Chrysanthemum || An ATLA Fanfiction

Dawn

When she came to again, Willow was utterly confused. She shouldn't be able to regain consciousness. She was dead, or more eloquently put, she was unsubscribed from Life itself. She felt herself dying. She felt as a soft and warm embrace took her somewhere far away.

Or so she thought.

Willow couldn't feel her body, she couldn't feel anything actually. She couldn't smell, she couldn't taste, she couldn't hear anything but strangely enough, she could see.

Willow saw the vastness of space in front of her. Planets and faraway stars perched on the night sky for her to observe. It was so serene, so beautiful and magnificent. She could gaze into the star-filled sky for hours. Willow might as well have been, she didn't know if she was in this strange space for minutes, hours, months or even seconds.

She thought back to the start of the fateful day when she met up with her best friend, her twin, in everything but blood, Stella. Oh, how much she would miss her. And Damian, the boy who unknowingly stole her heart. Above all, though, she would miss her family. The warm embraces of her mother she always got when she was upset, the temple kisses her father always gave her when he was proud of her and the laughs she shared with her wonderful sister when they would tease each other She couldn't bear to think the heartbreak they'll experience once they find her body or whatever remains of it, within the wreckage of the burned house.

Willow just wished for them to not blame themselves for her death. It was an accident, a tragic accident.

Weirdly enough Willow was not upset at her death. Apathy for her death filled her. She couldn't understand why. She should be screaming and kicking to go back to her loved ones. Praying to all the gods out there to take her back. But no. She didn't feel anything of the sort. Willow thought to herself that perhaps she deserved her death, or it was simply her time to leave Earth.

Her mind started to wander back to her last moments. That voice that whispered into her mind, fueling her soul with the need to save the little flower that was her cousin. She heard that voice in her dream at school and the night before. She was at a loss, Willow had no idea what or who the voice was but nonetheless thanked them for their guidance at that moment.

A plea broke the silence.

"Spirits, please, help my daughter! I beg every spirit that is in this world, please, spare my child some of your power and give life and strength to her weak little body! Please help my baby! She will die! Please!" A smooth and comforting, feminine voice pleaded,

Willow was overtaken with pity for the mother and an inexplicable feeling of wanting to help bloomed in her. A strange sentiment as moments before, Willow did not even care for her own death. But here she was caring for a mother about to lose her child. As she was about to answer the mother's plea a booming voice cut her off

"All things come with a price and all actions have repercussions. Beware of what you wish for." The strangely familiar, disembodied voice warned

"I do not care, please, I just want my daughter to live" the desperate mother replied, Willow agreed with the statement, she also wanted the child to live,

The otherworldly voice answered after a pause "I see, then so shall it be. But remember yours and your child's destiny has been sealed forever.", Willow felt as if that last warning was not only directed to the mother but also her. At that moment she recognized the voice as the one that spoke to her. Willow was utterly stumped at what was going on.

The desire to help the mother in need was now a burning feeling, a tug from the centre of her chest. A great light appeared in front of her, like a burning sun, it pulled her forward towards it. A thought occurred to her. Perhaps it was finally her time to enter the afterlife and that light was her gateway to heaven or hell, honestly, either one was fine by her. She couldn't wait to see which religion had the closest version of what the afterlife was like.