This time Rowena’s face paled. Vione’s questions cornered her. The calm expression she usually wore was now gone, replaced by fear and hesitation. Her mouth opened and her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, but not a word came out. Her hands, cold in Vione’s grasp, and the inner turmoil reflected in her eyes told a different story.
“Vi-Vione.” Rowena took a deep breath and finally whispered. Her voice was almost choked by the emotions that constricted her chest. “There are things we shouldn’t change, even if we want to with all our hearts.” She shook her head, trying to explain as gently as possible. “Fate is not something we can play with at will.”
Rowena’s answer gave Vione a clue. And so, she persisted. She answered Rowena’s words with unwavering determination. “I don’t want to toy with fate, but I can’t accept all this. I…” She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the storm of emotions raging in her chest. “… just want a second chance, Ma. A chance to save the pack from war.”
Rowena shook her head again. “Vione, listen to me. You…”
“Please, Ma. Please, listen to me,” Vione quickly interrupted. Her once slumped body now straightened with newfound determination. Hope had been rekindled in her, and she was ready to do whatever it took to make it a reality. “Please, help me, Ma. I can’t live without the pack, without Papa, without Usher. I can’t. I have to save them all.”
Rowena was completely backed into a corner by Vione’s desperate plea. She knew Vione was at the brink of despair, ready to plunge into the depths of misery. Vione would do anything, regardless of the risks. But as a mother, Rowena couldn’t allow her daughter to harm herself.
On the other hand, Vione was convinced that Rowena knew how to change their current predicament. Rowena’s reputation as one of the most powerful witches in the world was no mere hearsay. So, Vione continued to press, and eventually Rowena relented.
Rowena felt helpless in the face of Vione’s desperate demands. She couldn’t refuse any longer and said, “There may be a way for you to change this situation, Vione, but the risk you’ll be taking is probably very great.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Vione replied without a second thought. Her resolve was firm, and she was ready to face whatever consequences came her way. “I’ll take all the risks, Ma.”
Rowena paused, studying Vione closely. She seemed to be looking for any hint of doubt in her daughter, but there was none. Vione was unwavering. The determination in her eyes was unmistakable and nothing could change her mind.
“Very well, if you’ve made your decision. As your mother, there is nothing more I can do, Vione. I can only support you and pray for you,” Rowena said, steeling herself. Then she reached into the pocket of her robe. “There is a way for you to get a second chance and change your fate.” She pulled out a necklace and held it out to Vione. “The moon necklace will take you back to the past, but there is still no guarantee that fate can actually be changed. Besides, changing one fate will cause another to change.”
Vione accepted the moon necklace with mixed feelings. “The moon necklace,” she whispered, her hope growing stronger. She clutched the necklace tightly. “Thank you, Ma.”
Rowena nodded slowly; her heart filled with conflict. As a woman who had lost her husband, the last thing she wanted was to lose her child as well.
Time travel offered the possibility to change fate, to give the desperate Vione a second chance. But Rowena could not foresee the dangers that awaited her daughter. In her heart, she could only pray that Vione would always be under God’s protection.
With heavy steps, Rowena led Vione to the Mystoria Waterfall. Occasionally she glanced up at the crescent moon and realized that this was not the time to open the time portal. The power of the moon necklace was not at its optimum. Still, they couldn’t wait until the next full moon. There was a pack to heal and a war to end.
“Beyond this waterfall is the time portal. I will open it, and once you step through, there will be nothing more I can do to help you, Vione,” Rowena said, holding both of Vione’s hands. She looked at the moon necklace that now hung around Vione’s neck. “What happens next, or where the time portal takes you, is out of my control. Do you understand that, Vione? Because once you enter the time portal, there’s no going back.”
Vione nodded. “Don’t worry, Ma. I will do everything I can and come back without missing a thing.”
Rowena hoped with all her heart that this would become a reality. “Since you will never know where the time portal will take you, remember this,” she continued seriously. She gripped Vione’s fingers tightly, emphasizing the importance of the message she was about to deliver. “Give half of the moon necklace to Usher if you have to stay in that time for a long time. He will keep you there as long as you wish. On the other hand, you don’t need to do anything if you want to leave sooner. I hope you remember that well.”
“Of course, Ma. I will remember,” Vione said as she hugged Rowena. She knew it must be incredibly difficult for Rowena to let her go. “I’m going now.”
The hug broke. Vione and Rowena looked at each other for a moment, as if drawing strength from each other without words.
Rowena began to chant a spell, and mystical energy filled the air around them. The Mystoria Waterfall roared, and moments later, a blue and gold circle appeared. The time portal was open.
Vione stared at the portal as the wind roared around them. Then she turned to Rowena.
“It is time for you to go, Vione. Be careful and remember my words,” Rowena urged, her eyes glistening with tears. The fear of losing Vione began to fill her heart and mind. “Don’t let yourself meet Vione in the time you’re going to. If you do, you will be gone from this world forever.”
Vione nodded. Then, with a steady step and without hesitation, she entered the time portal.
*