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 out on her beautiful face, even before she fully opened her eyes.
The first thing Vione saw when she woke up was Usher’s face. She found Usher looking at her without blinking, causing her cheeks to turn red with embarrassment.
“Usher.”
Usher looked at Vione with warmth, just like the memories that had filled his mind all this time. Now it was not only the morning sunlight that made her feel peaceful, but also Usher’s attitude towards her.
Suddenly, Usher blinked. Then he lowered his face to place a soft kiss on Vione’s forehead. “Good morning.”
At that moment, Vione realized that the expression “floating on air” was indeed true. Her emotions soared and she felt as if she had left the earth. She was disappearing into a place untouched by any other human. There was only her and Usher together.
Just like a dream. For there was a moment in her life when Vione had never imagined that she and Usher could be together again. But now Usher belonged to her again, only to her.
With that, Vione’s natural instincts immediately kicked in. The human greed within her began to surface. She did not want to be selfish, but if there was one thing she could ask for, it was for Usher to be safe. Truly, she did not want to lose Usher a second time.
Fortunately, Vione’s worries were eased somewhat by the fact that Usher’s condition was improving day by day. His wounds had healed, and now Usher was concentrating on preparing himself. He trained to regain his strength. Then, in that moment, Usher realized something.
Usher was stunned, his hand clutching his left chest. Under the night sky and in the silence of the forest, he sharpened his senses. He felt the steady heartbeat and responded with an enthusiastic growl. It came from his wolf spirit.
In truth, Usher had realized this from the first day he had recovered from death. When he opened his eyes, he felt two heartbeats still beating in his chest.
The wolf spirit that had been trapped and dead had returned. Usher could not understand how this could happen. Logically, it was impossible. But once again he was surprised by the miracle.
Usher could not express how happy he was at that moment. He promised his wolf spirit that no matter what happened, they would fix everything.
Meanwhile, Vione, who continued to accompany Usher during his training, never stopped providing support and motivation. She was relentless in her encouragement, never neglecting Usher’s condition. Still worried, she did not forget to pray to the Moon Goddess for Usher to regain his former strength.
Vione continued to pray for that hope every day, as if to sustain herself as time passed and days changed without notice. The moonlit night of yesterday had become a night lit by the magical light of the full moon.
The time had come. Vione, together with Usher, Ayla and Rowena prepared themselves. In the middle of the night, they went to the far side of the Amerotha forest. Their destination was a waterfall not widely known to the public, not even to the Frostholm Pack.
Vione’s pace slowed as they approached the waterfall. Slight wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she surveyed her surroundings, then she stared intently at the waterfall with a strange, familiar feeling.
“For years, the Frostholm Pack and the witches had a good relationship. It all started when chaos broke out, forcing us to work together, and this waterfall is the silent witness to that history.”
Rowena’s voice caught Vione’s attention, causing her to blink and reflexively look at Rowena. She saw that Rowena was standing right in front of the waterfall.
“We call this waterfall Mystoria Falls,” Rowena continued, tilting her head up. She tried to look further up, towards the highest point of the waterfall, but her view was limited by thick mist. “This will be the gateway between the present and the past.”
No one responded to Rowena’s words at that moment. Everyone was silent with turbulent emotions. They realized that the time had come for Usher to leave.
Rowena let out a sigh as she looked away from Mystoria Falls. This time she looked at Ayla, Usher, and Vione in turn, as if to give them one last chance to think.
“What do you think?” Rowena asked after a moment. Now her gaze rested on Usher. “Are you firm in your decision, Alpha? Will you not retreat?”
Usher sighed heavily. Before answering the question, he looked at Vione. He could see the hope in her eyes, he could feel the constant surge of spirit she gave him. So, he had no reason to back down. “My mind is made up, Rowena. I will go back to the past and change everything,” he said with determination. It was the only thing he could do for Vione. “I hope you’ll help me.”
“Of course, and for that, Alpha, you must realize something, which is that I can only help. What happens next is entirely up to you. You have full control over everything. Do you understand?”
Usher nodded. “I understand, Rowena.”
*