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Towards the hospital, Zaros swaggered along with a parade of his soldiers. Away had their souls gone; only the walking flesh remained. A conceited smile crossed Zaros’s face as the breeze blew his green scarf. The victory day had arrived.
"Explosion!" a woman shouted. A handful of strange capsules rained down on Zaros and his soldiers, exploding into flames.
"Sahapu." Zaros enveloped his army with a transparent shield as his gaze swiveled, looking for the culprit. At the first-floor window, a woman stood. She rubbed her hands together and elicited a sneaky laugh.
"This is not a witch—" The second explosion interrupted Zaros’s thoughts.
It seemed that some of the capsules took longer to explode. The shield contained the blast, intensifying its impact on the inside. Many of Zaros’s soldiers collapsed, and those who were left coughed nonstop.
To let the smoke out, Zaros removed the shield to see a man in his thirties waiting. His shoulder-length blond hair flew up when he waved his arms, launching an air blast at the fire hydrants, which exploded with saltwater.
The soldiers were incapacitated.
Blowing into the air, the witch discharged a sphere of wind that darted towards Zaros, who reciprocated with a fireball. The two attacks hung together in the air until Zaro's fire grew larger and ate the wind away.
Fear struck the witch’s face, but it didn’t slow him down. "Infernum foraminis," he chanted, and a black hole broke in the sky and hauled in Zaro’s fire like a vacuum cleaner collecting dust.
Zaros threw another blaze. The hole exhausted it.
"Not bad," Zaros said. Snapping his fingers, he created a fiery eagle that rose in the sky and breathed out a glaring flame.
The witch tried to flee, but his leg was scorched. He fell to the ground, growling, "Infernum foraminis."
The black hole pulled at the eagle’s wing, but it couldn’t trap it no matter how many times the witch repeated his spell.
"There is no point in fighting," Zaros told him.
"Infernum foraminis." The witch persisted.
***
A flash of light caused the two witches to shut their eyes. Viessa sneaked in to pull her friend away, but before they could get into the building, the light faded, and they were seen.
"How idiotic," the man in a purple coat said. "Coming out of your hiding just to save your friend."
Viessa threw a handful of capsules, but he burned them. She threw another and another. He was untouchable.
"Get out of here," Joshua begged, tugging at her sleeve. "Run."
"I’m not leaving you." She glanced at his torched leg, nauseated by the smell.
"You can’t fight him," Joshua said. "I’ll stall until you run."
"No." Viessa continued to throw handfuls. The tightness in her chest intensified as the enemy escaped the attacks and approached her.
"Leave her alone," Joshua cried out.
Viessa screamed when the man stomped his feet on her friend’s abdomen. He reached for her face and stared into her rebelling eyes. Another person would break down crying or beg for their life. Not Viessa, though. She wouldn’t go without a fight.
Holding onto a handful of capsules, she slapped the man in the face, burning his skin as well as her hand.
"You pest." He shuffled back and flung his arms.
"I’m not a pest," she said, grimacing to mask the pain with pretend confidence. She straightened her back yet wished she had prepared a potion for bravery. "I’m a Blackwood, Viessa Blackwood."
"Viessa?" the man’s blistered face shot open, mouth agape and eyes widened. For a second, the attack ceased, and his expression jumped between shock and confusion. "It’s you." His voice softened. "Lord Jivar told me about you. I don’t want to hurt you."
Viessa stood on guard, unable to read him. Reading people wasn’t her strong suit. "You want to hurt my friend?"
"He’s not your friend," he yelled. "None of this is real, Viessa. I’m your brother, and Jivar is our family."
"You’re insane." Viessa shook her head.
"No," he said firmly. "You are."
Viessa stepped back before he grabbed her by the shoulder. Panicking, she threw another one of her flash bombs, forcing him to look away.
Into the building, she dragged Joshua as fast as she could, eventually laying him down in a safe corner.
"What was that man talking about?" Joshua asked in a faint voice.
"I don’t know."
