‘What do I know so far?’

At her call, Leo appeared in front of her. His eyes avoided hers. Her last words to him were quite harsh, but he didn’t want to avoid her — the only person who could acknowledge his existence.

Leo must’ve been quite shaken by that encounter with the creature in the woods, and Maya never checked in on him. Has she started taking him for granted? It wasn’t her intention, but it might’ve been the case.

“Leo… What I’ve said earlier…”

“I know.”

They started this adventure together, but Leo was beginning to feel more and more excluded. As the person who was with her through it all, it was disheartening when it seemed she made time for everyone but him. It wasn’t the same if he was just a silent observer. Leo wanted more.

Lately, she only talked to him when she needed something in return, and he would find himself burning with jealousy whenever he saw her look at Adam. It felt as if she were being taken away from him.

However, no matter how harsh her words were, there was some truth to them. The truth was — Leo was dead. He should be content just to have a chance to be around her. It was a privilege to graze the world of the living the way he could. Dead were all around them, but only he could affect the living through Maya.

But it wasn’t enough. He knew he shouldn’t wish for more, but he did. He didn’t want to be cast aside.

“Being a ghost is great. I don’t have to wake up in the morning, style my hair, brush my teeth, or sleep at all… But I can only talk to… you.”

Maya knew that of course. It was something she didn’t consider at the start. All she wanted was someone to be with her through the fear and anxiety of attempting to change her life. However, she couldn’t keep holding onto ghosts or she would never be able to move past her miserable life. And that was unfair to Leo.

“I didn’t mean to ignore you… Leo, my life has become very strange. Things are happening to me faster than I can process. I came here wishing to change it because I hated my reality. It seems I have gotten more than I have bargained for.”

Maya spoke solemnly. Her attention shifted toward the star-shaped pendant in her hand, and she put it around her neck.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to pay as much attention to you. I want you to know I appreciate you were still with me. And you are the only person I can fully confide in. Those things still stand even if we don’t talk all the time. You were… still are, and will be the one that keeps me afloat when I am drowning.”

Leo took in a shaky breath and slightly clenched his fists. Those words meant a lot to him, and he felt a little regretful for putting pressure on her because he knew it was never her intention to make him feel left out.

“I am also sorry for giving you a hard time.”

Maya gave a meek smile at his apology. Her mind was full of thoughts, so reaching an understanding with him, ever so slightly, lessened the burden she was feeling.

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“Leo… What do you think of Anastasia?”

“The ghost that avoids me?”

“I don’t think she’s purposely avoiding you,” Maya shrugged. “But answer the question, please.”

“What can I even say? Although, from what little I caught a glimpse of, you do kind of resemble each other. If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess she was your long-lost aunt, or something…”

“Would you say there’s enough resemblance for me to be her reincarnation?”

“Huh? Reincarnation?! No, definitely not. You’re clearly different people. How would that work anyway?” he scratched his face.

They have learned that Primas were a reincarnation of The First Witch, which would suggest Maya was in some part a reincarnation of Anastasia.

What if that was the reason Anastasia seems incomplete? If the part of her that was a Prima went to Maya when she was chosen, it would explain her current state.

‘Primas appear in a time of need,’ they say.

A new Prima has appeared, and Anastasia was heralding the world was in need of saving. It all fits. It was the reason Maya couldn’t write off her warnings. Things were still peaceful, but they should expect future disasters. And Maya was in a role of preventing it.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The weight was enormous. Maya had always been envious of protagonists in stories who bravely charged forward with such weights on their shoulders. She had always fantasized about being in such roles, sharing their glory… but it felt heavy.

It was difficult to breathe. It was crushing. The pendant around her neck felt like it was pulling her toward the ground.

‘What makes me qualified? Why me? Was it because of my childish desire to be as great as the characters I read about?’

As she was silently panicking on the inside, she calmly summarized to Leo her conversation with Anastasia and her being a Prima. They had a long conversation. Maya shared the stress it was putting on her, and Leo confessed how isolated he had felt before.

For the first time in a while, they talked and confined in each other, rekindling their connection.

🜺🜺🜺🜺🜺

‘I am a Prima.’

Such a simple fact carried with it a lot of decisions Maya had to make at once. Although she didn’t give Anastasia an answer, she already felt bound simply by the responsibility of who she was. Anastasia had made it open for Maya to decide, but Maya could infer there wasn’t really a choice.

If she were to wash her hands from it, she would still get swept in the disaster incoming. Doing nothing did not mean she wouldn’t suffer from it. Her heart simply wouldn’t let her be a bystander when she knew she could’ve done something about it.

Now she needed to consider the warnings. Although, she still didn’t know when or what was going to happen, she needed to prepare and grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Both Anastasia and Elena prior, advised her to keep her identity a secret, with Elena going even further to suggest she conceals one of her elements as well. But Maya had a responsibility. If she were to master her powers, she needed help.

If the final element wasn’t Fire, she could have afforded to conceal it. The problem was, she wasn’t close enough to anyone of Fire element to entrust them to train her in secret. Sarah would never agree to it. Her mentor Tanya was already too swapped, and Maya didn’t know if she could be trusted. It seems the Headmistress’s old warning still kept Maya wary even though she liked Tanya.

Maya went to her Re-appraisal Ritual still mulling over it. It looked nothing like the spectacular dance of elements she experienced the first day. This time she needed to actively participate, and with it, she found it possible to fake it.

The test for Fire was similar to the one she did with Sarah. It was only then that Maya finally made a decision.