.
The elemental spirits urged the Fairy cub again.
Come. Sing with us and praise the gods.
Shu Li was completely bewitched.
He began singing along with Lia.
“Spirit of Water, Spirit of Fire, Spirit of Wood, Spirit of Wind, Spirit of Earth,
Ancient elemental spirits,
Please open the gate of time and space
And carry us to the beautiful age when the gods gathered together...”
The sound of the harp and the song were imbued with mysterious white magic.
They crossed the boundaries of space, flew out of the classroom, spread throughout the divine tree, drifted across every corner of the Faerie Forest, and reached the Crystal Castle in the Elven Kingdom.
The busy Fairies in the divine tree all raised their heads at once and listened to the poem praising the gods.
Within the Faerie Forest, the blond Elven King rode a sacred white unicorn through the dense trees.
He stopped beside a clear lake and turned his head toward the divine tree.
The graceful song and pleasing harp music drifted into his ears.
Among them was the immature voice of a cub, singing in broken fragments, neither in tune nor in rhythm.
A gentle smile touched the Elven King’s lips.
Thousands of miles away in the Crystal Castle, the Elves heard the magically enhanced Song of Creation and walked to the windows, gazing in the direction from which the music came.
After a while, one Elf could not resist saying, “...The little fellow sounds like a quacking duck. He even pronounced the gods’ true names incorrectly.”
Sayah immediately protested, “I think he sounds wonderful!”
The little fellow was trying so hard to learn the poem from Lia!
How adorable!
The black-haired Elf leaning against a pillar smiled faintly.
“The fact that he dares to sing magical poetry aloud is already impressive.”
Sayah nodded repeatedly.
“Ilio is right.”
The other Elves laughed good-naturedly. None of them truly disliked the cub’s terrible singing.
Within the magical illusion, Shu Li gradually found his rhythm.
He forgot himself as he sang and danced, progressing from initial clumsiness to effortless freedom.
He neither danced nor sang well, but he was happy.
He beat his faintly glowing wings and flew joyfully through the temple.
At times, he circled around the gods. At others, he flew toward the adolescent Elf, lightly touched the harp with his toes, and landed atop it, boldly displaying his dance.
The adolescent Elf raised his eyes once more and watched him.
Shu Li blinked, then shyly returned the gesture with an elegant bow.
This blond adolescent Elf seemed strangely familiar.
Where had he seen him before?
Lia’s poem drew toward its conclusion, and the illusion gradually faded.
Shu Li remained dazed. Only when the temple became the classroom again, and the dancers before him changed back into Oress and the cubs, did he finally awaken as though from a dream.
“Clap, clap, clap—”
A sudden burst of applause startled Shu Li.
He looked in surprise at the cubs gathered around him.
What was going on?
Why were they suddenly applauding him?
“Sperien, you danced amazingly!” Dixio exclaimed excitedly, gazing at Shu Li with sparkling golden eyes full of worship.
“Yes, yes! Sperien dances wonderfully, and he sings poetry wonderfully too!” Angel showered him with enthusiastic praise.
As expected of their leader.
He was unbelievably impressive.
Praised by his friends, Shu Li’s cheeks flushed.
He waved his hands in embarrassment.
“No... I... I was just moving around randomly...”
Affected by the illusion, he had sung and danced with complete abandon. He had no idea what he had looked like in reality.
He had believed he was imitating the gods’ elegant movements, but what if he had actually performed his ridiculous street dance?
The mere possibility caused his sense of shame to erupt.
His cheeks burned, and even his pointed ears turned reddish purple.
“Sperien danced just as beautifully as Oress!”
Budno’s booming voice sounded like the voice of an angel, rescuing Shu Li’s trembling soul.
“Huh?”
He looked up at Oress in confusion.
Really?
Was what the little fatty said true?
He had not performed street dance in front of everyone. He had actually danced the same Elven dance as Oress?
As though confirming Budno’s words, Oress smiled and nodded, offering his praise without reservation.
“Yes. Sperien danced wonderfully.”
Shu Li’s wildly pounding little heart finally calmed down.
“Th-Thank you.”
He scratched the back of his head and gave a foolish little giggle.
Thank you, illusion.
Thank you, gods.
Thank you, beautiful adolescent Elf.
They had taught him how to perform an Elven dance.
When Shu Li saw Lia approaching after setting down her harp, his eyes lit up.
He stepped forward and bowed to her.
“Lia, thank you for letting me see a realm of immortals.”
Elven poetry imbued with magic truly lived up to its reputation.
Lia smiled.
“What did you see?”
Using his limited vocabulary, Shu Li struggled to describe the sacred temple, the noble gods, and the beautiful blond adolescent Elf.
Lia and Oress exchanged startled looks.
After painfully finishing the long explanation, Shu Li asked in confusion, “You... didn’t see it?”
Lia stroked the cub’s hair, her fingertips brushing against his green flower crown.
She said gently, “Because of the magic within the poem, everyone sees a different illusion.”
“Huh?” Shu Li exclaimed in surprise.
They were all different?
In other words, only his illusion had shown the temple of the gods.
The other cubs immediately began chattering about their own illusions.
“I saw a huge grassland with lots and lots of animals!” Dixio raised both arms and made an enormous circle to show just how many there had been. “But the grassland disappeared after only a little while.”
He was deeply disappointed and incredibly envious that their leader’s illusion had lasted for so long.
“I saw a unicorn! It looked exactly like the picture Siet showed us! It had a long, pointed spiral horn and was completely white. It was so beautiful!” Angel sighed. “I was about to ride it when wings suddenly grew from its back and it flew away.”
“I fell into a lake and was rescued by a fish. Then I rode the fish and traveled all around the bottom of the lake—”
“I became friends with a huge red fire dragon! It taught me how to breathe fire! Hahaha—”
“I met a water monster. Waaaah, it was so scary, but it didn’t eat Little Fairies.”
“I... I ate a huge plate of fruit!” Budno rubbed his little stomach.
He was hungry again.
Lia and Oress listened patiently as the cubs described their illusions. Once everyone had finished, they resumed the lesson.
The second poem contained no magic and produced no illusion.
Shu Li no longer held himself back. He moved naturally with the rhythm of the music and danced to his heart’s content.
Hmm.
Now that he had found the feeling, Elven dance was not as difficult as he had imagined!
The lighthearted, enjoyable dance lesson came to an end, leaving the cubs reluctant to stop.
Shu Li had originally been terribly sleepy, but after dancing and experiencing the illusion, he felt completely refreshed.
The cubs had not forgotten their plan to visit the commercial district and buy things.
The moment class ended, they surrounded Shu Li.
Shu Li told them to return home and fetch their “money.” Then he led the entire group as they flew noisily toward the commercial district.
They went first to the armor shop, then the weapon shop, and finally the general store.
They bought an enormous pile of goods, delighting the shopkeepers so much that they could not stop smiling.
By the time they finished shopping, all twenty-five cubs were so hungry their stomachs felt glued to their backs.
They rushed toward the school as fast as they could and charged eagerly into the cafeteria.
Every cub’s appetite had increased dramatically.
The moment the food arrived, they all began devouring it heartily.
As the last rays of sunset were about to fade, Shu Li returned to his warm little home.
He had only just placed the kettle on the stove when a polite knock sounded at the door.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
Quiet Top Student was here!
Shu Li opened the door excitedly and gave the black-haired adolescent Fairy a sweet smile.
“Kumandi, what are we learning today?”