Chapter 6: Back to the Future
The glow surrounding us was otherworldly, almost blinding, as the guardians descended upon the clearing. They were no longer mere shadows but figures of shifting light and darkness, their forms barely recognizable as human. My heart pounded in my chest as the air thickened with their presence, making it difficult to breathe.
“We have to move!” Clara shouted, her voice cutting through the tension.
But I stood frozen, torn between two impossible choices. My gaze flickered to Edward, who stood firm at my side, his expression set in grim determination. He wasn’t leaving, no matter what happened. The weight of that realization pressed down on me—if I returned to the future, I might lose him forever.
Before I could decide, the guardians moved closer, their forms flickering like flames in the darkness. Clara raised her hand, and I could see the faint shimmer of the locket in her palm, its glow barely visible under the guardians’ light.
“I can send you back,” she said, her voice laced with urgency. “But we only have one chance.”
The guardians swirled around us, their presence growing stronger with every passing second. Edward grabbed my hand, pulling me closer. His grip was tight, almost desperate, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted me to choose—but he was prepared to accept whatever choice I made.
“What happens to you if I go?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“I don’t know,” Edward admitted, his gaze never leaving mine. “But I don’t care. You have to go, Ivy. You can’t stay here. Not like this.”
The words hung between us, heavy with unspoken emotions. My mind raced, torn between the life I had known and the man I had come to care for in a way that felt impossibly deep, even in the short time we had been together.
***
Edward’s hand tightened around mine, and without warning, he pulled me into him. His lips found mine in a kiss that was both urgent and tender, filled with all the things we hadn’t been able to say. It was as if he were trying to pour all his emotions into that one kiss, a desperate plea for me to understand what I meant to him.
Time seemed to stop as we stood there, locked in that moment, the world around us fading into nothing. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and I felt the warmth of his body against mine. Every part of me wanted to stay in that moment, to freeze time and hold onto him forever.
“I love you,” he whispered against my lips, the words soft but full of conviction. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you.”
My heart ached at his confession, the weight of it pulling at me. I wanted to say the words back, to tell him how much he meant to me, but the fear of losing him choked the words in my throat. Instead, I kissed him again, letting my actions speak where my words failed.
His hands tangled in my hair, his touch both gentle and possessive, as though he were trying to memorize every part of me before time tore us apart. There was a sense of finality in the kiss, a shared understanding that this might be our last moment together.
When we finally pulled away, I could see the sadness in his eyes, mixed with acceptance. “You have to go,” he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s the only way.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I nodded, my heart breaking. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know,” he said, brushing a tear from my cheek. “But you don’t belong here. You have a life waiting for you—your real life.”
The guardians moved closer, their forms swirling around us, and I knew we were running out of time. Clara stepped forward, holding the locket out to me, its glow now pulsing in time with the strange energy in the air.
“You have to choose now, Ivy,” Clara said, her voice urgent. “If we don’t act soon, you’ll be trapped here forever.”
I looked at the locket, the weight of the decision crashing down on me. My life in the future felt like a distant memory, and the pull of the past—of Edward—was stronger than I could have imagined. But deep down, I knew Clara was right. I couldn’t stay. This wasn’t my time.
With trembling hands, I reached for the locket. The moment my fingers touched its cool surface, the world seemed to shift around me. I could feel the energy surging through the air, crackling with power.
“Ivy, no!” Edward’s voice was filled with anguish as he reached for me, his hand grasping mine for one final moment. Our eyes locked, and I felt the tear between our worlds widening.
But just as Clara began to whisper the incantation that would send me back, something happened.
The guardians surged forward, faster than I expected, and their energy collided with the locket’s power. A sharp crack echoed through the clearing, and I was thrown backward, the force of the explosion knocking me off my feet. The world spun around me, and I felt myself being pulled into the void.
***
I woke with a start, gasping for breath as I sat up, my head pounding. The air around me was still, and the only sound was the soft ticking of a clock somewhere in the distance.
I looked around, trying to make sense of where I was. The room was unfamiliar—bright and modern, with sleek furniture and polished floors. I blinked, my mind struggling to catch up.
It wasn’t until I saw my reflection in the glass window that it hit me.
I was back.
The locket was gone, and the strange, otherworldly energy that had surrounded me was nowhere to be found. I was back in my own time, back in the future.
But something was wrong.
I stood, my legs shaky as I moved toward the window, trying to ground myself in the reality of the present. The city skyline stretched out before me, the lights of London twinkling in the distance.
Yet, despite the familiar sights and sounds of the modern world, something was missing.
Edward.
***
The door to the room creaked open, and I spun around, my heart racing. Standing in the doorway was a figure I didn’t expect to see.
Clara.
Her expression was unreadable, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Ivy,” she said softly, stepping into the room. “There’s something you need to know.”
Before I could respond, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the locket. The same locket I thought had been destroyed.
And as she held it out to me, glowing faintly with a familiar light, she whispered the words that would change everything.
“Edward isn’t gone.”