The days inside the coven passed by in a blur of lessons, rituals, and endless chanting. For everyone else, it was fascinating nature magic, elemental bonds, sacred herbs, runes carefully etched in the dirt. But for me? It was so boring.
I wasn't bound to nature like these witches. No matter how many times the High Priestess shouted about respecting the balance of the earth, it didn't really apply to me. I could snap my fingers, and nature would bow to me. Why would I ask a plant nicely when I could just order it to bloom?
Their magic the sacred art they spent years perfecting was like a dying fire compared to the sun burning inside me.
They asked nature for permission. They negotiated for power with offerings and chants. I... well, I simply told nature what to do.
Where they spent hours meditating to conjure a breeze, I could lift a whole tree with a flick of my wrist. It was almost embarrassing. Not for me, of course for them.
So, I stayed quiet, polite, and... devastatingly bored.
While the other witches practiced levitating pebbles and lighting tiny fires, I lounged lazily nearby, spinning whole flower gardens into bloom just to entertain myself. The coven must have thought I was eccentric that strange outsider girl who smiled too easily and whose magic didn't play by the rules.
So, most of the time, I just sat there, pretending to listen while secretly zoning out.
Not that I cared. Because honestly, the real entertainment here wasn't the magic It was the people. Particularly the world's oldest, most tragic love triangle.
Silas. Amara. Qetsiyah.
I watched them the way a girl watches reality TV half amused, half horrified, fully invested.
Amara and Silas, on the other hand, were absolutely adorable or maybe tragic depending on your mood. They flirted constantly, sneaking glances at each other when they thought no one was watching.
Poor Qetsiyah. She was so obviously in love with Silas, but he only had eyes for Amara. If you thought the love triangles in The Vampire Diaries were messy, you should see this in real life. It was like a soap opera, but with more blood sacrifices.
Still, I had to hand it to Silas. He didn't just love Amara. He worshiped her. It was almost beautiful, if you could forget that it would eventually lead to an immortality spell, mass betrayal, and the entire creation of vampires.
One afternoon, while everyone else practiced weaving magic into the wind boring I sat near the old stone fountain in the center of the village. The water trickled and sparkled under the sunlight, and I stared at it listlessly, twirling a small flower between my fingers.
Water trickled steadily from the mouths of sculpted lions, splashing down into the wide circular basin. The sound was soft and constant, a soothing backdrop against the murmur of voices and the shuffling of sandals over sun-warmed stones.
"I'm so bored," I muttered under my breath. "Bored, bored, bored. This is what happens when you time-travel without a solid plan."
Sure, the present was boring too high school, homework, endless teenage drama but at least I had my comfy bed, my Phone, and the ability to buy ice cream whenever I wanted. Here, if you wanted dessert, you had to chase a deer for an hour. No thanks.
While I debated whether to try jumping back to 2008, someone sat down beside me on the fountain's edge.
"Mind if I sit here?" A smooth, rich voice asked beside me I looked up and nearly laughed out loud because of course, it was Silas.
Tall, golden-skinned, and sinfully handsome. Dressed in the flowing robes of his time, his hair falling in careless waves over his forehead, his mouth curled into an easy, amused smile
For a second, I blinked, surprised. Then I pasted on my sweetest, most charming smile.
He sat down beside me with a grace that was almost lazy, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his elbows. He turned his head to look at me, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You're not from here, are you?" he said simply, his tone almost... amused.
I tilted my head, smiled sweetly. "Define here," I said. "If you mean the coven no. If you mean this village definitely not. If you mean this time..." I shrugged. "Let's just say I'm exactly where I need to be."
Silas chuckled under his breath a rare sound, soft and low. "And are you... happy here?"
"Happy?" I echoed, as if testing the word on my tongue. "That's a big ask."I leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. "Let's just say... the people are nice enough. Some more than others." I gave him a playful look.
He chuckled a low, warm sound that sent a tiny shiver down my spine. "No," he said, still smiling. "You're different. I can feel it."
I tilted my head playfully. "Different good or different bad?"
He considered for a moment, his eyes flicking over my face with open curiosity. "Different... interesting," he said finally.
For a moment, we simply listened to the water singing between us.It was a clean silence, easy.
"Tell me," he said at last, glancing sideways at me. "Where are you truly from? I have heard a dozen stories from the coven, and I believe none of them."
I dipped my hand deeper into the water, watching the ripples spread outward."Does it matter?" I said lightly. "I am here now."
"But it matters to me," he said, earnest in a way that caught me off guard."I have lived too long among those who speak with honeyed tongues. I would know at least one truth."
I turned to face him fully, studying his face the sharpness of his jaw, the restless light in his eyes.He was not mocking me. He truly wished to know.
"Very well," I said. "I was born far from here, beyond the olive groves and the singing rivers. In a village so small the stars looked close enough to touch." I paused, smiled faintly. "I left because... I grew tired of living a life already written for me."
Silas leaned back on his elbows, gazing up at the endless blue of the sky.
"I understand that," he said simply. "I, too, am tired of chains others cannot see."
We fell into easy conversation after that, trading stories as if we were old companions.
I told him about the way the moon turned the wheat fields silver on midsummer nights, and he spoke of secret rites held deep within temple groves. I teased him for his solemn expressions, and he laughed a real, boyish laugh that startled both of us.
"You are unlike anyone I have ever met," . Silas laughed again, shaking his head, water droplets still clinging to his dark curls.
"You are surprisingly tolerable," I repeated grandly, tossing a pebble into the fountain with a satisfying plunk.
"High praise," he said dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"You have no idea," I said, mock serious. "You should see the people I don't talk to. A very exclusive group of 'better-off-ignored' individuals."
Silas chuckled, resting his forearm on his knee. "And what group am I part of, then?"
I tilted my head, pretending to consider. "You... hmm. You're part of the 'Rare but Amusing Specimens' group. Very prestigious. Very selective."
"Oh?" he played along, pretending to be flattered. "Do I get A token of honor?"
I leaned closer, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "You get... my eternal pity. Congratulations."
For a second, Silas just stared at me then he burst out laughing, the sound so unexpected and full that a few doves startled from the fountain's edge.
He shook his head, still smiling, then picked up a small stone and flicked it into the water with a lazy flick of his fingers. "You know," he said after a beat, quieter, "most people here are either terrified of magic... or desperate for it. I think you're the first person I've met who treats it like it's... well, just another odd trick."
I shrugged, casual. "Magic is useful. It's also ridiculous sometimes. People take it way too seriously."
He looked at me like I had said something revolutionary.
"I mean," I went on, grinning, "you know what magic should be used for? Turning bad wine into good wine. Making your sandals more comfortable. Keeping your hair from frizzing in the humidity."
Silas barked a laugh. "That... would be the most honorable use of my talents."
"Exactly!" I said, gesturing grandly. "Imagine your legacy. 'Silas the Great Tamer of Terrible Hairstyles and Conqueror of Uncomfortable Shoes.'"
He laughed again, shaking his head in disbelief.
Silas sobered slightly then, his smile lingering but his eyes sharper. "Truly though... I think you could be dangerous, if you wished it."
I met his gaze, all teasing aside for a moment.
"I know," I said simply.
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