—
Roman had met his mother plenty of times in his dreams, thinking about the woman who had brought him into this world and had tried to protect him from the harsh words of the people around them when she was alive. The moment right now felt like a dream.

  He started to walk away from where his foster parents were, his feet starting to move in the direction of where his biological parents stood.

  Lilian didn't wait for Roman to come to her, and she walked forward with a smile that held warmth for her son.

  "Let me take a closer look at you," said Lilian, placing her hands on Roman's arms and looking at his face. "You were so little when I last saw you. Smaller than me. And now you have grown taller than me."

  "You haven't changed one bit," replied Roman, staring at his mother with a slight disbelief in his eyes but awe in there. "But you look healthier."

  Lilian smiled at his words, "I do feel healthy…… I guess this time I will be staying for a longer time than the last."

  "And I cannot tell how happy I am by hearing it from you," said Roman, taking a step forward where his throat tightened, and he wrapped his arms around his mother. He placed his chin on her shoulder and took a deep breath, and she felt more real as seconds passed. "You won't leave again, will you?"

  "Never again," responded Lilian, her eyes filling with tears, and she softly smiled. She placed her hand on the back of Roman's head and gently caressed it. "My son……"

  To Roman, his mother had always meant the world. The woman who had stood firm even during the hardest obstacles that had tried to shake her.

  Julie, who stood at a distance, watched Roman and Lilian continue to hug each other, and the sight itself made her feel warm. Unlike her, where she had met her mother in the past and then on the other side of the forbidden door, Roman had not been fortunate to meet his mother, and she could tell that this was something his heart had always craved for.

  Seeing the family reunite, whom Roman cared for, brought a smile to Julie's lips. But at the same time, she didn't know what had happened that had brought them back to life. It was strange, and her questions were soon answered by Donovan, who walked to where she stood.

  "I should thank you, Julie," said Donovan, and his words had her look at him with confusion.

  "What?" she asked, unaware of what she had done when she was out with Roman until a few minutes.

  "It is because of you, that Lilian, and the Moltenore's family members have been resurrected right now," said Donovan, and when Julie continued to look at him with a furrow on her forehead, he pulled out something from his coat and brought it in front of him. It was the same hairpin that she had earlier buried next to Roman's mother's grave.

  Donovan continued to speak, "You truly are Opaline's daughter. To have buried the hairpin in there and not make use of it for your own benefit. Do you know what kind of hairpin this is with all the seven stones in here?"

  "A powerful one that could hold many abilities?" asked Julie because that was what the function of the stones was supposed to be.

  "That's just half of the answer. Nobody has ever been successful in creating and placing the seven stones together. When a person uses it, they turn invincible, but another ability of it is to resurrect. Each stone resurrects one person," explained Donovan, and Julie's eyes widened because she hadn't expected the hairpin to be so important.

  She turned her head to look at the people who had come back to life. Out of the seven stones, four of them had disappeared. She took it from Donovan's hand, taking a closer look at it. The existing three stones meant that three more people could be resurrected, Julie thought in her mind.

  "There are so many deceased people. How are the stones automatically trying to resurrect people?" asked Julie because she doubted it was doing it randomly.

  "Look, the other stone is trying to turn into vapor," Donovan jerked his head towards the hairpin, and Julie noticed one of the coloured stones was indeed disappearing. The essence of it was very subtle, but both Donovan and Julie noticed the vapour drift towards one more grave present in this cemetery.

  Donovan murmured under his breath, "Hm? Whose grave is that?"

  When they walked towards it, Ms. Piper appeared to stand in front of her grave.

  Tristan turned to look at what Julie and Donovan were looking at, and his eyes widened, "Piper?"

  Ms. Piper appeared confused, not knowing what had just happened. And when her eyes fell on Tristan, it turned into saucers, "Tristan…… you are alive."

  Tristan nodded, "You died in the massacre too."

  Ms. Piper, like the others, reached out to where Tristan was as she hadn't believed he would ever come back. She put her arms around him, closing her eyes and she said, "I am so relieved you are here. I thought I would never see you again."

  "I guess God wanted me to keep my promise with you, to look after you. I am sorry I am late," said Tristan, hugging her back.

  Ms. Piper shook her head, "You know what they say. Better late than never."

  Julie tore her eyes away from the couple and then looked at Donovan and asked, "Do you think I can resurrect anyone I want?"

  Donovan looked at the two stones that were yet to disappear. He then urged her, "You better hurry then. Before one of the deceased one in here pulls the essence out of the pin."

  And with those words, Julie quickly left the cemetery and started to run as fast as possible. She moved past the restricted side of the forest, making her way past the trees one after another. She ended up on the East side of the Veteris. She gasped for air, but she didn't stop. She continued to run to cross the bridge until she finally arrived at Willow Creek.

  Julie looked around the place, trying to find where her mother's life had ended.

  She waited for a minute, and another minute passed until ten minutes passed, and nothing happened. The stones didn't disappear, nor did her mother or father appear.

  With the weather of Willow Creek, which had always been different compared to the rest of the world, as if the place lived at its own pace, snowflakes falling from the sky. After a few more minutes, Julie felt her heart sink, and she fell to her knees.

  "Why?" whispered Julie, her eyes anxiously hoping to see her mother or father come back to life. And she continued to sit there all by herself.

  Julie stared at the ground until she heard footsteps, and hope rose in her chest. But when she turned, she noticed it was Cillian.

  Back in the cemetery, Roman looked around and noticed Julie missing. "Where is Julie?"

  Donovan answered him, "She's gone to resurrect her parents. There are two stones left that can still be used."

  Lilian held a grim expression on her face, and she said, "I don't think it is possible."

  "Why not?" questioned Donovan. "You and the others are here, it shouldn't be that hard to get her parents back to life. Julie is not an ordinary witch anymore."

  Roman gave a curious look to his mother and asked, "What's the matter, mother?"

  His mother replied, "I don't think Opaline can be brought to life, nor her father. The creator of the stones creates such an intricate balance of death and life in there, where life can be blessed again, that it doesn't work on the creator. And if I am not wrong, Opaline must have even taken the Corvin's help… which makes it difficult to bring them both back."

  Roman's eyebrows furrowed, "I should go look at her."

  Lilian gave him an understanding nod, and Roman quickly left the cemetery.

  Back in the deserted town of Willow Creek, Cillian walked to where Julie sat on the ground.

  "Do you know how to use these stones to bring mother and father back to life?" Julie asked him, her voice filled with hope. "It is possible to bring them back to life, isn't it?"

  "I am sorry, Julie, but these stones cannot bring them back," replied Cillian, and Julie clutched on to the hairpin tightly in her hand.