Chapter 4:Buried Truths

Alphi was so excited she could sing. She did belong somewhere. She wasn't a failure. But then she noticed something strange—the mark that had appeared on her was different. It was a star with four points instead of five, which hadn't been mentioned in the scroll. Although she didn't know what it meant, she was still happy. At least now she knew where she stood. She believed she would find the explanation in time.

As she sang and danced around in joy, flowers began to spring up from the floor beneath her. Lost in celebration, Alphi didn't realize the test had awakened her dormant magical powers—powers long buried inside her. Soon the entire ground was covered in flowers. She only noticed them when she tripped while spinning in delight. The blossoms softened her fall.

Stunned, she jumped to her feet. The sight of the flowers shocked her. She had no explanation for what was happening. Maybe it was a side effect of the glowing light from the test? She picked up one of the flowers to confirm it was real. It was. The petals were soft and smelled like they had just been freshly watered.

Still, she wasn't afraid. After all, they were just harmless flowers—beautiful, colorful flowers.

She played with the flowers, letting their delicate petals distract her as she soaked in a rare moment of peace. After a long, relaxing shower, she ate to her heart's content. Yet, buried deep inside her was a growing sense of unease—a fear she couldn't shake. The unknown symbol etched into her right shoulder haunted her thoughts.

Driven by a strange pull, she returned to the secret room. But when she stepped inside, all the flowers were gone.

She blinked in confusion, forcing herself not to panic. Maybe they wilted, she told herself, but the thought did little to calm her. Her mind kept circling back to the mark—its glow, its mystery, its purpose. Was she the first to bear it? If so… why?

Then, a soft voice broke the silence.

"Alphi dear… can you hear me?"

Her heart skipped. That voice—familiar, comforting—was one she could recognize anywhere. It was her aunt.

A wave of emotion crashed into her. Tears welled in her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks. She hadn't heard another voice in days—hadn't even realized how long it had been since she herself had spoken.

"Aunt… is that you?" Alphi finally whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"Yes, dear. How have you been?" came the gentle reply.

Alphi hesitated, unsure how to answer. The silence between them stretched.

Her aunt continued, "I see you found my secret room."

"Yes," Alphi said softly. "I've known about it for a few days now."

"Well, that was expected of you," her aunt said with a smile in her tone. "And you've even received your mark."

Alphi let out a faint smile. "Yes… though it was no easy feat."

She glanced at her shoulder. "Speaking of the mark… what is this symbol? It wasn't mentioned in the scroll."

There was a pause, then her aunt replied, "That is true. And just like the scroll… I've never seen a mark quite like yours."

Alphi's smile faded. Her heart sank. She was hoping for clarity, but instead, the mystery deepened.

She was about to speak when her aunt's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Now that you've received your symbol, beware. Many changes are coming your way. And now more than ever, you must keep your emotions in check."

The voice faded.

"Aunt?" Alphi called out.

But there was no reply.

She stood alone in the empty room, her thoughts racing. What did her aunt mean by changes? Why this mark? And why her?

She sat there, shoulders heavy with questions, as the silence wrapped around her once more.

Alphi's heart raced. A cold shiver ran down her spine. Was taking the test a mistake? Had she put herself in danger?

All the time she'd spent here—was it all in vain?

Her legs trembled beneath her, and her face turned pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. In a state of rising panic, she stood and leaned against the small table beside her—but in an instant, the table vanished. She collapsed to the floor with a thud, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Her panic surged.

Scrambling to her feet, she looked around wildly, unable to explain what had just happened. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Then she spotted a small pair of scissors lying on the floor. But the moment her fingers reached for them, they vanished too.

A scream tore from her throat. She stared down at her trembling hands.

"Was it me?" she whispered. "Did I just make the table and scissors disappear?"

Her aunt's words echoed in her mind: "There will be changes… some you might not expect. They're tied to your emotions."

Alphi closed her eyes, trying to calm the storm inside. She took slow, deep breaths, one after the other. Her hands steadied. Her legs stopped shaking. She made her way to the kitchen and drank a glass of water.

