December 1951

As dusk slowly approached across the horizon, Himeno moved through the upper floor of her home with muted footsteps, ignoring the cries of agony that echoed through the silent walls. Through the night and into the day, Satoshi had screamed his throat raw as healers worked on his charred skin. They could not replace what had been damaged. All they could do was use magic to coax his body to regenerate, a process that was bound to be painful. But if Satoshi wished to live, he had to endure. His family had to endure and hope that he would be alright. After all, there was only so much shock the human heart could tolerate.

Himeno loved her husband for everything that he was, but sometimes she wished Satoshi would be a little selfish. If he put himself before others, he would have never been injured during the Church fire. Himeno wouldn't find her sons, Akihito and Hideyoshi, curled into one bed, using the blanket to drown out the sound of their father's cries.

'Boys,' Himeno called out once and being the oldest at ten years of age, Akihito peeked out from his hiding place first.

'Is father going to be alright?' he asked with the perfect American accent, one that sometimes broke Himeno's heart a little.

Instead of being born in Japan, growing up around its culture, due to witch politics, Himeno had her sons in the West. America wasn't a bad place. It was like any other human ruled country, full of its own prejudices. She simply wanted a different life for her sons.

'He'll be fine.' Himeno smiled and then held out her hands. 'Come.'

One command was enough to rouse her sons to their feet. Akihito moved forward with purpose as his face remained neutral, never giving away what he was thinking. Just like Himeno had taught him. Hideyoshi, on the other hand, was just five years old and an open book. With time though, he would learn the same tricks as his brother. It was a shame that Himeno could not be there to guide him.

As the boys held onto Himeno's hand, a voice in her head urged to be weak and hold her sons close. But she knew that if she showed even a hint of fear, the brothers would know something was wrong. Himeno wanted their last memory of her to be one filled with love, a warm smile and nothing more.

'It might take a while but your father will be alright,' Himeno assured, hoping her words could lessen some of their worries. 'However, I will not be around to care for you any longer. There is some business I must attend to and I do not know how long I will be. In the meantime, your aunt Haruhi will take my place. You are to treat her with respect.'

Akihiko nodded while Hideyoshi frowned.

'I don't like Haru's food,' he muttered, his words making Himeno laugh.

Going down on her knees, unable to help herself, she hugged her sons and took in their scents. 'My Aki,' she whispered. 'My Hide.'

I love you.

The words remained unsaid as Himeno patted their cheeks and pulled back.

'You'll be okay,' she said, convincing them and convincing herself. 'Now, off you go. I'll let you play in the garden until sunset. But no further.'

Beaming with joy, the two boys were off, rushing down the stairs to get away from the screams. Himeno watched them go until they were out of sight, took in a deep breath, and let go of her feelings. She didn't need them for what she was about to do next.

In the safety of the guest room, she removed her clothes and donned her body with a black cloak. Then she took the servant's path out of the house and into the backyard that led to the surrounding forest. By now, the sky above was a dark blue fringed with purple, streaks of gold struggling to stay alight as the sun set.

Hirake

As the command left Himeno's lips, the air before her began to ripple like water, stretching apart to open a passage into a world that a human would never be able to access.

After the witch trials began, the supernatural society that had lived in peace for so long had a rude awakening. While the woman persecuted during this time were not truly witches, the High Council did not want to take any more chances. It was their job to protect supernatural creatures, to ensure their safety and in the end, they believed this could only be done by going into hiding. A new realm of sorts was created, one interlinked to the human world, allowing supernatural beings to come and go as they pleased, to live in a world where they would not be judged.

This decision had served Himeno and her people well for a long time. The High Council had stopped the inane violence and stopped a possible war.

And now, after years of living in peace, Himeno's world was now facing a new danger.

One that she could have prevented if she had been vigilant.

Just yesterday, Himeno had left home with her family to attend her friend Eleanor's wedding. While the whole engagement had been arranged by Elle's parents, the blue-eyed mediator had been happy, especially since the wedding was taking place in a Church. It was just like the movies, Elle had screamed while throwing herself in Alexander's arms. Himeno's childhood friend and Elle's older brother, Alexander had just smiled. Drowning in a wave of happiness, Himeno hadn't seen the storm clouds that were brewing.

The day set to be a joyous occasion had been marked with fear as fire bloomed in the white halls of the Church. It crackled and popped, chasing after the people who ran for their lives and into the arms of safety. Himeno should have run. She should have used her magic to stop the chaos. But her eyes were fixed Eleanor who was still standing at the altar, her body shivering with fear, a giant black hand wrapped around her thin waist.

With the hind legs of a beast, he loomed over Eleanor, a creature made of darkness. Broad-chested, muscled and covered in fur as his snout opened to reveal a sharp set of teeth, drool dripped down its chin and sizzled onto the ground.

It's a monster Himeno's mind concluded.

He's a friend. Her heart accepted.

Because as the beast lowered his head, Himeno saw his blue eyes, so clear and familiar. And in that instance, he dragged his nail across Eleanor's face to split it open, snapping her body in two before she could even cry in pain.

