"Just as expected," the voice said, emerging from behind the tree. "Took you long enough this time." Helena raised her eyebrow. "What no Martin?" She stretched her lip downward, faking the sadness. "And I expected the reunion." She stepped closer. "Prohibere. Works every time, bravo for going this far." She clapped her hands.

A rustling sound continued to appear from the pit. Helena stepped closer, soaking the view in front of her. She showed no emotions toward her findings.

Hayden's body twitched, and his skin started to regain its looks. He moved his head to the left, his eyes still held closed. The crown shined as his head wiggled to the sides. Helena smirked and raised her sight toward Dylan and Kennedy. And soon she looked behind them. Noah stood still, his hands intertwined on his chest.

"Noah," Helena said, motioning toward the pit with her head.

"No!" Kennedy yelled, seeing Noah jump into the pit.

They stood stuck once again; it felt more than Deja Vu, Kennedy thought. She felt helpless, and they were so close. It remained unclear how long it takes to fully resurrect a person, but what seemed clear the crown worked. The rustling sound stopped and Kennedy lost her last hope, realizing Noah removed the crown from Hayden.

"How many times will we have to do this?" Helena asked, holding a smirk. "Honestly, I don't know why you even try." She stepped closer to Kennedy.

"What does that mean?" Kennedy asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh come on K," Helena said with a laugh. Her chuckle echoed through the vast space. "You are a smart girl. Think, and I mean really think." She smiled devilishly.

Kennedy's eyes held wide as she stared at Helena, her cheeks felt scraggy. Dylan scanned Kennedy, not realizing what Helena meant. But Kennedy understood. Or maybe she finally remembered. Maybe she was oblivious to the truth or the fact that she focused just on Hayden prevented her from remembering the right things.

Kennedy used the Reminiscor spell so many times, but her focus always stayed on Hayden and Resurrectionis arca which blinded her from other things she might've forgotten. And at that moment, everything lined up in her head. She remembered Dylan's Deja Vu feeling back at the bunker at that time she brushed it off as a memory from their teen years, but she was wrong to do so.

Two years ago, she traveled to Japan to visit Dylan and convince him to attend Martin's wedding. The trip took a slight turn as they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It wasn't the first time that happened, or at least that was how they remembered.

They spent part of the time exploring a few cities. That led them to an antique market where they found a certain vase. The item held a pull to both of them and as soon as they touched it everything turned.

Both of them woke up in the hospital. People in the market saw them pass out and called an ambulance. It took them a few days to get out of the hospital, doctors tested the pair since it seemed unlikely two young people would lose consciousness at the same time for no apparent reason. As soon as they released them, they took a flight to Anchorage.

Kennedy slowly blinked, realizing they were in this position more than once. Kennedy's trip to Japan ended in Alaska, and not in the way she or Dylan remembered.

She felt unsure how many times they tried to resurrect Hayden. It was clear that each time the group regained their memory, they first hoped to get Hayden back. However, Kennedy remembered that last time Helena caught them in the bunker while they looked for the box.

"How do you always manage to do this?" Helena asked. "I'm just curious." She scanned Kennedy's neck. "Well, this time I can blame just myself," Helena added, staring at the necklace.

"Why did you join me?" Kennedy asked, squinting her eyes. "Back at the bar, you knew who I was and that it was a risk to even talk to me."

"I honestly missed you," Helena explained. "The end of the evening was definitely unexpected." She smirked.

Noah climbed from the pit, holding the crown in his right hand. He looked around, seemingly for the box as the rest of them continued to talk. Kennedy squinted her eyes, trying to remember everything, or at least something useful in this situation.

"Don't wreck your pretty head," Helena said. "You will forget everything soon anyway."

"You are evil," Kennedy spat.

"Seriously?" Helena asked with a laugh. "That is the best you can do?"

"There are no other words to describe you!" Kennedy yelled. "Who the fuck does that?" She tried to stretch her arms but failed to move.

"He was unfit," Helene said. "Get moving," she said to Noah.

Noah grabbed the shovel and started to drop the soil back into the pit. The sound of small rocks hitting the metal shovel broke Kennedy's heart.

"No!" Kennedy pleaded tears streaming down her cheeks. There was nothing else she could do.

Dylan seemed calm this entire time, he stayed silent while the women talked. Unlike Kennedy, he didn't remember that they were in this situation way too many times. However, Helena's desire to talk gave him enough time to use the exemptus spell.

In rare cases, witches could use nonverbal spells, which required a lot of energy and unbreakable focus, not to mention the connection with their element. Considering they were in an open space there was fresh air and dirt all around them. Dylan was able to connect with both of his elements and this position helped him to gain just enough power. And that seemed the only thing Dylan could try, exemptus was supposed to free a person from a magical toll.

He felt like a weight had dropped from his shoulders and he knew he could move. Still, he waited for the right moment. And as Noah seemed occupied by the shoveling Helena's sight mostly stayed on Kennedy.

