Grace carefully closed the door to the bathroom, took a deep breath, and consciously engaged in a conversation with Maggie. “You can talk now.”
“Alright, I’ll keep it brief. I’ll start with the important part. I recently discovered that I inherited the power of the Moon Goddess. I apologize for not revealing my identity as the daughter of the Moon Goddess to you earlier because, at that time, I wasn’t sure if it was true.”
This news was like a giant bombshell. Grace, despite her disciplined training, almost couldn’t contain her surprise. However, her rational mind reminded her that Ethan was right outside, and she had to ensure he didn’t learn about this news to prevent any inappropriate actions.
She took another deep breath, attempting to suppress the astonishment within her. “No wonder your power is so unstoppable. You even managed to break Ethan’s control over me back then, and now you can enter my consciousness. Everything makes sense now.”
Maggie felt a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to invade your consciousness. It’s just that Aldrich said their scouts couldn’t find you, so we had to resort to this method.”
Grace reassured her, “I’m not blaming you; it’s just surprising to experience the real power of the Moon Goddess for the first time.”
“Alright, the first thing isn’t that important; it’s mainly to explain why I can enter your consciousness. The second thing is more crucial, and I think you’d want to know.”
Grace held her breath, eagerly waiting for the important news Maggie was about to share.
“The Grand Elder has awakened.”
“What?” Although Grace didn’t use her vocal cords, she covered her mouth in astonishment. “He’s alive!”
“Yes,” Maggie confirmed, “Aldrich and I, along with another member of the Elder Council, rushed to the Grand Elder’s home immediately after the ceremony hadn’t started. We found him severely injured on the ground. I used the power my mother left me to save his life, but I couldn’t fully heal him. So, he has been in the special ward of the Elder Council, under constant care.”
“What happened afterward?”
“After that, I met with my mother, the previous Moon Goddess, and under the guidance of High Priestess Urania, I awakened my own Moon Goddess power. This unique power allowed me to successfully rescue the Grand Elder. Now he’s awake and slowly recovering.”
Grace felt tears welling up in her eyes. Tears fell on the sink, on the floor, but the room’s sealed air quickly evaporated the moisture, leaving no trace. She thought, “Great, at least I didn’t indirectly become the cause of your death, Grand Elder.”
“But, I thought Ethan had killed him then,” Grace said with confusion. That moment was a nightmare that still haunted her. The Grand Elder’s body collapsed before her eyes, and she, with trembling hands, tried to sense his breath and heartbeat. However, her cold fingers felt nothing, and at that moment, she was convinced Ethan had killed the Grand Elder. “I knelt by his side, bent down to listen for his heartbeat, tried to feel the breath in his nostrils, but I felt nothing. So, I was utterly despondent at that moment. I thought I had killed him.”
Now, it was Maggie’s turn to patiently reassure her. “No need to be afraid. When we arrived, he indeed was as you described-almost no sign of any living breath. However, I used my power as the Moon Goddess to sense energy still flowing within his body. It was challenging, but yes, he was still resiliently alive at that time.”
“Do you think it’s possible that Ethan didn’t go through with it?” Grace cautiously inquired.
Maggie carefully recalled all the scenes from that day. “I don’t think it matters whether he showed mercy or not. The Grand Elder himself withstood the attack, barely preserving his last breath. Without him, the Grand Elder wouldn’t have been lying in a sickbed for so long, right?”
Grace didn’t answer. She did notice that she was unintentionally trying to exonerate Ethan. This wasn’t what she should be doing. What she needed to do now was leave immediately, find a sharp knife, and accurately plunge it into Ethan’s heart. That was what she should do.
Maggie picked up a faint signal from her silence. “Okay, I guess this state might last for some time. Let’s talk a bit more. Have you been hurt recently? Aldrich mentioned earlier that he lost track of you, and to confirm if you were still alive, I tried to predict. I saw you in a lightless underground room, your body chained. I’m worried about you, Grace.”
“I’ve been okay recently, for some reason. He changed completely after that recent setback with Alexander. He lost all motivation, just drinking every day and doing nothing. It’s like he suddenly gave up on everything he used to pursue.”
“A setback? Because of what?”
Grace extracted some clues from the day Ethan came to her abruptly. “This is just my speculation. He told me that Alexander would use his mother’s photo to semi-coerce him into doing things he might not agree with. And he often promised him that if he could accomplish something, he would take him to see his mother. This time, he probably wanted to see his mother but was rejected.”
What kind of pain could fundamentally change a person’s core in an extremely brief moment? Perhaps a big tree fell not because of a storm that happened at a certain moment but because, beneath the land, the roots of the tree had long been deteriorating. The decay of the root system was the fundamental reason for the tree’s collapse.
Maggie felt she could understand such feelings to some extent. In a humble and helpless situation, that desire was the only vitality, supporting him to break free from the cage that imprisoned him. But now that desire was left with an empty frame, without any content. Maybe Ethan himself was aware that the wish his father promised could only be a wish.
“About Ethan’s mother, I think there are some things you should know.”
Grace was taken aback. “You know his mother? Wait, you’ve met his mother?”
“Yes, we met when we accidentally entered the Moonlight Forest. At that time, we didn’t know her identity because we unintentionally intruded, and she never told us who she was. When we encountered her, she was tormented by magic, obsessed only with her cub.”
“Moonlight Forest!” Grace exclaimed in her mind. She remembered Ethan mentioning that his mother seemed to be in the Moonlight Forest.
She opened the door slightly, and Ethan was still lying on the sofa, emitting a peaceful snoring sound. Grace thought, if you have the chance to see your mother this time, can you sleep peacefully?
“Maggie, please tell me more about what you know about Ethan’s mother, can you?”