Alethea is a kind soul trying to navigate a chaotic world while searching for her place in it. When she discovers she's the lost princess of a vanished planet, her life becomes even more complicated, forcing her to confront a destiny she never asked...
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Alethea's POV:
The decision to act had been made too quickly, driven by an anxious desire to stop Valtor before he could strike. The tension had been building for days, and the waiting was unbearable.
We had to do something.
"I think we should go after Valtor," I said, my voice quiet but firm. It felt like the right thing to do, like it was the only thing to do.
Stella, as always, backed me up immediately. "We believe he's weak right now," she added, her usual optimism sparking in her eyes.
"And with the Water Stars, we might finally be able to destroy him," Musa said, completing the thought. The three of them were full of conviction, their faces bright with the hope that maybe, just maybe, we could end this.
But Miss Faragonda only raised an eyebrow. She looked at us with an unreadable expression, and the air seemed to thicken with her silent judgment.
"Girls..." she trailed off, shaking her head slowly. "He may be weak, but he still holds the powerful spells he's stolen. You underestimate how dangerous he can be, even in his current state."
Bloom, who had been quiet until then, stepped forward, her voice soft but insistent. "Please, Miss Faragonda. Let us try. We have to try."
The room seemed to grow colder, the weight of Miss Faragonda's caution heavy on my heart. She stood tall, her eyes full of wisdom and a sadness I couldn't quite understand. "A tyrant like Valtor, when cornered, becomes even more dangerous. You must understand, it's too risky."
The room fell into silence, and my heart dropped into my stomach. The weight of her words pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. I could feel my chest tighten with frustration. It wasn't fair. We couldn't just wait. Not after everything we had been through. Not after what Valtor had done.
But as I stood there, feeling the sting of defeat, something the Ancestral Witches had said to me surfaced in my mind, like a whisper in the dark.
The curse isn't just on them, It's on you too.
Bloom's voice broke through my thoughts, calling out my name in concern. "Alethea?" she asked, but I couldn't meet her eyes. I couldn't stay in that room any longer, surrounded by their worries and Miss Faragonda's caution. I needed space. I needed to breathe.
Without saying anything, I turned and walked out of the room, ignoring the quiet protests from my friends. My steps carried me down the hallway, the floor beneath my feet a steady rhythm that gave me some semblance of control. I didn't stop until I reached the courtyard, where the cool morning air greeted me like a long-lost friend.
