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Music Recommendation: Come back- Park Seo Hee

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Julie stared at the snowy ground that surrounded her. After Cillian confirmed her parents' not being able to return, she felt the emptiness that started to spread in her chest. Her hands that she had placed on either side of the ground clutched them in pain.

  "They were never meant to come back, Julie. At least not from what I know," stated Cillian in a serious voice. "The stones in the hairpin doesn't allow the makers to return to the world of the living."

  "Does that mean I will never be able to see them?" it hurt her deeply to think she wouldn't be able to see them.

  "I wouldn't be hurt over it. I am sure you will find a way to see them again or maybe bring them here in the future," replied Cillian, but that didn't give her a definite answer. "You still have two stones, you can bring back your grandfather and your uncle. Or maybe any two of your siblings," he suggested the idea of the next people to be resurrected.

  Julie nodded. There was still a chance left with her to bring back some of her family members in her life. Since the time her foster mother had died, all Julie could think of was how much she craved the love of her family. And after finding out that she had another family, a family who would have cherished her loved her and would have been in her life…… It only made it worse. Did she wish for a lot? No, she didn't think so…… but at the same time she knew resurrection wasn't easy.

  To think now that she would be able to bring back her grandfather, who had known the truth about her when they had met each other in the past, brought a slight joy, but still, it didn't erase the pain of her parents being unable to join her. Her grandfather had been a pillar of support, helping in the background, and she knew eventually, in time, the pain she felt right now would reduce.

  "You have to be quick, Julie. Once the stones find a possible person to resurrect, it will be hard to stop the process," Cillian warned her.

  "I need to find the place where grandfather died," replied Julie, and both of them started to walk around the town.

  "This is the place where your grandfather had died," informed Cillian, and Julie took her position.

  Julie drew the symbol of summons on the ground to make it easier for the stone to diffuse into the soul and draw it out. Soon her grandfather's soul appeared, which was in its trance state.

  Seeing her grandfather's soul in front of her, which would soon manifest into his living body, eased her mind. But before Julie could complete the spell, her hand was frozen mid-air.

  "What is it, Julie?" asked Cillian, not knowing if Julie had exhausted her soul energy again. "Do you need my help?"

  Julie didn't speak but stared at her grandfather.

  At the same time, Roman appeared at the scene, and he saw Julie, Cillian and an elderly looking buff man with a beard in front of them. He walked to where they were, and Julie's eyes shifted to look at Roman. She knew it was wrong, but she felt envy for the first time. But then she was happy for Roman too, that he had reunited with his family.

  "Winters?" Roman called her, noticing the sadness in her eyes.

  Julie softly smiled at him, "Cillian says I cannot bring my parents back because they were involved in creating this hairpin. Mother and I, we promised each other that we would meet again…… but it is going to take a little more time."

  "Little more time is better than knowing you will never meet her or others," Roman offered her words of encouragement. "You are the daughter of the great witch, Opaline La Fay's daughter, and one day you will surpass your mother, Winters. And you will fix what you missed."

  "You think so?" asked Julie, her voice breaking at the end, and her eyes anxiously looked at him.

  Roman gave her a nod, "I believe in you, Winters. There is nothing you can't do."

  Julie's eyes lowered from his gaze, moving slowly to look at her grandfather. She stared at the old man and then she asked Roman, "You promise to love me forever, Rome?"

  "Without a doubt."

  "And will always stay beside me……"

  "Beyond death," replied Roman, noticing Julie was thinking about something.

  "Then maybe there are more important people……" Julie murmured, and soon her grandfather's soul started to dissipate in thin air, returning to the ground it had been pulled from.

  Roman and Cillian looked at Julie with question in their eyes for letting go of her grandfather instead of resurrecting him to life. She said, "There is something else that I need to fix."

  "Are you sure about it?" questioned Roman, not wanting her to regret her decision in the future.

  Julie shook her head, and she smiled. She said, "I can always see my family later by visiting them in the past. And if I really turn into a great witch, maybe I will see them better than now. Not one, not two, but all of them one day."

  She closed her eyes, letting her mind and heart settle, so they weren't as confused as before. When she opened her eyes, she placed her hands back on the ground. The ground shook with great force, and wind blew to move in the outward direction from where she sat. The roots-like light on the ground started to grow, creating many more lines as if trying to reach the soul she had summoned.

  The wind around them increased, moving the leaves and dropping the snow that had settled on the branches. It took more than a minute before the roots started to head back in the direction of Willow Creek.

  A moment later, two souls appeared to stand in front of them.

  She knew if her mother was here, she would want her to use the hairpin wisely and not carelessly. And somewhere deep down in Julie's heart, she knew this was the right option. Not because the sacrifice she was making would make her happy, but because one day she wouldn't look back and feel regret for the lives that had been lost on her accord. She closed her eyes, and her lips moved to utter the spells before the last two stones in the hairpin disappeared and diffused themselves into the two bodies.

  When they were back to life, the resurrected appeared to be in confusion.

  "Welcome back," Roman greeted them, while Julie softly smiled.

  A few hours passed, and far away from Veteris, and in the town of Greasy Corner, the hunters had huddled in Conner's house to discuss what to do with their current situation.

  With Mr. and Mrs. Davis, who was still missing, not to mention their head hunter Jack, who had shot himself before being dragged by a vampire. Things for the hunters had turned disruptive. They had lost a lot of their people during their fight between them and the vampires.