A PEACE WITHIN

A PEACE WITHIN
Elba’s POV

I stood near the doorway for a long moment, watching Alda reunite with her parents. Seeing the quiet, overwhelming joy on her face filled me with a deep sense of peace.

“She got her parents back, just like you asked,” a voice whispered. The glowing, ethereal figure that had appeared to me after I sealed the underworld cave hovered nearby, radiating a soft, divine light. “Does that mean you're willing to come with me now?”

“Can you give me until tomorrow? Then I will come find you,” I pleaded softly. I just needed to see someone else one last time before I surrendered myself to the spirit realm.

“Why didn't you tell her everything?” the spirit asked. “You could have told her that you asked a favor from me in exchange for becoming a Gem Goddess.”

I let my gaze drift back into the room where Alda was clinging to her parents. Her mother reached up to wipe a stray tear from her cheeks, bringing a genuine smile to my lips.

“When I was living with my parents, there was so much I wanted to do with my mother,” I murmured. “But with her, it was always about rules and preparation for the Gem choosing. We were never allowed a break. My father, though... he always found a way to cheer me up, no matter what my mother said. I loved him so much that he became my motivation for everything, including the throne.”

I took a quiet breath, the memories washing over me.

“So when the Gem completely rejected me and chose my cousin instead, it broke something in me. I didn't understand why. I thought maybe it was because I had promised myself I’d be the first queen to abolish our cruel, ancient traditions. I thought I was being punished. But for the first time in centuries, I’m seeing things differently.”

I turned my head to look at the spirit, taking in her divine aura.

“Maybe the Gem foresaw the future,” I continued softly. “Maybe it knew I had a different role to play, even if it meant trapping me in the depths of the sea for hundreds of years. But through all of it, I certainly never saw myself becoming a Gem Goddess...” I let my voice drop into a whisper. “...especially when it feels like I’ve finally found somewhere I actually want to stay.”

“Do you really want a mortal life here that badly?” the spirit asked gently. “You could simply come with me and dine among the other Gem Goddesses. Up there, we are family. We live through the lives of every royal woman we bond with, and when they pass, we guide their spirits to rest and store their memories in our bank. It’s a breathtaking existence. Besides, both you and your human friend over there were chosen by the Mother Gem.”

My head snapped toward her in total shock. “What? No! Absolutely not! I won't let you take her away just when things are finally looking up for her. We had a deal! You lift Almaruda's curse and bring her parents back, and in return, I will serve the Mother Gem!”

“Relax,” the spirit replied calmly, amused by my sudden outburst. “I can see you care far more about others than you do yourself. What I mean is that the spirit animal mark on your wrists has already bound you both to both realms. I cannot drag either of you to the goddess temple while you belong to the physical world. You are in the living realm; I am in the spirit realm.”

I blinked, still trying to process her words. “Huh?”

“I am saying I will come find you both when your time in this world naturally ends,” she explained. “To enter the goddess realm, you must die first—and you two still have long lives ahead of you. So, I shall take my leave until that day comes.”

Relief washed over me, but a lingering question remained. “Why did you help me then? Lifting Almaruda's curse, bringing Alda's parents back... why?”

“Because, strangely enough, I could not stop hearing your voice,” the spirit admitted softly. “I do not know why you longed so desperately to leave the ocean, but I know you had your reasons. For thousands of years, many have claimed Almaruda's power, but you are the only one who found true peace with it—so much so that the power almost belongs to you now. Which is why I must ask a favor of you in return. In exchange for helping your friend, will you continue to hold onto Almaruda's power?”

A sudden spike of anxiety shot through my chest. The thought of returning to the water terrified me. “I... I don't want to go back to the ocean.”

“Do not worry. This time, it is not a curse,” the spirit reassured me, extending her glowing hand. Floating above her palm was the same brilliant blue pearl I had given up. The pearl emitted a soft, pulsing light, almost as if it were calling out to me.

I hesitated for a moment before taking the pearl. Tossing it back, I swallowed it whole. I braced myself, half-expecting to be instantly dragged back down into the crushing depths of the ocean—but instead, only its familiar, warm power bloomed in my chest.

“I must go now,” the spirit said, her divine form beginning to fade into the air. “Thank you once again for saving Álfheimr. It will be an honor to have you both bound to the Gem when the time comes.”

With those final words, her light dissolved completely.

I stood in silence for a long time, staring at the empty space where she had been standing. A heavy, suffocating weight seemed to lift off my shoulders. I didn't know if it was pure relief or something deeper, but for the first time in hundreds of years, a profound sense of peace settled inside my soul.

Turning away from the room, I walked back toward the waiting benches where I had met Alda earlier. I sat down with my legs crossed, adjusting my human clothing to ensure my pointed elf ears remained completely hidden beneath my hair.

I passed the time watching the hospital traffic, taking in the unfamiliar faces of the human realm, until a face I recognized—a face I had desperately wanted to see—appeared down the corridor.

Mike.

He was standing near the front desk, asking a nurse a question. It looked like he was searching for Alda.

My heart did a strange, unexpected flutter. I pushed myself up from the bench to approach him, but froze when another woman stepped up to his side. The comfortable, affectionate way she reached out to hold his hand told me everything I needed to know. They weren't strangers.

A sharp, quiet pang hit my chest. I immediately backed away, turning toward the exit, ready to leave the hospital before anyone noticed me.

“Elba!”

Alda’s voice rang out down the hallway.

I stopped and turned back. Alda stood across from the front desk, waving enthusiastically at me—but she wasn't the only one looking."

Mike had turned at the sound of my name, his eyes locking onto mine.