Peeking through the window, Viessa saw the mighty Lone Mountain and thought about her mother. "Oh, Mom. I hope you’re safe up there."
***
"Ebba. Talk to me," I cried.
It all happened too fast. Jivar cast his spell, and an electric bolt pierced the sky and darted towards Ebba. Once she collapsed, he leaped at her, trying to take the amulet, but she used her last magic to make it disappear.
"No." I pushed Jivar away and surrounded Ebba with a barrier. When I got to her, she was lying on the ground, her body jerking and her face twitching.
"Ebba." I held her in my arms and tried to shake her awake, but her face turned colors. I tightened my grasp when I felt her body getting colder. Pressing my hand on her chest, I whispered a healing spell, but there was no way to reverse Jivar’s magic.
"Echo." She uttered the softest whisper.
"Yes, Ebba. Talk to me. Please, talk to me."
"M-my daugh-ter." She wiggled her fingers, trying to move her hand. The stench of urine and burned skin surrounded her.
"You’re worried about Viessa?" My tears dropped on her forehead. "She’ll be okay."
Memories streamed into my mind, those of the times Ebba and I laughed together, the times we wept together, the times we fought and made up. We loved and hurt each other. We cared for and annoyed one another. But even in our worst moments, our blood tied us together as family.
Stop. I tried to stop the thoughts. I’m not going to say goodbye. "Grimoire. Heal her injury."
As the words appeared on the blank page, I glimpsed Jivar, who watched with a stone face.
"Hang on, Ebba." I put my hand on her head and repeated, "Heal her injury."
"Stick with me, Ebba," I begged, but begging couldn’t defy fate. The light in Ebba’s eyes withered away.
I poured my heart out in a yowl that rose above the sounds of the battle, the beasts and the Katarus ripping each other apart.
Only when I ran out of breath did I calm down and close Ebba’s lids. I stood before Jivar, rage pulling at my nerves and firing up my heart. All I wanted was to twist his neck or drive a knife through his ageless body.
"You killed her," I shouted in a tearful voice. "You killed her, yet you feel no remorse."
"I do not," he said carelessly.
"Then you should get what you deserve."
***
"Claude portale. Eice bestias. Protege terram nostram contra omnem calamitatem." The witches chanted their song, closing the third out of seven portals.
"Two o'clock, pink," Ahmed shouted through the megaphone. Viessa had left him in charge of the troop while she and Joshua fought Zaros and his soldiers.
"No, it’s green." The twenty-year-old witch, Mindy, showed him her notebook. "Use green for monsters that look like a mushroom cape."
"This is not a mushroom cape," he said with a scoff. "It’s an onion head."
"Onion head?! There’s nothing about onion heads here."
"Make up your mind," Sara, who was Mindy’s age, yelled. "This thing is coming our way."
Ahmed drew on a serious face. "Viessa put me in charge, so use the blue one."
"The blue one won’t do," Mindy shouted.
"Screw this," Zachery broke in. He grabbed a handful of the blue capsules and another of the green and threw them at the approaching beast. The mixture exploded, clouding the air up with greenish-blue embers.
"Unless you work together, you’re going to kill us all," he told the witches, but it was a bit too late for a life lesson. While the witches argued about the mushroom-onion beast, they missed a much bigger one that swooped down over the chanting witches and snatched Cassandra with its talon.
She screamed, and the chanting witches scurried away. "What’s going on there?" Cona shouted in their heads.
"The young girl!" Zachery ran to the hose and signaled Rose to open the tap. The blasting water hindered the beast from flying away with Cassandra.
"Why are you watching?" Rose turned to the frightened witches. "Don’t you have magic? Use it."
The shock of the attack froze Ahmed and his troop, but Mindy’s scream grabbed their attention to more incoming danger. "Mushroom things are coming our way."
"Everyone, back to the capsules," Ahmed spoke into the megaphone. "Blue and green, now."
***
"Oh, Mom. I hope you’re safe up there." Viessa let out a long sigh.
"Come out, Viessa. I know you’re still here," the man in purple shouted from outside. "Let me talk to you."
