A Stroke Of Originality

After years of searching, Kai had finally found the forest of darkness. It has been his mission to rid this forest of such wicked energy. He stepped forward and extended his hand out to touch the veil of darkness surrounding the forest. Its power immediately pushed him backward until he adjusted his footing to prevent himself from sliding further. He waved his hands and chanted magical words, casting a shield of light around him. Kai took a deep breath before charging into the darkness, slowly eroding away the wickedness until he made his way through.
His eyes couldn’t believe what they saw as he glanced around. The trees were black as night, and the grass withered away as he walked.

“What happened to you, spirit!” He shouted.

No one answered back. Closing his eyes, Kai tried to hone in on the largest source of darkness within the forest. As he focused, he felt a sudden rush of evil headed his way. Opening his eyes, he could see a projectile quickly approaching. Kai used his cat-like reflexes and promptly dodged the attack.

“There you are,” he said as he spotted the fairy shrouded in darkness.

She charged at him while letting out a loud deafening screech. Kai bit his tongue so he could focus on the pain and not the sound as he dodged her attack.

“Your mind is clouded by the darkness! You can pull free from it!” he shouted.

Unwavering, she charged in for another attack. Kai chanted a spell, causing his fingers to emit light. Swiftly he pushed past her attack, landing one of his own. With his fingers pressed against her forehead, Kai was able to suspend her body and project himself into her mind. He could hear a soft cry in the distance as he roamed her mind. That’s when he saw her, Isabel, the nature fairy.

“Hello there,” he said as gently as he could.

“Who— Who are you,” Isabel asked through her cries.

“I’m Kai, the monk of light.”

“Well, what do you want Kai.” she sniffed.

“Well, I don’t like to see people sad by themselves, so I thought I’d come and sit, so you’re not alone,” he replied, sitting next to her. “I’m also a great listener if you want to talk that is.” He continued, crossing his legs.

She stared at Kai, who in turn stared back at her with a smile on his face. Isabel quickly looked away, sniffing and wiping her tears away. Moments went by when she finally turned to him.

“I don’t think I have a reason for living.” she bawled. “I’m not really needed anywhere… I’m not important.” she sniffed, tears falling down her face.

Kai turned his body around to face her, giving Isabel his undivided attention.

“The forest will live on without me, then I will become nothingness and wither away.” she sobbed.

As she spoke, Kai could see a faint sign of darkness clouding her spirit. He listened to her and watched the darkness move. The size of the evil shrunk as she unloaded her thoughts. For the first time, Kai was starting to see signs of her cheering up. He could see the darkness leaving her body through her tears. When the evil tried to go back in, he quickly wiped them away.

“I’ll tell you what I think,” Kai said as he stood up. “I think you’re critical to this world, and there’s a lot of people that need you. Sometimes you can become overwhelmed with what’s going on, and sometimes the darkness can creep up on you. It’s okay for that to happen, we all have moments of weakness. What counts the most is how you react.” he smiled, outstretching his hand. “Now come, let me show you just how important you are.”

Isabel wiped her tears one last time and gave Kai the biggest grin before reaching out for his hand. Kai opened his eyes, and he was back in the forest. He watched as Isabel came back to her senses and looked around.

“Well, this won’t do… That fairy’s off slacking around, like keeping the forest free of darkness, isn’t an important job.” She grinned.

Kai was shocked at how lively the tiny fairy was. He watched as she floated to the top of the trees, releasing a massive amount of life force that sent the darkness scurrying back into the shadows.

“That ought to do it!” she beamed while gliding back down to the ground.

“Good job, you’re pretty strong,” he admitted.

“Kai,” Isabel called out as she stared at him, and started blushing.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Thanks!” she yelled and quickly flew away.

Kai laughed as he waved her off and turned away to take his leave. “Anytime.”