Cassadrei\'s POV

I had an intense urge to hug Michael as he looked at me with those doleful blue eyes.

"Be safe okay? Don\'t do anything stupid and don\'t fall for evil men this time." He tried to smirk, but the smile didn\'t reach his eyes which remained sorrowful. He didn\'t actually want me to go, he just wanted me to be happy and so he jad suggested that I meet with my mother. I didn\'t know what to make of it, if I leave today I might never see Michael again, and somehow that deeply unsettled me. But, like I said before, I had a duty to fulfill.

I held Michael\'s hand and looked into his eyes, trying to hold back my tears as I said, "You stay safe too. And practice your magic, Maland will be staying here and G..Genia can help you with your practice. After some days, you may return to human world and resume your studies, that\'s what you wanted right? But meanwhile, try to discover as much as you can about your powers."

Michael nodded, then turned away and closed his eyes. I was still holding his hand, and I pulled him a little so that now he faced me. His lips were inches away from mine.

"I don\'t know if I will ever have the chance to say these again. So, against my better wishes…." I took a deep breath as I summoned courage to mouth those words that I had meant to say for so long, "I love you, Michael. I always did. If only we had some more time….."

Michael turned away from me and broke free. I didn\'t try to communicate with him again.

"Let\'s get going." Sofosys said tenderly and I was once again conscious of the choices that I had made.

I was going back to Mafhaelore, to home! I had expected to feel some thrill at the thought of it, I should be elated at the prospect of returning home after so long, afterall wasn\'t that my ulterior motive? I had befriended Michael, went through so much trouble only because I had wanted to go back. So why do I feel such a gnawing emptiness now?

My suitcase was already packed so I was ready to leave. I bid farewell to Jake, Maland and Genia, and walked towards my hut to fetch my things. After a while, I was conscious of someone else following me.

"Cookie!" I exclaimed, seeing the Petrywinkler perched on the top a tree and grinning at me.

I had completely forgotten about him, and now that I am finally leaving, I realise that I have not made any plans regarding Cookie. Obviously, it would be the best option if I took him with me, I can\'t just let him loose in this human world. However, maybe I should still get his opinion.

Cookie agreed instantly, shaking his tiny head vigorously in enthusiasm. I wish I could be as happy as he is.

Victoria, Sofosys and I gathered near the Oak Tree, ready to leave. Sofosys would summon the charm that would open a portal connecting the Human realm with the Goblin realm. Victoria held my hand and smiled at me and I returned her smile. We were ready to go.

Sofosys\' incantations brought forth a huge purplish black hole that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and created a gap in the sky. I took a deep breath, and looked back at the island one last time, before plunging myself into the purple nothingness.

At first, the hole seemed to repel me. I could feel it pushing me away, as if it tried to prevent me from entering. Probably, my powers aren\'t developed enough for me to enter Mafhaelore yet, perhaps I would still need Michael, perhaps….

Then just like that, the hole suddenly sucked me in. The intense force that pulled me inward took my breath away, I could feel myself falling through a great depth, it felt like one of those rollercoaster rides I had taken with Linda during the fair, only it was hundred times worse.

I felt nauseated, my head kept swirling and the scream died in my throat as I continued to fall for what seemed like an eternity.

Then suddenly, I came to a stop. My feet touched solid ground, and immediately I fell forth on the ground, gasping for breath. The overwhelming nausea had left me, but I still felt dizzy with a constant ringing in my ears.

"What the hell was that?" Victoria said panting, "You could atleast have warned us, Sofosys!"

I looked around to see her stretched on the ground, her eyes closed as she tried to labor her breaths.

"I know...the journey through the portal can be a bit unpleasant." Sofosys replied sheepishly, and he was, remarkably still standing!

"But look, we have reached Mafhaelore!" He cried.

I rubbed my eyes and looked ahead for a proper view. The Country of Mafhaelore stretched in front of me, lush green grass fields spotted with wild flowers grew all around, and I could breath in the fresh unpolluted air.

"Woww!" remarked Victoria, taking it all in, "This place is so beautiful, and so green! I mean, where are the people? It looks quite abandoned."

She was right, there was not a single soul in sight. I looked at Sofosys, demanding some explanation, and he cleared his throat to answer, "Well….the people are in hiding. Obviously, they won\'t be visible in plain sight. It\'s the same charm that was present on the Island, only stronger because this time it conceals an entire Kingdom. Come with me."

He reckoned us to follow and we obediently did.

He took us to the edge of the farmland, where a single white Birch tree stood. The Tree was enormous, it\'s branches seemed to touch the sky and the colour was eerily white and translucent. Cookie burst into a fit at the sight of the tree and it took a while to restrain him. Then, Sofosys lay his hands on it and mumbled something, and voila! The tree turned completely transparent now. It was as if a door has been opened to the other side.

"Come." Sofosys said, as he went directly through the tree and was now visible as a faint shadow on the other side of it. The other side bustled with activity, there were thousands of shadows visible as they went about their daily business.

Victoria and I followed suited and we went through the resistance less tree to land on the other side.

"Amazing!" Victoria exclaimed.

I looked back and saw the Tree was solid again, as if the door has been closed now.

"I can\'t believe this place!" Victoria was giddy with enthusiasm now and I followed her gaze to find an entire city that had somehow managed to hide itself behind just a tree!

This was my country, or atleast the remnants of it, and it looked absolutely beautiful! The Palace stood at the centre of the city, the tall turrets visible from even the greatest distance. The rest of the plains was surrounded by numerous houses, housing complexes, playgrounds, city hall and there was even a tiny lake at the corner. The Goblins had rebuild with what they had, and had managed to create a livable society among the ruins.

"So, I will leave you here." Sofosys said, "The Queen shouldn\'t know that I have returned just yet. I…. I would find some other time to talk to her. Meanwhile, I will visit the library and look for any books that can help me reverse the magic that has trapped Magnus. You two, go forth to the Palace and ask for Her Majesty."

With that, Sofosys left, leaving us stranded in the middle of a huge city.

Victoria caught my hand and said, "Are you ready?"

I nodded, exhaling sharply. The palace was visible at a distance, and it would take us a while to reach it. We started walking towards our destination, Cookie in tow, who was so excited that we had to manually restrain him by putting him inside my suitcase.

"So, I heard what you said to Mike before we left." Victoria said as we were walking, "I am glad that you confessed."

My cheeks reddened at her comment, but trying to hide it I said in a normal voice, "I thought it would be good if I atleast let him know the truth before I left. It\'s not that we will meet again, right?"

I tried to sound non-chalant, but my heart ripped at every word I spoke.

Victoria seemed to sense my feeling as she said, "You can always go back, you know. After all this is done… I mean you said it yourself that you don\'t want to be Queen. Maybe, you can somehow convince your mother, and then you can return to the Human world to live with Michael."

"I wish I could do that." I said wistfully, "but it\'s not possible. Only if I had some other sibling, someone capable enough to rule the Kingdom in my stead…..but I am a single child! What can I do?"

I looked at Victoria who tried to say something, but then decided otherwise. She didn\'t speak the rest of the way, and I wondered what she had meant to say.