Viessa’s chest tightened. His voice triggered an alarm inside her, an intense, primitive one she didn’t understand.
"Don’t listen to him," Joshua said. "We need to get upstairs and treat our injuries."
Viessa thought of how to do that. It wouldn’t be easy to carry Joshua, and the elevator was far away. As she arranged her thoughts, she felt a weight in her hand. Out of nowhere, the amulet appeared.
"What is this?" Joshua asked.
"Did Mom send it to me?" Viessa went blank. "Maybe they already won, and she doesn’t need it anymore." A part of her knew that wasn’t the truth. "Does Mom want me to use it? If she thinks I should..."
Viessa brought the amulet to her neck. Her eyes glinted in the glow of the blue diamond, and as the power surged through her, memories flashed in her mind. Zaros, Jivar, Doyle, Dorothea—the gruesome memories stung her brain with their poison.
"Viessa," Joshua shouted when she fell to her knees.
"No, no." She pressed her hands to her head. "Voices, stop. This isn’t real. Stop!" She smacked herself against the wall. "This isn’t me."
"Viessa." Joshua reached out for her.
"Mom, where are you?" she cried. "Help me."
***
For a few minutes, Viessa was swept by the shock of regaining her memories. Once she came back to herself, she looked outside to see Zaros waiting. He adjusted his scarf and clenched his mouth, clearly shaken.
"Where are you, Viessa?" he shouted. "Why are you hiding?"
"Hiding?" Viessa tittered as she emerged out of the hospital’s main gate, sashaying with one arm crossed over the other. "Who said anything about hiding...Brother?"
"Brother?" Zaros froze. "You remember?"
"I remember everything," she said with a simper.
"Then I’ll cut to the chase." Zaros balled his fists. "If you return to the castle, Lord Jivar is willing to take care of you."
"Funny," she cheered. "You think I need someone to take care of me."
"Make your decision, Viessa," Zaros yelled. "Either come with me or die."
Viessa stood still with her old wax-doll stare, both menacing and captivating. "You know, Brother, you used to scare me a lot. More than Jivar, more than anyone." She gave a cheeky, innocent grin. "But today, I’m not scared."
"Is this a declaration of war?" he asked.
"It’s the end of one." She toyed with the amulet. Her old self would’ve animated the soldiers’ bodies and used them to kill Zaros. That was her signature move. Her new self, however, thought out of the box.
"Ati me peta babka." She chanted a spell to open a door, and the asphalt beneath Zaros cracked.
"What’s happening?" He cried out when a portal sucked him and his army like quicksand. "What are you doing to me?"
"Don’t worry, Brother. I’m sending you somewhere real nice." Viessa said. "It’s a wonderland."
Before the timeline changed, Viessa had used the amulet to create her own sub-dimension. Although that version of herself ceased to exist, her wonderland remained the same, as it never abided by the rules of space or time.
"You’ll regret this." Zaros waved his arms and tried to grasp to the ground, but the more he resisted, the further he sank.
Viessa found herself wiping off the tears in her eyes. "Why am I feeling this way?" She pressed her hand to her aching heart. "I hate him, don’t I? Then why does it hurt to see him suffer?"
It turned out Viessa loved her older brother, but she also feared him, and what’s fear if not hatred in disguise?
***
The fight on the roof escalated quickly. Though the witches hid under a shield they created, Ahmed and two others were badly injured, and a flock of beasts soared overhead, throwing stone-like missiles.
On the bright side, the witches rescued Cassandra, who spewed out her digested breakfast on the floor. "This is not enough," she cried out, covering her mouth. "We need to close the portals o-or m-more attackers will come."
"We need to live," someone said sarcastically.
"We can’t keep hiding," Cassandra replied. She glimpsed the bags of capsules outside the shield. Without thinking, she rushed to them and started to throw handfuls. The capsules burst into the sky, scaring away a few beasts, but a big one fought them off and flew towards her.
