** Lia’s POV ** As we made our way down the path, I could see Dakota walk with an extra pep in her step. “Yeah, it was pretty cool seeing all of that. I can’t believe all of the legends and myths I read about are actually… real.” Her eyes lit up as her gaze met mine. “I’ve always wanted them to be real but, well… that’s just not how it worked.” She looked back to the ground as sadness swept over her face and her pace slowed. “It’s alright. We work really hard to keep it that way.” I began, as I reached out and rubbed her back. “The world hasn’t been prepared for us to be out in the open for centuries.” “Why is that?” She inquired. “Well, let’s just say that once monotheistic religions and science started playing a larger part in everyone’s lives… magic, itself, was forced to move over

