The morning sun filtered through the trees as people stirred from their makeshift beds. The air felt different, charged with both tension and purpose after the critical strategy meeting. The officers had dispersed into smaller groups, relaying the new plan to their teams, ensuring that everyone understood their role in the mission to rescue the prisoners from Sakura Heiei.Odette, Alice, Pedro, and Fernando had gathered near a small clearing, away from the main camp. It was rare for them to have a moment together, especially after everything that had happened. Alice leaned against a tree, exhaustion still evident in her eyes, while Odette sat cross-legged on the ground, her gaze fixed on Alice as if trying to read her thoughts.Pedro and Fernando were seated nearby, deep in conversation about the mission, but there was an undercurrent of unease between them—something more personal lingering beneath the surface.“You really look exhausted, Alice,” Odette said, her voice soft but tinged
The group had only one day left before the big plan. Everyone was busy preparing for the attack the next night—some practicing hand-to-hand combat while others meticulously conditioned their weapons, ensuring they would function perfectly when needed.Alice felt a sense of restlessness as the hours ticked away. Amid the frenzy, she decided to visit Isabela, not only to catch up but to see Leonora, who had become a source of comfort and wisdom for her in this foreign time. Pedro insisted on accompanying her, as always, ever watchful and protective.They set off together, following the hand-drawn map that Captain Juan had provided them before. It guided them through winding paths and overgrown trails, eventually leading to a modest house nestled under the canopy of tall trees. Twenty minutes later, they arrived.“Alice! Pedro!” Isabela exclaimed in surprise when she opened the door, her face lighting up with warmth. She embraced Alice tightly, the bond between them strengthened by all t
The moon hung low in the sky, its silver light casting an ethereal glow over the clearing. It was a waxing gibbous, nearly full, the night thick with anticipation for what was to come. Tomorrow, they would march on Sakura Heiei, a mission to rescue Johnson, Isagani, and the others who had been captured. Alice knew she had to be ready—her powers of vision, psychometry, and telepathy were their key to survival. But controlling them in this era had always been a struggle, and tonight was her last chance to master them before the dangerous mission.She stood in the center of the clearing, her hands trembling slightly as she focused on the energy around her. Her best friend, Odette, sat nearby, watching with an encouraging smile. They had been through so much together, time-traveling companions bound by more than just the strange twists of fate. Odette understood Alice better than anyone, and even though she didn’t have powers of her own, she knew how to guide Alice through the overwhelmin
Alice shared vital information with Captain Juan about a secret path that would allow them to infiltrate Sakura Heiei without being detected. In one of her visions, Alice had seen that the Japanese soldiers would concentrate their defenses at the main entrance of the prison camp, along with the front gates and side entrances, where they had planned an ambush for any would-be attackers.“There’s a small back door at the rear of Sakura Heiei,” Alice began, her voice steady but urgent. “The forest surrounding that part of the camp is so dense that the soldiers believe it’s impossible to navigate through. That’s where they’re wrong.”Captain Juan leaned in closer, his brow furrowed as he absorbed her words. “How many guards will be stationed there?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.“Only a small group of soldiers,” Alice replied, her eyes scanning the map laid out before them. “They won’t expect an attack from that side because they believe it’s too difficult to approach through the
Now that Johnson was safe and back in her arms, Alice felt a surge of relief wash over her. However, the pressing desire to return to the year 2023 lingered in her heart. She let Johnson rest, knowing he needed it after their harrowing experience, and ventured out to find Odette. Alice needed to discuss their potential return with her, as the urgency to leave this tumultuous era weighed heavily on her mind.She knew Isabela would look after Leonora, so that was one worry off her shoulders. As she made her way to the familiar mango tree, she spotted Odette sitting beneath it with Fernando, laughter spilling from their lips as they shared sweet fruits.“Odette, can we talk?” Alice approached, her tone serious despite the jovial atmosphere.“Sure! Let’s go over there,” Odette replied, kissing Fernando briefly before leading Alice behind the large tree near the river, away from prying ears.“I know you’re completely head over heels for your husband,” Alice began, locking eyes with Odette,
The night air was thick with anticipation as Alice prepared for her first practice session. The moon hung low in the sky, its silvery light spilling through the gaps in the trees. She had decided to practice every midnight, as Leonora advised, to harness her powers of vision, telepathy, and psychometry. Each night would be a new trial, a chance to grow stronger.“Alice, are you sure about this?” Johnson asked, concern etched on his face as they stood by the riverbank, the gentle flow of water whispering secrets in the darkness.“I have to be,” Alice replied, determination in her voice. “Nana believes in me, and so do you. I just need to push through the fear.”Odette, who was perched on a nearby rock, chimed in, “And we’re right here with you! You won’t be alone.”Alice nodded, her heart swelling with gratitude. “Thank you both. I’m ready to start.”Taking a deep breath, Alice closed her eyes, focusing on the energy within her. “I want to see. I want to feel,” she whispered, reaching
