Faint words of mourning drifted through the cemetery that darkened Tuesday morning. A fresh grave had been dug in anticipation for the newest addition to the collection of departed souls laid to rest. Mourners draped in midnight gathered before a sleek black coffin adorned with yellow and white roses. A few umbrellas were scattered throughout the group in preparation for the angry storm clouds that rolled in, tinting the cemetery a gloomy shade of grey-blue.

A few rows back, tucked beneath a towering oak tree stood a hidden figure. Had the mourners turned, they may have noticed her gaze trained upon their service, on the photo of a smiling young man who would never be seen again. But no one turned, and Lilly remained undiscovered as she thumbed at the buttons of her rain jacket.

She watched as they lowered the coffin into the grave, as they showered it in roses and treasures, and as the mourners began to thin. A man and woman hovered long after the others, flanked by two girls and one familiar young man. Alex's parents shook with grief, and the children seemed to be forcing themselves to stay composed, but the cracks in their facade would soon crumble. They watched in solidarity as the grave was filled with fresh dirt, and the final page of Alex's book was turned. Lilly waited until they, too, made their way out of the cemetery, leaving her alone with the fresh grave of her best friend.

She knelt before the gravestone, ignoring the dark dirt that stained her jeans. Her eyes scanned the engraving like somehow she may have imagined the whole thing. That this was someone else's grave, someone else's body. Alex would appear, and this would all have been a cruel joke.

Alexander  Griffin

Loving Son, Brother, and Friend.

His entire life was reduced to a sentence. It was a sharp slap to the face. But how were they meant to portray all that he was, all that he could have been, in the space of a few inches? Between her fingers, Lilly twirled a vibrant yellow rose. With a heart-wrenching sigh, she placed it upon the edge of his stone. They were his favorite in life, and she was sure if he had a say, he'd wish them to be with him in death. Lilly twisted her fingers above it and cast a simple charm. While the other flowers left behind would fade with time, the rose would remain forever fresh and lovely.

"I'm so sorry, Lex." a painful lump expanded in her throat, and soon, tears overflowed onto her cheeks. "I should've been stronger. I should've been able to protect you." She ran her fingers along the smooth surface of his headstone and let out a heavy sob. There was no warmth or familiarity, only cold marble.

"Hey." Her head snapped up at the voice, and she found Thomas standing above her with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. "I saw you during the service." He stated blandly. The usual humor and joy were nowhere to be found. He hiked up his pants an inch and sat down beside her. Lilly dug her fingers into the dirt and stared at it as if it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.

"Do they know?" she whispered. It was a vague question, but Thomas knew precisely what she meant.

"I told them everything." He crossed his ankles and draped his elbows across his knees with a sigh. "I just couldn't have them thinking he died in some freak car accident. They deserve the truth. He died fighting for what was right." Lilly wiped at her cheeks feebly and lifted her gaze to his. His dark eyes were just as she remembered them, even if the spark within had dulled to a faint glowing ember.

"I'm so sorry." Lilly choked, her chest heaving with the weight of her failure. The soft balmy breeze swept across the cemetery, pulling her honey blonde hair up and into the air. Her trailing tears chilled as the wind licked at her rosy cheeks.

"It wasn't your fault." Lilly scoffed in denial, shoving her nose up at the thought. "I know my brother, and he would have gotten involved whether you liked it or not."

"He did have quite the stubborn streak, didn't he?" A small huff of laughter filled the air.

"That he did." Thomas's lips twisted up in the ghost of a smile. "How's Ava holding up? I tried calling her, but nothing."

"Not well." Lilly shook her head minutely. "She decided to stay in Fillory. Barely talks to anyone." The thought of Ava's heartbroken face brought a fresh bout of tears to her eyes. Alex seemed to have taken a piece of each of them along with him, and she wasn't sure they'd ever recover what they'd lost. "Dani left with Saia to travel worlds, Quentin and Penny are off at some Centaur healing retreat, and Margo and Elliot are ruling Fillory. I'm all alone." Thomas reached out and took her hand in his with a gentle squeeze.

