At the sound of the door slamming open, the Sprite siblings exchanged hopeful glances, their eyes bright with anticipation. They had waited so long, holding onto the quiet hope that their master might finally return.
"Master!" they all chorused. But as they hovered in suspense, the light in their eyes faded slightly, realizing it was not their master.
Elysia stood up from the hearth, closing the door and blocking it with the wooden lock. She looked at the Sprite siblings and said, "It was just the wind."
The Sprite siblings slumped, embracing each other in shared, quiet sorrow. Fig and Gale gazed at the door with lingering hope, while Agua comforted Paku, who curled up in a ball, and Ember sulked, kicking a stone in one corner. Elysia felt the weight of their grief and, not wanting to intrude, warmed herself by the fire. As sleep overtook her, she couldn't help but feel overcome by their shared sadness.
Over the next few days, Elysia explored the hut and the surrounding area. The hut was dusty and abandoned, so the Sprite siblings began cleaning up. She also started looking for clues about where she was, who she was, and whose house this might be.
"This is Master's hut. Master's hut is in the Whispering Forest," Agua explained when Elysia asked. The Whispering Forest was a vast expanse of towering trees, their gnarled branches intertwining to form a dense canopy.
"Master is away, but don't worry; he will return. When you meet Master, you will surely like him. He told us to wait for him at the hut." Agua said more to herself than to Elysia.
The Master's Hut, as Agua called it, was a small structure, of intertwined huge branches. Fig proudly said that he created the Hut with his Master. There was a little garden, once wilted, but miraculously revived by Fig and Paku within days. Elysia also found a river nearby, and she thought she might eventually reach a village if she followed it, but there were no clear paths or signs of civilization for miles. She sat by the riverbank, contemplating what to do as she held a makeshift fishing pole made of sticks and vines.
"Here Elysia! Have some berries you must be hungry," Fig offered.
"No, thank you, Fig," she replied, thinking that she had grown tired of eating only berries and mushrooms. Now, she was hoping her makeshift fishing rod would catch a fish, or she might throw up all the berries and mushrooms she'd eaten that day.
Agua floated over to her holding a large blob of water above her head "How about some water? Are you thirsty?"
"No, thank you, Agua. I've had plenty to drink already." Ember pushed past her sister, saying, "Then you must be cold. Shall I start a fire for you?"
"I can collect branches and twigs," Fig interjected.
"I can pick up stone circles!" Paku chimed in enthusiastically.
Elysia sighed. "No, I'm not cold. Thank you for offering, Ember."
"Maybe you're feeling hot; shall I start a breeze for you?" Gale directed a small breeze at her.
"No, it's okay, everyone," Elysia said gently. "If you could just stay quiet, the fish won't get scared." Instantly, the sprites fell silent, looking a bit downcast as though they thought she didn't need them. Noticing this, Elysia called out to them by name, "Paku, Gale, Ember, Agua, Fig?"
"Yes?" they answered in unison, their faces lighting up with surprise and happiness. Elysia looked at them curiously. "How come you guys don't eat or sleep? I've never seen you do either."
Fig explained, "We're ethereal beings. We don't need food or sleep like you do—we survive by receiving mana."
"How do you receive mana?" Elysia asked, oddly curious.
"Well," Fig and Agua the spokesperson of the group looked at each other unsure how to answer the question.
Paku was the first to describe the feeling, "When you call my name, I feel warm inside!"
"And when I feel warm inside I can use my magic!" Gale added using a small bit of air towards her.
Agua further explained, "Since we're ethereal creatures, we can't draw magic from this world as humans do. Mana flows through us faintly, but we have no magic on our own to stay strong. We need to draw it from beings of this world."
"Mana?" Elysia asked. "Do I have mana?"
"Oh, you've got loads of it!" Ember remarked. "You're the first human I've ever seen who walks around glowing like a sun."
Elysia glanced down at her hands. "I don't see any light."
Gale chuckled. "It's hard for humans to see. But we see it, most people have a faint glow near their heart, but yours shines all over you—almost spilling outside. Your mana has a sweet scent to it too."
Fig chimed in, "So maybe because you have such an abundance of mana when you say our names or let us help you, it creates a bond that lets us draw just a bit of your mana. Using that magic to assist you, in turn, strengthens the bond even more. That's why being close to you, Elysia, makes us feel... alive."
"Alive..." Elysia repeated though the word felt distant. Memories drifted through her mind, endless routine, returning exhausted to a cramped apartment after long hours, or even begging people to let her stay in her room because the rent was due and he had to choose between starving or not having a roof over her head. Another memory flickered harsh and unrelenting, of back-breaking work in the fields, out on the streets begging for scraps of moldy bed —was it truly her life, or just another imagining?
