The light dimly illuminated the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls from flickering candles. The air was heavy with intentions and hopes that were strongly intertwined.Standing in the center of the special room that had been a place to perform rituals was Rowena. She stood alone, looking at a rough wooden table in front of her. On the table were various herbs, crystals, and mystical artifacts, all of which she examined carefully, making sure nothing was overlooked.Rowena appeared focused as she began the intricate process of preparing the sacred ingredients for the potion. With precise movements, she selected each chosen herb, then crushed them with a mortar and pestle. The aroma of sage, lavender, and wolfsbane mingled in the air, creating an intoxicating blend.Meanwhile, a small bubbling cauldron sat on a nearby fire, sending dancing vapors into the air. There, Rowena carefully poured the crushed herbs into the cauldron. Her lips murmured ancient mantras as she stirred the p
Everything felt unreal, like a fantasy or a beautiful dream often prayed for before sleep. Exactly how Vione felt at that moment. She could hardly believe what her eyes had seen, almost thinking it was just her hallucination, but Usher's voice brought her back to an undeniable reality."Vione."The voice was like a heavenly melody that brought peace to Vione. All sadness and despair suddenly turned to dust that was blown away by the night wind and disappeared without a trace.Vione bit her lower lip. Reality brought unimaginable happiness. Everything vanished from her mind and the only thing that remained was the desire to hug Usher as tightly as possible. "Usher."Vione's embrace trapped Usher. His body stiffened for a moment and he seemed increasingly confused. In the end, however, he returned Vione's embrace a moment later.Usher closed his eyes. Just like Vione, he thought that everything that was happening was not real. He thought it was a beautiful dream given to him by the Moon
Vione could not stop staring at the face she had missed so much. She didn't move an inch from Usher's side unless something important needed to be done.Vione realized that Usher was badly hurt. Ironically, Usher had just come back from the dead. Usher's condition was still very worrisome, so she and Ayla tried to treat him as best they could.Bandages covered all the wounds on Usher's body. Vione was grateful that she was a wolf without claws. Thanks to this deficiency, she had some knowledge of medicine. It was not uncommon for her to get injured when she was bullied by other werewolves.Vione breathed a sigh of relief when the last bandage was properly applied. "You just need to rest for a few days, Usher. You'll recover soon."After finishing his words, Vione started to tidy up the remaining bandages and other things. But suddenly Usher grabbed Vione's hand. He prevented Vione from showing any sign of leaving."Vione."Vione turned. "Yes?"Usher pulled Vione's hand and motioned fo
Usher fell silent as Rowena's question managed to spark a glimmer of hope in his mind. Frankly, there was nothing he hoped for more than a second chance, a chance to make things right, a chance to avoid all the unfortunate incidents.But Usher's logic scoffed at the suggestion. It sounded irrational. There were no second chances in this world, especially not for someone as guilty as he was. Yet there was a part of Usher that hoped for the opposite. If there was a second chance, could he change everything that had happened?Usher took a deep breath and shifted his focus. He narrowed his eyes on Rowena. "Who are you?""I am Rowena, a witch who once cured you of the effects of Mireya's magic. I am also well acquainted with Jemma and Kendrick."Immediately, Usher's expression changed. "Do you... do you know my parents?""Very well," Rowena replied with a slight grin. Her chest felt tight, so she took a deep breath to calm herself. "We've been friends for many years. We are good friends."
The loud sound echoed repeatedly, filling Rowena's ritual room. It came from a large mortar filled with fresh herbs that emitted a pungent aroma. With blank eyes and an expressionless face, Rowena's hands continued to lift the pestle and pound the fresh herbs. It seemed that something had taken over her mind, making her unaware that the herbs had been crushed ten minutes ago.The faint sound of footsteps gradually drew Rowena's attention. She blinked, instantly alerting her entire body. Rowena stopped pounding. She put down the pestle and turned to greet them. "Alpha."Usher's steps suddenly stopped and he looked at Rowena as he returned the salute. "Rowena.""What is it, Alpha?" Rowena asked, leaving the crushed herbs in the mortar. She went to the table to get more ingredients. "Was there something you wanted to say by coming to see me?"Usher squinted. He hadn't expected Rowena to speak so casually."Surely there's a reason you sought me out here." Rowena picked up a crystal bottle
"Vione, what do you think? Do you feel the strangeness as I do?"For a moment, Vione was silent as Usher expressed his suspicions. She said nothing and seemed to become a statue. Even for a moment, her gaze seemed empty.Usher narrowed his eyes. He waited a moment, hoping Vione would respond to his words, but she didn't. After five minutes, Vione remained silent."Vione?" Usher called with a furrowed brow. He touched Vione's shoulder gently. "Are you listening to me?"Vione flinched slightly. She blinked several times before finally focusing on his eyes. Then she nodded. "Uh-oh, yes, Usher. O-of course I heard what you said earlier."Vione's behavior puzzled Usher. The furrows in his forehead deepened. "What is it?" Usher asked later, watching Vione's condition. "Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself, Vione."Vione shook his head hastily. "No, Usher. There's nothing wrong. I'm fine and nothing happened. You don't have to worry."That was not the case in Usher's eyes. So, he
Vione tried to calm herself, but Rowena's words kept echoing in her head. She couldn't hold back her emotions and would have cried if Ayla hadn't arrived.Ayla approached Vione worriedly. "Vione, what's wrong? Why are you crying?""No," Vione said, shaking her head. She quickly wiped away the tears that were about to fall. "I wasn't crying because you came suddenly, Ayla."Ayla groaned. "Vione."A small laugh escaped Vione's lips. "I'm fine. I just feel..." She took a deep breath and lifted her head, then continued. "...very happy, Ayla.""Well, for someone who is happy, you express it in a way that worries me," Ayla said.Vione smiled playfully. "I'm fine. I'm just preparing snacks for Usher."Ayla glanced at the nice spread of snacks and a cup of tea on the table. She sighed with the realization that Vione would always love Usher. She could be sure that Vione would stay by Usher's side no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.A dilemma arose in Ayla's mind. On the
It was all too late; there was nothing Usher could do now. He could only sit there, lost in thought, and watch Vione fall asleep in his embrace. And then it dawned on him that there was a selfishness within him that was rejoicing. He was glad, he was overjoyed, he was happy.Usher truly hated himself. He had proven himself unworthy of Vione, incapable of protecting her. And now all he had to do was lead Vione into the abyss with him.There was no guarantee that going back in time would change everything. The possibility of failure still existed, no matter how hard Usher tried. So, he should not risk Vione's life. He had caused Vione pain and the last thing he wanted was for Vione to die because of him.*It was the brightest morning Vione had felt in months, especially considering the time she had been imprisoned underground. Even in her hiding cave, she rarely felt the sunlight for fear of being discovered by the Mireya people. So, it was only natural that a smile immediately broke o