The devil, Himeno had realized after that incident, was not a fallen angel. He was a product of man, made from greed and an insatiable desire for power. He was a friend who had held Himeno's hand and been her companion through her darkest days.

Now, Himeno had to fix the mistake she had made.

Stepping into a clearing in the heart of the forest, Himeno removed her hood as she was surrounded by other cloaked figures, her fellow members in the High Council. Some faces were grim while others were angry. But all of them had accepted their fate. While the devil had been trapped behind the gate of purgatory, that would not last forever. He would break free.

To save the future, some sacrifices had to be made.

'It's time,' Himeno announced once the sun completely set, not a trace of its light visible.

Before beginning the ritual, the members hugged one another and whispered well-wishes. Himeno, however, didn't get involved because she had led them to this point. She was their leader and she had led them down. The only thing she deserved was their hate.

As her insides turned, Himeno closed her eyes and counted every breath. One, two, three – Two arms suddenly wrapped around her slim frame and snapped her out of her thoughts.

'It's always you, isn't it Kaitlyn?' Himeno asked, glancing back at her younger friend.

Even though her eyes were red from crying, dark circles beneath them, Kaitlyn smiled. 'I just wanted to make sure that you were alright.'

Just yesterday, Kaitlyn had lost half her family in the fire. Being Eleanor's younger sister, she had been the one who had been affected by the fire the most. After all, she was the only Pierce left breathing. But her womb was barren and her family line would end with her. Still, somehow, Kaitlyn smiled through it all.

'Did you tell Satoshi?' Kaitlyn asked, sending a pang of pain into Himeno's heart.

Unable to meet the younger girl's eyes, she looked away. 'He will understand.'

Himeno hoped he would.

Kaitlyn's fingers intertwined with hers and Himeno squeezed her hand thrice before letting go. 'Go,' she said, stepping away. 'You can't be near the circle.'

With a pained look, Kaitlyn hurried away from the circle that the council members were forming around Himeno. As they all held hands, Himeno let her cloak fall, shivering as the cold wind kissed her bare skin. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back as one hand reached for the sky.

And so, the spell began.

With every word whispered from Himeno's lips, the wind around her picked up speed as the tattoos hidden beneath her skin resurfaced, reflecting the moon's light. She let the wind carry her voice to the heavens, her sound getting louder until she was screaming just hear herself a little clearer. Up above, listening to her cries, storms clouds began to gather in the sky, staring down at Himeno and her companions with pity. Himeno let her back bend as her other hand stretched towards the ground.

Lightning pierced through the grey clouds and hit Himeno's fingertips, using her body as a conduit into the ground. The magic circle they had created finally came to life, streaks of white connecting nine council members to Himeno.

Pain rippled through Himeno's body as words escaped her sore throat, the elements becoming overwhelming. But she couldn't stop now. Not when the spell was so close to completion. Her lips continued to move even as her friends fell to the ground one by one, their bodies turning to dust and returning to their creator. She kept the spell going even when thoughts of her family filled her mind, her loving husband and beautiful sons, people she would never see again. Tears slipped from her eyes at the thought of all she would lose and all she would leave behind.

Her sons would grow up without her. They would come to hate her for the choices she made. But that was alright. Even if they could not understand the choice she had made tonight, at least, they would be safe.

They would be alive.

Another bolt of lightning struck Himeno and white blinded her vision. Instead of feeling pain, Himeno felt at peace. But before she could hold onto it and never let go, reality sunk its claws into her body, dragging her back to the present, to her comrades that were all dead and gone.

There was only one step left.

Standing on shaking feet, Himeno glanced at Kaitlyn who was hiding behind a tree and watching the process with fear in her brown eyes. She gestured for the young girl to come forward.

'Himeno?' Kaitlyn called out, her voice laced with worry but there was no answer.

Instead, Himeno held out her hands and poured every bit of her strength into her fingertips until an orb of light began to form. It grew bigger as Himeno grew weaker, sucking the very life out of her. Her knees hit the ground and Kaitlyn let out a strangled cry but the young witch didn't stop, not until she was struggling to breathe.

When the last drop of her strength was taken, the orb floated towards Kaitlyn, the very sight of it putting her in a trance-like state. In the embrace of the white light, she saw the past, present and the future, the generation to come and lead on their mission. And as Kaitlyn watched, the orb became one embedded into her body, giving her the ability to create life when she couldn't before.

While it was a beautiful moment, it had taken the sacrifice of ten to create one life, cursing an unborn child with the task of fixing every wrong.

From the ground, Himeno looked at Kaitlyn one last time before closing her eyes. Whether she had made the right choice or not, she would never know. She just hoped that she hadn't cursed the generations to come with agony. There was no going back now.

Directing her thoughts to her family, Himeno pictured the faces of the people she loved. Her Satoshi. Her Aki. Her Hide.

I love you.

Smiling to herself, Himeno let go, crumbling to dust.