A Meeting Between Time

Louisa felt her spirit rip through time again, the world around her dissolving into streaks of color and shadow. She braced herself, her soul trembling as she landed once more–

A harsh, unforgiving wind howled through the trees, the sky a deep, endless black, the stars swallowed by ominous clouds. The air was thick with tension, the kind that clawed at the lungs and suffocated hope. Louisa’s heart pounded as she heard it–

BANG. BANG. BANG.

A desperate knocking against a wooden door. She turned sharply. Queen Celine stood on the doorstep of her sister’s home, her hair wild, her face contorted in panic as she pounded on the door with trembling fists. “DELPHINE! Open the door!”

Louisa’s stomach twisted. She knew something was wrong–terribly wrong. The door flew open, and Alexandre stood there, his face lined with confusion and worry. But before he could speak, Celine pushed past him, storming inside.

Louisa followed, her spirit slipping effortlessly through the walls. Inside, Delphine stood near the fireplace, startled by her sister’s sudden entrance.

“Celine, what–”

“They’re coming.”

The words were sharp, cold. They cut through the air like a blade. Delphine’s face paled. “What?” Celine turned to her, her blue eyes glassy with desperation. “Vincent–he’s sending the soldiers. They’re coming to kill everyone here, every man woman and child.”

Louisa’s blood ran cold. “No…no, that can’t be–”

Delphine went still for only a moment–then she sprang into action. “We have to get Louisa out of here,” she said, already reaching for the phone. “She’s the future of The Isles. If she survives, she can bring it back.” Louisa felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“I–what–”

Celine’s expression cracked with pain. “I tried to change his mind,” she whispered. “I tried, Delphine. But he wouldn’t listen. He sees you all as threats.” Alexandre’s jaw tightened, his fists clenched. “And Lili?” Celine hesitated. Then, her face softened into something heart-wrenching. “I said my final goodbye,” she admitted, voice thick with sorrow. “Without raising suspicion.” Louisa’s spirit trembled, her tears flowing freely. Celine reached into her jacket and pulled out something small–an obsidian dagger, sleek and sharp, with her name engraved into the blade.

She handed it to Alexandre. “Keep this safe,” she said. “If Louisa ever returns, maybe she’ll find it. And when she does…she can give it to Lili for me.”

Louisa gasped, a sob breaking from her lips. “The dagger–so it was meant for Lili.” Delphine rushed from the room and returned a moment later, leading an eleven-year old Louisa by the hand. She was small, her hair tousled from sleep, her face groggy with confusion. “Mama?” Louisa murmured, rubbing her tired eyes. Delphine’s breath hitched. She crouched before her daughter, tears welling in her eyes as she cupped her small face.

The door burst open, and Elisabeth ran in, breathless, her bicycle discarded outside. “Delphine, what’s going on?” Delphine shook her head. “No time.”

“Sweetheart, you have to go with Elisabeth now, okay?” Young Louisa frowned. “But why?” “There’s no time to explain,” Delphine said, her voice breaking. She turned as the sound of footsteps echoed outside–people moving, witches readying themselves for battle. “Please, Beth, take her. Get her as far from here as possible.”

“Mama…?” Young Louisa whimpered as she was wiping her eyes. Alexandre knelt beside her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Lou Lou,” he whispered, voice trembling, “you and your mother are my everything. You mean the world to me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, honey-colored candy.

Her favorite.

“Here.” His lips quivered as he placed it in her palm, curling her tiny fingers around it. “Be strong. Be determined in everything you do. Never forget who you are.” A single tear slipped down his cheek as he pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead.

Louisa clutched her chest, her silent sobs shaking her entire being. Delphine wrapped her daughter in her arms, breathing her in. “You’re going to grow into a beautiful and powerful Primal Nature Witch, my love,” she whispered. “Promise me–promise me you’ll never let them take away your light.” Louisa didn’t understand. All she knew was that her mother was crying. That her father’s hands were shaking. And then, before she could protest–

Elisabeth scooped her up. “No–Mama! Papa!” Louisa screamed, thrashing in Elisabeth’s arms as she was carried away. Delphine and Alexandre held each other as their daughter’s cries echoed in the night. “MAMA! PAPA!” And then–

Darkness.

Louisa’s spirit was yanked from the past, her parents’ voices vanishing, her own young screams swallowed by time. She was falling–

Falling–

And then–

Silence.

