Illusen's Quest

     "It's raining!" The Green Usul cheered out to her dad, landing two firm palms against the glass and nearly her entire face. "You have to go outside with me!" She had already been outside once to look around, as was her annual tradition on Illusen Day. This day, to her, marked the first day of Spring, and she loved to see all of the changes the day would bring. Even the birds seemed to change their morning melodies to welcome in the new season.

     "Sorry, hun. I just put your brother down for a nap. I can't leave him in the house by himself," her dad answered from the kitchen. Kiera's lower lip trembled a bit from the unexpected answer. One of her favourite memories was three years earlier on Illusen Day when her dad spent most of the afternoon with her in the rain. They spent much of their time taking shelter in her tree fort, but they enjoyed the first day of Spring together.

     "Why does he always spoil special moments?" Kiera said, tears welling in her eyes as she entered the kitchen. She loved her younger brother, but every time she did anything fun, it somehow ended because of him. As though he was sabotaging her special moments. Her dad sensed this, as it was often a topic that came up when Kiera was disappointed.

     "Come in here. Mom made us some hot chocolate before she left to visit grandma," he said, gesturing towards a pair of steaming mugs on the kitchen table. Kiera gave a weak smile and sat down. It was cozy drinking hot chocolate on rainy days. She took a sip, but her signature pout failed to melt away.

     "It's okay. I know you love Illusen Day," her dad said to acknowledge her frustration.

     "But don't you remember the last time it rained on Illusen Day? We had so much fun outside together. And now Nelson-" Kiera said, but couldn't complete the thought as an uncontrolled sob popped out of her.

     "It's ok," her dad reassured her, but knew that few words would help in a moment like this. So he decided to ask her a question to take her mind off of things. "Did you know that Illusen was not a big fan of the rain?"

     "Really?! That doesn't make sense! That's how plants grow outdoors. And why would she choose to live in Meridell where it rains a lot?" She said, putting a smile on her dad's face. He loved her inquisitive nature.

     "She lives there because she's the guardian of Fyora's Frond; an enchanted fern that grows in the centre of Lightwater Forest and controls all of Meridell's flora. Maintaining its health is essential for keeping the ecosystem healthy," he said matter-of-factly.

     Some say it can even manipulate the emotions of the plants growing in Meridell. In fact, one time someone accidently gave it some stagnant water, which caused all of the plants in Meridell to do funny things. Vines were seemingly coming to life and hugging passing Neopians, even tickling their feet!" He grabbed at one of Kiera's legs and tickled her foot.

     "Stop, dad!" She screeched out a loud laugh before controlling herself. Her brother fussed a bit from his room and her dad pressed a single finger in front of his giggling lips to remind her to quiet down a bit. She returned a "See what I mean?" look back at her dad. Her brother interrupted yet another fun moment.

     "Well one day, not too many years ago, something bad happened to the fern, nearly leading to the decline of Meridell's vast forest." Her dad continued to keep her distracted.

     "Wait, is this another story?" Kiera asked.

     "It can be," her dad answered.

     "It should be," she smiled, taking another soothing sip of her hot chocolate. Her dad smiled back and continued with the story...

     *******

     Illusen woke up to a variety of songbirds, seemingly celebrating Illusen's day with an orchestra of music. Sun shone in golden rays through her bedroom window, and a gentle breeze blew at her soft curtains as if they were waving her over to check out the beautiful Spring morning.

     It still felt a bit surreal to have a day named after herself. Even though she had more responsibilities than most Faeries, she didn't feel any more important. Some years she celebrated this day with friends, but this year with how busy everyone was she decided to spend it quietly at the Glade.

     Illusen stretched out her wings, which shimmered like springtime leaves, and listened for a moment to the forest gossip outside before getting dressed.

     She picked out her favourite green dress and inspected herself in the mirror for a moment before brushing her amber locks. This gave her a moment to reminisce about her past and the many memorable accomplishments that she had achieved over the years. She had to admit that even though life had its stressful moments, she had no real complaints.

     A Symol chirped from below her tree house to remind her to start the day. She walked over to the window and gave a friendly wave down.

     "I'm up, little guy. Thanks for the wake-up call," she called down. It responded with a couple more chirps before disappearing under a nearby hedge. She smiled as she looked over Meridell's vast landscape. It was beautiful, green, and all under control. She could sense that it was going to be a good day.

     Illusen made her way to her Glade, which sparkled with gentle green light, and there was already a visitor eagerly awaiting for her to open up for the day.

     "Good morning," she said with a smile and a cute clap of her hands. A vine suddenly moved and twisted a sign around to read [i]Open for Quests[/i]. "Could I help you with something?"

     The young Acara approached in a cloud of nervous energy, tripping over a mushroom and nearly falling over. She righted herself and bowed so low and quickly that she almost headbutted the ground.