Cassandra hollered. She would’ve been killed hadn’t it been for Zachery, who showed up, grabbed her hand, and hastened along the roof.
"Faster, faster," his wife shouted so they’d make it back to the shield, but no matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t escape the beast’s deafening screech. Like a thousand microphones, it emitted a high-pitched ringing noise that tore through their eardrums. They pressed their hands on their ears, their eyes bulged out, and their faces went pale and sweaty.
Rose screamed when her husband collapsed. His glasses dropped, and his ears spurted out blood.
Cassandra swayed, unable to balance.
The beast was about to vocalize again, but it fell to the ground before the sound came out. Vanna jumped off its back and to the roof, flipping in the air like a parkourist. She carried Zachery on her shoulders and motioned Cassandra to the shield.
"We need to re-strategize," she said. "Everyone, follow my orders. Do we have any doctors here?"
"I go to nursing school." Mindy raised her hand.
"Then take Zachery and the injured downstairs," Vanna ordered. "Rose and Sara, help her."
Having the spirit of light in charge gave Cassandra a sense of safety. Yet, she wished Vanna had been faster. If she had arrived a minute earlier, thirty second earlier, ten second earlier...
If only.
She could’ve saved Zachery’s life.
***
"Restrain," I shouted. Magic strings came out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Jivar’s ankles and wrists.
"Baraqu." He freed himself and attacked me with a Lightning Bolt.
I faced his bolt with an energy orb that deflected the electricity and dashed towards him. "There’s no point in fighting," I said. "Qitrubu." I drew him closer despite his resistance.
"You’ll not kill me easily," he warned.
Swatting his hand, he created a gust that lifted me off my feet. I flailed my limbs, trying to gain control of my body. The edge was inches away. Is this my nightmare coming to life? It sure resembled it. There was no escape. If I didn’t fight, I’d fall.
But I did fight.
I pushed against the gust until I landed on the ground. Before Jivar attacked again, I teleported to his side and pressed my hand to his chest.
"You’re wrong, Jivar. I’m not trying to kill you. I’m here to give you what you always wanted." His eyes darted as he realized my intentions. He tried to escape, but it was too late.
"Your soul," I added.
When I first explained my plan to Doyle, he thought I had lost my mind. "You want to use the essence of your soul to bring Jivar’s back? What if you die? Or worse, what if you lose your soul? Jivar deserves to be killed, Echo, not rescued."
But I had been through that road before. I had hunted Katarus, slaughtered the Mortons, and even murdered one of my selves. It took me a long time to learn that my magic was meant for healing, not destruction. I wasn’t willing to unlearn that.
"Heal his soul. Let it awaken. Let it return with a pulse of life," I chanted, inscribing a new spell in my grimoire.
All weight disappeared as I abandoned my body and stepped into Jivar’s inner world. His eyes became mine, and the emptiness within was shared between us. I dove into his memories, witnessing the most significant moments he had lived, the ones that made him who he was and the ones that broke him.
Suddenly, Jivar and I were closer than any two people could be. We were soulmates. Except, he didn’t have a soul, not yet.
"This is my will, so mote it be," I invoked.
I never understood what the Magic of Recreation meant until the essence of my soul was weaved into Jivar’s body. That’s when I discovered the last element of magic, the grand one, the original one that held the Octagram together: Light.
As light rekindled the missing pieces of the soul, feelings rushed into Jivar and me as if by an injection. That was the rush he craved, the rush he welcomed with a loud howl that echoed in the merged worlds. At last, the excruciating void disappeared. It was filled up with joy and sorrow, love and hate, remorse and bliss—all the contradicting feelings that made us human.
When Jivar’s grief for his beloved Rimanis came to the surface, it forced us to fall to our knees and gulp for air. I backed away, escaping to the comfort of my body. The taste of blood stung my mouth.
"It worked," I cried. "The spell worked." I could barely believe it.
But my ending was not as happy as I had planned. While Jivar’s soul settled in, he found it hard to endure the feelings. Plagued by his heavy heart, he stood up and swayed like a drunk. He tried to fight, but how could he win against his soul?
