[[Art by @dididome (Telegram)]]

The silence of the clearing was broken only by the singing of birds fluttering beneath a clear, cloudless sky. Bright flowers stretched toward the sun, peeking out from behind the tall grass. Everything around was so enchanting that... Tsukasa found himself at a loss for words. He could help all these flowers bloom even brighter or simply lie down on one of the petals, soaking in the warmth of the sun’s rays. Yes, that’s exactly what he did… though he had to squeeze his eyes shut. But how wonderful it felt...

He inhaled the delicate, natural scent, filling his lungs. Why didn’t other fairies come here? This place felt like something out of a fairy tale.

At some point, his eyelids relaxed. What was that? Had a cloud covered the sun?..

But the moment Tsukasa opened his eyes, he saw a person standing before him — tall as a tower, his hair like lavender petals. Before Tsukasa could react, the person suddenly threw his hand out and a net covered the flower on which he had been resting. Everything flipped upside down. Tsukasa panicked and tried to fly upward, but the net, though thin, was strong. The human hand grasped it from below, and soon the fairy was brought face to face with a stranger. The person’s eyes sparkled with curious interest… and he smiled. That smile sent chills down Tsukasa’s spine.

“Hey! Hey, you! Let me go!” he shouted.

But the person didn’t seem willing to listen.

Tsukasa found himself trapped inside a glass jar with tiny holes in the lid — so small that only his arm could barely fit through. He banged on the glass, but all it brought was pain and a ringing sound, which Rui, calmly pacing around the room, clearly did not hear.

Frames hung on the walls. Inside were butterflies. Their wings spread wide, bright and patterned in intricate designs. So detailed they looked real… or maybe they really were. The thought twisted Tsukasa’s stomach.

Tsukasa clenched his fists and looked the human straight in the eyes.

“You think you can lock me up like those dead butterflies on the wall? Ha—you're wrong, so wrong! Let me out right now or— or I’ll rearrange your furniture so bad you won’t even find your own bed! I’ll summon spiders, ALL the spiders! to throw a rave on your pillow! You won’t know peace—not ever! I promise!”

He growled, voice sharp and fierce, trying to sound as dangerous as possible though inside, his body trembled with fear.