Page 130 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

Leaning forward, my lips explore hers, planting soft kisses all over her face.

"You aren't leaving me, Forest," I whisper. "You can't leave us-"

"She isn't staying with you." Tears slip free from Forest's blank eyes. "She's coming with me."

Feeling the hand of my daughter weakly release my finger, her strong heart begins to die down.

No.

"No," I whisper. "No, no. You're not both leaving me here," I cry out. "You're not leaving me-"

"X-Xavier?" she gasps. "Touch my temples-"

"Forest, I-"

"Touch them, Xavier," she says clearly. "Please."

Hesitantly gravitating my hands away from my girls, I reach for her temples.

"Forest-"

Closing my eyes in a blink, I shock myself the moment my eyes are open.

No longer covered in the blood of my loved ones outside the cabin, I sit in a flowered field, surrounded by the greenest foliage I have seen in my whole life. Looking at the simple white house in the distance, the trees surrounding the area calmly shake as the leaves clatter in the wind.

"Forest?" I whisper out loud.

"Forest-"

"Daddy!" a young voice yells, forcing me to turn around.

Feeling her arms well before I see her face, she wraps her arms around my neck from behind, eagerly laughing in my ear.

"Momma said you were coming to see us!" she exclaims. "Momma said you will always find a way to see us."

Reaching backward, I tug the body on my back into my lap. Too stunned to speak, a beautiful little girl looks back at me, her face a perfect mix of me and Forest. Smiling at me with a wide grin, her missing teeth remind me of a sister I never got the chance to watch grow. Touching my face with her little hands, she grins wider.

"I have always wanted to see you."

Rubbing my thumbs over her cheeks, my lip wobbles.

"Honey?"

"Hi, Daddy," she smiles. "Momma said you'd be coming to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" I whisper. "Where-"

"That's enough, baby," Forest's voice whispers. "Daddy is here to spend some time with us first."

Feeling her warmth beside me, I turn my head, eagerly pulling her into me at the sight of her healthy glow.

Wearing a light green dress, her hair is in a braid. Holding them both as tight as I possibly can, Forest lets out a loud laugh.

"We don't have much time," Forest laughs. "Why don't you go and find us some lilies beautiful?" Forest questions our girl.

Eagerly sliding away from my lap, she gives me a kiss on the cheek before running through the lavish wildflowers. Taking a seat in my lap, Forest rests her head in the crook of my neck, letting me swallow her with my arms.

"Where are we?" I whisper.

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