Serene Spirit Wilderness, Verdant Home Grove.

This was one of the habitats for the fey creatures, normally overflowing with verdant life and vibrant energy.

Dense tree canopies overlapped and intertwined, filtering sunlight into mottled pools of golden green that speckled the soft, moss-covered ground.

Streams wound between rocks, their sounds clear and songlike, while the air carried the sweet scent of pollen and nectar, full of cheerful, lively atmosphere.

But now the Verdant Home Grove lay shrouded in a pall.

Land that had once been fertile was cracked and parched, fissures spreading outward like a web. The stream water was no longer clear; its surface had turned a murky gray-green, with occasional rotten bubbles floating up and popping with a nauseating stench.

Flowers that had once bloomed proudly drooped, their petal edges curling and blackening.

The floral perfume had been replaced by an indescribable foul odor.

The entire Verdant Home Grove reeked of rot and decay, as if severely polluted.

Little brown sprites, flower fairies, thorn-rose sprites... the fey living there panicked, scrambling and flying chaotically in the air and on the ground, carving frantic paths as they cried out, as if the sky were falling.

"It’s over, it’s over! Everything’s finished!"

"Vira has been eaten! That monster ate her!"

"We're all going to die, the Verdant Home Grove is doomed!"

"Ah, Lady Vira, you died so horribly, so terribly!"

"What do we do? Who can save us?"

Cries, screams, and sobs blended into a single cacophony.

Many fey who loved beauty inhabited the Serene Spirit Wilderness, but that did not mean the plane was entirely benign.

Just as light and shadow coexist, this place also harbored many evil beings representing fear, sorrow, and chaos.

Wrathful sprites, hag spirits, devouring horrors, fiends, and the like.

They hated all things beautiful by nature, were generally impossible to reason with, their minds chaotic and deranged, standing in opposition to the fey and frequently assaulting their homes, feeding on their suffering.

Shortly before sunset, a powerful fiend attacked the Verdant Home Grove.

It had been born from twisted stories, a body woven from lies and shadows. Wherever it passed, reality was warped and beauty defiled.

Vira, the faerie dragon who had already ascended to legendary status, transformed into her towering Red Emperor form to face it.

The battle turned sky and earth, shook the forest, but in the end Vira was no match for the fiend.

In front of all the fey, the fiend tore through the Red Emperor’s scales with shadowy claws and bound her wings with chains of lies. Vira plummeted from the sky and slammed heavily into the ground, raising a great cloud of dust.

Then the worst thing happened.

The fiend slithered forward, opened its massive maw, and bit—again and again—swallowing the Red Emperor-form Vira whole!

The fey watched as Vira’s body dissolved inside the fiend’s mouth, turning into motes of light and being devoured to nothing.

The fiend, bloated from its feast, needed time to digest and itself bore heavy wounds. Cracks appeared in its shadow-formed body, and dark vapors seeped from these rents.

So it did not continue to ravage the Verdant Home Grove.

Dragging its heavy form, the fiend slowly departed, leaving polluted land and the fey in mourning.

Their wails still echoed through the withered trees.

But not long after, a lively, impish voice suddenly sounded,

"Stop wailing, stop it."

"I'm just a little hurt, not dead."

"How could the great Vira die inside a fiend’s mouth? You all underestimate me too much."

As the voice fell, ripples formed in the air, and at their center the faerie dragon’s figure gradually coalesced and appeared.

It was Vira.

Her size and stature were almost unchanged from before her legendary ascension, but the drab, mottled colors she’d borne were gone; now her hues were vivid and dazzling.

At the sight of the living faerie dragon, the other fey froze.

Then a louder commotion erupted:

"Lady Vira! You’re alive!"

"Ha ha, I knew it, you wouldn’t die so easily!"

"You scared us to death, really scared us!"

Fey swarmed from all directions, clustering around Vira, crying and laughing.

Little brown sprites grabbed her tail, flower fairies fluttered around her, thorn-rose sprites gently touched her claws with thorny vines, as if confirming she wasn’t an illusion.

Vira glanced at the surrounding fey, her face turning stern as she struck a serious expression.

"Hey, look at you lot—pathetic. All of you, stand at attention!"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried a strange authority.

At her words, the fey immediately froze in place, straightening chests and comparable body parts, folding wings and setting leaves upright, trying hard to look spirited.

"That’s better. Bring back your vigor!"

Vira nodded in satisfaction, then continued in the same stern tone, "Lady Vira does not like to see weak, whining fey. Remember, we are residents of the Serene Spirit Wilderness, embodiments of joy and beauty."

"You must smile, be happy, and be joyful with me, understand?!"

"Understood!"

The fey answered in unison, their voices far more orderly than before, their spirits returning.

"Good, very spirited!"

Vira waved her claw, "Dismiss!"

