Chapter 7
A Mother's Sacrifice
The full story unfolds: Elara is Amortal, destined for eternal youth. Her mother reveals the sacrifices made to protect her from a world that fears and hunts those like Elara.
Elara traced the faint, swirling lines on her palm, the same pattern that bloomed on the tarnished silver locket nestled in her hand. It felt warm, like a secret whispered against her skin. Her mother sat by the hearth, her needles clicking a soft rhythm against the wool, but her gaze was distant, fixed on the dancing flames as if they held answers to questions Elara couldn’t yet form. The scent of woodsmoke and dried herbs filled the small cottage, a comforting aroma that usually soothed Elara’s restless spirit, but tonight, a quiet unease settled in her chest.
Her mother’s eyes, when they finally met Elara’s, held a depth of sadness that always made Elara’s heart ache. It was a sorrow that seemed too old for her mother’s face, a weariness that no amount of sleep could ever erase. Elara had noticed it for a long time, the way her mother’s smile never quite reached her eyes, the way she flinched at loud noises, and the profound loneliness that seemed to cling to her like a second skin. Elara herself was lonely, too, a constant companion to her own thoughts, for the children in the village, with their scraped knees and boisterous laughter, always seemed to shy away from her, their eyes wide with an unnameable fear.
“Mama?” Elara’s voice was a small, hesitant thing. “Why are you always so sad?”
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