"Every man is his own ancestor, and every man his own heir. He devises his own future, and he inherits his own past." -- H. F. HEDGE* * *
Madison approached the Lady and asked, "Lady Isabella, what do you mean by that?" It mystifies her.
"The episode you both foresee has not decided yet," she replied to Madison. Isabella turned back to Ken; with an intent gaze as she went on, "and it was in your hands."
"What are you talking about? How that is possible?" confused, Ken hesitates to believe this.
"Until we haven"t stopped the life that does not exist anymore, the past still has an original course. Meaning? There are more events soon we have to face… it was more challenging than how we already struggle at the present," Isabella warned.
"Lady Isabella, what can it be?" Nicholas" query.
"Ca.s.sandra will forever be trapped in that life."
"NO!!!" they said at once, including Ken.
"Do you want the past to change, Dae-Hyun Chen?" she asked Ken.
"Can we do that?" he asked in return. He"s bewildered to what is happening here.
"We can if you help us close that life." Lady Isabella gestured her hand to Ken before she went on. "Changes are happening in the past, this has meant that life, where Ca.s.sandra is right now, has changed as well… and the life we are living here possibly disappears if this continues."
"I don"t understand this at all, Isabella. What will happen to Ca.s.sandra? I need to bring her back to this lifetime." Quinn who just listens keenly has to speak up. He won"t allow it.
"We must find the Dark Shaman and stop him from whatever he is planning. He was the one who meddled in the past. If we would not stop him?" Isabella glances at Quinn before she once again fixes her gaze at Ken. "Either way, that past you foresee will never happen… as how you do not belong to the present… meaning this life, Ken Chen."
Ken felt troubled with Lady Isabella"s statement. "Help me understand all of this..."
Isabella nodded. She then looked at Derek.
"Mama, I"m glad you came back safe."
"Eh? Mama?!" Levi bursts out in shock.
"Ah, I forgot to mention Derek is Howard and Isabella"s son, Reichard William"s reincarnation," Nicholas introduces.
Hearing this, Levi wrinkled his forehead, a surprise was written on his face, "Huh? Then Uncle Edward is?"
"He knew. Although he keeps it a secret that he learns the truth."
"Ah, he at least told me!" Levi complains.
"No, Levi. A price has to be paid if Edward insisted on defying what fate decided for his life…" Nicholas explained.
Levi sighed. He understood. Isabella has to pay the price and that is his love for Howard. And that how sad life his Uncle Edward has, until his last breath. "He didn"t tell me he knew, now he made me feel sad about it."
"Until the cursed lift, it will free everyone, including me," told Isabella.
"Cursed?"
"Among us, someone has uttered it in which I cannot remember everything that night. Something is missing, or maybe the dark shaman erased some of my memories."
Quinn wrinkled his forehead from Isabella"s word. He, as Carlisle and Klein Williams, was impossible he was the one who uttered the curse. Can it be that Ca.s.sandra? Quinn contemplates this as things getting confusing to all of them. Some questions are hard to answer and have questions that seem to have no answer.
Everyone falls in deep thoughts when Levi realizes one thing. "Wait, a minute, Uncle Derek. If you are Reichard Williams, then Irvine Williams is your grandson?"
"Oh…" Quinn looked up and stared at Derek then Isabella. "Then, you are my grandfather in my second life and Lady Isabella has become my great-grandmother."
"It turns out that way," Isabella affirmed, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Ahh… I can"t take this anymore! All of this revelation!?" Levi holds his head.
"Yes. Too much to process in the head, Levi…" Derek agreed.
"So, you are brother Quinn"s grandfather? I can"t believe it until now," Levi laughs mockingly.
"Who"s grandfather? Charles is Howard"s same age. As his friend, you are my uncle," Derek returned the mock.
"Hey! I am reincarnated now! So, I"m way younger than you!"
Derek chuckled while patting Quinn"s shoulder who kept peering at him. "But what is most unbelievable is your son reborn and now part in the present time," Derek tilted his head toward Nicholas. "Imagine, over 200 years old... there"s the grandfather over there."
Nicholas shook his head. "Hey, I did just jumped time. I"m still in my 60s! However, you should respect me as I was born first before you back then."
"Oh, I haven"t argued with that, but point it out," he smirked.
"I wished I was reborn to this generation instead. I will show you, I was way better-looking and genius than you." Nicholas countered.
Quinn, who was observed silently; he cannot avoid feeling overwhelmed and grin. "Ca.s.sandra, if only you were here right now. Look at our family and our friends." Quinn almost shed tears when Derek smacked his back. He chuckles. He was happy to see them once again.
Somehow, if the past never happens, they will never remember each other, and they won"t reach to this day; gathered, and a chance of meeting and see each other again. But among them, a person confused until now.
He walked toward Ken and held his shoulder. "I have this feeling that you are the child in Ca.s.sandra"s womb right now."
If it shocked him with everything he learned just a while ago? This one is the most shocking revelation. At the moment, he is questioning himself; Why was he here in the first place?
"Don"t worry, brother Ken. Let us all solve these mysteries and bring back Mama to her actual body. We need your help."
"What can I do? Only Kenneth who could time travel."
"Thus, we must force him to come here in Paris," Isabella a.s.serted.
Madison noticed Levi was now quiet from laughing loudly earlier.
"What are you thinking, Levi?" she asked, placing her right arm to his waist and leaning her head to his left shoulder.
"I wonder, everything happening in the past, all it happens here in Paris."
"Oh…"
"You are right, Levi," Derek retorted. "All it happens just here in Paris and Italy…"
"Also in Korea, something happens in their second life, when Klein reborn in Dae-Hyun"s body," Levi added.
"You"re right," Derek agreed.
"Could it be Isabella, Klein, Carlisle, and Marivella… the ritual had happened in this house?" Madison"s conclusion.
They glanced at each other. Could it be possible for everything happens in this house?
"It could be why Ca.s.sie traveled to that life? This house held a great secret to the past."
"This house must be like an opening portal," said Madison.
"Yes, you both are correct Levi and Madison… that night, Madison and Derek were also in the same room where the ritual happens."
"And I was in the scene also?" asked Levi.
"Yes, you were outside the room, hearing everything I presumed," answered Isabella.
It overwhelms him to imagine. Isabella and Klein kill Carlisle and Marivella before they also kill themselves, where there are two babies in that room. Reichard Williams and Carlene Williams.
"So then, most of us here were present that night."
"We have entangled our lives after that night," Derek affirmed.
"No wonder I can time travel with you guys," said Madison.
"I think we better have dinner and continue this talk after."
"It was a brilliant idea! I am getting hungry with these revelations!" Levi happily agreed. He ordered Pete to prepare a long table for them all.
"Quinn," Nicholas called him and strides closer. "Landon should know first," Nicholas suggests.
He nodded. "Yes. Papa Landon should know that Ca.s.sandra is pregnant."
"Oh, is she?" Isabella"s eyes brighten.
"It was wonderful news! I"m having another sibling in the other lifetime, and brother Nicholas."
"Yes, very much. Her pregnancy will help us open the bridge toward that life. So don"t worry about that, Quinn. Landon knew that this must happen. Madison? Prepare yourself. Let"s bring Ca.s.sie to the time she and Shun meet already."
"Wait, milady. What do you mean about that? Can we even do that?"
"The Ca.s.sandra we have here... It"s time to bring them together. Once Ca.s.sandra in that life gets pregnant, it is our chance to travel in that life and close it…"
"Is that so? Then—"
"What are you all talking about?"
A shaking soft voice speaks out behind the two bodyguards: who were also listening to their conversation.
"Miss?"
"Ca.s.sandra!"