“You understand what I am saying, right?” Serena searches my face. There’s pity in her green nymphal eyes.
“You’re saying that I have to live here forever, right?” The words weighed heavy as soon as it left my lips. Who would have thought that things would turn out this way? In order to save Kellar, I have to sacrifice my freedom. I take a moment to calm myself before finally coming up with a decision. “I’ll do it.”
“Stella, are you sure? Once you accept, there’s no going back.” She tells me sternly.
“I’m sure.” I met her gaze with certainty, so she would not question me any longer, and also to convince myself that this is what I want. “You may not believe me when I say this, but I actually like living here. Honestly, at the moment, I just feel like I am done with the outside world. Though there is the fact that I am afraid of living here for the rest of my life, for what it’s worth, if I truly am supposed to be the guardian, then this is where I am meant to be. I know for certain that I might regret it at a later time, but I would rather think about what it would mean at the present—saving Kellar. After all, that’s the reason why I have been working so hard all this time, right?”
Serena’s gaze becomes moist with tears, and she goes to embrace me tightly. “Even when I never showed it, I always worried about you kids, but it turns out, you all grew up well; brave, kind, and unselfish. I couldn’t be more proud in all my years to see you all reconcile and help each other again. My only regret is that I couldn’t do anything more for you.”
I let out a little laugh. “You make it sound like we are not going to see each other again. Remember, I am going to live here.” I return her embrace, welcoming the feeling of warmth and comfort coming from her. “You’ve done plenty already, Serena. Without you, I don’t think that Kellar would be able to last this long. Thank you.” When we part, I give her the friendliest smile that I can. “So, what should I do to officially take the job as the guardian?”
“You just need to take an oath, and I, as a witness and elder nymph, will hand over a mark on your forehead. You just need to repeat after me.”
***
Serena and I returned after a while with the others as soon as I finished taking the oath. I don’t feel any different compared to before, which makes me think that the oath taking didn’t work. I guess the only assurance that I have that I am now the new guardian is having a green clover mark under my wrist. Serena says that it is proof that she acknowledges me and is handing me the ‘crown’, as what they like to call it, to become the guardian.
“There you two are.” Chace is the first one to notice us. He looks back and places his hands on his hips. “What took you guys so long?” He masks his anxiety by acting irritated, but after knowing him for so long, I know that he is just worried about his friends.
“Sorry for the wait. Serena and I were just discussing how to patch up Kellar.” I try to explain and also, in my weak attempt to lighten the mood.
Chace’s brows draw together. “I thought that Serena knew how to patch him up?”
“I do.” Serena answers him. “I just needed Stella’s help.”
“Help?” Chace gives me an inquisitive brow arch before turning those to Serena. “Stella is a winter fairy. How can she help?”
Serena sighs. “Boy. If I have to go through another set of speeches like I did before, we’re going to have to postpone our plans today.” She turns to Chace and points her finger at him. “You’ll have to hold your tongue until everything is over. Now, move!” Serena pushes past him so she can go into the water where Javi, Custard, Kellar, and Leo are. Leo and Kellar both seem to be sleeping, while Javi and Custard are keeping them afloat on their backs.
“Thank you, you two. I will take it from here.” She tells Javi and Custard, even giving Javi a little pat on the head when she seemed a little hesitant to leave her masters. As soon as Javi and Custard are out of the water, Serena begins to call for me. “Stella, I need you to sit by the edge and try to pour out as much thought as possible into pouring out your magic into the water. After that, you say the words that I taught you. You remember them, right?”
I nod, ignoring the strange look that Chace cast towards me. 
“Stella, what is this about?”
I flash a smile at Chace as my own way of assuming that everything will be alright. He’s sharp at sensing that something is off about this, which I have to give him credit for. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. It turns out, my magical energy can help save our friend.” 
“At what cost?” His gaze turns sharp, and his posture tells me that he is ready to stop me if it turns out to be dangerous.
