Eye of The Wyvern

VI

The day of Karissa's 18th birthday

Karissa awoke to a pleasing aroma. She rose from her bed sleepily, and her eye started the itching again. "Ugh, again!" She groaned as she got up to go look in the mirror. Maybe it's just an eyelash again, she thought.

She entered the bathroom and looked into the mirror. To her horror, it wasn't a stupid eyelash. Staring back at Karissa, was a bright red eye, beaming brightly in her reflection. She rubbed her eyes, thinking it was just an illusion, but when she blinked hard and looked again, it was still there. Her pupils shrunk as realization sank it.

"Dad!!" Karissa screamed in horror. She ran to the kitchen where Peter stood, alerted by her screams. "What's wrong, Karissa--" he froze, it was almost like Karissa could see the ice forming around him, "Oh. My," he grabbed his chest, "Karissa.. What happened to your eye?"

"Dad I don't know!" She shrieked, "I thought it was just a stupid eyelash, but my fucking eye just changed color!?" Peter didn't know what to do or say. "Okay..." He sighed, "let's breathe. This is definitely not normal. But we will try to figure it out. Together." Karissa, flabbergasted, didn't feel like they could just figure this out. "Dad.." she said, "there is no way in hell I can go around with a red eye like this. People are gonna think I'm one of the Magic Folk-"

She paused.

"Wait a minute..."

Karissa looked over at a painting of her mother; she was only a baby in the photo, but she focused on the eye colors. Red.

She ran to another painting of her mother and looked at the eyes. Red.

She looked back at Peter, her eyes wide, "Am I..?" She hesitated, "Am I- is mom- are we Magic Folk, dad?"

Peter walked up to her and took her hands, "Karissa," he took her over to a seat, "there is something you need to know. Can you sit and listen..?"

Karissa nodded, sitting in the chair.

"Now," He started, "When I was a boy, South Town still had a few Magic Folk who kept to themselves. Your mother was one of them." He picked up a small portrait of her, "She entertained most of the younger children. She was native to Hannan, but traveled to South Town to spread their traditions." He handed the portrait to Karissa.

"When I met her, I was only 14. She looked about 20, but her type of magic..." he grabbed a seat and sat in front of Karissa, "your mother was immortal. The only thing that could kill her, was forces that she could not conjure. She never told me how old she was, but I knew it was a while."

That's why mom was so wise... Karissa thought in awe. Her mother, an immortal.

"We did not talk much until I reached 19 years old," he continued, "and that is when she started to take a liking to me. My mother forbade it, but I did not listen. I truly fell hard for your mother, Karissa, and she was the same with me."

Her eyes softened, "So why are the people so bitter about magic now?" She asked, "If it was so normalized here, then why did they all go away?"

"That's the thing," Peter said, "they didn't exactly want to go willingly. So what they did was.. they attempted to make South Town a Magicks Sanctuary. Your mother was included in this idea, but our neighboring towns got wind of their place here. And Justorne sent over guards to terminate any Magic Folk who did not willingly leave."

"What did mom do?" Karissa asked anxiously.

"I hid her away.." He responded, "I took her to the bath house where there used to be a hiding space, and I put her there until they left. That is why your mother never left our house."