At her command the fey resumed their normal activities; the previous sorrow and fear evaporated, and the Verdant Home Grove gradually regained life as the atmosphere of decay receded.

In the Serene Spirit Wilderness, the fey’s condition and their habitat were often closely linked and mutually influential.

Emotions could manifest in reality, and changes to the environment could in turn affect mood.

"Um, Lady Vira..." On Vira’s right, a small tree-spirit timidly spoke, its crown leaves nervously curling, "Will the fiend come back? It’s too powerful; we can’t beat it."

Mention of the fiend cast a shadow across the restored mood.

Vira’s eyes flickered with gravity.

Every outer plane had its peculiarities.

In the Serene Spirit Wilderness, creatures’ emotions and beliefs were unusually significant—sometimes taking shape in the physical world.

Fiends were native to the wilderness in a sense; they were a type of fey born from negative narratives, different from the joyful, positive fey. They emerged from lies and twisted tales.

When a vicious lie spread in a place or an evil, altered story began to circulate, an entity called a fiend could be birthed.

The wider the spread and the more fey that believed, the stronger the fiend became.

Fiends also fed on stories and lies, drawing power from any narrative, whether dark or not.

Vira knew in her heart that the fiend that attacked the Verdant Home Grove was probably drawn by her own "story."

Previously, she had told of her experiences in the Material Plane.

Of course she had embellished the tale a bit, focusing on her incarnation as the Red Emperor traveling through the Material Plane.

That story spread widely among the fey, not only in the Verdant Home Grove but across many fey habitats, earning vast admiration and worship.

Because the tale contained no darkness, it wouldn’t spawn a fiend by itself.

But for other fiends, a widely circulating, power-filled story was the most delicious feast.

The attracted fiend turned out to be exceptionally powerful.

Vira had indeed been defeated in that earlier fight; the fiend devoured her "story" and stole her Red Emperor manifestation ritual.

The good news was that her true body had hidden itself and escaped.

The bad news was that once the fiend digested the story and learned the truth, it would very likely return—and next time, it would not rest until it consumed the story’s creator.

Vira would not be confident of escaping then.

Yet Vira did not show worry.

She straightened up like a humanoid, placed her claws on her hips, chin lifted slightly.

"A fiend? Hmph. It only struck while I had just broken through to legendary and hadn’t fully perfected my battle form. A mere fiend daring to come back to the Verdant Home Grove is just courting death."

"I have a thousand—no, ten thousand ways to kill it."

She said it casually, as if discussing something trivial.

"Wow, Lady Vira is so awesome!"

"Tell us your plans, we want to hear!"

The fey cheered, their fear replaced by worship.

They were easily infected by emotion; it came fast and left fast—that was fey nature.

Vira cleared her throat and said solemnly, "Listen. I left a 'duplicate' in the Material Plane."

"As long as I summon it to the Serene Spirit Wilderness, I can fuse with the duplicate and return to full strength. Then, little fiend, a glare from me will turn you to ash!"

She intended to summon the true Red Emperor.

Garoth has ten thousand ways to kill a fiend, which is about the same as I having ten thousand ways... Vira muttered inwardly, a bit guilty.

If Garoth found out she’d scripted him...

I only wanted to spread his renown, nothing malicious. He shouldn’t be angry, she thought.

Then she couldn’t help but chuckle.

A picture popped into Vira’s mind: the fiend charging at the real Red Emperor, thinking it was the same defeated foe as before—then realizing too late and getting swatted dead by a claw, the expression on its face would be priceless.

She promised herself she’d go and watch in person.

Although the fiend that attacked Verdant Home Grove was powerful, compared to the real Red Emperor it would be nothing.

"Vive!" Vira called to a flower fairy hovering nearby.

It was a palm-sized fey wearing a skirt woven from pink petals, transparent wings fluttering rapidly and sprinkling specks of phosphorescence.

At the call, the fairy immediately flew before Vira and hovered.

"I will send you to the Material Plane," Vira said earnestly. "I’ll give you an illusion cloak to make you look like me. After you arrive at a place called the Citadel of Crimson Flame..."

She gave the flower fairy detailed instructions on what to do.

As for Vira herself, she wouldn’t leave the Verdant Home Grove unguarded.

When she awoke from the ancestral land with her legendary status and began her second life, the grove’s former guardian—the elder unicorn—had reached the end of his life.

Before dying, the elder formally entrusted the protection of the Verdant Home Grove to Vira.

Even without that charge, Vira wanted to protect this place.

It was her homeland, the ground of her birth; every tree and stream carried her memories and beauty. Though she had spent most of her life in the Material Plane, she would never forget this place.

Opposite Vira, the flower fairy Vive puffed out her tiny chest and shouted with all her might, "I promise to complete the mission!"

"Good, set off now."

Vira inhaled deeply and began her spell.

