CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231 WHICH ROUTE TO TAKE

As Addison listened to both sides, she realized they each had valid points. She stepped closer to study the map. Though she hadn’t had much interaction with the Western regions and her dealings were mostly with the neighboring packs in the East but she had grown familiar with reading maps and listening to the travel stories of merchants who journeyed far and wide.

Her gaze settled on a key point: the crossroads they would encounter later today. From there, the path split into three distinct routes.

The left route, favored by the coachmen, cut directly between two cliffs. It was the shortest road, no doubt, but also dangerously narrow, an ideal place for an ambush. The guards’ concerns made perfect sense.

The right route circled around the mountain. It was the most commonly used path, and it was wide, secure, and well-traveled. However, it was significantly longer. Taking that road meant they would likely have to set up camp for the night at the foot of the mountain before continuing the next day.

Then there was the middle route, the one marked with a bold red ’X’. It cut straight through the forest. Technically, it was the most direct path and would slash their travel time in half. If everything went smoothly, they could exit the forest before nightfall and reach the territory of a nearby pack where they could rest safely.

But that ’X’ was clearly a warning.

Addison narrowed her eyes. The question wasn’t just about time; it was whether the risks hidden behind that ’X’ were worth the gamble.

"What’s in this ’X’ mark?" Addison finally asked, and it stopped the two party arguing about the two other paths and they all looked at the bold ’X’ mark on the middle, they didn’t even look at it earlier, after all, there’s ’X’ mark in it which meant a warning and only foolish merchants would want to wander in it.

"Princess, that area is known to be one of the most dangerous parts of the kingdom. No merchant or escort service dares to even consider passing through it," one of the coachmen said, his tone cautious.

"Now that you mention it..." another guard chimed in, furrowing his brow as he stared at the mark on the map. "That symbol’s been there since I was a child. My father used to work in the escort service, and he warned me about this place. He said it’s rumored to be the home of fairies that was located deep within our territory, untouched and undisturbed. Anyone who enters... never returns."

He paused, visibly uneasy.

"People think fairies are these small, delicate things—glowing like flower petals or fireflies—but the truth is, they’re not. They’re some of the most terrifying creatures out there. That’s why everyone avoids the area completely. No one wants to risk waking them."

The man gave a small shiver, clearly recalling the chilling fairy tales his father once told him, stories that were more nightmare than bedtime lore.

Fairies were indeed as the guard described, but there was more to it than most knew. There were two primary types of fairies: nature fairies and dark fairies.

Nature fairies were further divided by elemental affinities, earth, water, fire, wind, and lightning. There were also rarer subtypes, like ice and metal fairies, though they were seldom seen.

Long ago, light and dark fairies were once considered part of the nature fairy family. However, that changed drastically when the dark fairies turned on their own and wiped out nearly all of the light fairies.

From that moment on, they were seen as an entirely different and dangerous category.

That tragedy occurred centuries ago, around the same time the dark witches rose to power. It was said that the dark witches controlled the dark fairies, as their magic shared similar properties.

With no more light fairies to temper them, the dark fairies fell completely under the influence of the witches and became instruments of destruction.

Dark fairies hadn’t always been this way. They once lived in harmony with the other fairies, sharing the balance of the natural world. But after the massacre, they were driven into seclusion, or perhaps more accurately, imprisoned by the remaining nature fairies in a realm they could no longer escape.

And as Addison listened to the discussion, this long-forgotten history suddenly resurfaced in her mind, like an echo from a past life or a truth hidden deep within her, she didn’t even know how she knew these things.

Then, without warning, her mind flickered, white noise filled her thoughts, like a static screen flashing behind her eyes. And just as quickly, a memory began to play.

In the memory, a young girl, the young Addison, was hiding in the shadowed corner of the grand, towering library within the Royal Palace. She wasn’t actually allowed in this section.

It was the restricted wing, where ancient texts chronicling the dark history of their continent, and others, were kept. It was no place for a child.

But Addison had always been curious. Fascinated by old lore and tales beyond werewolves, she would sneak into this forbidden section whenever she could. It was during one of these secret visits that she stumbled upon a tome about fairies.

She had first heard of them from an old merchant who visited the palace. The man had spoken in hushed, trembling tones, describing fairies as dark, dangerous creatures that killed without a trace.

Everything he said was ominous—monstrous even. And perhaps that was what people had come to believe, that "fairy" was synonymous with "dark fairy."

But young Addison didn’t think so. Something in her heart told her there was more to the story. Before sneaking into the library, she had even asked one of her maids about fairies. But the woman only echoed the same fearful tales, tales filled with dread and warnings.

And so, determined to find the truth, Addison wandered into the ancient archives. She was lucky that day. Tucked away on the highest shelf, she found a massive book—dusty, bound in leather, and filled with entries about fairies. Not just the dark ones... but all of them. The ones forgotten by time.

According to the book, before the massacre of the light fairies, fairies were once revered companions of spiritualists. They often formed sacred contracts, bonds of master and servant.

Through this bond, spiritualists could channel and use the power of their fairy companion, while the fairies, in turn, were nurtured and strengthened through the connection. As a fairy grew in power, they could choose to remain with their master until the end of the master’s life. Upon their death, the fairy would return to their realm, now elevated in rank, with a chance to ascend as a king or queen among their kind.

However, such practices have long since died out. Bonding with a fairy required immense compatibility and innate talent, both of which were extremely rare. As fewer individuals possessed the right affinity, the number of spiritualists gradually dwindled until they vanished almost entirely.

There is a legend, though, whispered through time, that only light fairies held the power to awaken a spiritualist’s dormant potential. It was said they could cleanse the marrow and purify spiritual roots, increasing the chance of compatibility.

But over time, this method came to be regarded as nothing more than myth, forgotten with the fall of the light fairies and buried under the shadow their dark counterparts left behind.