“No life, I assure you that. Just my magic.” I answered confidently because it is the truth, though I thought it was just a layer of the truth. “Now, will you please let us continue, mom?”
My words and confidence must have brought a little comfort to him, because Chace seems more relaxed compared to when we were talking before.
I kneel at the edge, placing both hands in the water, and lock eyes with Serena, waiting for her to give me the signal to proceed. I watch her arrange Kellar and Leo’s unconscious bodies into sitting positions just enough that their heads are out of the water. After that, Serena gives me a nod as a signal for me to carry on.
Here goes nothing.
“Hear me, great spirits of the enchanted forest; I, Stella, the new guardian of this generation, wish to unlock the powers of the spring. I offer my magic to you, oh great one, and abide by my calling.” I did not expect to have my powers drained from me at such a rate that it almost felt like I was getting pulled into the water by an invisible force. The water begins to ripple as an invisible wind begins to surround Serene, Kellar, and Leo. When the water starts to rise, Serena moves out of the way, just in time for the water to claim Kellar and Leo’s bodies.
Serena has just managed to climb out of the water when water and ice begin to trap Kellar and Leo. I made a move to remove my hands from the water, but something tells me that if I removed my hands, it would stop whatever magic is circulating to mend Kellar’s soul. I can’t see anything past the blockade of ice, but I can feel the immense swirl of magic inside.
I feel a twinge of pain coming from my palms that soon crawls over my body. I shivered and bit my lips as I endured the pain. I’m losing magic at a rate that I've never experienced before.
“You’re doing good, Stella. It’s almost over.”
The ice begins to melt, and with it, I can feel my powers starting to return. As soon as the ice is gone, I can only see Kellar in its place. Chace is automatically at my side and pulls me away from the edge when I start to slowly collapse towards it. 
“Kellar, get him.” I was trying to point to our friend in the water, but my hands seem to be frozen. I can undoubtedly thaw them out, but I need to get my bearings first, and to do that, I want to make sure that Kellar is safe.
Chace and Javi hurried over to where Kellar was floating and brought him to shore. Serena and I quickly followed. I sit beside Chace and Javi while we watch Serena check up on Kellar. Serena starts to pick up on the moss near the spring, crushing it with her fingers before spreading it under Kellar’s nose. Kellar yells and violently wipes the moss that Serena had placed under his nose within seconds of being awakened.
“What was that?! That smelled disgusting!” Kellar yells.
“Yeah, I don’t like the smell either. It’s so pungent.” Serena shivers, like she’s remembering the smell that she just described. “Oh, hey, Kiddo. You’re back to good health again.”
“Serena, I think that what you just said shouldn’t be an afterthought…” I shake my head. At least, if Serena is acting normal, then the binding of his soul was successful. “Kellar, are you feeling better? Are you still hurting?” All of us stare at Kellar attentively, watching him sit up and flex his hands and arms. Colors are starting to return to his face, and his eyes look like they have a new light in them. I might be biased in my perspective, but it seems like Kellar is looking healthy.
“I feel…fine.” Kellar answered me before looking at Serena. “What did you do? I thought that the damage from the failed separation was hard to fix.”
“Well, you can thank your friend over there. She’s the one who made a sacrifice.” Though Serena tried to pull off a playful tone, it failed because her eyes looked sorrowful.
Kellar and Chace were quick to notice this, and Chace was the first one to address me about it.
“Come to think about it, what’s with this whole guardian thing about?” Chace begins his interrogation while Kellar is wearing a dumbfounded expression. Something tells me that he already has an idea of what a guardian means.
“Stella, you didn’t…” The mortified look on Kellar’s face is enough to alert Chace that whatever I did to save Kellar has a price. His expression immediately mirrored Kellar's, but with a twinge of confusion and hunger for an explanation.
I give them both a smile before I beckon Custard, my sister’s familiar, to come close. “Do you mind calling my sister and brother? I would like to give you all one explanation of things.”