Tyla sensed it, the moment Jacob returned from the nether. Something was wrong, very wrong. Catastrophically so, in fact.

She concentrated. She could see him, in her mind’s eye, struggling on the floor of his private home. The image of a poor man, struggling against the unknown, trying to get free from a trap that was invisible, from a tangle of little threads planted deep into his mind.

She couldn’t look at him like this any longer.

She realized her mistake. It had gone on for far too long already.

She let go.

As soon as her magic waned, the little silky threads that ensnared a mind going away blown by the wind, she lost her ability to see him. Barely a moment later, a loud boom shook the air, and she could see the shrinking figure of a man against the horizon. Flying away, without looking back.

“Mother!” Lumia barged into the room. “What was—”

She saw her mother, crying on the bed. She was sobbing into her pillow, shaking but otherwise immobile.

“Mother! What’s wrong?”

Tyla turned towards her daughter. Seeing the face of her little sweetie, she smiled and puller her into a hug. She just embraced her daughter, tightly, for a long time.

“Sweetie… I am a bad person.”

Lumia shook her head. “You? A bad person? Not in the world. You are the best person ever, mother!”

Tyla smiled faintly. She took a moment to play with a small lock of cyan hair on her daughter’s head.

“I’m not. I have made a terrible mistake.”

Lumia sat on the bed beside her mother. “What mistake?”

“I used my mind magic… on Jacob.”

Lumia got to her feet.

“Why?” She asked sternly. “Why did you do that?” She talked loudly, and quickly.

“I… I feared. That history would repeat itself.”

“What do you mean?”

“His ability is too strong. I didn’t want what happened with the last one to have a Player-type ability to happen again.”

Lumia’s eyes were hard, through the tears. “He would never. And you know it. You know him!”

“I know him know. I didn’t, back then.”

She looked away.

“Lumia, please.”

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She didn’t turn towards her mother.

“Sweetie…”

In the end, she spoke. Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

“A threat from long ago. So long that nobody even knows what happened, beyond saying that it was a catastrophe. You acted, you tampered with his mind, based on that!” she yelled.

“I—”

“No, no. No.”

“Please. Forgive me. He was too powerful, too powerful. I only wanted to keep him occupied, to take his mind off of things. I almost drove him out of his mind instead.” She broke into a loud, pained cry.

Lumia’s heart sank. She went back to her mother, and hugged her.

That night, Tyla saw Jacob come back. She was happy to see him, after having spent all day in fear that she would not see him ever again. That happiness, however, disappeared immediately after she saw just how he looked at the rest of the village. That was the look of someone who knew the truth.

“Where is Lumia?” Jacob asked.

“She’s asleep now. Today hasn’t been kind on her.”

“Ah, tell me about it.” Jacob replied, words heavy and sharp.

“I know what you want to do. I get it, I really do. You’re angry. I had no right to—but, please. She can’t handle the truth.”

“She can’t?” Jacob roared. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ll let her decide that for herself. You already did enough damage like this.” He said.

“What—Jacob!” Lumia, who had been woken up by all that noise, ran from behind a tree to go hug Jacob.

“Cool armor. Is it new?” She asked.

Tyla looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Please…”

Jacob’s own eyes were dark.

“Please!”

Lumia looked confused.

“No. You did enough.” Jacob said, and snapped his fingers.

All around, everything disappeared. All that was left was the tower, the tent where Tyla and Lumia lived, a mountain of materials. Everything else just ceased to exist. The Sky Elves, the buildings. Everything just gone.

Lumia looked around.

“I don’t—I don’t understand. What’s happening.”

“Tell her.” Jacob looked at Tyla.

She shook her head.

“Tell her!” He commanded.

“I can’t! I won’t watch my daughter like that again. Not again.” She yelled, and ran away.

Lumia turned to Jacob, after having followed her mother with her eyes until she disappeared in the distance.

“What was that?”

“Look around, what do you see?” Jacob asked her.

“I…”

“This village. Avalon? It was an illusion. A lie. An utter lie.”

“But… the other Sky Elves…”

“There were no others. They all died with the last beast attack. I went to your former village, you know. There, I saw them. What was left of them. They were all dead, have been for weeks at least. And your mother just had me live there for days! Built a fucking house on a mountain of corpses!”

“What? What are you saying.” She sat down, her legs giving out. “Why are you saying that! Stop!” She covered her ears, and sobbed.

She didn’t move from there. By the time morning came, she was still there, still crying. Tyla was back, and her eyes were distant and empty.

“She’s been like this for days, back after the beast massacred the village.”

Jacob looked at her. “There’s no way to, you know…?”

She shook her head. “Go away. Leave us alone.”

Jacob gave them one last, long look. He understood. He walked away.

“Jacob? Where is everyone?” Gyhlot, appearing from underground, asked.

“Come with me, we’re going.”

“What, why?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

They took off.

Tyla walked slowly towards Lumia, and sat beside her. In the first light of the morning, the soft rays from the sun warmed her cheeks, bathed her azure hair in pink. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

Then, she began to sing. Her voice melodious and soft, silky, like a spider’s thread. The lullaby covered the whole island and, little by little, Lumia fell asleep.

“Sleep, sweetie. Sleep.”

The next morning, when she woke up, Tyla was there for her.

“Hello, sweetie!”

“Mother. Hi.” Her reply was groggy and slow, but seeing the warm smile on her daughter’s face was more than enough for Tyla.

She left the tent, and went to gaze at the horizon. From behind, the faint laughter of her daughter’s beautiful voice reached her ears like a silky caress.

“Jacob, Jacob! Come with me!” She was saying, and extended a hand just for him. Then she was off, giggling and blushing, hiding behind a tree.

Tyla closed her eyes. She bled a single silvery tear, and her heart lost another little piece.