Alden looked down at his trembling hands, and hoped that what he had just heard was not a cruel figment of his own imagination.
Surely, there was just no way it was possible?
It didn't make sense.
'How could Maeve be the Matriarch?'
Age aside, one was a Transcendent, and the other, a child.
The only explanation Alden could think of was that it was an illusion - a very elaborate, incredibly life-like illusion. The young man recalled the soft sensation of the little girl's hair as he patted her, her smooth skin which was a far cry from Alden's rough and calloused own, her polished eyes reminiscent of a green sapphire, all of it was so real.
He struggled to believe it could be fake.
Then, Alden recalled a rumour from long ago about the Zephyr Clan. It stated that they did not just specialise in wind magic, but in casting illusions as well. They were able to combine the two, to form devastatingly real spectres that could fool even the most perceptive of people.
