Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

The wind blew softly, swaying her long hair a bit. Her eyes were closed, and there was a serene look on her face, which made her look ethereal.

When Ethan first met her, she was just a child no more than twelve years old.

She had told him that she loved him, but he politely told her that they weren\'t meant to be.

His rejection was not only because she was young, but also because they didn\'t live in the same timeline.

It was indeed a relationship that wasn\'t meant to be.

Even if Ethan agreed and promised to wait for her to grow up, they were not just separated by distance, but time and space itself as well.

It was a relationship that was doomed to fail, and heartbreak was their only choice.

Despite that, the Princess didn\'t stop loving him.

There were many suitors who approached her and her family, bearing gifts and promises of happiness.

And yet, she knew that her happiness lay elsewhere.

No amount of gold nor jewels could fill the emptiness inside her heart.

Only his touch, his embrace, and kisses could fill her up with happiness and make her the happiest girl in the world.

And because of this, she made a decision.

Regardless of the price,

Regardless of the sacrifice,

And regardless of who stood in her way…

She would find a way to meet him, even if she was no longer the same person that he remembered.

As the Princess looked at the first stars that appeared in the sky, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

"You sure went out of your way to invite me to this off-beat place," Hecate said. "But I have to admit, the view is good."

The sun had just set, and the heavens were painted with purple and orange.

The first stars of the night twinkled at the two teenage girls, who were the same age.

Both of them were seventeen, and both of them were now facing each other with smiles on their faces.

"You look at me with pity and sadness, but I can\'t help but find it amusing," Princess Ramona said as she beckoned for Hecate to come closer to her. "Am I a truly tragic princess in your eyes?"

"Do you want an honest answer?" Hecate asked back.

"Yes. I want an honest answer."

"Yes, you are a very pitiful girl."

Instead of being offended, the smile on Princess Ramona\'s face only widened.

"True." Princess Ramona nodded. "I am a very pitiful girl. The person I love doesn\'t exist in the same era I live in. It wasn\'t because I was born too early or because he was born too late. We were simply not meant to be—at least, that was what Fate decreed back then."

Hecate brushed aside the hair that covered her eyes due to the wind and tucked it behind her ears.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Hecate inquired. "Surely, you have better things to do, like preparing for your date with Ethan tomorrow. According to what I know, Ethan is really weak to beautiful girls. If you push him down and shower him with kisses, you can definitely get away with creating beautiful memories with him."

Princess Ramona giggled. "That\'s indeed very tempting, but I have a more tempting offer. How about you switch places with me?"

"Um?" Hecate blinked her eyes once then twice because she felt that she misheard the princess in front of her. "What did you say again? Can you please repeat it?"

"Switch places with me," Princess Ramona replied. "By doing so, you will be able to push him down, shower him with kisses, and create beautiful memories with him."

"… And why would I do that?" Hecate asked in confusion. "Shouldn\'t you use this opportunity since it\'s a once in a lifetime chance?"

Princess Ramona shook her head before heaving a sigh.

"It\'s worse than I thought," Princess Ramona said. "You\'ve forgotten a lot of things."

"Excuse me?" Hecate frowned.

Princess Ramona made a gesture for Hecate to come closer, so the latter obliged. The two were now standing only a meter away from each other.

Both could see each other\'s faces, and the expressions they were making.

This was why Hecate was confused because the Princess was looking at her with sadness and pity.

For some reason, she believed that it was the same expressions that she had when she looked at the Princess whenever she was with Ethan.

A moment of silence descended upon the two girls, with the wind blowing past their bodies, making their hair and clothes flutter in the wind.

The first one to break the silence was none other than the Princess, who moved a step closer to hold Hecate\'s hand.

"Hecate, what was the first thing on your mind when you opened your eyes for the first time?" Princess Ramona asked. "Think carefully before you answer. This is a serious question."

Hecate frowned but decided to answer the Princess\' question honestly.

"When you say the moment I first opened my eyes, are you talking about the moment I was born?" Hecate inquired.

Princess Ramona nodded. "Yes."

"How can I remember something like that? It has been seventeen years since then."

"Well, then. Shall I help you remember?"

Princess Ramona lightly poked Hecate\'s forehead with her finger, making Hecate\'s eyes gloss over as if she had entered a trance.

Memories of her past swirled inside her head until she returned to the time when she became aware of the world around her.

"I want to see you."

"I want to be with you."

Those were the first two thoughts that had appeared inside her head when she was born.

Hecate was a special existence.

She wasn\'t birthed by an elf or a human.

She was born from the seed of the World Tree.

But since her soul wasn\'t that of an elf, but a human, she was born as a Half-Elf.

Also, when she was born, she was born in her current body.

She didn\'t start as a baby.

It was a birth that broke many laws.

Her birth was taboo, which was why the world decided to punish her for going against the natural cycle of life and death.

Everytime she used her power, the Elementals of the world would appear to end her life, which would allow her to return to the proper cycle, just as it was meant to be.

As Hecate remembered the first thoughts she had when she regained her consciousness, she looked at the princess in front of her, who was looking back at her with the same pitiful and sad gaze that she had earlier.

"You.. Who are you?" Hecate asked.

"A wish made out of love," Princess Ramona replied. "A wish of What Ifs, and Might Have Beens. A wish that transcended time and space… a wish that finally reached you."

"I don\'t understand." Hecate shook her head. "Isn\'t it Joanne who should have enlightenment, not me?"

"Who said that only one person can reach enlightenment in this world?" Princess Ramona asked in a teasing tone. "So, tell me, oh, noble, yet pitiful soul, who sacrificed so much to make a miracle happen…

"Are you ready for your Enlightenment?"