I rubbed my eyes as I sat up. My brain felt murky but it didn't take me long to realize I was not where I had been moments ago.

"Good morning." My head snapped in the direction of the too familiar voice. Her brilliant smile was the same as I remembered it. "I see that you are wearing my ring."

"Mom?" I breathed in shock and started looking around. The grass around us waved in a gentle breeze and we sat on the cress of a hill overlooking the sunset. "Where are we?"

"This is a magical space." She whispered as she sat closer to me. Her silver hair and blue eyes sparkled in the setting sun. "I left a piece of strong magic in that ring hoping that it would end up in your hands before you went through anything where you might need my help."

"I needed your help my entire life." I whispered, it felt hard to breathe as I looked at my mom that I had believed was dead. "Are you still alive out there?"

"No." She gave me a sad smile. "You found my baby didn't you? You named her Iris." She sighed and looked out at the sunset. "A while after I left you, I met a man named James and he is Iris's father. That isn't why I left that ring to you."

"Why did you leave it to me?"

"So that I could help you." Her voice was so sad, it didn't sound like the mother that I had known. "I'm sure that King Hellion told you who you were already. The Great Goddess Evangeline, a symbol of power, The Great Beginning. That is what you are and you will usher in a great change in this life."

"I thought you said you were going to help me, not repeat things I already knew." I snapped, anger at her betrayal, how she had left me, were on the tip of my tongue.

"I had sealed away your magic when you were born." I flinched back in shock at her words. "I was told that the first one in our family to be born in Glorious Beginning would be the reincarnation of the great goddess, it was something I was told repeatedly. I had no idea that was where I would end up having you. When you were born you immediately showed signs of magic and your eyes were lavender, not blue. I knew I had to act."

"If you sealed my powers then why am I able to use them now? Why would you seal the powers of the great goddess?" My brows furrowed as I tried to make sense of it all.

"Because," she took a deep breath, "I didn't want you to come into all that power so quickly, I wanted you to be able to live a little before having to take on so much responsibility." She looked out at the sunset. "But I am a witch and you were already a goddess and no matter how many spells I casted I knew your powers would come eventually but because I cast all those spells on you, you have been weakened and can't tap into that ancient magic that would let you win against Hellion."

"You are wrong."

"What?"

"I can access that magic." She stared at me now. "Maybe not to the extent I could but I know I can. I feel it in my bones. I see it in the air around us. I might have to try harder than I would have in my first life but I can do it."

"You are such a strong girl." My mom looked at me with that soft gaze that she would give me every time that I made her proud. "And I don't mean that you are strong because of your powers. I am saying you are strong because of how well you are handling this. A few hours ago you thought you were just a witch. A few months ago you thought you were just a normal girl... but now you are a goddess and the future rests in your hands." She looked away again. "You have to kill Hellion."

"I will not kill Leon." My voice carried a sort of finality that made my stomach pinch.

"Leon?" My mom looked at me strangely then.

"That is his name." I whispered as I looked at my mom. "I created him when mankind had just begun. He is my son." It felt weird to say it but I knew it to be true. "He isn't evil but whatever that ceptor is made out of is." I clutched my hands into fists. Memories were circling in my mind. Memories that I would have thought were just figments of a dream mere hours ago.

"I am not in the position to question a goddess." My mom said with a slight chuckle. "Either way, you need your powers back and when you wake up that is exactly what will happen. If you think the powers you have right now are extreme then you need to brace yourself." She sighed. "This last remaining bit of my magic is the only thing locking it up. So, when you wake up all of me will be gone and you will be free from the shackles I have placed on you."

"Thank you... for letting me have a life." I whispered and she looked at me with a pained expression. A tear glimmered as it trailed down her face.

"You don't have to get up just yet." She whispered. "Will you stay with me and watch the sunset?" Her eyes were hurting as she stared at me, as tears poured down her face. "Just a few more minutes and one last sunset."

"Of course, mom, one more time."