For Titan’s sake, I’m an embarrassment. I was running through the brush of my island. How could I freeze up like that? Sure, it’s been decades—maybe centuries—since I last saw anyone, but my magic stirred like a newborn creature, and all he did was greet me.

  I was wheezing by the time I stopped, one hand pressed to the rough bark of a tree, the other on my knees as I doubled over. I could hear the island magic working in the background, fixing what I’d broken. No need to look back—I knew the branches I’d snapped and the footprints I left behind were already disappearing, absorbed by the land.

  He—no, Ronan—wouldn’t be able to find me, not easily. I needed time, space to think. My magic was still wild, acting on its own, and I couldn’t afford another outburst. If it kept spiraling every time I saw him, I’d never leave this island.

  I forced myself to breathe deeply, trying to slow the hammering of my heart. The ache in my chest from panic lingered, but it didn’t take long to regain my breath. The question was, where to go next?

  Back to the beach? No. If Ronan was still there, I wouldn’t trust my magic to stay in check. And going home…? That was even worse. The emotions there were a storm, and my magic was volatile enough without being flooded by the chaos of my memories. I’d just wind up ruining everything, like I always did.

  I needed a place to think, somewhere Ronan wouldn’t stumble upon easily. My gaze scanned the surroundings, ears straining for the sound of footsteps.

  The beach was too open, vulnerable. The trees weren’t thick enough to hide me if I tried to climb them. But what about the cliffside?

  The thought hit me with surprising clarity. The cliffside wasn’t a happy place, but it was still a good thinking spot—quiet, isolated.

  I hesitated, thinking of all the times I’d stood at the edge, tempted by the abyss below. The memory nearly stopped me in my tracks. I glanced at my arms. No scars. They were gone—just like the last time I’d thought about jumping off. How long had it been since my magic had healed me like that? I hadn’t even noticed. Had I been suppressing it all this time?

  I hadn’t even realized that my magic was that strong, not until now.

  I exhaled slowly. The enchantment I’d placed on that letter hadn’t healed me either. Why? It had waited until I used it to rescue… him.

  I didn’t have the answers, and it gnawed at me. I could feel the weight of the unanswered questions settling like a heavy stone in my chest. I should have known better.

  I started walking again, my steps heavy, each one more difficult than the last. My muscles were still sore from the burst of magic. It was like being a girl again, learning to control my godly powers, except now… I couldn’t let my magic hurt the one mortal who knew I was here.

  I wished my father were here, or even Hermes. Heck, I’d even tolerate Zeus if it meant talking to someone who understood my magic. And that was saying something, considering Zeus was the whole reason for everything I’d been dealing with. I wouldn’t even wish this kind of isolation on him, and he was the king of the Olympians.

  I sighed, pulling my arms around myself as I made my way up toward the cliffs. It wasn’t just the cliffs that felt important. There was something else, something… familiar, but distant. I frowned as the incline steepened. It felt like memories were missing, slipping through my fingers.

  I had to stop myself. My head felt like something was drilling into it. That couldn’t be good. Honestly, I was starting to worry about myself.

  Hopefully, taking time to review my interface would give me some answers, at least about what’s been happening to me. I was sick of this—sick of being in the dark. I despised Zeus, and I couldn’t help but wish he’d get what he deserved, have to face the sins of trapping me here, isolated for eternity. How could he ever redeem himself for what he’d done to me?

  I didn’t even realize I’d reached the top of the cliffs until I finished my thoughts about Zeus. I wasn’t sweating much—maybe my magic was helping me recover. I couldn’t even remember what my magic was supposed to do anymore, other than what I’d done with the water.

  I ran my hands through my hair, only to stop short. Was my hair worse than I thought? I didn’t want to look. My appearance didn’t matter right now.

  Stiffly—my muscles still sore from the run and hike—I made my way to the edge of the cliff and sat down. The rock was hard beneath me, the vegetation sparse where I perched, but I felt the tension ease from my body, though I wasn’t sure if I felt good or something else. The breeze here was nice, though—light and teasing, playing with my hair and clothes.

  For a moment, I just stared out at the horizon. Wondering, for the first time since Zeus had declared his decree, what lay beyond it. And then I took a deep cleansing breath to steady myself. It was time to see what I had been avoiding for all this time.

  “Name: Calypso

  Age: unknown

  Level: fifty

  Gender: female

  Class: Enchanted Immortal (Minor Goddess)

  Magic: Unstable

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  Father: Titan Atlas

  Attributes: Strength, unknown, Dexterity, unknown; Constitution, unknown; Intelligence, twenty; Vitality, unknown; Wisdom, ten; Charisma, unknown.”

  I frowned looking at the first half of the screen. I had missing values, but unknown, could mean many things. I didn’t want to think negatively about unknown things right now.

  “Unique Attribute: Charm; one hundred twenty (Curse), Willpower; five; Despair; eighty-five; Memory, five; Compassion, forty-five; Resilience, fifteen; Courage, eight; Hope, ten.” I continued reading, and these attribute made sense, I wonder what I could do to get my memory up?