"Wait."
Before I knew it, Jivar hurled himself off the mountain, choosing death. My heart sank, and my guts tried to push their way out of my ribcage. That feeling, that fall. I used to see it in my sleep. All that time, I had been dreaming about him.
It turned out that Jivar and I were more connected than I knew.
As the shock wore off, I returned to Ebba and teleported her body to the hospital. I looked around. The battle in the Land of No Return continued, and four portals were still open. Something is wrong. They should’ve closed them all by now.
From my pocket, I produced a crystal ball the size of a lemon. "Show me the hospital," I chanted, and glimpses of the fight on the roof appeared to me. Vanna swung her sword against a hail of missiles. The witches huddled under the shield.
I have to help. I knew fighting Jivar had drained me of energy, but the battle wasn’t over yet.
"Claude portale. Eice bestias."
My heartbeats quickened. A sudden shiver coursed down my left shoulder and arm, forcing me to kneel. "Protege terram nostram contra omnem calamitatem."
I watched as the portals shrank, forbidding more beasts from entering the merged worlds. One got its wing stuck in the closing hole. My lips curled into a smile that faltered when the fighting beasts let go of the Katarus and headed towards me in a swarm. They wanted to keep the portals open. Whoever attempted to close them was the enemy.
My hands grew clammy. Coming my way was a large insect with green and red markings—a Grave Bug that could send a soul straight to hell. Out of its abdomen, it squirted its venom, and I closed my eyes in surrender.
But I didn’t die.
The venom never hit me.
Someone came in the way.
I opened my eyes to see Dragon Kirby rearing up on his hind legs and blowing his fire at the bug.
"Eíbùr." I surrounded us with a protective barrier before more beasts attacked.
"Echo..." Dragon Kirby wheezed before he dropped to the ground. Only then did I realize he was stung. I cradled him in my arms and watched as the slippery scales disappeared and he transformed into his human self.
"Kirby. Please," I cried. "I just lost Ebba, I can’t lose you too."
"It’s okay, Echo." He coughed out a puff of smoke. "I’m ready."
"No, you’re not. You have a whole life before you. You have to live and find your name." I sniffled. The beasts outside crashed into the shield, trying to break in.
"I’ll get you out of here," I said, weeping. I tried to teleport him away, but I was out of magic. "God, no. Why did you do this, Kirby? Why did you save me?"
"Idiot," he chuckled. "Of course, I’d save you. Of course. I love you, Echo."
"You love me?" I wailed.
Kirby’s love was the purest of all, kind, brave, unbridled, and even overprotective at times. Ever since he came into my life, he brought nothing but joy. His brotherly love made me stronger. It helped me survive this far.
"You love me." I tittered as I wiped off tears and blood on my sleeve.
"Why are you laughing?" Kirby asked.
"Because I’m happy," I said before bringing my lips to his forehead with a kiss. "I just figured out your name, Kirby."
***
I woke up in the Miles’ guest room. The last I remembered was Kirby getting his powers back and fighting off the beasts with his sword. The entire battle seemed like a distant memory, or perhaps a nightmare.
Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," I called out hoarsely. I must’ve lost my voice from all the screaming.
"Feeling better?" Doyle entered the room. A red scar ran down his forehead, right above his left eyebrow.
"How long did I blackout?" I brought my hand to my swollen throat and tried to swallow.
"A few hours," he said, sitting by my side.
I sat up, resting against the headboard. "How did we get back from the Land of No Return?"
"Viessa used this..." He extended his hand with the amulet. "She has her memories back. She remembers everything. I have no idea how it happened, but she seems to be taking it well."
"Oh, God," I muttered. Losing Ebba was hard for me, but it must’ve been devastating for Viessa. Now, she had to deal with the memories too.
"I’m sorry about Ebba." Doyle reached for my hand in a comforting way.
"And I’m sorry about the Katarus," I said, remembering how enraged and heartbroken Doyle was to watch them suffer. "I can’t imagine the damage that happened to them."
