After all, memories are a part of oneself....

"Why do I not know any of this? Why is it that only I was kept in darkness?" I yelled. How could it be that I don't know things about my own past?

"That is because you made a pact, remember? The Pact of Reminiscence. You exchanged the memories of your past for the immense power this stone had given to you. This the great sacrifice you made for every victory you had until now." Althea kept speaking about how I gave up my recollection of everything when I was Sixteen.

I must have been crazy then. When I heard of the pact suddenly things started coming back to me. I could see it in my head-

Me in the laps of my father listening to the stories of The Great Five Kingdoms....

Learning to ride....

Watching my mother passing judgements and listening to her making speeches to the locals....

Learning that I was a-

"Witch!" I screamed at the realization. I looked at Orion who was looking at me wide-eyed. "I have blood of the witches running inside me. That explains-" I shut my mouth as I recalled how I haven't told Orion about the dream yet.

Althea came closer to me and cupped my cheeks. "Yes, Love. You are one of us," she said as she embraced me. It was a weird feeling, almost as the embrace of a mother that I thought I never knew. But with these recollections I had I also remember her better. Having been held by her and her embraces. My heart was growing heavy. I suddenly felt the need to see her and apologize for being an insolent fool.

I turned to Orion who was still looking at me but his looks changed into a horrified one. I asked him what happened to him and he was just staring at me like suddenly the world was coming to an end.

"His world might be..." Althea chuckled as she mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"Nyx, try remembering the pact. Do you recall what would happen if you were told of everything that you had forgotten?"

In my head there was so much of information piling up and I was not even given time to sort them before I'm asked to recall particulars. I took my time and thought hard about it. At last I finally remembered. 'Be it thus, young warrior. If ever you be reminded of the memories you had given up, you shall lose all the power you had gained and the stone will never serve you again. The stones do not answer to the ones who had betrayed it.'

At this very moment, the lapis on my ring exploded and vanished. Every part of that ring turned into nothing. The stone disowned me. This can't be happening.

"What am I to do now?" As much as I was happy in remembering everything I gave up, I regretted being in the know? It would be difficult fighting with this diminished power.

Orion grabbed Althea by the shoulders, he was furious, "You knew it would come to this. Why then did you have to tell her everything? You are deliberately putting her out open in the arms of evil."

"This is what was supposed to happen. She must know her past, the true power comes to the one who knows his whole self. The pact, as much as it aided her, was wrong all along." She was let loose. Walking towards me, she continued, "It does not do to lose yourself to gain power. Nyx, and Orion, listen and remember it well."

We listened to her and realized she understood perfectly what she was saying. After all, she had seen the World better and in ways different from us.

"So Nyx, let us recall everything- Alatar was unsuccessful in attaining the foresight, right?"

I nodded.

"And Orion, you and the hounds attacked him at once, and the willow enraged too so he was forced to withdraw for the time being."

Orion kept looking down. That is, until he realized. He shot up a glance at me. "What was that thing with the foresight?"

"This is it." Althea sighed. "We cannot go any further with you keeping secrets from each other. Why don't you take some time and first solve things between yourselves? I hope you have quite a few things to discuss." She started walking away. "Perhaps, I'll use the time to walk around these woods. They are fascinating, don't you think?" She said as she vanished.

We were left on our own. There was so much to ask but how to begin? And where?

"I won't ask you anything. You can tell me all that you had omitted for these past days, or weeks, or months, or years perhaps?"

"The same goes for you." I replied. "But I'll start."

And I narrated to him all about the dream and the path I found in the forest and how it all came to me that the power of foresight might actually have not escaped me. I could relate it now that I know the my mother was a descendent of the Witches who solely hold the ability. I told him everything I kept from him and when I was finished Orion made a face as if he couldn't believe it. And he did not, clearly.

"I cannot believe you did never tell me any of this."

I blamed it on situations and he had to accept it. It was his turn now. I was wondering what all things he had not told me.

He started with how he found the stream a couple of years ago and had been coming here very often to investigate the cause of sustenance of the magical creatures on the other side of the water. "There's a powerful stone that is in work here and it is not, as you mentioned, the Snow-Crystal. It draws its power from deep old reserves of energy." He then told me about the espionage that I met the night before he was gone and how they have found some very peculiar facts about Ivy but that 'I shall tell you when we get out of here.' Violet was recalled for something that is not informed to our Kingdom yet, but I doubt it to be related to her marrying." He acquainted me with everything he hid from me. We fell silent.

"Nyx, forgive me for not being here while you were facing so much. But when I was briefed with the situations in Glaze, the first thing that came to me was that I had to return. To be back where you are as soon as I could."

"You don't have to. Please prioritize what you're supposed to and not me. I know my father gave you the responsibility but-"

"It isn't-" he intruded, "about the responsibilities...."