"Please forgive my sibling," Thalia said softly as she approached Ericka, who was still seated.
Ericka looked up. The swelling on her cheek was visible, a mark left from earlier. Thalia offered her a band-aid.
"I didn't mean to hit you," she apologized, her voice quiet.
Ericka sighed and shook her head. "Please excuse what I said earlier. Your brother was right—I shouldn't judge what's happening now."
Thalia saw the tears threatening to return.
"I let my emotions take over. I wasn't thinking clearly... I was unprepared," Ericka admitted, voice breaking. "I thought I was ready to face the truth. But I wasn't. I acted like a brat. I was just… too hurt by what happened to Jasmin."
Thalia understood. That powerless feeling—watching a future unfold and being unable to change it—was something she knew too well.
She exhaled quietly. "Don't take my brother's words to heart. He really does talk like that."
Ericka gave a bitter chuckle. "You've inherited that from him, Thalia."
Gerald approached and smiled at them gently. "I'll give you two a moment." He stepped away.
Thalia sat quietly beside Ericka as the tension in the room eased. Her older brother's voice echoed in her mind—calm the storm before it grows.
"Are you angry with Charles?" she asked gently.
"I'm angry at everyone," Ericka admitted without hesitation. "I don't want to pretend otherwise. That's just how I feel right now."
Thalia nodded. She wanted to understand her better. She gave herself the space to listen.
Suddenly, Ericka broke down again. "But what can I do? My anger… it's my defense mechanism. I'm afraid to accept the whole truth. I blame Fuego for everything. Why—why is this happening to us?"
Across the room, Chesca sat quietly, her expression pained.
"Are you also angry at Chesca? Do you wish… she had suffered because of her father? That we had never met her?"
"Yes! I'm really, really angry!" Ericka cried, burying her face in her hands. "Part of me even wished she had died. Part of me wishes we could turn back time."
Thalia nodded again. "I understand that anger."
"I felt the same toward my older sister Jenny and my brother Felix when we discovered we had powers. I blamed them for not doing anything when our parents died."
"I can't see the future, Ericka. That ability depends on the situation. I was never meant to see what comes next—just echoes of what came before. Like you, I can travel through the past. But I know you've also seen the premonitions my sister always talks about."
She clenched her fists.
"I used to think, if only I had that gift, I'd stop everything that happened. But I learned—you can't stop fate. You can only heal from it."
"When my cousins died, I blamed my siblings. I was a terrible sister." She laughed dryly.
"But they still accepted me. And I learned to understand where the real blame lies—the root of all this pain. I get it now, Ericka."
She placed a hand gently on Ericka's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I don't share your strength, Thalia," Ericka whispered. "You've been through so much, but you're still here. Still facing the truth. You're… brave. I'm sorry."
"I'm not brave," Thalia replied. "Deep down, I'm scared—scared of what else I might learn. I don't know if I'm ready for what's coming."
She smiled gently. "But since we're here… let's try to be allies. Someday, I think you'll understand. My brother always says—don't rush what's meant to unfold in time."
She turned to Chesca.
"Chesca, do you have anything you want to say?"
Chesca looked startled. Thalia recognized that hesitation—but she also knew their bond wouldn't disappear just because names or truths changed.
Chesca suddenly rushed forward and hugged them both tightly. Her hands trembled.
Thalia felt her crying.
"I'm sorry for surviving. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth sooner," Chesca sobbed. "I avoided talking to you, Thalia, because I was afraid. Afraid I might be the reason everyone dies."
They froze at her words.
"I'm sorry that Fuego blood runs in my veins. That because of me—because of who my father is—the people we love are disappearing. Please… forgive me."
Without a word, Ericka hugged Chesca back. She, too, was quietly crying.
Thalia glanced over at her brother. He gave her a reassuring smile.
She knew the two girls would be okay.
But just then, a premonition struck her.
She saw Tricia and Isabel walking through a dense forest—being hunted.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block the vision.
Am I seeing the present? she wondered.
Suddenly, her head throbbed painfully.
"Are you okay?" Chesca asked, quickly wiping her tears and leaning closer.
Ericka stared at her, concerned. Then she gently reached for Thalia's hand.
In an instant, all three of them were pulled into the vision.
They saw it together—Isabel, and the path that would lead her to danger.
As they returned to reality, Thalia clutched her head.
"W–What was that?" Ericka gasped.
"I… I don't know," Thalia said, still disoriented.
"I think your visitor is already waiting for you," her brother murmured, watching her closely.
She swallowed hard and looked at Ericka and Chesca.
Something ominous was coming.
The fate they feared… was now at their doorstep.