Doyle looked away. With a loud inhale, he stopped himself from speaking. He seemed to want to say something, something painful.
"Doyle?"
His chest lowered with an exhale. Although his eyes welled up, he tried to stay strong. "We lost Zachery."
Up until that moment, I didn’t know Zachery and Rose were in Shady Mews, but it wasn’t a good time for questions. All I could do was wrap my arms around Doyle and hope to comfort him.
It took him a second before he reciprocated the hug and held tightly. "He was brave. Cassandra said he saved her."
"I know he was," I said.
As we parted, Doyle forced a small smile on his face. "I have to go be with Rose."
"Yes, of course." I nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"
He shook his head. "Kirby and Vanna have been waiting for you to wake up. You should talk to them first."
***
The sun sank behind the Lone Mountain, declaring the end of the war. The lingering afterglow beaconed hope for tomorrow, and for a moment, I was relieved from grief. No longer did I have to worry about Jivar or carry a burden larger than myself. Yet, my heart continued to ache for the people we lost. I wasn’t ready for more goodbyes.
"Is it time?" I asked. Kirby and Vanna waited in the Miles’ front yard. A flicker of excitement crossed their faces, entangled with the pain of farewell.
"Where do I begin?" I said with a sniffle. "How can I thank you two for everything you’ve done for my mother and me? You aren’t just my guides. You’re m-my b-best friends." The feelings burst out through my tears. "I hate that you’re leaving, but I can’t hold you back now, can I?"
Kirby patted me on the head. "It’s gonna be okay, Echo."
"On the bright side, you two found your names," I said, grinning. "You’ll graduate and fulfill your purpose as spirits."
"If I had a choice, I would come back to serve you, Echo." I was surprised to hear these words from Vanna, evoking even more emotions.
"That means a lot," I told her. "It really does."
I took a breath to contain myself. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed the amulet that I offered her. "I know it’s been eighteen years, but I still believe you can save Faith."
Vanna’s face gleamed with hope. "Echo, are you sure about this?"
"I want to keep my mother’s promise," I said.
"Thank you, Echo." She extended her hand to shake mine, but I pulled her in for a hug.
"I can’t believe we’re leaving!" Kirby cried out before joining the group embrace. "We’re gonna miss you so much."
Standing in front of the Miles’ house, I watched my friends walk into the horizon. Our mission had come to an end, and it was time for their new beginning.
"Where are they going?" Viessa’s voice startled me. I turned around to find her sitting on the front porch with her knees pulled to her chest.
"Viessa. How are you feeling now?"
"My mom is gone, and I have the memories of a psychopath."
I sat next to her.
"I want you to know I’m here for you, Viessa." Though I hadn’t known Viessa for so long, she had grown on me in the few days we spent together. She was lively and bright. Unexpectedly innocent. And she was Ebba’s daughter, an official Blackwood. "You’re not alone in this."
"It’s all confusing, you know," she said thoughtlessly. "There is a me I was, the one Doyle killed, and there is the me that grew up with Mom by the ocean. I don’t know which one is real anymore."
"You are. The you I’m talking to now is real. She might not be as cheery as the Viessa of the ocean or as intimidating as the Viessa I fought in battle, but she’s still outstanding. She’s containing two different versions of Viessa, taking the best of both worlds."
"I’m Viessa 3.0." She tittered.
"Yes, you are," I cheered.
There was a short pause as Viessa fell into thought. "Where does Viessa 3.0 go now?" she asked. "She doesn’t belong anywhere."
"You’re a Blackwood, aren’t you? You belong in the family with me and Tara," I assured her. The thought of getting closer to Viessa scared me a little, but I was sincere. "Even if everything seems unfamiliar now, I promise you’ll get the hang of Viessa 3.0."
Viessa rested her forehead on her knees. "Do you know what a witch familiar is, Echo?"
I creased my forehead in confusion. "Ahhh, a pet?"
"A familiar is more than a pet. It’s a witch’s spirit guide and loyal companion."
