Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm realm, Seed World, Living Section "No, I did not lie!" Dredre defended, her face scrunched up in anger.
"There! You did it again," Wyatt pointed out, his face lighting up with sheer joy.
"What did I lie about?" Dredre demanded, glaring at Wyatt in frustration. Being called a liar by her friend hurt more than she expected.
"You're clearly not fine, yet you keep insisting that you are," Wyatt replied, finding her anger unbearably cute. The old Dredre would never get angry; instead, she would be at a loss in such situations, unable to react. Pixies were generally incapable of anger or hatred, as they carried an abundance of fear instead.
"That is not lying," Dredre retorted, but Wyatt countered with a teasing grin, "Ah-hah, so you admit you're not fine, but you still keep saying you are."
"No, you're confusing me with your words. I did not lie!" Dredre insisted, panic creeping into her voice. Deep down, she realized that claiming she was fine was technically a lie. She had no idea what was happening to her, but her concern wasn't for herself—it was for her friends and tribesmen. She didn't want to worry them, so she acted strong for their sake.
Normally, if she had been hearing voices beyond the planes, her first reaction would have been to freeze in fear. But this time, she didn't let fear paralyze her. Instead, she took action. She discovered a way to cope with the voices in her head—the incense sticks Wyatt had gifted her cleared her mind and eased the burden of the voices. She had figured this out entirely on her own.
When the voices finally became bearable, she didn't panic. Instead, she stayed calm and logically analyzed her situation, drawing on the knowledge she had gained from the Infinity Library and her tribe's elders. Eventually, she concluded that what was happening to her was unprecedented—something no one had ever seen or heard of before.
Rather than burden her elders with her unexplained sickness, she decided to face it alone, choosing to endure and confront the haunting presence on her own terms.
"I think I know what's going on here—our Dredre is growing up," Wyatt announced with sheer joy, though his excitement was partly a front to trick Dredre into contacting her tribe's elders.
Wyatt believed that Dredre was transitioning into an Elder Pixie, especially since he had fed her primordial energy—the pure energy from the Origin Source, the birthplace of Primordial Pixies. He thought the primordial energy might have triggered her growth, helping her transition into an Elder Pixie.
Wyatt believed that Dredre was transitioning into an Elder Pixie, especially since he had fed her primordial energy—the pure energy from the Origin Source, the birthplace of Primordial Pixies. He thought the primordial energy might have triggered her growth, helping her transition into an Elder Pixie.
However, just in case he was wrong, he wanted Dredre to reach out to her tribe's elders. If she truly was becoming an Elder Pixie, then that would be a cause for celebration. But if something was wrong, hopefully her tribe's Elder Pixie would be able to help her.
"What?" Dredre asked, her confusion evident. She had no idea what Wyatt was getting at.
"You're growing into an Elder Pixie!" Wyatt announced enthusiastically, knowing that while the current Dredre might hesitate to share her struggles with her tribesmen and friends, she wouldn't hesitate to share her joy.
"No way! That can't be. Pixies can't just grow to become Elder Pixies. There's a reason why there are only a limited number of Elder Pixies," Dredre denied, unwilling to believe something that seemed too good to be true.
"That's true," Wyatt admitted, "but look at the changes in you. You're now able to lie. You're capable of expressing anger. You're no longer getting startled or spooked by everything that goes wrong. And just look at how you've handled the changes in your body—you didn't let it scare you. Instead, you managed it incredibly well. These aren't characteristics of an ordinary Pixie; they're traits of an Elder Pixie. Dredre, my friend, you're just a few steps away from becoming a full-fledged Elder Pixie."
"I am?" Dredre pondered, still skeptical of Wyatt's claims. The only thing stopping her from outright rejecting Wyatt's outlandish theory was that she had no idea how a Pixie grows into an Elder Pixie.
"Yes! This calls for a celebration. I should call everyone to Seed World so we can celebrate you becoming an Elder Pixie," Wyatt said, subtly hinting that Dredre should share the good news with her tribe. He believed that once Dredre's tribal elder heard she was becoming an Elder Pixie, they would likely have many questions for her and ask her to return to their tribal forest to assist with her transition.
However, cutting through all of Wyatt's schemes, Dredre remarked, "Wyatt, let's hold off on that until we're absolutely sure."
Wyatt frowned deeply, starting to miss the old Dredre who didn't have strong opinions and would go along with whatever he said. This new Dredre wasn't just opinionated but also had a sharp presence of mind. No wonder she had figured out that the incense stick, made from the sap of the World Calamity Tree, would help clear her thoughts. It might have been a coincidence, but the fact that she thought of it on her own showed that she could think critically and tackle problems fearlessly.
"Alright, let's do it your way," Wyatt agreed, then shared a visualization technique he had created to help her focus her prowess with her Demon Merchant Codex. He decided to double down on the assumption that Dredre was transitioning into an Elder Pixie. He knew it was a risky approach, but Dredre seemed unwilling to reveal her condition to her tribe's elders unless absolutely necessary.
Soon, he added, "But you'll have to practice the visualization method I shared with you. I think it will help you transition into an Elder Pixie faster."
"Okay," Dredre agreed, then added shrewdly, "but you have to promise not to involve anyone else in this—just the two of us. Deal?" She used his affection for her as leverage, which Wyatt couldn't help but admire. With a wide smile, he replied, "Deal."