POV Narrator:
Each one of the nine girls will have their specific journey through the forest until they get to the sanctuary of the nine witches, so that they can become more powerful witches, better witches, also have the blessing of the nine witches and in the end the Cliomh Solais will be complete so that they can give a last blow and also save the humanity from what would be the apocalypse in the hands of Miranda Holbrook and so the witches' revolution becomes a possible reality, but still there are things ahead.
Hellene is also starting her way to reach the sanctuary and she would have the help of Freya, one of the nine witches, who was known for being the strong one of the group, which will be a good journey for Hellene to understand herself better.
POV Hellene:
Well, I just entered de forest, now from now on I'll 'ave to show dat I'm one of de chosen ones, it was a lot of nothing, I still wanted to be with mother helping 'er to overcome all dis, I'm still a mess for what happened to my grandparents and I 'ave no idea where Holly is, de mother Laura only said dat she ran away with Sifla, but what guarantees that she is alive? I don't know, I hope she is, but I get scared, dere is still de situation with Diana.
I go deeper into de forest and I see dat it is very dense, dere are many trees close to each other, well, at least it's possible to pass, luckily I'm not so tall to suffer with dat, even more dat I can use my hands and magic to guide me.
"You look very apprehensive girl, it seems the impact of the things that have happened to you has affected you a lot," said Freya.
"I am already in pure hate with Miranda Holbrook, dis woman has been ruining all our lives all along, now dis... She killed my whole family, I don't even know if my sister wants to look at my face after all dis... I'm scared of what's going to happen from now on" I said while a bit pissed.
"Look I would say that you will manage to find her, you will make up and you will see each other again, you will bring about this witch revolution, you will manage to defeat this evil witch, normally I would be the person who thinks to spare everything, tries to forgive, but Miranda Holbrook has crossed the acceptable limits, you need to defeat her, before all history is erased, before you go back to the dark times of magic" Freya said.
I agree with my head and would normally stay talking, but now my concern is to get to de path as soon as possible, which I come across a rain of huge stones, dey fall in front of me, dere are several of dem, which den transform into several golens and some of dem are even armed with spears, which I am already in a defensive position, ready to go fight.
"So dat's it? Let's get into de fight and let's take some lettle pieces apart" I say with a bit of a smile already.
"Let's see how the current generation deals with this, you must surely be one of the strongest of the current witches, since of the nine chosen it is a certainty that you are the strong one" Said de Nordic and I go concentrating on de various golens.
I don't go with so much intensity, just to test de resistance, I even go punching with my right hand, just to not hurt my hand yet and I see dat dey already get cracked with my weak punch with de hand dat I'm not even good, so dis is a good sign.
Dey are gathering going up, what I am already taking advantage of seeing a vine nearby and I throw myself up giving a jump what dey end up finding each other and hitting each other, but I myself am throwing myself with my fists and I go up starting to punch one by one, without hesitating I go going in a more serious way seeing dat dey are easy to break
"Woah, not bad Hellene McLaren no doubt the current generation is pretty strong" Freya said and I was just going to keep concentrating.
And I keep going up to dem, using de vine to support me and hit kicks, using magic to give me impulse and so dey keep breaking like ugly chess stones from china, with de impact of my blows, what de twenty golens are becoming fifteen, den ten, den eight, den five, missing very little and not tiring me a bit.
I'm doing de countdown to each one dat I'm hitting, even using my left hand dat has more weight I end up doing a combo where de blow in one ends up impacting de other as de debris flies and I'm finishing right away to destroy de rest of these small stone golens, which I den just hit my hands dat were full of dust and breathe relieved.
"I dink dat's all I needed" I even say flexing my arms and go looking at de path ahead and dere's nothing dere.
"Well not bad Hellene McLaren, by the way, the fruits of these trees are an excellent food, they offer a potential even regenerative, I did not imagine that you would be so strong" I just want to protect my friends and loved ones.
"I want to reach my limit and 'ave a chance to defeat Miranda Holbrook once and for all" I say as I see de path and den walk away.
Well from now on it's time to find some resources to survive 'ere, before I end up getting a bit hungry and cold, I even take off de coat I was wearing and use it as a kind of bag to store food and I even see dat dere is a canteen, at least dat will be useful if I find water nearby.