"Interesting." I wondered why the sudden change of subject. A part of me was worried about her. Tough day, she had.
"Viessa 1.0 always wanted a hellhound as a familiar."
"Uh..." I would’ve laughed if she hadn’t been serious.
"But only a noble witch can summon a familiar," she added before looking up at me with a wide smile. "I bet the chosen Blackwood can summon two."
***
"Okay, Tara. Give Lillian a kiss for me. Talk to you later." I put the phone away and then opened the window to inhale the sweet fragrance of the climbing jasmine vines.
I glanced over the sun-filled room; we had done a lot of redecorating. We moved the study desk to my lair and replaced my small bed and closet with larger ones. On the dresser, I kept an old picture of my parents and another one of my family and friends, the one we took the day Vanna returned from the hospital. Grandpa, Tara, Jackson, Lillian, Vanna, Kirby, Ebba, Doyle, and I—it’ll never be all of us again.
"Honey, wake up," I said with a lilt. "It’s time for work." I sat next to Doyle and gently rubbed his arm. "Come on. Get out of bed."
"How about..." He grabbed my waist and rolled me over so I was beneath him. "You get in bed with me?"
"No, no, we can’t."
"Why not?" He asked in a childlike tone.
"Vanna is watching." I pointed to the corner, where our one-year-old beagle crouched on the carpet, staring at us with her glassy eyes.
"She has always hated me, hasn’t she?" Doyle pulled himself away from me.
The dog whimpered.
"She says ‘not at all.'" I grinned.
Doyle sighed and brushed his fingers through his ruffled hair. "I have a gift for you," he said as he pulled a white envelope from the nightstand drawer.
"A trip to Norway!" I cheered when I saw the tickets. "I can’t believe you remembered."
"Of course, I did," he said. "It’s on your list."
"I love you so much." I jumped in for a hug.
"I love you." He wrapped his arms around me. "Is it time to kick Vanna out of the room?"
"We’ll see." I tittered.
Doyle and I spent our honeymoon exploring the multiverse. We traveled between realms, discovering, seeing, and experiencing things I’d never known. The land of spirits. The panel of warriors. Haakishe. Sattarum. Cotton candy world. 1665 on Planet R. Everything I can imagine is probable. Despite that, I still yearned for a human-like adventure to the waterfalls I’ve always wanted to visit.
After the unusual honeymoon, I re-enrolled in college, and Doyle started an administrative job at Grandpa’s firm. Once I graduate, I’ll join the managing partners and officially become my husband’s boss. We’re both looking forward to that.
We’ve asked Rose to move in with us, but she preferred to stay in the house she shared with Zachery. Still, we make sure to have dinner with her at least twice a week—teleportation helps with the commute.
As for magic, it remains a big part of our lives. We co-founded an organization for anyone who wants to rebel against the Magic Board. Witches have always been selfish with their powers. Because they feared getting exposed, they kept the magic for themselves and let the world fall into chaos. The witches in the “Heal The World” organization join their powers to make the world a better place and protect each other from exposure.
Viessa and Joshua’s team is in Udruonia, trying to solve the social and economic issues in the country—starting with child labor. Cassandra and other Winbolts are participating in secret research to see if magic can cure chronic diseases.
Meanwhile, I decided to use my powers to help the environment. It turns out the Magic of Recreation can dispose of the non-biodegradable trash in the oceans and clear the air, water, and soil from pollution. With the help of Doyle and my familiars, I’m undoing the damage done to Earth.
"The world doesn’t need a hero. It needs dedicated people willing to share their powers to make things better for everyone else." Kirby was right, although it’s difficult to acknowledge his wisdom now that he’s living in this new form. The black-and-white kitten loves nothing more than eating tuna and chasing the laser light. That’s unless we have work to do and I transform him into his human form. In this case, he eats pizza and plays video games.
I know nothing about the future or what life has in store for us. Whether it’s saving the world or passing the judiciary exam (whichever is more difficult), as long as we’re together, we’re okay.
–The End–
