Chapter : 881
Judy’s POV
More complicated…
That’s exactly what I needed right now.
I stared down at my hands, feeling the tingling sensation on my fingertips. I had magic… like real magic, and I could feel its strength raging inside of me, begging to be released.
“As the host of magic, you are the most powerful being in this world,” Esme continued. “Without you, magic dies.”
“Why me? Why was I chosen to be the host of magic?” I asked, not fully comprehending what was happening.
“It’s because you’re a Blackwell,” Selene said, “The Moon Goddess chooses a new host every 50 years, and it’s always a Blackwell. However, there was a prophecy foretelling your birth. You were said to be stronger than any of the other hosts and that you weren’t just the host of magic, but her chosen daughter as well.
My heart stopped in my chest.
“Chosen daughter?” Irene asked, her brows furrowed. “Wouldn’t that make her the high priestess?”
“There hasn’t been a high priestess in over a century,” Nan added. “I remember learning about her in one of my classes at school. Wasn’t she treated terribly?”
Esme nodded.
“Yes, she was,” she said softly, almost sadly, like she was remembering an old friend, but that couldn’t be possible because this was centuries ago. “She was my great, great, great, great-grandmother. The Moon Goddess had called her home early because the world wasn’t ready for her yet.”
“And she thinks the world is ready now?” I asked. “Why me? I still don’t understand.”
“She chose you before you were even born,” Selene replied, putting a hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I don’t get it… who was the host before me?” I asked, looking between Selene and Esme.
“I was,” Esme replied. “But my powers were given to you the moment Selene got pregnant.”
“I took your powers?” I asked, my eyes widened.
“These powers were never mine to keep,” she told me, a small smile tipping the corner of her lips. “I was only holding them until the Moon Goddess chose a new host. Between being a host and the chosen daughter of the Moon Goddess, that kind of power was too much for an infant. You were growing at a fast rate, and Selene could feel how powerful you truly were before she was even 4 months along. It was why we had to take your powers when you were born, or it would have devoured you.
I let out a breath, my head whirling with all this new information I received.
“This is too much,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t ask for any of this… what am I supposed to do?”
“You will find out when the time is right,” Esme replied. “But in the meantime, magic is very sensitive, and you must learn to control your powers. Once it’s time for you to use them, manipulating them will be quite difficult. It normally takes years of practice, and magic has to trust you. It has a mind of its own. Cora is a witch, and she is strong and very good at what she does. She can help you learn magic.”
“Why couldn’t Cora just be the host? She’s already fluent in magic,” I asked. “It doesn’t make any sense…”
“Because she wasn’t chosen,” Esme answered. “But she was still generously gifted thanks to the Blackwell blood.
I looked at Esme.
“Why couldn’t she just let you be the host for longer? Why did she have to give me your magic?”
“Because of the prophecy.”
“The one that foretold my future?” I asked.
“No, the one that foretold my death,” Esme retorted, stunning me.
“What?” I asked after a moment of pause.
Esme sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Selene looked down, pressing her lips together to form a thin line.
“There was a prophecy that foretold my death. I will not live past the age of 80,” she explained.
My heart stopped in my chest as I stared at her; she was serious.
“And I’m 79 now,” she continued.
“You’re going to die next year?” I asked, my voice coming out barely above a whisper.
She nodded.
“It took a long time for me to accept it… But I eventually did… as did the family,” Esme said, glancing at Selene, who kept quiet and looked as if she wanted to cry. “Do you know how it’s going to happen?” I asked, my voice coming out choked.
She nodded.
“A disease,” she told me. “It’s a fast-acting one. Impossible to detect until it’s too late, and even if it’s caught soon enough, survival is slim.”
“There has to be something they can do,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t just let yourself die The Moon Goddess sent you that prophecy tas warn you. She wants you to protect elf.”
Esme shook her head slowly.
“The Goddess d
does not send
prophecies to warn people. She sends them to inform you what is These prophecies are pieces of the future written in the stars. They are not ours to change… but to learn to accept and adapt She has called me home, which means my mission on this earth has come to an end, and I must return to where the Moon Goddess needs me the most.”
“So that’s it?” I asked, looking over at Selene. “And you guys are okay with that?
You aren’t even going to try and help find out if there’s a way to save her?”
“Of course, we tried,” Selene said, turning to look at me, and I could see the pain in her eyes. “We tried everything we could. Zachary was a mess for a long time and think we were all denial. But acceptance. eventually came, and now we are just grateful to spend this time with her. Even more so now that she can speak again.”