Chapter Text
She was a witch.
Or so they never said.
Magic flowed through their family.
Or so she never said.
"Sleep well, baby. It’s not every year you turn nine years old.”
That was the last thing she said.
* * *
Levi blinked his eyes open before narrowing them again. The sunlight was shining directly into his eyes. He let out a groan and rolled over, turning away from the sun. Sweetness filled his nose. A breeze blew the fragrance of Meadowsweet and Honeysuckle from their little jar in front of the window.
Smelled like home, like her.
Levi pushed himself up and pulled the handwoven white blanket away. It was already rather warm today. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had to go replace the dried-up sprigs in the jars around the house before heading into town to open shop. But first, he just wanted to relax and listen. The cottage was silent, per usual, but with all of the windows open, he could hear the breeze wind its way through every room, jostling metal trinkets and sighing softly. He could only just make out the sea crashing against the rocky shore in the East, far below them all. Closer were the birds, singing their songs in the trees surrounding his home.
“Listen hard, my little one. You’ll always hear more than you can see. From this place, everything you see and hear is our home.” She was carrying him on her hip, smiling as she brushed the hair from his eyes.
“Even the forest?” he asked, eyebrows raised and furrowed.
“Even that,” she said and looked out to the woods again. “But it’s not only our home. Magic dwells here too. You have to remember that and be respectful when you walk through here. Promise?”
“I promise, Mamaí.”
Levi sighed and blinked out of his trance. Like her, magic wasn’t here. At least, not anymore. He swung his legs over the side of his bed, stepping onto the warm oak floor. The shop wasn’t going to open itself. He padded over to his closet and quickly changed into a white tunic with gray pants and gingerly lifted his green cloak off its post. His sewing was decent but nowhere near where it should’ve been for his age. If he made a noticeable tear, all the townswomen would shake their fingers and try to push him back into another year of school.
Running some fingers through his hair, Levi deemed himself ready. He left his bedroom and walked into his small kitchen. Before doing anything else, he snagged three elder tree leaves from the bowl on the table and walked back into his bedroom. The leaves were supposedly a form of magic that brought sleep and protection. His mother was always sure to place fresh leaves each day at dusk on her pillows and taught Levi to do it himself. No one else in town followed the tradition, or believed in it, all that much. But Levi still found himself in the habit, only now he did it in the morning.
Once the bed was made and leaves adorned the pillow, Levi left to ready his lunch. In the kitchen, he tossed some elderberries, apples, strawberries, and a loaf of bread together in a sack before tying it off with some rope. He didn’t eat too much during the day, and Hanji would probably bring some butter and wine to finish off the meal when she inevitably came to bother him. Levi’s lips twitched to form a slight smile and fastened his cloak around his shoulders. With his free hand, he grabbed the sack and threw it over his shoulder. Anything else he’d need was at the shop.
After one final look around, Levi made his way out the door and onto the path to town. He didn’t bother locking it; no one ever ventured into their part of the woods. Nature sang its song around him as he walked along the path of downtrodden grass and scattered stones. Twenty paces, then turn right at the fork. He adjusted his sack of fruit on his shoulder and continued forward, twigs snapping under his feet.
The sun shone through the little gaps between tree branches, illuminating pockets on the path. He liked it; it made the path look so beautiful during the day and almost magical at night, whenever the moon was full—the watch of the Mother Goddess. But for now, the slight breeze rustled his hair, like fingers carding through it.
Levi jolted away from the touch. He stumbled forward, clutching onto his lunch sack. One foot caught the edge of a stone, and before he knew it, he was tumbling to the ground.
“Ah, shit,” he said as he lay sprawled on his back in the dirt. Sitting up, he brushed the dirt from the front of his tunic. Hopefully, the back wasn’t too dirty.
Levi scrambled to stand up, beating the dirt from his pants as well. Who’s hand was that? He was the only person who lived this far out in the forest, it couldn’t have been another villager. Wait, crap! Where was his lunch sack? He looked around for the little bag. Midsummer was tomorrow; everyone was going to be at the shop today, demanding their flowers. He wouldn’t have time to walk home to grab a new lunch. He groaned lightly tugged on the ends of his hair. Dammit. Levi walked over to some bushes off the side of the path and pried them apart. A few paces behind the bush laid his lunch sack, the tie still intact. Lucky guess. Levi grinned and left the path to grab it.