Hellene spent a long time walking and getting some food, besides managing to find a good source ofwater which she made sure to drink and also stock up on canteen, but the hours were passing andthe dusk was falling, what she is already improvising to make a shelter, using the branches and alsothe trunks of the trees that she simply knocks down in the punch, there she went building the firstshelter to spend the first night and it was a shelter until very safe that she made on the top of a hightree that was nearby?
Well de first night has already arrived, de sky from up 'ere is really beautiful, even a lamp I managed to improvise using magic, I sit watching from de edge of de house de sky of dis place, it makes me reflect on some dings, I wonder why dis whole journey, will we really succeed? I don't know, but something tells me dat I shouldn't give up.
"And so, the first day is here, it seems you are admiring this beautiful sky, I used to do that a lot with my beloved wife" Freya said.
"I just keep dinking about dis whole Freya situation, I don't know if I'll be able to defeat 'er you know? I still keep having nightmares about Miranda and seeing dis whole scene brought back a whole PTSD back, which I thought I was over, but now it just gets heavier and heavier in my head" I say even going so far as to punch de floor where I was sitting and I forget dat I'm stronger.
"Be careful not to collapse your house in frustration, but look, I understand what it's like to have these visions, this stress, you have a strong sense of protection so have you ever stopped to think about why you always want to be so strong?" I know why.
"Protect de people I love?" I tell 'er because it's my main motive.
"Not only that Hellene, but I also see a feeling from you that is an eternal competition, you mirror your mother a lot always wanting to be as strong as she was and this is all a fear of something happening and you losing her, right?" I nod.
"She took care of me with a lot of love, she treated me with affection, I can't just leave 'er because of dat, I wouldn't forgive myself if she died, my mother is de best person I could 'ave been, I understand why she makes de decisions she makes, I feel 'er weight when she feels bad... I want one day to be a McLaren as exemplary as she was, a strong woman... But I am still just a child, I still 'ave a lot to mature" I say reflectively.
"This could be a journey where you get that maturity, I already feel it in you, after all you are not just a muscular girl, you are more than that" Freya said, I know I am, but dere are times I wonder if I don't get dat stuck.
I sometimes wonder if I'm not just a monster too, anyway, I need to focus, I 'ave to finish dis journey and go back to where my mother is, I don't want to worry 'er or make 'er desperate all de time because of all dis, I'd better sleep in my shelter and leave tomorrow as soon as possible, I'll 'ave a lot to walk, I dink I can walk a lot.
Hellene woke up very early, according to her biological clock, she woke up around four thirty in themorning, getting up and getting ready to go out, eating a lot of fruit and warming up so she wouldn'tneed to use her coat when she went out. Hours walking through the forest not much happened, thesky became clear again, but there was something on the way that McLaren came across, a huge lake,she could not cross swimming because of the depth, so she was thinking of a way to cross it.
Dese muscles also know how to dink, I 'ave already seen dat some dings 'ere can be useful for what I am dinking, I soon punch a tree knocking it down and cutting it into smaller pieces, until I make what seemed to be a handle, den I find what was a pile full of dry grass and some vines which will be useful for what I am thinking of using, I even use my prosthesis with de functions dat can also be used as a knife, I make a broom and dat's it, I am brilliant.
"Not bad Hellene Mclaren, you are also one of the smartest of the nine, what I can tell is that you were the first to have suspicions of who the boss was and you already knew it was Miranda Holbrook all along, you are not just muscles" Nordic said.
"Dat's what my mum always told me, it's no use being strong if you don't know how to use dat strength, she never trained with me with an extremely muscular body, but I could never beat 'er in those trainings, I was practically a toy, even with de body like dat, I could notice dat she uses magic in a smart way, So I noticed dat I was wasting a lot of magic giving angry bursts and attacks like dat, dat's when I noticed dat I can be smart in combat and other things, now with a broom let's see if I can pass to de other side of de lake" I say confidently after finishing assembling de broom.
"That's good to know, you are closer to being a more complete witch, well I warn you, you won't be able to fly very high in this place, since there is a magic that protects you from that so your journey you can at most reach the height of the treetops, which will be a peculiar challenge to cross the lake in front of you" Freya said and I liked it.
Well dis is going to put my broomstick flying skills in practice, it's been so long since I've done dis dat I don't have de slightest idea, I even concentrate a lot, I keep looking at de path, and climb on de broomstick, I could notice that it got pretty stable, who would say, at least the punishments I took in Luna Nova were good for something, which is good to know dat I can fly fast, let's get to de other side.
