Fairy Tale Wonderland

The streets were clear in the early morning, and we quickly left the main city. Before long, I felt a flash of white light outside, and the carriage stopped.

After getting off, I found that the surroundings had completely changed. The plants around me were bizarre, and beautiful tulips grew taller than I was.

The clouds were adorable, and the animals on the ground hopped around without any fear of me. The clear stream gurgled as it washed over pretty pebbles, like a fairy tale world.

I was a bit confused. I was just in the city, how could I not see even a shadow of Mithril City now?

I was about to ask Lux, but I couldn't find her. Only Angel was standing obediently in place. Was this a game of hide-and-seek? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I walked slowly along the stream, the beautiful scenery unfolding before my eyes. Compared to the direct sensory experience of other beautiful sights, this fairy tale wonderland was gentler, soft and cozy.

I searched every possible hiding spot but couldn't find Lux. I only saw many beautiful butterflies, or rather, small sprites that looked like butterflies. They flitted around me, constantly saying:

"Look, another stranger has arrived."

"Have you seen any other strangers?"

"Can't tell you! Go ask Mr. Mole!"

It seemed I still had to keep searching. Mr. Mole must be in the soft earth. I left the riverbank and walked elsewhere. After a short while, I tripped over a vine and then heard it laugh:

"Hahaha, finally tripped one up, you're so clumsy."

Even the plants could talk. Did everything in the fairy tale world have its own personality?

As I was about to get up, I suddenly discovered Mr. Mole sleeping soundly to the side, covered by a large leaf. If I hadn't fallen, I wouldn't have seen him. I guess it was a blessing in disguise.

Such a commotion didn't wake him, so it seemed there was no danger here, which was why the animals weren't alert. I walked over with peace of mind. Good heavens, this mole was huge! It was no bigger than a house cat!

I reached out and poked its plump body. It rolled over but didn't wake up, so I poked it again, and again, and a third time, finally waking it up.

"Who's disturbing my sleep!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Mole, have you seen a human girl? About my age."

"Human girl? Yes, I saw her. She woke me up not long ago. You humans are truly detestable!"

"Then did you see where she went?"

"Why do you keep talking to yourself? Did you hear me say you humans are detestable! Not even an apology..."

The mole didn't finish speaking before it suddenly looked terrified and quickly burrowed into the ground, fleeing. I turned around and saw a large calico cat. Okay, it was bigger than a tiger, but it really looked like a cat.

I thought there was no danger here, but then I encountered a feline. Even more terrifying was that it seemed to have no personality of its own, and it charged at me without regard for my words. I took to my heels and ran, but the faster I ran, the closer it chased.

Is this how a mouse feels when it meets a cat? Unable to outrun or fight it, all I could do was despair and hope for a miracle. And the miracle I hoped for was for Lux to appear quickly. She brought me here, she must have a way to deal with this calico cat!

"Lux, where are you?"

I shouted as I ran, my stamina draining quickly. I thought this was beyond my limits. If it wasn't a matter of life and death, no one could run this fast or this long.

Lux didn't respond. I couldn't run anymore. Strangely, during this chase, the calico cat never pounced.

Every time it was about to catch up to me, it would slow down, only to speed up again when I pulled away. It went on like this. It seemed felines had this mischievous nature: toying with their prey until the end.

I might as well stop running. Let it do whatever it wants! I lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The trees around me looked like bonsai, strangely shaped and very short.

Seeing that I had stopped, the calico cat also stopped, crouching beside me and licking its paws and face. Although it looked relaxed, I knew that as soon as I ran, it would chase me again.

After a while, seeing that I wasn't moving, the calico cat spoke. It could talk after all:

"Why did you stop running? You should have rested by now after running for so long?"

→

"What's the point of running? I can't outrun you anyway. You'll eat me when you're done playing."

"I never intended to eat you. Chasing might be out of malice, or it might be love at first sight."

The cat's words left me bewildered. As I was trying to understand, I suddenly saw it transform into a human form: long golden hair, snow-white skin. It was Lux!

"Lux? How could it be you! You scared me to death."

"Just playing a game with you, haha. How do you like the scenery here?"

"It's beautiful, like a fairy tale wonderland."

"I'm glad you like it. You're going to the Dauntless Vanguard tomorrow, so consider this a gift from me."

"Thank you, but where is this place?"

"I don't know either. I can't come here by myself. Only Angel can bring me in. Perhaps this is her homeland."

We strolled aimlessly for a while, admiring the strange sights. Before we knew it, we returned to where Angel was waiting, ending this wonderful journey.

I didn't know why Lux did this. Maybe she really liked me, but I couldn't reciprocate her feelings. I liked Fiora, and that wouldn't change.

The sky had been clear for many days, but it rained on the day of departure. Fortunately, it wasn't heavy and didn't affect our travel.

My family all came out to see me off, except for Fiora. But it was for the best, saving us the heartache of parting.

We agreed to meet at the east gate of Mithril City. When I arrived, Garen and more than ten followers were already there. Lux was also beside them.

"Too slow," Garen said before leading the way.

"Brother, take care, and please take good care of Leivo!"

Garen waved his hand and didn't answer. I quickly said goodbye to Lux and left with him.

Three days and nights later, we arrived at the Dauntless Vanguard camp near the eastern mountain range. The tents stretched for dozens of miles, adorned with countless banners. The soldiers wore silver-white armor, and shouts echoed everywhere. It truly lived up to its reputation!

During the first week here, I didn't receive any training. Instead, I was often assigned tasks like carrying food and cleaning, which really annoyed me.

After all, I was the savior spoken of by the Sage, so how could I keep doing logistical work? I went to find the captain to argue, hoping to switch jobs.

The captain didn't seem very pleased to hear my request. "Do you think logistical work isn't important?"

"It is important, but I just feel I should receive formal training so I can participate in combat later. Sage Tabor said I would save Demacia."

"There are many ways to save people, not all of them involve participating in combat. Ensuring everyone's food, weapons, armor, and horses are in excellent condition at all times is not an easy task. Don't become arrogant just because of Sage Tabor's words. It's good for a newcomer to have passion and ideals, but passion without thought can also lead one to their grave."

After the captain's words, I realized I was indeed a bit shortsighted. I quickly apologized and returned to my tent, working even harder than before. However, after a week, I was still reassigned to a combat team.

The new captain was named Alvin. He was very kind to everyone, never yelling or hitting anyone. He took special care of me, and everyone was very obedient. I thought to myself, this must be leadership through virtue.

The training for the first two months was extremely arduous. I was often too exhausted to get up. The captain specifically reduced my training load. By the third month, I could basically keep pace with everyone else. My body had thickened considerably by then, and due to my age, I had also grown taller.

With constant training and strengthening, half a year quickly passed, and I had grown into a true soldier.

What was disheartening was that during this time, I had written many letters to Fiora, but I never received a single reply. On the other hand, Lux wrote me several letters, offering encouragement and sharing various trivial matters.

In the eighth month, it was early summer. The eastern mountain range was covered in lush forests, and wild grass grew like crazy at the foot of the mountains.

According to Sage Tabor's prophecy, we would engage the Noxian army when the vegetation was lush. Last year they had been restless but didn't gather their forces. Would they attack this year?

As I was thinking, I received an urgent summons from Garen.