Chapter 4: Aria

Chapter 4: Aria

“Hey, why the heck is a human in my house?!” the creature said.

“No, I think you’re in the wrong place here, I just got here… stuck here… something similar, but this should be my place,” Jack said. “Except if you came with my house?”

“What do you mean by your house?! That’s clearly the fairy tree here, this is the zone of fai…”

The creature stopped for a while, looking around at the rough wooden walls of the cabin and then out toward the scorching volcanic wasteland under an ash-choked sky.

“…Where the heck am I?!”

“Welcome to hell… I guess,” Jack said to the small fairy in front of him.

She was so small she could easily sit on his shoulder. With her long, flowing blue hair styled with a water-molecule hairpin, vivid azure eyes, and a blue sleeveless dress trimmed with gold ribbons, she looked remarkably like the weather girl of this server—except the weather girl was blonde, while this fairy had long blue hair.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY HELL?!”

The fairy started flying left and right in sheer panic, zig-zagging wildly through the air looking for her home.

“You clearly ***napped me! What do you want to do to me?! You humans are bad people! Do you want to make from me a magic potion, or you want to make from me gold?! Why do I always have bad luck?!” She zipped right up to Jack's face, flailing her tiny fists as massive, dramatic tears welled up in her eyes. “Put me back! Put me back right now! It’s too hot, it’s too scary, and I don't like it here! Waaaaah!”

“Ummm, miss, I clearly didn’t ***nap you,” Jack said. “I just found myself here like you.”

“Haaaa, really? Then why am I here?” the fairy sasked.

“I don’t know. I was wondering if you would know more about it. They just announced that all humans on my planet got transported here to servers, and we need to survive. Do you know anything about that?” Jack asked her.

“All humans on your planet? And servers... what on earth are 'servers'?” the fairy asked, tilting her head back and forth in complete bewilderment.

“Ahhhg—” Jack stood completely stunned, staring at her blankly. “You know nothing about that?”

“I don’t even understand what you’re talking about! Is that some kind of bizarre human slang?!” the fairy said with a totally blank, clueless face.

“Never mind... what’s your name?” Jack asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, that I know!” She puffed out her tiny chest with immense, smug pride, putting her hands on her hips. “My name is Aria, and I am the most powerful water fairy! I can control water far beyond your feeble mortal understanding, human!”

“Ohhh...” Jack’s eyes lit up with genuine delight when he heard that. “Can you make me some water? I’m completely thirsty in this hellish place, and I was wondering where to find some.”

“Hmph! You need only ask! A goddess-like fairy such as myself can make you plenty!” Aria declared arrogantly.

She hovered in the middle of the room, closed her eyes dramatically, and started mumbling something Jack couldn’t understand—presumably chanting a magic spell. A glowing sphere of swirling blue energy materialized in the air.

A moment later, a massive sphere of fresh water appeared high above Jack's head. It wasn't a small amount by any means.

“Umm, Re—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the spell collapsed, and the heavy volume of cold water splashed straight down onto his head, soaking him completely from head to toe. Water dripped heavily from his hair onto the wooden floorboards.

The fairy hovered there, looking at the drenched Jack for a brief moment. She then casually turned her tiny head, peered out the cabin door at the scorching, infernal hellscape outside, and cheerfully said, “What a lovely, good weather outside!”

‘Seriously... should I use my last status point to make your IQ higher?’ Jack thought, struggling to keep his temper in check. He wiped the dripping water from his eyes and said, “Anyway, it’s a good thing to have you make me water in a place like this.”

“What do you mean by making you water?! I’m leaving this place!” Aria snapped, turning her back on him and crossing her arms.

“And where exactly are you going to go in this hellish place?” Jack asked, gesturing toward the blistering 60°C wasteland outside.

“I’m going home!” Aria announced haughtily. Without another word, she zipped out the door and flew off into the red, smoky sky.

Jack didn't even bother chasing after her. He simply stood inside the wooden shelter, folded his arms, and quietly counted down the seconds.

Less than half a minute later, a small blue streak tumbled violently back through the doorway, crashing into the wooden floorboards.

“Welcome back,” Jack said calmly.

“Pfffft—!” Jack forced back the laugh that was about to burst wildly from his mouth.

“DON'T LAUGH!” Aria wailed, picking herself up off the floorboards. She looked almost cooked alive, her face streaked with black soot and ash, her blue hair frizzed from the intense heat outside. “What the fuck is happening outside?! There is a magical zone... I cannot leave it!”

“Welcome to my day. I’m asking the exact same question,” Jack said to her.

“Hey... can you help me find my home?” Aria asked, looking up at him with tear-filled, watery eyes and a weeping, pitiful face.

“I don’t think I will help you until I find my girlfriend,” Jack said firmly, looking into her eyes. “If you help me find my girlfriend, the faster we find her, the faster I help you find your home.”

“Perfect! Let’s go to find your girlfriend!” Aria said.

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