She blew a gentle breath toward Vive, and a ribbon of seven-colored shimmer flowed from her mouth, enveloping the flower fairy.

The light flowed and solidified, gradually forming the faerie dragon’s outward appearance.

Scales, wings, tail—every detail uncanny and exact. Even the sly look in Vira’s eyes was perfectly mimicked. This illusion cloak not only altered Vive’s appearance but also carried Vira’s scent, lifelike down to the last detail.

"Remember, do not reveal your true form. If anyone blocks your way, make them step aside."

Vira’s final instructions were clear.

Then she began the planar teleportation.

Hum!

Space rippled, and a deep vortex appeared.

"Material Plane..."

Vive looked at the whirlpool with both curiosity and nervousness.

After a reassuring nod from Vira, she gritted her teeth, beat her wings, and plunged headfirst into the vortex.

Whoosh!

Ripples spread, the vortex closed rapidly, as if it had never appeared.

Silence returned to the Verdant Home Grove.

Vira stared at the spot where Vive had vanished, fell silent for a moment, then turned to the expectant fey around her.

"Okay, what we must do now is wait, and..."

She swept her gaze over the decayed land, "try to restore some vitality here. Come on, everyone, move!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Under her direction, the fey set to work combating the rot that had invaded the soil.

Vira herself flew to the highest ancient tree in the grove and crouched on a thick branch, vigilantly watching the direction the fiend had departed.

Unconsciously she had taken on the survival of an entire people.

Citadel of Crimson Flame, a neat little pavilion inside the palace.

Air warped slightly as a faint luminous vortex appeared, and a figure fell through, rolling twice on the floor before stopping.

"Ooof, my head’s spinning... so this is what planar travel feels like..."

"Not pleasant, but kinda fun."

Vive, disguised as the faerie dragon, shook the dizziness from her head and took several seconds to recognize her surroundings.

The room was small but tastefully appointed and spotless, as if regularly cleaned.

"I’ve arrived in the Material Plane... mysterious, dangerous, and fun."

Vive murmured to herself, then cautiously flew to the window to peer out.

Outside her view were not the familiar dense woods and winding streams of the Verdant Home Grove, but towering, magnificent buildings.

Further beyond, mist-wreathed mountain silhouettes arched like a dragon’s spine across the horizon.

The sky here was deeper than in the Serene Spirit Wilderness. The air was dry and cool, scented with stone, metal, and fireworks—completely different from the wilderness’s feel.

Vive took a deep breath.

The air smelled strange but not unpleasant.

She tapped her small face to boost her courage: "Vive, you can do this! For Lady Vira, for the Verdant Home Grove!"

Then the flower fairy launched herself, cautiously slipping out of the pavilion.

She entered a broad corridor, where uniformed attendants or heavily armed patrol guards occasionally passed. They were huge, each footfall steady and resonant.

When those massive beings strode past, Vive’s heart rose to her throat.

She pressed close to the wall, trying hard to maintain the "majesty" of Lady Vira—head held high, gaze averted.

To her relief, the attendants and guards looked surprised but did not bother her. They offered mild, friendly smiles and slight bows before returning to their duties.

"Lady Vira’s story must be completely true!" Vive thought, "She is an emperor here, so people respect her and smile at her."

She relaxed a little and followed the remembered route.

But as she rounded a corner and was about to exit the building toward Vira’s designated location, a massive shadow loomed over her.

Thud, thud, thud... heavy footsteps thundered like drums, the ground trembling slightly.

Vive froze and looked up, seeing a "wall."

No—this was a terrifying colossal beast!

It stood so tall it nearly reached the corridor ceiling, its body covered in thick fur-like scales, muscles like stacked rocks, ending in massive claws that gleamed coldly.

On its fierce head, bell-sized eyes stared at her.

"...Vira?"

Mobel spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

The dragon-blood Rampage Bear tilted its immense head, a mixture of confusion and delight on its face. "When did you return? I didn't hear the guards say so."

Vive felt her heart nearly leap from her throat.

The oppressive presence from this beast was overwhelming.

She instinctively wanted to scream and flee, but remembering Lady Vira’s orders and the grove’s peril, she forced down her fear and tried to imitate Vira’s bold, fearless tone from memory.

"Ahem! When... when does this humble senior report to you?!" Her voice rose to sound assertive.

She waved her tiny claws to signal Mobel to move: "Step aside! I... I have urgent business!"

Mobel’s bear face looked even more puzzled.

It scratched the furry back of its head, bell-like eyes blinking as it examined the little "faerie dragon" carefully.

Vira can be odd sometimes...

The Rampage Bear reasoned, and relaxed.

It grinned in a simple, good-natured way and bent to bow: "Yes, yes. I’ll step aside, Lady Vira. Please go on."

It shifted its giant bulk to make a path.