     "Oh great Illusen," she expressed, "I seek one of your gracious quests and possibly a reward that will impress my guildmates."

     Illusen nodded. "Of course. I sense you are ready for a task that will test your speed and bravery." She pulled out a large book and began talking softly to herself as she leafed through its pages. "Hmm.. let's see. I already have a few of those, and this one seems to be too rare for your skill level.. I can definitely use one of these... an Organic Cucumber. That should be simple enough for you to find."

     "I'm humbly grateful. Meri Acres Farm is close by. I'll be back shortly!" The Acara smiled and thanked her several more times, tripping over her feet as she turned to leave.

     Illusen smiled. Cute. She leaned back casually in her vine chair after pouring herself a cup of her special tea. She enjoyed this part of the day and found herself humming as she often did when life was good. The humming stopped abruptly when she heard a familiar voice.

     "Too early for you?" The Dark Faerie taunted. Illusen could instantly feel her blood pressure rise. She always considered herself to be calm and centred, but the sight of Jhudora standing there, smirking like she had just replaced the sugar in her tea with salt, made Illusen's right eye twitch.

     "Jhudora," Illusen said rather dismissively. "To what do I owe this ominous pleasure." Jhudora smiled sweetly, which was always alarming.

     "Oh, I was just in the neighborhood. I thought I would see how your little quest operation thing was going," she said.

     "It's thriving," Illusen replied. "I see you're ignoring your questers."

     "I always do on Ill-lusion Day! The day always makes my stomache turn, so I take it off. This year I thought I'd check out how an over-entitled Earth Faerie wastes her named day," she said plainly. "I see napping is on the top of her priorities. Must get pretty boring around here."

     "Why are you here?" Illusen had enough small talk.

     "Why couldn't it be exactly what I said?" Jhudora smiled.

     Illusen was about to express why when the Acara from earlier stormed back into the Glade, panting and holding a cucumber high into the air like a beloved trophy.

     "I have obtained your requested item," she cried, kneeling down with her head bowed forward.

     Illusen beamed, instantly taking her attention away from Jhudora. "Well done. You have proven your speed and resourcefulness." Illusen waved her hand, and green light swirled around the cucumber, materializing a reward in its place.

     "Here, have this book. It's a memoir I wrote about my life," Illusen said.

     "Illusen's Novel?! Thanks!" The Acara squealed and ran off, clutching tightly to her prize.

     "Really? That's what you do with your time?" Jhudora rolled her eyes as the Acara disappeared into the distance.

     "I'm often asked about my past, so I decided to have some fun with it," Illusen said.

     "What are you doing with your stash? A cucumber is a rather odd ingredient," Jhudora critiqued.

     "Like you'd ever share that information with me," Illusen said.

     "That bad, huh?" Jhudora teased.

     "No, quite the opposite," Illusen said with a glare. "Unlike you, I have nothing to hide. I need the cucumber for its moisture. I found a way to create a spell to stop it from raining."

     "Really..," Jhudora said, finding the story rather intriguing. Even for a lame Earth Faerie.

     "Not in Meri Acres Farm or other parts of Meridell of course. Just here in Lightwater Forest," Illusen quickly explained. "I love sunny days and one can be much more productive when the weather is nice. So I keep the days sunny and dry, and the nights moist by forming a mist to help moisten the ground. The best part is that there are no puddles to worry about in the morning. Just another beautiful, sunny day to enjoy."

     "Quite elaborate," Jhudora agreed. "But are you sure that will work?"

     "Of course! I did it all last summer, but not through the winter since plants are dormant. And with Spring starting early this year, I've already been doing this for the past few weeks. You'll notice how healthy the flora in these woods are." Illusen pointed to some trees that drooped down slightly.

     "Hmm," Jhudora said plainly, rubbing a leaf between her fingers. "They look sick to me."

     "That's not right," Illusen said, looking closely at the vegetation around her. But the plants DID look like they were sick. The question now was why?

     "You didn't.." Illusen started.

     "Do this to your forest? No, hun. This is on you," Jhudora said, clicking her tongue. Illusen didn't even comment back. She examine the foliage on a nearby bush, then place a gentle hand on its branches to feel its thoughts. She gasped.

     "Fyora's Frond is ill!" Illusen said in near panic. "I have to go check on it!" But before she could close her Glade for the day a Spotted Grarrl strolled over for one of her quests.

     "I'm closing, sorry!" Illusen said to the Grarrl.

     "But it's Illusen Day. You're always open on Illusen Day," the Grarrl countered, looking puzzled.

     "Hey, I recognize you! You did a quest for me yesterday!" Jhudora glared at the Spotted Grarrl, making the sweat bead on his large brow.

     "Uh, y-yes, Jhudora. Your Bluff was closed today, so I thought-" the Grarrl stammered.