Louisa was weightless, her spirit twisting through time, pulled by an invisible force she could neither fight nor control. The world around her blurred into streaks of green and gold before she landed again, her feet pressing into a familiar earth of The Isles. But it was different.

The night was still, but the air was thick with something else–anticipation. Louisa turned. She saw them. Her mother and aunt stood side by side, their expressions hardened with resolve. Delphine–her beautiful mother–was not a Primal Witch, just a simple Nature Witch, but she stood ready. Her fingers twisted at her sides, no doubt preparing spells in case she had to defend herself. Queen Celine stood tall beside her, her signature sword gleaming in the dim light. Louisa’s heart pounded. She knew what this was.

“N. No, no, no–”

Her hands curled into a fist as she ran toward them. “Mama! Papa! Aunt Celine! RUN!” Her voice rang out in the night–but they couldn’t hear her. She was just a spirit. A ghost trapped in the past.

She turned–

And saw them. The Arcadian soldiers, clad in dark armor, standing in formation before their Queen. Louisa’ breath caught in her throat. Among them, one man stepped forward. And when she saw his face– She froze. It was him. The soldier who had escorted Lili back to the palace that day. The man who had stared at her so intensely, like he was seeing a ghost.

Now she knew why. Her breath hitched, her mind reeling. Her hands went to her head as she shook it violently, trying to block out the realization. “No. No–no, this isn’t real–” But it was. Her stomach churned as she heard Queen Celine call out his name–

“Fabian.”

Louisa’s lips parted, the name escaping her in a whisper. “Fabian.” She burned his name into her memory. The man remained stone-faced. “King Vincent has ordered you back to Arcadia. You will leave this island, Your Majesty.”

Queen Celine’s grip on her sword tightened. “You will leave this island. Whatever orders my husband gave you–I will not obey them.” A flicker of something passed over Fabian’s face, but he remained unreadable. “I have my orders.” Celine’s jaw clenched. “You’re outnumbered, Fabian. You’re going up against magic.”

But Fabian–he smiled.

And then he said something that sent a cold dread through Louisa’s bones. “We won’t be fighting you,” he said smoothly. “Your souls will be devoured.” Delphine gasped. Louisa turned sharply to her mother, watching as horror dawned across her face. She knew what that meant. Fabian hadn’t just brought soldiers–

He had brought a spirit. Before Louisa could react, before she could even process

The ground beneath them shook. A shadow rose from the earth, thick and black as tar, spreading like rot across the land. The flowers–withered. The trees–died in an instant. The animals–fell limp where they stood. Louisa’s knees hit the ground. Her fingers dug into the dirt as she choked on her own breath. “This…this is how The Isles died.”

A deep, done-chilling cackle filled the air. The spirit rose higher, its form shifting like smoke and shadow. Tendrils slithered from its body, reaching outward, stretching toward the witches. And then–

It struck.

The witches were lifted from the ground, their bodies twisting as they flailed in midair. “NO!” Louisa screamed, springing to her feet. She ran to them, reaching, trying to grab her mother–her–father–but her hands passed through them like mist. She was powerless. Below, some witches tried to chant spells–desperate incantations–

But the spirit was faster. It drained them, their bodies withering, their voices cutting off in strangled gasps. “STOP!” Louisa shrieked. “STOP, PLEASE!” The spirit only laughed. And then–

More screams. Louisa’s head whipped around. Beyond the chaos, she saw them–

The children.

The little ones who had been told to hide. They had been found. Their tiny feet pounded against the earth as they ran–but the spirit was faster. A tendrils lashed toward them. Fabian turned away. Louisa screamed.

“NO!”

It was over in seconds. The witches fell limp. One by one, their bodies hit the earth with sickening thuds. Louisa turned, her heart shattering– And saw her parents. Delphine and Alexandre lay motionless. Louisa ran to them, reaching–

But she couldn’t touch them. She couldn’t save them. The only one left standing was Queen Celine.

Fabian stepped toward her. “I am to bring you back. Even by force.” Celine’s chest heaved, her knuckles white around her sword. “You’ll pay for this.” Her voice shook with rage. “You’ve disrupted the balance of nature itself. The primordial gods–”

She never finished. A tendril shot through her chest. Louisa watched in absolute horror as Queen Celine–her powerful, fierce aunt–was reduced to ash.

