There was never supposed to be a lymph. 

A long time ago, before the start of humans, the earth was filled with majestic beings, who flourished and nurtured the planet, living in peace and harmony without any dangers. Every single of those beings were humble yet powerful, gorgeous and simple and kind. 

Those beings were called nymphs.

Nymphs were types of elemental fairies who were described as minor goddesses in older times, but converted to fairies. 

Yes, you know that everything started in harmony but it wasn’t always like that, it all started with a nymph, boasting, and fighting.

Lia was walking in The Garden of Peace alone, listening to the sounds of birds chirping, and water rushing. The trees were adorned with leaves that sparkled like green jewels. Fresh, dotted dewdrops dotted the leaves, and pink petals fell from vivid cherry blossoms, dancing around Lia in the shape of a heart. She inhaled the

sweet tangs of osmanthus and jasmine flowers. 

Lia sighed. “Ah, peace.”

She waved her hands, and rays of the sun bled into shimmering gold dust, enlightening a warm glow as they morphed into water and circled around her. ”I think I’m better than anyone here.” 

In the world of nymphs, such a simple statement wasn’t allowed, so Lia had to be sneaky to speak her mind. 

Usually she got away with it, but this time it was as if Lia’s luck had drowned. 

Unfortunately for her, another nymph heard her.

The nymph flew into a rage and stormed towards Lia, challenging her to a fight. 

Of course, the garden started losing its balance as the nymph and Lia battled for hours, summoning waves and trapping each other in shards of crystal. 

Time seemed to slow down, the pieces of shattered memories swirling in the nymph’s minds. The battle was a long lasting frenzy which raged like hot white flames. The original, pleasant fragrance of The Garden melted into smoky ash scents. The plants and flowers decayed, and the air turned foul. 

Not a single nymph apart from Lia and her opponent dared approach The Garden of Peace. 

Still, they carried on fighting, oblivious to the harm they were doing. 

At last, Lia won by a tiny bit, a crystal shard pointed against the other nymph’s heart. 

Lia smirked as the nymph glared at Lia with burning fire. She stomped her foot and shrieked. 

 “If you’re so special, why don’t you be different?” 

Then the nymph muttered a prayer to the gods, her eyebrows creasing and her slender elbows went stiff as she clenched her fists. Finally, the nymph stormed away, waving her hands to let a parade of ash burnt clouds to carry her away.

What about The Garden of Peace? It was proclaimed as The Garden of Disaster from the moment the fight ended, and several nymphs were assigned to protect it and fix it. Lia and the nymph refused to help, vanity and selfishness in their hardened ice-cold hearts.   

That was how the first lymph was born. 

Lia soon got pregnant and had a child. She called her Diana. 

The first lymph was so gorgeous that other nymphs started doubting their own beauty. When she was in her human form, she radiated with an otherworldly glow. She brushed her wavy dark curls that were as black as silk, astonished the nymphs

with her delicate porcelain skin, and she had lips as red as the fairest rose. 

“My little lymph is an upgraded version of nymphs, and she shall be the best!”

Lia pridefully exclaimed, and that was true. 

However pretty may Diana be, Lia never realized that it was a curse, specifically meant to teach Lia and Diana a lesson. 

In assignments, Diana’s abilities surpassed the other nymphs. When her class of nymphs were assigned to repair The Garden of Disaster, the nymphs had to concentrate hard when smoothing the trunks and sprouting fresh leaves. The lymph waved her hands, and green patches of emerald sprouted onto several trees at a time, along with blooming flowers and delicate heart-shaped dew. A few nymphs turned around to gawk at her work. Diana shrugged and continued repairing The Garden of Disaster. By one week, because of her rapid progress, The Garden of Disaster was mostly repaired and the nymphs went back to their normal duties.  

In fact, Diana became so confident that she started bullying everyone around her. 

“I’m the best.”

She boasted.

”Loser, sucks to you.”

She roasted. 

“I bet you can’t even match me in a fight!”

Diana kicked, punched, and showed off in the halls, the gardens, and the beaches, literally everywhere, even at home. 

Everyone was getting tired of it and wanted to report, but they trembled at the mere sight of the prideful beauty who stormed the halls. 

“D-d-iana.”

Their eyes would go wide and watery as they shook each other when they said her name. 

So she went unnoticed. 

Or so she thought. 

One day, the little lymph and her friend nymphs were assigned at sunrise to refresh another garden and tend the plants. Her friends were dotting the trees with dewdrops, and Diana was summoning a sparkle to the air. 

“It’s so peaceful,” her friends exclaimed. 

They waved their hands and golden rays surrounded them, morphing into tubs made of colourful crystal, filled with steaming hot water. They lifted their arms, and the water splashed onto trees, filling the garden with the warm scent of herbs and mint. 

Her other classmates stared at them, their eyes turning to stars. Diana, however, felt nauseous. Bile rose in her throat and she began to feel stiff and hot, as if the praise for others was a theft of her own. Diana glared at her classmates, and they avoided her eye contact and started mumbling about the weather. 

Afterwards, Diana approached her friends, her eyes wide and her fingers fidgeting. 

“How can you do that?” She asked, trying to appear unbothered.  

“Oh,” one said. ”It’s easy if you practice, it’s one of the most advanced spells. Would you like us to teach you?” 

Furious, Diana mistook her friend’s eagerness for sarcasm and impulsively fired back. “I’m better than any of you, you know, I don’t need an advanced spell to prove

myself, those spells are off, beginner levels, I know many spells that you don’t.”

The nymphs frowned, glanced at each other in confusion as they rubbed their heads. 

One nymph replied. 

“We are painfully aware of that, Diana, but that doesn’t mean lesser beings can’t accomplish the same as the great can.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

Diana muttered strings of spells towards her friends, drenching them in ice cold water, summoning fire to circle them, summoned vines and flowers to grow from the ground and snatch their legs and feet, and summoned thorns to prick their legs and arms. After a long moment, her friends collapsed on the ground, panting for breath as they tried to stand up, bloodied and bruised. 

Diana grinned at them as she walked away.

Her friends weren’t so happy though. Grim looks on their faces, they cried to the gods as they fell to their knees. 

“Dear Gods, Punish this haughty lymph! We will give anything for it. 

“Anything?” A tinkling, angelic voice filled with amusement and the nymphs jumped. They looked around, but nothing was around them. One nymph cleared her throat and replied.

 “Yes.”