Alice awoke the next afternoon, the sun filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. She stretched, the weariness of her midnight training melting away as excitement surged through her veins. Today was a new day, and she was determined to continue honing her powers.“Hey, sleepyhead!” Odette called out, her voice bright as she approached. “You missed breakfast. I saved you some fruits, though!”“Thanks, Odette,” Alice replied, a smile spreading across her face as she accepted a piece of ripe mango. “I needed the rest. Last night was intense.”Johnson joined them, a look of admiration in his eyes. “You did incredible work last night. I can’t believe how far you’ve come in just a few sessions.”“I feel stronger,” Alice admitted, her heart swelling with pride. “But I still have so much to learn.”“Let’s go over everything you practiced,” Johnson suggested, sitting down beside her. “It’ll help solidify your progress.”Alice nodded, excitement bubbling up. “I sta
Alice stood at the edge of the river, the moonlight shimmering on the surface, reflecting her determination. Each night brought new challenges, but she felt the familiar pulse of her powers growing stronger within her. She inhaled deeply, focusing her mind on the elements she was learning to master.“Ready for another round?” Johnson asked, walking up beside her. He flashed a supportive smile, the kind that always managed to boost her confidenceand made her feel like there are butterfies in her stomach.“Absolutely!” Alice replied, her heart racing with anticipation. “Tonight, I want to focus on combining earth and fire. I have this idea for a glowing ember stone.”“Sounds ambitious! Let’s do it,” Odette chimed in, joining them. “Just remember to stay calm. You’ve come so far!”Alice nodded, her thoughts swirling with possibilities. “Okay, let’s start with fire.&rdqu
Two days later, Samuel and Emily boarded a plane bound for the United States. With them, they carried not only memories of Africa, but a child they had vowed to protect.Emily still hadn’t figured out how to face her parents. Her grief over losing her brother and sister-in-law was fresh, raw. She stared out the window of the plane, silent.Samuel squeezed her hand. “We’ll get through this, Em.”She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “I just… I wish I had said goodbye to them.”“They knew you loved them,” he said gently. “And Cole will know who they were. We’ll make sure of it.”Before leaving, Samuel had written a letter to his parents:Mom, Dad—I’m coming home for good.I’ve decided to leave the front lines behind and live a quieter life in the States.I hope I’ll still make you proud, even from the small corner of the world I’ll be working in.Love,Samuel.Leonora wept when she read the letter. Holding it to her chest, she whispered a prayer of thanks. Then, looking to the garden
Alice gasped awake.Pain stabbed through her shoulder, but the fire in her veins was dying, no, burning away. Her blood shimmered faintly, glowing beneath her skin like liquid light. The poisoned arrow that should have ended her life sizzled out, the toxins neutralized by something ancient and wild inside her. Her healing power, once weak, unstable, had awakened fully, sparked by danger and Samuel’s sacrifice.She rolled to her knees beneath the bench. The air was thick with smoke. Gunfire echoed like thunder across the clinic grounds.“Samuel,” she whispered. But he was gone. So was the noise.Too quiet.Alice staggered to her feet, gripping the bench for balance. She stumbled toward the clinic, and froze.Shattered walls. Blood was smeared on the floor and doors. Flies already swarmed the broken windows.Inside, everyone was dead.Mike. Suzanne. The guards. Patients, even the elderly man who always handed out fruit to the children. All gunned down. Bullet holes pocked the walls and
Alice found herself staring at the thermometer that a young doctor had just pulled from her mouth.“She doesn’t have a fever,” said a young woman beside him after glancing at the reading.“Where am I?” Alice asked, her eyes scanning the sparse, humid room. Her gaze stopped on the young woman beside the doctor, and her breath caught.“Grandma!” she blurted, suddenly sitting up, eyes wide.The young woman stepped back, startled. She was beautiful, graceful even in her confusion. “My name’s Emily,” she said slowly, studying Alice like she’d grown a second head. Do I look that old? she wondered, frowning slightly.“I’m sorry. I just… had a strange dream,” Alice muttered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.Emily exchanged a glance with the young doctor.“Brother, could it be…?” she whispered.“She doesn’t seem crazy,” he replied in a hushed tone.“I can hear you, Doctor…” Alice said pointedly. She glanced at the nameplates pinned to their uniforms. “Doctor Stevens and Nurse Stevens,”
