I move on impulse, crossing the room and throwing my arms around her. It’s awkward, there’s more of her to hold now, more torso and legs to navigate around, but she hugs me back with that same steady warmth, the kind that makes it feel like nothing’s changed.
I’m still nine years old, convinced that if I whispered the right words, my stuffed animals would somehow come to life. And honestly, now that I think about it, that wasn’t all that far-fetched. Looks as if, deep down, I might’ve known all along that magic was real.
“I missed you,” I mumble, my arms around her middle. Ruby’s new height imposes a different type of embrace.
“I missed you, too,” she says softly, and it’s definitely her. Hooves and all, and for the first time since I got here, I don’t feel too out of place.
“I’m sorry you had to face all of this alone,” Ruby murmurs, her arms enveloping me in warmth I didn’t realize I craved. “By the time I was notified, you were already heading toward Kallahan.” Her words land heavy, but it’s nothing compared to the anxiety twisting in my gut.
“What’s going on? Why isn’t Dad waking up?” The words rush out, desperate, but I can’t hold back the flood of questionsanymore. Ruby’s gaze shifts around the room, wary, making sure we’re alone. She steps toward me, leading us to a quieter corner where they keep the healing herbs.
“We were waiting for you to awaken first," Ruby starts, her voice cracking with a sadness that makes my heart tighten. "Before telling you everything. But now... I realize how wrong we were. We thought we were protecting you, keeping you from the horrors of this world. You were so far from it, from everything dangerous, and we didn’t want to rip that peace from you.” I feel the sting of her words, but anger burns hotter, rising in my chest.
“That wasn’t your call to make! I knew something was wrong with me, you all made me feel like I wasinsane!” Words fly out, my voice shaking with hurt. Ruby’s face crumbles, and for the first time, I see regret in her warm eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Lyna. We just... wanted to protect you.”
“Tell me the truth,” I demand, my voice steady but laced with desperation, my heart’s hammering in my chest as if it's about to break free. Ruby exhales, as if she’s gathering the courage to say something that could free me.
“During the Bloodmoon War, all valkyries were summoned by the Holy Horn to fight against Nekros, the King of Netherworld. His goal was simple: to conquer all worlds, to gain unlimited power… The only ones capable of stopping him were the valkyries, Kvirr’s warriors. But they were betrayed, and fell.” She pauses, looking away for just a moment, her voice trembling. “Well... almost all of them. The ones who survived? They went into hiding. And you…” Her eyes lock with mine, raw and unflinching, filled with a sorrow that I’m not sure I’m ready for. “You’re the daughter of one of them.”
The words hit me, a freight train crashing through my thoughts, my reality. I freeze, the ground shifting beneath me. For a second, everything around me blurs, as if the air itself is scrambling to put me back together.
“Your father found you on the battlefield. You were 8 years old, unconscious. That’s what he told me.” The weight of her words presses down on me, suffocating. My heart aches as the truth claws at my insides. The pieces are finally starting to fall into place, a jagged puzzle I can’t unsee. This world, this twisted, violent world, has always been my home.
“That’s all you know? Not who she was? Not whoIam?” My voice cracks as I choke on the bitterness, my throat tight with emotion.
Ruby’s eyes soften with regret. “Your dad was the right hand of the General?—”
“He’snotmy dad,” I cut her off, the words coming out sharper than I expected, tasting like poison on my tongue. She flinches, her face shadowed with sorrow, but she doesn’t retreat.
“Rey was assigned to lead the lycan’s legion. So, except for the close circle around the General, he didn’t know the other valkyries.”
“Bullshit,” I snap, my frustration bubbling over. “He should’ve just left me there, let me die. It would’ve saved us both so much trouble.” Her eyes darken at my words, and suddenly, her fury surges, raw and uncontrollable.
“Don’teversay that!” Ruby’s voice is sharp. The anger radiating off her as heat from a furnace, and I stand frozen in shock. She’s never yelled at me before, not like this.
I open my mouth to argue, but the words die before I can get them out. This is the first time that she looks at me like this, as if I matter more than her own pain. Unlike me, she’s not controlled by anger. It's stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. It shuts me down. I can’t move, can’t speak.
"But why can’t I remember?" I finally manage, my voice small and desperate, a knot tightening in my chest. Ruby sighs, her eyes filled with pain I’m not used to seeing. Looking at me as if she failed me.
"I tried everything, every enchantment I knew, and kept learning, but nothing ever made the memory lock break." She hesitates, her breath unsteady, before she continues, her voice soft and strained. "We thought the awakening would break the spell. That it would bring your memories back, make everything easier to explain, since you’d already know who you are."
"But I never awakened," I whisper, the weight of the words heavier than I expected. Ruby’s shoulders slump, guilt clouding her eyes until it’s almost suffocating.
“We were pretentious, thinking we knew better. I’m so sorry, Avilyna. Can you ever forgive us?” The words hit, a punch to the gut. Just one sentence, heavy with regret and it cuts straight through the anger I’ve been clinging to. The only thing left is a hollow ache.
A sharp, unbearable mix of betrayal… and a desperate need for answers. I want to scream, to hurl every frustration I’ve buried, to accuse her of everything I’ve been forced to feel. But the sorrow in her eyes makes it impossible.
All I can do is stand there, paralyzed, drowning beneath the weight of it all. And for a split second, I see her. Not the centaur standing in front of me now, but the aunt who used to hold me when I was scared. The one who kissed my forehead and made the world feel safe. I meet Ruby’s gaze, and everything I’m feeling is laid bare between us. She sees it, the storm churning behind my eyes.
All of it.
"You can decide later," she says with a sigh, her voice quiet but steady. "I know it's a lot to digest."
Nodding, I can’t help but ask. "Were you the one on the phone with Dad the other day?" Her expression tightens, just for a second, before she answers.
"Yes, I asked him to tell you everything, but as you know now, he wasn’t thrilled by the idea." I let out a short breath.