The soldiers–Fabian included–stared in shock. The spirit turned to them, its voice a guttural snarl. “Do not speak of those pompous deities.” Fabian’s expression darkened. He stepped forward. “The King ordered us to bring her back–”

The spirit ignored him. It spread its arms wide–And the devouring began.

The remaining souls were ripped from bodies, consumed by the darkness. Louisa’s body shook, her breath shallow. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t cry. She just– Went numb. The world blurred again. Time twisted, spiraling around her, and then–

She was back.

The present. Standing alone on The Isles. The land was dead. Everything was silent. Her family was gone. Louisa stood in the silence, the weight of what she had seen crushing her chest. She fell to her knees. And for the first time in a long, long time– she wept.

Louisa collapsed to her knees, her body wracked with sobs so violent they stole the breath from her lungs. Her cries ripped through the island, echoing across the dead land, filling the emptiness left behind by the massacre she had just witnessed.

The island. The children. Her parents. Her people. Their screams still rang in her ears, their faces burned into her mind. And the one responsible–

Her stomach twisted, bile rising in her throat as her nails clawed at the earth. King Vincent.

Her uncle. The man who sat on his golden throne, who seemed to love his people, his daughter, his wife, who ruled Arcadia with kindness all while knowing he had wiped out an entire people.

Did Lili know? The thought struck her like lightning, sending her spiraling further.

Had she known all along? Is that why she had been so persistent, so desperate to spend time with me? Is that why she had sought her out, tried to connect with her?

Louisa shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. No. No–Lili couldn’t have known. Even when her own mother was ripped from existence before her very eyes. Even if she had known something–she wouldn’t have known this.

But the spirit–

Louisa’s breath hitched. That thing. That monster. It had worked with King Vincent. It had devoured everything. Who was it? Her thoughts warped, twisting, spinning into chaos. Her vision blurred, her chest tightened, and suddenly–

She couldn’t breathe. The wind howled through the island, whipping through the deadened trees, ripping at the soil. The ocean–the ocean–it churned violently, waves rising like hungry beasts, crashing into the shores with force enough to shake the earth. And the ground beneath her– It cracked.

Deep, jagged fissures split through the land, widening with every breath she took, with every pulse of her agony. But Louisa–

She felt nothing. Her magic was unraveling, raw and unchecked. The pain inside her was burning, billing, festering into something so fierce, so powerful, it manifested as a searing heat in her core. Her fire magic ignited.

A furious glow pulsed beneath her skin, radiating through her veins, through her fingers, through her soul–

And then she screamed. A bloodcurdling, guttural scream. A sound so full of anguish and rage it sent tremors through the very foundation of the island. And she would have kept going–

Would have let it consume her–

Until–

A hand.

A gentle, warm hand rested on her shoulder. Louisa gasped, eyes snapping open, her breath hitching as the chaos around her seemed to pause. She turned. And through the storm of her grief, through the fire and destruction, she saw–

Her.

Bathed in golden light, radiating warmth and serenity, stood the most breathtaking sight Louisa had ever seen. She glowed, just like the statue. Just like the ancient carvings. Just like the goddess she was. The Mother of Nature and the Earth.

Eden.

Louisa’s bloodshot eyes widened. Her breath came in shallow, broken gasps, her body still trembling with raw emotion. But as she stared into Eden’s eyes–so full of protectiveness, wisdom, maternal love, and something Louisa hadn’t felt in so long–

She felt her magic still. Her fire dimmed. The ocean calmed. The wind softened into a whisper. Louisa closed her eyes, and breathed.

Louisa was frozen, the earth beneath her feet trembling slightly as her gaze locked onto the figure before her. There, standing in a tranquil pool of light, was her primordial mother. She couldn’t believe it. Eden was a vision of elegance and grace, her presence almost otherworldly. Her long, flowing hair shimmered with the brilliance of the stars, her eyes as deep as the night sky itself. She radiated a calm, timeless beauty, one that Louisa could not deny, though the weight of her emotions pressed down on her like an anchor.

Louisa instinctively lowered her head in reverence, the same respect she had been taught since childhood. But as she bowed, something surged within her, a storm of grief and fury that she could no longer keep inside. She looked up, her tears still fresh on her cheeks.

Eden opened her mouth, her voice soft and soothing, like the gentle descent of snowflakes on winter’s night. “Calm your fury, Louisa.” Louisa wiped her eyes quickly, the sting of her mother’s absence still too raw. Eden extended a hand, her fingers warm and inviting, and Louisa, for the first time in what felt like forever, allowed herself to be pulled up into her embrace. The cool, celestial touch of her ancestor seemed to quiet the storm inside her for a brief moment.

