[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: The Great Forest]

"Lemme go—lemme go—lemme go!" Ma'krai shrieked, his small body pinned helplessly between Grimm's index and middle finger. He kicked and twisted, wings buzzing frantically as panic overtook him.

Grimm didn't immediately respond.

He let the fairy struggle. Let the fear build.

Then he spoke, his voice low.

"Stop squirming, twerp," he said, lifting his hand just enough to bring Ma'krai closer to the dark slit of his helm. "You're not getting out. Not like that. Not at all."

Ma'krai froze mid-thrash as the proximity finally sank in.

"Oh—and this goes without saying," Grimm continued, tone unchanged, "but if I see even a spark of that little jinx of yours forming…" He paused. "…I'll crush you like the bug you are."

The silence that followed was sharp.

"W—waaah…" Ma'krai whimpered, tears welling up as his wings drooped. His resistance collapsed entirely, body trembling in the General's grip.

Above them—

"Unhand him this instant!" Al'tari shouted, voice tight with fury and alarm.

Puck hovered beside her, no longer attempting to form a jinx. Her hands were clenched instead, armor creaking as she stared down at Grimm, clearly unnerved.

"No," Grimm replied simply. The simple word landed heavier than a threat. "Your little friend is my prisoner now," he continued. "And if you don't want to see him turned into a small red stain on the ground, I suggest you start reigning in your emotions." His voice hardened slightly. "They have no place in negotiations. Ever."

Al'tari ground her teeth together, wings fluttering erratically. She couldn't see Grimm's expression beneath the helm—but she didn't need to. The certainty in his voice left no room for doubt.

"You…" she hissed, glaring down at him.

Grimm shifted his gaze briefly to Ma'krai, who shrank further under the attention.

"Those jinxes you threw," Grimm said, calm, "they were lethal. Which means they were intended to maim or kill." He looked back up at Al'tari. "And those who are prepared to kill must also be prepared to be killed in return." He tilted his head slightly. "Would you not agree?"

Ma'krai could only shiver, unable to speak.

The air suddenly felt tense.

"What… what do you want?" Puck finally asked, her voice steadier than she felt. Her small armored fist clenched at her side as she forced herself to meet Grimm's gaze.

Grimm exhaled softly.

"I wanted passage," he said. "Through the forest. Nothing more." He continued, unhurried. "But you flies decided to make that… difficult." He raised his hand slightly, Ma'krai letting out a small, frightened squeak. "As you've just seen," Grimm went on, "if I truly wanted to, I could swat you both before either of you even realized what was happening." His tone remained almost conversational. "Normally, I would've done exactly that and moved on."

A pause.

"But," he added, "I was patient. You're fortunate for that."

"You humans," Al'tari snapped, "have shown ill intentions at every turn in the past. You expected us to simply let you walk through our forest?"

Grimm gave a short, humorless huff.

"Why yes," he replied. "It's only polite." His fingers tightened just enough for Ma'krai to gasp. "But no," Grimm continued, "you had to be rude. Had to throw jinxes." He glanced down at the trembling fairy. "Now your little friend may have to pay for that."

He shook Ma'krai slightly—just enough to make the message clear.

"So," Grimm finished calmly, lifting his gaze back to them, "about those negotiations."

("Damn it…") Al'tari cursed internally. Her wings fluttered despite her best efforts to still them, agitation leaking through any discipline she had cultivated. ("With the Queen gone, we have no proper defense against a large threat. None… aside from Puck's magic.") The thought made her stomach twist. That was not a reassuring contingency—it was desperation.

She drew a slow breath and looked directly at Grimm.

"Very well," she said at last, voice tight but controlled. "We concede. We shall show you the way through the fore—"

"No," Grimm interrupted flatly. The word cut her off so completely that the rest of her sentence died in her throat. "That's passed," he continued, tone unbothered. "I want to see your civilization. Or whatever it is you fairies call it."

The world seemed to pause.

Puck froze mid-hover, stalling for a fraction of a second.

Al'tari stared.

Ma'krai… didn't even seem capable of reacting anymore, trembling helplessly between Grimm's fingers, fear having long since overridden comprehension.

"What—!?" Al'tari exclaimed, disbelief slipping through her composure. "B-but why? We've already conceded. We agreed to guide you through the forest!"

"Yes," Grimm replied simply. He gave a small shrug. "But now I find myself interested in what a fairy's home actually looks like." He tilted his head slightly. "Call it curiosity."

Puck blinked, tilting her head in genuine confusion. For how ominous Grimm was—for how effortlessly violent he could be—she hadn't expected that. Curiosity felt… wrong, coming from him.

"There's no way we can—" Al'tari began sharply.

"Ah," Grimm cut in again, glancing down at Ma'krai. "Poor you, then." His grip shifted just enough to make the fairy whimper. "Well," Grimm went on calmly, "I've been hungry for some time now." A pause. "Seems like as good a time as any to find out what fairies taste like."