The breeze blew again, this time colder. The sun’s rays didn’t filter through the treetops here, darkening all in the tiny clearing except for the lunch sack.
But Levi didn’t notice.
Instead, he made his way to the bag. How did it even get out here? He was sure he clutched the sack as he fell… Well, it didn’t really matter now, did it? He grabbed the sack off the ground and double checked the tie. It really was secured. He tossed the sack over his shoulder again and glanced around. Which way had he come in again? The flora didn’t look too familiar… Oh! Levi squinted. There was something bright a little way off. It looked like sunlight—his way back to the path. As he stepped towards it, he hesitated. He could practically see the village elders’ pinched, blotchy red faces as they waggled their fingers in warnings: Never leave the paths in the forest! Levi chuckled softly; they’d be furious, but they also didn’t know what they were talking about. He’d lived in the forest his entire life and nothing bad happened to him—it wasn’t an evil place. He took another step forward but stopped again. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? He looked behind him. He could just turn around or walk backwards; that’d lead him back to the path to town. With a sigh, he glanced back to the sunny spot. Or, tried to.
It vanished. The whole clearing was dark.
Huh.
Weird.
* * *
Levi barely had a chance to sit down since arriving. Half the town must have walked through his door thus far, and he was positive the second half would soon be coming. He sighed as the last client, a top-heavy old woman, pulled the oak door shut behind her. His work station was a mess: trimmed stems and remnants of tree bark were scattered all over his counter. Several flower petals and leaves were there too. His mother’s journal was still lying open, a vine of ivy and an array of floral remnants resting on the open pages. He frowned and brushed them off. Just because he was running the store in her absence, didn’t mean he had to pick up her habits of “embracing nature,” or however she phrased it.
Levi jumped as a loud bang on the door sounded. He fished out his pocket-watch. It was exactly 12:24. Only one person in the entire village would come precisely six minutes before any standard meeting time.
“Door’s open!”
Before the words were fully out of his mouth, the door was shoved open. None other than Hanji strolled in, a lunch sack in her hand and a smile on her face.
“Levi! It’s been so long, my friend.”
“I saw you yesterday,” he said as he grabbed a nearby broom and began to sweep the floor. Everyone wanted tree back this time of year but it always left such a mess!
“Hogwash!” Hanji laughed and pulled a nearby stepping stool to squat on. Per usual, she was wearing a slightly dirty green tunic and kept her hair braided down her back, with the exception of three tuffs that refused to lie flat and were too short to be wrestled into the braid. The schoolteachers had long since given up making her abide “tradition”.
“Hey! I came all this way for you,” Hanji said. “The least you can do is stop sweeping and talk to me.”
“I’ve been talking to you.” Levi grinned. “And what’s this nonsense ‘all this way’? You live by the market.”
Hanji huffed and pointedly stared at the wall behind him, but Levi could still see the poorly disguised smirk on her face. “Are you going to eat with me or not, Shortstack?”
Levi laughed and rested the broom on the wall. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” He nabbed his lunch sack from under his work table and joined Hanji on the floor. Hanji undid the ties on their sacks as he placed a cloth on the floor between them. Soon the berries, apples, bread, and Hanji’s wine adorned it.
“Where’s the butter?”
Hanji shook her head as she chewed a piece of bread. “Fresh out. I brought jam instead.” She fished out a small jar from her pocket and offered it to him. Levi took it and peered inside.
“There’s like nothing in here.”
“I had to make it last since Bealtaine!”
Levi raised his brows. That was impressive. He unscrewed the lid and brought it to his nose.
“Is this—”
“Rowanberry. You better appreciate it.”
“I will,” he said before ripping off a piece of bread and dipping a corner in the jar. Levi smiled at the familiar taste. Rowanberries were a delicacy. He and his mother used to eat them near the cliffside during Bealtaine and watch the waves crash against the rocky shore far below them. Then, she would read him stories about the town lore until all the jam and bread was gone, take his hand, and lead them back to the store.
