I and the Witch of Time Who Seeks the Past

Destiny

Some people and things are bound to meet in fate.

I am utterly certain of it.

Winter 2030 — December 4, 12:00 a.m.

I held her close. She slowly yielded the embrace to me, letting me keep hold without pulling away.

She was so light I felt no strain, yet the moment was so uncanny that I was at a loss.

“What… what is happening?” I blurted.

For a moment I thought about the girl still in my arms. After a brief pause I gently set her down, making sure she was steady on her feet.

“Oh.”

She gave a soft sound and wobbled backward.

My reflexes were faster than my thoughts — I caught her before she fell.

“Dolemus, me non diu in terra fuisse.”

She spoke a string of familiar-sounding words with an accent. Latin? I wondered.

Then her expression cleared and she spoke again.

“Sorry. I haven’t stood on land for a very long time, and I haven’t spoken to anyone.”

This time in English — fluent, soft, and even-toned. My mind was still reeling; I nearly failed to register even those simple, basic words. After collecting myself I asked,

“Who are you?”

She considered for a moment and replied,

“My name is Lijedahl.”

It was a strange name. I couldn't guess its meaning or even its proper pronunciation.

“And how should I address you?”

“Whatever you prefer.”

“All right — Miss Lijedahl.”

She nodded, accepting it.

“And you? What’s your name?”

“Oh! Sorry. My name is Will Zhang. Just call me Will.”

“Okay, Will.”

She glanced around, as if reacquainting herself with the place, then stopped and looked at the clock. I followed her gaze, but found nothing but darkness and the huge clock pointing at twelve. I gave up on that and focused on the remarkable girl in front of me.

…Are her irises really that color? I had thought they were black, but now they looked a pale blue. Maybe that was how they’d always been — the dim light could make colors shift.

There were more important questions.

“Miss Lijedahl?”

“Yes? I’m listening.”

“Have you always been here? Do you know how to leave?”

For a moment I wanted to ask a dozen other things, but those could wait until we were out.

“…That door.”

Her slim finger pointed at the marble gate I’d escaped through.

“Uh — but outside that door are the moving…statues. And the gate seems tightly sealed.”

“Oh! I had forgotten. That does seem to be the case.”

She rested her chin on her hand for a moment.

“Do you want to leave now?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Of course. We have to get out.”

She glanced at the clock, then back at me.

“No. You must come with me.”

"What... what do you mean?"

“You are someone who came with fate. You are bound to me. I can’t let you go away from me.”

“No, no, Miss Lijedahl — I don’t understand. I don’t know why we’d be bound together, but we can’t stay here forever, can we? There’s no food, we can’t contact the outside, and—”

“Wait.”

She cut me off. I realized I was panicking.

“So you mean you want to know how to leave with me, not to leave me behind?”

How had she understood that?

“Of course I won’t abandon you.”

At that, her eyes widened as if surprised. I clearly noticed her irises change color — in the moonlight they looked like a blend of pale green and soft yellow. Before I could ask about it, she grabbed my hand.

“Then, since the front door won’t work…”

I felt my body grow light, as if gravity released its hold. I began to float — my hand lifted; when I looked up she was already higher than I was.

“Hold on tight.”

Her eyes shifted again, this time to a mix of pale pink and light yellow. She carried me toward the shaft of moonlight. Her black robe streamed behind her, unfurling like a dark blossom that partially shielded us from the snow. The wind cut past us; we left the underground chamber and breathed the open air.

We kept rising. When we finally cleared the space, I saw snow driven by the moonlit night, the forest and plain spread out beneath us. Snowflakes drifted past; her robe cut a path through the flurry so the flakes didn’t sting my face. We reached a point where we could look down on the trees and the distant snowy plain.

I turned to call out to the miraculous girl to stop, but when I looked at her she was smiling.

That smile — the most beautiful I had ever seen — froze me. It left me speechless, reduced me to nothing but the right to admire.

“Will, thank you.”

Her voice carried clear across the driving snow, every word perfectly audible.

…

Twenty minutes later.

“Miss Lijedahl, please — take my coat.”

“No need, Will.”

We had landed, our feet sinking into the snowy plain.

Only then did I finally notice: she wore no shoes and no proper clothes. Slow as ever, it only now dawned on me.

“You must be freezing. Let me give you my coat — and the ground’s covered in snow, your feet will be frostbitten.”

“Will, truly… I don't really feel anything.”

She gave a small hop. Her face was blank again — a stark contrast to the smiling girl from earlier — but beneath it I could sense a lively energy.

“See? I’m fine.”

Again, I was stunned. I must have been shocked more times tonight than in my entire life up to now.

“How… how is this even possible? It’s unnatural.”

“Ah.”

A soft exclamation escaped her lips.