"WAAAAAAH!"

Ma'krai broke completely, sobbing openly now, wings fluttering weakly in panic.

"W-wait—don't!" Al'tari blurted, hands rising instinctively. "Please—! We'll take you! We will!" The words tumbled out of her. "Just—just don't hurt him!"

"There," Grimm said, satisfied. "See? Stop beating around the bush, and things get simpler."

He looked down at Ma'krai again.

"And your pal gets to live another day." He straightened slightly. "Lead the way. Try anything clever, anything foolish," his voice hardened, "and your fairy friend goes straight into my belly." A brief pause. "For scientific purposes, of course."

Al'tari's face drained of color.

Puck, oddly enough, looked more unsettled than terrified—her eyes turned between Grimm and Ma'krai as if trying to reconcile threat with tone. Slowly and reluctantly, the two fairies turned in midair and began to hover away, leading deeper into the forest.

Grimm followed on foot without difficulty.

"This is bad…" Al'tari whispered under her breath to Puck, teeth clenched. "With the Queen absent, we'll be completely at his mercy."

"I can fight," Puck replied quietly, determination alight in her eyes. "That human's speed caught me off-guard, but… I could take him."

"Maybe," Al'tari murmured, glancing back over her shoulder. Grimm walked unhurriedly behind them, steps unthreatening—and somehow worse for it. "But something's wrong with him." She lowered her voice further. "His presence… it's not like other humans. Not at all." Her brow furrowed. "For one, he doesn't possess a lick of mana. That alone is unnatural."

Puck frowned.

"The only cases I know of like that," Al'tari continued, "were the dragons—Ddraig and Albion. They lacked mana as well."

"Is he a dragon?" Puck asked, head tilting again.

"No," Al'tari replied quickly. "All dragons, aside from those two anomalies, are extinct across the Nine Realms. Ddraig and Albion came from beyond."

"Then…" Puck hesitated. "Is he just an odd human?"

"I very much doubt that's all he is," Al'tari said grimly. "For now, we play along. We ensure Ma'krai survives."

Behind them—

("They probably don't realize I can hear them,") Grimm mused internally as he advanced. ("Ddraig and Albion…") The name stirred something familiar. ("That Alice kid mentioned the former. A dragon. One that came from beyond? And Nine Realms…")

His thoughts shifted.

("Alternative universes were always a variable. A theoretical nuisance.") He exhaled silently. ("But hardly anyone bothered researching them. Vel'ryr researchers were far too focused on developing magitech.")

His gaze lifted slightly.

("But that fairy mentioned it far too casually.")

Unknown variables continued to pile up.

He didn't like that.

Not knowing felt like blindness.

Still, his path had merely bent. And fairies were rare creatures—worth observing. Whatever lay ahead, this detour promised answers.

Puck glanced back at Grimm again as they hovered onward.

("But… he is very different from the other humans,") she thought, the realization forming slowly. It wasn't something she could easily explain—not in a single reason, not in any neat definition. ("I just can't place why.")

Maybe it was his attitude. Most humans panicked when confronted, slipped up when threatened, or begged when cornered. Grimm did none of that. He spoke plainly and casually. As if the situation itself barely registered as worth reacting to.

Or maybe it was the General's appearance—so ominous and dark. Not decorated for intimidation or even exaggerated for fear.

Or perhaps it was that presence.

That wrongness.

("It doesn't make sense,") Puck admitted to herself. ("It feels heavy, but not eerie in any way. Almost like something that simply exists whether I acknowledge it or not.")

Her gaze turned briefly to Ma'krai, still trembling helplessly.

("And the way he threatened Ma'krai's life…") Her wings faltered for a heartbeat. ("No malice at all.") She frowned slightly. ("But something he would absolutely follow through with—")

She paused.

("—but would rather not.")

That was what unsettled her most.

("It's like… he'd kill if he had to, but doing so would just be an inconvenience.") A small shiver ran through her. ("Almost like he's too… lazy to be cruel.")

Humans wandered into the forest often enough. Lost travelers, greedy mages, terrified soldiers. Most of them followed predictable patterns—fear, greed, arrogance, or desperation.

Grimm fit none of them.

("And he's strong…") Puck thought, her eyes narrowing slightly as she replayed how easily he moved, how fast he closed the distance. ("Really strong.")

A dangerous thought slipped in before she could stop it.

("I wonder if he could help—") She immediately pushed it aside. ("No. That's foolish.") Her jaw tightened. ("The others would never allow it. And honestly… neither should I.")

Still.

Despite the fear. Despite the danger pressing in on all sides.

Intrigue gnawed at her.

It bothered Puck how quickly it had taken hold.

A single encounter. A handful of exchanged words. And already, Grimm was more interesting than every human she had encountered before. That realization lingered uncomfortably as they led him deeper into their lands.

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