Chapter 15:
Sylveen the Wind Spirit
I RODE GRIFFY TO Vivi’s lake immediately and explained the situation to her.
“Wind spirit?” she repeated.
“Yeah. There’s no breeze in the elves’ forest, so the heat’s making them sick.”
“Oh. Got it. So, you want to ask for Sylvi’s help… Which means you need me?!” Vivi’s eyes sparkled.
Guess she’s glad I came to her.
“Is ‘Sylvi’ the wind spirit’s name?” I asked. Vivi had met them, clearly.
“Kind of. His real name’s Sylveen.”
Things are looking up! “So, you could visit him if you wanted?”
“Uh-huh,” Vivi replied proudly. “You’ve got friends who can watch the drugstore, carry stuff, and even fly, but I’m probably the only one who could take you to meet a spirit!”
Griffy looked irritated. I patted its neck affectionately. “Don’t worry, Griffy. You’re tons of help.”
“Kyuu! Kyuuuu!” Griffy flapped its wings happily.
“Why can’t you say those things to me?” Vivi pleaded.
Shrugging her off, I asked, “So, where do we need to go to meet this fairy?”
“We’re spirits!”
“Oh—my bad. That was a legit mistake.”
“Jeez!” Vivi scowled but then revealed the details. “Sylveen definitely lives in the forest, just like I live in the lake. But… Well, I’ll explain as we make our way there.”
The two of us hopped onto Griffy. The griffin flew through the sky, following Vivi’s directions.
“Spirits give blessings in exchange for faith,” Vivi explained en route.
“So, people gain blessings by believing, worshiping, and offering gifts to spirits?”
“Yeah, in theory. Festivals in spirits’ honor are another way to try and showcase your faith.”
“Using the term ‘showcase’ feels weirdly unpleasant.”
“You know, holding a festival for me would be totally fine, Reiji.”
“So, where is this wind spirit?”
“Don’t change the subject!” Vivi never forgot to give me grief. “Well, different spirits live in different locations—lakes, volcanoes, and so on—called ‘dwellings.’ Sylvi dwells at the bottom of a ravine, so it’s good that we’ve got Kyuu with us!”
Griffy beat its wings miserably, soaring through the air. The griffin clearly wasn’t fond of Vivi ordering it around as she gave directions. To add insult to injury, Vivi was the only one who called Griffy “Kyuu”; it almost never responded to the nickname.
I’ll have to give Griffy some meat later as thanks for flying us to Sylveen.
Just past the elves’ forest was a spot where it looked like the ground itself had been opened and torn apart.
“There!” Vivi told me.
Huh. So, that’s where Sylveen’s hiding. The elves said the wind spirit rarely appears in front of them, but even if you wanted to meet him, it’d be terribly difficult for most people. I could see why.
I had Griffy slow down as we flew into the crack in the ground. At the bottom was a small river, but there was no sign of any other animals or people. All I could hear was water flowing.
As Griffy landed in a safe spot, Vivi surveyed our surroundings. “Where are you, Sylvi…?”
“You sure this is the place?”
“Yup. Sylvi and I aren’t exactly friends, though. I don’t remember when we last saw each other, honestly.” As she wandered around, looking for the wind spirit, her voice echoed through the ravine. “Sylvi?! It’s me, Vivi! It’s been a while!”
“Do spirits have houses?” I asked her. When we visited Vivi, she always came out of her lake, but maybe she had a house underwater.
“I mean, we’re basically spiritual beings. Our dwellings kind of are our houses.”
“So…you don’t have one?” How sad.
“Stop pitying me! That’s just how it is for spirits!”
Suddenly, a gust of air blew through the ravine.
“Ah! Sylvi!” Vivi exclaimed. I hesitated, and she started talking to…nothing? “Long time no see! How many years has it been?”
Is Sylveen only visible to Vivi? “Hey, is the wind spirit here…?”
“Yup!” Vivi confirmed. I couldn’t tell. “Don’t worry,” she added. “He’s totally okay, I promise.”
Then, just like that, a small boy appeared in the spot Vivi had spoken to.
“Whoa!” I cried. “He came out of nowhere.”
“This is the wind spirit,” Vivi told me.
Sylveen politely bowed his head.
“It’s a pleasure.” I nodded in return.
“So, Sylvi…” Vivi explained the situation.
Sylveen just shook his head with a troubled expression.
“Wha—?!” Vivi gasped. “Really?! That’s such a hassle!”
Wh-what’s going on? “Vivi, what’s up?”
“Sylvi can’t create breezes like he used to. He caught a spirit cold!”
What the heck’s that? I hadn’t known that spirits could catch colds.
“Spirit colds suck, Reiji. They’re super annoying. You get a headache, and a fever, and even chills!”
That’s just a regular cold. Seriously. “So, Sylveen catching a cold caused this heat wave?” In other words, the extra-hot weather has been because there’s been no wind whatsoever.
According to Vivi, I was right on the money. “The lands that spirits bless are called ‘sanctuaries,’” she explained. “Sylvi’s blessings affect his sanctuaries in tons of ways that flow over into other areas too. It makes sense that negative effects overflow the same way.”
She dipped her feet in the river as she spoke. Right. I forgot Vivi can’t handle heat either.
The impact of the lack of wind was showing up in small ways, even in our town. It was the worst in the elf forest Sylveen had blessed. At this rate, folks in Kalta would start getting heatstroke as well, and there’d be negative effects on crops soon enough.
“Reiji…?”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll make a treatment for spirit colds.” Sylveen looked about Noela’s age, which made me even more eager to help him.
“No worries, Sylvi!” Vivi assured him. “This guy here makes amazing medicine!”
Sylveen once again bowed his head to me. What a polite little spirit. This would’ve been easier if he’d been able to speak, like Vivi, but I didn’t expect a lot from spirits.
“I’ll whip something up, so you just sit tight,” I told him.
Vivi volunteered to stay with Sylveen, so I hopped back on Griffy and returned to the drugstore.