CHAPTER 249: CHAPTER 249 SAVING THE DARK FAIRIES?

Addison paced slowly around the room, checking every corner and even peering behind each pillar as if expecting to find someone hidden there. Elric made no move to stop her, he knew she was safe.

The Core Source before them radiated pure light magic, a power that no Night Walker could cross. In fact, this might even be the safest place in the entire forest, so he allowed her to roam freely without worry.

The others tried to speak to Addison, hoping to understand what was wrong, but she was too deep in thought to respond. Her focus had narrowed to a single purpose: finding the source of the voice.

Then, she heard it again.

"Here..."

This time, it wasn’t as intrusive or desperate as before. Instead, it carried a gentler, almost apologetic tone, and with it came a strange warmth that seeped into her. Though the voice echoed in her mind, her body seemed to move on its own, guiding her steps until she stood before the glowing orb, the Core Source of the barrier that kept them trapped in the forest.

Aside from its brilliant light, Addison couldn’t see through the orb, and she wasn’t even sure the voice she’d heard truly came from it; perhaps she was mistaken.

"No... here..." the voice urged again, as if it could hear her very thoughts. Addison’s eyes widened in shock. She blinked a few times before asking, almost hesitantly, "Should I break it?"

"Yes, Princess..." Elric replied, thinking she was speaking to him.

"Wait!" The voice cut in urgently. "Don’t break it just yet! Save them first!"

it pleaded.

"Who are they?" Addison asked aloud.

By now, Maxwell, Zion, Levi, and Elric had caught up to her. It quickly became clear she wasn’t talking to any of them; her gaze was locked on someone, or something, they couldn’t see. Their eyes followed hers and settled on the glowing orb.

"My kin... save them, please."

Addison drew in a sharp breath as realization struck her. "Are you... a light fairy?" she whispered.

"Um," the voice replied simply.

"And... you were the one used as the Core Source to keep this prison’s barrier working for centuries?!" Addison pressed, her mind racing as the pieces began to fit together. It sounded absurd, more like a wild theory than fact.

Could a single Light Fairy truly sustain a barrier for hundreds of years without perishing?

If it had indeed become the Core Source, then it was being exploited as the very power behind the prison’s seal, its energy, and perhaps even its life force, slowly drained over the centuries.

"Yes," the voice confirmed, its tone casual, almost indifferent, as though the long years meant nothing to it.

"The kin you want me to save... are they Light Fairies too? Are there other survivors?!" Addison pressed urgently. After all, it was believed the Light Fairies had long gone extinct; none remained to counterbalance the power of the Dark Fairies. With no opposition, the dark witches had used that power as they pleased.

"No," the Light Fairy corrected gently. "They are Dark Fairies, imprisoned here to protect them from the dark forces."

Addison’s heart nearly stopped. Not only had she stumbled upon what might be the last living Light Fairy on the entire continent, but now she was hearing about Dark Fairies, the very beings said to summon Night Walkers, nightmares made out of flesh.

And this Light Fairy was asking her to save them?

She would die before she even got close. Without her wolf, she could barely keep herself alive, let alone rescue a Dark Fairy. The request was so far beyond her capabilities that she hesitated.

How could she be certain she was truly speaking with a Light Fairy and not a Dark Fairy, cunningly trying to trick her into setting them free?

"You don’t have to worry. The light magic radiating from this orb is proof enough that I’m not a Dark Fairy trying to deceive you." Once again, the Light Fairy answered Addison’s unspoken thoughts. Addison bristled; she hated the feeling of someone prying into her mind.

"I’m sorry," the Light Fairy added softly, sensing her discomfort.

Addison folded her arms, her voice laced with skepticism. "If that’s the case, why don’t I set you free first and let you save them yourself?"

"Because once you break the Core Source, the barrier will immediately collapse. The Night Walker outside will escape, and it could harm the people beyond the forest," the Light Fairy explained.

"Then why should I even bother saving the Dark Fairies?" Addison shot back. "Why not just kill them? Once they’re gone, the Night Walkers will vanish with them, right?"

"Quite the opposite," the Light Fairy said gravely. "When the summoner dies, the Night Walker will go berserk. It will not stop killing until it is purged, and with only one Light Fairy left to banish them back to the Netherworld, it would become unstoppable."

Addison felt her heart plummet to her stomach as the pieces began to fall into place. She now understood what those people had been planning from the very beginning. They hadn’t merely intended to release the dark fairies from this prison so they could control them, though that might have been part of it.

No, their real plan was far more sinister. They knew that the only way for Addison and her group to escape the forest was to locate the Core Source; there was no realistic way to gather all the materials needed to dismantle the barrier otherwise.

And when they finally found it, they would have to destroy it, while the people who orchestrated this were fully aware that the orb contained the last surviving Light Fairy, the only one capable of stopping the dark fairies and banishing the Night Walkers back to the Netherworld.

Once that Light Fairy was gone, nothing would stand in their way.

Worse still, they knew exactly who they were dealing with. They understood Archmage Elric’s unmatched expertise with barriers, and that was why they had forced Addison and the caravan into the forest in the first place.

They were counting on him to decipher the runes, locate the Core Source, and unwittingly hand them the key to unleashing their plan. They were betting everything on it.

Addison gritted her teeth, hatred burning in her chest. She felt as if she’d been manipulated into helping others wipe out her own kin. If she hadn’t heard the Light Fairy’s desperate plea, Maxwell might have already shattered the orb, releasing the Night Walkers... and perhaps killing the Light Fairy in the process.

"Then where are the Dark Fairies? And how can I save them? What if they try to kill me instead?" Addison demanded.

Hearing her speak to someone they couldn’t see, Elric and the others managed to piece together only fragments of the story. But when they caught her saying she intended to save the Dark Fairies, their faces instantly drained of color.

To them, it could mean only one thing—Addison was willing to throw herself into mortal danger.

"They are currently in a deep slumber," the Light Fairy explained. "I put them to sleep to stop them from escaping, because they’re still under the Dark Witch’s curse. Before I did, they managed to summon their Night Walker, hoping to use it to break free."