Vione couldn’t contain her worry when she saw Usher being sucked into the time portal. The golden-blue hue engulfed Usher and then everything went quiet as if nothing had happened. The time portal disappeared shortly after the golden-blue hue faded.
“Usher!”
Vione’s legs moved forward reflexively. Her hand reached out instinctively. She wanted to grab Usher, but the time portal had separated them.
Vione was stunned, her emotions in turmoil. Now there was nothing in front of her but the waterfall, which continued to pour down with great force.
“Luna.”
Vione blinked. It seemed she needed time to process everything. “Usher’s gone.”
Ayla squeezed Vione’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “Alpha will be fine. We’ll pray for his safety.”
Vione knew that there was nothing she could do. So, she could only nod. But something was bothering her. She turned to Rowena, who calmed down. Opening a time portal required great and stable energy.
With her eyes closed, Rowena took several deep breaths. She stayed still as she felt the chaos engulfing her at that moment. Her heartbeat was irregular and her circulation was disturbed.
It took Rowena at least ten minutes to truly calm down. Then she slowly opened her eyes and let out a long breath.
“Rowena, how are you feeling?”
Rowena found Vione approaching her with a worried expression. So, she smiled, as if to reassure Vione that there was nothing to worry about. “I’m fine, Luna.”
“Oh, thank God,” Vione sighed in relief. Then she looked briefly at the waterfall. “I hope the same goes for Usher.”
Rowena could sense Vione’s fear, but unfortunately, she couldn’t say anything to comfort her. “I’m sorry, Luna, but I don’t have the ability to know what happens in the time corridor. It’s all out of my reach.”
Vione’s hope faded. She had briefly thought that Rowena might be able to see what was happening in the time corridor, but obviously not. Now she could only feel the fear in her chest, growing stronger by the moment.
“But Usher is coming back, right?” Vione asked a moment later, her gaze still fixed on the waterfall. “That’s true, isn’t it, Rowena?”
Rowena looked conflicted until she decided not to hide anything from Vione. “Going through the time portal carries great risks, Luna. As I said, Alpha could be trapped in the past. So, all we can do now is pray.”
Vione closed her eyes dramatically. Rowena’s words did nothing to ease her escalating worries. “So, when will Usher be back?”
“No one knows, Luna. We can only wait.”
For the umpteenth time, Vione had to endure the uncomfortable swirl of emotions in her chest. The anxiety and fear became more and more uncontrollable, making her realize that the only thing she could do now was to pray.
So, Vione closed her eyes. With all her emotions, she whispered all her hopes for Usher’s safety.
On the other side, Rowena, noticing Vione praying, looked at her intently. She remained silent, with a fresh glimpse of memory swirling in her mind, when Vione said the moon necklace belonged to her. Well, she asked herself. How could that be?
For if what Vione said was true, that the necklace was hers, that Usher had given it to her, then Rowena’s confusion found an answer. The half-moon pendant necklace she had found in the forest all this time belonged to Vione, while its counterpart belonged to Usher.
Unfortunately, it was like a vicious circle. One answered confusion only brought another. Rowena asked herself again. Then how could they have the necklaces?
The roar of the waterfall jolted Rowena from her thoughts. She blinked and briefly felt an unusual vibration from the waterfall. She held her breath as a thought crossed her mind. Everything was meant to be. Those bound by the moon could not be separated by anything.
*
Usher quickly leaned against an old tree when an excruciating pain suddenly surged through his entire body. It was as if an unknown pain had come out of nowhere and enveloped him. He groaned in pain and unconsciously squeezed the trunk, causing the bark to peel off and fall to the ground.
His head throbbed wildly. His heart was beating erratically, as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. His breath was shallow, as if the air he’d been inhaling wasn’t enough.
Usher fought the onslaught of endless throbbing pain. His knees began to weaken, showing signs of helplessness. And then things got worse as dark thoughts began to creep into his subconscious, sending him into an uncontrollable whirlwind of fear.
Second after second passed like a battle, a great effort to fight the fear that was coming from all directions. Usher continued to fight all the pain, not caring that his body began to scream in helplessness.
His ears went deaf, unable to hear the sounds around him, only his own heartbeat was louder, filling the empty space with disturbing uncertainty. His eyes blinked repeatedly, his focus beginning to fade so that Usher could no longer guess where his feet were going.
The air moved. The wind blew and caressed. Usher was startled as he felt the familiar aura.
He paused and leaned against a tree. He found the strength to raise his face. He struggled to open his eyes, then looked ahead as the wind grew stronger.
Roars erupted everywhere. The whole forest became noisy. Leaves tossed about, and Usher struggled to keep from being swept away.
Usher persevered until the wind died down and was replaced by a dazzling golden-blue light. His heart raced as the most plausible possibility crossed his mind.
The golden-blue light grew brighter. A circle began to spin, sucking in everything around it. Dust, dry leaves, and even branches were sucked in, including Usher.
Like before, this time Usher felt an unstoppable current swirling around him. He was tossed around in a long corridor with no real boundaries of space and time.
Usher clenched his jaw and closed his eyes tightly. His face hardened. He endured the onslaught of unimaginable energy until the impact tossed him and he landed in a pitiful state.
His chest felt like it would burst as he landed on a pile of rocks. He groaned loudly as he tried to get up, and at the same time he heard the laughter of teenagers.
“We’ll prove it later, Vione. Because from what I’ve seen of your weakness all this time, it seems that my suspicion is not wrong. You are an Omega.”
*