     "You thought you'd go behind my back! The betrayal!" Jhudora hissed, making the Grarrl back up a few steps. Then she smiled. "I like it!"

     "Jhudora, be nice," Illusen said.

     "I'm just having some fun," Jhudora said, picking up the quest book and looking at it sideways. "You go ahead and I'll cover for you. I'm sure I can figure this out. I have experience after all." Illusen hesitated, but she had to go. Even though Jhudora was rude and selfish at times, she didn't like getting into serious trouble with Fyora. The fewer times she had to encounter her, the better.

     "Just be nice. I'll be back soon," she said, then informed the wildlife around her to let her know if Jhudora was up to no good.

     "Oh, I'll be nice," she smiled to Illusen, then looked suspiciously back at the quest book. She tossed it aside and said to the Grarrl. "Find me a Mutant Slorg!"

     "But that's a special item! It's expensive and near impossible to find," the Grarrl pleaded.

     "Well, this is a bit of a special situation," she cackled. Illusen rolled her eyes and took off to the marshlands located in the centre of the woods.

     The sour, humid scent of the marshlands never appealed much to Illusen, but something was definitely wrong. The water level was much higher than it had ever been before, which made little sense when there had been no rainfall and little snow melt.

     She walked along the edge of what was now a large pond and saw in the centre a fern-like plant sitting on top as though planted in the water. It was Fyora's Frond.

     Fyora had planted the fern there deliberately. The surrounding marshland was meant to limit exposure to anyone looking to cause mischief and it was planted on a hill to keep its roots dry. But its roots were now completely submerged in water.

     "Oh, dear! What happened?!" Illusen gasped, looking around for the causal agent. A flurry of worries began to infiltrate her head. Did Jhudora do this? If so, it was a mean trick. She never said why she showed up this morning. Was it possible that Jhudora was trying to get rid of her so she could tamper with her work? That was definitely a possibility. Illusen started to regret her rash decision not to close up. It was going to cause much more harm than disappointing a few questers.

     She had to bury those thoughts for the time being. There was no time to go back now. Instead, she placed a hand on some tall grass to check on Jhudora. Other than giving some questers a hard time, the grass reported no negative news about Jhudora. It would have to do.

     Illusen hiked around the perimeter to see if there was some way to remove the water before reporting everything to Fyora. It was probably best to understand what was going on before causing panic in Faerieland.

     Suddenly she tripped over a stump sticking out of the ground, nearly falling over. The stump looked fresh and had a sharp tip as though it had been chopped down with an axe. The main stem of the tree was missing, but many limbs were left behind. Upon closer examination she observed many more similar stumps along a freshly made path!

     "What's the purpose of this?!" Illusen muttered to herself, frustrated at the sight of her beautiful land being carelessly decimated. No one had asked her permission to remove any trees from her forest. What was that Dark Faerie up to?

     She followed the cleared path, wondering where it led. Twisted branches and jagged stumps littered the ground, deepening Illusen's unease. She promised the forest she would return to heal it and restore it back to its former glory when she had time. But for now she had a mystery to solve.

     After a few minutes, she heard a sudden commotion. A loud splash echoed in the near distance. There was a river up ahead, so she made haste. The culprit might still be there.

     What she found was even more disturbing. Logs, branches, and tangled debris choked the river, causing water to overflow into the neighbouring marshland. Downstream, the once lively current was nothing more than a struggling trickle of water.

     "What has she done?!" Illusen muttered aloud. This had gone too far. She should never have trusted Jhudora, and the forest was paying for her negligence.

     But why Jhudora would stoop so low as to tamper with Fyora's Frond? If that plant died, the entire ecosystem sustained by its magic would perish with it.

     Illusen tried again to force the negative thoughts to the back of her mind. Stepping up to the makeshift dam, she began tugging at some of the smaller logs, trying to loosen the tangled mass. She knew she needed reinforcements to dislodge the dam entirely, but was stubborn enough to see what she could accomplish herself.

     She paused now and again at the sound of faint squeaking, scanning the area. When she spotted nothing, she dismissed the noise and continued with her work.

     Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air. She looked up just as a tree began to topple towards her. Leaping out of the way at the last second, she watched as the massive trunk crashed down, slamming onto the pile of tangled wood below.

     "Who did that?!" She demanded. "Jhudora, come out! This has gone too far. You almost hurt me!"

     She heard a louder squeak, but nothing revealed itself until she reached for another log. Suddenly a creature darted from behind the fallen tree, squeaking angrily at Illusen. The critter had sharp buck teeth and a pair of long, straight horns rising from its head. Its body trembled with defiance.

     "A Deaver!" She said, rather surprised. Deavers were very elusive Petpets and rarely ever made an appearance. Their impeccable hearing could even pick up the fluttering of Faerie wings from across a lake.