I concentrate and I see some tentacles coming out of de water and I dodge dem, it was to be expected, it's not for nothing dat de lake would be full of dangers, I also notice dat dere are many stones on de way, huge rocks to make me crash, but I go passing quietly on de way, as well as I see dat dere are some shots of some things coming and my direction
"So dis is going to become a challenge? How interesting, I just want to see if dey're going to drop me in de water" I tell myself.
"You are also talented flying on a broomstick, you really take risks" Freya said.
I'm going through de tightest and most impossible parts so dat de tentacles can't catch me so unprepared, besides I can distract whatever de creature below, de impact of de water is so much dat I can see a lot of gay dings appearing in front of me, de shots of what seemed to be pebbles continued and I was just dodging dem, as well as de tentacles, I'm using dem to my advantage, taking advantage dat I'm fast enough in de broom flight and I'm getting close.
Dey are well in my sights now, well I am about to arrive at de shore, I dodge de tentacles and stand up on de broom, jumping from it and dodging what were golens shooting stones, I soon hit one with a flying well given to de point of breaking all in de tree dat was in front and de other I am using my magic shield to protect me from the shots.
"Looks like I welcomed you, it was wrong not to say hello, but now I will greet each of you with my fists" I say smiling.
"Now that's broomstick flying technique, you current witches have really improved a lot, I remember in our time it was one of the things that entertained people the most" Said de Nordic witch and I wonder how.
I finish beating de rest of de golens and even clap my hands congratulating because it was a very interesting fight, now it's time to take a walk, dere must still be a way ahead, it seems dat it's not today dat dese giant octopuses will 'ave me for dinner, it's time to keep moving forward, I go into de forest again and I'm already dinking how hard it must be for de girls to make a path like dis, I can't wait to see which one of us was de chosen nine.
I wasn't dat tired, I could stand it and de fruit didn't fall from my improvised bag, so I took de chance to eat one and I'm just looking at the path ahead and preparing myself for what's still to come.
"It amazes me how well rounded a witch you are" Freya said.
"Dat's what I try to do, I want to be a witch to de height, I don't like to dink dat I'll be weak in something, I want to be able to help everyone in some way, even if it's small too" I tell 'er and keep moving forward.
"I was the girl who wanted to know everything to be able to protect everyone and to be able to help, but they saw me as the muscle, I was the one who always went to push stones, to pick up heavy things, I was the one who could help the most, unfortunately I was not a violent person either, when they raised their voice at me I got very scared" I understand a lot about dis, it seems dat we are very similar in dis aspect.
"I know how it is, I always end up lowering my head when dey shout at me, it makes me feel weak when dis happens" I said.
"I could be strong like that, but I had my weaknesses, people think that just because I'm strong I have to impose myself, but it's not like that, I just want to live my life being myself, I just want to have that feeling of being at peace, but anyway, I also had a problem of being the kind of person who tries to forgive everybody, tries to redeem, this happened a lot with my wife, she was not very well seen in the beginning" I imagine it must be really complicated.
"Tell me more of dese stories, I dink it will be something dat will entertain me a lot on de way" I say as I walk and keep my concentration amidst so much grass.
"Ah it all started when I was a young girl that ran away from home, I was one of the residents of a community in a place that today you call Norway, my mother gave me a bundle and a broom and asked me to go far away, I was going to be sold as a slave by my father, that said I ran away as fast as I could and I settled in a place where they call hibernia, I was competing in broom races that took place between witches and wizards there the prize was in money and I used to get to live, I was learning their language and then I was met by a brown haired girl called Harriet, well we were making friends, she told me about the legend of the twelve books of Lilith and I saw it as an adventure to do, that I wanted to bring prosperity back to the people from where I had run away, from there we ended up meeting a couple, Woodward and Beatrix, they had a big fight with Harriet because she had stolen Beatrix's book, they were fun stories, I'm sure you'll love them" said Freya and woah, that's a lot of stories to tell.
Hellene was spending a good few hours listening to Freya's stories along the way, arriving at a pointwhere she already saw that the day was getting dark, so she was choosing to take shelter in a home,she was doing this in the same way as the other, building another shelter in the trees and from thereshe was taking a rest to start the next day, where she was already going to another stage of thejourney and until she was walking very fast, what in the following day she arrived at the most to befaced with the attack of several golens, one hundred came to McLaren who opened a big smile...
