Page 168 of Emylia

In recognition.

A pulse—warm and electric—shot up my arm. Something ancient. Something divine. A soft hum threaded through me, weaving into my soul like it had always been there. Not just touching me—butbecomingpart of me. Like the tree’s power was mine to command.

The vine uncurled, floating free as the branches above parted, revealing the heart of the willow. And at its base—the mark I’d carved with my father’s dagger. His signet. A memory in bark.

I stepped closer, breath caught in my throat. My fingers trembled as they traced the runes. Something inside me splintered. Power buzzed beneath my skin—familiar and ancient. Like the Tree of Life’s echo lived here too, humming through the roots, rising into me.

Tears blurred my vision. I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

“Emylia.”

I turned.

My mother stood beneath the canopy, her green eyes soft with grief.

“I’m sorry,” she said, stepping toward me. “For not telling you who I am. For not telling you whoyouare.”

I swallowed. “Sebastian said Dad knew.”

She nodded. “He did.”

“And neither of you told me.”

“It wasn’t about trust,” she said quickly. “It was about protection.”

“That’s starting to feel like the same thing.”

She reached for my hands. I let her take them.

“We wanted you to have time,” she whispered. “Before the world demanded everything from you.”

“But I’m not a child anymore,” I said. “And this magik—it’s already inside me. If I can’t control it, it’ll destroy more than just me.”

Her jaw trembled. “You don’t understand what you’re asking. The answers will change everything. Once you know, there’s no going back.”

“Then don’t give me answers,” I said. “Give mecontrol.”

She glanced at the tree, her breath hitching. Her restraint visibly cracked.

“This is the last of the sacred seeds, the only one in the existence in this realm. A descendant of the Tree of Life. We planted it on your first birthday. It’s already rooted into the core of the Earth… and the realm of the Gods.”

My breath caught. The air shifted again—magik crackling faintly in response to me.

“If I touch it… can I draw power from it?”

“Possibly. If it accepts you.”

“Will you help me?”

She hesitated.

Then nodded.

“If you can cipher even a small amount of energy, I’ll teach you what I know. It may not be much, but it will be a start.”

“Then yes,” I said. “I want to learn.”

“This is different magik than what I know,” she warned. “But I can guide you. And… I hope it earns back a little of your trust.”

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