"You have me." Her gaze softened on their joined hands.

"I haven't even asked about you." She chided herself and gave him a sympathetic smile. "How are you?"

"As well as to be expected, I guess." He shrugged dismissively. "I took a job with some bank doing Illusionary security. It pays well, and I can visit Mom and Dad whenever I want, so it's good for now. It's just a matter of learning to live in a world without him." Lilly's heart sank at his final words. Learn to live in a world without Alex? It wasn't something she ever wanted to do. She didn't want a world without him. She didn't want a world without her mother, or Jane, or Alice. Yet here she was, trying to find her way without any of them by her side. Lilly lingered for a long while, listening to Thomas speak about Alex's life before Brakebills and the love he had for his little brother. It wasn't until the first drops of rain began to pitter-patter on stone that they made their way to the gates.

"I'm sure my family would love to meet you. The Wake should've already started. You can come with me if you want." Thomas offered as he shook open his umbrella and held it above their heads. Lilly shook her head sadly. She couldn't face them yet. Despite Thomas's words of assurance, the guilt still weighed heavily upon her.

"I can't." He nodded in understanding, his eyes searching hers. "I have somewhere I need to be." Lilly hugged him in farewell and headed off down the street. Pulling her jacket tight around her, she traveled through the light rain until she found a private street. The portal she summoned deposited her before a classic brick townhouse with window boxes overflowing with vibrant flowers.

With a sharp intake of breath, Lilly stared at the door before her. She visualized all the ways what she was about to do could go. But despite the anxious beating of her heart and the guilt she felt for what she had put her friends through, all she could think of was how she wanted to see Cara's face. She craved the comforting touch of her friend, the voice that never failed to made her feel at home. She wished to tell Cara that all this time, she was okay and that she missed her.

Now, standing in front of her door was Lilly's chance to explain it all. She could see her best friend again. She let out a trembling breath before raising her fist and hesitantly beating on the apartment door. After three knocks, she dropped her hand, her breath quickening as she waited with anticipation to hear the adorable bickering of her friend and her fiance about who should open the door. But she was only met with silence.

She stepped back, defeat settling in her chest as she contemplated what to do next. Before she could trap herself in her grieving thoughts though the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and muffled bickering ensued. Lilly clenched her teeth, frozen as she waited for the door to be pulled open. What was she going to do? Say? What do you say to someone you quite literally ghosted?

With a loud creak, the door opened to reveal a young woman with intricate chocolate braids piled atop her head. Wrapped in a deep emerald robe with a mug of steaming tea clutched in her hand was Cara. Lilly's chest fluttered with a deep excitement she hadn't felt in a long time- the kind she only felt on her days out with Cara, where her crazy friend would teach her to have the time of her life.

Cara's lips parted, eyes wide in disbelief, and Lilly, although she was expecting to see her friend, had a similar expression. Seeing Cara brought a flood of memories through her mind that she hadn't recalled for quite some time. She couldn't believe that she was seeing her, that she could finally tell her the truth.

"Lilly?" Lilly leaped forward and jumped to Cara, engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. "I can't believe this..." Cara's words came out through heavy, shaky breaths as she wrapped her arms around Lilly, burying her face into the crook of her neck. They remained in the position for several moments, enjoying each other's embrace. Lilly found herself sinking further and further into her best friend's arms, melting into her warmth.

"I missed you so much," she sniffled, blinking back tears.

"Oh my God, it's actually you." Cara pulled away. She used her thumb to wipe tears from under her eyes and mentally debated whether she was angry with the blonde for disappearing or just grateful and happy to have her back. "Where the hell were you all this time?"

Before Lilly could answer, the door opened wider to reveal Jiada. "What's going on?" Once her eyes landed on Lilly, they expanded, and she brought a hand to her mouth in shock. "Lilly?" The woman leaned forward and pulled her into a gentle hug. "We were so worried about you! Come in, come in."