Dey're really wanting me to be challenged to my full potential here, but I'm going to sweep each one like it's nothing, I get apprehensive already, I focus on a strategy, because I'm going to 'ave to do some real bowling, now I can't take it so lightly, I dink I'll be able to move forward, show what I'm going to get really far, well it's time to go with everything, I'm not going to hesitate 'ere.
"There are a lot of them, Hellene, can you handle it?" she asks and I smile.
"I'm going to find out now" I say all excited and happy.
To me dis is an amusement park, concentrated de first of dem arrives very close what I go already giving me a impulse with everything in direction to de first one of dem, I make a point of not hesitating and to go for top I go knocked down good part passing crossed, as if dey were bowling pins, I already see dat some broke and I look back already with a more serious expression.
I'm going back towards dem, giving me propulsion and getting close to de other golens and I'm already punching, dey are surrounding me more and more and I take de opportunity to explode myself dere, which throws some away and I'm using de propulsion to go finishing with de ones dat flew away, all dis only in punches and blows, using magic to intensify de blow
Hellene didn't take long and soon finished off all one hundred golens and this was already showingthat she even came to a point of getting a bit of a breathless nothingness...
Dat was quite fun, I admit but now it's time to move on, I love doing lettle dings like dat, getting on top of dese golens has been a different sport, it's like bowling, only with dese stone dings, I finished getting on top of dem all, whew, dey looked like dey would never end, luckily I managed.
"Congratulations Hellene, against the golens you really show to be very strong, they were not just any kind, I made sure to summon golens stronger and more resistant than the normal ones, it seems that before you weren't even going with everything, I should have known how your limits are, but anyway we are almost there and the final challenge will put your strength in practice" Freya said.
"I hardly wait for it" I say very motivated.
Hellene kept walking for a few hours, but when she reached a certain point she came face to facewith a force field indicating that it was the end of her journey, which she ended up building a shelterthere, since it was getting dark and the day was about to end, she was already getting anxious forwhat was to come and quickly finished the shelter...
Now I 'ave a place to rest, I already know dat dis is de end of everything, Freya told me, I see a light illuminating behind me and I turn to see what it was, I see it getting stronger and den taking de shape of what was my mother, strange, it was just 'er all muscled, like I had never seen before, I even get emotional.
"Mum!" I say, already moved.
"Mum? Girl are you my daughter? You look just like me? What am I doing in dis place?" I don't understand anything.
"With the powers that we have, we decided to summon your mother at the peak of her strength that she had in 2000, it would be an interesting battle, which you need to defeat her so that you can reach the other side and the seal opens, the passage to the sanctuary will depend on this fight" Freya said.
"And dat won't affect our reality and the fabric of space time one bit? She evidently doesn't know I exist, if I defeat 'er she will come back and she will know I exist" I say confused even more.
"You've been listening to a lot of April's stuff girl, but den I have a daughter who is Bernadette's face and my face too, I dedn't know you were going to 'ave more of a McLaren features, you've even turned out a nice girl Diana, what year are we now?" Said my alternative mother and she has no idea.
"She is just a copy of your mother, we didn't take it from anywhere, we just materialized it, it's something very temporary, since we did this for you to pass the seal, nothing you say will affect our reality, because she doesn't exist, she is just a manifestation we did based on your mother" Freya said, now I understood everything.
"Ah and I'm not Diana, I'm Hellene, I'm de middle daughter, Diana looks more like mum Bernadette, not for nothing, but go up with everything, I know some dings that you will be more motivated to get angry and come with everything" I tell 'er.
"Oh, I will do dis challenge for you girl, so I had three daughters, good to know, de witch revolution is already a reality den" She has no idea
"So only Diana and I are your daughters with Bernadette, you kind of ended up having de youngest Holly with Chelsea out of your will, Daryl kind of used a curse to force you and Bern apart, which Diana got 16 years of not being raised with you around, outside of dat later because of de boss... Mama Bernadette was kind of murdered by Daryl, all dis seven years after your failed attempt at de witch revolution, the boss of which we've only just found out is Miranda Holbrook, by de way, it's 2021, it's been 21 years since you made dat attempt.
"Oh so dat's what happened? Nines damn it, I knew Miranda was involved in all dis, den she killed my wife, stopped my revolution, something even worse happened... Fucking... My blood boils just remembering" she said.
