The Great War

X

I clutch onto Mani and Cora's hands attempting to bring them with me for the first time, much to Mani's displeasure. I inhale slowly and exhale sharply as I close my eyes. "Just like we practiced, clear your mind."

I nod and try my best to clear my head of the worries I had about this whole stunt. I inhale and hold it as I tightly squeeze both hands in mine. A sharp pain hit my head like a train and trails down my spine. It didn't take long till it spread throughout my body.

I'd take anything else over this pain, it was so radiating and piercing. It was ice cold and smoldering hot. It pulses and flutters throughout my entire body. I felt my knees buckle and I hit the floor, my knees scraped up and reddening. My body tenses as I look up at the sky, its color changing from the cloudy gray blue to a brighter more alive blue.

"Love? Are you okay?" I focus on Mani as he bends down in front of me. He pushes my hair back, looking me over, "I told you not to do this."

"Daphne?" I look to the side and see a confused Theo and Lilium, Smilla standing off to the side of them looking displeased.

"Theo," I breathe out, utterly relieved to see him, I don't know how long I was gone. A few hours seemed to be days here.

He rushed over to me and fell to his knees pulling me into him, "You had me worried there for a second, sweetheart." He mumbles into my neck squeezing me in his embrace.

"I'm sorry,"

He shook his head curtly and pulled away, quickly pressing a sweet chaste kiss to my lips. I felt so cold, and he felt so warm, which was unusual. He's usually a comforting cold.

"Are you okay? You look sick." He cups my face, ignoring all the new faces in the room.

"I'm okay." I breathe out huskily. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to even move my lips. He stares at me before hardening his gaze. He slides one hand under my knees and his other arm wraps around my back. He lifts us both up and walks past Lilium and Smilla to the bedroom.

"You're sweating, you aren't okay. What even happened?" I let out a relieved breath as he sets me down on my bed. The sheets soft and cold.

"The school was in complete disarray when I apparated in, I don't know what happened. All I know is Ophelia has a brother and some man is after me, he's in charge of the creatures after me. Everything's so much more complex now, more than we had originally thought. So much more goes into this, it's so deep. Ophelia's brother is some sort of heavenly thing, he's been looking for her since the fall of the school. Thought I was her; I think. I don't know. I found the group, got them back here." I spew that all out in a word vomit, I'm not even sure if it made any sort of sense.

Theo nods and sighs cupping my face again, "You weren't gone long, maybe like half a day at most. But I was worried something happened. Are you sure you're okay?"

I nod and smile at him bringing him in closer, "I'm okay, just a bit of shock from everything I guess." He nods and lays his head on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist as I lay back on the bed, enjoying the closeness to him.

𖤐

We both re-enter the living room, everyone scattered around, anxious and silent. Mani's eyes immediately went to Theo in what seemed to be sadness. I can't even begin to think about how hurt he must be, seeing the woman he loves in someone who isn't her, and then seeing her with a different man.

I let go of Theo's hand and walk up to Mani, I reach out from his arm and place my hand on it. "I know this is hard, I may not understand it as much, but I'm sorry."

He gives me a gentle smile and shakes his head, "You're fine darling, not your issue."

He looks at Smilla and glares at her slightly, "Where have you been? All these years you've what, hidden in the mortal realm?" His tone had a hint of bitterness to it, all of it hidden in a cloud of grief.

She glares at him, her eyes full of spite, "I haven't been hiding, I've been looking for you all, Ophelia mostly. I'm sorry you don't see that but I've been looking for years."

He sighs and his shoulders drop, "I'm assuming you never found her." She shook her head, a silence set in. All of Ophelia's friends, family, holding pure grief and loss over her. I never realized someone could be so missed by others. I never even realized how someone could hold such an imprint on others.

"She has to be somewhere, right? She can't just... disappear, like this. Wasn't she immortal?" I ask looking back at Smilla,

"She was, yes. But she gave you all of what she had left. If she had any left for herself, she's too weak for me to feel her presence in the world. She clearly aged in your realm. If she stayed in town, she had to of."

I nod, "She did. I think I have photos." I step away to my bookshelf by the fireplace. I grab the old book the first journalist that went to her, made. "Here," I give it to Mani with a sad smile.

He inhales sharply before opening it flipping through it till it landed on a photo page. His eyes fill with tears and absolute unconditional love for his wife, his soulmate. "She was still so beautiful." He places a hand on the photo sniffling trying to hide the fact he was crying.

In her, Ophelia's, documented last days she always had her hair up in a braided bun and her makeup done gorgeously. She wore one dress; it was elegant and flowy. The color white with the perfect amount of lace and it stopped at her ankles. She wore it in any photo taken of her.

"She still had her dress, beauty never ages." He says softly, moving next to me showing me the photo of her standing next to the journalist, a smile making her face glow with youthfulness.

"She wore that to our wedding, you know. She still looked so effortless in it. Takes my breath away even now." I look over at him as he spoke, his eyes glued to the photo like it was a lifeline.

"Stop hogging the photo, give me it." Cora takes it from Mani and shows the rest of the group the old photos.