Cara clasped onto Lilly's cold hand and pulled her into the apartment, leading her into the living area. Lilly sat on the sofa next to Cara and smiled when Jiada returned with a glass of ice water with a single wedge of lime hanging off the edge. Just the way she liked it. "Thanks," she placed the glass on the wooden coffee table before her.

"I can't believe you're back," Cara gushed again, refusing to remove her eyes from her friend. "What happened to you? Where were you?"

"That's what I came here to talk to you guys about." Lilly bit her lip as she stared between the two women. "I'm so, so sorry you guys had to postpone your wedding because of me. I really can't begin to tell you how guilty I feel about that."

"Lilly, are you insane? You don't need to apologize for that. You were missing."

"That's the thing," Lilly sighed and stared at her hands in shame. "I wasn't missing. Well, not in the way you're thinking."

"What are you talking about?" Jiada furrowed her brows, staring expectantly at her.

"I wasn't missing... I just had to go out of town," Lilly explained vaguely, her heart beating too fast for her to process her thoughts. Cara's features darkened at Lilly's words.

"You're saying you had us thinking you were kidnapped or- or dead or something when you were just out of town?" She hissed, her eyes blazing.

"It's not like that-"

"Lilly, you had us so worried! I thought I lost my best friend!" Cara's voice cracked, and Jiada placed a soft hand on her fiance's shoulder.

"I know, and I'm so, so sorry I put you through all of this," Lilly's voice was shaky, her heart shattering into a million pieces at how upset and angry her friend appeared to be. "I didn't mean to hurt you guys or cause you any trouble. I just couldn't-"

"Send a simple text saying "I'm okay"?" Cara hissed.

"If you just let me explain, then you'd understand!" Lilly exclaimed, exhaustion lacing her melancholy voice.

"Explain, then."

Lilly looked between the couple, taking in their intimidating stares. They looked at her with such frustration and expectation. She began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt before she started to speak. "Magic is real," she declared, looking at Cara and Jiada and waiting to see any reaction from them.

They both stared at her blankly, almost as though they hadn't heard her, but then Cara shook her head and let out a cold scoff. "You're unbelievable. I'm calling your psychiatrist."

"Wha- I'm telling the truth! I'll prove it to you!" They watched impatiently, eyebrows raised in disbelief while the blonde picked up a sheet of paper from the coffee table. With her shaky fingers, she began to fold it into the form of a tiny paper crane.

"Wow... origami," Jiada mumbled, at a loss for what to say to the woman whose justifications appeared weaker and weaker with every passing second.

"How magical. You've really wowed us, Lilly." Cara's voice was harsh and cold, but Lilly ignored them as she placed the crane delicately onto the table. "Just give it up, Lilly, okay? Nothing you do can make me forgi-"

But then, Lilly began to circle her two hands around each other. She drew her hands apart and angled them toward the crane. With a minor movement and wave of her fingers, the folded piece of paper shifted in its spot on the table as though the wind had pushed it forward. Cara and Jiada's eyes darted to the window to see that it was firmly shut. They looked back at the crane apprehensively. With a few more waves of Lilly's hand, it's wings began to flutter. A few feet up from the ground, it floated, and when Lilly flicked her wrist forward, the paper coursed through the sky like a living bird. As it flew, it carried an air of freedom with it- the kind that, deep down, everyone wished to have.

With slackened jaws and wide eyes, the couple watched, dumbfounded, as a piece of paper flew through their apartment. It traveled past their kitchen door, their bedroom, and every other inch of their home as though it knew just where to float to avoid crashing. Except, all of this, it was by Lilly's manipulation. Cara reluctantly drew her eyes away from the crane that continued to fly and focused on Lilly, who used her index finger and thumb to navigate the crane.

"H- How are you doing that?" Jiada's voice was shaky, and her eyes darted between Lilly and the flapping bird, at a crossroads between which to glue her eyes to. Lilly said nothing and instead drew her index finger and thumb closer together as she began to guide her creation back onto the table. It landed smoothly without a bump or a sound, leaving Lilly's friends even more awestruck than before.

