The Dreaded Return

III

~~

I blink once. Then twice. Thrice. Then ask, "What?"

Ivanna's jaw tightens and her fingers start playing with the dry mud beneath her. "I need your help."

I snort and then sigh. "I don't understand." I chuckle incredulously. "And my help? Seriously? You're the all-powerful witch who healed me."

A whisper of a smile forms on her face. "Well, I'm not really that powerful."

I didn't understand what she said, and every moment I spent with her only seemed to make me even more confused than I was before. So I cut to the chase. "Look, I'm really confused and tired and angry and a million other things right now. So can you please just be clear?"

She nods solemnly and starts to explain. "The supernatural world is falling apart. And while I was searching for a way to prevent this, I came across a seer."

"A seer? What's that?" I ask. 

"A seer is an oracle of sorts. They see the future. Just glimpses of it. But enough to shape the future in a better way."

I nod.

"The seer told me that the only way to stop this was to seek out Adriana. She said that Adria-"

I interrupt. "Wait, Adriana as in Adriana Hendrix who was.."

She sighs. "Yes. Adriana Hendrix, who was your.." Bestfriend? Ex-best friend. I didn't know myself. So I nod in understanding and gesture for her to continue. 

"Well, she told me to seek out Adriana because apparently, the Seer had multiple visions of Adriana whenever she tried to see anything related to the expected danger." She said breathing heavily.

I nod in understanding. "Oh, okay. Then how do I come into this?"

"The seer also told me that there was no guarantee that Adriana could actually achieve the task because the journey could kill her before she reached the end." This had my heart rate spiking. And I hated it. I hated that I'm still worried for a girl who lied to me and kept her identity a secret along with mine. But I don't show any worry I felt to Ivanna. Instead, I keep quiet waiting for her to continue.

"So, I decided against seeking out Adriana for help. And then I had a vision." She emphasized the 'I'. I raise an eyebrow, my forehead hurting slightly at the strain. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm a witch. And witches don't get visions. Ever. There has never been any mention of a witch or a warlock ever receiving a vision. But I got one. And because of that, I'm not sure about its credibility. What I did learn from it was that there is somebody who can defeat the darkness. But I also found out that I couldn't seek that person in the limited time I had. And the vision didn't give me a name or anything. The only thing it told me was that I would feel a pulse from the earth when I find him. Or her. And there was no way I could scour the world for you.

So, I decided to go with the only other option I had. Ask the Hendrixs for help. But then I saw you. And I felt the pulse. It didn't just come from within the earth. It felt like it came from everywhere, the sun, the sky, the air.