THE UNBREAKABLE PIECE (FIRST BOOK OF THE HIDDEN WORLD) English version

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: AIMLESS

Centuries ago, a flower of the same color as the sky when struck by the last rays of the sun was born; it was unique in its nature. It was said that its seed had been brought from a forest that, at the beginning of the season of colors, ignited to end everything in its path, and each time this happened, it would be reborn with it. This flora phenomenon was called Aine by the people who had seen it born, as its essence was related to strength and resilience. Its roots were as deep as the ocean, and its petals adapted to any aggressiveness of the weather around it.

The legend tells of an onpice girl born in the same onpice village as the Aine flower, the flower that endured tragedies and healed the pain of love with just a glance. The girl came from a family of onpice warriors who fought for the crown. And she was no exception; the little one was brave and determined in every step on the earth, her heart was exploratory and curious, and she liked to deepen every piece of knowledge within her mind with each passing day.

On a summer afternoon, blurred by a torrential downpour, the girl was heading home along the familiar path she had always known. However, the rain had become so dense that she couldn't make out the path in front of her, as if the sky itself were trying to confuse her, causing her to lose her way. Destiny began to pull those threads that sewed her future, shaping the onpice she was to become. The girl collided with a huge rock sleeping in the center of the forest, and with one of its edges, she opened her head, rendering her unconscious. After a few minutes in the darkness, the girl woke up, the thick drops of water hitting her cold cheeks, the blurry sky behind her eyes. She could taste the metal in her mouth and the blood covering the earth beneath her. The cut had been deep, and her body began to succumb to the pain slowly. Her last minutes in this world would be spent looking at the blue pine trees above her head, and there is where she would die, in that forest that would witness her consumption. The little girl, only seven summers old, and many more ahead, lifted her head and noticed in the darkness of the clouds, the most beautiful color tinting Aine's petals. With the last ounce of strength shaking her body, she brought her hand to the flower, and before closing her eyes, she entrusted herself to the angels and the earth that had given birth to Aine, to take care of her on her journey to the shadowy death.

Days later, her eyes opened again, to notice that not only had she not died, but her iris imitated the same purple tone as Aine's petals, and her gifts had begun to manifest. A group of healers had found her, and upon contact with one of them, her wound had closed, and her cheeks had regained color. Aine had not only saved her but had given her the eternal gift of its resilience, adapting to any adversity that life could throw at her. Now, she could camouflage herself in the same way as the flower, amplifying the gifts of those around her with the touch of her hands, just as Aine's touch had saved her that afternoon. Restoring the life that had already been written in the stars.

The dry sound of the door was the only thing that had managed to interrupt my reading. Life had passed outside as quickly as the time it had taken me to read that paragraph from one of the ancient books in Albus's library.

Twilight had already withdrawn, and the stars had begun to fill the dark hole of the sky. Outside, the same commotion of the past few days echoed through the corridors, but I was alone in that room, silently preparing for the Phoenix's rebirth and the equinox celebration. Counting in French, over and over, trying to calm my nerves that could be sensed by the white stone surrounding me, ensuring I would spin in circles for hours before I could leave that magic-filled castle. Dozens of guests had arrived from different parts of the world, each of them swearing under a Veritas conducted by Helena in which they asserted they did not work for Drahceb nor knew of his whereabouts. My father, along with Rainer and Gideon, had meticulously checked each guest, ensuring our safety.