Chapter 1: **The World Beyond**

I pulled my hood tighter around my head as I stepped into the house. The wooden door creaked like it always did, but the sound didn’t bother me. This little house, with its smell of dried herbs and warm tea, was my whole world.

Grandma was sitting at the table, her fingers weaving flowers and leaves into a small wreath. She didn’t look up when I came in, but I knew she’d heard me. She always did.

“Come here, child,” she said softly but firmly. “We need to talk.”

I hesitated for a moment, wondering what she wanted to say. Then I set the basket of herbs I’d collected on the counter and sat down across from her. She didn’t speak right away, her hands still busy with the wreath, but I could feel her eyes on me.

“You’ve been restless lately,” she said after a while. Her voice wasn’t accusing, just calm and serious. “Your thoughts are wandering, aren’t they? Thinking about what’s beyond this forest.”

I looked down at the table, avoiding her gaze. “Maybe,” I mumbled. “I just… I wonder what it’s like out there. Past the trees.”

Grandma sighed deeply and set the wreath aside. She leaned forward, her hands resting on the table as she looked straight at me. “The world out there isn’t what you think it is, Seraphina. It’s cruel. People are cruel. They’ll lie, cheat, and hurt you just to get what they want. Especially someone like you.”

Her words stung, but I couldn’t help but ask, “Not everyone can be bad, right? There must be good people too.”

“Good and bad don’t look the way you think they do,” she replied, shaking her head. “Even the ones who seem good can have greed in their hearts. Your powers—they’re a blessing, yes, but also a danger. If people knew what you could do, they’d take you away. They’d use you until there’s nothing left.”

Her words made my chest feel tight, but I couldn’t stop myself. “But what if I could use my powers to help them? What if I could make things better?”

Grandma’s face softened, but her eyes were sad. She reached out and placed her hand over mine. Her skin was rough from years of hard work, but her touch was gentle. “You have a kind heart, child, but kind hearts don’t survive out there. They break. And once they break, there’s no fixing them. The world isn’t like this forest. It’s full of people who only care about what they can take.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, even though I didn’t feel like agreeing. The forest had always been safe, my home. But lately, it felt small. Like it wasn’t enough.

“Promise me,” Grandma said, her voice quieter now. “Promise me you won’t go looking for answers out there. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”

Her words hit me hard. She rarely spoke about my parents, but I knew she still missed them. I did too, even if my memories of them were blurry and faint.

“I promise,” I said softly, though something in my chest ached as I said it.

For the rest of the evening, we worked quietly, hanging the herb wreaths she had made by the windows and doors. It was something we always did, a habit that made the house feel even safer. But as I looked out the window at the forest beyond, I couldn’t help but wonder.

Was the world really as bad as Grandma said? Or was she just trying to protect me from something I couldn’t yet understand?

The night had drawn in, the air cold and still outside. I found myself sitting on the small wooden chair by the fire again, the warmth of the flames doing little to ease the restlessness that had been creeping into my heart. My hands fidgeted with the hem of my dress as my thoughts kept returning to the one thing I could never forget: my parents.

Grandma sat across from me, her knitting forgotten in her lap, her tired eyes focused on me. She knew what I was thinking, I could see it in the way she looked at me, as if waiting for me to ask. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Grandma," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I need to know. What happened to my parents? How did they really die?"

Her hands tightened on her lap, the knitting needles slipping from her fingers and clattering to the floor. She didn’t pick them up. Instead, she gazed into the fire, her face a mixture of sorrow and hesitation.

For a long moment, she didn’t speak, and I thought maybe she wouldn’t answer at all. The silence stretched between us, heavy and filled with unspoken fears. Then, finally, she sighed deeply, looking up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Seraphina..." she began, her voice thick with emotion. "I’ve told you before that your parents died in an accident. That’s all you need to know. It’s not something you should dwell on."

"But I can’t stop thinking about it," I replied, my voice shaky. "I was just a child when they died. I don’t remember much, but I remember the way it felt. Like something was wrong. Like there was more to it than just an accident. I’ve always felt... I’ve always felt like there was something I was supposed to know."

Grandma was quiet for a long time, her hands resting in her lap. I could see the pain on her face. She didn’t want to share the truth, I could tell. But I had to know. For all these years, she had kept it from me, and it felt like a lie now.

"I’ve been keeping something from you, Seraphina," she said finally, her voice barely a whisper. "But it’s not because I wanted to hurt you. I did it because I wanted to protect you." She paused, her eyes distant. "Your parents... they didn’t die by accident. They were... taken. Someone came for them."

My heart skipped a beat. "Taken? By who? Why?"

Her face softened, but I could see the sadness in her eyes, the weight of memories she had tried to bury. She looked at me for a long time, as though searching for the right words to say.

"It was a man. A powerful man, Seraphina. Someone who knew about your powers, about the magic inside you. Someone who wanted to use you, wanted to control what you could do." Her voice cracked slightly, and she cleared her throat. "Your parents tried to protect you, tried to keep you hidden. But the man... he found them. He made them a deal."

I leaned forward, my breath caught in my throat. "What kind of deal? What did he want with me?"

Grandma’s eyes darkened, and she shook her head slowly. "I don’t know all the details, child. But I know this: it was never meant to be a fair deal. It was a trap. Your parents thought they could keep you safe, but this man... he had powers of his own. Dark powers. And when your parents tried to refuse him... they paid the price."

My mind was spinning. "So... they died because of me?" My voice trembled, and I felt tears sting at the corners of my eyes. "Because of my magic?"

"No, Seraphina," Grandma said quickly, her voice filled with urgency. "Your parents loved you, more than anything in the world. They would never have let anything happen to you on purpose. But they knew the risks. They knew what their choices could mean for you. And they made the hardest decision of all—they tried to protect you, even at the cost of their own lives."

I sat back, the weight of her words crashing down on me. My parents had died because of me. Because of the powers I carried inside me—powers I didn’t fully understand. And the man who had taken them away... who was he? What did he want with me?

"Who was this man, Grandma?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What happened to him? Did they catch him?"

Grandma’s face grew more serious, her brow furrowing with worry. "He disappeared after your parents’ death. Some say he went into hiding. Others believe he’s still out there, waiting for the right moment to strike again. I don’t know where he went, Seraphina, but I know that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants."

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. "What does he want with me? Why is he after me?"

Grandma didn’t answer right away. She just stared at me, her eyes full of regret. "I’ve never told you the full story, because I didn’t want to put that burden on you. But now that you’re older... now that your powers are growing stronger, you need to understand. The magic you carry—it’s more powerful than anything anyone has ever seen. And there are people in this world who will stop at nothing to take that power from you."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "So, what should I do? Just hide here forever? Never use my magic again?"

Grandma shook her head. "I can’t tell you what to do, Seraphina. All I can tell you is to be careful. If you ever choose to leave this place, if you ever decide to use your powers in the world outside, you must always remember: not everyone is as kind as they seem. And not everyone will be willing to protect you like I will."

I sat there in stunned silence, the fire crackling in front of me. I had always known there was something more to my parents’ death. But hearing the truth now, so raw and painful, left me feeling more lost than ever. My magic, my gift, wasn’t just a blessing—it was a curse, something that made me a target.

"Thank you, Grandma," I whispered. "For telling me. I’ll find a way. I’ll figure it out."

She smiled faintly, her eyes tired but proud. "Just remember, Seraphina. You don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders. But if you choose to go out there, you must be strong. You must be wise. And above all, never forget the love your parents had for you."

I nodded again, my heart heavy with the burden of the trut

h. But now, at least, I knew a little more about who I was—and who I was meant to become.