Chapter 6 Realm Walker

Lucius POV

I kept my gaze locked with my father as he stared at me.

"So Ava, welcome to our family," Anya said, offering a nervous smile. She was clearly trying to break the heavy tension in the room. "I'm so thrilled to finally have a sister."

Ava gave a shy smile. "And I am happy to be part of this family. Lady Elsa was my aunt and like a mother to me. I will do my best to take care of you, Father, and my husband."

I scoffed internally. Husband. The word felt wrong to my ears.

"Where were you this morning, Lucius?" my father finally spoke.

I glanced at Finn, who looked just as surprised as I was. If Finn hadn't snitched, then who... My eyes fell on Ava. She was staring down at her plate, gripping her fork so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"I don't understand the question, Father," I said, keeping my voice calm. "It was my wedding night, so I was—"

"Don't even think about lying to me, boy," my father interrupted. "Your beautiful wife," he said, his tone softening only when he looked at Ava, "complained that you ignored the priest's instructions for your mating night. Instead, you went out to hunt." He let out a chuckle. "Hades help me, because you will be the death of me. Why did you leave the city, and why did you go without your personal guard?"

I clenched my fists. I didn't realize my new wife was such a blabbermouth. "Father, punish me if you must, but Finn has nothing to do with this. He was only following my orders."

"Yes, yes," my father said, nodding coldly.

"Which is exactly why he is no longer your personal guard. I am assigning you a new one. Also, you are banned from ever leaving Nix Borealis again."

He leaned forward, his eyes burning into mine. "It is not safe for you out there, and you are my only heir. One day you will rule this clan. Protecting your family and your people must be your only priority."

With that, he stood up and left the dining room.

I turned my gaze to Ava. She looked like she wanted to vanish into thin air.

Standing up from my seat, I leaned down close to her ear. I could hear her heart racing with fear.

"Are you happy now?" I muttered, before turning around and walking out of the room in rage.

When I got back to my room, I slammed my fist into the mirror. The glass shattered, and my knuckles began to bleed.

I ignored the pain and walked over to the window, staring out past the city walls toward the horizon.

"Hades help you, child," I muttered under my breath. "Because for now, I won't be able to protect you anymore.”

Nova's POV

** Twenty-two years later**

I stared at my laptop screen, waiting for the page to load. When the text finally appeared, my eyes widened and a big smile spread across my face.

"Mom! Mom!" I shouted, running into her study.

Sister Joan looked up from her desk, looking overwhelmed. "Oh, not now, child. I have so much paperwork to review."

"Come on, Mom, it's amazing news!" I said, bouncing on my feet.

She sighed softly and took off her glasses. "Alright, tell me. What has you so excited?"

I rushed over and wrapped my arms tightly around her. "You are looking at an official student of the University of Alaska Anchorage!"

"Oh, thank God! I am so proud of you, my daughter," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"No, Mom, please don't cry," I pleaded. "If you cry now, I'll start crying too, and you know how I get."

Sister Joan chuckled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Forgive me, dear. I'm just so happy. I've watched you grow all these years, but I always knew the day would come when you'd leave me.”

I frowned. “I’m not leaving you forever, Mom. I’ll come home for every semester break.”

"That will still feel like forever," she said, putting her glasses back on. "I love you so much, child."

"I love you too, Mom." I kissed her cheek and walked out of the room and into the fields surrounding the monastery. I closed my eyes, breathing in the fresh air and the scent of the wet grass.

"Hi, Witch."

I opened my eyes slowly. A female ghost was floating in front of me, hanging upside down. I rolled my eyes and tried to go back to my meditation.

"Don't ignore me, Witch!" The ghost floated upright and began swirling around me. "I heard you're going to college. I'm going to go gather the others so we can celebrate!"

"You should have left your blabbering mouth in the grave, Agatha," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I wish I could tune you out."

"Haha, congratulations, girl!"

"Thanks, Agatha."

Agatha tilted her head. "Are you trying to connect with your mother again?"

My heart skipped a beat. "Have you seen her around lately?" I asked, looking at her hopefully.

Agatha shook her head. "It's best you stay away from her, dear. It's too dangerous to keep reaching out, and she clearly isn't ready to speak to you. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"I just wish I could tell her I'm going to college," I whispered, giving a tight, sad smile.

Agatha's expression softened into pity. "You're a good girl. Don't get sad over it now."

I smiled back at her. Agatha had been my only real friend growing up. All the kids in town avoided me because they thought I was weird for talking to the air. It was impossible to prove to them that I could see and speak to spirits.

Sister Joan was the only living person who believed me, but even then, I sometimes caught her looking at me with deep sadness, as if she thought I was strange too.

"Alright, Witch, snap out of it," Agatha grinned, breaking the heavy mood. "Tell me everything about this college!”

I smiled and started telling Agatha all about the campus.

"Hey, look," Agatha interrupted, pointing toward the edge of the property. "It's your mother. She's over there."

I looked up. My mother's spirit was standing near the woods just past the field.

As she turned to walk away, I jumped to my feet and ran toward her. "Mom! Wait! Please wait!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath. I finally caught up and reached out to grab her hand. "Mom..."

But she slipped right through my fingers, vanishing and reappearing a few feet away. I stepped forward to try again, but Agatha floated between us, stopping me.

"Don't," Agatha warned. "You know how bad it gets when you force it."

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't tell if my gift was a blessing or a curse. Other kids just talked to their parents' graves, but I was stuck with the pain of seeing my mother, while she refused to speak to me.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Mom, I'm going to college," I said. She just stared back at me, her face expressionless. "Mom, I wish I could just hold you right now. I wish to show you how happy I am."

My voice was shaking. I couldn't handle the distance anymore. I lunged forward and grabbed her, focusing all my energy on holding her tight so she couldn't vanish. She struggled against my grip, unable to break free.

Suddenly, I felt a strange pulling sensation, like I was leaving my own body.

In a flash, the field disappeared, and we both entered into an entirely different realm. I looked around. Everything felt numb, I couldn't smell the grass or feel the breeze anymore. But this time, when I touched my mother, her hands didn't feel cold.

She looked at me, and for the very first time, I saw shock on her face.

She yanked her hands away and sprinted off into the gray landscape. I tried to chase after her, but the deeper I ran into this realm, the tighter my chest became. A sharp, agonizing pain hit my heart, and I couldn't breathe. I collapsed to my knees, clutching my chest, desperately trying to keep her in sight.

"Nova! Nova!"

Sister Joan's voice echoed from somewhere far away. Then, everything went black.

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