you will choose. I can only imagine the world you dream of, Little One. And I hope for it just the same as you do.
The serpent’s voice grows thick and melodic. I fall into it, lulled by its words. I drown out the heat. The smoke. The sting. And I envision what the serpent wants me to: a world not built by the division of magic, but by growing with it and adapting. Expanding. I imagine a world bursting with magic—a kingdom that was allowed to spend centuries building and exploring their magic, rather than a kingdom restrained by greed.
And it’s beautiful.
I see magic in the form of flowers growing from the tips of fingers. In a young man who sings songs to the birds, and who understands every word they sing back. It’s a world full of color and magic I’ve never seen, and the beauty of it stings my eyes, making fresh tears burn within them.
I see it so clearly that my heart aches. This “could have been” world really might have been, if not for my family.
“I’m trying to make up for it.” My voice is faint, grating against my raw throat. “I will make up for it.”
What the world becomes is in your hands, you are right about that much. But one does not change the future by altering their past.
The serpent’s voice is a coolness that spreads through my veins, freezing me in place. “If you didn’t want me to bring Father back, then why show him to me? Why tell me it’s possible?”
We are not so cruel as you believe, Little One. You did not ask to bear these burdens you were chosen to carry. For them, you were given a gift. Is it not enough to see him? To know that he is still here, still watching?
Even though I’ve seen him at peace, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Unless Father’s standing here next to me, it will never be enough.
Once again, my hand finds its way to Rukan. This time though, I undo its sheath, summoning every ounce of courage I have to keep my body from shaking.
“Since you seem to know everything, then you know I’m not leaving without that scale.”
What I know, Little One, is but a few certain things. The first being that you and I were fated to meet; there is no timeline in which you do not seek me out. And the second being that you have a choice ahead of you—one that, no matter what you pick, will alter the fate of this world as we know it. One that will bring it into chaos, and another that will be its salvation. Choose wisely.
I know the choice it must mean—it would mean putting the power to bring Father back and change Visidia’s history there in my hands but telling me not to use it. To choose to move forward, rather than try to change the past.
“So you want me to say goodbye to him again.” It’s not a question. “That’s a cruel punishment, even for the gods.”
I do not want you to do anything, Little One. There is no right or wrong answer, there are only possibilities. The serpent blinks its beady red eyes as if to study me. That naivete is the thing I admire most about you little ones. For even if I told you the choice you should make, you would do whatever you wanted in the end. It would matter not what I say. Besides, I am no god. I do not fully know whether destruction is what this world needs, or salvation. But I will tell you this—the gods do not take kindly to those who try to steal back their dead. It’s only wise to move forward, never back.
“Tell me,” I demand, trying to still my trembling hands. “Did I do something to deserve this?”
You did nothing but what you were created to do. That is your fate, and it is why you were given that gift, tonight. Your journey is one I do not envy. It is one that will leave many scars. But those scars will heal, and in them you will find yourself. You will find what you are supposed to do. The serpent’s body turns another full coil around me. Remember that all beings have their time, even myself. You are the queen of Visidia, and with that title, you bear a responsibility no one else will ever know. As you said, it is a cruel