Chapter 13
Don't let something that's long gone continue to control you. It's time to let go.
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The First Crystal
Sara Lightwood
"I look forward to it." Those cold words sink into my mind slowly as I stare at Destiny.
"Destiny, if you l..." I try to say, but I'm cut off before I even have the chance to finish.
"May I be excused grandma Sara, ple... please?" Destiny all, but begs and I nod my head. "Demon, let's go, boy," she commands.
Demon complies with Destiny's order, running towards her as she departs in the other direction. I see Tyler walk out but after a minute or so, he comes back towards the group looking dejected.
"She'll come around bro." His friend Brandon, confidently stated as Tyler returns a small smile.
He must really love her. I thought to myself.
"You know you are her trigger," I declared, turning to Dante just as his eyes go wide with turmoil swirling around before manifesting into understanding. He's really handsome, no wonder Maureen loved him so much.
"She hates me. I'm not that important for her to lose control." Dante responded, not really picking up on what I'm really trying to say.
Laughing very loudly like a madwoman, everyone looks at me as if I've lost my head. They must think I'm crazy. Not that I blame them, but come on. If only he knew.
Finally calming down myself before I begin.
"Destiny hates you now. But trust me when I say she only has love for you," I inform him and he looks shocked at my declaration. But I continue. "That girl is at war with herself and I know for a fact, there is a part of Destiny that would gladly accept you. But her fear of rejection builds up to anger, then to hate. Hate is too strong. I think she's angry and so she feeds off her anger, instead of looking at the logic."
"What does that mean," Luca speaks up in confusion, making me smile at his question.
"You see. When Maureen turned up in my hometown back then, I knew something happened. Her mother and I knew about the baby before she was even aware of it. The aura of the child was just so radiating, it's hard to miss.”
"No one posses that much power. No witch is that powerful, especially a Hawthorne," Bridgette decides to say and Dante growls.
"Tsk, tsk. What did I say, Bridgette?" I ask her sarcastically and she pales suddenly remembering what I had said and she shuts up.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. I sensed her powers a mile away and the further Maureen advanced into her pregnancy, the more the baby's powers rolled off in waves and because of that, Maureen became isolated from the outside world. No, I ensured she was isolated. I couldn't risk it. Not when I didn't understand what was happening.”
“When the time came for her to give birth, it began to rain lightly. I didn't give it much thought. That's until Destiny was welcomed into the world, she wailed, an ear-shattering one too. It was so powerful, it made the lights go out for a split second, then it happened. A storm was in full swing, but it quickly went away just as it came. I knew it was a sign and I was proven right when she was three years old."
I see Tyler's eyes reflect content and acceptance. No way! He knows all this.
"She loves you, huh," I declared the obvious. And the others look at him questioningly, until understanding becomes clear. Luca looks at Tyler hurt. Aww, he loves Destiny as well.
"Luca. I guess you mean a lot to Destiny, " I started to say. "You are aware that hybrids are unheard of. Well, one that lives that is. I'm guessing Destiny didn't want to lose you. But Tyler did something to break that wall for her to confide in him, so don't look so hurt honey," I assure Luca, making him smile at my words.
“How long before you knew Destiny is a hybrid?” Cammy questioned.
"When she was a year old, we discovered her mark and we accepted that she's a DeLuca. When she was three, however, Destiny came into her magical powers. She was so happy. You see, Destiny knew she wasn't like us and for a three-year-old, she felt guilty for not sharing magical abilities like her mother. So you can imagine her excitement. I, however, was shocked beyond belief and horrified because a witch's powers only appear on their eighth birthday.”
“She used only a finger to levitate Demon in the air, and at that moment, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with better yet, a storm. We realized what she was, so we took the necessary steps in controlling her. So to say. To be more specific; her temper." I say with a short pause, glancing at Dante who looks at me sheepishly.
"We had to ensure Destiny controlled her emotions. An emotional Destiny is catastrophic. She could put everyone at risk, including herself. We set her up with various mentors, even spiritual educators, so she can connect with nature. That's how we knew she couldn't shift. Destiny possesses the speed, strength among all the werewolf abilities, but just not the shifting. And we're still not quite sure if she can or cannot shift. Destiny has so much power, I'm not even so sure of what she can really do." I lamented, seeing confusion clear as the sky on their faces.
"What do you mean?" Dante pondered.
"It means until Destiny accepts who she is and what she really is, she'll never connect with nature truly. Both sides of her family are powerful. It's just that, she needs to accept that she's not one, but two species." I say, which causes Dante's shoulder to slump down. It's a shame I had to say what I did, but it's the truth. I truly felt sorry for him.
"So you're basically saying that if Destiny accepts that she's also a DeLuca, her true powers will come to light," Tyler's dad asks, putting it together and I nod to confirm his skepticism.
Brandon and Luca's father, Adrian, speaks after a moment. "How much more power can one girl possess," he mumbles mostly to himself.
