“My dear, life is all about giving love to everyone. If I have to be the villain in their story, then so be it. I can’t rest properly knowing that I left this world in chaos.”
“What is this place, Mom?”
“This is where I had envisioned living peacefully with you and your father.”
I suddenly felt tears pouring down and wetting her white dress. I sat upright, stared into her eyes had memorized every crease on her face.
She looked like her younger self... about my age and youthful. She must have stayed at this age when she died. This place... I could feel her presence. And it felt like home for the first time in my whole life, with no worries about anything. I just wanted to live here
“Can I... just live with you here?” I asked the impossible, and her lips suddenly formed into a sad smile.
Her hands then caressed my cheeks softly. “We can... but not now. You still have a purpose in the world, while my time has ended. You have to perform what you are fated to do.”
“And what is that?”
“To be the rightful queen of the Witch Realm. Queen Kira of the Witch Realm has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
I couldn't help but laugh at that, never in my life did I imagine to be a princess, and what more to be a queen. I still couldn’t believe how I was facing her, talking to her like this as if she still existed.
Her relaxed face suddenly turned serious. “I wanted to send you a message. When I die, part of my power is sealed
inside you and can only be unleashed once I experience an emotional awakening. We don't only create fire, Kira. We can control time, my love.”
“What?” At this point, I didn’t understand what my mother was saying to me.
“You have the most dangerous gift of all. The power to enter the past and future.” I gulped at her revelation.
Having fire as my magic was one thing, which I still couldn't control fully, what more to carrying that burden.
“How can I... no, it is impossible. I am the weakest among the witches in the realm. I couldn't even control my fire, Mom.” I wanted to believe that she was merely joking and messing with me, but she was not.
My mom was serious as she looked at me. “I made sure of that to not draw attention. If by chance they knew of it, then they’d make you their weapon. Worse, everyone including the other realms would look for you, and would start a war.”
My mouth widened at that.
“Make sure to use it properly. Our power creates chaos... and I am afraid you are far more powerful than me.”
“More powerful than you?” No, I couldn’t be stronger than her.
“Yes, but using that too much might make us lose anything... our eyesight, our hearing, or worse, our life, just like what happened to me.”
“So you did not die while you were giving birth to me?”
“No, at least, that is what they thought. I had purposely hidden the truth. Our power can enter into the future, and I could see the whole realm was burning. I could see the whole realm was on the verge of destruction. I attempted to enter the past countless times, trying for ways to save it, but not until I lost my eyesight in the process.”
Tears in my eyes flowed freely like a waterfall. I couldn't even imagine the pain my mother had to go through. She just lost everyone. She had to make my father forget her, had to deliver a child all by herself, and had to still look after the kingdom despite being betrayed.
How come such a person endured everything and still had a smile on her face? The energy to live on? And have hope for the people who wished her death?
“I continued it, and my sister, your Aunt Della, even begged me to stop, but I didn’t... for the realm and just when I gave birth to you and looked more into the past, I realized that the answer was not in the past, it was in the future. The chaos cannot be prevented, but we can save it... and now it is upon you. You are the future of the realm, Kira.”
“Just when I was about to die, I made sure to seal away your mana so that Haelyn, the necromancers, werewolves, and every realm could not take advantage of you. But now, I feel that you need to unleash it. Everyone needs you, the realm, the world. Their fate lies on you.”
I instantly embraced her, patting her head to comfort her. “Was it hard, Mom? Was it hard on you?”
“It was, but I had to. I had a duty.”
“You’re the best queen. Why did you just let people
tarnish your name?”
“Because I don’t have to. I hid the truth from them
because that is what’s best for everyone. They don’t have to worry about everything. I wanted to provide them with a comfortable realm to live in. I still want to see the children’s smiles on their faces.”
I looked at the ground. It felt like every problem I had in my head vanished. as if everything was nothing now.
No other problem I had could compare to what my mother had to go through and the hate I had for her changed into admiration and inspiration. I stood up, looked at the whole mountains in front of us, and faced her. “How can I unleash it... my power?” I asked, now determined to face the problem. It seemed that I had stayed long enough here. Once I returned to the realm, I had to kill the queen, free the witches... and be with my Ace.
“The answer is on the Eternal tree. Ask the fairies.”
I nodded, so that is why the fairies were fond of me.
That was my purpose. To lead them. Mother stood up and
bopped my nose. “It was nice to talk with you. I believe it is time, you are ready.”
She then looked at my belly and smiled. “Go and save them, for my grandchild, and for your future.”
I felt my heart aching knowing that my baby wouldn’t get to see my mom. “If only I could have met you earlier, Mom.” She smiled. “This is the perfect moment. Now go... know
that I am still in your heart, always watching you and when you are done, come live with me here.”
Suddenly, the idea of dying wasn’t so bad after all. If that meant I could live with her, then so be it. But first, I had to be with Ace and my child. Everything suddenly changed and I woke up in the same room.
I saw Ace watching me as he stood beside the queen. I blinked, still feeling heavy and I forced my eyes close and open before facing my enemy.
“Woke up from your little nap?” the queen asked. “You know what, Kira? I can enter minds and manipulate everyone, except you and that is sad. You are making my skin crawl about that.”
“That is good because I know my purpose now. I can just enter the past and kill you there.”
She gasped. “No way, only your mother can do that.”
I smirked at her, seeing the confusion on her face. “I do now.”
I felt a surge of energy inside me. A red glowing light and the scenery changed as I imagined going to the past.
From the 1900s, every generation passed by in front of me and skipped in front of me. I did not know how to stop it, as everything was surrounding me. Every human invention, vampire legions, werewolf wars, I could see it all and it was so overwhelming to watch.
I saw my father, Queen Haelyn, and my mother in one frame and decided to jump in it. It felt like I had entered into another dimension as I went into them. I spotted Queen Haelyn behind a bush, watching a man. Queen Haelyn looked a bit young here, but she saw me and frowned.
“Do I know you? You look familiar.”
She didn’t have any crown so I was guessing the queen was still my mom.
I chuckled at her. “Try to enter my mind now.”
“I guess this is why you can't manipulate me.”
“Is that your crush?” I asked her, pointing at the hand-
some gentleman in a suit. He was carrying a gun as he shot at the boards twenty feet away.
Young Haelyn was reddening as she stammered. “Uhm... excuse me, but I don’t know who you are. Please leave me alone.”