Vione pushed away the weakness that kept tugging at her. She ignored the malicious whispers that insisted she was only an Omega and would never survive.
I may be an Omega, but I’m not that weak.
At that moment, Vione felt someone holding her and speaking softly. “Hang on, Vione. Please, hold on. It will be painful, but I know you can make it. No, we can make it. We have to hold on.”
Strangely, the voice sounded familiar to Vione. Her heart beat faster, her blood flowed more intensely, and heat surged through her body.
Vione groaned as the pain hit her all at once. She tried to open her eyes, and what she saw shocked her-it was her own face.
Confusion overwhelmed her, making her forget the pain for a moment. Her eyes widened as she noticed something else strange. She was no longer in the recovery room, but in the Amerotha Forest, near the Mystoria Falls.
“Vione, are you awake?”
Vione gasped, fear prickling her skin. “Who-who are you?”
“I am you. I am Vione.”
Vione gaped, then shook her head. “Don’t joke with me,” she said, irritated. “I’ll ask you again. Who are you?”
“I am not lying, Vione,” the future Vione replied, her calm smile conveying boundless sympathy. “I am you from the future.”
Vione remained skeptical. The words of the future Vione sounded impossible. But then her gaze landed on the moon necklace the future Vione was wearing. “The moon necklace,” she murmured, remembering that she had lost it in the Amerotha Forest. “Why do you have the moon necklace?”
“The necklace is with me because I’m going through a time portal,” the future Vione replied straightforwardly. She was racing against time, fighting the pain that was slowly eroding her meager defenses. “Listen, Vione. I know it sounds unbelievable, but please trust me.” She cupped Vione’s face with both hands, linking them with a steady gaze. “Look into my eyes and you will know everything.”
Vione opened her mouth to argue. But a second later, she was stunned as something shifted in her memory.
Flashes of events began to swirl in Vione’s mind. She was sure that she hadn’t experienced all of these events, but at the same time, every emotion that surged through her chest seemed to confirm that they were indeed hers.
Vione froze. The images of war, cries of pain and death brought a suffering that made it hard to breathe. These tragedies happened again and again, inflicting endless grief.
“What is this?” Vione stammered, her breathing becoming more chaotic with the turmoil of emotions. “What is happening?”
The future Vione replied, “Everything you see is my attempt to change the future. I’ve passed through the time portal several times, returning to the past with the intention of saving the pack from war and destruction. But as you’re experiencing now, the war still happens, no matter how hard I try.”
The explanation sounded more and more impossible, as if it was beyond logic, but Vione couldn’t ignore the pain that continued to squeeze her heart. Especially since she could sense a similar emotion in the eyes of the future Vione. There was despair, endless grief, and a faint hope that served as a source of strength. She knew it because she felt it as well.
“S-So,” Vione swallowed hard, her eyes glistening with tears. “You can’t stop any of this? You can’t save the pack from war and destruction?”
The future Vione shook her head weakly, looking remorseful. “I’m sorry. I can’t, but…” Her gaze shifted to Vione. “… you can, Vione.”
“M-Me?”
“The possibility still exists,” the future Vione continued, nodding repeatedly. Hope flickered in her eyes. “We may not be able to save the pack from war, but you can save it from destruction.”
A look of confusion appeared on Vione’s face. “Me?” She shook her head with difficulty. “I don’t know your life in the future, but you must understand something.” She bit her lower lip before continuing. “I am an Omega. I’m just an Omega without powers. I can’t possibly be the savior of the pack. I-”
“Believe me, Vione. I know your situation better than anyone else.” The future Vione interrupted, holding back her own guilt. “You are indeed a weak Omega. More precisely, you are a weak hybrid Omega, and for that I owe you an apology.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “You became an Omega because of me.”
Vione could only remain silent as the future Vione recounted everything that had happened. As she did so, a strange memory surfaced in Vione’s mind. She froze, finally realizing the cause of the changes in her childhood.
“I have sinned against you, Vione.” The tears of the future Vione flowed even more. Her face lowered, unable to bear the reality that Vione was suffering, that she would have to endure pain for the rest of her life because of her decision. “I took our power and bound it in the Amerotha Forest to save the pack. I stole your destiny. I changed our destiny from a mighty warrior to a weak, powerless Omega. I-”
Vione pulled the future Vione to her and hugged her tightly. Her tears were unstoppable, but happiness shone in her eyes. “Don’t apologize.” She stroked the future Vione’s back. “Don’t say you regret it. Please don’t. Because I don’t blame you at all.” The future Vione’s sobs subsided, and slowly their embrace dissolved. “On the contrary, I’m very grateful that you chose this way. For only then do we have any hope of saving the pack.”
The future Vione was taken aback, then nodded gratefully. “I know that. I know that we will choose the same way.”
“Now tell me,” Vione continued with fervent enthusiasm. Her desire to save the pack burned brighter than ever. “What must I do?”
The future Vione replied, “Listen carefully, Vione, for my time is almost up.” Her face grew serious, and every word she spoke was emphasized. “Bring the pack here, to the Mystoria Waterfall. Then ask Mama to help you perform the healing ritual. Our power bound here will heal them all.”
This information registered clearly in Vione’s memory, but one thing puzzled her. She blinked in confusion. “Ma-Mama?”
Guilt washed over the future Vione again. “I’m sorry, Vione. Losing your powers is not the only thing you have to go through. But I think you will find out soon enough.”
Vione was stunned, her emotions a whirlwind. All her instincts and feelings were swept away as the words of the future Vione echoed in her mind. She was not only an Omega; she was a hybrid Omega. It was likely that her mother was not a werewolf, but a witch. All her life she had only heard the name of one witch in the Frostholm pack.
“Vione, it’s time for me to go.”
Vione jerked and quickly grabbed the hand of the future Vione. “Wait. There’s something I want to ask you,” she said hastily. She took a breath. “D-does that mean that in your time…” She swallowed the sudden bitterness in her throat, then steeled herself to finish her question. “… I know my biological parents?”
A genuine smile spread across the future Vione’s face. She cupped Vione’s cheeks lovingly. She nodded. “Yes, Vione. We know our biological parents,” she replied as she felt her fingers on Vione’s cheeks begin to fade. “They love us very much and live happily, proud that we are the beloved Luna. So please, hold on, Vione. Be strong through all our limitations. You must continue to fight, for you are the last chance of the pack”.
As the future Vione finished speaking, her body vanished completely. She disappeared from the world with a feeling of joy, knowing that the future had changed. She also felt the warm peace in Vione’s soul. They were united and inseparable.
*