Gale's gentle voice interrupted her thoughts, "When we're near you, it feels like a breath of fresh air."
"Helping humans is the way of a sprite!" Paku said proudly like a little boyscout.
Elysia thought for a moment. "Then why not go to a human village? Have you explored the forest, perhaps you know a path?"
Fig's face fell. "We're bound to Master's Hut. If we stray too far, our glow fades, our wings stop fluttering, and beyond the Whispering Forest our powers cannot reach."
Ember furious said, "That's because of that stupid man!" Her rage stirred at the mere memory of that person.
"Ember!" Agua said gently chiding"It's not polite to call our master that and he did the best he could at that time."
"Well, it's true! But that man is unreliable, he promised he'd return for us and he hasn't returned yet!" Ember declared.
"Ember please stop, you know he had his reasons." Gale chided, acting more mature than her older sister.
Fig's expression softened and he turned to Agua who nodded in return agreeing, as though they had a lengthy discussion the night before. Fig turned to Elysia and asked, "We wanted to ask you... if would you take Paku and Gale as your familiars?"
"What do you mean by Paku and I?" Gale asked seeking answers to this shocking news.
Agua held her younger sister's hand "You see Gale, do you remember the first time we saw Elysia?"
Elysia remembered, Agua explaining to her how they found her "Before that, we were all tired and weak. You and Paku might have drifted to sleep."
Gale asked still confused, "What do you mean? We are Ethereal creatures we do not sleep."
"You might not remember but it was different for Fig, Ember and I. We were conscious at that time we lived like living statues for a long while. You and Paku your mind had turned to stones. That's because the Master's Hut is slowly losing the last mana it's infused with."
Gale and Paku looked at their older siblings. Ember looked down on her feet trying to hold in the fear and feeling avoiding her younger siblings' gazes and held herself in an embrace of solitude.
Paku looked at Fig "Is it true Fig? How come I don't remember a thing?" Paku asked.
"Perhaps," Fig considered, "you both collapsed from mana depletion because you were younger, you didn't realize it. We have more experience with mana absorption, so we stayed grounded, sitting beside you and drawing only a little mana from the hut to help sustain you while you slept."
"But it was thanks to you Elysia" Agua placed her hand of Elysia's index finger. "When you entered the hut. Dragging yourself exhausted, we somehow absorbed a fluctuation of mana that surged within you. And like Ember said you are a walking ball of Fire."
Ember on the verge of tears "That's why you should go with Elysia while we wait for that stupid man!"
"No!" Paku shouted stubbornly "I think we should all go with Elysia or else you will disappear!"
"What do you mean... disappear?" Elysia asked softly.
"The Hut that binds us here was inscribed by our former masters. He released us from our familiar contract and left a significant amount of his mana on the hut to sustain us until he returned."Agua explained.
Fig added, "It was something he needed to do, but we waited and waited" His spirits deflated "Our Master has not returned and the magic imbued in the hut is slowly fading away
Agua continued for her brother, "And when it's magic fades away,"
Paku hugged his eldest sister and Agua hugged him back, finding comfort in his small embrace.
"Then," Elysia said softly, "if Paku and Gale became my familiars... would that be enough for the rest of you to get by until your Master returns?"
But at her words, Fig, Ember, and Agua's eyes took on a hollow, haunted look—the same look Elysia had seen in her reflection once. Though those memories were distant and fragmented. She recalled the empty nights waiting by the door, the faded memory of clutching stale bread, and uncooked instant noodles. Then there was a memory of a different her, her mother's cold body was dragged away as elegant strangers, perfumed and powdered wept around her. She recognized their despair all too well, the look of someone waiting for someone they knew might never return. "Then all the more reason for all five of you to become my familiars, not just Gale or Paku."
All Sprite siblings looked at Elysia, bright at the prospect of having a familiar contract with her.
"Are you sure?" Ember asked hesitant to accept among all five Sprite siblings.
Gale asked still hoping their master returned. "What about Master? What if he returns?"
"Instead of waiting for him here." Elysia said with much conviction, "Why not look for him? Then ask him what took him so long."
Fig could feel a lump in his throat, "Then, will you accept all five of us?" The thought of Survival was right before his eyes, his heart moved by Elysia's conviction.
"Yes" As soon as Elysia spoke these words, she felt a sudden rush, as if part of her spirit had reached out and intertwined with another, releasing a surge of pent-up energy. The Sprites glowed brighter, transforming into a shimmering, radiant entity bound to her in an unbreakable link. She became lighter and as though a huge weight was lifted.
After the contract was formed, each sprite reacted in their own way, their personalities shining through.