     "It's okay, little one. I'm just trying to move this water," Illusen explained. The Deaver didn't back away, but was joined by another, followed by two more. Illusen got the message. They wanted her to stop.

     "I need to get rid of this dam. It's harming Fyora's Frond, which protects our ecosystem. Its roots are waterlogged and I'm afraid it will soon be too weak to recover," She explained.

     At first, the Deavers were skittish, darting nervously around her. But eventually, one approached and allowed Illusen to touch it. At that moment, everything fell into place. She finally understood what had happened.

     Because of the dry summer, the marshland held very little water over the winter, leaving the Deavers with little room to hide from their predators. When the spring melt came, the water levels never had a chance to rise due to the absence of rain. With no other options, the Deavers were forced to dam up the river, otherwise they would have to abandon their homes.

     "I feel so horrible, you have no idea," Illusen said. She admitted it was her fault that there was no rain, but she never thought it would lead to this. "If you help me dismantle this dam, I will make sure the rain returns."

     Together, they dismantled the dam. As the river began to flow freely again, the water level dropped, revealing the hill with Fyora's Frond standing proudly at its peak.

     "I'm truly sorry about the trouble, and thank you for your help," Illusen said. "I hope you don't mind if I keep the spell for a few more days to help dry out the soil." The Deavers seemed delighted, and soon vanished as if they had never been there at all.

     On the way back to the Glade, Illusen felt more than just shame for her selfishness and for overlooking the needs of the wildlife. She also felt guilty for blaming Jhudora, even if not directly, because she had nothing to do with what had happened. Still, a sense of relief washed over her. Already she could see a noticeable difference in the forest's health.

     When she returned to the Glade, she was greeted by something far more unexpected than she was prepared for. A large gathering of friends, from both her past and present, greeted her with big smiles and cheers.

     "Happy Illusen Day!" They shouted upon her arrival. A large banner stretched overhead with the same cheerful message, surrounded by balloons, streamers and festive decorations. She was speechless. She had truly believed everyone would be too busy to visit.

     Two of her dearest Earth Faerie friends from years past, Hyacinth and Viola, were the first to greet her, wrapping her in heartfelt hugs. Many others quickly followed, each expressing their love and loyalty to her. Even Jhudora managed to stomach the festivities, and even chose to stay.

     "Did you get everything sorted?" Jhudora asked.

     "Yes, everthing is thankfully back to the way it should be. Did you plan all this?" Illusen asked her, eyeing her suspiciously.

     "No, of course not!" She snapped in disgust. "Fyora ordered me to distract you. Though I should've known you'd end up distracting yourself. I didn't even get to show off my work."

     "Work?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

     "I did a little decorating myself. Nothing you can't fix in a few days," Jhudora said with a familiar smirk. She gestured to look over the hill. Illusen walked over and surveyed the southern stretch of forest and observed a vast area of trees painted in brilliant shades of orange and red. It looked as though autumn had claimed that section of forest. That the trees had begun to slip into dormancy, preparing once more for winter.

     "I knew you were up to something," Illusen said, but didn't sound annoyed. She paused, then continued. "You know, I thought you were responsible for making Fyora's Frond ill. I thought you caused the marshland to flood."

     "I may enjoy chaos," Jhudora smirked. "But I don't mess with ancient magic, especially if it will impact an entire ecosystem."

     "Deep down I knew that. My magic caused an imbalance," Illusen admitted.

     “So the great Earth Faerie admits she was wrong?” Jhudora said, widening her eyes in mock astonishment.

     "At least I admit it!" Illusen shot back.

     "I don't have to," Jhudora cackled. The two Faeries headed back to the party, trading subtle barbs at each other.

     *****

     "... and although their feud didn't end that day, Illusen learned a valuable lesson," her dad said, bringing the story to a close. "When something goes wrong, it's easy to blame someone else, but sometimes the real answer is much more complicated. She also learned that the world has a magical balance, and that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason isn't immediately clear."

     "So she must love rain now," Kiera said, hoping the answer was yes. She could still hear the rain pattering on the window and wished it would never stop.

     "Yes, I think she developed a newfound appreciation for rain that day," her dad replied. The Green Usul smiled thoughtfully, then looked down into her empty mug. She hadn't even realized that she'd already finished her hot chocolate.

     "I think I'm going to make a quest booth for Nelson. I can ask for items around the house and he can trade them in for prizes," she said.

     "That sounds like a great idea," her dad said, suddenly feeling a silly impulse. "And I'll be the vine, attacking you with a hug!" He spread his arms wide, ready to grab her, but before he could, Kiera wrapped him in a tight embrace and held it there for a moment.

     "If it's still raining when Nelson wakes up, can we all go outside together?" She asked, looking up at her dad with hopeful eyes.

     Her dad smiled. "I was just going to suggest the same thing."

     The End.