The ceremony

Leon awoke to the sun shining through the window. He was exhausted but a smile crept over his face as he thought about how much fun yesterday was. The sex was intense, and he had never dealt with anything that raw and personal before as he rolled over to say good morning to Wanda.

"Wanda?" He said as he quickly realized she wasn't there. He lifted the blanket and looked all over the room. "WANDA?" He called out, hoping maybe she was just in the bathroom before he got up to check finding it was empty too. "Shit, no........ no no," he said as he quickly got dressed and ran out of the room.

The house was huge and he still wasn't sure where everything was as he frantically tried to find her. He ran all over the place, his heart racing as he was in a panic. He wanted to talk to her one more time before the ceremony, he needed to, and now he knew that's where she had gone.

"WANDA!" He yelled as his voice echoed through the large house before he stopped and turned towards a window. He glanced outside to see Wanda lying on a stone table with Dawn reading from a book. "No!"

Wanda was in a white dress, similar to one of ancient Greece as she lay there with Dawn reading the ritual notes. Wanda closed her eyes, prepared for what was to come, as she knew this needed to happen, though tears streamed down her face.

"No! WANDA!" Leon yelled as he burst through the door, seeing a bunch of people all standing out there watching and doing nothing before he started running towards the altar.

Wanda turned to him, tears in her eyes, before she said: "I'm sorry."

"NO!"

As Dawn finished, Wanda reached out for Leon, only for him to suddenly stop. She was confused at first as she sat up, the world around her seemingly different, almost like a dream where she couldn't see anything past a few yards.

Dawn was frozen in time, and so was Leon. It was a weird thing to see as she slid off the table and looked around. Aezeth remained silent for the moment as she, too, was not sure what to expect when the ritual was done.

"Hello, Aezeth," a voice said as she froze and turned to see a woman she recognized standing there.

"Hecate?" Aezeth said, feeling a little bit of fear as she stared at this beautiful woman with dark hair and a snake around her shoulders.

"So, trying to break my curse I see. You don't like what I've done for you?"

"You turned me into......... this," Aezeth said as she transformed into her true self.

"Don't act like you haven't enjoyed my gifts. You were clever hiding your daughter from me all those centuries ago," Hecate said as she circled her. "You think you are so smart, that you are smarter than me?"

"You abandoned me centuries ago, I honestly didn't think you were still around anymore."

"HA, foolish Aezeth. I never left. But now, you have a choice to make," Hecate said before Wanda started to feel dizzy.

Wanda suddenly fell over, but something strange happened. When Wanda collapsed, Aezeth was still standing. They had separated again, and she saw Wanda on the ground, holding her head and crying out in pain.

"Stop this, what are you doing?" Aezeth demanded.

"You don't get it, do you?" Hecate said with annoyance in her voice. "There is no merging. It's either you, or her."

"What? No, that can't be true!" Aezeth demanded.

"Afraid so. If you want your body back, then she has to die. It's the only way I'm afraid," Hecate said with a smirk. "I mean, I gave you the power to get **** on your husband. I let your daughter live, and you have done so much serving me, but deep down we both know you haven't changed."

"What do you mean? I have had centuries to......"

"Waste your life!" Hecate said as the garden shook. "You refuse to feel anything because you were betrayed centuries ago. You took this woman from the people she cares about, and for what? Because you want your old life back."

Aezeth stood there staring down at Wanda as she curled up in pain on the ground. "Leon........ I......." Wanda said as he was all she could think about in her final moments.

"Poor Wanda, but as long as Aezeth gets what she wants, right? Aezeth said taunting her.

Aezeth looked down at her host, the woman who was a dependent of her and her daughter. The woman who loved harder than Aezeth thought was possible and she was dying right there in front of her, thinking not about herself, but still worried about Leon and who would take care of him.

Aezeth would take care of him the best she could, even pretend to be Wanda if that was what it took, but deep down she knew she couldn't do it. He would know the difference, he would know it was Aezeth and not the woman who raised him. The woman he loved.

"Wait," Aezeth said as she turned back to Hecate. "Take my life instead."

"Excuse me?" Hecate said with surprise in her voice.

"Give her my wisdom and my power, but if someone has to die, it must be me. Spare her, and let me die instead."

"Clever girl, you think because she is you reincarnated, that it will still work the way you think?"

"No, I have no idea what will happen, but I know that she needs to live more than I. There is a young man, Leon, and he needs her more than I do. Please, take your **** upon me, take my life, and let her live," Aezeth said as she got on her knees before the Goddess. "I beg of you."

Hecate stood there looking down at the Grogon she had created all those centuries ago before a smile crept over her face. "Perhaps you have learned something," she said as she knelt down and placed her finger under Aezeth's chin, lifting her head up to see the tears in her eyes. "Perhaps I have misjudged you, my Child." Hecate stood back up and walked over to Wanda as life began to leave her. "Perhaps you have learned something too."

"What are you doing to him?" Aezeth said as she stood back up and approached them.

"Wanda here, isn't just your reincarnation, she is the best parts of you," Hecate said as she ran her fingers through Wanda's hair. "She reminds me so much of the woman you were. A woman with the ability to love, deeper than either one of us ever could. I can't just let a person like her die now, can I?"

"So, you will take me instead?"

Hecate looked up at Aezeth with a smile on her face that seemed mischievous before she said: "See you around, Kiddo."

There was suddenly a large flash of green light that shot out of Wanda, spreading through the garden, knocking Dawn, Leon, and everyone else away. A few windows on the house shattered and everyone seemed disoriented and confused as they all quickly tried to get to their feet.

"Aezeth?" Claire said as she was the first to her feet.

Wanda stood there in the middle of the garden, confused as she looked at herself. She looked different, but not to the point where she was a different person. She looked younger, with smoother skin, and more shapely breasts. She had a green streak in her hair which she quickly noticed before she began to frantically look around.

Leon shook his head as he sat up. He was the farthest away, being thrown back a few yards, but as he looked up and saw Wanda, he noticed every little difference. He stared at her as this sadness filled his heart. As the rest of them thought she looked younger and more beautiful, he looked at her and felt nothing but loss.

"That's not my Wanda," he said as his voice broke and he quietly retreated back into the house.

"Did it work?" Dawn asked as she stood up next to her.

"I....... I think it did," Wanda said. "I don't feel Aezeth anymore, but I have her memories? It's so strange, but I feel at peace."

"You said you don't feel Aezeth....... so..... Wanda?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, I still feel like me. This is amazing. Where is Leon? I want to see Leon!" She said with excitement in her voice before she looked over and realized he was gone. "Leon? LEON?" She called out only to not hear a response.