When she began to tire, Keira saw the Forest of Vanos ahead of her. She was drawn to the lush green trees and the sweet melody of the songbirds. She traipsed into the forest and began to explore Vanos’ creations. A hummingbird glided to her level and flew next to her. Keira reached out to touch it and where her finger grazed its neck the feathers burst into a brilliant shade of ruby. She grinned. The bird darted ahead of her and she followed it through twisting vines and across thick roots to a clearing in the forest. Keira’s gaze gently drifted over the landscape before her. A small pond was surrounded by rolling hills covered in velvet-soft grass. Drooping willow trees created curtain of leaves that brushed against the surface of the water, causing ripples to glide to the shores of the pond. White flowers were dispersed throughout the grassy field and when she saw them, Keira grinned. She began to jump from flower to flower, blessing each one with its own vivid hue. The hummingbird that had led her here still accompanied her and managed to keep up with her utter excitement. When Keira tired, she lay down on a sunny hill and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her lips.
When she awakened after several hours, Keira knew something was wrong. She clutched the ground around her and lifted her hand to her face. She grass in her hand was brittle and crumbled to dust. She jolted upright and looked around her to find that the idyllic clearing was now composed of barren dirt and a layer of dust that might once have been velvet-soft grass.
“No, no, no,” she repeated as she frantically looked around. The pond was sucked dry and the trees around the edges of the clearing had withered and now looked blackened, almost as if they were burnt. She looked to her right and on the ground laid the corpse of her ruby-throated hummingbird.
Tears stung at the corners of her eyes and she began to run. She burst out of the clearing, returning to the remaining forest that she had not yet demolished. Her feet carried her swiftly across the thick roots of the forest floor, but where she stepped, life was removed from the plants that grew there. Lush green forest began to fade to ash grey and Keira called out to her brother.
“Vanos, I apologize! Please forgive me for destroying a portion of your creations!” She cried out as she ran faster and faster until the leafy forest floor turned into the dark, stony base of the mountains. She continued to run deeper and deeper into the inky mountains. She needed to go where she could no longer cause harm. Just as the sun began to fade from the sky, she saw a cavern. She climbed into the mouth of the cave. Twisting black stalagmites the size of humans emerged from the ground around her. She placed a slender hand on a low-hanging stalactite and stepped forward. In the middle of a ring of giant stalagmites was a pool of water. Keira focused her mind and stepped into the water. Colors began to swirl around her, writhing throughout the calm water. As Keira focused her mind, a glowing circle formed on the floor of the pool, causing the colors of the pool to reflect on the walls of the cavern, which made them look almost as if they were covered in gemstones of every hue. The glowing circle became strengthened until it was a bright white. Keira waded further into the pool before diving straight toward the floor and through the glowing circle.
On the other side of the portal was a meadow that looked very similar to the one she had destroyed, except the colors here were infinitely more vivid. The water sparkled a bright azure and the leaves of the willow tree glistened like emeralds. The grass was as soft as a blanket and the flowers that coated the richly colored blades were stunning. The fields of grass extended as far as the eye could see and in the distance were limestone cliffs, pristine lagoons, and trees with plump fruit hanging from their branches. Pillowy clouds were strewn throughout the lilac sky and each one seemed to glow with its own unique color.
This world Keira had created was seemingly flawless, but she knew something was missing. She extended one hand and moved her fingers in a circle. The spirit of the hummingbird from Vanos' forest emerged from the air. The hummingbird looked almost lifelike, except for the way that light seemed to pass through its body. It cast no shadow. Instead, a glowing aura seemed to emanate from its body and tinged the air with a ruby tint. Keira reached out her finger and the hummingbird landed on it. It gazed up at her and chirped. She smiled and spoke.
"Well, little one, I think I'll call you Felim."
