Author's note: this is from Aldus's point of view

- - -

​​

I went to my lab, and then to the indoor garden.

I stood in front of the Verveine tree and called, "Glatellia, we need to talk."

Silence. Just as I expected.

"You know why I'm here. We found some information on Serina, and I need your help to make sense of it."

I sat on the ground with my legs crossed and propped my chin on my palm.

"I can sit here for a long time…", I said while trying to suppress my irritation.

Glatellia is willful and she refuses to give me answers when I need them, but this was the fastest way for me to get the information I need.

It would be a waste of time and resources to search for answers through realms when a universal encyclopedia is living in my lab.

Glatellia's ability allows her to see things and even though she normally doesn't talk to me, I believe that this time it will be different.

I clearly remember that Glatellia gave extra care to Serina when they met, and that tells me Glatellia has her reasons for ensuring Serina reaches a certain point in her life. Is it to become a guardian? I was not sure, but I had a strong hunch that it's in Glatellia's interest to ensure Serina stays under my care, on the path where she will grow.

I said that I can wait for a long time, but that was a lie.

I had a lot of things to do and sitting in front of a tree didn't make the top ten choices on my list of priorities.

It was time to gamble and see if my intuition was correct.

"Fine. If you don't want to talk, you don't need to. There are others who can give me answers, so I will ask one of them."

I stood up and started walking away, when I heard in my head, "Don't."

Ha! I knew it!

"I believe that Serina is in danger.", I responded to Glatellia mentally. "You are telling me to stop searching for answers that can ensure her safety. There must be a reason, if you want me to listen."

"If you reveal her existence to others, you will put her in danger.", Glatellia said hesitantly.

I turned and looked at the tree. "I will need more than that."

Silence. I snorted and turned to leave when Glatellia spoke again, "Take her to this event and every next one. Introduce her as your daughter but don't mention to anyone about the book Amelia left behind, or Seraphina's abilities. This path will give Seraphina the longest time to grow before she needs to face what is coming."

Bingo! I knew that Glatellia wants Serina to have a long and prosperous life. The wasp queen is not benevolent, so she must have her interest that is tied to Serina's powers, but as long as she helps me keep Serina safe, I don't care about her reasons.

I kept my oblivious façade on. "What is coming?"

"If I tell you, that path will close. Seraphina will learn about her origins, and you will get your answers when the time is ripe. Don't force it. This is as much as I can say without creating irreversible damage."

I paused as an idea hit me. "Are you the reason why we didn't make much progress in finding out information on Serina so far?"

Other than seeing future possibilities, I heard rumors that Glatellia has the ability to impact the future. An ability like that would come with a heavy price to be used, but it doesn't mean that she won't use it if she believes that the return is justifiable.

Glatellia is obviously vested in Serina's progress, and I wouldn't be surprised if she is using her ability in order to influence Serina's path.

Other than being willful, Glatellia doesn't lie and her silence was an answer to my question.

Now I understood why finding information on Seraphina was nearly impossible. My trustworthy sources came empty-handed, and I almost believed that I'm overthinking things. But there was no overthinking as Glatellia made sure to block anything useful.

However, why did she allow Serina to find the book? And why did she allow us to confirm that the people she grew up with are not her real family?

I wished to pry open that tree and force Glatellia to tell me more, but to be honest, this is more than she told me in a long time.

From Glatellia's warning, I understood that if she tells me more, my behavior will change and that will impact Serina's future and put her in danger.

After thanking Glatellia, I left with more questions than answers, but with a piece of mind.

Based on what Glatellia told me, as long as Serina is my daughter and we conceal her non-human past, she will be fine.

…

I found Serina in the garden, at the center of a small gust of wind that circled below her knee level, carrying dust and pink rose petals.

Serina looked deep in thoughts with her eyes focused on the airshow she created.

"Practicing?", I asked, and her lips curved into a small smile.

"It helps me focus and calms me down."

Serina practiced diligently and her control of the air is remarkable.

Last month she collected nimbus clouds to rain on the vineyard. The water came in handy for the grapes, and she manipulated the air pressure so that the rainfall is steady and soft, without damaging the fruits. The most impressive was that the rain lasted fifteen minutes, and then Serina dispersed the clouds without breaking a sweat.

I witnessed creatures manipulating elements either by lengthy chants or preparations, and often it consumes a lot of energy, yet Serina did it like it's nothing.

I look forward to seeing how far she will grow.

Noticing that I'm still watching her, Serina looked at me and the wind around her died down.

"Did you find something?"

I shook my head. "Nothing yet."

She clicked her tongue. "I checked my memory and there is no mentioning of Argona. That covers about 80% of the books. I will go through the rest of the books later."

"No rush.", I said. "We have time on our side. The most important is to act with caution as we don't want to alert whoever is out there looking for you."

"I understand."

After my talk with Glatellia, I thought that maybe this was not the best time for Serina to get a familiar.

Mona is a variable that is now connected to Serina and in the scenario where she needs to keep a low profile, the more people she interacts with, the more she is at the risk of being exposed.

"Keep a close eye on Mona.", I said eventually.

"Did something happen?"

I shrugged while trying to play it down. "Our talk about the book reminded me that your background is unknown and until we know with whom we are dealing, we should act with caution. That's all. Don't reveal to Mona more than necessary."

Before she got a chance to think too deep about it, I decided to switch the topic. "Tomorrow morning your tailor will come to discuss a gown for the event."

Serina objected. "I already have so many I never wore."

"That only proves that you should go out more often. We keep a low profile, but that doesn't mean we are staying underground. How about you pick one of those never-worn gowns and meet me in the living room in half an hour? We can still go out for dinner to celebrate. It's not every day that you get yourself a familiar."

Serina smiled helplessly. "OK, father."

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l . c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.