Ep.33 Secrets and Lies Part 3

Ms. Vera finished crafting the portal, the effort visibly draining her. Sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down her temples as she released a deep, shuddering sigh. The pale light from the portal cast strange shadows across her face, making her look older, more vulnerable than I'd ever seen her. When she turned to face us, her expression was a masterpiece of regret, tears welling in her eyes and trailing down her cheeks like morning dew.

The woman who had seemed invincible just moments ago now looked fragile, as if the weight of her secrets might shatter her at any moment. She opened her mouth several times before finally finding her voice, each word seeming to crawl out against its will.

"I-I'm sorry," she began, the words seeming to physically pain her. Her hands trembled at her sides. "I truly cared for you kids." More tears formed as she continued, each confession dragging itself from her throat like broken glass. "I'm sorry I couldn't make you stronger. I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I took advantage of you. I'm sorry I hurt you. And I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to save you."

Each apology carried its own weight of despair, her tears flowing freely now, all of her deception and regret breaking through a carefully maintained dam. The sight of our stern, powerful teacher breaking down like this was almost more terrifying than her earlier violence. Then her gaze fixed on me, intense despite the tears, and I felt the weight of destiny settling around my shoulders like a heavy cloak.

"Kai—I lied to you. You aren't weak. You're strong, stronger than you could ever imagine. You have powers beyond your wildest dreams; you just need to learn how to use them." Her words hit me like physical blows, each one challenging everything I thought I knew about myself. "You have the strength inside you to protect everyone dear to you and to beat the Order. That's why they've locked up your power deep inside you, why I was forced to feed you lies, telling you that you're weak and can't use magic. They're afraid of your power, so they sealed it away to wait until they were ready to use it."

I stood there, mind reeling, legs barely keeping me upright. The words made no sense—the Order, sealed powers, my supposed strength—it all seemed impossible. I'd spent months believing I was powerless, accepting my weakness, training my body because I thought it was all I had. Now she was telling me it was all a lie? Questions swirled through my mind like autumn leaves in a windstorm, each one carrying the weight of revelations I couldn't begin to understand.

The portal pulsed behind her, its light fluctuating in a hypnotic rhythm that seemed to match my racing heartbeat. 

But Ms. Vera gave me no time to process. Her head suddenly snapped toward the cabin's outer wall, her expression shifting from sorrow to alarm in an instant. Her tone snapped with urgency: "It's time to go. Into the portal NOW!" She gestured frantically toward the swirling gateway, her movements sharp with fear.

Despite my burning questions, despite the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me, I knew protecting Rowan and Maya had to come first. It had always been my purpose, and now more than ever, they needed me. Pushing aside the storm of fear and confusion, I moved forward, feeling them close beside me as we approached the portal with hesitant steps.

The air grew thicker as we neared it, charged with magical energy that made my skin tingle and my hair stand on end. The portal's surface rippled like disturbed water, reflecting distorted versions of our faces back at us.

Just before we could step through, Ms. Vera's hand shot out, catching Maya's shoulder. Maya flinched, but Ms. Vera's touch was gentle this time, a far cry from the violent grip that had nearly ended her life minutes ago. "I-I'm sorry, dear. I can never say it enough, but I want you to know that you are a strong girl, and you will only grow stronger in the future. So listen close when I say this—" Her gaze bored into Maya's eyes with desperate intensity, the kind of look that burns itself into memory. "Protect Kai at all costs. The fate of the entire world may revolve around that boy staying safe and out of the hands of the Order."

Maya's lips parted, questions forming, but Ms. Vera cut her off, her eyes darting to the shadows gathering at the edges of the room. "That's all I can say, but remember it, girl. Now you three must leave." She gestured again at the portal, urgency clear in every movement, every line of her face.

Maya swallowed whatever she'd been about to say, her expression hardening with resolve as we turned toward our escape. The portal hummed with power, its surface now churning like a storm-tossed sea. As we prepared to step through, I felt the weight of a thousand unasked questions, a hundred unspoken words. Despite everything—the betrayal, the violence, the lies—I found myself remembering the months of training, the quiet moments, the small kindnesses she had shown us. Only two words found their way past my lips:

"Thank you."

Then we stepped through the portal, leaving behind our teacher, our home, and the last remnants of our simple life. The magic enveloped us like a cold embrace, reality bending and twisting around us as we were pulled into the unknown. Whatever awaited us on the other side, we were walking into it together, three broken pieces of a puzzle we didn't understand yet, bound by trust and determination.

Behind us, I caught one last glimpse of Ms. Vera through the portal's shrinking aperture. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered something I couldn't hear, and then she was gone, along with everything we had known and trusted. Our new life, whatever it might hold, was about to begin.