Zoey cried into the night.
The forest was utterly silent. The only sound echoing through the trees was the sobs of a purple-haired young girl, a girl whose beauty could start wars.
But right now, there was nothing beautiful about her.
Her face was a mess of tears and thick snot.
Her legs had given out the moment Atticus left, and she had collapsed onto the soft ground.
Her fragile frame trembled, her hands covering her face as she tried, desperately, to wipe away the endless stream of tears.
But no matter how much she wiped, more fell, like a rushing waterfall.
Her clothes were soaked in tears.
Her body shook uncontrollably.
And for another time in her life, Zoey cried without restraint.
She felt everything.
Shame.
So much shame she could barely breathe.
How could she ever face him again?
Atticus had been nothing but good to her.
He had been gentle. Caring. Affectionate.
He had so much talent, so much standing, so much to be proud of, and yet, he had still treated her as an equal. With nothing but love and respect.
He was good.
Too good.
And what had she done?
She had let jealousy taint it all.
She had been weak. A fool.
She had envied the very person who had shown her nothing but love.
Her fingers dug into the dirt, her breath ragged, her heart aching.
'I deserve the worst.'
'I don't deserve him.'
Dark thoughts slithered through her mind, whispers of escape creeping in.
'Maybe it would be easier if—'
A small figure fluttered before her.
Zoey's blurry vision landed on the petite spirit standing in front of her.
Lumindra.
The spirit didn't say anything.
She only watched Zoey, her expression filled with utter sadness.
Zoey couldn't see her clearly, but right now, she didn't need to.
More tears flooded down.
"L-Lumi…" Zoey choked.
She sniffled, her nose running, her voice broken.
"L-Lumi, I'm a bad person."
The words tumbled from her lips, filled with anguish.
"I-I don't deserve him. I deserve the worst. I don't know how I'll ever face him."
"I don't know how I'll ever move forward."
"I-I just want it all to stop."
Her fingers curled into her palms.
"It hurts so much."
Lumindra remained silent.
She was a centuries-old spirit, one who had seen everything. Nothing should phase her.
And yet—
As she stared down at the wreck of a girl before her…
The same girl she had watched grow up. The child she had been there for, through all of her firsts.
Her first steps.
Her first words.
Her first laugh.
Her first time discovering what she wanted to fight for.
Zoey had once been pure.
A girl full of life, full of determination.
And now—
She was this.
A broken mess.
Tears welled up in Lumindra's own eyes.
She stepped forward and hugged Zoey.
Her petite arms barely covered inches of Zoey's trembling frame, but the warmth she gave was overwhelming.
A warmth that Zoey hadn't realized she needed.
Zoey cried harder, louder, and she clutched onto Lumindra, as if afraid she would disappear.
For a long time, Lumindra said nothing.
She simply let Zoey's sobs fill the air.
And then, finally, her voice broke through the silence.
"Anger."
"Hate."
"Envy."
"Jealousy."
"Pain."
"Love."
"Joy."
"Hope."
"Happiness."
Her voice was soft. So soft that it was soothing. A gentle backdrop to Zoey's cries.
"Every sentient being in this universe is cursed to feel these emotions. They're emotions you can't escape."
"No one in this universe is perfect."
Zoey sniffled, her sobs quieting slightly as Lumindra continued.
"Every emotion must be felt."
"But what matters… is how you let them shape you."
"How you let them influence your life."
Lumindra pulled back slightly, looking up at Zoey's tear-streaked face.
Her next words were firm.
"Zoey, you have a goal."
"One you've carried for most of your life."
"Don't forget that."
"Will you let your emotions destroy you? Or will you let them fuel you?"
Zoey's eyes widened slightly.
Her tears kept falling, but now, something else stirred in them.
Something new.
Lumindra's gaze hardened.
"You have two choices."
"You can wallow in self-pity for the rest of your life."
"Never grow. Never advance."
"Watch everyone around you grow stronger… leaving you behind."
Her voice turned fierce.
"Or."
"You can get your ass up."
"Wipe away your tears."
"And use all of that emotion to fuel yourself."
"To chase your goal like never before."
"Don't forget why you're here, Zoey. The choice is yours."
A silence stretched between them, and Lumindra watched.
Zoey's tears still fell, but now—
They were different.
Because this time, they weren't just filled with shame.
They burned with something else.
Anger.
Zoey was angry.
So, so angry, at herself.
She had almost forgotten.
She had almost forgotten why she had chosen to stop the war.
Why she had wanted to save Eldoralth and all of its inhabitants.
Why she had chosen this goal in the first place.
A whisper left her trembling lips;
"Aunty…"
The world around her blurred and then—
She remembered.
…
The Starhaven Estate was a place of grandeur, a towering palace that pierced the skies.
A tiny girl, no more than six years old, stood with her head lowered, her small hands clenched into fists.
Her purple hair fell in soft waves down her back, her bright amethyst eyes dim.
Across from her stood a tall, regal woman, her presence commanding.
Celestial Starhaven.
Her mother.
"Zoey," Celestial spoke, her voice cold, unbending.
"You must always maintain an air of supremacy."
"You are the next in line to be Matriarch of the Starhaven family. You must act like it."
Zoey's tiny head drooped lower.
"Yes, Mom…"
Celestial's gaze sharpened.
"Mother."
Zoey swallowed, then corrected herself softly.
"Yes, Mother."
Celestial studied her for a long moment before nodding, then turned away, dismissing her with a wave of her hand.
Zoey let out a small breath as she was sent to her room.
The second she stepped inside, the door swung open again.
Zoey blinked…
And then beamed.
"AUNT JEREVA!!!"
A bright, toothy grin spread across her little face, and in an instant, she rushed forward, launching herself into the arms of the woman standing at the doorway.
A younger woman, far less severe than Celestial, with a warm smile and soft, kind eyes.
Her Aunt Jereva.