Eden’s voice grew heavy with sorrow. “I am sorry for not intervening when this happened…I could not. I should have, but I could not.” The words struck Louisa like a slap, and her anger flared once more. “Why didn’t you help?” she demanded, her voice barely contained. “Why let them die?” Eden took a deep breath, her eyes shining with the weight of centuries. “Listen carefully, child,” she began, her voice resonating with the gravity of ancient wisdom. “My mother, Aahana, is the spirit of magic itself, the very creator of it all. She created me, my siblings: Aion, the God of Time; Capella, the Goddess of the Cosmos; Sonali, the Goddess of the Sun; Jericho, the God of the Moon; Yulla, the Goddess of the Ocean; and Han-neul, the God of the Sky,”

Eden paused, her gaze turning distant for a moment, as if to gather the weight of what she was about to explain. “Each of us is descended from them.” Louisa’s heart pounded as she absorbed the weight of Eden’s words. “But why didn’t she let you help? Louisa’s voice trembled with anger and disbelief. Edem sighed, her features softening. “The night of the massacre, I wanted to intervene. But my mother forbade me.”

“Why?” Louisa’s voice surged, sharp and unyielding. Eden’s gaze became intense, the gravity of the moment sinking deep into Louisa’s soul. “Aahana sensed danger. A malevolent force, one far more powerful than the entity that consumed your family, was in play. If I had intervened, if I had tried to help, the one controlling the entity would have set a trap–one that could have weakened me beyond repair, or worse, destroyed me and my siblings.”

Louisa’s anger flared like a wildfire. “So, Aahana would rather sacrifice innocent lives than risk losing you all?” Her voice cracked, but the fury in her eyes was undeniable. Eden’s gaze softened, but there was a quiet strength in her words. “Aahana is a loving mother, Louisa. She cares for us and our children deeply, witches and primal witches alike.

But she does not see our children as nothing more than creations, and in her eyes, creations can be recreated.” Louisa’s heart sank. The revelation felt like a betrayal, and yet, she could not entirely dismiss the truth in Eden’s words. The complex love of a mother who viewed her grand-children as beings that can be reborn if destroyed, rather than beings of their own.”I don’t understand,” Louisa whispered, the anger still smoldering beneath her breath. “How could she allow this to happen?”

Eden’s expressions hardened, as though time itself was running out. “I do not have much longer. My spirit is fading from this place,” she said softly, her presence flickering like a candle nearing the end of its wick. “But there is one thing you must know, Louisa. The entity that destroyed your family…It is still here. On Earth. In Arcadia.” Louisa’s breath caught, her eyes widening. “What? How is that possible?”

Eden lifted her hand and pressed it against the ground, her energy pulsing through the earth itself. The land trembled as if responding to her touch. Slowly, the island began to heal. Cracks in the earth sealed, and the vibrant beauty of the land returned, lush and alive. The destructive marks faded, leaving only a pristine landscape in their wake.

But even as the island flourished, Eden’s form began to flicker, her essence disintegrating into the air, as if she were slipping through Louisa’s fingers. Louisa’s heart clenched. “Eden, please! Don’t go!” Eden’s voice, now distant but still clear, echoed one final warning. “You must be on guard, Louisa. The entity is still here, lurking, and though it is not in our nature, you must destroy it. If you don't, just like what happened to our people, all primal witches will be in danger.”

Louisa’s world shook as she absorbed the weight of Eden’s words. She wanted to argue, to scream, but instead, her resolve settled in her chest. Eden’s presence was fading–her form dissolving into the air, her voice barely a whisper now. Eden’s last words rang in Louisa’s ears. “Destroy it if you can, my child.”

With a final shimmer of light, Eden’s essence vanished, returning to the heavens, her presence now nothing more than a fading memory on the wind. Louisa stood alone in the stillness, her heart heavy with uncertainty, but her gaze and heart steeled.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, her hand clenched into a fist at her side. She turned toward the distant horizon, where Arcadia lay, dark and silent, waiting for her.

“I will,” Louisa whispered, ‘I’ll destroy it.”

The wind carried her words away as she gathered what she wanted to take back to Arcadia and called her broom. She had to go tell Romy…and Lili.