The battlefield was gone.
The blood.
The broken sky.
The silence.
All of it faded as Greta pressed her forehead against her daughter's.
And just like that—
She was somewhere else.
Flashback
A warm spring light spilled through the windows of a small cottage deep in the forest, tucked behind cliffs and twisted trees. Inside, the scent of woodsmoke and herbs danced through the air.
There, on the floor, Remu was spinning.
Not like now. Not like the fire-eyed witch feared by nations.
Just a little girl.
Barefoot.
Laughing.
Her black hair whipped behind her as she turned again and again in circles, arms out like wings. Her dress was too long, dragging behind her like a clumsy cape.
"Look, Mama!" she shouted. "I'm a storm!"
Greta laughed, kneeling by the hearth, her sleeves rolled up as she stirred something in the cauldron. "You'll be a dizzy storm in five seconds."
"Then I'll be chaos!" Remu cried, spinning faster.
