"What… what have you done, Zach?" Isabel cried out, her voice trembling as pain burned through her eyes and body.
A powerful bang on the door snapped Zach out of his shock.
"You… you didn't tell me…" he stammered, his voice shaking. "You didn't tell me you were a witch."
He stared at the woman before him in disbelief.
The woman he had once called his wife now looked like someone he had never truly known.
Tears streamed down Isabel's face.
"I'm sorry, Zach," she whispered weakly. "I hope you can forgive me… but the baby… our baby, Zach…"
Her hands trembled as she clutched her stomach.
"I'm so sorry… I couldn't even give you a complete family…"
Before Zach could respond, the door was finally smashed open.
A group of demon hunters stormed into the house.
Behind them stood Rose and several village women, satisfaction written all over their faces.
"Where is she?!" one of the hunters barked. "Where is the witch?!"
Zach remained frozen on the floor, his head lowered, tears filling his eyes.
The hunters searched the house immediately, tearing through every corner and hidden space.
But Isabel was nowhere to be found.
"Keep searching!" the commander ordered.
Rose stepped forward, looking at Zach.
"Tell them where you hid her!" she snapped. "Do you want to be punished for sheltering a witch?"
Her voice dripped with false concern.
"If you confess now, you'll be pardoned. You might even be rewarded for helping us catch her."
But Zach said nothing.
The villagers began whispering among themselves.
"Maybe he knew all along."
"He must have known she was a witch."
"I always said he wasn't as innocent as he looked."
Disgust and accusation filled the room.
Then suddenly—
"There's a back door over here!" one of the demon hunters shouted.
Everyone turned at once.
Zach's body stiffened.
The commander stepped closer and examined it.
"This trail leads into the woods," he said coldly. "She must have escaped through here."
He turned to his men.
"Go into the forest. Search for her and bring her back to me."
His eyes darkened.
"Dead or alive."
Without hesitation, the hunters rushed into the woods.
Isabel ran.
She ran as fast as her shaking legs could carry her, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
Her mind replayed her final moment with Zach.
Yes… he had spared her.
Even with tears in his eyes, even after learning the truth, he had let her escape.
And that made the pain in her heart even worse.
She could feel his betrayal.
And she understood it.
She had never openly lied to him… but she had never told him the truth either.
He had trusted her so deeply that he never questioned her origins.
And now, she had broken that trust.
Tears blurred her vision as she ran.
She remembered the first day they met in the dark woods.
The sound of his voice, filled with concern.
"Are you okay?"
She remembered the way he had carried her home without asking who she was or where she came from.
The way he had looked at her.
The way he had loved her.
That day still lived clearly in her memory.
That was the day she had been running from demons.
The day her own brother betrayed her.
How could she have known that he had already turned against their bloodline?
He had secretly allied himself with the demons.
He had planned to marry her off to the demon clan so that, with her pure spirit, she would bear the Blessed Child—
A child born from the union of dark magic and the purest witch bloodline.
The moment Isabel discovered his plan, she tried to escape.
But in the process, she was attacked.
She lost part of her memory.
And that was when Zach found her lying unconscious in the woods.
For five years, she had lived with him.
For five years, she had slowly recovered her memories.
But even then…
She could never bring herself to tell him who she really was.
Now, as the voices of her pursuers echoed faintly through the forest, Isabel ran even harder.
Not for herself.
But for the child growing inside her.
No matter what happened—
She had to protect her baby.
***
Ever since that day, I haven't been myself.
My mind was always elsewhere, trapped in endless thoughts.
Was everything Dylan told me really true?
Was I truly the reincarnation of Queen Ellen?
If Jane had been the one to tell me all this, I would have called her crazy without hesitation.
But somehow…
Coming from Dylan, it felt impossible to ignore.
I had craved love all my life.
And now that it was finally standing right in front of me…
I couldn't bring myself to hold onto it.
Could I really forget everything and live a normal life with Dave beside me?
That had always been my dream.
So why was I hesitating now?
What if the White Clan failed to protect the world?
What would happen to me?
To Jane?
To Dave?
To everyone I loved?
But then again…
If an entire clan of powerful witches couldn't stop what was coming…
How could I?
I had no real powers.
No experience.
No idea what I was doing.
School resumed on the second day after the incident.
Everyone had already forgotten what happened.
According to the news and radio, it had all been dismissed as some kind of film stunt gone wrong.
The world outside looked normal again.
Lively.
Peaceful.
But I knew better.
This was only the beginning.
My life had returned to normal too.
No strange dreams.
No glowing eyes.
No terrifying abnormalities.
It felt as though everything had stopped.
Everything except my memory.
And if I rejected this fate…
Even that would be taken from me.
I sat with Jane in the school pavilion during break.
She immediately started asking about Dave.
But how could I tell her what I was really going through?
After that day, Dave had been avoiding long conversations with me, almost as if he already feared my answer.
Still, I told Jane the truth.
"Dave asked me out."
Jane nearly squealed.
"He asked you out?!" she repeated excitedly. "Then why aren't you two dating already?"
She stared at me suspiciously.
"Don't tell me you're planning to reject him after all this waiting!"
I sighed.
"It's not that I'm rejecting him," I said softly. "I just feel like I shouldn't rush things because I seem desperate."
Jane's expression softened.
Then she smiled.
"I'm glad you thought about that," she said. "Don't go easy on him just because he has a pretty face."
I laughed a little and nodded.
The day passed quickly.
And before I knew it…
It was the third day.
The day I had to make my decision.
After class, I called Dave and asked him to meet me.
There was a pause on the line.
A long pause.
As if he already knew what I wanted to say.
But in the end, he agreed.
Now we stood in front of the Humanities building, facing each other in silence.
"Let's grab lunch," Dave said nervously.
"No need," I replied, biting my lower lip. "I'm not hungry."
"What about… we sit somewhere first?" he suggested.
His nervousness made my chest tighten.
"Let's talk, Dave," I finally said.
He looked at me.
And in that single moment…
He already knew what my answer was.