“What’s wrong?”
Levi looked up. He hadn’t noticed his gaze falling.
Hanji had stopped eating, scrutinizing him. “You have that look again.”
“Which one?”
“The one you get when you’re sad and frustrated and hopeful.” She paused a moment. “You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Tomorrow’s the ninth Midsummer since...you know. Anyone who does say anything says it gets easier, but it hasn’t.”
“Levi… The elders—”
“Fuck the elders,” Levi said as he put the jam and bread down. “They’re all a bunch of liars.” He pulled his legs in close and wrapped his arms around them. “They probably exiled her.”
Hanji didn’t speak, allowing the silence to linger. He probably wasn’t done yet.
Levi huffed and prodded a fallen leaf with his foot. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Hanji said. She reached for the jam and also dipped another ripped piece of bread. Levi nodded slowly and reached over for an apple. “What were you thinking about?”
“She used to read me folklore on Bealtaine along the cliffside,” Levi said with a shrug and took a bite. The apple was particularly crisp; he’d have to visit that tree again.
“What kind of lore?”
“All kinds—magic, fae, heroes, the goddesses, rituals.”
“Oh, I loved the ones with rituals!” Hanji threw herself back, arms and legs splayed out. “None of them were ever just lore, Levi. I wish we still practiced it. They made a lot of sense.”
“What made sense about worshipping a tree?”
Hanji lifted her head up and fixed a glare at Levi. “It’s not just worshipping a tree, Shortstack. It’s nature and the forces who make it. The trickster fae who live in the forest, the sprites near the water, even the wisps who guide travelers astray—they’re all nature.”
“That’s dumb.”
Hanji pulled herself up again, pointing a finger at Levi as he continued eating. “It’s not dumb, it’s terrifying. We do rituals to invoke the gods when we need them most or to celebrate them, but it’s never a guarantee. So instead, we pretend they don’t exist, shame our ancestors’ way of life, and tell these stories as little frights for the children.” She poured herself a cup of wine and took a sip. “Who are we to suppose we’re bigger than nature? To ignore it in all times outside disaster?” She shook her head and stared into her cup; her eyes distant. “It only makes our lessons in humility that much harsher.”
Levi rested his hands on his lap, apple devoured. “Do you believe in the stories?”
“I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”
Fair enough. Levi brushed his hands against his toga before pushing himself off the floor. Townsfolk would start knocking again soon. He looked down at Hanji again, who was beginning to clear their lunch setting.
“Are you going to the bonfire tomorrow night?”
“Of course, Shortstack. I’ll see you there.” She offered him the small bit of wine left in the bottle and he accepted it, polishing it off in one swig.
“Great.” With that, she stood and tied her lunch sack again, all of her jam and too many of his berries secured inside it. “Happy Midsummer, Levi.”
“Save that for tomorrow,” he said with a smile and waved her farewell. “And thanks for the bottle!” Hanji waved off his thanks but didn’t look back as she left the shop. A cool wind blew into the shop before she could close the door, rustling the arrangements he had on the wall pedestals. Most of their vases were bottles of wine he and Hanji finished together, but no one knew Hanji let him finish off the drinks. She was already a “bad influence” according to the schoolteachers and elders. It had to be a miracle of the Triple Goddess that she hadn’t been exiled yet.
Levi walked over to his work station and placed the bottle down. He could make a new arrangement in it later. But that wasn’t his priority as he ran his fingers over the worn red leather of his mother’s journal. The pagers were beyond soft, the ink long since dried into its fibrous surface.
His mother finally let him sit on her lap as she worked, but instead of flowers, all he saw was a book. “This book is the most important object we will ever own,” she said.
“But it’s so old.”
“That just shows how long it’s been in our family, Levi. My grandmother wrote the stories of her grandmother on these pages. My mother added what she knew, and I have too. One day, when you inherit this, you’ll write in here too—that is, if you can find any room.” A smile split her face and she squeezed his little sides, tickling him. Their laughter echoed through their home.
