Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Tomorrow, she would leave Rosehaven behind and begin a new chapter of her life.
When Elora woke up that morning, she looked out the window.
Gray clouds still hung overhead, but the rain had finally stopped during the night, leaving the streets of Rosehaven damp and unusually quiet.
After washing up, she tied her long brown hair into a loose ponytail before stepping downstairs.
The familiar scent of freshly baked bread drifted from the kitchen.
Elaine was already awake.
Without saying much, she placed a warm cup of tea and a slice of bread on the table.
“You’ll need the energy,” she said softly.
Elora smiled faintly.
“Thank you.” The meal passed in silence.
None of them wanted to be the first to mention tomorrow.
Ever since the academy letter had arrived, both Gareth and Elaine seemed unsure of what to say.
When breakfast was over, Gareth picked up a stack of books from the counter.
“Think you can help me one last time?” Elora nodded.
“Of course.” The small bookstore wasn’t busy that morning.
A few regular customers wandered between the shelves, searching for novels or old history books.
Some recognized Elora immediately.
“So it’s true,” an elderly man said with a surprised smile.
“You’re the girl who received the invitation from Arcane Academy.” Elora simply smiled and nodded.
“Congratulations.” “Thank you.” Not everyone sounded pleased.
As another customer walked past, Elora caught a whisper.
“They accepted a commoner into Arcane Academy?” “There has to be some mistake.” “Maybe they invited her to study curses.” The whispers were soft, but in the quiet bookstore, every word reached Elora’s ears.
She barely reacted.
The topic might have changed, but the whispers were nothing new.
People had been talking about her for as long as she could remember.
If rumors were magic, this town would be full of archmages.
She continued arranging the books as though she hadn’t heard a thing.
Study curses?
She almost laughed.
At least they think I’m talented enough to specialize in something.
By noon, Gareth closed the shop earlier than usual.
“You should go,” he said.
“There are probably people who want to see you before you leave.” Elora understood who he meant.
The orphanage stood at the edge of Rosehaven, just as she remembered.
Even so, its walls seemed older now, and the garden felt much smaller than it had in her childhood memories.
Several children were playing outside.
The moment they noticed her, a little girl ran toward the entrance.
“Miss Brigitta!
Elora’s here!” Moments later, the familiar woman stepped outside.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then Mrs.
Brigitta smiled.
“My goodness…” “You’ve grown so much.” Elora couldn’t help herself.
She rushed over and hugged her.
“So have you.” Mrs.
Brigitta laughed.
“Oh?
Are you saying I’ve gotten old?” “A little.” The two of them laughed together, a sound that had become rare for Elora these days.
Mrs.
Brigitta reached out and gently pinched Elora’s cheek.
“I knew sending you away was a mistake.
You’ve become too bold.” “I learned from the best.” They spent the afternoon chatting in the orphanage garden, with Mrs.
Brigitta asking about life at the bookstore, Gareth and Elaine, and whether Elora was still staying up late reading.
“…Sometimes.” “Sometimes?” Elora looked away innocently.
“…Most nights.” Mrs.
Brigitta sighed dramatically before both of them burst into laughter again.
Around Mrs.
Brigitta, Elora didn’t have to pretend.
She could laugh without worrying who might be watching, speak without carefully choosing every word, and simply be herself.
They shared stories, laughed together, and talked about all sorts of little things.
As the afternoon slowly slipped by, Mrs.
Brigitta reached over and gently adjusted the silver necklace around Elora’s neck, just as she had done countless times when Elora was a child.
The smile on her face gradually faded.
“There is something I’ve never told you,” Mrs.
Brigitta said quietly.
Elora tilted her head.
“What is it?” Mrs.
Brigitta looked at the silver necklace resting against Elora’s chest before letting out a slow sigh.
“The night you arrived at the orphanage…
you weren’t brought here by the city guards.” Elora blinked.
“I wasn’t?” Mrs.
Brigitta shook her head.
“There were three people.
They wore long white robes, and each of them carried the same silver crest embroidered on their cloaks.
I’d never seen that symbol before.” She paused, as though recalling a distant memory.
“They never told me who they were, and I never learned your true identity.” Elora instinctively took both of Mrs.
Brigitta’s hands in hers.
“Mrs.
Brigitta…” Her voice trembled.
“Please tell me anything you can remember.” Mrs.
Brigitta’s expression grew more serious.
“They only asked me to take good care of you.” She paused before continuing.
“Before they left, one of them said something I’ll never forget.” She looked directly into Elora’s eyes.
“If one day this child finds herself in a situation with no way out…
tell her to seek the Crystal Guardians.
They will know what to do.” Elora frowned.
“The Crystal Guardians…?” As she repeated the name, she instinctively reached up and touched the silver necklace around her neck.
Mrs.
Brigitta nodded slowly.
“I asked them who the Crystal Guardians were, but they wouldn’t answer.” “There was one more thing they said.” She hesitated for a moment before quietly repeating their exact words.
“…they will keep an eye on you wherever you go.” A chill ran down Elora’s spine.
“Keep an eye on me…?” “I don’t know what they meant,” Mrs.
Brigitta admitted.
“I always wondered if they were speaking literally or simply trying to reassure me.” Elora remained silent, studying Mrs.
Brigitta as she tried to process everything she had just heard.
After a moment, Mrs.
Brigitta reached toward the necklace, her fingertips brushing the edge of the dark crystal.
“When you first arrived, I tried to remove your necklace so I could clean it.” Elora looked down at the pendant.
“But it wouldn’t come off.” “No matter what I tried, the clasp wouldn’t open.
I even asked two of the caretakers to help me.” She smiled helplessly.
“We were convinced it was broken.” “Then what happened?” “The next morning, I found you sitting in the garden with the necklace in your lap.” Elora stared at her.
“You had taken it off by yourself.” “I…
don’t remember that.” “I’m not surprised.” Mrs.
Brigitta chuckled softly.
“You were only four years old.” She gently fastened the pendant back against Elora’s chest.
“From that day on, I stopped trying to understand it.” Her smile returned, warm as ever.
“I don’t know what this necklace truly is,” Mrs.
Brigitta said softly.
“But I believe it has been protecting you for much longer than either of us realizes.” She reached over and gently squeezed Elora’s shoulder.
“Trust your heart before you trust other people’s judgment.” As the sun dipped below the rooftops, Elora began the walk back home.
The orphanage gradually disappeared behind her.
This time, she didn’t look back.
She wanted to remember it as the place that had given her one person who believed in her when no one else did.
That night, Elaine quietly packed food for the journey while Gareth checked the carriage schedule one last time.
The house remained peaceful as Elora prepared for bed, knowing that tomorrow she would leave Rosehaven for a prestigious academy.
With a smile, Elora closed her eyes.
She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.
She believed she was leaving her past behind.
She had no idea her past was about to catch up with her.
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