The next day, the world felt heavier to Alice, though the sky outside was clear and bright.She sat on the edge of her bed, legs tucked underneath her, staring at the small patch of sun that pooled on her carpet. The light was warm against her skin, but a knot of sadness remained inside her, tangled tightly around something new, a quiet understanding.They gave me all the love that I needed, like a real mother and father, she thought, her hands resting limp in her lap. Alyssa and Cole weren't perfect, but they'd been everything she needed growing up. Every band-aid, every bedtime story, every small moment that stitched a childhood together, it had been them.Her anger wasn't really directed at them, she realized. It wasn't even anger, not truly. It was grief for a piece of her identity that had been hidden away. A missing corner of a puzzle she hadn't known she was even assembling.With a heavy sigh, Alice stood up. Her decision was made.---The house looked just as it always had, wh
Things would have been different if Alice had never time-traveled to the past.She knew that. Felt it in her bones.If she hadn’t gone back, Leonora would be on the brink of death by now—frail, isolated in the Philippines, her healing powers still locked away by Corazon’s curse.She would have never met her son. Never found the closure she deserved after years of torment.And Pedro… Pedro would have died alone in his apartment in California, the walls silent, no goodbye to his father, no final hugs from his siblings. Just emptiness.Alice thought about it often, late at night, when the world outside was quiet and her mind wouldn't let her rest.She had saved them. In a way. But the past was still unraveling in places she couldn’t reach.The only problem was, back in that stitched-together past she left behind, Leonora’s son still hadn’t returned. No letters. No word. Just silence, stretching for years like a wound that refused to heal.And Alice, she realized, knew almost nothing about
When they arrived in California in the early 1960s, they didn’t just cross an ocean, they crossed into an entirely new version of themselves. The paperwork was processed slowly, over weeks, and interviews and translations and signatures that Ramon didn’t understand but trusted Simon to guide.On one particular form, Ramon was asked his family name again. The immigration officer, tired and thick-accented himself, looked up and said, “Do you want to keep the old spelling? We can Anglicize it.”Ramon blinked. “Anglicize?”“Make it easier for Americans to pronounce,” the officer said, already halfway through typing.Simon looked at his father. “We can change it, if you want.”Ramon glanced at Marisa, at his sons, at Leonora who nodded once. A future was waiting, and it needed a name.“Taylor,” Ramon said. “We’ll be the Taylor family now.”The officer nodded and finished typing.And just like that, it was done.Pedro, legally became Peter Taylor.The name felt strange at first, like a suit
In the days after the wedding, after the time slip and the letter from Tomas, Alice finally began to breathe again.For the first time in years, the world felt like it was shifting under her feet, not because she was time-traveling but because she was finally grounded.And somehow, as all the loose ends of their wild, overlapping journeys began to settle, her mind and heart came full circle, back to Johnson.They had known each other since childhood. They were both stubborn, fiercely competitive, and raised on discipline and quick reflexes.They trained martial arts side by side, trained under the same instructors, and earned their belts on the same mats. As teenagers, they sparred in tournaments and sometimes walked home with matching bruises and matching trophies.They had always been close, even before magic and time travel turned Alice’s world into something only he could understand. Johnson has loved her since their childhood when everyone else thought Alice was weird and anti-s
The sound of laughter faded like a dream.For a moment, everything was light... Leonora’s arms wrapped around her, Pedro’s promise still echoing in the night air, the scent of sampaguita filling her lungs. The glow of lanterns, the feel of bare earth beneath her heels, it was all there.And then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.The lanterns became Edison bulbs. The laughter turned to modern chatter. The floral scent gave way to the sharp tang of city air and grilled skewers.Alice opened her eyes and blinked.She was back in Pasadena.Back in 2024.And... she was sitting on the same chair, beneath the same string of lights at Fernando and Odette’s wedding reception. Only seconds had passed for the people around her.Her champagne glass still sat on the table, full. Her plate of untouched food was still warm.The music continued playing, and no one seemed to have noticed her absence.No one except Johnson.He had turned just in time to see her blink strangely, her eyes suddenly gl
The church bells were still echoing faintly through the trees as guests made their way from the small church in Tipas to the reception at Ramon's house. The modest home had been transformed into a wedding wonderland: the entire front yard covered with strings of capiz lanterns, white curtains billowing gently in the afternoon breeze, and long tables lined with woven banig runners, fresh flowers, and candleholders fashioned from hollowed coconut shells.Children dashed under the tables, roosters crowed from behind the bamboo fence, and neighbors arrived bearing food wrapped in banana leaves, bowls of ice, and stories to share.A bamboo arch wrapped with palm fronds and sampaguita marked the entrance. The smell of roasting pork, fresh lumpia, and sweet coconut drifted in the air like a call to gather.Alice stood off to the side for a moment, taking it all in. Time travel had never felt quite this… alive.“I forgot how vivid it all was,” she whispered to herself, hands clasped tightly i