When she returned, the table and scissors had reappeared.

Relief flooded her chest. Now she understood what her aunt had meant. The changes were real—and they were hers to control.

Alphi walked cautiously toward the table, needing to confirm it was real. She slowly stretched out her hand, brushing her fingers over every inch of its surface until she was satisfied. The thought of her emotions controlling her powers made her head pound. She shook her head, trying to push the worry away.

To distract herself, she decided to search the cupboards—something she'd forgotten to do while preoccupied with the scrolls. One by one, she opened them. Most were empty. A few held jewels, glittering but seemingly useless. As she admired one of the gemstones, it slipped from her fingers and tumbled to the floor, rolling toward the table.

She chased after it, but it rolled beneath the cabinets. Alphi knelt and reached for it, but the space was too tight. With a determined breath, she gripped the cabinet and heaved. It slid aside with effort. Just as she bent to retrieve the jewel, something caught her attention—the floor beneath it sounded... hollow.

Curious, she tapped the floorboards around it, comparing the sounds. Her instincts were right—this section was indeed hollow. She ran her hand over the wood, feeling for a seam or opening. As she pushed along one edge, the panel shifted. With all her strength, she gave it one more shove, and it slid open.

A small box lay hidden beneath.

Alphi's face lit up with excitement. Tiny bubbles began floating around the room, summoned unknowingly by her joy. She giggled softly, watching them rise. "So this is what happens when I'm excited," she murmured, popping a few with her fingers.

Her attention returned to the box. It was dusty and had a wood like smell. It had a cold feel on her palm. She examined it carefully, turning it over in her hands. Then she noticed a small button underneath. With a deep breath, she pressed it.

Click.

The box sprang open.

It revealed some old photographs. She went through them one after the other. She saw her aunt in most of the pictures; it was the first time she saw her aunt with her hair uncovered. Alphi noticed her aunt had red hair just like her. She felt a kind of comfort to know she wasn't different. In fact, all the people she had seen in the photo so far had red hair. Alphi thought maybe it was a trait of the people of Leniva. She felt a sense of belonging, knowing she fit in with the required hair color.

Alphi came across one photo that shocked her. It was her aunt standing close to a woman that had a striking resemblance to herself. She stared at the photo for a while, not knowing what to do. The lady in question was a spitting image of Alphi, but just that Alphi's eyes were blue and hers were brown. She turned the back of the photo, and it was written Annisha and Dalipha.

Her heart ached. Tears streamed down her eyes. Could this be her mother? The woman she had so longed to see?

Alphi fell to the ground. The tears flowed out uncontrollably. She hugged the picture tight, like a child who just received a long-awaited toy. Soon, water began to fill the room slowly. Alphi couldn't keep her emotions in check at the moment. She wanted to scream and cry as she wondered why her aunt didn't tell her. Then it occurred to her that she couldn't be sure yet.

Alphi calmed herself. The water began to dry. She needed to know if that was her mother or not, and what better way to confirm than her father himself?

Now she was engulfed with fear and discomfort. The thought of going back to her father was saddening. She swallowed her breath, as if trying to swallow her unease . Alphi knew she had run long enough; she needed answers, an explanation. She had a right to know. She planned to sneak in while her dad was out, to search thoroughly for anything that could be of help to her.

Alphi did just that. She waited to hear the loud bang from when he closed the door to leave. When she heard the loud bang, she waited a few minutes for him to get as far as possible before heading in. As she stepped into the place it all began, memories of her time here came back. Not a single pleasant one. All filled with pain and tears, and the father who hates every part of her existence. She wondered if this is how it is for everyone. Well, there was nothing she could do to change it.

Alphi said to herself, as if as a means of self-comfort, "It's all in the past. It's time to move ahead."

She stormed into her father's room, a room which she didn't dare to enter before, going through what little she could, as there wasn't much to go through.

Alphi found a small box inside the wardrobe beneath a pile of dirty, faded clothes. Everything else was old, broken, or a mess. The box was the only thing that was in good condition. She was very curious as to what this box might contain that made her destructive father keep it in such a good condition.