Brugmansia

Chapter 4🌹

                                                                                Sage's POV:

I finished dinner, my mind swirling with the million questions I wanted to ask, but none that I could answer. As I stood, I glanced around the room one last time before heading to Mr. Edwin's office. My fairy, still nameless, fluttered onto my shoulder, her tiny wings brushing my cheek.

The door creaked open on its own as I approached, the dark wooden frame groaning under the weight of whatever secrets lay behind it. Mr. Edwin stood behind his desk, bathed in the pale moonlight that spilled through the wide windows, admiring the view of the castle gardens. He didn't turn when I entered, not at first. He held a pipe loosely in one hand, its smoke curling lazily through the air.

Finally, he turned to me, his eyes softening as they landed on my dress. "You really do resemble your mother... Astrid."

The mention of her name hit me like a punch in the gut, but I managed to keep my expression neutral. "Why did you want to see me?" I asked, hoping to steer the conversation anywhere but there.

He didn't answer immediately, just took a long drag from his pipe, the silence stretching between us. Then, without a word, he handed me a worn leather-bound book and a letter sealed with a familiar mark.

"It's from your mother," he said quietly. "Open it when you're alone."

I stared at the book and the letter in my hands, my mind racing. My mother... had left something for me? Why now? Why through him?

I didn't ask any of the questions burning inside me. Instead, I nodded, thanked him, and left the room without another word. The weight of the book and letter felt heavier with each step I took.

Outside, the cool night air hit my face as I walked into the garden, my fairy flitting beside me. I found an empty bench beneath a tree, the moonlight casting long shadows across the grass.

I sat down, the silence of the garden enveloping me, and looked at the letter again. But I wasn't ready to open it yet. Not here. Not now.

I sat there for what felt like hours, staring at the letter. My hands shook as I finally broke the seal and unfolded the paper. The handwriting was familiar, delicate yet confident—my mother's.

"Sage, my dearest daughter,

I know by now you must be filled with questions, and I owe you answers. I should have told you the truth sooner, but I wanted you to live freely, without the burden of what you are. Please forgive me for keeping this from you."

I swallowed hard, my eyes already stinging. She continued:

"You come from a line far more ancient than you realize. Magic flows through your blood, just as it did through mine. The world you know is only part of a greater whole, one where magic exists in everything—air, earth, water... even flowers. It is a gift, a bond with the natural world that can shape reality itself.

Your powers, Sage, are tied to flowers because they are the purest expression of life's fragility and beauty. The book I left you holds knowledge that I hope will guide you. In it, you'll find details about our magic and how to control it. You will see that the connection between life and nature is deeper than you've been told.

But I must also tell you why I lost my powers. When I chose to marry your father, a human, I broke the divine laws that govern our kind. My magic was taken from me as a consequence, and I have lived as a human ever since. That is why I will grow old, and I will die like one.