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Lily flinched at my tone, and I immediately felt guilty. It wasn't her fault. None of this was her fault.

"I'm sorry," I said, collapsing onto her worn couch. "I just can't believe this is happening."

Lily sat beside me, placing a comforting hand on my arm. "Tell me everything."

So I did. I told her about coming home to find my father waiting for me, his face a mix of excitement and apprehension. How he'd sat me down and explained that the results of my DNA test had come back. That I had a match, a strong one, with a wood nymph named Thornix.

"A wood nymph?" Lily repeated, her brow furrowed. "I didn't even know they participated in the matching program."

"Apparently, they do," I said bitterly. "And now I'm supposed to just pack up my life and go live in the forest with some tree-hugging monster?"

Lily was quiet for a moment, biting her lower lip. "Maybe it won't be so bad? I mean, wood nymphs are supposed to be beautiful, right? And connected to nature and stuff."

I shot her an incredulous look. "Are you serious right now? I don't care if he's the most gorgeous creature in Magnus Terra. This isn't what I want for my life, Lily. You know that."

And she knew. We'd spent countless nights whispering our dreams to each other, imagining a future where humans could live freely, without the constant oversight of monster districts. I'd always been the more vocal one, the one who dared to question why things had to be the way they were.

"What about your plans?" Lily asked softly. "To find a place where humans could thrive on their own?"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Shattered. Just like that." I snapped my fingers for emphasis. "How am I supposed to change anything when I'm tied to a wood nymph for the rest of my life?"

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but a knock at the door interrupted us. We both froze, knowing who it had to be.

"Acacia?" My father's voice called through the door. "I know you're in there. Please, we need to talk about this."

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "I can't deal with him right now."

Lily squeezed my shoulder. "You can't avoid this forever. Maybe you should hear him out?"

I wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong. But deep down, I knew she was right. I couldn't run from this, no matter how much I wanted to. With a heavy sigh, I nodded to Lily, who went to open the door.

My father stepped inside, his weathered face lined with concern. "Acacia, please. Let's go home and discuss this calmly."

I stood up, crossing my arms over my chest. "There's nothing to discuss. I'm not doing it."

My father's expression hardened. "This isn't a choice, Acacia. The match has been made. The Sacrarium's magic has spoken."

"Magic?" I scoffed. "It's just advanced technology, Dad. DNA sequencing and compatibility algorithms. There's nothing magical about it."

"Whatever you want to call it," he said, his patience clearly wearing thin, "the result is the same. You have a match, and you have a duty to honor it."

"A duty?" My voice rose. "I didn't ask for this! I only took that stupid test because everyone else was doing it. Because you encouraged me to!"

"I encouraged you because I want a better life for you!" My father's composure finally cracked. "Do you think I want to see you struggle here in the terramares for the rest of your life? This match is an opportunity, Acacia. A chance for something more."

I laughed bitterly. "More what? More oppression? More control over my life?"

"More freedom!" He insisted. "The wood nymphs live differently than we do here. They have their own territories, their own ways. You could have a life there that you could never have here."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Because deep down, in a place I didn't want to acknowledge, I knew he was right. Life in the terramares was hard, with limited resources and constant oversight from the monster districts. But still...

"I don't want to marry a monster," I said, my voice small.

My father's expression softened. He crossed the room and placed his hands on my shoulders. "I know this isn't what you imagined for yourself. But sometimes the path to our dreams takes unexpected turns."

I wanted to argue more, to rail against the unfairness of it all. But I was tired. So tired. I let my father lead me out of Lily's house, promising her I'd talk to her later.

The walk home was silent, the weight of my new reality settling over me like a shroud. As we approached our house, I finally spoke.