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Acknowledging The Reality

As the last flicker of her birthday candles faded away, Crystal bid her friends farewell with a heavy heart. They could sense her lack of enthusiasm, but didn't dare to pry.

They knew all too well that Crystal wasn't one of those kids who received parental love and admiration. They had always steered clear of the subject around her, not wanting to cause any unnecessary pain.

Crystal was now saying her goodbyes to her friends. She was grateful to them for trying to cheer her up, even if it did not help her mood at all.

As she closed the door behind her, Crystal was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Custos, the feegestas who had visited her a few days ago. "Oh my gosh! You startled me," she exclaimed, her hand instinctively flying to her chest in a fruitless attempt to calm her racing heart.

“My apologies, I have arrived at your residency because I am aware that you certainly have no clue as to where the hut is, which is mentioned in your acceptance letter from the academy. I, myself, would have to escort you to the hut as well as the academy,” said Custos, his tone gentle and reassuring.

As if Crystal was not devastated enough by all the stress of parting ways with everyone she had ever known, Custos was just the cherry on top.

“I still have to decide if I want to go or not.” Crystal wanted to be sarcastic and say that she could not be thankful enough for him to do her the favor, but she decided to hold her tongue just in case she would regret it in the future.

“I am aware of that, so I would be leaving shortly after this visit. Once you have made up your mind, you can just call my name like ‘Custos, the guardian feegestas of Archaios Hellas Academy,’ and I shall appear in front of you the next second.” Crystal sighed and nodded her head. Custos, who read her expressions pretty well, decided to leave to give her space just like he had been doing for the past two days.

“I shall take my leave now, but remember that before midnight we will have to go to the hut.” Custos was about to pop off again with a poof, but Crystal stopped him.

“Stop!” she hurriedly shouted as Custos looked at her with his eyes wider than they ever were, making him look more than adorable. “I am sorry to make this request, but can you give me time until midnight? I have got it acknowledged that all of this is true, but I still want to see it with my own eyes. I still want to see if they will vanish, if my parents who you claim are the planted icons will vanish once the clock strikes twelve after my birthday.”

Custos had seen enough children like Crystal to understand that she would need a little push to understand reality. So he nodded his head, agreeing with her request. As the head of all the other messenger feegestas, he had the authority to make certain changes to the schedule.

“Fine, I will give you ten minutes to take in the reality, just ten minutes and no more.” Crystal immediately nodded her head aggressively, and the next second, Custos vanished into thin air. Crystal inhaled a deep breath, preparing herself for what was about to come.

...

Crystal stood before her parents for the first time all confident, gazing into their eyes while stealing glances at the wall cloak beside her. In just two more minutes, she would know what fate awaited her, or perhaps she had already accepted it, but she yearned for visual proof.

“Do you have any questions?” Mrs. Smith inquired, and Crystal almost scoffed.

“All my life, I've begged you to share anything, anything at all that you knew about these weird happenings around me, and yet, in these final moments, you ask if I have any questions.” Crystal had never spoken in such a fit of anger, especially not to her supposed parents, but she couldn't conceal the derision in her voice.

Maybe now that she had finally conceded the reality, the inner voice that she had suppressed for so long emerged. Despite her outburst, the icons remained still on the bed, their faces devoid of remorse or guilt.

“One moment, I feel that I'll be devastated once you two vanish, and the next, I recall how you've always made me miserable, and then I see this as a blessing in disguise. I'm not even sure what's happening in my own head because of you two.” Crystal had maybe more than a thousand questions in her head, but she chose to vent her frustrations in the waning seconds, as if it was a way to clear her head and seek closure.

“We're certain that you already know what we are and why we exist, so there's no need for us to feel sorry for you. Even if you continue like this, we won't feel anything,” Mrs. Smith declared. Crystal clenched her jaw, tightened her fist in vexation, and held her breath, recognizing that Mrs. Smith was right, she was wasting her time and breath.

They were not real people, and they would not feel anything for her at all. So, she sighed and nodded, choosing not to pour out her emotions any further onto those robots. “Then, tell me what to do if I encounter anyone who recognizes me. Must I hide from someone who already knows me?” For once, Crystal opted for reason, determined to survive with or without her own reality, and Mr. Smith shook his head slowly.

“No one will recognize you. Those who knew you well have either passed away or forgotten you, just as you have forgotten everything. Your powers, your dreams, and the fact that your parents created us as icons must remain hidden for your own good. This is a piece of advice from your parents, so cherish it carefully.”

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