"How do mortals usually end up here?"

"Gates, I guess. Didn't know there was one around here."

"It wasn't there anymore after I went through it."

"Oh. Didn't know that was a thing."

...okay he'll need to stare at this magic for a bit longer to think of more intelligent questions. He falls silent.

Flap flap flap flap.

"Can mortals order fairies if they know their names?"

"I assume so."

Okay, he can work with that, if he could get this fairy's name—he doesn't have enough mana for that, though—what if—" How do you undo orders? Will I be stuck with these until you make them go away or will Thorn do that or...?"

Of course it must be possible for orders to be rescinded—or, at least, he must plan for that case because it's the only situation where he'll be able to do anything at all ever—and either the person who gave the order must be the one to rescind them or anyone who masters him can do it. He's really hoping for the latter.

"Thorn can do whatever he wants with you."

So that's the plan, then, if he can get someone else's name he can order them to rescind his own orders—and then burn this system to the ground this is horrifying—but first he has to escape Fortune, or Thorn. He can in the worst-case blow everything up and become invisible and just hope someone will pass through that he can telepath at but maybe there'll be a better opportunity—there might be some other aspect to the magic this fairy doesn't know, he seems like he doesn't know much about magic—

Kaede falls silent again.

On the fairy flies. Kaede has to walk pretty briskly to keep up.

Kaede will do his best to keep up on his feet but apparently this order doesn't force him to do his very best to follow, he doesn't need to spend mana and fly. He stares more at all this magic (especially the fairy's) and follows.

The fairy is magic. And immortal. And telekinetic. And knows his name.

Yeah that is a fuckton of magic he has literally never seen so much magic it would be amazing if it weren't so terrifying.

And they arrive at a place with more fairies! These are not telekinetic. They are other things instead.

Fortune tells somebody he wants to trade this mortal for Whimsical, and the somebody flies away to tell Thorn.

Okay what kind of master is Thorn, can he guess that from the fairies around?

The fairies around are not saying. They are doing their jobs. One is painting a wall, one is gardening.

...okay... doesn't look so bad...

Oh, and there's screaming.

—okay that's bad where's it coming from?

In the building. The fairies don't react.

...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! agrees the screaming victim inside.

Fuck fuck fuck—are the other fairies not reacting because they were instructed not to, do they not care, are they complicit, what's the screaming about—he doesn't scream, himself, because he's not allowed to. He can, in fact, do nothing but follow and talk and breathe and perform basic mental actions and that is suddenly not anywhere near enough.