Chapter 125

MILA

Finally presented with all the information I needed, I knew what I had to do to not only return to my previous life, but to save Fresonia and all the people I loved.

The only problem was that I was still unsure as to whether I wanted to wake up.

When I said as much to Sofia, she frowned.

“What seems to be the issue?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I feel like there’s still something holding me back.”

Sofia nodded in quiet understanding. “Ah. I fear that perhaps that may be my fault.”

“Your fault?” I said, staring into her–my–eyes.

“Yes,” she admitted. “It can be difficult to return if you still have regrets or doubts holding you back.”

“I don’t have any doubts about Felix, though,” I said, puzzled. “Sure, there’s definitely stuff for us to work through, but I believe in our ability to do that. He just needs to show up himself, not hide anymore behind his crown.”

“I know,” Sofia murmured. “But I may be the one with regrets.”

When I looked at the enchantress, I understood.

That guilt and heartache that she carried had wormed its way into the heart of each of my past selves, burying deep into the core of our very psyche. Even if we never understood what it meant, it still lingered.

Sofia had made mistakes, but she had also been put into an impossible situation. I felt nothing but sympathy for her.

“I’m not angry at you,” I said softly. “For what it’s worth.”

Sofia smiled at me, but the smile did not quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, Mila.”

“Are you still angry with yourself?” I asked.

To my surprise, it looked like Sofia might just be on the brink of tears. She turned her head away, saying nothing.

“That’s the whole reason you’re in this void,” I concluded. “You’ve trapped yourself here. You’re afraid to move on.”

“I have to protect Fresonia,” Sofia argued.

I gently clasped her hand. “But I can do that.”

I touched my heart, making sure she saw my every move. “I carry you with me every day. Not just who you are, but the lessons you’ve learned and the magic you possess. That’s a part of me now. Let me finish what you started, Sofia, and you can rest.”

Sofia shook her head. “I don’t deserve that.”

“You do,” I protested. “You have spent every day of the last thousand years punishing yourself for casting this curse, when truthfully, the blame is equally on Samuel for letting you be sacrificed in the first place.”

Tears had begun to slide down her cheeks. “He didn’t know what was going on.”

“He relied on you for magic,” I told her, “instead of relying on his instincts to be a good King. It’s okay to be a little mad at him for that. I’m still a little mad at Felix for many of the same reasons. Until he is able to see us as an equal, we cannot fix the magic.”

Sofia wiped at her tears furiously. “I just want him to be happy.”

“He isn’t happy if he doesn’t have you,” I said, my own throat starting to tighten with emotion. “Didn’t you learn anything from observing Felix?”

“I don’t even know where Samuel is,” Sofia sighed.

I grabbed her hand. “Then you can spend the rest of your existence trying to find him. If he’s anything like Felix, and I think he is, then he’s doing the exact same thing for you right now. You two will find each other again, and maybe when you do, you can find peace, too.”

Sofia sniffled. “Thank you, Mila.”

I loosened my grip without letting go of her hand. “I have another task when I get back to Fresonia.”

Sofia’s brows knitted together. “What is that, exactly?”

“Restoring your name. You were once erased from history, and I intend to right that wrong,” I swore.

Sofia bit her trembling lip. “I’m not sure if I want the entire kingdom to be mad at me.”

“I doubt they will be,” I assured her. “Not when I tell them the truth: that you were a woman, deeply in love, who cared for this kingdom so much that she bound its existence to her very soul. Maybe you made a mistake or two along the way, but it was all fixed in the end thanks to your bravery and strength.”

“And if they never forgive me?” Sofia asked. “I’m not even sure if I can ever forgive myself.”

It was at that moment that I completely understood why I was here. Yes, I needed to learn about my past and my magic from Sofia, but even more so, I needed to help Sofia so that we could both save ourselves.

So I spoke the words that were true in my heart. “Sofia. I forgive you.”

As soon as I said those words, something flared to life beneath my skin.

“You’re glowing,” Sofia said in awe.

I looked down at my hands, and just as she said, they were glowing with an almost incandescent light.

“The magic,” I whispered, in awe. “It’s here.”

“Then it’s time,” Sofia said. She was smiling for real this time, a quiet ease finally settling into her face.

“Will you be alright?” I asked.

The enchantress squeezed my hand. “I will be.”

“What’s next for you?” I wondered.

Sofia shrugged and looked off into the distance. “I suppose we will both find out together.”

I looked around the void one last time. “Where will I be? When I wake up?”

“You know where you need to be,” Sofia said with a half-smile.

I nodded. Before I could blink, the void dissolved around me and I fell to my knees in the middle of a mountain clearing.

The air around me was crisp and cold, indicating that I was several thousand feet up. The trees around me were all ancient pines, practically skyscrapers against the gray, cloudy sky. The ground below me was littered with pine needles and was hard and cold. The first snow would not be too far off.

My body felt heavy, like I had just been dragged out of a deep sleep. But at the same time, I felt more alert and alive than I had before the poisoning. My body was quietly humming with the magic and memories that had just been unlocked, and my soul felt completely rejuvenated.

I was high up in the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, not unlike the place I’d been taken to following my kidnapping. But now I was not scared–no, instead of fear, I was filled with a newfound sense of bravery.

It had been a long and difficult journey to get back here. I had clawed my way out of some unimaginable darknesses to be standing in this clearing.

I just needed to make this second chance count. Not just for me–but for Sofia and all those who came before me.

Which is why I already knew exactly where I was.

Sure enough, I looked up at the stone face of the mountain in front of me. A small door was carved there.

The Library of Magic.