  But I needed to finish reading this, not ponder how to get my attributes up, though the memory one worried me.

  “Curse: The Eternal Unrequited Desire. Attempted Deaths: Unknown. Failed Quests: One hundred fifty-seven, Successful Quests: One.”

  And that was the end. I sat for a long while after reading my Character sheet. I honestly had no idea what to make of it, and with all my failed quests, I was fairly certain, most my stats were near mortal level or influenced by the curse. I wondered why I never really delved into my interface and stats?

  I supposed my despair didn’t help, my gut clenched each time I looked at that number. Eighty-five. That was high, right? It had to be right? It would explain why lately I’d been hugging my knees, did the eighty-five affect me any other way? What did despair do to mortals? I couldn’t remember.

  And the five in memory made me want to weep, probably a side effect of despair I would assume. But why am I only now noticing these things? I figured I would have noticed and tried to rectify the situation long ago. How long have I actually been here if I don’t go by the quests?

  “Notice, time on Ogygia is unknown.”

  I groaned, I bet it wasn’t even this systems fault, if my memory wan’t a five, and was back at the level I was before the Titan War, I bet I would have been able to find the clue I was missing. I leaned back letting my legs continue to hang of the edge, but now I was laying down, staring up at the sky.

  Something was nagging at the edges of my mind though, why was I analyzing this so well. I’d been so out of it im recent decades, that I’d just hug my knees, but this… this is the opposite of what I’ve been like recently.

  I raised my arms up and stared at my hands aimlessly, they looks both familiar and foreign. Ronan showing up really changed something I think. He got me to use my magic, I’m probably going to have remember my old practice routines to try.

  “New Quest.” The system interrupted my musings. “M and M, Magic and Men.” I just stared at the Quest title, I felt suspicious all of sudden, that it popped up when I was thinking about Magic and Ronan, it was like… was like… like.

  I blinked, and read my new quest.

  “Quest: S and M

  Type: Exploration, Magic Mastery, Self-Discovery

  Description: Your magic, long suppressed and sealed away, has returned to you, unbidden and unrestrained. Its resurgence signals a turning point–a chance to uncover truths buried deep with your heart and find the freedom you java long desired. The scare you once bore, reminders of a time when you sought release in pain, have vanished with the awakening of your magic. What was once hidden now demands to be faced.

  To claim your freedom, you must confront your fears and navigate the tangled path of your own magic, and what has trapped you. The message in a bottle has set your finale in motion, leading you to the man named Ronan and all he represents. Seek him, and through his secrets, find the answers you need to free yourself from the shackles that have bound you here.

  But freedom is never easily won. The path ahead demands bravery, trust, and a willingness to take responsibility for that you have done and will do. Will you rise to the challenge, or will you falter under your own personal scrutiny?”

  I flinched at the description of my S and M question. What did S & M stand for? I thought about it for a moment, putting off the objectives for the success of this. I knew I was stalling though, but this felt different, from how I usually stalled, but I wasn’t sure if I liked it, I felt exposed like this. And I doubted it had anything todo with the fact I was literally lying on a cliffs edge at the moment.

  I looked over the name and description of the question a couple more times, maybe the “S’ stood more for the scars I lost? And maybe the “M” was more for the magic, it seemed I needed to relearn? Even my mental voice was hesitant to accept this. I could see the S and M meaning more about the sense of self and myths or even sin and mercy, but those suggestions had connotations that I wasn’t sure I wanted to dive into just yet.

  I sighed, laying my arms back down on the ground, and looked to the left, the horizon instead of the sky. The sun was going down. But I went back to the new quest I wasn’t sure I would like.

  “Quest Objectives, number one: relearn your magic. Now that your magic has been utilized once more, you need to stabilize it, as it is currently unstable. Number Two: Ronan. Get to know the man who is now trapped on the island with you. Discover if he can break the curse the traps you here. Number three, face your reflection. Rediscover what has been hidden inside your memories, can you accept your past?

  Number four, seek your freedom. The key lies within you, with the assistance of the man. Only when the other objectives are met will you know the true meaning of the freedom you seek.

  Quest Success; Reward One, unique attributes will be reset to normal levels. All other reward hidden based on objective success.

  Quest Failure; all negative attributes will be maxed out, and magic instability will have unknown consequences.”

  My mind went numb, my muscles tensed and I sucked in a deep breath. This was an all or nothing quest. I was certain of that much. Even if I didn’t physically die, this quest felt like it could break me on a soul deep level. But what would that sort of thing do to me?

  That thought scared me, and I stood up, I could be laying down with something like that beginning to haunt me. I suppose I could be grateful timers had never been a thing with these quests right? I needed proper rest, so I pulled up the bars that showed my health, magic and other important information, all but magic was a reddish orange, and my magic was a red sliver.

  “So much for avoiding my home and Ronan,” I wearily mumbled as I turned around to make my back. It was right when I took the first step to turn around I heard something, and I froze.