"Mr. Parker. You're talking about a young woman whose mother's bloodline comes from the first pure sister witches and a father whose family comes from warriors. I'd say, a lot.” A cheery, brunette declared as I stared at her. She seems oddly familiar.
“Pardon me, but who're you exactly?” I wondered.
"My name is Alexis Steele," she introduces herself, beaming as recognition hits me.
Of course. The Steele's were guardian witches back in the day.
"I guess Destiny's found her guardian," I say with a smile. "Is she aware?" I asked, to which Alexis shakes her head along with a sad, yet weak smile.
Cammy looks at Alexis, gaping in disbelief. "Impossible," she whispers and I lightly chuckle.
"That seems to be the word of the day, but yes. It's possible, the Steele's are guardians, but were cursed centuries ago. But this little gem right here seems to have broken that."
"Oh my goodness. It all makes sense now," Jenny speaks up.
"What does?" a confused Luca mutters with a frown.
"The fight. Destiny was going to kill Watkins for sure, but the moment Alexis spoke to her and begged her to stop; she did." Jenny explains.
"To have a guardian is precious. Their duty is to guide you and ensure you're balanced. It's sort of like yin and yang. Destiny, however, is far from balance," I stated yet another flaw.
“How so, she looks perfectly fine.” Brandon is the one who enquired.
"Appearance is just an Illusion, Destiny accepts her magical inheritance and until she accepts Dante, she'll be forever unbalanced and that's why she loses control of the alpha within her. That is where the canines come in unexpectedly and once she loses restraint, it's hard to regain her self-control. I had to bind my magic with her necklace in order to control her years ago and let me tell you, it took everything I got," I explained.
"How does a child get the best of Sara Lightwood?" Bridgette whispers to herself and I smile.
"Destiny lost her anchor to the magical world, her mother," I replied even though the question wasn't aimed at me directly. "Now, she's left to face the fact that the other anchor is no other than her father who may or may not want or accept her for what she is. You all need to understand that Destiny is still that child who is yet to experience a father's love and acceptance." I further explained.
Dante appears hopeful for the first time since we've been here and I feel really terrible that my own granddaughter doesn't accept the man, because of her own stubbornness which ironically inherited from him.
"Destiny resembles Maureen a lot, but she has my temper. That's one of my biggest flaws. So I now know I have my work cut out for me, " Dante stated as his wife smiles encouragingly in his direction.
"That you do, for that girl is worse than Demon on my goddamn table refusing to get the hell off," a voice pipes up. We all turn our heads to the source to see Martha and Blue walking in.
"Sara, honey! It's great to see you," Martha greets me with a kiss.
"Don't worry about Destiny, she's with German," she also informs us.
I give my gratitude towards both of them as I gaze around the room seeing all these people who came. I'm more than aware that I won't be the only one willing to fight for Destiny's life when the time comes.
“Miss. Lightwood, no one knows about my family. How come you do?” Alexis implored.
“Do you know how old I am?” I reply and she shakes her head. “I'm 150 years old, and also the person that wronged your family,” I confessed, causing the room to gasp.
“The Lightwoods were talented cursed witches, a coven that had the ability to manipulate every and anything, even objects.” Bridgette chimed in.
“I was young, barely thirteen and hardly surviving on my own, when Viktor recruited me. I finally felt like I mattered—by becoming the first Crystal. But it was just for show, he only recruited me because of what my family was known for.” I started to explain a bit about my bitter past.
“My family erased themselves from existence, but somehow, I survived. And I'm the best, I mastered all my abilities. I can create images within someone's mind by just thinking of it, or stop a beating heart by picturing it.”
“H-how can you be that old, when you look barely over sixty?.” Bridgette stuttered.
“Eli, the owl, and guardian of wisdom foretold of a child who'd need my help. It was then I felt a sense of purpose and will to live. Over the years I kept drinking my own preservation potion, which helps slow down my aging.” I replied.
“Alexis, what I did to your family is despicable, and I'm truly sorry for what I've done.” I apologized, choking up at the end.
“I forgive you,” she says without missing a beat.
“Just like that?”
“Miss Sara, I can only imagine what you've been through and how hard you must have worked to redeem yourself. Therefore I can't add to your misery, my family isn't the type to hold grudges.” Alexis declared, and for the first time in a long time, I felt free of my shame.
“Thank you,” I said shaking her hand.
While I've gotten over one problem, the main one still remains. Destiny's energy has been tracked, and it's only a matter of time before they show up. This is just the calm before the actual storm, one that, I hope we all survive. However, deep down within myself, I feel it will be my last stand against that man and his army.
I've seen plenty of war, death, and destruction during my lifetime. Innocent creatures getting killed because of cross-breeding, and I pray this time, my efforts will impact the way for a better future.
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Wooow…. So Alexis is a guardian and Sara, who we all love. Is actually the first Crystal.
Did she deserve Alexis's forgiveness?
Vote, share, and comment on your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
Hope you had enjoyed this chapter, until next time.