It even added, "Need an escort?"

"N...no! Just step aside!"

Vive waved frantically and drifted past Mobel without looking back, wings beating so fast they blurred as she flew toward the exit.

Only after flying far away, through a few arches and out of sight of the terrifying dragon-blood Rampage Bear, did Vive stop behind a stone pillar.

Her tiny chest heaved as she gulped air.

"That was terrifying... are all Material Plane beings this big?"

She glanced back, still shaken, to ensure Mobel hadn’t followed, then exhaled in relief.

Whoosh!

A sonorous dragon roar passed overhead and a giant shadow swept by.

Vive shrank and ducked into the pillar’s shade.

After the dragon flew out of sight, she peered out and hurried along Vira’s route, leaving the palace and entering the Dragonback Mountains.

The terrain was steep and jagged.

Following a clear path, she soon reached an open plateau ringed by peaks, where she saw that figure—an existence seemingly forged from steel and flame.

Stately, majestic, imposing.

Those words took on concrete form when she saw him in person.

He crouched on the ground, wings folded at his sides, a thick tail curled around his body. With each breath, faint sparks escaped his nostrils and flared then died in the air.

Most memorable were his eyes.

Like two shrunken suns, calm and profound, as if holding immeasurable power and wisdom.

"This must be Lady Vira’s duplicate...? He looks a bit different, and so much larger—more grand than in the story."

Vive’s eyes widened with admiration and awe.

Unlike the pure fear she’d felt facing Rampage Bears or other huge beasts, seeing the Red Emperor brought a sense of reassurance.

"Lady Vira! I finally found you!"

She squealed excitedly and flapped her wings, flying like a tiny cannonball toward the Red Emperor.

Across from her, the red-iron dragon raised his massive head, stirring a breeze as he watched the sudden tiny visitor.

He saw the faerie dragon appearance.

But he saw more.

Beneath the exquisite illusion cloak was a palm-sized flower fairy with transparent wings and a petal skirt—also a flower spirit. The illusion was finely crafted, nearly indistinguishable, even imitating a trace of Vira’s scent.

But to Garoth, the disguise was like a thin veil.

He could see through it in an instant.

"Masquerading as Vira, a flower fairy?"

The red-iron dragon’s gaze flickered, showing neither surprise nor hostility, merely a quiet scrutiny of Vive.

He made no move, allowing the little flower fairy to flutter before him, even to height level with his nostrils, excitedly waving her tiny limbs.

"Ah, great Lady Vira! Please come with me. Once you return to the Serene Spirit Wilderness, you can defeat that vile fiend and save the Verdant Home Grove! Lady Vira is waiting over there!"

The flower fairy chattered rapidly, words tumbling in her excitement.

Garoth picked out the key points: the Serene Spirit Wilderness, a fiend, the Verdant Home Grove, Vira in trouble.

The red-iron dragon’s expression remained calm. As Vive’s excitement subsided, he spoke slowly, "Tell me everything, little flower spirit."

"Tell me all you know—about Vira, about the fiend, what happened in the Verdant Home Grove, and the exact process by which she asked you to find me. Be detailed."

His tone was gentle yet carried unquestionable authority.

That natural aura compelled obedience.

Under the Red Emperor’s gaze, the flower fairy’s nerves settled.

Hovering near Garoth’s nostril, she began to recount everything in meticulous detail, even the near-cry moment when she met the terrifying Rampage Bear in the corridor, and her awe at the Material Plane’s huge creatures.

Garoth listened patiently, his huge head bowing slightly.

As Vive spoke, he grew increasingly convinced of the truth of her words.

The manner and details matched Vira’s style too well.

When Vive finished and looked at him expectantly, the red-iron dragon summed up, "So Vira has trouble in the Serene Spirit Wilderness and wants me to go help her."

"Yes, yes!" Vive nodded vigorously, the petal skirt rustling with the movement.

From one of the folds of her petal skirt she produced a brightly colored dragon scale.

"Lady Vira said: once you’re ready, crush this scale and she’ll form a planar teleport to bring us to the Verdant Home Grove."

Serene Spirit Wilderness, the outer plane.

Garoth inclined his forehead slightly and picked up the tiny scale with the tip of a claw.

"All right."

He finally said, "Wait here while I make brief preparations."

Before falling asleep he had thought of bringing Vira along to see the outer plane scenery, but Vira had slipped away herself.

Now was as good a time as any to visit.

Garoth felt a flicker of curiosity about outer planes.

Planes with laws different from the main Material Plane—their special environments, energy makeup, and modes of existence—might further stimulate his evolutionary growth. That was his greatest interest.

Planes like the Abyss or Hell were more notorious but excessively dangerous.

Among many planes, the Serene Spirit Wilderness was relatively safe, making it a suitable first target for a brief planar excursion.