“Long ago, I felt the cold too. But I’ve grown used to it.”

…Long ago. She must mean all the years she spent in that underground clock chamber.

Loneliness. Cold.

Now I was more certain than ever that the legends were true.

“No, Miss Lijedahl.”

I slipped off my coat, brushed the snow from her robe, and draped it gently over her shoulders.

“Why are you—”

Before she could finish, I scooped her up in my arms.

“Once you’ve known cold, and you’re given the chance to never feel it again — you should know how to keep yourself warm.”

I carried her forward. I had no extra shoes for her, so this was the only way to shield her feet from the snow.

“…”

She covered her face, perhaps out of shyness.

“Sorry — this was the only idea I had.”

“You… you could have just let me walk.”

“No. You said you’d grown used to the cold. But you weren’t meant to get used to it. I’d rather you grew used to warmth.”

I smiled, adding,

“Forgive me for deciding on my own. Once we reach the city, I’ll buy you proper clothes.”

She didn’t reply — but I felt her gradually lean closer against me.

I still had a thousand questions, but they could wait until we made it through this place.

Speaking of which — that old gentleman…

He must have left by now. A stranger, with no obligation. In places like this, people rarely invite trouble for themselves. Leave others behind, let fate decide — that’s the way of the world.

But just then, the growl of an engine broke my thoughts.

I turned and saw a car, inching slowly through the snow.

When I recognized it, I could only mutter,

“I can’t believe it… there really are good people left in this world.”

…

Just as I was about to resign myself to the bitter wind and snow, the old man returned for us.

Lijedahl slept peacefully against me in the warmth of his car.

“Thank you,” I told him. “Truly — I thought you would drive off. I never imagined you’d come back.”

“Well now, you’re lucky I did. In this blizzard, you’d never have survived. I told you two hours, and when you didn’t return, I waited another hour. Still nothing. I thought something had happened, and nearly left. But then I thought — if a young man like you died out here, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. So I turned back a few times. And here you are.”

“You saved us. I’m deeply grateful.”

He waved it off.

“No, no. If I hadn’t come back for you, then I’d regret it, lad.”

His eyes flicked toward the sleeping Lijedahl.

“And this girl — who is she?”

“Ah… she’s…”

“Oh, don’t bother. That look on your face tells me plenty.”

It wasn’t that I was a poor liar — only that in this situation I couldn’t weave a convincing story. So I hid the truth within the truth itself.

“…I found her in the old mansion. Inside.”

“What?! Inside where exactly?”

“Behind the marble gate.”

“My heavens…”

He grew visibly agitated.

“Then she must be—”

“No. Not necessarily. Perhaps she fell in from above. There’s a huge pit in the ceiling of that underground space. She might have stumbled in.”

“But what child would wander into such a place?”

“I don’t know. When I found her, she was wearing nothing but rags. Honestly, I suspect traffickers.”

At that, the old man shuddered.

“Yes… yes, that’s possible. Very possible.”

Of course, the excuse was flimsy — but all I needed was for Lijedahl to appear to be an ordinary girl.

“And when she wakes, what will you do?”

“I’m not sure. First, buy her clothes. Get her a meal. Then ask if she remembers her home, try to send her back.”

“Ah, good. That’s good.”

“We’ll see once she wakes. Oh, and Mr. Tuer…”

“Yes?”

“When I return to the hotel, I’ll pay you more. What I gave you earlier as a guide fee doesn’t begin to measure your kindness.”

“No need, Will. Don’t trouble yourself. I’m an old man. More money, less money — it makes no difference anymore.”

He gave a gentle smile.

“Though I expect I’ll be scolded by my wife. I’ve never stayed out this late — she must be worried sick.”

“Ah… I don’t even know what to say.”

I forced the topic away. I didn’t want him caught in this, whatever this was. Why? I couldn’t even say. Just a certainty — that stranger things still awaited me.

…

He drove us back to my hotel. I pressed some money into his hands, though it felt pitifully inadequate. All I had to offer was gratitude.

The kind old man only said I was exaggerating, that he’d done nothing at all.

Still, before he left, he said something that lingered in my mind:

“Will… if that girl truly is the one from the legend — what will you do?”

The question left me speechless.

“I… I don’t know.”

“You said you’ve been having prophetic dreams for ten years now, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps this is a calling.”

“A… calling? From her?”

“Perhaps. In the legend, her magic was immeasurable. Perhaps your fates are bound — she called for you to save her, and you answered. From now on, nothing can part you.”

His gaze held a grave weight, a touch of weathered sorrow.

He turned away, adding:

“If she truly is the one — then your destiny will be turbulent, yet unbreakable.”

He drove off, leaving me staring into the snow.

Some things are destined.

I am certain of it.