LOGINVioletI could only hear my own breathing. I didn’t know how I’d done it, but it worked…it had actually worked, and Grandpa Aelius answered.He was coming…The room stayed frozen as everyone’s eyes were still fixed on me. Waiting, searching, hoping I would tell them that I had actually done something.A sigh left my lips as I removed my hand from Little Violet’s head. The little girl released a gasp, running straight to dad and clutching his leg like he was the only safe thing in the world.“You’re alright, princess.”Kylan, whose jaw was still tense, stepped in front of me, as did the others. “And?” he asked, his voice tight. There was this coldness, but I knew it wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed at whatever waited outside this house.“Were you able to connect with him?” Trinity asked.The question was meant for me, but it was Little Violet who answered. “Yes,” her voice trembled as she squeezed Dad even tighter. “And now they are on their way. They will be here soon.”Mom brushed th
VioletWe had told Dad everything, the same way we had told Mom. About Baelor, the past, the future, and his reaction was calmer than expected.After all we had said, the only thing he could tell us was that everything would be just fine.He had said it with the same calm smile that I had never forgotten, but I didn’t know whether to be comforted or terrified. He was just so…optimistic. Like, no part of him truly believed anything bad could happen as long as they were there to protect me.And when his eyes never left mine, I finally understood why Mom didn’t want me to look at him the way I had looked at her.Dad was already so full of warmth, so taken by the thought of another Violet to love, that he didn’t even stop for one second to think about what that really meant.He wasn’t thinking about danger, or time, or that they were risking their lives just by raising me—no. All he saw was his little, not so little, girl…back home.“You knew, didn’t you?” Dylan asked. “The last time we w
VioletMom closed her eyes for a moment. Her lips moved a little, like she was choosing her next words carefully. When she opened them again, they were just as frightened as they had been before.Not much had changed, and seeing that expression on her face made me wonder if that was what everyone else saw whenever I broke.That same helplessness.But how could I blame her?She had seen Baelor before, experienced his wrath, and that was not something one could simply recover from. I still couldn’t sleep without seeing those red eyes and that shadow in every corner of my mind.If I couldn’t function at just a memory…how must it have been for her?“At first I was so happy to see you alive, but…” Mom began, her eyes worried. “Did something happen in the future?”I was at a loss for words. This was the part where I was probably supposed to say that something would happen. Something bad.But I couldn’t, and we all knew I couldn’t.Kylan took over the conversation, sliding his hand across th
VioletMinutes passed, and still no words were exchanged.We all sat around the same wooden table of my childhood home, where we had sat with Dad the first time we came here. Except now, dad wasn’t the one sitting on the opposite side of me, but mom, and Little Violet had been sent upstairs.Mom just kept staring at all of us, but every time her gaze reached me, she lingered for just a little longer, like she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that I was really her. Violet.There was so much to ask, and so much to explain. Almost too much, and so little time. But I suppose for now it would just be for the best to let her process all of this. At least, that’s what it looked like Kylan was doing, and for now, we all followed his lead.Mom finally exhaled, puffing out a breath as if she had been holding it for too long.“Alright,” she said. “Let me try.”Try what?She pointed her chin at Dylan. “You are my precious nephew, Dyllie,” she said. “You are like a mini Fergus, so t
VioletHer lips parted the same way mine did. She looked stunned, flustered, and in that split second, it felt like everything stopped moving.Me, her, all of us…I had thought about this moment way too many times, usually in my dreams and had been doing so for years. Now that it had finally arrived, there was nothing I could do.I couldn’t cry.Hold her…Nothing.“H-Hi?” Mom blinked. Her hand rose slowly for the handle, and she took a step back, unsure of whether to actually talk to us or slam the door shut. Whatever it was, I could see it in her eyes.I think we all could.Whether it was Greg or Little Violet who had told her, she knew who we were.“Hi, Ma’am,” Kylan greeted, his grip tightening on my hand. It wasn’t to pull me back, but to keep me steady, and if he hadn’t—I might’ve actually fainted.Mom gasped, looking at Kylan. “Holy shit,” she muttered under her breath, then shook her head. “I mean…Can I help you?”Mom placed her hand over her heart, but that didn’t stop the sou
VioletThe first thing that hit me was the smell.I recognized it instantly. The damp moss, the muddied earth, the cold air, and when I opened my eyes…it was just as expected.We were back at the Bloodrose.Not just that, but it was the exact spot as last time. My body stiffened as I stared ahead, wondering how all of this was even possible. Magic was such a strange thing, yet it was real, and it had led us here.A small gasp came out as I looked back, and everyone was there. Trinity brushed dirt off her leggings. Dylan looked a little less shaken than before, Lian seemed ready to fight anyone at any moment, Nate lifted a hand to block the bright light, and Kylan…He stood right beside me before I even processed how he had moved. Our eyes met, and his expression seemed much more calm than the last time.“I’m fine,” I told him before he could ask. I heard a sniff right behind me and turned around just in time to catch Nate lowering his head. I could still see his scrunched face, which







