“What if I can’t go back to a proper life?” she said in a near-whisper, keeping her eyes carefully averted. “What if I don’t want to? And what if it can’t be undone at all?”
Garren was silent for a while. “You can,” he said finally. “You must. This… magic, the weight of this power, it is not yours to bear. It is simply something that happened to you. A mistake, not destiny.”
Isolde could not help but huff at that. “It doesn’t feel like a mistake.”
Garren did not reply right away. He slowly rose from his chair.
“I understand these events seem... meaningful to you,” he said. “But you will find that again. Once you’re free of this burden, you’ll have many opportunities to give your life meaning. Safely, in a familiar environment.”
Isolde looked at the apple and fought the urge to hurl it across the room. Her entire world had changed. She had changed. Things could never be as they were before. And Garren, kind and loyal as he was, didn’t see it. Or refused to see it. But at the end of the day, he meant well.
“Thank you, Garren,” she said quietly. “For listening. And for your advice.”
He gave her a low nod, almost a bow, then left the cabin. The door closed behind him with a gentle click.
Isolde remained on her chair, the weight of her magic surrounding her like an embrace. She looked down at her hands again, and they were no longer shaking.
Then she picked up her notebook and turned to a fresh page, where she wrote“I am not a mistake. None of this is a mistake.”She stared at the words for a long time, then underlined them. Twice.
16
The Duskrend
Felix slammed the cabin door shut and marched off into the woods. He hurled his axe at the nearest tree with all his strength, the blade biting deep into the bark.
“Not your best morning, I take it?” Leif’s voice broke through the quiet. Felix ignored him. He stalked to the tree, yanked the weapon free and kept walking, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
“Felix!” Luella called out behind him. He continued on his way, ignoring her too. Her footsteps quickened, and soon she caught up, moving beside him.
“Felix,” she said again. “She didn’t mean to do that.”
“I don’t care, Lu. Leave me alone.”
Leif’s curious gaze flicked between them as he matched their stride. “What’s going on?”
Luella gave him a sharp look. “Do you always get involved in other people’s business?”
“Sure do, Skysinger. Where are we going?” Leif asked brightly.
“I’mgoing to find something to hit, I don’t care what you do,” Felix growled, gripping his axe tighter.
Leif quirked an eyebrow at Luella. “Does he do this angry thing a lot?”
She shot him a withering glare before grabbing Felix by the arm, forcing him to slow down or drag her along, then stepped in front of him. Her expression was fierce; her voice low but steady. “Running away won’t fix anything.”
“I’m not running away,” Felix said, pulling free from her grasp.
Luella’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not leaving?”
Felix blinked at her, momentarily thrown off. “Leave? What? No.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she let out a breath. “Alright. I… wanted to make sure.”
An awkward silence fell between them, Felix staring resolutely into the trees while Luella studied his face. He felt hurt, raw, and angry, and all kinds of things he could not name and did not want to share or be questioned about, but he wasn’t running away. It surprised him a little. Any other time, this would have been the moment he’d pick to abandon this whole foolish mission and start fresh. But this time…
Leif, ever unfazed, broke the silence. “Well, if we’re all here and not leaving, how about a hunt? The three of us would make an excellent team!” He spread his arms wide as if presenting a grand idea.
Luella turned her glare on him. “This is not the time for –”