Fig's eyes filled with tears, and his usual confident demeanor softened as he looked at Elysia with gratitude and relief. "I... I didn't think it would feel this strong," he said, wiping a tear. "Thank you, Elysia... truly."
Agua gazed at Elysia with a deep, almost motherly pride, her eyes warm. She placed a gentle hand on Elysia's index finger. "This bond... it's as if we've found our way home. You've given us more than you know."
Ember and Gale, unable to contain their excitement, twirled around Elysia in bursts of laughter and energy, their movements glowing with newfound strength. Ember chuckled "This is incredible! So much power!"
The sprites' laughter and joy came to a sudden halt as Elysia's makeshift fishing pole jerked violently. She looked down, surprised to see the line pulled, quivering under the weight of something strong. Her grip tightened but the fish got away.
"It's a big one!" Then the line broke and Elysia fell to the ground knocking the sprite siblings except for Agua who was not hovering behind Elysia. Elysia looked crestfallen she waited for so long "Well there goes my fish"
"Don't worry we can still have mushrooms and berries!" Fig said trying to comfort Elysia.
"I could cook some boiled mushrooms and herbs - but I wish I could have some meat," Elysia started to head to the direction of the Hut.
Agua looked at the river and saw some fish swimming in it. Agua saw a picture of Elysia trying to catch a fish by scooping the water by her hand. With all her might, she prepared herself to lift a huge chunk of water from the river she was not certain she could do it.
But then she tried and the river heeded to her command, the fish encapsuled in the water blob lifted in the air. "Then would you like some fish for dinner?"
Elysia's eyes sparkled as she saw the fish swimming in the orb of water, a surge of relief and delight filling her chest. She hadn't realized just how much she longed for something beyond berries and mushrooms until this moment—"Finally... fish. You're amazing Agua!"
"Then everyone, should we..." Elysia began to instruct, but the Sprite siblings sprang into action without waiting for her to finish. Paku molded the earth into a makeshift cauldron, and Agua poured water over it, turning it to clay. Ember followed, heating it with an intense, controlled flame, while Gale and Agua cooled it down with a freezing breeze. Once the cauldron was ready, Fig added firewood, and Ember ignited it. Agua filled the pot with river water and let it boil. Then, Fig tossed some wild thyme, dill, parsley, green onions, mushrooms, and chives, while Gale chopped them roughly in mid-air with a razor-sharp gust of wind.
Just as Agua was about to add the fish, Elysia stopped her. "Wait, we have to..." She remembered the fish needed to be cleaned and gutted. Gale grinned, saying, "I can do it!" With the swift precision of a skilled blade, Gale cleaned and gutted the fish in moments, a proud smile on her face. Agua gave the fish one final rinse before placing it into the pot.
"How come all of you know what I was thinking?" Elysia asked. "Can you read my mind?"
"It's more like," Agua began tilting her head "We see an image in our head, like a command, that you want to convey."
"It is the Familiar bond we have with you," explained Fig further.
As the soup simmered, the aroma began to fill the air, and Elysia's stomach growled, unable to ignore the enticing smell. Fig gave her a wooden spoon from the hut, and Elysia took a sip of the soup. The sprite siblings were expectant.
"It tastes good," she said but the sprite siblings looked down.
"We know how you feel about the soup Elysia." Ember pouted "You don't need to lie to us, you think it tastes bland."
Elysia tried to hide an awkward smile, "It tastes good but I bet it could taste better with salt."
"Ah! Is that what you need?" Paku gave her a rock and asked her to hold it.
Elysia found the moment a little endearing, thinking of the youngest who wanted to contribute to the soup-making. Paku concentrated hard.
"What are you doing Paku?" Elysia asked after looking at his face.
The small stone on her hand started to change form, it's composition a salt rock.
"What what?!" she said bewildered.
"I tasted this rock salt before it's similar to the one you add to your soup," he said pointing to his head as though he saw an image of salt on his head. She broke off a little bit of the rock salt and it tasted precisely like salt "Wow you are truly amazing Paku, this is salt."
"Then can I add it in the soup?" Asked Paku, feeling as though his final action trumped everyone's effort.
"Alright, but only a little. Can you break off a little of it and put it there?"
Just as Paku floated to the pot. Behind Elysia, a creature's presence loomed, blocking out the sun, its enormous shape just a vague silhouette at first. Gale and Agua instinctively darted behind Elysia, eyes wide with fear,
"Everyone get behind me!" Fig called out, as the eldest among his siblings his protectiveness came naturally.
While Ember held on to Paku "Paku stay behind me, don't worry I'll protect you!" Ember's eyes had a sharpened expression, ready for a fight.
"I can take it out!" Paku, the youngest always wanting to prove his own capabilities raised his salt rock and threw it at the creature.
Plop - it went.