Levi carefully flipped through the book. Hanji had mentioned it in passing, but it was worth looking into. If it even had a name, much less truly exist. Towards the back of the book, he found it. There in elegant, loopy letters, she wrote:
Will-o’-the-Wisps
Floating balls of light in the forest.
Avoid at all costs.
* * *
The elders were pretty shit at everything but at least they knew how to light a fire. A big one, at that. Even from his seat ten paces away, he felt the flame’s heat. Midsummer was his favorite celebration. Although they didn’t perform the rituals for the fire, they still appreciated the purpose: to celebrate all of the new life on summer’s longest day. In fear of burning the forest, they always built the fire on the furthest cliffside. It was further outside of the town than his own little cottage. But it was most beautiful there. The fire’s reds and oranges danced high against the backdrop of the sparkling sea and purpling sky.
Levi watched the other townsfolk share in a dinner closer to the tree line. The mothers kept a firm hand on their smallest children while the older ones were allowed to run around so long as they didn’t wander too near to the fire or the edge of the cliffside. He couldn’t account for the cliffside but doubted the kids would come near the fire since he was sitting there. It wasn’t so much that the town hated him, but they weren’t necessarily keen about him since he took over the flower shop. They didn’t need to speak for him to gauge it; it was in everyone’s eyes.
“Levi! Stop wallowing!” Levi nearly fell forward as Hanji slapped his back and plopped down next to him, a nearly empty bottle of wine in hand. Her breath told it all. “Go interact with people! Eat something! Just get off this damn log.”
“They don’t have to tell me to my face how disappointed they are in me, Hanji,” Levi said and rubbed his eyes. “I can practically feel it every time they look at me.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t eat anything.”
“I already ate—”
“Don’t lie to me, Shortstack. I saw you sit here almost the entire day.” Hanji shoved his shoulder. “Go for a walk. Stretch your body. The log will be here when you get back and you can continue weathering away on it, like the old soul you are.”
Levi laughed and let himself be shoved off the log. It wasn’t a bad idea to take a walk. Standing up, he stretched his back and meandered towards the cliffside. The grass tickled at his exposed ankles as he stepped through it, wind blowing back his clothes and hair. He couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face. It wasn’t the same, but it was good enough.
“Excuse me! Mister!”
Levi turned around. Three little ones were standing a safe distance from both him and cliff, two of them hiding behind the third, a girl with two braids nearly as long as her body and fire in her eyes. He walked over to them.
“What is it?”
“Zeke threw my stone into the forest,” she said and pointed to the woods that touched the cliffside. “Can you go get it for me? Please?”
Levi suppressed his chuckle. Children were so ridiculous. “What does it look like?”
“It’s white with purple and green lines on it. Also, it’s round.”
“Okay,” Levi glanced off to where the little girl pointed. This wouldn’t be too easy of a find. “I’ll try my best. Don’t wait for me here.” The children nodded and ran back to the adults at the table. Smiling, Levi headed into the woods.
The other townsfolk didn’t like the forest. They were afraid of it. But not him. Levi followed his mother everywhere and she loved every part of the forest. It wasn’t hard to understand either: if you respected it, it would respect you. He kept his eyes peeled for the stone as he walked in deeper.
The sky was darkening to blue when he saw it again. It was just like before, a tiny ball of light, bobbing in place like an apple that had fallen into the stream. A breeze blew through him; it was far too cold for a summer chill. Levi drew his cloak closer to his body.
Avoid at all costs.
Was this a wisp?
Levi took a step towards it. He had to be sure what it was. Even in all the places he explored in the forest, he never came across a creature like this before. So long as he treated it with respect, he’d be fine. Swallowing, Levi took another step towards it, extending a trembling hand.
The wisp bounced backwards, away from his touch, and changed colors. Instead of yellow light, now it was a shimmering green. “Wow,” he said. It was mesmerizing, the most beautiful little creature he’d ever come across. Levi stepped towards it again, trying to catch it. Again, the wisp bounced back and changed into blue light.
