The Light of Redania

Natasha’s Magic Power:
There once lived a girl, named Natasha in the Cave of Redania, a village in the middle of ancient silver trees. She was a close friend of all the villagers because of her gentleness and kindness. Yet, Natasha carried a secret that no one knew. Each night, as all the other people in the village slept, she ran into the woods, and there she practiced her magic, which she had learned from her mother to love.
This magic linked her with memories of her mother who was a healer by profession, but died when Natasha was still very young. Now when Natasha redeems the energy of the star and illuminates the darkness, she heard her mother’s voice saying, “It’s time”. However, that breeze of magic blown by the wind was not remembered by the village, because it was wiped off from the village long time ago. Natasha concealed it, fearing other people’s reaction if they were to know that she had those feelings.

The Boy by the River:
One day while she was studying under a big oak tree where her mother used to sit she met a boy named Sam. The boy was seated by the river side with his face hidden in shades of grief. Natasha, drawn by his sadness, approached him with quiet steps.
“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice soft but filled with concern.
Sam lifted his eyes to her and they were red from crying. “My sister,” he said slowly, he was shaking completely. “My sister is sick. The nurses have said that she will not be able to survive the winter. There is nothing more they can do. ”
Natasha felt anxious for him. She, however, had lost many people too. But she had her magic, she had her light. She know that she could do it, but she also understood the price that will be involved. Her mother once used star magic to cure disease but every time she did it, she got weak. Sam needed help and there it was, waiting to be used and Natasha thought of the condition it had left her mother in.
‘I can help’, she whispered in barely audible sound. “But you must promise never to tell anyone. ”
Sam with dilated eyes agreed without any second thought. “I swear. ”

A Life Restored and Cost Paid:
That night Sam took Natasha to his little house where his sister was in the last breath of her life, stretched on a bed. Natasha felt nervous when she was standing by the bed, aware of the fact that everything was about to transform. The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow around them. Natasha closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to weave the light.
She lifted her hands toward the stars, and slowly, shimmering strands of silver light flowed from her fingers, softly wrapping around Sam's sister. The air grew warm, filled with a gentle hum. As the magic moved through the girl’s body, her breathing steadied, her pale cheeks regained color, and after a moment, her eyes fluttered open.
Sam saw this and cried out loud finally, tears of relief, he was alive. “You… You… You saved her,” he whispered.
But Natasha didn’t respond. She moved her limbs with more difficulty; she was beginning to feel as if the energy that made her alive was slowly being drained from her. The poor girl had given more than she had to give, but the joy on Sam’s face was worth it. She tried to smile, and her fingers were shaking as she left without anyone else could notice her exhaustion.
Over the next few weeks, Sam’s sister was walking and talking and eating. She began to laugh again, her energy returned, and life in the village seemed brighter. Natasha continued to see Sam and his sister and their friendship became stronger with time. She saw that besides being grateful Sam had a kind heart and for that she also felt attracted to him.
As the days went by, Natasha grew noticeably weaker. The magic she had used to heal Sam’s sister wasn’t something she could recover from easily. The star magic had demanded a part of her, and though she tried to hide the toll it took, it was clear. Every time she saw Sam’s sister laughing and running through the village, Natasha felt proud, but also reminded that she was losing her own strength bit by bit. Sam noticed it too—her lively spark was fading, and it worried him deeply.

Final Goodbye:
One day while the stars were beginning to twinkle. Sam looked up to find Natasha sitting alone under the great oak tree with her hands resting lifeless on her lap. She was very pale and was breathing barely.

“What’s happening to you?” Sam whispered while kneeling beside her.
Natasha looked up at him, with her eyes soft but tired. “The magic... it takes from me, Sam. To give life, I must give a part of myself.”
Sam’s heart shattered in that moment. He had never known the cost of what she had done, and now the weight of her sacrifice bore down on him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice breaking. “I never wanted you to hurt yourself for us” She said.
Sam smiled weakly and tears glistened in his eyes😪. “I didn’t do it for you to owe me anything. I did it because I care... about you, your sister, this village. It was a choice I made... and I don’t regret it,” She said.
Sam took her hands, squeezing it gently as he tried to hold back the tears. “There must be something I can do. Some way to help you.”
But Natasha shook her head. She had accepted her fate long before. “Magic always has a cost. And this was mine.”
That night, the stars shone brighter than ever before, Natasha’s light flickered one final time. She passed away quietly in Sam’s arms. Her face was peaceful, as if she had found solace in the stars.
Sam wept for the girl who had given everything, for the love that had blossomed only to be taken too soon. The village mourned at her death, but they never knew the true reason behind her passing. To them, she was simply a kind girl who had left too soon.
But Sam knew who she actually was. Every night, when he looked up at the stars, he saw her light, the gift she had given to the world, shining forever in the sky. And though it filled his heart with warmth, it also broke it💔, knowing he would never see her smile again.