"Den come up with all your power mother, allow me to become so powerful dat I will go through to the other side" I say to 'er calling to go up.
Out of nowhere she reappears in front of me and I just see my mum's hand going to punch me in the stomach, which I even try to avoid, but it's too late, I end up being hit with everything, I was going to hit my back on de edge part of the force field, but my mother reappears behind me, which I end up defending 'er blow, but it's so strong dat it breaks my defence, woah, she was a machine in 2000, with de like dis, I even go trying to defend myself, but she just treats my defence like nothing.
I even try to fool her, but she's fast, she goes avoiding my chances of opening a gap and getting something, I'm already getting is well spoiled in few blows, she already makes me fall dragging on the ground leaning my back on a tree, what she even throws a fruit for me.
"Eat it girl, you still have to get stronger, you 'ave all those muscles but you still don't know how to use dem, you are not weak, but you lack more technique and also more control of your power, who would say dat my
daughter would be like dat, how old are you already?" She said while I was eating de fruit and healing myself, recovering a little more de disposition and getting less sore.
"I'm de middle sister and I'm 17, Diana is de oldest and she's 18, and Holly is de youngest and she's 16, now let's go" I say standing up normally and being tripped where I'm held by de collar of my t-shirt.
"Get up, faster and without giving me a break, de time it takes you to get up I would 'ave already given you a trip and an elbow, well you've really grown up, who would 'ave thought I would get to dis point of having a daughter at dis age, and how am I today? Am I still hot?" I even laugh and she lets me up so I can stand up straight.
"Look 'ere I can say dat you've always been very pretty mum, you're just paraplegic, we'd say Miranda managed to get your spine right, but otherwise you're fine" I say standing up with style, now I understand what she meant by dat.
I go trying to go up and see if my mother can hold me too and woah, she dodges even faster dan when she wasn't in the wheelchair, I can feel it, it's a level beyond me, how am I going to defeat 'er like dat, she's like a witch beyond me I'll take a long time to get anything, but I have to try, I won't give up.
The days went by, Hellene was fighting all the time against her own mother at her peak of magicalpower and body, which she was practically losing every time, then being healed and going back tofight, going back and forth for days, and days, she was going as she could, which took four daysuntil the battle reached a point where the daughter overcame her mother, with a lot of help from theplace she could reach the limit...
I hit a spell on my mother, already exhausted, almost fainting, she falls on de ground and dis time she lies down, I don't know if dis is a sign dat I succeeded, but Freya appears, she uses a spell on my mother who gets up and I'm relieved, I did it? I really did it, I see dat my mother is even all bruised and she looks at me with a smile on 'er face.
"You seem to 'ave beaten me, you are making sure to beat me, who would 'ave thought dat being beaten for four days has made you even with me, come 'ere now and give me a hug, it was wonderful talking to you and knowing the dings dat happened in my future, although I will forget all dat, I am happy to know dat you are going to make it" My mother said and I go emotionally hugging 'er.
I keep crying even, I miss 'er so much... Even after all dis, even after being sent 'ere and in such a short time, I just want to come back from dis journey and hug 'er again, I go feeling de embrace losing weight and den I open my eyes and see dat everything has become bright, it just turned into a few butterflies where de force field was opening.
"Bye Mom... It was nice to take this moment with you" I say looking at de shrine of de nine witches.
"Your journey to the sanctuary has come to an end, but I have not yet reached the end of your journey to reach the greatness of becoming Hellene the strong" said Freya.
"Danks for everything Freya..." I say entering de trail to de shrine and also eating a fruit, my body was detonated, it deserves a healing at least, but as soon as I cross I realize dat de wounds heal on de spot and de pains go away.
Well it's time to see you again Sis, I hope you're there too, or my two Sis, I hope you're both safe, we're going to come back from all dis and defeat Miranda Holbrook once and for all, now it's time for me to become one of de greats of de new nine witches, I'm even honoured dat at only seventeen I could get to dis, it's going to be quite a story to tell when we get back home.
POV Narrator:
And Hellene's journey down the road to the sanctuary of the nine witches came to an end, McLaren had challenges that were testing her strength and she was also getting closer to Freya, talking to her about the history and past of the nine witches in a way she had never heard, in another part of this journey and challenge to become a great witch, of the new nine witches that will come to bring a new peace to the world.
See you, strong witches...