Levi took a sharp breath.
This time, it wasn’t only this wisp that glowed blue. It was several wisps that glowed blue. They were arranged in a line, a trail! Perhaps they were leading him to the stone?
Avoid at all costs.
He’d be fine. The stories were just stories—he had nothing to fear. Levi followed the trail of wisps into the forest. In the rapidly blackening sky, the usual curves of the trees looked sharper, angrier almost. Broken branches littered the ground, making his every step crunch and echo around him. Levi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Even if the story wasn’t true, it wouldn’t hurt to follow the journal’s advice.
“Levi? Is that my baby? I need to get back to my baby!”
Levi’s heart leapt to his throat as tears sprung to his eyes. He knew that voice. She was here, exiled to the forest all this time! He never thought he’d hear her voice again. It was coming from further ahead of him. He took off down the trail, ignorant to the blue light stretching the trees’ shadows and blotting out the stars and rays from the moon.
But he didn’t notice that. He only heard her voice, only heard it getting louder the further he went.
“Please, let me go! I need to get back to my son. He needs me!”
He wanted to call out to her, let her know he was coming, but the words wouldn’t leave his throat. He was so close. Thorny branches scraped his arms and snagged his clothes, but Levi didn’t care. He had to keep running. She kept calling to him. She was still here, just lost. He could find her.
Suddenly, the ground gave out underneath him and the wisps’ blue lights extinguished. Levi cursed as he rolled down the side of a rocky slope, tumbling through thorny bushes and rocks. Their jagged edges cut his skin, while the sharp thorns and broken branches of bushes caught on his clothing and scratched him. At last, his back collided with something much bigger than himself. He groaned and let himself rest a moment, breathing hard.
“Ow, fuck,” he said between breaths. Levi cursed again and pushed himself to rest against whatever he collided with. To the touch, it might’ve been stone, but he couldn’t tell which one. It was too smooth to be a rock from nearby.
Levi looked around. He couldn’t see a thing; the sky was black and starless, and the wisps were gone. It was silent too. His eyes stung and Levi clenched his jaw as the tears began to fall. His throat was so tight, but he didn’t let a sound pass through his lips.
He was tricked.
She wasn’t really here.
And he wanted her to be here so fucking much.
Suddenly, a light flickered into existence only a few inches from his face. Its light was a soft orange. Dwyvan’s sake, he just wanted to be alone. Was that really too much to ask? Levi swatted at the stupid creature, but it didn’t bounce out of the way. Levi gasped as his hand went through the ball of light. The moment his skin touched the light, he froze. Literally. He’d never felt such an intense cold before. It started at his hand and spread through the rest of his body. But Levi couldn’t even shout for help—as quickly as it began, it ended.
“Levi!”
He snapped his head in time to see Hanji barreling toward him. She threw her arms around him and held him in a strong grasp before grabbing his shoulders and yanking him back to peer into his eyes. “Where did you go?”
“I—” He paused. What had happened to him? It felt so real. But it couldn’t have been. Could it?
"What?”
“I don’t know what happened.”
“Levi, the fire burned out hours ago and no one except some kids knew where you went,” Hanji stroked his face with a shaking hand before clamping down on his shoulder again. “What happened? Did you get lost in the woods?”
“I-I need to go home.” Levi tugged himself out of Hanji’s grasp.
“Levi?”
He didn’t answer her as he took off, down the path towards town. Somewhere along the way, he started running. The journal was in his room; he just needed to get back to it. Those rocks were important. There was no way they wouldn’t be. And the thing with the wisp? That had to be real—he needed to add that to their section. His chest heaved as he pushed himself through the last stretch.
He tumbled through his front door, slamming it closed and hurrying to his room. There, on his bed was the journal. Now he just—
Levi clutched his temples with wide eyes. Pain like he never knew blossomed behind his eyes. He staggered forward but his vision was already dimming. It was like he had no control of his body anymore. He could barely think with the pain blundering through his head. He wasn’t going to make it to the journal. Was he even going to wake up? He’d just have to hope. His eyes fluttered shut as his legs gave out and he collapsed on the floor.