Dylan saw his chance. He knew or at least hoped that if he could take out Helena, Noah wouldn't protest too much. Therefore, his target felt set, he scanned Helena one more time and launched toward her in full force.

"Impossible," Helena said, squinting her eyes. "Praefringo," she added, twisting her palm to the side.

"No!" Kennedy yelled. "Dylan." Her voice broke into a sob.

The sound of breaking bones felt crucial for Kennedy. She saw Dylan's head twist to the side, his eyes soon closed, and he slumped to the ground. Kennedy lost all her hope from the view, if not for the spell keeping her standing she would fall to the ground. Her throat felt sore from the yelling and crying.

"This could've been avoided," Helena said, taking out a paper. "You know I always felt a soft spot for you and him," she added, motioning with her chin toward Dylan's dead body.

"Then why, why would you do it?" Kennedy asked, barely able to speak.

"You see, in the early morning of Coronationem I found a note from my brother," Helena replied, writing something on the paper. "The note said he and Martin went out. And that felt perfect for me." She lifted her eyes to Kennedy. "They both were supposed to disappear," Helena explained. "See Hayden often said that he would like to run away, and that is exactly how I made it look." Helena put the pen in her pocket.

"You didn't know we would be here too," Kennedy said.

"I had to adjust my plan," Helena said, folding the paper. "I know you will never understand this. But I left all of you safe and unharmed." Kennedy looked at Dylan's body and gulped. "I didn't plan that," Helena said, seeing Kennedy's sight on Dylan.

"Use the crown," Kennedy pleaded. "You said you never wanted to harm us. You can fix this."

"Why would I?" Helena asked.

"Because that's only fair," Kennedy said, glancing at Dylan.

"It's either Dylan or Hayden," Helena said. "Choose one." She smirked.

"You would let me bring back Hayden?" Kennedy asked in surprise.

"Is that your choice?" Helena questioned.

Kennedy wanted both of them to be alive. If she would bring back Hayden, he would be stronger than Helena therefore they could resurrect Dylan with no problems. But she felt it was a tricky situation. Why would Helena let her bring back Hayden?

"I didn't say that," Kennedy replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why would you bring Hayden back when you know, that way you will lose your power?"

"I always knew you were smart," Helena said with a laugh. "Choose Dylan and both of you can go free with your memory intact. Choose Hayden and we will do this all over again and without Dylan." Helena clarified.

"You would just let me and Dylan go?" Kennedy asked, confused.

"With promissum," Helena said, raising her eyebrow.

And there it was, the trick, Kennedy thought. With the promissum, Helena planned to make a deal and close this cycle they were for the last ten years. Kennedy loved them both, more, so she perhaps was in love with both of them. If she chooses Dylan, they will never get Hayden back. Despite her feelings toward them, she needed the most logical decision.

What Kennedy knew was those magical items often were unclaimed and out there in the world. That was how they got their memories back last time by pure accident. To have a chance to get both of them back, she needed one more shot from the very beginning.

"Hayden," Kennedy whispered, still feeling unsure if her choice was logical.

Helena raised her eyebrow. "Didn't see this coming," she said, taking out a lighter from her coat pocket. "Very well." She lit the fire. "Obliviscatur," she said, burning the paper.

Kennedy blinked, staring at the mirror it felt difficult to focus on anything else but her bloodshed eyes. For the last two days, she couldn't function well. News about her friend Dylan's death broke her. She wiped her tears away and adjusted her black blouse, trying to look at least presentable.

"Ready?" Martin asked, standing in the doorway.

"I will never be ready," Kennedy replied, shaking her head. "Tell me again how did it happen?"

"K," Martin said, stepping closer. He looked into her teary eyes. "We all split from the cabin because of your work, and probably went to the bar or something and got into an accident."

"I don't remember needing to go to work," she explained.

Her memory felt foggy, she couldn't blame just grief since she had no clue how she ended up at her parent's house or why she was back home in the first place. It was hard to admit that she didn't remember how she got to Alaska and she failed to mention to Martin that she was just so lost in her own head.

"We need to go," Kennedy said and picked up her purse from the bed. "Funeral is about to start."

They moved downstairs and soon met Martin's wife, Stacie. The drive to the funeral home felt suffocating for Kennedy, and she needed a minute for herself.

"I will come in soon," Kennedy said as they reached the front door of the funeral home.

Martin nodded, taking Stacy's hand. "Only a few minutes," he said.

Kennedy turned left and slowly walked around the building. The place seemed old, and a part of it held a church as well. She observed the exterior. Tall stained-glass windows made her feel small. The walls stayed red-bricked and held statues embedded in the tall arches.

Kennedy stepped closer, observing a statue of the archangel Gabriel. A golden statue seemed prideful, looking straight ahead. Kennedy felt a strange urge to touch it. She stepped closer and caressed the feet of the statue. The surface felt cold and smooth.

Moments later Kennedy's bloodshed eyes shined bright blue, and she fell to the ground, hitting her head on a gray pavement.