"I'm a Magician."

Lilly's stomach roiled as she stepped past the wards of The Valley with Omari by her side. He squeezed her hand, but her nerves were too raw to respond with anything other than a slight twitch that she'd intended to be a smile. She was overjoyed to find him alive and well, if not a little traumatized when she'd returned to Castle Whitespire. He'd survived Alex's murderous rampage by what many would say was sheer luck. Lilly knew the little boy well enough by now to know that his escape was due to his tiny stature and affinity for stealth. According to him, he'd fought valiantly to defend Fen's life. That story had swiftly been disproved by Fen's account. Omari had apparently shot Alex with a slingshot and nearly gotten himself killed had Fen not defended him with her knife skills. Lilly didn't care how it happened, only that he was alive and well.

Their shoes crunched lightly on the underbrush as they weaved through the forest towards the village where their people waited. The balmy warmth wrapped around her and softened her feeling of unease. She hadn't exactly left this place on good terms. She hadn't left on any terms, just disappeared in the night. The note she left behind explained it all, but Lilly had no idea how her grandfather would respond to her abandoning him.

"Omari!" Just as they parted the trees to the outskirts of the village, a woman called out excitedly. Omari broke out into a giant grin when he saw her. He dropped Lilly's hand and sprinted to meet her. Yakia scooped him up into her arms and held him so tightly Lilly thought she'd never let go. Their love was infectious, and Lilly found that she, too, was smiling now. It faded when she caught sight of the man approaching. Elias stared at her with an unreadable mix of emotions. He stopped a few feet from her. The tension between them could've been sliced with a knife.

"We killed him. He's gone for good." It felt as if she were reporting to a superior, not reuniting with the only family she had left. Elias gave a curt nod.

"Then you did what I could not." His bright blue eyes lowered. "I was weak."

"You weren't weak." Lilly shook her head in confusion, but he held up a gentle hand to silence her. Yakia wrapped an arm around her son's shoulders and lead him away from their conversation.

"When the moment of action arose, I chose the path of a coward." He sighed pitifully. "You did what a true queen would have. You helped those in need, whether they be your people or not. I could stand to learn a thing or two from you." A small smile quirked his lips, and a spark of humor brightened his face.

"You aren't angry with me?"

"I was." He admitted, and she looked down at her hands. "But I realized that I was treating you as a child when you're already a grown woman. You have a mind of your own, just like Jane."

"I always thought I got it from my mum." Chuckling, she saw the slight mist of tears gathering in his eyes.

"I hope I haven't tarnished our relationship beyond repair."

"Of course not." She quickly banished the thought with a vigorous shake of the head.

"Then I hope you will forgive me." He held out a hand, palm facing up towards the heat of the sun. Lilly took it without hesitation, and he pulled her into a tender hug. Chin resting atop her head, Elias closed his eyes to savor the feeling of his granddaughter in his arms. It was a long while before they pulled away. Lilly held on to his arms with her own as she took one step back and looked up at him. "I have no expectations for you, other than that you be willing to let me into your life in some capacity. However, if you wish it, the offer still stands for you to remain here. I can teach you all there is to know about our people and your powers. You may come and go as you please, of course." She bit her lip thoughtfully, brows furrowing. His voice was so eager and hopeful it made her heart lift in excitement.

Lilly thought of her friends in that moment. Penny and Quentin were still healing from the battle, and the others were all off on their own new adventures. It felt as if everyone had turned a new page except for her. She'd contemplated returning to Brakebills for the new semester, but the thought of being there without the others, without Alex and Alice, felt deeply wrong. Lilly needed a fresh start, a new purpose. Elias was her family, and so many secrets remained undiscovered when it came to her past and magic.

"I think I'd like that." Lilly grinned up at him through thick lashes. Her grief seemed to lighten slightly with the utterance of those words. She was moving forward, however slowly. One step was enough for now. That she could do. For Alex, for her mother, for all those lost along the way. So Lilly allowed Elias to guide her further into The Valley and whatever awaited her beyond.