Chapter 55 Continuation
Mara watched Isla and Adrian dance. Watched them smile and laugh and celebrate. Watched the kingdom she sacrificed everything for embrace her daughter with open arms.
And she knew it was worth it. Every sacrifice. Every lonely night. Every moment of isolation. All worth it to see her daughter this happy.
"Mama?" Isla's voice came through the sending stone. "Can you hear me?"
Mara grabbed the stone. "I am here. What is wrong? You sound worried."
"Nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect. I just wanted to say I love you. And thank you. For giving me this life."
"I love you too. Always. Now go enjoy your wedding night. Stop worrying about your trapped mother."
Isla laughed. The sound was music. "Goodnight, Mama."
The stone went dark.
Mara sat in her chair. Watched the magical mirror fade. And smiled.
Then Oblivion spoke. For the first time in months.
"Touching. Very touching. All this love and happiness." His voice dripped venom. "But it will not last. Nothing lasts. Eventually, you will weaken. And I will break free. And I will consume that daughter of yours first. Make you watch her dissolve into nothing."
"You have been saying that for twenty years. Still trapped. Still powerless."
"Powerless? No. Patient. Very patient. I can wait decades. Centuries. Eventually, you will die. And when you do, the seal breaks. And I return."
"When I die, the seal transfers to Isla. She will contain you just like I do."
"You think she agreed to that?"
Mara froze. "What?"
"You never told her, did you? That when you die, she inherits the prison. She becomes the next jailer. Trapped. Isolated. Just like you." Oblivion laughed. "How will she feel when she learns the truth? That her freedom has an expiration date? That one day she will be just like you?"
"Shut up. Isla will understand. She will do what is necessary."
"Will she? Or will she hate you for condemning her to this fate? Only one way to find out. Tell her. See what happens."
Mara clutched the sending stone. She had been dreading this conversation for years. But it had to happen. Soon.
Before it was too late.
Three days later, Isla returned to the fortress. Still glowing from the wedding. But her smile faded when she saw her mother's face.
"What is wrong?"
"We need to talk. About the seal. About what happens when I die."
Isla sat slowly. "I have been wondering about that. Kieran will not tell me. Says it is your place to explain."
"When I die, the seal does not break. It transfers. To you." Mara's voice was barely a whisper. "You become the prison. The jailer. The sacrifice."
Silence. Heavy and suffocating.
"For how long?" Isla finally asked.
"Until you die. Then it transfers to your child. If you have one. On and on forever. Unless someone finds a way to destroy Oblivion permanently."
"So I am condemned. Just like you. Except I got nineteen years of freedom first."
"I am so sorry. I should have told you sooner. But I could not find the words. Could not bear to take your happiness."
"My happiness?" Isla's voice rose. "My happiness was built on a lie! Everything I did, everyone I met, was temporary! I fell in love knowing nothing about this! I got married yesterday!"
"Isla—"
"Does Adrian know? Does anyone know I am going to be trapped in this fortress someday?"
"No. I wanted to tell you first. To let you decide how to handle it."
"How to handle it? How do I handle telling my husband of three days that our life together has an expiration date? That one day I will be locked away forever?"
"I do not know. But we will figure it out. Together."
"Together? Isla stood. Paced. Her golden eyes blazed with anger and betrayal. "I cannot believe you kept this from me. Let me build a life knowing it would all be taken away."
"Every life is temporary. Mortal. We all die eventually."
"But most people get to live before they die! I get maybe twenty more years if I am lucky! Then I become a prisoner!"
"I am sorry. If there was any other way—"
"There is always another way! We just have not found it yet!" Isla stopped pacing. Looked at her mother. "I will find one. I swear it. I will find a way to destroy Oblivion permanently. To free you. To free us both."
"People have been trying for twenty years. Kieran. Selene. Nyra. The greatest minds in the kingdom. None have succeeded."
"Then I will be the first. I refuse to accept this fate. I refuse to let Oblivion win."
"Fighting fate only leads to suffering."
"So does accepting it." Isla moved toward the door. "I am going back to the capital. I am going to research. Find ancient texts. Consult with every magical expert alive. There has to be an answer."
"Isla, wait—"
"No. I love you, Mama. But I cannot stay here right now. I need time to process. To think. To plan."
She left.
Mara stood alone in the room. Feeling like she had just lost her daughter all over again.
"That went well," Oblivion said mockingly. "Daughter hates you now. Husband will leave when he learns the truth. Everyone you love will abandon you. Just like I said. Isolation is your destiny."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
Mara wanted to scream. To rage. To break something. But she just sat down and cried.
Selene found her hours later. Still crying. Still hurting.
"Isla told me what happened. She is devastated."
"I should have told her sooner. Years ago. But I was selfish. Wanted her to have happiness while she could."
"You were trying to protect her. That is not selfish. That is love."
"Love that hurt her. Love that made everything worse."
"Love that gave her nineteen years of freedom. Nineteen years you did not have. She will understand. Eventually. When the anger fades."
"What if it does not fade? What if she hates me forever?"
"Then you endure it. Like you endure everything else. Because that is what you do. You survive."
Days passed. Then weeks. No word from Isla. No contact through the sending stone.
Mara felt the silence like a physical wound. Worse than containing Oblivion.
This was losing her daughter's love. Her respect. Her trust.
Then, one month after the wedding, Isla returned.
She looked different. Older. Harder. Like she had aged years in weeks.
"I found something," she said without preamble. "A prophecy. Ancient. Written by the first Moon Wolf. About Oblivion. About how to destroy him."
"What does it say?"
"That Oblivion can only be destroyed by something he cannot consume. Something that exists outside the void. Outside reality itself." Isla pulled out a scroll. "It mentions a weapon. The Blade of Un-Being. Forged in the space between life and death. It can cut through anything. Even Oblivion."