There is no more seductive illusion than the belief that man can control time. That every wrong decision can be corrected and every scar healed with a second chance. It’s just like the most tempting offer, one with no option of refusal, and Rowena chose it without the slightest hesitation.
Her firm resolve and unwavering faith had become Rowena’s foundation. She would allow no doubt to shake her, for that was the only way she could make everything right.
Rowena steeled her heart. She closed her eyes and took a step forward. She entered the time portal and the magic led her through space and time.
Everything swirled around Rowena. Different memories and recollections accompanied her journey through time. There were wounds that needed healing, words that needed to be corrected, and opportunities that could not be wasted. The hope that every bitter experience could be softened and every uncertain path taken could be replaced with a better choice drove her to conquer time.
Rowena sank deeper. She was submerged in waves of magic, and faint whispers began to hum in her ears, filling the space around her. There were warnings of worry, reminders of the consequences of each change, and sympathetic murmurs that made her heart ache. She didn’t want to, but in that brief moment of transition, she realized that there were always immutable laws in the world.
Time was not something flexible, not something that could be rewound and changed at will. It held a mysterious wisdom. It clung to the belief that the past could be repaired and the course of life could be changed. With each passing second, it held on to the hope that everything could still be made right. But it wasn’t.
Things weren’t that simple. Time didn’t move on its own. Its power to shape events and sustain the cycle of life was inextricably linked to other forces.
Its influence was immense; not a single spell in the world could defeat it. It watched over everything, letting no event escape its vigilance, and Rowena knew it. It was fate.
Rowena shivered. Her resolve was tainted by tremors of fear. Doubts crept in, trying to eat away at her conviction that she could change the past.
The world around Rowena began to change. Various signs appeared, as if to warn her that trying to change the past was not without risk. Every choice she made would shift something else, and in this whirlwind, she knew there was a price to pay for every second she tried to control.
Still, Rowena would not give up so easily. She remembered the main reason she was clinging to hope and a second chance. She kept pushing forward, even as unwanted possibilities loomed on the horizon-she might not be able to control what had already been set in motion. Amidst all the hopes and realities, one truth was certain: not all that was lost could be found, and not all destruction could be repaired without breaking something else.
Fate had already made its decision. It had created an invisible boundary, a wall that no amount of desire could penetrate. Though time offered a second chance, not everything could be changed. Under its power, every second was predetermined and every step was part of nature’s plan that could not be changed. Thus, came moments when even the best efforts were not enough, and human efforts met their end in the hands of an unyielding fate.
One realization after another poured in. They hit Rowena in waves, crashing over her without mercy. They came relentlessly, like an unstoppable flood, bringing truths that Rowena could no longer ignore.
Each memory surfaced only to torment her, each fragment of the past demanding to be faced. There was no escape. In the vortex of time, whether past or future, fate was not a game to be controlled, not even by Rowena.
The shadow of loss was inevitable. Each choice carried its own consequences, and now Rowena faced a dilemma-what to hold onto and what to let go.
Rowena tried to hold on to both. She tried again and again, pushing herself relentlessly, fighting until she was almost dead. But reality kept hitting her, reminding her that fate was not something she could control at will. No matter how hard she tried to cheat fate, certain things would remain unchanged, including death.
“No,” Rowena gasped weakly. Her body was so drained of energy that she could no longer stand, forcing her to crawl, only to collapse on the rocky ground near the Mystoria Waterfall. “This is impossible.” In the midst of exhaustion, it was failure that crushed her. Her heart shattered, weighed down by a pain heavier than the fatigue that coursed through every muscle. “I can’t fail again.”
Rowena wailed in unspeakable grief. Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. Each tear that fell seemed to carry the weight of thousands of sorrows buried deep within her heart. The pain was so deep, it squeezed her soul mercilessly, as if the world had swallowed her whole.
Rowena’s hope was slowly eroding, like the rocks worn away by the waterfall’s violent pounding. Even her cries were drowned out by the roar of the falling water. She felt so small, so powerless. “Why does it always end like this? Why?” Her cry echoed, questioning fate. She had given everything, fought against the limits of fate, but it was all in vain. “I warned the Frostholm Pack so many times. I begged Ayla for help. I did everything, but why hasn’t fate changed? Why is Ivan still dead?”
Rowena clenched her fists and pounded the rocks repeatedly. Her skin tore, her flesh tore, and blood poured out. But she didn’t feel the physical pain, for the agony in her heart was far more excruciating.
Rowena’s eyes widened for a moment. Her face hardened as the look in her eyes changed. Once again, she pushed down all the sadness and despair. “I can’t give up now. No.” She shook her head and struggled to her feet. Her legs wobbled and she quickly braced herself against the rocky wall. Her sleeve slipped back, revealing her long, thin arm. “I have to try again.”
Rowena lifted her head. She brushed the hair from her gaunt face and stared unblinkingly at the Mystoria Waterfall.
Her lips moved in a whisper. She concentrated and began to recite a spell. She ignored the cries of pain from her body as she forced herself to reopen the time portal.
Rowena groaned. The spell failed. The blue light that had begun to form at the Mystoria Waterfall vanished instantly. She tried to hold on, but an unfamiliar pain hit her like never before.
Her body rebelled. Rowena couldn’t take it anymore. She collapsed to the ground, and only then did she realize the source of her pain.
Rowena froze and immediately wrapped her arms around her now swollen belly. “Oh, my dear. What…”
Water poured down her legs and at the same time the pain in her abdomen intensified. She clenched her fists, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a long scream.
*