From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Thrown off by the sudden declaration, Ty noticed her cheeks were flushed red as she stated this.

Ty, gazing up towards the moon, its light shimmering down on the water's surface below, spoke with a contemplative tone. "I won't regret the feelings you think you have for me. But I don't think we've known each other long enough to throw around the word 'love'."

He continued, his voice carrying a mix of respect and somber reflection. "I do respect your honesty with me about your feelings, though, and I hope I can live up to the image you have of me. I am but a broken man trying to return to his previous life."

Interrupting Ty mid-sentence, she blurted out with a determination that matched the sparkle of the stars above, proclaiming she won't stop helping him until that day comes. Ty, with a bit of a smirk, responded, "Fine then. But after that, I want you to find your own passion in life. You're strong and talented and shouldn't limit your growth to the dreams of another."

Giving her a gentle pat on the head, he stated, "Let's go ahead and get back before Todd gets jumped again for looking like a monster."

As they prepared to leave, she rubbed away her tears for the last time, giving herself a small nod. They stood up, their backs to the lake under the moonlit sky, when suddenly, a small pop echoed behind them as something emerged from the water.

Startled, Nana spun around, expecting to see some monstrous creature. She attempted to snap her fingers, ready for action, but to her dismay and wonder, she found a small blue creature with wings perched delicately on the tips of her fingers, its eyes glistening in the moonlight.

"What are you?" Nana asked, her voice tinged with awe and confusion.

In a high-pitched voice, which seemed to echo off the surrounding trees, the creature replied, "I am the water spirit of these woods, and you woke me up somehow." There was a hint of confusion in the tiny creature's voice, as if it too was trying to understand the situation.

"Oh, well, why not just go back to sleep?" Nana responded, her brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"No can do," the spirit's voice whispered, almost blending with the night breeze. It began to fly in circles, creating a small whirlwind of sparkling water droplets, before returning to her hand.

"You woke me up, so you're responsible for me until I get tired again!" it declared.

Nana, even more bewildered, stared blankly. "How am I responsible for a tiny creature that woke up out of nowhere?!" she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of incredulity and curiosity.

"First of all, I'm a water deity, or you can call me a fairy for short," the creature explained with a playful tone.

"And we only wake up when called upon by someone worthy. Your crying woke me up. So now, you've got to deal with me," it declared before playfully plopping down on her hair, adding, "A lovely dark blue, by the way. I almost blend in with it perfectly."

Ty, observing the unusual interaction, gave a slight chuckle. "You should just not fight it. She will probably help you get stronger over time and—"

"Shut it, you asshole," the fairy snapped back at Ty, its voice carrying a surprising edge.

"Wh-whaaat?!" Ty responded, taken aback by the fairy's sudden outburst. "How am I mean?"

"You made her cry, so I don't want to hear anything from you," the fairy retorted, its voice firm, showing a protective streak towards Nana.

"But that's not..." Ty's voice trailed off.

The conversation continued for a good 30 minutes as Ty tried to plead his case during the entire walk back to the village, where the guards remained steadfast at their posts. The guards, shocked to see Ty and Nana's clothes covered in blood, asked with concern, "Are you both okay?"

Ty, slightly sulking, managed a plain "Yes," while Nana, despite the blood splatters adorning her cheerful smile, simply followed Ty as they entered the small village.

Upon walking back into the hut, Ty was greeted by the sight of 10-12 men huddled inside the room, surrounding several keg stands. Todd was in the midst of drinking himself into a stupor, seemingly oblivious to the tension. Both Ty and Nana looked on in confusion. Ty, his eyebrow raised, stated, "Didn't half of you try to kill him this morning?"

One of the men, slightly inebriated, responded, "That was yesterday... or this morning," before stumbling over, drunk. Ty, taking control of the situation, stated, "Well, it's time to clean out. We've got a busy day in the morning."

Clapping his hands to draw attention, he called out to Todd to help get everyone out. Todd, shakily but effectively, began shoving everyone out. To his surprise, they were quick to follow, some even being picked up by their clothes as they had already passed out.

After about 15 minutes, the hut was cleared of all the party-goers, either on their own feet or thrown out. Todd, slightly apologetic, said, "Sorry about all that. I got distracted while studying by loud noises and found a bunch of men and women partying. They asked if they could drink with me, and before I knew it, everyone had piled in."

Hiccuping and slurring his words, Todd then turned to Nana, "But how are you doing, Nana? Is everything okay now?"

Her smile fading slightly, she replied, "Yes, everything is fine for now. I have a better idea of what I want to do, so I apologize for the sudden freak out and running off."

"I let my emotions get the best of me," she admitted. Todd, peering closely near her head, seemed puzzled. "My eyes must be deceiving me due to the beer, but is your hair sparkling?" he questioned before a high-pitched voice demanded that he back away.

"Don't you dare touch me with your disgusting ogre fingers!" the fairy chirped out sharply, causing Todd to stumble back. He slipped on a bit of alcohol that had splattered on the floor, crashing to the ground with a thud.

Giving a slight chuckle, Todd mumbled, "I must have really drunk too much to be seeing tiny humans now," before slowly succumbing to sleep. The fairy responded sharply, her voice tinged with irritation.

"I am not a human, I am—" the fairy began indignantly, but was interrupted.

"Lady fairy, I think he's passed out," Nana said with a small laugh, trying to ease the tension. "Don't worry about him though, he means well," she added reassuringly as Ty picked up the conversation.

"We have a busy day tomorrow, and I want to make sure we're able to learn as much as we can before heading to the church to figure out what we need about the Cross Link Blade," Ty stated, shifting the focus to their upcoming tasks.

Nana, nodding in agreement, added, "It's been a long day, so some sleep will be good."

The fairy, now turning her attention to Ty, asked in confusion, "What do you want with the Cross Link Sword?"