Wizarding Times

Read the first part here and the second part here.

"Father?" whispered Veronica.

"Indeed, it's me, daughter. And I'm truly sorry I let this happen.... Your mother didn't deserve that, and neither did you. Please, come hug me and tell me you forgive me," replied the figure.

Veronica stood still like a statue for a moment and then she dissolved in tears, running towards her father with her arms open for a hug. "Oh Father, I missed you so much. I needed you," she sobbed as she hugged him.

"I know darling, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have left you two alone. But we'll talk more later, you need to rest now. Come with me," her father replied before taking her inside a secret passageway that led to a hidden city, a city far more beautiful than any she has seen before.

"What is this place? It's breathtaking. You've never talked to me about it before though, have you? I don't remember you mentioning it," asked Veronica.

Her father replied, "No. It was a secret between certain captains and warriors of our country. We found it about three months ago, while searching for a way to protect the forest so that outsiders can't come in." He stopped for a minute as if recalling something and then he turned to the right and pointed to a small building. "That's where I'm staying. Let me take you there so you can rest, and once you are ready we can talk more."

They both smiled and headed toward the small house.

When she woke up, Veronica saw her father was sitting beside her bed. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Long. Nearly two full days," he replied.

"Two days??" asked Veronica in surprise. "That sounds like forever. And the worst is that I still feel tired."

"You are hungry. Come, let's go in the other room and I'll bring you something to eat there," said her father.

"That's a lot of food, I don't think I'm capable of eating that much, although everything looks really delicious," she noted as she saw the food.

Her father smiled. "Don't speak before you try. You'll see you're capable of eating even more than that, though I don't think it'll be good for your health to eat more than that." And she soon realized her father was right — she was so hungry, you would think she had never eaten before in her life and if this was one meal, then she needed at least several more for to recover fully.

She finished the food quite quickly, and after she was done drinking some water, she sat more comfortably on the chair and gave a satisfied sigh and smiled to her father. "That was the best thing in my life. Ever."

He smiled back, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Though now it's time to move onto serious talk. Shall we go in the living room?" She nodded and they left the dinning-room.

"You see, the reason why I and some other people are staying here is because we came up with a great discovery. Researching the drawings on the walls of the nearby temple we learned that a certain artist, scientist, or whatever he actually was, founded a city way larger than any other, a city far more beautiful than any other, and a city with bigger powers than any other. If we're not mistaken the city is surrounded by some aura or a magic shield that protects it from negative energy. We believe that inside that city there are certain artifacts of great value. We are not sure, but some of them might even have the power to resurrect people from their graves."

Veronica got so interested about the story that she forgot she wanted to ask something. "But... but Father, why are you telling me this? How is all of that connected to me? And are there any chances that we can actually bring mom... back?"

Her father gave a small sigh. "I am not sure there are any chances for anything, Daughter; I actually cannot be sure this place exists for real. But one thing is sure, we will never know unless we try to find it. And I'm telling you all of this because you are the person who's supposed to do this. One of the messages on the temple's walls said that the only person who could reach this so-called 'wonder place' is the same person who will find the scrolls that lead to there and will protect the secret with everything they have, even their life." Veronica was listening, mesmerized now. "You have proven you are that person, my daughter. I and the rest of the people here will help you as much as we can, but it's up to you. Will you go on this quest and sacrifice yourself, or will you decide to just live peacefully here? It is totally your choice."

Veronica just now realized the seriousness of this. "I... I...." She couldn't decide what she wanted to do.

"Whatever you choose, I know you'll make the right choice," said her father as he took her hand in his.

Veronica smiled and after she took a deep breath, she answered. "Let's do this. For mom."

Her father smiled back and nodded. He knew that from that very moment they entered into something new, a beginning of something big, something that would either make them the happiest family on the world, or would lead them to a very miserable and sad end. But no matter what was next, there was no going back now.

The End