Woven in Shadows (agatha x rio)

The Hollowed Truth

Chapter Two: The Hollowed Truth

Time moved on, as it always did, erasing the stormy night of her abandonment but not its echoes. Found by chance or perhaps fate an older woman named Margery discovered the infant nestled in the hollow of an ancient tree during her morning walk through the woods. The baby's cries were faint, but Margery, with her sharp ears and even sharper instincts, followed the sound and uncovered the child wrapped in blankets, a silver locket glinting against her chest. Though her hands trembled, Margery made no hesitation. She took the baby home, hiding the truth of her discovery from the townspeople and instead weaving a story about a distant cousin's orphaned child.

That child grew into a girl with wild, curious eyes and an unyielding spirit. Margery called her Nessa, after the firefly-lit nights they spent walking through the forest together. Nessa's childhood was simple, full of love and warmth, but it wasn't without its strangeness. Strange things happened when she was upset a flickering lamp, a shattered mirror, a sudden gust of wind in a room with no windows. Margery, always calm reassured her it was nothing, brushing it off as coincidence.

But as Nessa grew older, the coincidences grew darker. What once were sparks of light became bursts of fire; what once were soft whispers of wind became deafening howls. Margery did her best to help, though she had no understanding of magic herself. Nessa tried to suppress her powers but without guidance, they simmered beneath the surface, unpredictable and dangerous.

One fateful evening, an argument sparked between them something trivial, forgotten as quickly as it began but Nessa's emotions surged, and with them, her magic. A force she didn't understand exploded outward, and when the light faded, Margery lay on the floor, fragile and broken.

Nessa dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Margery's hand. "I didn't mean to...I didn't...please, don't leave me," she sobbed the locket around her neck swinging wildly as she shook with grief.

Margery's eyes fluttered open, her voice faint but steady. "My sweet girl... it's not your fault. I've always known you were special." She reached up, her trembling fingers brushing the locket. "You were meant for more than this."

Nessa shook her head furiously. "No, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. I'll fix this. I can fix this!"

Margery's lips curled into a soft smile, a tear slipping down her weathered cheek. "Listen to me, Nessa. You have to find her... your real mother. She'll explain everything." She paused, her voice growing weaker. "Look for the woman with the same locket as yours. She'll have the answers."

With those final words, Margery's hand fell limp in Nessa's, and the room plunged into an unbearable silence.

From that day on, Nessa was alone, carrying not only the weight of her powers but also the haunting directive to find the mother who had left her. She didn't know if she was ready or if she'd ever be but as she packed what little she had and tucked the locket beneath her shirt, she knew one thing for certain: her journey was just beginning.